Another day another $

So, I'm thinking of starting up my own website where I can sell directly from the site and you can build your own piece of jewelry. It will have all the blanks, stamp options, design stamps and chains for necklaces or bracelets. I'm also thinking of working into rings.

I really love creating jewelry, it makes me so happy to make something that will be special to someone. With Christmas coming up, I hope I'll be making a lot more people happier. I also love that I'm one of the lowest priced options out there.

Noah decided he wanted to help me with all of this as well. He has made a good habit of assisting in photo shoots


and he wanted to be a model for me


He seems to love my desk where all the tools are and especially loves my hammers. The other day I gave him a piece of scrap metal and a textured hammer (very light) and he went to town on that scrap! He certainly gave it a lot of texture and even shared with my chair as well.

What's new?

I'm doing so many different things right now! My list of things I want to do is so long I can't figure out if I should start at the top, bottom or jump around.
Before:
After:

I'm redoing some pictures to try to get a better look for the shop.

I also created some gift tags. Stamped tags are a great way to reuse them. They can be personalized or generalized and can come with hemp cord for wrapping.

Sale Season!

It's the end of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I still have some awareness pieces. So until the end of the month they will be only $10 instead of $15 and there will be FREE shipping on them as well.




Now that I have figured out how to use Etsy On Sale and I have figured out all the ins and outs of doing custom item requests on Etsy, I've decided to kick off November with a sale!

ALL stamped metals will be 20% off and that will go for custom requests as well.

Weekend Confusion

Aaron, my husband, typically works a 12 hour shift on Saturdays. It's way too easy for me to get my days very confused when he changes his Saturday for Sunday. Last night he asked if I was going to watch Extreme Makeover (he likes to add to confusion) and I got angry when I saw a football game on during EM time. Then I realized he had done it again. It happened two weekends ago as well. He's very mean.

We got Noah his Halloween costume finally! He's going to be a doctor, Aaron a nurse and I'm their patient. We'll see how it works. I don't imagine many will see us since Noah is typically in bed by 7:30pm. 8pm at the very latest.


My days seem to get longer. I now can't get to sleep before midnight, last night it was, well, this morning. But I did take some new pictures! I snapped some of my Swarovski birthstones and some new pieces.

I am well aware of the fact that the sapphire one is freakishly huge. I was send the 6mm ones instead of the 4mm ones. They will all be the same size though. I just wanted to get a picture of them all together.

My Boot Camp Buddy!

Being a part of Etsy also means doing what you can to better your products and your shop. Part of that, for me, started with Etsy's Boot Camp for the holiday season. There's a weekly newsletter that goes out with tips, articles and advice. For the first week you were advised to find a "boot camp buddy" and they linked you to their fan page. I posted my pledge and asked for anyone interested in a buddy. I got a message from someone thousands of miles away, but our products make me feel like we're very close friends who have known each other for a long time. Starzyia of Starry Girl on Etsy


"Sweet Love Birds Roosting Earrings"

Starry and I both do a lot with love, life, memories and healing. She has created some absolutely stunning pieces that mix modern, vintage and love all in one. I'm constantly amazed with the jewelry she comes out with because it feels like she creates them all for me. The meaning and love she puts into everything makes every piece feel like it is one of a kind. She even will create something just for you so you truly do have something that is made just for you and no one else.


"Red Berries and Maple Leaf Earrings"

She has helped me to better my products and images. We talk about our goals and what drives us. I guess I'll have to take a trip to Australia some day just to meet this amazing woman.....how horrible for me ;-)

I highly recommend everyone visit her shop, her blog, her Twitter page, and her Facebook Fan page!

Easels, Cameras and Gift Boxes! Oh My!

My camera was MIA for 3 days! Since taking pictures of products is an absolute must, you can imagine what a bundle of nerves I was! I swear I looked over and under every inch of this house. Evidently the inch I missed was the one inch it was hidden in. Between the cushions, at the back, buried deep in the crevasse of the sofa.

One of the picutres I despareately wanted to get off of it was this one:


Noah's new easel! Can you tell we want him to be creative? There's also a dry erase/magnetic side! Last night he learned to use the eraser and then thought it'd be fun to lick the chalk board. Yes, lick.

I also decided to do something different with the gift boxes for the holidays! I was reading an older post on Girl in Air's blog and thought this would be fun to do for the gift boxes! The only one I've done up so far just says "thank you" but I'll also be doing "happy holidays", "merry christmas", and even personalized ones! For example "for noah". Don't worry, I'll do them up today and take pictures. Now that I have my camera!

Special Wrapping for Holidays!

