Irish Product Review: Felt by Sheena - Handmade Soap

Felt by Sheena Soap

As someone with a cute and delightful dash of OCD, I LOVE my cleansing products. It's something that gets me really excited in an adorable way, although some people misconstrue this as being weird. Imagine my delight when I got my hands on a Felt by Sheena soap which according to the Irish entrepreneur is your antibacterial washcloth and soap all in one!

Stunning Colors

Upon opening the wrapping, the first thing that hit me was the stunning and vibrant colors of the felt wool enveloping this soap. An exciting mix of yellow, red and deep pink encase a deliciously sweet scent of 'Rhubarb & Custard'. Similar to how a young child can't wait to play with their new toy on Christmas day, I couldn't wait to jump into the shower to try my Felt by Sheena soap!

Having tried the soap, I was not disappointed. The felt gently exfoliated my skin, leaving it feeling extra clean. Surprisingly it did not dry out my skin at all. According to Sheena Walsh, the Irish entrepreneur who hand makes this, it is the glycerin base which is high in moisture and kind to the skin that prevents that dried out feeling that you typically get with soap. 

An added bonus is that the felt casing not only removes scum residue but it also eliminates that 'icky and gooey' wet soap feel.

 I would highly recommend this product as not only is it great for gently cleansing your skin, but it also smells wonderful during and post shower. 

Competition Time!!!

Win a delicious Rhubarb & Custard felted soap by Sheena.
Many other great prizes to be won, worth €170!
Ends 26/12/13. Enter HERE: https://a.pgtb.me/2SPNV6

Buy your Felt by Sheena soap here for only €4: www.etsy.com/ie/shop/FeltBySheena

Swarovski Design Winner!

Back in October I entered a jewellery design competition hosted by Swarovski. The theme for the design was halloween. My most popular product is my crystal ball pendant necklace, so I decided to base the design on a spooky crystal ball pumpkin.

The first design I came up looked a bit like a toy as it was too detailed. So I had to revised the design and come up with something a little more simple.

First Design

My second design looked much better, so I submitted my entry to Swarovski. Turns out I was right as I am a winner! While I did not make first place, my design was still selected to win a prize.

Final Competition Entry

A box of goodies from Swarovski arrived for me yesterday and I just had to share the great news. Swarovski sent me eight beautiful packages of their finest crystals. I can't wait to use them to make something amazing!

My Prizes

Let me know what you think I should make with these little beauties by leaving a comment.

Interviewed by Her.ie

Irish Women In Business: Shen Wong Jewellery

Recently I was featured by popular Irish women website, Her.ie. They interviewed me for their section on Irish Women in Business. It was such a buzz to be contacted by such a huge well known website in Ireland.

This interview was quite different to the ones I have done before with Clothes.ie or on air as there was a real focus on my career background and the fashion industry. A very fun meeting all in all!

After I posted about my interview on Facebook, I got a huge response from my fanbase offering supportive and kind words. It always lovely to see the support out there for me. I am spoiled with love! :)

Read my interview here.

Leave a comment to let me know what you think.

Live Interview: On the Radio

1st Radio Interview - Friday 15th November

I was recently invited by Upstarts for a 30 minute interview on Dublin City FM. It was one of the most exciting tasks I have done in my career!

Nervous smile

You can hear my voice shaking as I have never been one to enjoy public speaking, but Kelly and Andy from Upstarts were fantastic at keeping the conversation going and making me feel as relaxed as possible.

Now I'm talking!

Once I got talking, there was no stopping me. I actually had so much fun on the show, I would love to go back on again. There is such a rush from it! Anyone looking for radio interviewees?

Looking coy.

You can listen to the podcast for my interview below. It's quite funny and light hearted. Find out about my title of Miss beautiful baby of Drogheda 1982, how I got started in my business and some of the wonderful people that helped me along the way.

Listen now

Let me know your thoughts on my first radio interview.

Cute Label Alert: Dresses by Jones + Jones

Recently I discovered my new love at a sale rack in TopShop. I love going through sale items, it's the best way to try something new as I will buy anything if it is discounted enough! I am a real bargain queen.

Flicking through the sale rail I discovered several dresses by Jones + Jones. These really caught my eye as they were so cute and feminine. From what I tell after a bit of research on their website, most of their dresses have a net underskirt, giving their dresses a fun and flirty feel.

Feeling rather angelic in my white dress

The dresses are fitted on top, while the skirt 'puffs' out. I felt like a princess walking around with the light skirt swishing around my thighs. 

Feeling petite & girly

  

These dresses look best when teamed with a pair of high heels. They are made to be dramatic!

