Networking for Indie Designers

I found a really cool new corner of the web..it's like MySpace...but for indie designers...it's called IndiePublic

Heres a screenshot of my page:


It seems to work a lot like MySpace but with out the meat-market atmosphere. Everyone there is to promote what they make and sell. You link with friends and post comments...ultimately advertising for yourself on each others pages.


I'm not sure how much this helps with marketing yourself...it certainly can't hurt. I've gotten really lazy with marketing Jonara Blu Maui so this summer during slower season I've been trying to spend some time with it. So many new places have popped up in the last few years, it's much more fun and exciting.

I also just joined IndieDesignerLables it's more of a group of links for indie designers. Free to link if you put their link up on your site..otherwise a $25 donation. That will also get you on the front..for I think a month? I'm not sure..actually I was suprised when I saw myself up on the front. I only paid because I can't link back to them with their graphic like they want you to (Rubylane where I sell only allows text links) So I submitted the wrong size graphic not realizing it would be put on the front as well and it got shrunk to fit so it's way too small and not very readable. Still kinda cool to be up there when I didn't expect it!

situation averted

I'm happy to report no hurricane! Thanks to our trade winds it got ripped to shreads and now is only a tropical storm. We aren't even getting the rain we needed so bad. The trades have stopped too...wierd cuz if they had stopped the hurricane could have turned up north and hit us like Iniki did...but they did their job and now it's like they are taking a break. The news says we will still have strong trades with gusts up to 60 mph with this storm..but as of 5 a.m. it was going by Maui and I don't see any signs of it. We woke up to dry ground.

Here is what I woke up to this morning...this is perfect sky to take pictures of my jewelry in..the cloud cover works like a light difuser. but I have no new jewelry to photograph...darn

Waitin' on a hurricane....

It was Cosme about a week or two ago..now it's Flossy. Cosme like so many other hurricanes died out and became a tropical storm before it reached the islands. Flossy though, they say is supposed to remain a hurricane and not turn into a tropical storm until it passes the island chain. In fact this is the first time in years I made my way to the store to buy hurricane supplies. We got our batteries, extra water, some non perishable food...stuff like that. And I had definite plans to put my jewelry making supplies and computer in a safer area lol!

Thank goodness it keeps weakening though...it was a catagory 4 and they were calling it 'highly dangerous', then yesterday sometime it got downgraded to a 3 and now it's a 2..but still with sustained winds at 104 and higher gusts. It's slowing too..it had been moving at about 16 mph for a while there..now it's down to 9 mph.

Kona is being affected by it right now...high surf and they are supposed to get up to 10 inches of rain in some parts. Oh and poor Kona had a 5.3 earthquake last night as well! We didn't feel it this time here on Maui. At least my family didn't. We need rain badly here on Maui..so hopefully it will be enough to end our drought and 10% water restriction. I have no idea how much that will take.

If you are interested.. here is the NOAA update link:

http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/pages/prod.php?file=/data/HFO/TCPCP2

and here is a picture of our islands and the path it's taking so far. Now..hurricane Iniki took a sudden 90 degree turn in 1992 and hit the island of Kauai..but they say that the weather systems out there and our strong trade winds are keeping it on it's path and they are nearly 100% sure that it will remain the way it's going with out turning into us...I hope!:

Announcing Jonara Blu Maui's new Etsy clearance shop!

Have you ever wanted a piece of our jewelry but have been just a little too short on cash? Well now is your chance! We've opened a clearance shop on Etsy for our precious little pieces that have insisted on hanging on to 'mom' for just a bit too long. They need new homes so they can go out and experience life!

These little treasures are beautiful quality handmade pieces just like those you see in our regular shop Jonara Blu Maui...just ones we would like to see finally make it out there into the big bad world and do their job of brightening up someones day. Their creators here need to move on and make room for new designs.

So bookmark Jonara Blu Maui's clearance shop and keep an eye out for new sales to be uploaded ;-)

Here are some of our newest sale offerings:


Birds of Paradise - Multi Gem Beaded Earrings
Originally: $26
Now: $15



Barely Pink Coin and Shell Pendant Cord Necklace
Originally: $68
Now: $46


Sunrise Hoops
Originally: $32
Now: $18

New Logo..finally!

It's been long overdue...but I've finally updated the look of my logo....now I've just got to design new business cards and earring cards from it. Tags are easy because I just shrink it down. I'm embarrassed to say that for 4 years..I haven't had my shop logo and box tags match my business cards, jewelry tags and earring cards. So I'm pretty stoked to finally look a little more with it lol!

Everything will be designed using this:



My shop sign has already been designed and put up..and thanks to my son he figured out a way to use some more of the space allowed me by rubylane..I'm allowed 100 pixels high and 200 wide..so that put all this empty space on the side. He fashioned it in photo shop so that it looks like a frame. here is the pic of it..but check it out on my site Jonara Blu Maui because the white part is hidden with a white back ground and it looks better