Craftsy Classes

If you check out my shop (by clicking the Schmidty Bracelets icon to the right of this post) you won't find a huge variety of items. Now I realize that isn't a great way to promote myself, but it's true. Up until now, I have focused almost entirely on different kinds of friendship bracelets. But now that my shop has turned from a hobby into a business, I feel like it's time to branch out a little. I've added some crochet to my shop (although I'm still not sure it makes sense in a shop called Schmidty BRACELETS) and recently, I decided to purchase a Craftsy class on jewelry-making.

So this week, after all the stuff I needed FINALLY came in the mail, I started taking my class! The first section is on pearl knotting, which is basically just stringing pearls (or beads) and tying these little knots in between.

I was amazed at how quick and easy it was. Friendship bracelets take hours to finish, so I was kind of expecting this to be a longer process, but after only maybe a half an hour of work, I had one of these:

That's not to say I didn't hit a few snags. This bracelet is the only one I feel comfortable selling out of the three that I made. The blue one is super-big, which would have been fine if I hadn't attached both a lobster claw and a barrel clasp. I didn't realize that the barrel clasp came apart until I showed my mom and she unscrewed it to try and put it on. I thought it was just something to hook the lobster claw clasp on. So that happened.

Now the red bracelet should have been fine. It's a good size, the knots are all pretty good. However, the toggle clasp that I used doesn't work for some reason. The little stick won't go all the way through the circle. So I'm going to have to scrap that one.

I'm still really excited though, because once I figure out what types of clasps work, I'm going to have a whole new line of products in my Etsy shop!

There are still three more sections in the jewelry-making workshop, so I'm hoping to be adding even more new lines soon :) And if you're interested, the orange bracelet that I somehow managed to not screw up will be listed in my shop either later today or tomorrow! And you should definitely consider taking a Craftsy class if you haven't already, I highly recommend them. Check back tomorrow for a new post! 

5 Things I'm Thankful For

Since Thanksgiving is tomorrow, I figured I'd do a Thankful list for my Wednesday blog post.

1. Family

We actually did our family Thanksgiving last Saturday with my parents, my brother and sister-in-law. They live three hours away from us, so it was nice to be able to get together.

2. Snow

It finally snowed this morning! Where I live, it usually snows a lot earlier than this (and in a much larger volume) so I was thankful to wake up to snow this morning, even if it was just flurries. 

3. Friends

I love the holidays because I will get to see some of my friends who are still in college when they come home on break! I'm also thankful for the ones that live close to me and the one who doesn't want to fly home from another country for a weekend (silly).

4. Movies

This one may seem silly, but I watched Fight Club for the first time yesterday and my mind is still blown. So I'm thankful that a form of entertainment that supposedly melts your brain can, ironically, make you think. :)

5. Etsy

I've really struggled with figuring out what I want to do with my life after college, but since I've started putting more time into my Etsy business, I've realized that I actually CAN like what I do for a living. Even if doing Etsy full-time never works out, I won't stop looking for a job that I actually enjoy. So I'm thankful that Etsy has taught me not to settle.

Looking over this list, I realize that the order is a little strange. I'd like to point out that they are NOT ranked in any particular order. I do love snow, but I don't think I value it over friends (they're probably at least tied). And Etsy definitely wouldn't be ranked last.

What are you thankful for? Feel free to leave a comment, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Black Friday Sales!

I'm really excited about this week, because this is the first year that I've taken my Etsy business seriously, and I'm going to be participating in Black Friday! I just signed up for EtsyOnSale and have my first sale scheduled to start at 12AM on Friday and end at 12AM on Saturday. Check out my shop that day for 25% off ALL listings. For example:

I've also created a coupon code specifically for anyone who reads my blog, which is active now through Saturday 11/28! Use coupon code BLACKFRIDAYSB for $3.00 off your purchase of $5.00 or more! 

Hope you find something you like (even if it's not in my shop) and have fun Black Friday shopping!

How to Tie On Your Own Friendship Bracelets

I've given many friendship bracelets away as presents (before I needed them to sell for my Etsy shop), and most of my friends immediately turned to someone else to help them put it on.  It is a little difficult to tie them on by yourself, but hopefully this post will help.

Single Loop

For a friendship bracelet with just one loop at the top, you start by putting one of the braided ends through the loop.  

