Same great stuff just a new location. Please click here to be redirected to our new Marakye blog site
http://www.marakye.com.au/blog
I am still working on the appearance so apologies for the boring background!
Bead & Gem Show March 16, 2008
I am really dissapointed to say that the Bead and Gem show for 2008 has been cancelled in Perth due to a lack of support. Having made the HUGE decision to start making a lot more of my jewellery range and offer one off original pieces I was extremely excited about the upcoming event that was due to kick off the nation wide shows in early April.
I am sure I am not the only dissapointed WA jewellery maker….
If you are in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane you can find out more about the Shows at
and I would love some feedback if you get along to any of the shows.
Stock Update March 16, 2008
I have been busy, busy, busy trying to re-stock after the expo and am a bit behind schedule….
All Jewellery Organisers have now been updated and are ready for purchase. I have marked a lot of them down to expo prices for the next few weeks.
Jewellery is still being re-stocked and fingers crossed if all goes to plan we shoul dbe back on track by mid-week with hundreds of new dichroic pendants in store by Friday!!!!
Women’s Showcase Expo Perth ~ Sunday 9th March ‘08 March 9, 2008
Well today ended 3 long days at the expo and there are lots of very tired people in our household!
Natalie Bassingthwaighte appeared today and although she did not sing she was interviewed by Tottie Goldsmith and she is such a stunning and lovely lady. Maeve was cooking in the kitchen again, the psychics were busy doing readings and the crowds were busier than the past 2 days. All in all it was a very quiet expo but also very rewarding in many ways.
After so much hard work making jewellery and getting new stock, pricing, displays and all of the background work it was amazing to see it all come together without a hitch at the event and I felt so proud to see all of my hard work fall into place.
I had so much positive feedback over the weekend about my work it was inspiring. I was also able to meet so many other fantastic business owners and network with them which has given me some wonderful new ideas for moving forward. The real thrill for me is to be able to be face to face with my customers and see how much they love some of the jewellery. I am a people person and I love to talk to I love being able to interact with my customers.
So at the end of a long weekend we were given a bottle of wine by the event coordinators and we definitely needed it!
Back to work this week getting the web site re-stocked and open for orders again all ready to do it all again in June for the Every Woman Expo, but more details about that soon!
I hope you enjoyed following our first Expo journey with us!
Cheers!
Women’s Showcase Expo Perth ~ Saturday 8th March ‘08 March 8, 2008
Well the expo was much busier today but still very quiet.
It has been great for the visitors because there is no problem getting to see all of the wonderful booths and being able to talk with all of the exhibitors. There has been some great bargains over the weekend including our own. Our Expo special is for a free fashion necklace with every purchase of $100 or more and our fashion necklaces have been very popular.
Our excitement for the day was when the Young Divas fell in love with my dichroic work and were admiring the sterling silver. Our booth was buzzing with people getting the girls autographs and photos… but it didn’t take long before they were whisked away!
Mum and I were lucky enough to get a sneak preview as we turned up early this morning and had our very own concert while the girls were rehearsing and they sounded fantastic.
Tomorrow will be a great day with Natalie Bassingwaighte and loads more people not wanting to miss out on the great deals from the exhibitors. Maeve is cooking up a storm in the celebrity kitchen and the catwalk is busy with fashion parades. There are also some great prize giveaways for tomorrow.
We hope to see you there!
Kylie & Rose
Women’s Showcase Expo ~ Friday 7th March March 7, 2008
Well today was the first day of the Women’s Showcase Expo at the Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre. It was a fun day with fashion parades, interviews with Tottie Goldsmith & Marcia Hines as well as cooking with Maeve O’Meara.
Being a Friday & conventional work day the parking in the city was a bit of a nightmare and as a consequence the expo was very quiet today. My mum and I thought we should make the most of it and treated ourselves to a bit of shopping and a psychic reading, which was very interesting.
The weekend is full of entertainment with The Young Divas appearing tomorrow and Natalie Bassingthwaighte appearing on Sunday as well as Maeve in the celebrity kitchen all weekend. Parking should not be a problem over the weekend and we are expecting the crouds to pick up so come along with plenty of time to spare as there are some fantastic booths to visit, workshops being held throughout the day and on stage entertainment not to mention the giveaways!
Category Name Change ~ In the Kiln! March 4, 2008
Well my recent trip to Margaret River found me standing in an amazing glass gallery which was suitably names “the Meling Pot”…. which just happened to be the name of one of my blog categories!
So to avoid any confusion I have changed the category name to “In the Kiln” ~ same great stuff, just a different name.
If you would like to take a look at their amazing work you can do so either at their gallery in Margaret River (in the main street) or they have some work online http://www.margaret-river-online.com.au/meltingpot/index.html
Gerry Reilly (the glass artist from the Melting Pot) creates some of the most amazing glass pieces I have seen and am also proud to have on show in my lounge room (way out of the reach of my darling’s little fingers at the moment).
He inspires me to work harder to develop my skills in working with glass!
Try & Try & Try Again February 20, 2008
our wireless internet connection does not seem to be able to stay connected for more than 5 minutes at a time lately so I have been working for a week to try and get this month’s newsletter out…
Very frustrating!
I have loads of new stock to upload and listings to update in our store but am not having much luck with my internet time…. I am a little technologically challenged but I will get there – just bear with me!