Before you buy too many, beware! These sweeties take up a lot of room! The underskirt probably takes up about the same space as five normal dresses (I bought four!). I had to move a few things out of my wardrobe to fit them in. I did first try to convince my husband to bin some of his clothes, but he rejected my suggestion *sigh*.

I wish I could have a separate wardrobe just for these dresses as they have an amazing sale on now!

Leave a comment to let me know what you think of Jones + Jones.

Shop here: www.jonesandjonesfashion.com

#FunLoving

3 Steps To Getting Financial Support

Many people may be put off setting up their own business due to tight finances. But with some savings and a bit of financial support from the government, your dreams can be within reach!

How I got financial support:

1. Applied for the Back To Work Enterprise Allowance,
2. Prepared a detailed business plan,
3. Applied for the Short-Term Enterprise Allowance with the Tolka Partnership.

          Weekly allowance approved!

After I left my job, I knew that I wanted to set up my own business. This will be a slow process as there is a lot of set up work and I will not be bringing in much money within the first couple of months.

To overcome the lack of income in the early stages of my set-up, I applied for the Back To Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA) otherwise known as the dole or scratcher. This is a fund for people who are unemployed. Until I've created business viable products, I considered myself to be an unemployed person pursuing on a VERY expensive hobby/idea. On that basis, it is fair for me to avail of this fund.

Recently I completed my online shop set up on Etsy, and made some sales, so it was no longer fair for me to be on an unemployment allowance. I have since successfully applied for the Short-Term Enterprise Allowance (STEA). This pays the same as the BTWEA and for the same nine month period, but rather than coming out of a pot for unemployed people, it is for start up entrepreneurs. 

Benefits of STEA over BTWEA

• Money is paid straight into your bank account.
• No need to sign-in anymore at the unemployment office.
• No need to attend meetings with case worker.

Note: You cannot get the STEA grant if you are registered as a sole trader.

The resources I mentioned are only available in Ireland. But there should be support in most countries. Remember, Google is your best friend for information!

Resources

Read more about Irish government support and process > here.

Application for STEA form > here.

How to apply for STEA:

- If you live in an area covered by a local development company (xls) (LDC), apply to the Enterprise Officer.

- If you do not live in an LDC area, apply to the Jobs Facilitator in your social welfare local office.

Say 'Yes' to Gay Marriage!

Love is all you need for marriage!

Recently I posted my thoughts on gay marriage to a Facebook thread and it got quite a response. It is a topic that I feel so strongly about, I just had to write a post on it.

While some people describe marriage as just a piece of paper, it does not take away from the fact that it holds a lot of emotional importance to certain people. Whatever the significance or meaning that marriage holds for people in general, it is not the point of discussion. The point is, couples should not be discriminated against because of their gender.

Here I am going to tackle the two main arguments against gay marriage:

1. Gay marriage is unnatural
It is unnatural based on two people of the same gender not being able to conceive. This argument really makes my blood boil! Many couples cannot conceive, does this mean that they are unnatural and should not be allowed to marry? I find this argument to be highly insensitive, insulting and downright cruel! When I argue this point, it has come back to me that some 'normal' couples can't conceive 'because of an impediment to their normal potential to do so'. Thank you Einstein for explaining that so eloquently!





2. Being gay is against my religion
I think the below picture explains it best. If you believe that gay marriage is against your own beliefs due to religion or whatever, then you don't do it. But you cannot impose your own morals onto others.

In my opinion, many people that are against gay marriage are just so darn miserable that they create whatever rules there are to happiness so that few others can fit into these false criteria, then that way they will have a 'right' to condemn them! By doing so, these people can make others miserable with them. Proof that misery does in fact love company.

My belief is that any natural couple drawn together by love, regardless of gender should be allowed to marry. While in Ireland we have to wait until 2015 before we have a referendum for gay marriage, we are moving in the right direction. Despite the long wait, I am glad that we are moving progressively. Now let's wait for the rest of the world to follow suit!

I'm proud to say that the opinions voiced in this post are not only those of my own personal views, but also those of my business, Shen Wong Jewellery. I am not afraid of losing business from those that oppose gay marriage!

If you send out mean and negative vibes, it will all come back to you. In the end you are the one that is going to be miserable by being bitter. Be happy for others and you will be a happier person.

Please leave a comment to show your support.

Interview with Clothes.ie

My First Interview!


















This month I was invited to my first interview as Shen Wong Jewellery with Clothes.ie. This is very exciting as Clothes.ie are a Fashion website in Ireland that are really starting to take off!


How I Did It!

