Artisans, are you tech saavy?

by designomite on Etsy

Summer is just around the corner and business has been busy after a slow period that follows after Christmas. We'd love to take a vacation but our schedule is not permitting, yet. Besides managing the front end of things at the shop, we have also been doing some researching on effective online marketing for small businesses.

If you're already promoting your business online, check out this SEO guide. I think we've officially marked this as one of our SEO bible. In addition, we recently discovered Wanelo and Pinterest. I'll save the details so you will go find out for yourselves! They are great websites for artisans to promote their work. And they're free. Check them out if you haven't, you'll have fun, and you might get inspired :)


That's all we will share for now, don't want to cram too much in one post! So, we're curious, what's working for you and what's not? Comment below!

sincerely,
Priscilla

'Tis the bridal season

The Spanish Gown - designed and made by joanshum 

Found this too-gorgeous-for-words wedding gown on Etsy and it inspired us to write another post. At this time of year, brides-to-be are crossing off the final items on their to-do list before the big day.Congratulations if you will be a bride this summer :) Love and the wonderful things it brings is certainly worthy of celebrating.

Knowing that it's close to wedding season, we have stocked up on a couple of adornments that could potentially be exquisite bridal jewelry + bridesmaids jewelry + thank you gifts.

by Street Cat Designs

Hand crocheted crystal and freshwater pearl earrings, romantic and

also very glam. We'd recommend these ones for the bride.

by Arjemco

Rose gold mini heart necklace, perfect if you're looking for a simple piece that your bridesmaids would be able to wear again after the wedding.

Amethyst Teardrops by OhKuol

We actually designed these for bridesmaids, notice how elegant these are without being too flashy (wouldn't want a bridesmaid to steal the thunder.) If you chose a royal purple for your wedding color, these would be lovely.

There is more selection in store, you could check out our Facebook page to do a little more window shopping. Our local designers accept custom orders, stop by 2439 Granville Street and see if there is anything that catches your fancy!

So growing up in a big family, we are used to being invited to big and grand weddings, the biggest with over 600+ guests! At that particular wedding, we knew maybe 10% of the attendees. And that's overestimating. We learned that sometimes a big wedding may not be as cozy as small wedding. Remember, quality over quantity, and don't sweat the small things!

And we'll leave you with that. Happy wedding planning :)

cheers,

Priscilla & Vi

Chronicles of an Etsy rookie: $7 Etsy showcase

In case you missed our previous posts, we recently revived our Etsy shop. Being eager and feeling all gung ho, we decided to purchase a spot in the Etsy jewelry showcase, in hopes of making 1 or 2 sales. If you're wondering how the Etsy showcase works, basically it costs $7.00 to book a spot in the showcase for 24 hours. 

We had 2 sales last night and we thought it was from the showcase. We thought, "Sweet, this showcase thing works!" But we were actually discovered through Twitter, what a great invention it is. 

To sum it up, the $7.00 got us a handful of views and no sales. Although I've heard positive feedback about showcases, we weren't too impressed with our first experience. Next time, we would rather invest the $7.00 for renewing listings. 

Advice from one rookie to another:

• If you're going to do the showcase, try your best to fill your shop. They say the magic number is around 100 items.
• Renew the items lined up for the showcase half an hour before it's time for your first item to be listed.
• Put out your specials and marked down items so they're fast pick-me-ups.
• Or save your money instead!

On a brighter note, we are shipping out orders to Switzerland this week, very exciting!

Are you an Etsy seller and had success with the showcase? How do you make the best of out it? Share with us!

sincerely,

Priscilla & Vi

what i wore: we spring cocktail mixer

Despite my social networking phobias, last night, I went to the spring cocktail mixer hosted by the West Ender at Bin 492. I've heard the local buzz about Bin 492 and now I know why, what delicious appies I tasted! 

First off, congratulations to the West Ender for the launch of their Kitsilano magazine and West Side newspaper, I'm sure they will be very well received when they come out. And thank you to West Ender's Tracy for inviting us, it was a pleasure to celebrate with the WE team!

As mentioned in my last post, although it is a cocktail mixer, I chose not to wear a cocktail dress. Curious to see what I wore instead?

Dress + Jacket VERO MODA

Turquoise Filigree Necklace OHKUOL

When this dress arrived in store, I thought, "Man, I'm not going to be able to pull this off, it's way too long for me." For those who have never met me in person, I am only 5'2, if even. Ladies, if you're just about my height and feel like you could never pull off something like this, I hope I could inspire you to get out of your comfort zones and try something new. Just remember to wear a dress like this with heels, wedges would be lovely!