Survey Results ~ Web Sites February 4, 2008
The results of this survey have been posted here to assist anyone running or starting up a web site for their business. I would like to thank each and everyone of you who took the time to complete this survey. The feedback has been extremely useful for us at Marakye and we are sure that it will be for many other small businesses as well.
This survey is now closed
This survey was taken by 288 people in January 2008. The results were as follows:
Q1: When visiting a web site for the first time do you read the text on the home page?
8% – No, I just go straight into the categories to see if they have what I want / need.
53% – Sometimes, depends on what the site is for
36% – Always – I want to know everything I can before I order online
1% – other. Comments, I give it a quick scan,
Q2: How important is the search function on a web site?
8% – doesn’t bother me, I just like to browse
51% – reasonably important, it makes it easier to find things
39% – essential, I don’t like web site without a search function
Q3: What are your preferred payment methods for ordering online?
(You may choose more than 1 answer) *This question had 536 responses.
25% – bank deposit / direct deposit
24% – credit card, entering your details onto a secure payment page
28% – PayPal
13% – postal methods – cheque / money order
6% – credit card over the phone, I would like to speak with someone to give them my details
<1% – credit card to an answering service – leave your details on a recorded message.
1% – other. Mixture of comments including B-Pay, I don’t order online & have been invoiced.
Q4: When you place an order online which contact methods would you prefer?
(You may choose more than 1 answer) *This question had 377 responses
72% – Email – to say my order has been processed and posted
12% – Telephone Call – to say my order has been processed and posted
14% -SMS – to my mobile to say my order has been processed and posted
<1% – other.. someone suggested I write to them! another said neither.
some additional comments included that people were shiftworkers and did not want phone or SMS’s waking them. This is something that I have always been wary of after working shift work myself. Something to keep in mind, if you are going to call try and do it in the late afternoon!
Q5: In regards to postage of your order which would be your preference?
(You may choose more than 1 answer) *This question had 340 responses
55% – Regular mail with the option of express at an additional charge
10% – Always express post
27% – I would prefer postage to be added to the price and included
6% – no preference
<1% – other – option of registered post & international post
Q6: Please select which of the following you usually look for and read on a web site. *This question had 1269 responses
7% – newsletter subscription
21% – what’s on sale / discount
11% – about us page
1% – blog
13% – shipping and returns conditions
6% – privacy policy
6% – info on gift vouchers
8% – conditions of use
6% – testimonials
12% – the contact us page – to see where a business is located
4% – links page to see which other web sites are recommended
<1% – other – search, tips and how to’s, shopping basket & wish list
Additional comments to businesses running a web site: I have removed all comments regarding Marakye from this section but I sincerely thankyou all for your amazing feedback and your kind words – you give me inspiration and I am glad that Marakye gives so many of you inspiration as well. Thankyou!
* If I have a question I email I would like it answered within 2 days not a week later like some.
* The ‘human touch’ is the most important thing on a web page. Having a professional design the page is fine if you are after perfection, not as good if you want to keep customers coming back. You must make the customer feel that you are talking directly to him/her.
* I think the most important thing on a website and in ordering a product is the privacy and confidentiality of the buyers details, especially their payment details.
* A newsletter is also good for people who are new to the site and for everyone to keep updated with information.
* I Think web sites should be Simple in set out, that is not too much info all on one page
* prices of items and their pictures be clearly seen
* I am a first impressions person. A website needs to look professional, the images crisp, the layout balanced and I need to be able to navigate easily and search.
* Site’s that are to busy make it very hard to find what you are looking for… Keep it simple stupid is my motto in life…
The Women’s Showcase Expo February 4, 2008
Perth 7th – 9th March 2008
Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre
Friday, 7th March 2008 – 12pm – 8pm
Saturday, 8th March 2008 – 10am
Friday, 7th March 2008 – 12pm – 8pm
Saturday, 8th March 2008 – 10am
Tottie Goldsmith is the host the event, and will be joined by inspiring Aussie icons Rogue Traders singer Natalie Bassingthwaighte and Marcia Hines.
As you may or may not know we are exhibiting at The Women’s Showcase Expo here in Perth and are busy, busy, busy with preparations…… When I say “we” it is because I am lucky enough to have my mum flying over from NSW to help me out (Thanks so much Ma, you are wonderful) and my hubby making my display tables (come on….. only 4 and a bit weeks to go!) as for the stock, pricing, display stands, table cloths, t-shirts, backdrops, gift bags, jewellery cases etc… well I have been busy, not to mention maing a whole swag of Dichroic Glass jewellery as well.
The expo is aimed at ladies but men if you are into jewellery please feel free to come along for a visit, we would love to see you!
It is the Ultimate Ladies Day Out so come on girls mark it in your diaries. If you think a woman would like it then it will be there… from jewellery (of course), psychic readings, art, craft, homeware, maternity, career options, health and fitness, investing… the list just goes on and on…
If you want more info on the event jump on the event’s main web page at http://www.thewomensshowcase.com.au/perth/index.html
Ticket Prices are as follows:
$12.00 Adults
$10.00 Pensioners / Concession
$10.00 Children 6-14 years (Free Admission for Children Under 6)
The event is also being held in other states so check the web site for your state’s dates and venues.
Hope to see you there…. We are in a corner booth #147 (it is to the right of the stage)
