Think you have what it takes?
Click Here to Submit Your Story!
Success Stories

Success Stories found : 50 | Page(s) :  << <  11-15  16  17  18  19  20  21-25 >  >>


Click to Enlarge 		Linda
From Mansfield, Ohio


Tell us your story.
About a year ago, my husband surprised me and took me to a bead show at our Local Art Gallery. I was so impressed that I took a beading class. That grew into selling at a great shop in my hometown ,where I have been now for a little over a year now. They like to use mostly local Artists. Then this past January, I found Preston's site & became very interested in the sculptured jewlery.I ordered some wire & tried to make it before ordering the DVD's. Those pieces were bad. Then I saved enough money to order some DVD's right after Christmas. Sort of a present to myself. I struggled a lot at first, then one evening the piece I made turned out just great. That hooked me. I started wearing my pieces to work & they just loved them. Then a lady from my work told me she thought I was good enough to sell them at the Art Center in their gift shop because they didn't sell anything like that there. I told her I was just learning, but she said she had an art degree & said she had never seen anything like this before. I had only been doing it a couple of months at that point. Now I sell my jewlery at the Art Center and in the store downtown. I also sell to another state. I gave my mother pieces for gifts & she started getting orders for me. Those customers just give me an idea of what they want & I make a piece.I figure, if they don't want it, I can always sell it somewhere else, although that has never happened yet.
I am still learning and want to get more DVD's for more items I would love to create, but I am pretty busy, so I will just have to be patient for now.

Where do you sell your jewelry? Do you have any tips on selling there?
I sell at Creative Home Accents in my home town and at the Mansfield Art Center. I also have a couple of web sites for my beaded jewlery. I plan to update them with the sculptured jewlery as soon as I can get enough made to keep it stocked. You just have to ask around and wear your jewlery and see if you can sell in their store. I get a lot of my orders, just by wearing pieces & when they ask where I got it, I smile & say that I made it & give them a business card.

What's your biggest selling piece and why?
Probably the Cats Eye oval pendants. The people love the fact that they can get the color they want and I can get different sizes. I usually wear pendants with brightly colored stones to catch people's attention. These are also affordable, so they can buy more than one. I have one lady that buys a piece every month.

What one piece of advice can you give to other aspiring jewelry makers?
Don't give up. Keep practicing. Don't be too critical of yourself. People will give you compliments if your work is good.

Have you quit your day job yet? Can you give us any idea how much income your jewelry is making?
No. I only work part time at my other job, but this is slowly growning into a nice extra income. I keep investing any money I make into more products so far.

What would you say to someone that might be hesitant to invest in Preston's course?
Even if you only have to start with a couple of DVD's & a small amount of supplies, it is worth it.

Has jewelry making changed your life in any way?
I finally found my creative side. I just wish I had more time. I am excited that people want to buy my work. I get to talk to total strangers and meet a lot of interesting people.

What's your plan for the future?
To keep making pieces and getting my jewlery into more stores. I also want to buy a better camera. I know that the pictures say a lot about your jewlery.