I simply reached out and tweeted Clothes.ie that I would like to feature on their website. To sweeten the deal I offered them an item from my product line for their readers as a competition prize. They responded positively and arranged the interview within a month.

If you are in a similar startup situation, I would advise you to start small and contact new or small fashion sites and bloggers to feature your products. It will help you gain a bit of experience and exposure before you move up to the likes of Vogue or So Sue Me!

Tip: Always ensure that the interviewer includes a link to your website and social media pages. Not only can it increase sales opportunities and connections, but it can improve your Google search rankings.

I hope you found this post helpful. Please leave a comment to share your thoughts and ideas.

Read my interview with Clothes.ie here.

How to Win an Award - Then brag about it!

How to Win an Award in 3 Steps

Step 1: Be in to Win!

Find a competition in your field/industry/business that you feel is worth entering. Most importantly, one that you feel there may be a chance of winning. 

For me, as a new start-up business based in Dublin, Ireland I wanted to establish myself as a reliable business. At this launch stage I don't have the results yet to prove myself for a national award, nor do I have the fan base for a big support. So I opted for a local business competition that no one really knew nothing about, Key To The City. 

Key to the City is a competition for Dublin businesses. Winners are the top three businesses with the most votes via a Facebook app. This sounds like a competition that I can win as initially there were only 40 entries, plus the business at the third of the league only had 170 votes. I know that if I put in the work, I stand a real chance of beating this. 

Step 2: Spread The Word

Promote your entry. Even though you are only at the nomination stage, share it across all social media. Fans want to hear about your business. Plus, they want to know how well you are doing.

If you entered an online voting competition, then this is the perfect opportunity to spread the word about your business to everyone, while asking for votes!

How I asked shamelessly asked for votes:

- Post on my Facebook business page

- Post on my Facebook profile

- Called all my friends to ask them for support & to vote for me

- Emailed EVERYONE on my email address book

- Messaged individually every Facebook friend

- Post on Google+ page

- Join & post on Google+ communities

- Post on Twitter

- Post on Twitter & tag community pages when close to winning

- Ask all families & families of friends

- Post on forums

- Post on LinkedIn

- Message everyone on LinkedIn

- Post on community forums (Etsy where I sell have their own forum)

- Join & post on relevant Facebook communities

- Join & post on communities for all educational institutes attended

- Invest in Google Adwords to promote

- Invest in Facebook Advertising

- Write a blog about it!

I also asked everyone I met. There is no limit as to who you can canvas votes from. You just need thick skin.

While conversion rates for votes can be low, when you do everything, it all adds up. Plus every time you mention your business, you are spreading the word about your brand. This is particularly good, if you are looking to sell internationally. I would really only do this at the early stages of the business, you want to be careful not to cheapen your brand. I wouldn't canvas this way regularly either, it will get very annoying!

TIP: When asking for votes, make sure to provide a motivation for the public. For my competition, the organizers are offering a €100 shopping voucher for all voters. I lead with this when I am doing a generic post on my Social Media walls. If there is no prize, then maybe you can offer a prize of your product/services.

Step 3: Brag About It

If you picked the right competition and put in the hard work, hopefully you will come out on top. Even if you don't get the award, you can still be a 'winner'. I intend to promote my result even if I'm just in the top 10 - 'Top 10 business nominated for...'. If I do win, I will be incorporating the words 'Winner of The Key To the City Award 2013' to my marketing materials, both digital and print! 

Of course I will also be entering jewellery making competitions as that is the industry that I am in. I have entered two so far, hopefully I will win one soon!

Aside from the honor of winning an award, there are also other benefits.

Benefits of Award Nomination:

- Improve your credibility to customers & investors,

- Improved brand awareness (to voters & other nominees),

- If your business fails, an award or good result will look on your CV, 

- Can improve your website search results as the host should include a link to your page on their website.

I hope you found this post useful. Do you have any suggestions on winning awards or gaining votes? Please do leave a comment as I would love to hear your thoughts.

Endorsement is Important - Online Startups

To all start ups I would advise you to seek endorsement where ever you can. It will make your new business look more official and reliable to potential customers. This is especially true for a start up business based solely online.

By endorsement, I mean joining an organisation that promotes your business. As a jewellery maker, I am in the crafting industry. Recently, I have been accepted as an Associate Member of the Crafts Council of Ireland. Just to be clear, this is an organisation formed to promote skilled craftsmanship, it is not a gathering of witches (yes, I had to explain this to a friend!). 

Needless to say, I am delighted with my membership. I had to submit a detailed application which then had to be assessed by a panel that only meets a limited number of times a year. This endorsement is a big deal to me. On top of obtaining a greater sense of pride for my work due to official recognition, there are also many practical benefits.

