GlasstasticTreasures

Unique lampwork beads, jewelry, stained and fused glass.A little fun, a little whimsy, a lot of handmade happiness!

Where are you located? Lake Nebagamon Wisconsin. Just minutes south of Lake Superior.
How long have you been creating handmade items? Oh, my. Forever! My mother still has a green and teal plate I made in grade school, I colored it with markers! I love it all, and I want to do it all. I take after my dad, by the way. LOL My mom agrees.

What type of products do you offer? I started my glass addiction with stained glass. I am addicted to lampwork bead making. I'm happiest when I'm at my torch. With the lampworking came a need for display, so I make jewelry also. I do a little fused glass. But my kiln is usually full of beads, so I'll just have to get another kiln for fusing!

How did you decide on your company’s name? Well, it took a lot of clever thinking. But I wanted it to specify "glass", and how wonderful it is, and that it is something that can always be treasured. And there you have it, Glasstastic Treasures.

What is your motivation? Everything. I look at something and wonder, hmm, can I wind glass around a mandrel and make it look like that? How would that look as a bead? I wonder if I can do that? And my customers. I recently had a friend ask me to make her a Goddess bead, which I'd never made before. She was with me the whole way through, from my first bead to the ones I just sent her. She was inspiring, and very encouraging. But most of all, she was so thrilled with what she received. A customer's happiness is always motivating.

What do you enjoy most about creating handmade items? The feeling of satisfaction and accomplishement. But more then that, is the warm feeling when someone tells you how much they love what they've just received. A treasure! lol

Which items are your best sellers? Anything that's cute, it changes all the time: Mummies at Halloween. Snowmen at Christmas. Bugs and butterflies in the summer. And FISH!
How do you market your products? Craft sales are a big help. But mostly through the forums. I also have a blog, a free website, and just started with Project Wonderful. But recently, word of mouth. Yay!

What are your favorite features on Handmade Fuzion? I love the prefilled fields for listing items. And being able to choose which items show up on the front page, and the newsletter feature. What I would like to see is the ability to create more then one prefilled template.

Do you have any advice for other artisans? The one thing I've learned is to take other's advice in stride. I have found that when someone tells me I should do this or do that, and then I do it, it never works for me. Find your own style with everything, from photos to pricing! An example is a book I bought on selling jewelry. The seasoned seller said to NOT bombard a person as soon as they stop by your craft table. I found that if I don't grab their attention immediately with what they are looking at and how it's made, they simply walk away. So for me, a greeting and a little description on how I lampwork builds an interest and appreciation in my craft. And a sale!