Another contraption to make jewelry making fun and original.

I have this fun new toy that I have to thank my mom for getting. She found the coiling gizmo at our local goodwill, just like she found my first beading set and that got me into my beading frenzy. THANKS MOM!! : )

Anyways. As you can see my new toy is called the coiling gizmo and what this does , it takes traditional hand wrapping and coiling and makes it so much easier. Easier on the hands and it shortens time in hand wrapping. I hand coiled ring and it took me an hour !! I made one then with the coiling gizmo.... Not even a min to get the band coiled!! I love this contraption.
I have found some through amazon and eBay the newer gizmos come with many more attachments but mine just came with two different size mandrels to wrap your wire, and a metal U shaped bar to assit in coiling. The yellow C clamp I got at walmart for $3

As you can see on the front of the box you can become very creative with this coiling gizmo and it takes atleast half the time down from doing it by hand. I have demonstrated on how you can even make your own beads by using beads!!! How AMAZING!!

I'm doing a patriotic line right now , hence the red, white and blue. GOD BLESS AMERICA. any who, I first count out the beads I want to coil, you don't have to but I'm OCD. : ) I leave my wire on my spool. Then I take the end of the wire and wrap it around the size of mandrel I want to use. I chose the smaller mandrel for these beads. You can either wrap towards you or away from you, which ever you like more.
I then just started to wrap. Depending on the length of the bead will determine how much coil you want to show before you start pushing up your beads.

Then I started to coil my seed beads into the coil bead I'm making making sure not to hold it too taught because the beads will break. After the seed beads are all coiled I coil the same amount on the end as I started with. Snip, tuck and smooth out and ....
Tada you have just coiled your own personal bead !!

My rating for the coiling gizmo is a very good one. I really like so far what I am able to do and I've Seen some great videos of what people have done and I am defiantly going to expand in making beads and coils with the gizmo and I will be offering them for supplies to others so keep a look out for that too.




Krista
Kasha Designs
www.kashadesigns.webs.com
www.kashadsgns.etsy.com

What's your worth? Price your items right the 1st time.

Kasha Designs is my baby, so to speak. I love what I do and coming up with new and fun ideas. I want to give my items to new homes and have the customer love and enjoy them as much as I do. But I want them to love  the quality and love the price. I do not want to make items too high but I also need to think about how much time I took making the item and difficulty if any.
 When it comes to pricing many struggle and it's fully understandable. Some people look at their items and say what would I pay for it? Well that is okay to a certain extent, but not everyone will pay $20 for an okay necklace. Then there are the groups that take how much the product costs and then adds $2-$5 to make as their profit and does not take in anything else.
 
 So here is my method of pricing my items. Everything I buy I keep my reciept and log the price of items into an excel spread sheet and I take into account how many beads, pendents or what have you is on they strand. I price items per bead. So if there are 75 beads on a strand for $2 I take $2 and divide it by 75, and the solution I would round to .02 scents per bead. That sounds crazy but it really works.
  Well after getting a price per bead I have to take into account how long it took me to make the item and how much I am worth. Every artists takes time to make an item and we are all worth something by taking time out of our days to make these wonderful pieces. Are you worth $1 an hour? or $3 hour it's all up to your skill, quality, and devotion. Each person will determine his/her worth.


 So pricing my items I take bead/charm/material per cost, time, and worth and that is how I come up with my prices now. I have done this with items and I have gone down some $2-4 dollars because I was really over pricing it. I'm not saying I am not worth that much but what I put my worth at I am still making a profit, a profit to take Kasha Designs to the extreme that I want it to go. Some people raise prices to really make a killing, but I want to make money but I enjoy having happy customers and being happy myself. It's not about the money that I have started my own business its the joy I get in crafting and meeting other who enjoy and respect my work and networking with so many people in the same field. Hopefully the ones that are reading this now. Many people may shake their head but I've done the calculations yes I'm still making money and I have great customer service, without customers there is no business.


But now since I've had a sentimental moment lol here is an ebook (FREE) on pricing and value called an Artists guide to Pricing by blogger Brandi Girl. This is free so please download it and reference to it until you get comfortable pricing your items.

http://www.brandigirlblog.com/2011/03/artists-guide-to-pricing.html


I hope to service you soon with Kasha Designs products we always have stock and plenty more in the works. Have a great weekend!!


Krista
Kasha Designs
http://www.kashadesigns.webs.com/

Small Business Bible

Yes you heard right. I bought The Small Business Bible by Steve D. Strauss.(2nd Edition) Some people think seriously you got a book about business but please don't knock it until you try it. I'm into the first chapter and so far it has some pointers that I never thought about and have put to use. I also got some websites to look at because yeah I think I am good at my art, but for now I am the one having to be the accountant, marketer, owner etc so I need to get a basis of each category and then some.

($10.98 at Amazon.com I have the direct link in my previous blog post of recommendations)I will read this book, write down pointers and try them. I am very serious about Kasha Designs and I want to meet, greet and experience so many things and people on my journey.

I am very excited about my read and I hope you at least look into this book or another one. Again look at my recommendation post, there are craft books and business books I posted.

Oh I'll be using my beaded cross key chain and bookmark for this book.

($5 key chain/bookmark cross. You get to see it first. It's not on the website.... Yet)








Have a great Earth Day and Good Friday!!

Krista
Kasha Designs
http://www.kashadesigns.webs.com/
http://www.kashadsgns.etsy.com/

Recommendations on books for business and crafts

Here are a few links to some books that I love and recommend for running/starting a small business and keeping up on your craft. If jewelry making and sewing is not your craft. Go to my previous blog post and click on the amazon link and search for your craft. Eitehr way I recommend finding atleast 1-2 good books to read up on.









DONT FORGET CHECK OUT KASHA DESIGNS WEBSITE AT www.kashadesigns.webs.com

Read up on your craft

Anyone can make crafts, if you are self taught or went to school or took classes. Most crafts are really simple to catch up on but I would always reccommend that you read up on your craft. There are many things that you can teach yourself and be taught but there are even more things out there that can be learned and so many books that I have learned new techniques from that I did not know about. Do not think that you know everything there is to know because everyday someone could be coming up with something new.
Check out the amazon link to books and search for your craft and always feed your mind to keep your customers happy and your art unique.




Kasha Designs website
http://www.kashadesigns.webs.com/
http://www.kashadsgns.etsy.com/