Benefits of Endorsements

• Improved SEO - Membership/Endorsement may include a bio about your business and a link to your website. If the organisation has a good website then they may rate highly with Google and a link from them to your site should improve your page ranking.

• Trust - Even if your potential customer has not heard of the organisation that 'endorsed' your business, it can help develop trust and faith in your company.

• Increased Awareness - By featuring on another page or becoming a member of an organisation, more people will immediately know about your business (even if it is just a handful, depending on the organisation).

• Learn from others -  By joining a good and relevant organisation, you should gain access to information that will be beneficial to helping your business specifically. 

• Support - You will be connecting with like minded people in similar situations, you never know, you might meet someone who can help and support you.

I hope you found this post helpful. If you are in the crafting industry based in Ireland, I would highly recommend you join the Crafts Council of Ireland. You will receive much useful information. www.ccoi.ie/

Author: Shen Wong

Maker of Fun Loving Jewellery at www.ShenWong.com

7 Questions to Ask Before Quitting Your Job

The 7 Questions...
...I asked myself before I quit my job to set up my own business

This month I finally took the plunge and quit my day job so that I can focus 100% on launching my jewellery business.

Before I came to the decision of leaving my full time job, I had to ask myself 7 questions:

1. Have I stayed motivated in developing this business for at least 3 months?
2. Do others believe that I have the skills, and does the market has the need for my business?
3. Has at least 3 people purchased something from me?
4. Can I sustain 4 months without a salary and still pay my mortgage?
5. If the business failed to take off, will I be able to find a job within 4-6 months?
6. Will I regret it if I don't take this chance?
7. Will I be a happier person if I pursue this business?

After I confidently answered 'Yes' to all these questions, I knew that it was the right decision.

The most important question to me was number 7. To me happiness is the most important consideration as there are ways to work around everything else.

Is there anything you would add to this list?

Review: Nivea Body Moisturiser, Rich Nourishing - 10/10 Stars

Nivea, Body Moisturiser, Rich Nourishing, Rich Moisturising Care, with HYDRA IQ. For Dry skin with almond oil.

I just used this for the first time today and I love it! I have very dry skin and this is perfect for keeping my skin moisturised without being too thick and oily like the many other products out there.

What I Love: 

• Light texture, not too thick.
• Rubs in quickly and easily like a lotion. 
• Smells lovely, but not overpowering.
• Skin feels velvety with a nice sheen to it afterwards.
• Even very dry skin feels nicely moisturised hours later.
• Relatively cheap. It is on sale now at Superdrug for only £3.46. 

What I didn't Like

This is rare for me, but there was nothing that I disliked about this product.

I highly recommend this product to everyone. This will be a permanent addition to my beauty regime.

Product review by Shen Wong.

New Shen Wong Classic Collection

Working on my new 'Classic' collection. Toning down the range of colours in my jewellery to appeal to a wider audience.

Loving the new collection. 

Let me know what you think? More crazy colours or the classical elegant look? Leave a comment to share your thoughts. 

Review: Dr.Hauschka Cleansing Cream

As someone with sensitive skin, I rarely wear make-up. So good skin care products to maintain clear skin is essential.

When I visited my local health food shop Nourish (lovely staff), I came across a paper clipping of Julia Roberts. The article wrote about how the Pretty Woman star loves Dr. Hauschka's Rose cream. Well I thought, if it's good enough for my pal Julia, then it is certainly good enough for me! So I invested in the €17.75 cleansing cream.


Dr. Hauschka Cleansing Cream - Product Review - 8/10 Stars

The cleansing cream is of thick, light brown, ointment texture. It contains small, gentle exfoliating particles. When rubbing it on your face, the first thing you notice is the 'organic' smell. While it is not pleasant, I prefer this over perfumed products which I find unpleasant.

The cream does not foam, so I am not sure if it would help with removing 'tacky' dirt like make-up or oils. Without the foaming action, I did not think that it would clean as well as other cleansers, but I was wrong! After drying off my face, it felt supple, soft and clean. It did not dry my skin like other cleansers normally do.

The only thing I negative is, with my oily skin I do miss the squeaky clean feel. despite that, this will definitely be a permanent addition to my skin care routine.

I LOVE this product and would highly recommend it to everyone, not just people with sensitive skin.

Purchase at Nourish in-store or online at: www.nourish.ie/dr--hauschka-cleansing-cream/drhb003pd.html

by Shen Wong

14 Steps to setting up an online business - Priorities

When setting up an online jewellery business, or any business for that matter, there seems to be an an infinite number of things to do. Once you have set up your business plan, it can be overwhelming to know what to do and in what order.