Hold onto that end as you slip the bracelet onto your wrist. If the bracelet is the proper size, this shouldn't be difficult. Once the bracelet is on your wrist, pull on the end to adjust it to the size you would like it to be.

Now all that's left is to tie the bracelet. Take the end that is through the loop and hold it in the palm of the hand the bracelet is on with your fingers.

Then use your free hand to tie a double knot around the end that you are holding (not too tight, or the bracelet will be difficult to take off). Then you're done!

Double Loop

Some friendship bracelets start out as two bracelets, so they have more than one loop. Putting these on is almost the same as tying on a bracelet with one loop, with a few minor differences. First, put one braided end through each loop at the top.

Hold onto the ends while you slip the bracelet onto your wrist, and pull to adjust it to the proper size.

Hold one of the braided ends in the palm of the hand that the bracelet is on.

Then use your free hand to tie the a single knot around the end that you are holding with your fingers. And that's it!

It may seem difficult at first, but after a while it'll be easy to tie on your own friendship bracelets. Hope this helps! Both bracelets used in this tutorial can be found in my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/schmidtybracelets. Feel free to check it out, and I'll be posting again tomorrow!

Fantastic Friday?

I know I said I'm not big on the cute alliterative names, but it is kind of fun to see if I can come up with alliteration for all my post names :) Anyway, I'm not planning on posting a lot on Fridays since it's kind of a busy day for me, so I'll keep it short and sweet.

Two good things happened this week: I started/finished a custom order (my favorite), and one of my crocheted items made it into a treasury on Etsy!

I was really happy with how the custom order turned out, and I think I'm going to start selling these in my shop at some point.

Sideways Heart Friendship Bracelet

I'm also really excited about the treasury. I was featured in my first treasury not long ago, and while I don't completely understand the concept, it was cool to think that someone had selected my item over all of the other ones on Etsy. Both treasuries are great and have some really cool stuff in them (and I'm not just saying that because my items are in there). Although I do love these Starfish coasters :)

My goal is to post on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Tuesdays, so I should have something new on here on Monday! Feel free to leave a comment, and check out SchmidtyBracelets on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest in the meantime! 

My First Blog

Technically, the title of this post is misleading, as I had a xanga in middle school (I don't know if that's still a thing, but I think it counts), but when I say "My First Blog," I mean "My First Blog about Etsy and Business and Knitting and Crocheting and Making Jewelry." But that's a bit of a mouthful.

Me

So to start, I want to introduce myself and my Etsy business: My name is Rachel Schmidt, and I am the owner of SchmidtyBracelets, an Etsy shop originally devoted entirely to my friendship bracelet hobby. I am currently trying to turn my hobby into a real live business.  From what I've read, it seems like a lot of work, but I like it so far.  The hardest thing for me is branding.  I like making so many different things (knitting, crocheting, making jewelry, etc.), and I can't understand why people wouldn't like a shop just because it sells all different kinds of products.  JC Penney sells shoes, clothes, appliances, and other random stuff and they seem to do okay. So for now I'm just listing everything and hoping somebody likes it. I've always kind of had an "Hakuna Matata" mentality, so this strategy works for me.

Blogging was probably the thing I was most hesitant about when it came to my Etsy business. For such a young person, I have a senior citizen's fear of social media. But the more I looked into it, the more excited I became. I just started and I already have a set schedule in mind for posting, and a ton of ideas for future posts. I don't really have the attention span for Wordless Wednesday, Friday Finds or other catchy, alliterative, themed posts, but I like the sound of Tutorial Tuesday, so that'll probably happen every now and then. I also hope to gain enough readers that I can get feedback on some of the things that I sell, and eventually do a giveaway or two! 

And unfortunately, I do run a business, so I will have to sell myself a little every now and then as well: 

Diagonal Lines Friendship Bracelet

Diamond Triangle Holiday Friendship Bracelet

I'll probably be blogging about my other hobbies and interests now and then, too. Reading, volleyball, movies, volleyball, music.. and did I mention volleyball? All of those things will probably find their way into this blog occasionally. I'll try to find a way to tie them in so that they make sense, but as I've mentioned already, I'm all about the randomness. 

Please feel free to comment, I need all the feedback I can get! If you made it all the way through, thanks for reading, and I'll be posting again on Friday!