BOTTOMLESS BEADED BAREFOOT SANDALS

The Barefoot Sandal Gal's

2009-11-19T16:00:00.000-08:00

Have you ever tried to arrange a surprise birthday party for someone long distance? Well, that’s just what I did for my sister Pat (and the other half of Jewels by Jan).

Those birthday’s that end in a zero are special. They’re milestones and they should be celebrated. But Pat doesn’t like to be the center of attention and she made her husband swear he wasn’t doing anything special for this birthday. He was off the hook. Little did she know that it was her sister in San Diego who was sneaking around sending out save the date cards followed by one of her famous poem invitations.
Yep, we got her good! And it was all SO worth it. Everything turned out great and I was able to see all my family in one place!

After the festivities were over (attended by 50 of her closest relatives and friends) we had the chance to put on our official Jewels by Jan Swarovski crystal tees to take this photo. If you’re a fan of our barefoot sandals, the shirts will be available on our web site soon! They’re made of top-quality cotton-poly with genuine clear and pink Swarovski crystals. What a fabulous way to add some bling to your wardrobe!

Holiday Season Accessories - Make Your Own

2009-11-06T09:46:00.000-08:00

Feeling crafty? Well, you don't have to be a crafter to make THESE adorable holiday earrings. They are sold as a kit and all you need is a pair of round-nose pliers. Everything else is included in the kit. Now how easy is that?

One of our suppliers - Brightlings Beads - never fails to have the most creative ideas and projects. We are frequent customers because they have the best prices on some of the components we use in our designs.

Here are 2 of their holiday earring kits - they also have snowmen and 2 different Christmas tree earring kits. And it's not too early to start wearing them now! Holiday commercials are all over the T.V. and decorations and displays are already in thes stores. So check out Brightlings Beads so that you can get YOUR earring kits and be ready to accessorize your party attire.

Holiday Party Season is Just Around the Corner!

2009-10-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

Every year the holiday season seems to creep up on us a little bit earlier. It isn't even Halloween yet and I'm already seeing holiday decorations in places like Target and Wal Mart. I'm just wondering when we'll see the first TV Christmas ad. So the last thing on your mind is what shoe's you'll wear to your office holiday party or for New Years Eve.

With the economy in a slump and many people without work, saving money will be on everyone's mind this year. Here's an idea that will not only save you the cost of buying a brand new pair of shoe's to wear with your holiday dress but will also turn you into the fashionista of the night! Dive into your closet and pull out that pair of plain, strappy sandals and transform them into a dazzling pair of shoes that is sure to start a trend.

Jewels by Jan Swarovski crystal barefoot sandals can totally change a pair of shoes. With a collection of over 20 different designs of beaded foot jewelry you're sure to find the perfect pair to jazz up your party shoes. The sandals shown here are called Elegant Evening, aptly named for either a night on the town or a fabulous New Years Eve event. It's only one of the many colors and designs we offer.

Visit our site and find your favorite pair - we'll custom make them to fit your foot perfectly! The sandals come in pairs of course! So sparkle....dazzle.....and impress this holiday season!

Jewels by Jan Products now on Artfire

2009-10-22T08:08:00.000-07:00

I have a new motto – build a site to showcase handcrafted items…….and Jewels by Jan will come. It seems that every day I hear about yet another web site where makers of handmade items can showcase their products. Artfire is my latest “find” and because they make it SO easy to list items and set up a shop, they now carry our barefoot sandals.

As the holiday season creeps closer and closer, sites like Artfire are fabulous venues for doing some early shopping. If nothing else, it will offer a world of ideas. Have you considered maybe a scarf

for your mother, sister or best friend? Scarves are one of this Fall’s hottest fashion trends and with cooler weather arriving in most parts of the U.S., it makes a perfect accessory for just about anyone.

What about a handcrafted laptop case for your busy executive sister. Prices are very reasonable and quality is top notch! Think about the attention to detail that a handmade product has.

With over 500,000+ products (and counting) Artfire offers a world of shopping opportunities. And in addition to getting part of your gift list taken care of, you’ll be helping all the small businesses that have become a part of Artfire. Why not start your holiday shopping here?

Browse a Thousand Markets in the Comfort of Your Home

2009-10-21T15:47:00.000-07:00

Imagine how nice it would be to sit at your computer in your comfy clothes with a nice cup of coffee or tea and Christmas shop at your leisure. No crowded stores with endless waits to get to the cashier. You can take your time looking at everything and when you’re ready to check out you have your own personal cashier.

I just discovered this site and I was so impressed I had to open up my own shop with our handcrafted foot jewelry. 1000 Markets is an art-filled, authentic shopping experience where everything is handmade. If you appreciate the time and talent of a uniquely handcrafted item, you will love this site. One-of-a-kind items you won’t find at Nordstrom or Bloomingdales. Gifts for everyone in the family – every order guaranteed. They’ve partnered with Amazon to give you the best guarantee in the business. Relax. You’re covered.

With over 60,000 items, your sure to find something for everyone. Like these surfboard chairs – where could you find chairs like this?

Or another unique, handcrafted item –

a very useful and chic laptop bag. You’ll find all kinds of art, clothing, accessories, toys, home and garden items, jewelry and much more

I highly recommend spending some time on this site!
JAN

Still Holding our Top Ten Spot on Home-Based Jewelers Top 100 Directory

2009-10-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

Just like a good best-selling novel, we’ve held our top ten spot on this site for several months now! This site rates the Top 100 Home Based Jewelers. Below are just a few of the comments we’ve received. Help us make it to the top!

On Tue, 08.04.09 12:28 Corrie Golden rated this site 9 out of 10
These are amazing, very creative and lovely.