Today I will be sharing my list of priorities, hopefully it will be useful to someone else setting up their business.

Please note, this post is not an 'How To' post, it is just a list of what I do.

1. Decide on business name (research online to find minimum competition for those key words).
2. Register business name with your local office to check availability.
3. Register your domain name, do at same time as Step 2 to check availability.
4. Choose the keywords to optimise for e.g. Organic - Fruit - Dublin
5. Write a paragraph about the business & post on webpage, incorporating keywords.
6. Register your website with Webmaster tools so it comes up on Google search results. https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools
7. Set up social media pages and link them to your website for SEO. Try to use the same name for them all, incorporating business name. Write a bio for each, incorporating keywords. I write off the top of my head rather than using same copy as Google does not to like block duplicate content. It may not matter for short Bio's, but I also prefer original content. https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/66359?hl=en
8. Manage expectations by posting a goal launch date on all the sites & pages.
9. Start working on your products. Steps 1-8 was to lay the foundation for search engines to find your site.
10. Develop your website with a basic homepage and about us.
11. List your products. Make sure to use your keywords throughout product descriptions. Basically your keywords should be naturally placed on every page related to you.
12. Register your page with SEO optimising site such as https://www.attracta.com/. Do this after listing products as you will understand better what to say about them. Once registered, I don't think you can change the information submitted.
13. Make sure to update your social media pages minimum twice a week throughout the whole process.
14. Once you are happy for your site to get some traffic, announce on your launch on social media pages.

My list is not perfect, but it's what I do on a generic level. I am selling my products through Etsy at the moment, but still working on my own site, so not ready to go fully live yet. 

Leave a comment if you have any suggestions. I am always keen to learn.

by Shen Wong

Renaming Dublin Designer to Shen Wong

Going forward this blog will be renamed under the Shen Wong brand.

For the purposes of SEO (explained in my earlier post), it was becoming too much to optimise for the Dublin Designer brand and Shen Wong Jewellery, so I had to merge everything into one. 

Over the week I will be refreshing the layout of this page. Keep an eye out for the new look. 

Sometimes we have to sacrifice preference for SEO. *sigh*

Goodbye Dublin Designer and hello Shen Wong Blog. 

Did you ever have to change your branding to suit SEO? Leave a comment to share your thoughts. 

by Shen Wong 

7 Steps to using Instagram for Online Business - Building SEO

Intro

You set up your website, put up good pictures of products with enticing descriptions and many people will think  your done. Well unfortunately that is just not enough. One of the (many) most important things with an eCommerce website is for it to be found. To do this you need to optimise your website for search engines, this process is called SEO. 

There are many thing you can do to optimise your website. One strategyis to create inbound links. This means setting up links to your website, Google loves this. The more relevant links that directs to your website, the better. Social Media is a great way to achieve this. 

The Social Media that I will be talking about today is Instagram.

    My Instagram page

How To 

1. Download Instagram to your smartphone. 
2. Set up your account with your business name. This will then be a relevant link to your website. Please be sure to use your business name & not anything else. For me, Shen Wong was taken across most SM platforms, so I used ShenWongCo as my alias. Ideally I should have used ShenWongJewellery so I could optimise for "Jewellery" also, but that was too many characters than most would allow and the competition for that word is too heavy anyway. 
3. Decide on the 3-5 keywords you would like to optimise for. Use these words in your description
4. Decide on the pictures you should be posting. I like to post pictures of my jewellery, me wearing my products and some 'behind the scenes' images of me preparing my creations. 
5. When posting up images describe it in a few words, but try to fit in some key words. Be sure to include your website!
6. Tag your pictures. Instagram allows up to 30 tags. By tagging your pictures, there are better chances of people finding them & then liking & following you. This is good for SEO & spreading awareness for your website. I use tags like #jewellery #bracelets which are both relevant to help people find my pictures & useful keywords for my SEO.
7. Post often so your followers don't lose interest. 

Tip: Set up a custom auto correct on your smartphone. I have a full list of possible tags I will use, plus a short bio with my key words that I add to all my image posts. When I type 'instabio' into my phone, my description and tags auto populates. Saves me typing it out each time.

That's it on this topic. If I have missed anything or if you have found this useful, please comment. 

You can find me on Instagram @ShenWongCo. 

Sample images that I post on Instagram

Written by Shen Wong  

Inspiring Sun

With the sun blazing my mood is at its best. The sun doesn't just give us life, but it makes us live life. Driving home from work today, I didn't feel just motivated, but invigorated and inspired. I want to throw myself into my new business, Shen Wong and be the maker of fun loving jewellery that people will come to love.

