I've recently decided to go to Cosmetology School to become a Nail Technician. My aunt's been after me to go to Cosmetology school for a long time since high school to be exact and now with economic conditions the way they are and I can't seem to find a suitable job in the financial field at the moment, this is the best course of action for me. The fact that I love to decorate and design nails helps in this decision also.
I applied online with the Mansfield Beauty Academy and I received a phone call this morning with an invitation to visit the school and facilities. I'm extremely excited. I can't wait to start this new chapter in my life. I figured after 20 years in the financial industry it was time to make a change.
I think I would like to specialize in Acrylics and Gel nails because they seem to be the newest things in the industry. I am very eager to learn as much as I can and I calculated that if I take courses 40 hours a week for two months I should be able to get my license. Then I'll be able to either get a job through the school or with a few of my relatives.
My husband Scott has been the most wonderful support for me along with my family and friends. Everyone thinks this would be a great venue for me since I love anything creative. I should have realized from the very start that I need to work in a field that is creative. I loved the corporate world but really didn't belong there and I realize that now.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Thinking about the next step
Hello everyone, so I've been thinking about the next step to this process...selling the charms. I'm going to open an Etsy account and sell some there along with other types of jewelry I make. This will be a good starting point for me. I know there are plenty of these charm sellers on Etsy but hey everyone's got different styles and ideas so I figured what the heck I'll give it a try.
In case you're wondering what Etsy is...well, it's kind of like Ebay only for crafters and handmade goods. You can find pretty much anything and everything under the sun there that's homemade or hand crafted. I love that website and found it completely by accident years ago and I've always wanted to try to sell my jewelry there.
I'm also thinking of selling them at maybe school bake sales where all the money will go to the school to help them out. I spoke to my friend Kim, who is a member of the school fundraisers committee and she thinks it's a cool idea. I mean technically they won't be baked goods but they might sell pretty good.
My daughter suggested I walk around my neighborhood with them and go door to door lol. I said "what do you think? these are Girl Scout cookies or something?" Hmmm it might not be such a bad idea lol. But I'm definitely going to sell them on Etsy. I'm going to incorporate mine with jewelry I already make which includes gemstones, wire work and crystal beads. I think they'll be very nice and completely different from the ones that others are selling on Etsy.
So that's my plan of action so far. As I said to my friend Mai, if this takes off and these charms are a hit I might actually get somewhere. I mean think of it, I have almost no overhead, my supplies are cheap and it takes almost no effort on my part to make them so the rest is just profit, profit, profit!!!
In case you're wondering what Etsy is...well, it's kind of like Ebay only for crafters and handmade goods. You can find pretty much anything and everything under the sun there that's homemade or hand crafted. I love that website and found it completely by accident years ago and I've always wanted to try to sell my jewelry there.
I'm also thinking of selling them at maybe school bake sales where all the money will go to the school to help them out. I spoke to my friend Kim, who is a member of the school fundraisers committee and she thinks it's a cool idea. I mean technically they won't be baked goods but they might sell pretty good.
My daughter suggested I walk around my neighborhood with them and go door to door lol. I said "what do you think? these are Girl Scout cookies or something?" Hmmm it might not be such a bad idea lol. But I'm definitely going to sell them on Etsy. I'm going to incorporate mine with jewelry I already make which includes gemstones, wire work and crystal beads. I think they'll be very nice and completely different from the ones that others are selling on Etsy.
So that's my plan of action so far. As I said to my friend Mai, if this takes off and these charms are a hit I might actually get somewhere. I mean think of it, I have almost no overhead, my supplies are cheap and it takes almost no effort on my part to make them so the rest is just profit, profit, profit!!!
A Successful Attempt
Ok, so as you all know I started working on making my charms. I followed the instructions on youtube and made some clay. The first batch was a complete success!!! All the charms came out perfect!!
So I went on youtube to get some ideas for the charms and found some awesome tutorials. Of course these tutorials were done by teenage girls so it sort of drove me crazy listening to them go through the steps and processes lol. But nonetheless they were very helpful and I shall incorporate some of those things in my next creations.