I had previously been sending all my purchases out in satin bags. Now, I'm excited to announce, they'll be going out in cotton filled boxes topped with ribbon!

I found three simple and beautiful colors and some wonderful ribbon to go on top. I'll also have a Thank You card inside and the special treat I talked about yesterday!



I also put in a new order and I'll be getting some awesome new supplies that I'm sure will wow you with the finished products!

Let the wave begin!

Tomorrow the first of many new products will be going out. For one week (10/18 - 10/23), to celebrate the new products, enter the code 'firstwave' and receive 15% off your purchase, even custom orders!

Be sure to be a fan of Noahs Ark Creations on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and be a fan of this blog! The codes will be put out on here first, then Facebook and then Twitter. Don't be left in the dark!

There will soon be another giveaway as well. New products and new designs are still being worked on and will be coming out regularly.

Also, now until the new year, tell a friend about us and if they make a purchase, you get a 40% discount on your next purchase (custom or not). All they have to do is write me a note in the message box at purchase with your name and you automatically get your discount!

National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

The day is upon us. Today is October 15th and is a day of remembrance.

Over 2,000 losses will happen today, and every day before and after. Please take the time to think of them send them thoughts and prayers.

I've been wearing this necklace for nearly two weeks now. I love wearing it and I love that people notice it.


I am Keona. I am the face of one chemical pregnancy and two miscarriages. I am the mother to a preemie and the wife to a wonderful man who has supported me through my sadness, depression and happiness.

Would anyone care to share their story?

Preview for Next Week

Next week I'll show you everything I'll be offering for the holidays. Don't worry, I'll still be doing my custom orders! I'm also taking ideas and suggestions to improve and expand my product selection.

15 and counting

No it's not the name of another movie or TV show, it's how many pieces I got made yesterday! Got them stamped and colored last night, now I need to put them on chains and take pictures for everyone to see! Well, they wont be out till next week, but I still have pictures to take.

Today I'm going to be working on pieces that will have weaving and lockets. I also have the awesome task of ordering my stock for the holiday season and getting my holiday packaging figured out!

What will be different this holiday season?

Optional gift wrapping
Invoices without prices printed for gift receivers
Special free gift in every purchase
Gift certificates will be available

Sales will start at the start of November. Even custom orders will be on sale. Remember, if you'd like to have a custom necklace/bracelet/set of earrings created for you, use this link on Etsy. This is the Alchemy tool in Etsy for custom orders!


I also have met up with a wonderful Etsy seller who is my Boot Camp buddy for Etsy. Her Etsy name is Starzyia and she's fantastic at creating jewelry with powerful messages and meanings behind them.

Starzyia has an awesome Etsy shop and blog that I highly recommend. She's told me about some great new ideas she has, so be sure to keep checking back with her.

My apologies!

My goodness, I've been so busy! Aaron was gone all weekend so Noah has been keeping me nice and busy with the new addition of 4 teeth (final molars). I've been going to sleep about 1am and getting up about 6am and going all day.

Right now I'm working on creating a stock for the holiday season. Along with doing custom orders, I'm going to have pre-made pieces that are ready to send out. I am working on two separate lines one of which will follow "HO PE" and the other about strength and believing in yourself.

In addition to the stamped discs, I'm creating lockets and discs with a boarder that looks like it's been sewn.

I am also going to be re-doing this blog to add in my recent products over on the "products" page and changing the "DIY" page to ideas for customizing your jewelry. I'll show the different chains, blanks for stamping, fonts, designs and how you can mix and match them all!

For now I leave you with this picture I took not too long ago of Noah enjoying some Halloween ice cream from Baskin Robins!

I don't believe in straight lines

No really, I can't stand them. Sure I can stamp a straight line if I want to, but I don't feel like it looks personal. It looks like something that wasn't made just for you with personality. I love the look of things being off balance and a little crooked.
Sure I can make straight lines if I want to, but doesn't it look good when it's not straight?



To me, it gives a piece character and originality.

Oh, and this is a sneak peek at what my new lines will have.

Multi-toned pieces

Here are two pieces I created last week. I've actually been wearing them and love them. All the pieces that say Faces of Loss or I Am The Face are now only available by request through e-mail. They will not be listed on Etsy or requested on Etsy. If you are interested in one, please e-mail me directly at NoahsArkCreations@yahoo.com.



I also designed a couple new pieces. One is a two toned four stacked disc necklace that is personalized to family, dates or a saying. The second is a three toned pendant that says "i am loved" with a heart. The square is brass, the circle is copper and the heart disc is sterling silver.

Oh...Hi there!

