Short Story: The Truth About Handmade Men's Bracelets

The story of the men's bracelet is intriguing and enchanting and it is worth knowing how these developed over the millennia.

There is no definitive record of whether it was a woman who first sported jewelry and thus inspired man, her lesser half, to adorn himself, or whether it was the other way around. In any case, the history of a man wearing bracelets goes back to 5000 years BC when he started off by stringing together shells, stones, and bone links. Possibly the idea was not about class and style but as a protection against evil spirits or as a form of identification of belonging to a tribe.

Man progressed to the Bronze Age and bracelets for men came into their own with none other than the venerable King Tutankhamen sporting finely crafted bracelets as a symbol of his power. One can deduce that nobles and commoners followed suit and kept jewellers busy. Fast forward to the middle Ages when nobles kept their arms covered and the bracelet was not in favor. However, in far off India, Guru Go bind Singh developed Sikhism and enjoined men to wear a cJump to the 1900s and we find men developing a penchant for handmade men's bracelets. American soldiers have issued wrist tags during WWII and these were to become fashionable in the following years as soldiers, in the aftermath of the war, took on various jobs while retaining their metal IDs. Not to be left behind the nautical fraternity developed their own versions in the form of Turk's bead knots. The rise of flower power in the '60s coincided with the fondness for earthy materials for use in handmade bracelets for men. Bracelets continued in popularity and some people got onto the bandwagon, promoting bracelets. Rockstars got into the act and fuelled the demand for men's bracelets that became as creatively original as the maker could design them. Demand increased leading to mass produced bracelets for men but a band of creative artists kept alive the art of making bracelets by hand using traditional metals.

One such artist came up with the idea of twisting metal wires into various shapes and designs and then beating the product with a hammer. The result is a cuff that can, according to the perception of the viewer, look like a barbed wire cuff, a DNA helix or razor wire in a lengthy and loving process where each piece is unique. Designers experiment with the use of traditional silver and gold along with more exotic rare earth metals like niobium. Made to order, such handmade bracelets are for discerning men who value the understated look of classy elegance. Some jewelry designers found their niche in casting and molding or cutting, machining and bending of metal or using beads and leather in handmade cuffs for men. However, these types are often targeted at those who wish to standout and make a strong style statement whereas handcrafted metal cuffs typify solidity. These days it is possible to use a laser to cut, engrave and etch metals and plastics and create unique designs but nothing matches the timeless appeal of traditional tools and methods to craft jewelry for men.

Leather Sandals - Why Handmade is the Way to Go!

Human beings have been wearing leather sandals for many thousands of years. We know ancient people were making these shoes from the time they learned to strip hides from animals. Leather protected the feet and was easy to obtain and has been used ever since.

There are thousands of different sandals available that are made of different materials including imitation leather or rubber. Almost any material can be used to make sandals, and probably has been used. Inexpensive versions of popular sandals are available at discount stores now.

Providing both style and quality, leather sandals are a must in shoe collections this season. Available to both men and women, they are versatile enough to accessorize with many outfits. They come in many various shades of natural hide. They also can be dyed or made from patent leather. Leather sandals are appropriate for many occasions.

While some companies make good quality leather sandals that are mass produced, nothing really compares to hand crafted sandals. These can be custom fitted to any foot and exhibit both style and durability that is unsurpassed. A shoe that is handmade requires intense concentration and craftsmanship. The care that goes into making the sandal translates into very high quality.

Leather handmade sandals are available in many styles and colors. Some have toe straps or buckles or ties, and some simply slip on. All styles of sandals are open and airy. Handmade sandals are distinctive and out of the ordinary. They can be enjoyed at the beach and for casual occasions all summer long.

Wearing a pair of leather sandals can bring you pride in knowing that you are wearing an American hand crafted product that will last for a very long time. The way that leather naturally adjusts to your foot is unique and can't be replicated by any kind of synthetic shoe. Leather sandals breathe extremely well through both from under the leather and through the openings and you will greatly enjoy owning and wearing them for many years.

How to Start Selling Handcrafted Jewelry, Handmade Earrings and Unique Bracelets

Do you want to start your own handmade jewelry business? Making handcrafted jewelry, handmade earrings and unique bracelets can be easier than learning how to sell, where to sell and at what price to sell your unique jewelry. Marketing, advertising and promoting your new company is an obstacle many cannot overcome. Many people give up when just starting out because of the frustration. Here are some easily accomplished steps to build your handmade jewelry business and put you on the road to success.

First of all, and most important, is to create truly unique jewelry. Finding you own niche, expressing your individual style and creativity is key to making your handcrafted jewelry business a success. Experiment with techniques and materials until you find the right combination that suits you. The most successful jewelry artisans have their own style that draws customers to them.