The first batch of charms I made some cute japanese mamegomas (baby seals), mameshibas (soybean pups) and some kawaii (cutesy) charms. I also did a few hello kitty, pochacco and other Sanrio ones. I attempted a few chibis ( japanese anime figurines) and still sort of experimenting on the style and design I want to use.
I've only used about a quarter of the clay I made so this is proving to be a very economical project. I made two batches of clay as I stated in a previous post ...one batch I kept white and the other I split into four primary colors (red, blue, yellow and green). I'm thinking I may use a bit of the white I have left and make half of it black so I can make panda bears and penguins and cows lol.
Well, after I finished making the charms I took them to my parents' house for the weekend so I could test it on the kids. My nieces, nephews and daughters loved them!!! Considering that would be my target consumers it has proven successful. In fact, my nieces and nephews made up lists of stuff they want lol. I'm more than happy to oblige in that matter. So, now I will continue on and make batch #2 of my charms.
So I went on youtube to get some ideas for the charms and found some awesome tutorials. Of course these tutorials were done by teenage girls so it sort of drove me crazy listening to them go through the steps and processes lol. But nonetheless they were very helpful and I shall incorporate some of those things in my next creations.
The first batch of charms I made some cute japanese mamegomas (baby seals), mameshibas (soybean pups) and some kawaii (cutesy) charms. I also did a few hello kitty, pochacco and other Sanrio ones. I attempted a few chibis ( japanese anime figurines) and still sort of experimenting on the style and design I want to use.
I've only used about a quarter of the clay I made so this is proving to be a very economical project. I made two batches of clay as I stated in a previous post ...one batch I kept white and the other I split into four primary colors (red, blue, yellow and green). I'm thinking I may use a bit of the white I have left and make half of it black so I can make panda bears and penguins and cows lol.
Well, after I finished making the charms I took them to my parents' house for the weekend so I could test it on the kids. My nieces, nephews and daughters loved them!!! Considering that would be my target consumers it has proven successful. In fact, my nieces and nephews made up lists of stuff they want lol. I'm more than happy to oblige in that matter. So, now I will continue on and make batch #2 of my charms.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Getting Started on my new venture
Today I started working on my new venture...making and selling cute charms. I figured that if I started now I might just make the holiday rush. I could sell a bunch of them before Christmas and probably make some for my girls and my nieces as presents since money will be very tight this Christmas.
I went on youtube and looked up the instructions again to make sure I do it correctly. I gathered all my ingredients and headed for the kitchen. Well, the first attempt seemed positive but the second attempt I think I overcooked the ingredients so it may not work out as well...we'll see, there may be a way to salvage my second attempt.
I'm making cold porcelain charms. This is an idea I found on youtube the other night and thought it might be a great idea to make some money. My best friend Mai said she would help me market these charms so I'm really excited about it. She's probably going to see how cute they are and buy a bunch for herself :)
I've been thinking up some cool ideas that would attract the attention of teenagers and kids so they would probably be my main focus group but anyone can buy these charms and as I mentioned in an earlier post that they can be customized to the customer. I believe this would be a great venture for me since I enjoy crafts.
I've always enjoyed any form of arts and crafts. I also do cross stitching, knitting, sewing, beadwork and jewelry making. I've worked with ceramics and I can also do silversmithing. So, this new venture is something I could really put my heart and soul into and completely enjoy doing.
When I do find a new job, I can still do this on the side and if my business takes off and becomes productive, I will sell some on ebay and such. I do plan on opening an Etsy store so if anyone is interested I will post some pictures. Having an Etsy store could be a good business for me since I enjoy jewelry making too.
So, right now I'm extremely excited about getting started and making it work for me. I will update again after I start creating some items. This is something I really believe I could be great at doing.
I went on youtube and looked up the instructions again to make sure I do it correctly. I gathered all my ingredients and headed for the kitchen. Well, the first attempt seemed positive but the second attempt I think I overcooked the ingredients so it may not work out as well...we'll see, there may be a way to salvage my second attempt.
I'm making cold porcelain charms. This is an idea I found on youtube the other night and thought it might be a great idea to make some money. My best friend Mai said she would help me market these charms so I'm really excited about it. She's probably going to see how cute they are and buy a bunch for herself :)
I've been thinking up some cool ideas that would attract the attention of teenagers and kids so they would probably be my main focus group but anyone can buy these charms and as I mentioned in an earlier post that they can be customized to the customer. I believe this would be a great venture for me since I enjoy crafts.