The last couple days have been nice and busy! First off....I got feet! My darling little baby feet have come in and I'm going feet crazy on a lot of pieces. Also, birthstones are being added to the stamped metals. Not dangling from their own charm, but actually attached to the metal giving it a solid look.

I've been playing around with designs for I Am The Face pieces which includes the four hearts. I came up with an awesome way to fill in the top heart without completely pushing it all down. I'll be uploading it tomorrow, so be sure to check back.

Here is a recently customized piece without the birthstone


And here it is with the birthstone


It's an Aquamarine birthstone so it isn't the brightest in colour, but trust me, it looks fantastic. I can't wait to put some darker ones on. I'm especially in love with blue, so I might have to end up using some Sapphires for myself ;-)

On a side note: Faces of Loss is almost to it's 2000 faces goal! Also there are some wonderful products being put out to support them. Be sure to visit Facesofloss.org and view all the stories and items available for purchase to help raise awareness and support.

Remember to check back tomorrow to see my totally awesome new designs! I'm still busy with custom orders, but I like to slip in a "break" to make up some special designs to put out.

New Products With New Font

I came up with a few new things tonight and I really love them. One of them I couldn't get a picture of because, well, I have been using my camera a bit too much. The battery finally died on me.

Anywho! I am in complete love with my new lowercase fancy font. It's so much fun to use and so beautiful. I decided to use the fancy font with the uppercase font on the "Faces of Loss, Faces of Hope" pendant.



This one is a personalized flower I made for someone who has had two losses. Because they were early in their pregnancy no names were picked out and this is a simple tribute to them.





This is a cute little square that can have a dangling birth stone or small charm. The lowercase fancy font fits perfectly on it.



I went a little outside what I normally do and created a textured top to the washer. The picture didn't come out like I wanted, but I still think it's beautiful. It, like the square, can have a birth stone or charm hanging in the middle.





These are all so much fun to create! Thank you to everyone for your custom orders! It means a lot to me to help make you something that you can hold and love forever.

Personal Example

I created a copper Faces of Loss, Faces of Hope pendant for myself with Noah's name and birth-date.

I used UPPER for the outside and fancy for his name. I think it turned out beautifully. I'm going to put it on the same necklace as my "i am the face" pendant.



Also, here are creations 4, 5 and 7 from my party list!

New font? Oh yeah!

I now have three fonts you can mix, match or have solo!

Fancy, lowercase and upper case are now offered!




There are also, currently, two design stamps offered. A star and a heart. I also have the period for dates or decoration. Monday the baby feet will be used in new products.

Faces of Loss Faces of Hope Necklaces

If you're interested in these necklaces, please think of what you'd like in the middle

Options
Name
Date
Birthstone
Baby Feet

Combinations
Name and date with one birthstone
Two dates, two birthstones
Name and birthstone
Multiple birthstones

Unfortunately the feet cannot fit with anything else on this disc. If you'd like, though, the feet can be put onto a separate disc (3/4 size disc) and can sit next to or over the main pendant.

Also, the main discs can be sterling silver, nickel silver, copper and brass. Feel free to e-mail any ideas you have! The first several I create will be used as a "display" on Etsy unless you otherwise request it. I will make sure it's cleared with you first!

If you're interested, please e-mail me at NoahsArkCreations@yahoo.com

I almost forgot to mention, it has been cleared with Faces of Loss, Faces of Hope: I Am The Face organization for me to create these. Also, $5 of the purchase of this necklace will go directly to Faces of Loss as a donation.

A Work In Progress

I'm working on creating a variety of creations for I Am The Face through Faces of Hope, Faces of Loss.

There will be several options and right now, here's the basic of them. There isn't anything in the middle yet because I just wanted to be sure of how it would look. So far, I think it's beautiful. What do you think?

It's OCTOBER!

Can you believe it's already October!? I can't. That means we're that much closer to the biggest candy day on earth. Ok, I'm a candy hog. What can I say? I love candy.

Anyway, back to my main point about October, it's also Breast Cancer Awareness and October 15th is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day.

These two events are why I have come out with my awareness pieces. I have created necklaces and earrings with the pink ribbons and beautiful sterling silver stamped metals. For NPILA I created stamped pieces saying "I Am The Face". Next week there will also be new pieces that go along with the main group I Am The Face is through.

I wanted to get into the I Am The Face pieces because this subject hits home for me. I have had one chemical pregnancy and two losses that have left me with so many emotions. Since then I have found a wonderful online group I participate in and they showed me iamtheface.org. I am very honored to be able to create these pieces and help other women feel they are not alone.



I also had my first chance to take pictures...indoors....at NIGHT! Sure it's not an actual studio, but it takes good pictures!