Secondly, choose your target market. What age group does your handmade jewelry attract? This is a good pricing indicator. A younger age group will require lower prices while a middle age group is looking for more sophisticated looks and can afford a higher price range.

Trial and error is sometimes the best method for pricing. Estimate how much a pair of handmade earrings or handmade bracelets costs you to actually make. Double the cost for your wholesale jewelry price and double that again for your retail price is the general rule. Look around at other handmade jewelry artists offering similar products to see if your price falls into the same range?

Online marketing for handmade jewelry artisans is growing quickly and it is easy to set up a free or relatively inexpensive website at many handcrafted sites. Building an online presence can take a lot of time and effort which will be worthwhile eventually. Do not depend on immediate sales as it takes time to become established online.

Local craft shows are a great way to start in the handmade jewelry business. Check your Chamber of Commerce for an event schedule in your area. Talk with other crafters to find other craft shows and art festivals that they recommend. Slowly build a schedule of shows. Pay attention to what your customers are looking for and try to focus on their needs.

Start slow with baby steps gradually building your customer base. Not every show will be a huge success but bit by bit you will learn all the things you need to know to make your handmade jewelry business a success.

Not everyone can be an artist and a salesperson. Luckily there are many wholesale jewelry suppliers who specialize in handmade jewelry and handcrafted artisan jewelry. Check out their websites and see if their wholesale products fall into the niche you have decided upon. Whether it is horse jewelry, cat jewelry, wildlife jewelry or Native American jewelry designs, you are sure to find wholesale jewelry suppliers who have the perfect handmade jewelry for your target market.

Handmade Gifts - Fashion Accessories to Get You Noticed

Eco fashion.... encouraging creativity, talent and individuality.

Handmade gifts as it relates to eco-fashion encourages creativity, talent and individuality. Eco-fashion focuses on the use of natural sustainable materials and recycled materials (that do not compromise the environment and ethical standards) to design new and innovative fashion accessories including beauty products. The results being sustainable handcrafted gifts from talented artisans made from sustainable materials. The financial profits from which are used to empower and support families and communities worldwide.

Fashion accessories both unique and fun

One of the advantages of eco fashion is the creation of unique gifts and therefore unique gift ideas especially when buying for the woman who is perceived as having everything. More than being fun to wear because of the uniqueness of shape, colour, design and materials used; handcrafted gifts allows us to differentiate ourselves in a crowd. As I have said often enough, unusual jewellery gifts can always start a conversation as to - "where did you get that?"

Recycled jewellery

Recycled jewellery is a massive fashion trend and very popular when it comes to handmade gifts. Mana Bernandes is one eco jewellery designer who comes up with innovative jewellery necklaces and earrings from recycled materials such as phone cards, hairpins, elevator buttons etc.

More and more consumers are moving away from mass produced items and there is a shift towards handmade. This is happening for many reasons including environmental awareness, reducing our carbon footprint, the feel good factor of supporting local industries and communities globally not to mention encouraging creativity, talent and individuality. Redistribution of wealth away from global giants to artisans and small businesses also plays an important part.

Farmers' market and craft markets

Hence the reason many of us frequent farmers' markets and craft markets because in terms of food, we are looking for fresh produce that has been organically grown and have not been harvested and stored for weeks before being trucked to the supermarkets compromising taste, texture and local industry. While at craft markets we welcome the rare opportunity to meet the e designers or hear more about where and how a handbag or an earring was handcrafted.

Following a trend doesn't make you different, creating a trend does. Here's your chance to help your loved one create their own style and trend as well as do your bit for the environment by choosing to give handmade and unique jewellery gifts on that special occasion. If you feel you cannot choose the ideal gift for her, a gift voucher from an online fashion boutique that specializes in unique jewellery gifts and handmade gifts would show certainly show that you have given it some thought.

Craft Displays - Success Tips From a Professional Crafter

Craft displays are a fun, creative part of your handmade business. But before making any decisions about them, I recommend that you make a list of what you need from your overall display system.

That's what I did when I was struggling to devise the best way to show my handmade jewelry at the events I do. And as a result, I wound up with my perfect setup.

Here's what my craft displays need to do for me. Your needs will vary, depending on your craft and the events you do.

What I Need from My Craft Displays:

* Between jewelry-selling events, my display system must serve as storage for my jewelry inventory. My house is small, and I don't have space for storage containers plus displays.

* My entire craft display system needs to fit into a small part of my hall closet at home. It also needs to fit in my car (a Honda CRV). And there needs to be enough space left over in the car for my EZ-up tent and tent weights when I do outdoor shows.