On Thu, 07.16.09 9:11 Mary (Mary at Momen.net) rated this site 10 out of 10

On Sun, 07.12.09 13:02 Donna Kimmel rated this site 9 out of 10
These are cute and fun. Never thought of barefoot sandals before but you’ve got an interesting niche. I can see these as a must for that beach wedding!

On Wed, 06.24.09 22:46 Pam, Owner of Weddings Are Fun (sales at WeddingsAreFun.com) rated this site 10 out of 10
I’ve sold these barefoot sandals on my website (WeddingsAreFun.com) for several years now. Jan is the best to work with! She returns emails promptly and gets my orders out fast! I’ve never had one complaint about the beautiful barefoot sandals that she and her sister handcraft.

On Mon, 06.22.09 20:59 Mary Noriega (humphreyflorist at aol.com) rated this site 10 out of 10
I sell these sandals regularly on My Wedding Accessory web site. They are of exceptional quality. I recommend them to all my beach brides.

On Fri, 06.12.09 13:04 Linda Tweedy rated this site 10 out of 10
These barefoot sandals are the most unique, amazing beaded foot jewelry I’ve seen. Bought 3 pairs and love all of them! The craftmanship is tops and the customer service is unequalled – I had my pairs in no time at all. And to think they are all handmade!

On Tue, 06.09.09 14:56 John Dougherty rated this site 10 out of 10
I love Jan’s barefoot sandals. They are the most unique and classy of all the barefoot sandals I have seen.

Thanks to all for your compliments!

What do you do when the U.S.P.S. fails you?

2009-10-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

Imagine you’re a bride -to-be. Your SO excited that your wedding is less than a week away and in just a few days you’ll be leaving for a romantic wedding on a tropical island beach. You suddenly find the most perfect accessory for your wedding so you place your order and pay extra shipping to make sure it arrives in time. Then… the day before you leave………..your mail has arrived, but your order that was shipped 3-days ago by Priority Mail has not.

This happens more than you know – and not just to us. I’m sorry to say that because of the unreliability of this postal method(which in my opinion is nothing more than a way to charge more money), we no longer even offer Priority Mail. Countless times we used this method of shipping, putting our trust in the United States Postal Service which charges $4.95 (as of this date). Countless times, they have disappointed not only us but more importantly, our customer who never receives their order in the 2-3 days that the Post Office advertises. Do they feel any guilt about this at all? I think not!

What can consumers do about this? Who can you complain to that can DO something? Owning a business has its frustrations, certainly but how can our government-run postal system justify repeated failure to handle THEIR end of the 2-3 day Priority shipping agreement?

Jewels by Jan is proud of our committment to deliver efficient, professional service – we’ve stood by this promise since 2003 when we started our business. Our orders are shipped within 24-48 hours of receiving them and our products are handcrafted with the utmost care and precision using superior quality materials. This is OUR promise to our customers and we guarantee this every, single day that we are in business. But how can we put our trust in a failing system that continues to disappoint and frustrate?

I have no qualms in making this statement – Priority Mail is nothing more than a scam. The Post Office will gladly take your money and MAYBE your envelope or package will make it to it’s destination one day….but don’t let anyone kid you – it won’t make it in 2-3 days. Don’t waste your hard-earned money on Priority Mail!

MADE IN THE U.S.A. AND PROUD OF IT!

2009-10-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

How important is it to YOU to buy American-made products? American manufacturers make some of the best products in the world!This heritage is important enough to us in the crafting of our beaded foot jewelry that we wanted you to know. Jewels by Jan has never out-sourced the process of making of our barefoot sandals. Everyone deserves fair pay for equal work to support their families and in some countries the wages are less-than-fair. We handcraft each and every pair of our foot jewelry in either San Diego, CA or Des Moines, IA – from the moment we cut the length of stringing material to the tying of the last knot! Share your comments with us below – do YOU buy American?

http://allaboutbarefootsandals.jewels-by-jan.com/how-barefoot-sandals-are-made/made-in-the-u-s-a/

Using Swarovski crystals and pearls in jewelry design

2009-10-21T13:42:00.001-07:00

Have you ever wondered what it takes to create a complex bead design? I can tell you from six years of experience when you work with small components, it’s a very time-consuming process. The tiny little seed beads and 4mm crystals are just plain hard to pick up off the bead mat. If you use long tweezers to pick up the components like I do, they can fly across the room if you squeeze the tweezers too tight. But we have found that the smaller the bead, the more feminine and dainty the sandals will be.

When Pat and I started our business we knew that quality materials would be the key to producing a lovely piece of jewelry. It was important to us to find bead suppliers that offered A-quality products at a reasonable cost. That’s why we selected Swarovski pearls and crystals to use in our barefoot sandal designs. Everyone can identify with the name Swarovski.
Each Swarovski Crystal Pearl is created around a crystal core, hence the name Crystal Pearl. This crystal core gives the pearl its ideal weight and combined with the Swarovski Pearl coating it causes each Crystal Pearl to glow from within. The pearl coating developed by Swarovski is applied around the crystal core in pearly layers.

Swarovski (Austrian) Crystal is considered by many people to be the finest quality, full-lead crystal made today. To cut hard materials such as crystal and gems in such a way that they have a hundred identical facets in several directions is a very complicated task: each direction of the reflected light must first be calculated by computer, then this has to be simulated in 3D, optimized and finally converted into control programs for complex machinery. It is this machine that makes it possible to cut crystal to perfection.
When we receive an order of Swarovski crystals there’s just nothing more brilliant than opening up their careful packaging and seeing several hundred sparkling prisms of light shining back at you! Knowing the process of how they are cut makes it even more amazing.