We now have our own website! It's still under construction, but be sure to stop by often to see all of the fantastic updates! www.serenityinchains.com

Year of the Dragon Giveaway!

Well the year of 2011 has come and gone. During the year we hit some fantastic milestones! Not only did we for Serenity in Chains, we got our act together and opened an Etsy Store, got a Facebook page started, gained more than 600 fans, and hit over 100 products sold. We learned weaves, played with new metals, created some fantastic artwork, and met amazing people.

Now it's time to start a whole new year with whole new goals.

So to celebrate this new year, which also happens to be the Chinese Year of the Dragon, we are having a fantastic giveaway on our Facebook page. You can enter by going to our page Here and clicking the Giveaway app button on the right hand side. It only takes a few moments to enter, and the prize is a custom made Dragon scale bracelet in your choice of colors. The winner will get the choice of one base color and one accent color from our colors available (click here to see available colors).

So enter away, and happy New Year from all of us at Serenity in Chains!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

 You (our fabulous customers) have certainly kept up very busy this December with your gift shopping. We would like to thank you for each and every moment that you have taken out of your busy schedules to stop by and look at our Etsy Store, Facebook, our blog, Tumblr, and our Deviant Art. It's been a pleasure this first year to be able to create for so many wonderful people, and to hear that our products are well received. We have had an outpouring of wonderful feedback, and have learned from the stumbling blocks we have found in our path.

 It is our hope here at Serenity in Chains to be able to continue growing and providing amazing, quality alternative jewelry, chainmail, and home decor. As we look to 2012, and gear up make new connections, expand our product lines, and continue to grow, we want to make sure that you all know we couldn't do it without you.

So from ALL of us here at Serenity in Chains, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and we wish you a wonderful start to the New Year!

Now some Puppies in ridiculous christmas outfits!

A bit of humor to make up for the lack....

Our apologies on the lack of attention to our blog. We've been so busy gearing up for the holiday season that other things have fallen to the way side. I would first like to say, Thank you for being patient with us during this busy part of the season and waiting on the edges of your seats for our next Blog posts (I know how this blog is the center of your universe and all), but seriously thank you for being patient with us. Our communications have been slow unless they have been about orders, or the pile of custom work we have in out laps, or internal communications involving words like *&^$#&(*^$*(^%#@@^*()^&%#^&*#!!!!!!!! Yeah, that's a naaaasty one. You don't want to know.

But on a happy note we now have christmas ornaments in our store! So if you were looking for something a little different for your christmas tree, now is certainly the time to jump over to our Etsy Store and pick one up. We have several including the 'christmas tree' you see at the left, and santa hats, celtic stars, snowflakes, and more! If you have an idea your welcome to send us a message to have a custom ornament made. Just make sure to get your order in SOON. Why? A) Shipping during the christmas season is very unpredictable. USPS say 2-5 days on first class, but that doesn't mean it's guaranteed and B) We are getting in custom orders daily. Now we are pretty quick at turning around most custom orders, but there may come a point when we get buried and production times will get extended. Pliers and wire snips only move so fast. So to ensure you get your custom items before christmas, please order them sooner than later. We wont be able to guarantee you get your item shipped out in time for christmas after December 12th for US customers, and December 2nd for our international folks. Just something that we would like you to keep in mind.

But without further a-do, enjoy this
piece of humor that is close to our hearts, from Not Always Right. If you didn't know I (Michelle) once worked for a large cellular company. Yes folks, things like this happen A LOT. Enjoy!

The Importance of Photos for an Online Retailer

As a online seller, we are automatically at a disadvantage! Why? Our customers are not able to physically touch and try on our products in person before purchasing them, like they can at a brick and mortar store. That means that they have to have a certain amount of faith when making a purchase from a online retailer. Without that certain level of comfort, they won't buy. It is our job to make the customer comfortable with making a purchase from us, and that starts with product photos!

Like all first time businesses, we started from scratch with what we had available. Even though we had exceptional products to offer our customers, we did NOT have an exceptional photo studio with amazing lighting and great cameras and models to showcase our items. We had a point and shoot camera, some fabric, and the ambient lighting of either the sun outside, or a simple room light. The results are shown at the right.

This photo was one of the very first we took. AND it's since been modified as we learned to adjust photos properly. Now, you can clearly see it's a bracelet and necklace combo... but that's about it. Place this simple photo next to hundreds of others that are professionally shot, and are you likely to click on it to see more about it based on this impression? Probably not. Even though I can tell you this is a well made set, that it is beautiful in person, and that the photo doesn't do it justice, that will mean very little to the potential buyer 500 miles away. They see an amateur picture of a piece of jewelry. If the picture is less than spectacular, what is the workmanship of the piece like?

Now take the photo on the left into account. Exact same piece of jewelry, but the photo is significantly brighter and more professional appearing. Would you click this photo to learn more about the items? Would you potentially buy this jewelry based on the photo?


Would you believe that this photo is taken with nothing more extravagant than a point and shoot camera, a box, some white paper and poster board, some white cloth, and 2 small desk lamps? It's true. The first photo is taken on a cloth in the middle of the floor with an expensive professional camera. This photo was taken in a small D.I.Y. light box I built for about $4.00 with a simple point and shoot camera on a kitchen table. All it took was some research, and time to figure out how to create professional product photos that are eye catching, and sell!

These types of photos will make of break and online business. If your customer isn't WOW'ed by your pictures, they are much less likely to feel comfortable about buying your products. Taking the time (and you will find it may be a lot of time at first) to shoot quality product photos is a simple investment into your business. You don't even need to buy a photo program. The normal 'picture viewer' in windows is sufficient to brighten up slightly dark photos under the 'fix' option at the top. Just remember to BE PICKY. If the photo is slightly out of focus, is dull or dark, or bothers you at all, it will most likely bother your customers. Also, take lots of shots! We make sure to do at least 5 different 'poses' of each piece with several pictures and angles of each pose to give us enough shots to work with.

To learn how to build your own light box go to http://www.digital-photography-school.com/how-to-make-a-inexpensive-light-tent.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is October!

Some of you may not know that October is Breast Cancer awareness month! You may also not know that Serenity in Chains is a proud supporter of several charitable organizations, such as Great Lakes Convoy, geared towards women's cancer research (guys, we aren't discriminating against your cancers, we just have a vested interest in our girly bits staying healthy). So we thought you should really watch this video...because it's about preventing Breast Cancer. Yeah... definitely because it's about preventing breast cancer...

A Touch of Tuesday Humor

 They have dishwashers, open floor plans, and OH, Zombie Proof fences! I know this has absolutely NOTHING to do with our jewelry, but it has everything to do with our sanity! You can check out more of the twisted sense of humor that comes with being a part of Serenity in Chains on our Tumblr!