You probably are dreading the coming winter season like a lot of folks are, and you rightfully have good reason to do so. There just is nothing that is as nice as warmth, which we get during the spring and summer months. Spring and summer provide us with so many activities that we often don’t even think about the exercise we are getting from it all. Such things as mowing the lawn, trimming the bushes and scrubs, cleaning the deck, or even power washing the sides of the house, all provide some great exercise.
It’s now winter time, and there is nothing to do outside except maybe to occasionally shovel the sidewalk, or to clear the snow from around the mailbox. Your stuck inside with nothing to do, or at least you think there’s nothing to do, why not use this free time to make some homemade jewelry. Homemade jewelry is a great way to pass the time during the winter months, and it can make you some great extra money. Men and Women around the world both enjoy making homemade jewelry for pleasure and business. You can give the jewelry away or sell it on eBay or some other online sites.
You can make almost any type of jewelry that you can imagine and afford, some of the jewelry and pieces required are as inexpensive as fishing line and some plastic beads. As you become more skilled at jewelry making, you may move onto making more intricate pieces from expensive material, such as precious stones and gold wire.
There are several homemade jewelry ideas and complete plans available on the internet, just do a search for homemade jewelry ideas. During the long and cold days and nights of winter, when you find that you have nothing to do, starting making some homemade jewelry, it’s a great way to help shake the winter blues.
You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter or on your web site as long as it is reprinted in its entirety and without modification except for formatting needs or grammar corrections.
Luzerna Solon, has worked in the field of depression and other aspects involving the Winter Blues for a number of years. She has counseled thousands over the years, and has helped them remove the winter blues from their life with simple activities.
When it comes to homemade jewelry one of the major benefits is that it is handmade rather than being mass manufactured. This is an obvious benefit for many reasons. But many people wonder if those benefits actually make it worthwhile to choose the handmade option over the manufactured option. In this article I would like to do a comparison and show you the benefits and drawbacks of each these two options you have when it comes to your jewelry purchases. Then I will give you my opinion while still leaving it up to you to make the final decision on what you buy.
We will first deal with homemade jewelry. This option allows you to know you are purchasing a product that has that personal touch and is truly unique. You also get the rewarding feeling of knowing you are supporting a small business owner who is using their talents and abilities to generate an income for themselves. Another added benefit is that quite often purchases of this type of jewelry go to support a good cause. Many small business owners who make handmade jewelry are involved in fair trade which works to support those in impoverished countries all over the world.
There are some drawbacks to this type of purchase though. You truly have to build a trust relationship with the person crafting your jewelry. This is especially true if your transaction takes place online. You will want to know what the return policy and reputation of the person making the jewelry is. Also, this type of jewelry can be more expensive, especially as it is fair trade. But usually the increased costs are worth it when you think about all the other benefits you are receiving.
Manufactured jewelry is our next topic. This type of jewelry can very often be less expensive. Also, you have the reputation of a manufacturer who has probably been around for a while. You may even have the added benefit of a warranty. The drawback is that the shopping experience can be very high pressure and since these pieces of jewelry are often mass manufactured they may not be of high quality.
But what do you store these things in? When it comes to your supplies there really are two options I have seen work well. One is to go to a sporting goods store and get a tackle box. These have lots of compartments that are sectioned off and make it really easy to transport all of your supplies. The other option is to get a bag that is specific for jewelry making. Both of these serve much the same purpose but the specific jewelry making bag looks nicer and will let people know you are a jewelry maker. If you have the money to spend I say go with the second option. If you are going to shows to sell your jewelry I definitely suggest you go with the second option. It will give you more of a look of legitimacy and instill confidence in your customers.
When it comes to your finished product you have a few options. One option is to get a traditional jewelry box. These can look nice but we also know these can get cluttered very easily. This may bother some of you and may not be a good idea for your more delicate homemade jewelry. Another option is to get jewelry racks, much like you would see in a jewelry store. These can keep everything separated and look nice but may not be safe if you have kids who like to get into things. The other option is to get a travel bag for your jewelry. These are much like the specific bags for jewelry making. Again, these are an investment but if you are going to be selling jewelry at shows I strongly suggest this option.
Hopefully this information helps. You will need to store all you have and there are a lot of great options out there. What you choose depends on your needs and what level you plan to take your jewelry making. As long as you go with what meets your needs and what you can afford you will be perfectly fine.