With all my researching into other jewellery businesses, trying to understand their language and the tone they use to communicate to their customers, I started to lose myself in my messaging. While research is important, I think that when it comes to writing for your business, be it in a blog or product description it is even more important to let your personality show.

My own tone can be quite silly, but I think that's ok. Once I express myself passionately in my words, it will come across as genuine to the reader. At least that is what I think now. Tomorrow I am going to rewrite all my personal and product descriptions to convey my own crazy, quirky and silly self.

Don't get me wrong, that type of language works well for the likes of Tiffanys etc. but I need to differentiate myself. Anyway, I want to have fun along my journey, and it's simply too much work trying to talk like someone else. 

If you like this post then please leave a comment. I would live to hear your thoughts. 

Just a pic of me showing off my bracelets.

by Shen Wong

Pennys Autumn/Winter 2013

While we may have only had a week or two of Summer here in Ireland, some good has come of it. With the way the weather has been going we are ready to wrap up a little more and what perfect timing it is for Pennys to launch their Autumn/Winter 2013 collection!

I am loving their new season selection of jackets. They are so simple, yet elegant. Can't wait to buy them! Once I have them in my possession, I can work on creating some new accessories to match. I think the Fuscia jacket below could particularly benefit from an arm party of bedazzling Swarovski pearls and crystal bracelets.

Once I have the jacket and jewellery to match, I will be posting up pictures.

Where I first heard it: IrishMirror.ie

Welcome and Thank You

На все мои русские читатели, добро пожаловать и спасибо!

すべての私の日本の読者には、歓迎していただきありがとうございます！

Om al mijn Nederlandse lezers, welkom en bedankt!

An alle meine deutschen Leser, herzlich willkommen und danke!

--------------------------------

I just wanted to thank all my international readers out there. It was so interesting to find out that many of my readers are from Russia, Japan, the Netherlands and Germany.

Please keep reading, and I promise that I will get better! I am attending the Dublin City Network Enterprise for Women where there will be a talk about BLOGGING! I am sure that I will learn loads. Looking forward to it.

If you understood the message above, I would love for you to leave a comment in either English, or your own language. But even if you didn't understand the messages, I would still be delighted if you left a comment, it would let me know that real people are reading this ^_^

Written by Shen Wong

Re-branding to Shen Wong

After a lot of careful consideration and discussion with friends, I have decided to re-brand my business and blog from Dublin Designer to my own name, Shen Wong. Renaming is always scary, but I think nothing shows more confidence in the products you make than putting your own name to it. I have become so proud of all my creations that I want people to know I made them.

It was a lot of work amending everything, but fortunately/unfortunately for me, I decided to do the change before anyone knew much about the business at all, so there was no audience attachment.

All my Social Media pages had to be changed. Due to ShenWong already been taken on most platforms, I had to add a little extension, but with the character limitation of Twitter, I had to keep it short, so ShenWongCo is the alias I choose.

I also had to rename my Etsy store, frustratingly, ShenWong was taken, so I had to come up with another extension. I couldn't go with ShenWongCo as Etsy is dedicated to handmade crafts, so I didn't want to sound corporate, you have to think very carefully about your audience. In the end, I settled on ShenWongJewellery as it is relevant and can improve my search rankings for 'Jewellery' (some day maybe, there is a lot of competition).

My wonderful cousin helped me create a new logo using my name. I LOVE IT! Leave a comment to let me know what you think about my re-branding or new logo. If you ever had to re-brand, I would love to hear of your experience.

Arm Party Style

Arm party is the latest accessory style now. For those of you that don't know, an arm party is basically when you wear/stack/layer several to many wrist accessories, including bangles, watches etc.

My latest series of bracelets are perfect for stacking. I discovered this by chance. As I completed each bracelet, I added them straight on my wrist to test out, making 100% sure that there are no wires sticking out (test results prove that they are perfect :) ). As I started adding more on, I realised that the more you wear, the better they looked.

Crystal and pearl bracelets are perfect for stacking, especially when using a range of bead sizes and colors.

If you intend to wear as many as I am in the photos or more, make to sure get them in slightly differing length sizes as you want them to fit from the top of your wrist down, rather than all overlapping at one point on your wrist. If your buying from me, just let me know your intentions and I will adjust the sizes accordingly.

Now you know how to get a party started on your arm, go mad! Happy accessorizing!

by Shen Wong

We're in Business! Etsy Business

I just closed my first sale today and I had to share it with the world.