I've always enjoyed any form of arts and crafts. I also do cross stitching, knitting, sewing, beadwork and jewelry making. I've worked with ceramics and I can also do silversmithing. So, this new venture is something I could really put my heart and soul into and completely enjoy doing.
When I do find a new job, I can still do this on the side and if my business takes off and becomes productive, I will sell some on ebay and such. I do plan on opening an Etsy store so if anyone is interested I will post some pictures. Having an Etsy store could be a good business for me since I enjoy jewelry making too.
So, right now I'm extremely excited about getting started and making it work for me. I will update again after I start creating some items. This is something I really believe I could be great at doing.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Taking on a new endeavor
I was chatting yesterday w/my best friend Mai whom I love like a sister. Anyways, I was telling her about an idea I had that could bring me a good income and she supported my idea. I told her I was thinking of making these specialized charms I saw on youtube and sell them.
She said she loved the idea and would help me fund it but the funny part is it cost almost nothing to make these charms and they're so cute. She said she would also be my first customer...she wants lots of them lol. So after our conversation, I went back on youtube and did some more research and I think by next week I should be able to start this and it would also be lots of fun for my kids to do it too.
I told Mai if this takes off and becomes popular then I could make some good money and supplement my income this way. She said jokingly that I would have a factory in my house. I told her if all goes well I just might.
There is no actual market for these types of charms right now so it may be a good idea for me. The people who made the videos on how to make these live in other countries where postage is ridiculous so they only sell their goods locally. I could open an Etsy account and sell mine all over the world and postage wouldn't even be so bad for me.
I also figured that if my daughter Jade ever had a bake sale at school we could make a bunch of them and sell them to the kids. I know kids would go crazy for them. I could make them big enough for key chains and backpack dangles or small enough for regular charms, earrings and cellphone dangles.
I went to bed early last night because I was really tired and excited about this new venture. This was the first time in a long time I was really excited about doing something I love that could make me a decent income. Maybe I could finally pay off all my credit card bills and afford to take care of my family again.
I'm still looking for a new job but if all goes well it would work out well for me in the meantime while I'm still looking. The best part about this is that I can customize the charms for whatever the customer needs it for (i.e. keychain, cellphone, earrings or just plain charms) and I can make whatever the customer wants if they want a specific cartoon character, a cute animal, a special symbol that means something sentimental for themselves or as gifts. I'm so excited about this I can hardly contain myself.
She said she loved the idea and would help me fund it but the funny part is it cost almost nothing to make these charms and they're so cute. She said she would also be my first customer...she wants lots of them lol. So after our conversation, I went back on youtube and did some more research and I think by next week I should be able to start this and it would also be lots of fun for my kids to do it too.
I told Mai if this takes off and becomes popular then I could make some good money and supplement my income this way. She said jokingly that I would have a factory in my house. I told her if all goes well I just might.
There is no actual market for these types of charms right now so it may be a good idea for me. The people who made the videos on how to make these live in other countries where postage is ridiculous so they only sell their goods locally. I could open an Etsy account and sell mine all over the world and postage wouldn't even be so bad for me.
I also figured that if my daughter Jade ever had a bake sale at school we could make a bunch of them and sell them to the kids. I know kids would go crazy for them. I could make them big enough for key chains and backpack dangles or small enough for regular charms, earrings and cellphone dangles.
I went to bed early last night because I was really tired and excited about this new venture. This was the first time in a long time I was really excited about doing something I love that could make me a decent income. Maybe I could finally pay off all my credit card bills and afford to take care of my family again.
I'm still looking for a new job but if all goes well it would work out well for me in the meantime while I'm still looking. The best part about this is that I can customize the charms for whatever the customer needs it for (i.e. keychain, cellphone, earrings or just plain charms) and I can make whatever the customer wants if they want a specific cartoon character, a cute animal, a special symbol that means something sentimental for themselves or as gifts. I'm so excited about this I can hardly contain myself.
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