Also, the Kitsilano edition will be published at the end of this month. Be sure to pick one up, especially if you live in the area!

sincerely,

Priscilla

We walked the Epic Expo this year...

"Bee the Change"

The EPIC Expo is an annual show presented by The Vancouver Sun. The show features businesses with green and eco-friendly concepts... as vendors who were there in the show's 3rd year, we enjoy going back to see what's new.

This year, it looked like the food zone expanded exponentially! There were many, many, great food vendors in attendance. We saw soapstone kitchen appliances, many organic products; mattresses, coffee, jams, chocolate, baby products, and the list goes on. But there was one booth in particular that especially caught our attention...

Bees nest hanging from the top

Bee the Change is an initiative of Whole Foods Market. They strive to bring awareness to the decreasing number of native bees in Canada. Did you know about this? Can you imagine how bitter the world would be without honey?

Of course we had to swing by the fashion zone. We were a wee bit sad because it felt like the fashion zone got a little smaller this year.  However, we did spot the SWFDS - Sheila Wong Fashion Design Studio booth. They were equipped with sewing machines and it was very kuol to see a live sewing workshop take place right then and there at the booth. Next to SWFDS, we found darling little clutches by Davie and Chiyo:

by Davie and Chiyo

Adorable yes? A bride-to-be would LOVE this.

So were you a vendor at the Epic Expo this year? Or did you attend the show? Share your EPIC experience with us!

p.s. Attending the WE Vancouver spring cocktail mixer tonight at Bin 492. Although, I don't quite feel like wearing a cocktail dress...maybe it's because of this cold rainy Vancouver weather. I just might be a rebel and break the dress code tonight...

sincerely,
Priscilla & Vi

Candy for your eyes...

I had such fun photographing this necklace. Here's an eye candy.

This is a purple iolite necklace, set in 14kt gold fill with a lobster clasp. Our favorite element of this necklace? Its textures.

sincerely,
Priscilla

Our Etsy pick: This is a hat.

Follow my blog with bloglovin

What a beautiful hat we stumbled upon on Etsy. Visit ArturosRio for couture hats, made with excellent craftsmanship. 

Stay tuned, we got a little interview with Arturos coming!

Etsy and all...

So it's been about 2 weeks since we decided to revive our Etsy shop.

First sale: First Love in Paris Eiffel Tower Necklace

The story is this: we opened our Etsy store in year 2009 (back when I was 17), listed a couple of items, and waited for sales. Let me tell you, waiting does not do the job, I wish someone told me!  Second time around, we made our first sale during the first week... I think it was a fluke, but it was a fluke that made us quite giddy. Ironically, our first customer was a local, which was perfect because we got to meet our first buyer in person and found out exactly how she found us. Yippee!

Managing Etsy store can be a full time job on its own (given you are doing everything yourself).  With the SEO, tags, shop design, keyword updates, taking the photos, editing, posting, measuring your items, etc., hell it can be a lot of work and this is just the beginning. Vi has been keeping her hands busy making jewelry and I am trying to be on top of things on Etsy. Also many thanks to the Etsy community for offering your helpful advice to beginners like us!

Anywhere, here is a link to our Etsy shop, http://www.ohkuol.etsy.com.

We're working on installing the shopping cart on our website, which is scheduled to launch in July. So stay tuned for that!

Heading to the Epic Sustainable Living Expo tonight, looking forward to see what's new and green this year. Toodle-loos!

Photo courtesy of Google Images

p.s. Getting feathers INSTALLED in my hair next week, I am so stoked. Miss Melanie from The Farmer's Daughter will be fixing that up for me. Except I don't know how it will turn out since I have a bob at the moment...show you guys next time.


sincerely,
Priscilla

Color, shape, design...

Lately I have been obsessed with turquoise...

It has such a beautiful, striking color.

Moving on Vi's obsession...

Blue chalcedony. 

We love how this precious gem takes on such a muted, soothing color. 

These are perfect for spring and especially summer. We were totally drawn to these at the Stones and Findings show at the Lanmark Hotel this year. Excited to show you all what we will be making with these lovelies.

Find our in-house designed jewelry collection in our Etsy shop. Use coupon code "SOKUOL" and receive FREE shipping, you're welcome.

sincerely,

Priscilla & Vi 

Just a hint of Burlesque...

