Christmas Frenzy

I don't have to be disappointed for long when none of my Halloween items sells, because the Christmas shopping frenzy arrived not long after the president election.

Throughout previous 10 months or so that I was here, I sold only 1-2 items per week, but in Mid November till Mid December, I sold 1-2 items everyday! That was not much compared to the best selling etsy shops, but it's a big big difference for me!

This Christmas will be my first on etsy and it's the first time I became part of this gift giving tradition. I love every bit of it! Just thinking that there's someone out there who will be wearing their gifts of my sea glass jewelry is the greatest encouragement for me to keep going. As long as the gift giving mood is there, I realized that any style, color or price will sell, not necessarily of Christmas theme! Here's some of my favorite that have become special Christmas gifts.

Halloween Inspiration?

I have been creating sea glass jewelry with whatever designs that come to mind, never giving a thought about seasons or festivals. Recently, Halloween theme items were featured more than once on etsy frontpage, I just feel the urge to join the fun!
Here is a couple of 'subtle' Halloween items, that you could always wear on any other day of the year. Cute pumpkins dangling on your wrists or eerie green hand creeping up your throat...

Sea Glass Friends

Having my own shop at etsy hadn't just brought me business, but a chance to express myself artistically. Moreoever it brought me friends. Just like the old fashion pen pal, I found myself developing friendship with a wonderful lady and her daughter, far on the other side of the globe in North America.
She found me on etsy and started as a customer. We soon became friends because of our mutual love of the sea, beach and sea glass. We convo to and fro, sharing beach-combing experiences, happy memories and just about anything from life events to a recent walk on the beach! We exchanged gifts of sea glass, seashells and admired each other's handicrafts. We lead totally different lives, have different cultures and our time zones are 10 hours apart, but those were no barrier to us.
When I first joined etsy, I am just hoping to share my work and maybe sell a little, anxious that if my style were acceptable. Now I am truely grateful for all that I've gained from etsy!

If you are coming to Hong Kong, don't miss Cheung Chau!

Waterfront in Central, Hong Kong Island. Ferry pier with your choice of fast ferry (30 mins) or slow ferry (45 mins). High rise in background.

After more than 2 weeks of rainstorms and overcasted skies, there is finally sunny weather. Being a solar powered person, I was immediately full of energy. I geared up, finished my work quickly, and took the afternoon off for a visit to my favorite island.

Just a half hour ferry ride, the high rise and city smog gave way to a village island and smells of the salty sea. What an amazing transformation! Best of all there is no cars here, only bicycles!

Hong Kong Island falling behind you...waterfront of Cheung Chau Island gaining on you...

Stepping off the ferry, I headed immediately for the beach. The streets are lined with stalls selling souvenirs, dried sea food, snacks and swmming gears. A cat relaxing in the shade ignored me, seemed to remind me 'Where did you come from? Slow down! Everyday is a holiday here!' So true!

Stall selling dried sea food Snack stalls lined street leading to the beach

Stalls selling swimming gears, beach in background Cat pretended that it hadn't seen me

Finally! The pleasant sounds of splashing waves, children's laughter and seagulls' screams washed away my weariness. How this wonderful place recharged and refreshed me in my every visit!

If you are coming to Hong Kong, don't miss Cheung Chau!

Victoria harbour waterfront in Central, Hong Kong Island. Ferry piers and ferry, high rise in background

After more than a fortnight of rainstorms and overcasted skies, there is finally sunny weather. Being a 'solar powered' person, I was overjoyed. Fully geared, I finished my work quickly and took the afternoon off to visit my favorite island.

Waterfront and boats in Cheung Chau Island. Stall selling dried sea food .

Paved street leading to the beach.

Stalls selling snacks Stalls selling swimming gears, beach in background

Just half an hour of ferry ride, the high rise and city smog gave way to village houses and salty smell of the sea. The transformation is amazing! Best of all, there is no cars here! Only bicycles!

Heading immediately for my favorite beach, I stopped occasionally at stalls that sell souvenirs, salted fish, snacks and swimming gears. A cat relaxing in the shade glanced at me, seemed to say 'Where did you come from? Slow down! Everyday's a holiday here!'

The pleasant sounds...washing waves, children playing and laughing, seagulls screaming...took away my weariness. How this wonderful place recharged and refreshed me in my every visit!

More to celebrate!

A few weeks ago, I first noticed this wonderful lady who breezed through my etsy shop. She bought many items, came back and bought more, paying immediately every time. What moved me so is that she not only appreciated my crafting skills, she genuinely cared about my safety when I couldn't make it to the post office because of torrential rain. She communicated truthfully and left wonderful feedbacks for me.

Started as a hobbyist, I didn't expect much of etsy at first. In the process, I learned to take good pictures and write attractive descriptions, I learned to promote myself in many different ways. Everything is more than expectations now, having customers wearing my sea glass jewelry in UK, Canada and USA. But all these happened at the buyer-seller level.

Contact with this lovely lady brought us to the personal level: how one person genuinely care about another. This is the single most rewarding experience for me. I am always wholeheartedly thankful to her!

Celebration!

I've just realized that it's exactly 5 months since I started on etsy. I looked back and felt the bittersweet of it all: how I've waited and waited for my first sale, wondering about my prices and worry if I should trade pride for business... Then I started to join the forum everyday and make new friends, gained confidence through their encouragement and complements, and found a niche for myself. What started as a hobby begin to have an audience, and buyers too! What thrills me most is, there are actually people from different parts of the world wearing my sea glass jewelry!

This is my latest creation: 'sea monsters teeth' necklace, just sold today as my 2oth sale. I've got to celebrate!