How-To Tuesdays: Twitter 101 - How to Get your First 100 Followers

To keep myself in check and post regularly, as well as write quality content for you guys, I have decided to start a new posting series: How-To Tuesdays. Once a week I will write how-to posts about craft techniques, craft projects, online marketing, blog writing, selling craft and whatever else will come to my head.

Today first of the series: Twitter 101 - How to Get your First 100 Followers

Twitter is an extremely useful online marketing tool for craft sellers. 140 character messages - the essence of Twitter - are perfect to notify your followers about new items in your shops, articles you wrote and interesting things you found on the web. But for the tool to be useful you have to ensure that a considerable number of people read what you are writing. Here is how to go about getting your first followers in 5 steps:

1. When you create your account do not neglect adding photo, bio and link to your shop, blog or webiste. As with any other online activity, empty profiles work like repelants to online community.

2. Once you have created your account, go ahead and follow big brands and authorities in your field. If you plan to use Twitter to promote your etsy shop start by following Etsy or Artfire . If you are more interested in human rights, follow Human Rights Watch etc.

3. After finding the big names, check who follows them. If someone is interest in etsy, there is a good chance they will be interested in your crafty tweets too. Follow them. Do not be afraid to follow too many people. You don't have to read each and every tweet. If someone turns out to be spamming or boring you, you can always unfollow them. Following people is the best way to get followers!

4. Use Twitter Directories such as WeFollow or TwitR. Add yourself to categories that describe your interest (for instance craft, handmade and etsy or humanrights, travel and development). In each directory you can only use three tags so choose them carefully. Thanks to directories, other Twitter users will be able to find your account. But remember to also use the directories to find people you might like to follow.

5. And last but not least create valuable content. To make sure that people will follow you and stay loyal to your tweets, make sure that what you're writing is of value and interest to others.

And always remember, Twitter might be a very easy way to promote your shop but it doesn't mean that you don't have to put any effort. It takes a certain amount of work to create and cultivate good relationship with your follower base. Don't believe in easy solutions ("I'll show you how to get a 100 followers a day!") and stay personal.

Next Tuesday: What Should I Tweet About?

Space Invaders Earrings

Inspired by my success with the bracelet I sat down yesterday to make earrings to fit. They came out nice and perky. Unfortunately the endings in small objects are even more difficult to make. I did my very best but I will have to continue practicing until I get the trick.

One way or another I still love the technique.

I hope you are having great Sunday!

Space Invaders Bracelet

I have recently bought beading loom - it was really cheap and I couldn't stop myself - and during the past few days I had a crack at it.

The choice of pattern for my first project was quite obvious. As an old geek, friend of geeks and a geek fiancé I was obliged by geek law to start 0with space invaders (if I had more colors, it would have to be old school Mario Bros).

So, with the pattern in mind and the instructions from The Encyclopedia of Beading Techniques in my hand, I was off to a great start. The beginning was very easy and the pattern showed immediately. And I was doing a very good job all the way until I managed to tangle the beading thread and had to cut and reattach it. Which in turn caused some nasty knots on the side of the bracelet - well, I guess this means that I will wear it, rather then sell it in my etsy shop.

Beading on a loom turned out to be a great technique. Very simple and effective. It is easy to introduce the pattern and control it while beading.

And it would be an amazing way of creating jewelery, if not the problem of ending the project. I find it incredibly difficult to find fasteners that would fit beading bracelet. Any gold, silver or metal in general is too heavy for minute beads and beaded endings seem unreliable.

This time I stick to simply knotting the threads, once the bracelet is on my wrist. I think it looks very well and fits the style of this bracelet but I am not sure if it is "professional" enough. So I am still on a quest for better solution. Anyone has some ideas?

Discoveries of Frugal Life - part 1.

The other day I went to my local supermarket to buy, among others, a toothpaste. Following the frugal tips and tricks I made a point of looking above and below my usual line of sight. And the difference in prices stunned me.