After spending so much money on new tools & stock I must admit I was starting to panic a little. But Aoife (my first customer), you have given me hope! Thank you. 

I now know that there is a market out there for my jewellery and  I am right to keep going. 

Being able to sell something that you crated with your own hands is just the best feeling in the whole world. To everyone out there who are setting up their own business, don't give up hope, keep at it!

by Shen Wong

Phone to Match my Jewellery

With all the pearl jewellery that I am creating, it's now time to bling out a phone case to match!

Using some lovely  flat back  pearl cabochons, crystals and a big Hello Kitty styled plastic bow, I am now ready to personalize my phone case to match my personality and jewellery ^_^

How To Do It:

1. Lay out some of the decorations on the phone case to see what way you want it before you put any glue on the case. I spent about 30 minutes shuffling things around so I know what type of pattern I liked.
2. Wipe the case with a cleansing agent to properly to remove oils.
3. Mix a small amount of epoxy glue. This is the best glue as it does not dry for two hours, so you can move and push all the decorations around into place as you go, plus it dries super strong so nothing falls off.
4. Using a toothpick, spread a thin layer of glue on the bottom of the phone case, covering about 25% of the bottom part.
5. Start laying out your gems on the glue and pushing them out to the edge. Gradually add more rows and push them out till they are touching the previous row. You can then add more glue to the surface of the case as you go. DON'T spread the glue all over the case to start, as you will have a hard time avoiding it and getting your hands or dirt stuck on it in the two hour process it takes to deco the case!
6. Continue adding rows until you are half way up the case.
7. Spread some glue on the top half of the case.
8. Place the bow down, careful to not cover the camera hole.
9. Then just add gems around bow. Keep adding rows until the top and bottom half meet.
10.  You will then want to add smaller gems to any gaps you find.
11. Go around the edge, pushing the gems in, making sure everything is packed tightly together.
12. Volila! Now just go to bed and when you wake up, you have a beautiful new case waiting to be used!

TIP: I used a gem pencil to pick up each piece, much easier. 

I am delighted with the outcome. I know the bow is a bit big and impractical, but I much prefer it with than without. Makes the case far more interesting! I would have preferred the black bow to be on the right, as it is always on the right of Hello Kitty, but due to where the camera is located, I had to compromise.

I know the instructions are a bit simple, but if you have any questions, just ask.

Details of the supplier I used are below. You can even buy the gem pencil picker from them too (I don't remember the proper name of it).

My Hello Kitty Pearl Phone Case

I am not making these to sell as I would need to charge about €50 each and I am not too sure there is a market for that here. If I am wrong, please do let me know.

Got all my stuff from a very cheap supplier in Hong kong: www.etsy.com/shop/MiniatureSweet

by Shen Wong

4th of July Inspirations

With the big 4th of July American celebrations coming, I was inspired two create two pieces with the colors of the American flag. To ensure that the pieces can be worn on other occasions, I also used a range of other colors that go well. All the colors of the rainbow have been included and then some more!

Just to make them extra eye catching they are both double layered. This was a particularly time consuming collection as I added wire wrapped detail to each piece of crystal and pearl. I was up until 4 am in the morning finishing the necklace! But it was worth it.

I would love to know what you think.

by Shen Wong

Packing it all up - Handmade jewellery boxes

For jewellery, the packaging is it's first impression. If you receive jewelry delivered in a plastic wrapped, ripped envelope, it can completely ruin the whole experience and make everything inside feel cheap. Jewellery is supposed to make you feel good about yourself, from the outside in and it all starts with beautiful packaging!

Preparing something that will make my customers smile before they even see their jewellery is what I have been thinking about and working on for a while now. After a few days of working with different materials, folding and cutting away, I think I finally have it. Simple hand folded origami jewellery boxes and ribbon tied, hand cut 'Thank You' labels. There is a LOT of work involved with doing everything by hand, especially when you use heavy paper but I think the end result is worth it.

I am absolutely delighted with my boxes and cards. Now just patiently awaiting my first customer. Hopefully I won't have to wait too long.

Credit Due: Learn how to make these lovely boxes on Pintrest. Thank you JasminBlancBoutique! Click here to view tutorial.

by Shen Wong

The Great Gatsby Inspiration

I have gone crazy for the Ziegfield Collection from Tiffany & Co as inspired by The Great Gatsby.

Using the primary black and white colors from the collection, not to mention the stunning white pearls, I decided to create my own version using Swarovski Elements.

Laying out the materials for some ideas.

First bracelet of my Great Gatsby Collection.

Simple elegant earrings.