* My craft displays need to be quick to set up and take down. At many of my venues, such as home parties, I can't expect to spend two or three hours setting up. I need to be fully set up in 30 minutes or less. And after the event, I need to be able to pack up quickly so the event host can get their space back to normal.

* My setup needs to be lightweight enough for me to carry myself, since I do most events alone. It also needs to be easy to take from my car to my booth and back again, without needing help.

* The craft display components have to be modular and adaptable for a variety of booth spaces, jewelry party homes, trunk show venues, private showings, etc. I need to be able to set up in a standard 10 x 10 foot booth as well as in the living room of a party host's tiny apartment.

* My craft displays need to look professional and enticing - but not distract customers' attention away from my jewelry (which is what I really want them to look at!).

* My system also needs to be a professional way to show my jewelry to shops and galleries, where the busy owner has a limited amount of time scheduled to see all of my work.

How My List Resulted in the Perfect Craft Displays for Me

Once I had my list of all the ways my system needs to serve me, it was easy to start narrowing down the options.

I based my system on black plastic jewelry trays with compartmented liners. I can load the trays with my jewelry, and then stack the trays inside carrying cases. For storage between events, I cover each trayful of jewelry with a cut-to-fit piece of no-tarnish cloth to keep my jewelry shiny.

For private jewelry showings and venues in small places, I simply pass the loaded trays one at a time to my customers, and we consider my pieces in small batches.

For shows, I use tiny, folding easels to prop my trays up off my tabletops, and angle them up for better viewing. When folded, the easels fit nicely inside the carrying cases on top of the trays.

Once you've got your list of what you need from your craft displays, you'll have the fun of devising exactly the right system for showcasing your handmade items.

Starting Your Own Handmade Soap Wholesale Business

Now that you have mastered the art of soap making, it is time to start selling your soap. You can start with a wholesale or retail business but wholesale might be advisable for starters because there are lesser people to deal with. Starting your own handmade soap wholesale business should not be difficult and you can still earn a profit this way.

Soaps are a daily necessity for everyone and handmade soaps have the edge in the market because people can choose which type or kind of soap is good for them. If you can sell them at $5.00 on retail then you can sell them faster at $3.00 to $4.00 on wholesale and still make a handsome profit depending on your costs.

1.       Make your business legit. If you are seriously thinking of selling your soaps then you should have your business registered and secure a business license or permit. Have your business cards ready because people would surely like to know how and where to get in touch with you.

2.       Advertise your business. Even if you are going to sell your soaps on wholesale it is still best to advertise by giving out fliers or postcards with photos of your products professionally taken and laid out. These printed ads will help promote your soaps and give your probable customers a glimpse of your homemade soaps.

3.       Price your soaps properly. Calculate the costs of all the ingredients you used for making a batch of your soaps including all other costs such as electricity and water. A basic sample computation goes this way: Total costs for a batch divided by the number of bars produced to get your cost per bar. From your cost per bar you can now determine how much you will price your soap at wholesale.

4.       Save money in packaging. Selling your soap on wholesale may lessen your costs because usually those who buy on wholesale are the ones who do the packaging before they sell these soaps on retail. However, if you need to package your soaps you can use your calling cards as tags or labels and attach them to your soap bars with different colored ribbons.

5.       Contact resellers. Do not limit yourself to selling your soaps to family and friends, craft fairs or walk-in customers even if you can make a sizable income from this. Go to resellers to whom you can sell on wholesale or you can go to soap stores who can carry your line of soaps on consignment. In this way you lessen your marketing costs and even if you sell at a lower price you get almost the same income based on the quantity you sell at one time.

6.       Know your customers. Look for areas or places where people flock to get natural organic items. This crowd will cater to natural organic soaps and soap products and it will not be hard to sell to them because your homemade soaps are exactly what they are looking for.

7.       Go online. Nowadays doing business online is the in thing and the cheapest way of setting up a business. You only need a domain name, an internet service provider and a simple website design which will display your soap products and you are on your way to answering your customers' needs. Get a free PayPal account and you will be able to transact and accept credit card payments.

8.       Be honest and prompt. Be sure that you are always honest in your dealings with your customers and that you deliver the items requested on time. Even though how good your products are if your customers feel that they are being short changed by you or if you do not deliver on time then they will not continue to deal with you. Remember that reorders are the life of your business.

Although handmade soaps are more expensive than commercial soaps and are considered a luxury, people nowadays are staying away from the traditional soaps that we know of. Selling your soaps on wholesale will allow your customers to also apply their crafting skills to package these soaps as gifts to family and friends or as souvenir items during events like weddings or birthdays. Allowing your customers to enjoy your soaps by allowing them to buy them at cheaper but with quality prices will surely bring success to your business sooner than you expect.