the lookbook shoot

The lookbook shoot has finally happened! A very big thank you to the amazing Tara Greico (pictured left) and to Nick Bixby, whose photo is shown at left, and also helped out as my stylist. I have been going through hundreds to photos today, trying to narrow down from the best. And happily, there are lots of great photos to choose from. As you can see, I ended up being the model for the shoot. I was a little bit worried about my capabilities as a model, since I have about zero experience in the department. But I got more comfortable with it as the day went on, and Tara and Nick were also great at directing me and making the shoot go as smoothly and successfully as possible. There are still some tabletop shots of jewelry left to do, but I definitely have at least 90% of what I need to make the lookbook now, which is amazing and very exciting. I want to post tons of pictures now so everyone can check them out, but I am restraining myself until the lookbook comes out! Well, I will probably be sneaking more pictures onto this blog or my facebook at some point....I just can't resist!

more of everything

I have been very busy making jewelry lately! All in the name of having lots and lots of inventory to sell on Broadway starting March 15.....hope I'm on the right track. I love making this style of wire wrapped rings--I think they are beautiful. Hopefully the public agrees! I did sell some similar pieces at The Young Designers Market last year, so that's a good sign that people will (hopefully!) like them. The main difference is that now I'm using sterling and 14k gold in place of the brass and copper I mainly used last year. I think using precious metals makes a lot of sense and makes the rings look even better.

I've also been trying to figure out how these new pieces can be shown online, and whether I should be posting any of them to my Etsy store. I've pretty much decided to hold off on that for now. Not that I'm making tons of sales on Etsy, but I don't want to confuse myself by trying to sell inventory in two places at once. The jewelry on Etsy will stay on Etsy, and new pieces will go to Broadway. For now, anyway. The current strategy can always evolve!

As you can see, my current strategy also includes dealing with the supply stash in my backyard that is steadily expanding. Tara brought over another car load of awesome stuff the other day, and now I think I have enough materials to start (and finish!) building my booth. You can't really appreciate all the things she brought--lots of little things are hidden away in bags beneath the work table, but trust me: there is a lot of stuff, and all of it is awesome (yes, even the random half arch that looks like a skate ramp....still got to figure out exactly how I can use that!).

The part that feels a little daunting right now is the amount of work I still have left to do! Let's see....I still have to shoot the lookbook, edit the photos, do the layout, get the books printed, sketch the booth design, cut the wood to size, build the booth pieces, buy paint, organize display elements, make a dozen or two more rings, bracelets, pairs of earrings, necklaces, etc. Of course, there's more than that. But if I get all of that done, it will be a very good start! I know that I shouldn't feel overwhelmed, though. I know that what is most important now is for me to keep calm and continue to work through everything, piece by piece, at a steady pace. There is no energy to spare for useless anxiety and stress! There is just too much to do. More updates coming soon...

kicked out

I went to Chelsea today to go to an accessories trade show. Or rather, I tried to. I was excited about it too, because after looking over the website, I was convinced the show was open to the general public (not just to buyers). Because, of course, I'm not a buyer. But when I got over there, as soon as they realized I wasn't a buyer, they asked me to leave. So it was less like I got "kicked out" and more like I got "rejected instantly." Which sucks, because I really wanted to go in and check out the stuff! It did, however, confirm something that I have known about myself for quite awhile, which is: I am a terrible liar.

There are, of course, much worse things to be than a bad liar. But it can really be a pain in the ass sometimes, like when I'm trying to con my way into an accessories show. I probably could have lied and said that I was a buyer, but I just don't have it in me. So I left. And I went shopping for some more jewelry supplies instead, which was good, because it needed to be done. Now I think I'm done with buying supplies for awhile! Or at least, I really hope I am....this stuff is getting expensive. The reason I keep blowing through supplies so quickly?