So if you still haven't gotten your Mother's Day gift yet, you can either resort to cold hard cash or maybe you come visit us this weekend...

Arjemco's very own designer, Marissa, designs pieces that are exquisite and timeless. Spend $50.00+ before taxes this weekend and receive a complimentary burlesque-style rose clip..... maybe you'd want to keep it for yourself? 

These rose clips are handmade locally by Pilar Rodriguez Designs with lots of attention paid to detail. Wear it as a brooch with your favorite blazer, wear them to play up your hair-do, or attach it to a long necklace. 

sincerely,

Priscilla

Contest Winner

WIN! 

The Mother + Daughter Photoshoot Giveaway contest ended earlier today at 4:00pm. We wrote out all the names who entered onto little pieces of paper, folded them in half and I picked out the winner with my eyes closed at 6:00pm! 

First off, thank you to everyone who entered this contest. We loved seeing all the retweets on Twitter (we received the most entries there by the way, don't underestimate Twitter!), on Facebook, and also thank you rebadiva for entering through our blog.

Here we announce our winner, Miss Wahiba, who entered through Twitter and through Facebook!

Our question was, what was the best style advice your mother ever gave you? 

Wahiba says: "My mom inspired me to wear and collect nice silky scarves to polish up every outfit. I got a collection now - Thanks Mom!" 

Others said:

• "Fashion always works in cycles so don't throw out things if you can still use them."
• "Be classic but add a touch of your personality."
• "Mama's style tip is: Balance & proportion. If you're going to show the top shelf, make sure you cover the bottom shelf."
• "My aunt always told me to tuck my hair behind my ears or else I'd look like a foxy lady."
• "Invest money in pieces that have a great cut."
  

Thank you everyone for sharing these style tips!

Congratulations again to the winner! We hope this photoshoot package will give your ma a 
nice surprise this weekend :)
 

sincerely,
p & Elle3 Studio

p.s. For those who missed out this time, check out Elle3 Studio's website to enter their Headshot/Portrait Photo Package contest!

Mother & Daughter Photoshoot Giveaway

Mother's Day is just shy of a week away. To celebrate the "Grand Opening" of our blog, we thought it would be perfect to do a giveaway sponsored by Elle3 Studio with Mother's Day coming up!

 
We're giving away a Mother & Daughter Photo Shoot Package.
*This contest is open for moms to enter too!


Package includes:

• An outdoor photo shoot
• Get pampered and glam'd up with hair & makeup by Dee W. 
• 2 edited photos
• 2 pieces of jewelry to flaunt, courtesy of OhKuol

 
HOW TO ENTER:
We want to know, what was the best style advice your mother ever gave you? Your answer could be funny, bad, terrible, awesome, or unheard of! 

You can enter by:

• submitting an answer on our Facebook page 
• submitting an answer below in our comment box
• for the Twitteratis, RT:  "I want to win a Mother + Daughter Photoshoot Giveaway sponsored by @OhKuol + @elle3studio!"

Contest closes this coming Friday, May 6th at 4:00pm. The winner will be announced the same day at 6:00pm!


As a kid, you might have taken a lot of photos with your ma. Now that you're just a wee-tad older, just think how sweet it would be to do photoshoot together :)

p.s. We want to thank our sponsor in advance! Please take a moment to visit Elle3 Studio's website, join their Facebook page, and follow them on Twitter.

sincerely,
Priscilla

Good for All Night

Let me tell you the story behind this necklace. If you're drawing dirty ideas in your mind after reading the message, I don't blame ya... the pendant here is actually a brothel token from the 1900s. This one in particular was found at an auction in New York.

Brothel tokens were used as advertisement for brothel houses... back in the days. They came in brass or bronze and often had these naughty little messages embossed. We found a couple that might raise a few eyebrows. But they brought a few giggles nonetheless!

We spotted this little token at The Farmer's Daughter's vendor table from last week's Blim Market at the Heritage Hall. (Take a moment and check out this creative display!) It's a great market for local designers and artists to showcase their work. And also a lovely place to visit if you're shopping for pieces with unique qualities to them. It was our third time visiting last week and this market never fails to impress.

If you're wondering if we bought this, YES we did... and for the record, my sister did, not me!

We will be featuring a few up and coming local designers this week. If you're local artist and would like to be considered to get featured on our blog, e-mail us at ohkuol@hotmail.com or leave a comment and we will get in touch with you!

sincerely,
Priscilla