Regular brand-name toothpaste - £2.53
No-brand toothpaste from the bottom shelf - £0.17
Difference - £2.36

To be honest, I have to say I was really scared to pick up the £0.17 variety. After all there has to be some kind of reason why the price difference is so huge. But after checking the ingredients I had to conclude that both pastes seemed very similar. I decided to take the risk!

Result:
- my teeth are as clean as before
- my breath is as minty
- my wallet is heavier by £2.36
- my conscious consumer self feels proud

When I run out of soap, I will definitely try the no-brand one!

Book Review: The Encyclopedia of Beading Techniques

I love Amazon. I am crazy about this website even though it eats up loads of my money. This week two more books got purchased and delivered, through no fault of my own...kinda.

Anyway, I want to tell you about The Encyclopedia of Beading Techniques. I saw this book in the store the other day and thumped through it. It looked interesting but I wasn't prepared to spend £13 on it. The same day, I browsed Amazon decided to check the price on the book: £6.11! Even with the shipping it is £5 cheaper!!!

The book came yesterday and I have just finished reading it. It is truly great!

The authors, Sara Withers and Stephanie Burnham, go through all the basic techniques that use beads of any kind. From paper embroidery, through knotting, wire knitting and loom beading, to beadweaving. Each page contains clear images and easy descriptions, accompanied by pictures of finised projects - for inspiration!

At the end of the book, there is also a chapter with beaded works of arts. Makes me wanna grab my loom and never stop working :)

I love the book for the variety of techniques it offers, easy-to-follow instructions and the great images. If you are looking for advanced projects in one of the techniques this is probably not the book for you. However if you are just looking to start with beading and jewellery making - that is a perfect publication.

Full title: The Encyclopedia of Beading Techniques: A Step-by-Step Visual Guide, with an Inspirational Gallery of Finished Works
Author: Sara Withers and Stephanie Burnham
Published by: Search Press
ISBN: 978-1-84448-047-0
Pages: 160
Language: English
Amazon.co.uk: The Encyclopedia of Beading Techniques

Crochet beading: How-To

This weekend I was working more on crochet beading. It is a great technique and can result in beautiful jewelery. However, at the beginning it can also be quite frustrating. I decided to pass on what I learned, so you can hopefully be spared the frustration and go on straight to the fun!

1. Making the chart

In crochet beading, in order to introduce any complicated design, you have to start with a chart. Once you know the trick, making the chart is not difficult.

- Draw 6, 7 or 8 squares, line below line. Each line has to be shifted half a square to the right. Color the squares creating your chosen pattern.

- Start stringing beads from left to right and from bottom to top. String each line from left to right.

- Remember that the first beads you string will be the last you crochet.

- Repeat the pattern as many times as needed.

2. Counting beads

It can be daunting to count the beads you are stringing. Depending on the size of the beads, a bracelet can count between 700 and 1000 beads. And longer robes can be even more difficult. Luckily, there is a very simple solution to this problem. Every 10, 50 or 100 beads (intervals depend on you) string a small piece of paper with the number of beads on it. This way you will be able to control the amount of beads and, once the stringing is finished, you can easily remove the markers.

to be continued...

Beaded Crochet Bracelet

Over the weekend I discovered that one of the big bookstores in London is about to close down. To get rid of the stock, the bookstore offered 50% sale on ALL books. When I reached the place on Saturday morning the shelves were already half-past-empty. Luckily for me (and unluckily for my wallet) the craft section still had some interesting titles. And one of them was Beaded Crochet Designs by Ann Benson. I thumbed through the pages and, since I had some beads lying around, I decided to try out the pattern for beaded crochet bracelet.

The beginning was very frustrating and the beads just really didn't want to fall into places.


Then, things started working a bit better.


But once the bracelet was finished I realized, I butchered the seam up.


Luckily, I managed to unravel the problematic part and redo the seam. And voila! a seamless bracelet was created:


Conclusion: I love this technique, it makes for a beautiful, summery jewelery! You can see more pictures in my etsy shop.