I've been working extra hard to build up my inventory in preparation for March. I realized that I need at least $5000 worth of inventory to open the location on Broadway, so that is a steep goal, which requires a ton of supplies. Because $5000 is really the minimum--more would be ideal. But I'm trying to be realistic, as well as optimistic. We will see how I do! On the left, you can see a little preview of some of the work I've been doing. It's pretty jumbled up in the picture, but none of the pieces have been shot either for Etsy or the lookbook yet, so I actually do not have any individual photos at this point. Some of this stuff won't make it to Etsy or to the lookbook--you'll just have to come visit me on Broadway to check it out! I'm also working on a couple larger, crazier "statement" pieces, several of which will certainly end up in the lookbook, and eventually, on Etsy. So I have my work cut out for me! I can't believe it's already Tuesday, and there's so much still to do.....

my backyard AKA the construction zone

So, my jewelry lookbook shoot still hasn't happened just yet. The original plan was to do at least the first part of the shoot today, but Tara and I decided to postpone it until next weekend. That way, I have a few more days to get my collection together and bulk up my inventory a little bit. And, there is construction to be done! As you can see, our backyard has become a temporary construction site. Dimi and Tara are awesome and came by the house the other day with a trunk full of materials for my booth in March.

I was worried about finding wood and other materials to build with, so this is very exciting. There are more materials than you can see in the pictures, and I can't wait to figure out awesome ways to use them all. It's just so great to get a nice head start on construction with a big pile of useful and free materials! So a big thank you, of many more thank you's to come, to the amazing Dimi and Tara...I can't wait to show more pictures as this booth really starts to come together!

A lot has happened this month!

Hi everyone! So, I know, it has been a month since I have written. But I have been writing, just not here. I finally started up a new (not Etsy!) website of my own a few weeks ago, and it made the most sense for me to just move my blog over there as well. The new site is www.imprintbyeileen.com. It is my first ever attempt at creating a website, and I am pretty darn proud of it. It's not perfect, and you can't actually buy jewelry on it yet (you still have to go to my Etsy store for that), but the site will be getting a little bit better every day.

So that's exciting, and you should totally come visit me there and see what I've been up to. Which, incidentally, is a lot! In the event that you're too lazy to click the link, or, understandably, don't want to wade through 7 super long new blog posts, I will try to summarize the past month for you here....

1. My jewelry can now be found in two actual stores! I already wrote about the Hillary Flowers Designers Collective here, and my jewelry is still there. I also have started working in the boutique one day a week--you can find me there every Wednesday from 1-8pm if you want to say hi, see my jewelry, or talk about a custom order. My jewelry can also be found now in North Carolina! At the lovely Stephanie Sherman's private hair studio at the Cicero Tise House in Winston-Salem. If you find yourself down south, go check it out, although I will not be there. But Stephanie will, and she will also give you a damn good haircut. So, definitely a win-win situation.

2. I am making a HUGE gamble in March, that will largely determine the future of my business. A friend (and fellow vendor/designer) of mine is going to be opening a new retail space mid-March featuring about 25 designers and their wares. I'm going to do it, even though it requires an investment, essentially, of all the money I have. Like, in the world. I don't want to give away too many details until everything is super official and nailed down and my booth is built and I have pictures.... But yeah. Equal parts terrifying and exciting, for sure, and I'm sure it will be like that every step of the way.

So, there it is. That has been my month! There has been other stuff, but this is the major bit of it, especially the new retail space part that is happening in March. So scary, but so potentially awesome. I don't know what to expect, or whether it will work, but at the same time, it HAS to. This has to work, and I will make sure that it does, somehow. I'm lucky too, because no matter what happens, it's not like I'm going to end up on the street or anything. If I didn't have a super supportive family and awesomely helpful friends, it would never be possible for me to try this. But I do, and I am, and now, I just have to get to work--making jewelry, sourcing materials, creating the display. We're shooting my lookbook this weekend, and I can't wait to see how it turns out. I will be posting a sneak peek hopefully sometime early next week, whenever I can manage to tear myself away from the studio...

The lovely Hillary Flowers (has my jewelry!)

I am very excited today to announce that my jewelry collection can now be found at Hillary Flowers Designer Collective at 40 Clinton St., right here in the Lower East Side! It is an amazing feeling to see my jewelry displayed in a real store--not just on Etsy, not just on my display table at a craft market--but at a real brick and mortar store. Just amazing!