I will be adding these to my Etsy Shop during the weekend. Just need to get some great pictures and redo the bracelet. I think the crystal drop will look better hanging from the center of the bracelet. Thinking about how I should arrange the necklace for the collection.

Comments are always welcome, especially in my 'inspiration' posts.

Pearly Gatsby Trend Alert!

It's official, The Great Gatsby is driving us into the high end jewellery stores! Jewellers like Sheils and Tiffany & Co. are enjoying higher than expected sales with the launch of the blockbuster.

Tiffany & Co. launched it's stunning Zigfield Collection back in April. Inspired by the movie the collection is based on Tiffany designs from the 1920s. The jewelry collection heavily features pearls which is characteristic of the era.

I must admit as soon as I saw this stunning collection in Brown Thomas, I couldn't resist and bought myself a pair of earrings for €450!

Jump right on board the fashion trend train and get yourself some pearls. Nothing will make you feel more feminine and elegant than wearing a full set of pearls. For something a bit more modern, yet still classy, check out my Etsy shop. Pearls are the focus of all my pieces.

Watch this space, I will be working on my own Gatsby inspired collection soon.

Ziegfield Collection Pearl Earrings

Still of Carey Mulligan in The Great Gatsby

by Shen Wong

Product Photography

One of the most important elements of making your jewellery attractive to buyers is good photography. After doing a lot of research online, I found one of the best affordable SLR cameras for jewellery is the Nikon D3000. So straight off to Argos I went to pick one up for myself. I am not the type to procrastinate when it come to shopping!

On top of getting a good camera, there are also a lot of techniques and other equipment required, including a product tent, daylight lamps, micro lens etc. In time I will build up to getting a full product studio, in the meanwhile I will just have to make do with a good camera, homemade light box and good sunlight. A light box is important when photographing jewellery as it eliminates harsh shadows. But to counteract the dimmed filtered light, it is necessary to have a strong light source. Sunlight with lack of angle flexibility just doesn't quite cut it.

There is a great tutorial on how to make your own product light box. I know mine is not the same, but I have actually purchased a cheap one on eBay, just waiting for it to arrive. To view product light box tutorial by Jeffery Bail on the Digital Photography School blog, click here. It's so good, I just had to share.

Here is my first photo studio. Photos are not to the Tiffany standard, but that will have to come in time when there is income for new equipment!

To keep up to date with my progress and my jewellery inspiration posts:
- Like me on Facebook
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- Follow me on Instagram
- Subscribe to my Blog

Please do comment if you have anything nice to say :)
I value all your support.

by Shen Wong

Summer Inspiration

Summer has arrived in Ireland! If you are not from the area it can be hard to understand what a big deal it is here. About two years ago we only had a week of Summer so when the sun is out, it is a big deal! This is why I had to dedicate a collection to Summer.

The sun is blazing into the studio as I flick through all my beads wondering what to use. I settle on some yellow flower crystals; then some white, blue and purple pearls. The colors remind me of buttercups, garden, sun and sea.

I want each bead to dangle separately from a chain, reminiscent of sun beams bouncing off glass bottles while BBQing outdoors. To give a relaxed feel I twist each bead onto the pin in a non uniform way, after all summer is about chilling.

To complete the piece I added a rhinestone encrusted letter charm. It's nice to add a bit of personalisation to a charm bracelet. Voila! It is completed.

I have just added a pair of earrings to this collection. A necklace will be completed soon also.

SUMMER COLLECTION 

Details:
- Size Medium, 18.5 cm long
- 6 Swarovski pearls, 8 mm
- 2 Swarovski flower crystals, 8 mm
- Rhinestone initial charm in silver tone (not Swarovski made or silver plated)

by Shen Wong

How to Make a Jewellery Workstation

To get started on my journey into the jewellery making business, the first thing I had to make was a workstation. Visiting my local bead shop Yellow Brick Road in Dublin, I purchased some Swarovski beads, a necklace tray and a pliers set.

After I got home with my new equipment I started working on a portable jewellery workstation so that I could get working on my creations.

Using a large hamper box lid, I constructed my first studio/workstation. It has everything I need within easy reach:

• Silk threads clipped to the left side for easy access
• Tools on a shelf for organisation (made from shoe box lid)
• A necklace tray with sorting compartments to prepare designs
• Magnet to hold needles
• Sharp tools holder (made from old makeup pouch)
• Third hand (made from bent clothes hanger), attached with cable ties.
• Pens holder & bin cup (old shot glassses)
• Ruler
• Findings etc clipped to right
• Bead cups for organizing (milkshake lids)
• Polish cloth

I am ready to get creating!

Please leave me a comment if you have any questions or suggestions.

by Shen Wong