I couldn't believe it when I looked up directions last night and discovered that the boutique was less than a five minute walk from my house. Convenient, yes! But also surprising--a cute shop down the block with cute clothes and jewelry? How did I miss this?! Maybe it looked too expensive--I'm one of those people who sees a boutique and thinks, I probably can't afford anything in there, I won't even bother going inside. Which is silly, because I've been proven wrong on that point again and again, and Hillary Flowers is no exception--it's full of really beautiful pieces at really great prices.

And I think my jewelry fits in with that very well, if I do say so myself!

I was happily surprised too when I arrived at the store--I had looked up some pictures online before going in for my appointment today, and the pictures I had seen did not do the place justice. In the pictures it looked cramped; in person, it was cozy, inviting. I was really impressed with just how beautifully everything at the store was laid out. New Yorkers really can work magic in small spaces! I'm so curious to see how my jewelry sells at the boutique. But no matter what happens, I am glad to be trying something new. Another step in the right direction for my jewelry business--I'd say it's an excellent way to start off 2012!

The Joy and Stress of Custom Jewelry Orders

Happy New Year everyone!!! I have been busy with custom orders lately, and wanted to share my thoughts....

It must be said that custom orders are both the most fun and the most stressful part of my jewelry business. They are the most fun, of course, because of the satisfaction that comes from making something special and unique, designed for one person in particular, directly to their specific taste and aesthetic. Of course, that same sentence is the reason they are so stressful. No matter how confident I feel in my design and how excited about it I am, I always worry that someone will look at what I've designed for them and either directly not like it, or just be vaguely disappointed.

Which has not happened yet (to my knowledge!), and I hope it doesn't ever! Although as I'm learning with this business--as with every business, I suspect--the unexpected will happen, the thing you don't want to happen will happen, and you just have to keep rolling with the punches!

For instance, I never thought I would turn down a custom order. I had to do that recently, and while I know it was the right decision, it was still a difficult a decision to make. The guy wanted earrings for his girlfriend, but not just earrings in a general style and colors--he wanted to plan out that earring design to the most minute detail. AND he wanted them the following week! Just not going to happen. I knew it as soon as we first got off the phone for the first time, but I didn't want to admit defeat so easily. We actually met for coffee, decided on a design we both liked, and I thought, Hey, this is going to work! But then I went shopping for supplies and realized, after two frustrating hours, that it wouldn't. Why not? Because I'm a designer, and you can't tell me what to do! Not down to the most specific detail, or where's the fun in that? How inspiring is it to just follow the instructions that someone else has laid out? And, in the case that you agree to do such a thing, someone needs to supply the money that it takes to quickly order the specific necessary components, or give you lots of time to source those components. With neither extra money or extra time, it makes the already impossible even moreso.

So in the end, I pulled the plug on the order, and I think he understood. I could just tell that I was going to end up putting lots of hours into a project that he may have not even liked in the end, and not wanted to buy, because it just wasn't "right." And then, nobody wins. I like it when everybody wins! When someone gets a piece of jewelry they love, and I get the satisfaction of having given it to them! Of course, as I write all of this, check out the necklace and earrings that are currently on their way down to Miami:

This set was created for my boyfriend's stepmom (at his dad's request!) for their 19th wedding anniversary....no pressure there! Her husband assured me that he loved it and thought she would too, but now comes the hardest part for paranoid folk like me: waiting!

The first and most immediate concern, of course, is that it could get lost in the mail. I feel like I'm jinxing myself just by writing that! But it must be said that I will be feeling a little paranoid until I hear confirmation that the package was received, especially because it is going to commemorate such an important day (their anniversary is next Tuesday!). Secondly, I hope she loves it. I will also feel a second wave of paranoia until I hear, for sure, that she loves it. Of course, the true test will be how often she wears the pieces, but I can never really know that for sure!

Will let you know what she thinks.....keep your fingers crossed for me :)