forest creations

something to brighten up your day

2010-04-05T08:20:00.003-04:00

I can't respond to any emails today, something has crashed on my computer

and the mouse is missing!

Fantistic Treasury Finds!

2010-03-18T08:38:00.004-04:00

i found this seller while browsing the treasuries today. i'll be adding some more shortly. i really love the style and versatility of sandmaiden's clothing line. I would LOVE to purchase half her shop. Some of it is a little pricey but the quality looks fantastic and the styles are wonderfully fresh. enjoy!

sandmaiden

felted fine merino wool knit v neck sweater

felted fine merino wool poncho sleeve jacket

crochet wool knit asymmetrical wrap with pin closure

Bringing back the time machine top 5

2010-03-09T08:19:00.001-05:00

i'm trying to bring back the time machine top 5 feature and am going to try to do it every tuesday. I'm turning in a "schedule person", so I figure if I schedule it, then i'll keep up with it. Here are today's picks.... (drum roll please)....

1) Cobalt candle holders by daydreamdesigns

2) Ghost elephant on organic t-shirt by rctees

3) goldstone and turquoise bangle by originalsbydeb

4) Whimsical Houses landscape out west by madart

5) antique alphapet and number rubber stamps by prettytape

Look! It's a Sasquatch in a drawer!

2010-03-08T20:48:00.003-05:00

Really it is! Meet me cat Sasquatch (named by my husband, of course). I was sitting at my desk this weekend creating some awesome stuff when I look over, and this is what I see. It was so funny I just had to take a picture of it to share with all of you. Enjoy!

Dear so and so... week 2

2010-03-07T09:12:00.003-05:00

ok here it goes for this week!

Dear the dog,
I don't want to hang out with you at 6:30 in the morning. I know you're bored, but i'm tired and more important than you. please wait until at least 7:30 before waking me up.
thanks, mommy

Dear mom,
I miss you... a lot. and sarah too.
love, lauren

dear the husband,
thanks for helping me with the dishes. will you please clean the toilet? pretty please?!
love, the wife

dear sasquatch,
you cannot dig your way out of the house. please stop tearing up the carpets in an attempt to do this. we are not alcatraz, you are not a prisoner, i promise we will not always live in a basement.
thanks, mommy

dear self,
congratulations on sticking up for yourself this week! keep up the good work.
love, yourself

ok, now i feel much better!

Treasury Feature

2010-03-02T19:39:00.002-05:00

I was featured in a treasury today! It's a lovely mint treasury that features my mint teardrops book thong. There are lots of great other items in there. check it out!

Anyone know how to successfully groom a maine coon cat?

2010-02-28T08:52:00.004-05:00

without sedating her? I have a beautiful maine coon cat aptly names "sasquatch" by my husband. she's really more like a dog than a cat. She loves to cuddle, thinks that she should be eating whatever i'm eating, and always wants to go outside. the only problem is that she gets these big clumps near her bum and i have a really hard time combing them and i hate to cut them out. she fights me tooth nail, literally, and i feel so bad about having to do it. I do have some kitty sedative but i hate having to drug her up simply to groom her. i'm anyone knows of a good way to brush her with all having to fight her i would greatly appreciate it!

Dear so and so... week 1

2010-02-26T21:31:00.002-05:00

I saw this on whimical creations blog and I think that is it just fantastic so I am going to give it a try.

So here goes Dear so and so week 1!

Dear Mother Nature,
I'm ready for the snow be done with. Please send me some sunshine.
Thanks, Lauren

Dear Dr. Valente (one of the Dr.'s at work),
Please stop hovering over the appointment book. you do not have magical powers that will make patients appear in your column when you stare at the book!
Leave me alone, Lauren

Dear mom,
I had a great weekend last week. I love you and miss you!
Love lauren

Dear "the husband"
I bought laundry baskets for a reason. please use them for their intended purpose, not to play jail with the cat.
love "the wife"

Dear "the dog",
i love you but do not love it when you swing your giant hammer paw at me when I come in the door.
love, mommy.

Well that was fun! I think i'm good for the week. I could keep going but I think that's enough for a trial run.

If you would like to try this feel free to grab the widget for you blog here

I need your customer service stories!

2010-02-25T19:28:00.001-05:00

As we all know (or at least I hope we do) customer service is probably the second most important part of a business, with the first being a quality product.

This week I’m working on another article about the importance of customer service. I’m looking for your stories about an awesome or terrible customer service. It doesn’t have to be about an online experience, but any experience from anywhere.

If it was a great experience, what made it so exceptional?

If it was terrible, why was it so bad, and what could that person or business have done to make the situation amenable?

Please post your stories in the comments section and I will be going through them to post in my article.

Thanks everyone! I look forward to reading your stories!

Featured seller - KIMMSMITH

2010-02-02T10:30:00.013-05:00

A few weeks ago while browsing in the forums (as usual) I cam across KIMMSMITH. What caught me was the beautiful avatar she had and I just HAD to click on it to see what was in her shop. And all I can say is "WOW". She has such a beeutiful array of bead packed jewelry items (Im still trying to figure out how she manages to put so many beads in such a small space) at fantastic prices. I'm looking forward to my next formal dance just so that I can buy something from her.

After spending lots of time in her shop I decided to check in with her to see what is behind the shop and meet the maker.

1) You're designs are so colorful and packed with beads. Where does your inspirations for your designs come from?
My inspiration for colours can come from the most bizzarre things such as a colour combinations on a shower gel bottle, wallpaper, fabric, a pattern on a dress or a gift box. My main inspiration though is my garden and childhood memories of the hours I spent in my grandparents award winning garden full of flowers and orchards.

2) Tell us about how you started to get into making jewelry and how you got on etsy.
My sister used to make jewelry and I always admired her, she tried to show me how it was done one day and it just wasn't for me even though I had always loved beads since childhood! I was made redundant a few months later and had lots of spare time on my hands and was very bored so I decided to have a play but kind of doing it my way, from that day on I became addicted! I had already bought from etsy on a few occassions but a fellow etsian (janetlily) introduced me to the site as a seller, from that day I haven't looked back!

3) What do you like to do in your free time when you're not creating?
I have 2 boys aged 8 and 17 and a gorgeous hubby who runs my youngest son's football team so I watch them play at weekends, I read, love cooking, go for an inspiring walk and love to lunch with my best friend. I also keep Ian's roofing business up to date. Oh and searching for even more beads too!

4) What do you find are successful ways to promote (or unsuccessful ways) your business?
I find my facebook fanpage a great way
to promote my designs, I also Twitter and have found being in the etsy forums is a good way to get noticed and make some wonderful friends too! I couldn't keep up with my blog but many people find this a very successful way to promote.

5) Do you have any advice for those who are new to etsy or are thinking about opening a shop?
My advice for anyone thinking of opening a shop would be to take it slowly. Join the forums and ask for advice, until I went into the forums I didn't realise that I could renew my items! Practice your photography skills until you are happy with your pictures. Use all 14 of your tags and describe your item well. Don't give up, it takes time to build up your shop and get noticed but Etsy is a fabby place to be, everyone is friendly and helpful. Go for it!

6)Anything else about yourself that you would like to share with us?
I dream beads, I'm a total chocoholic, If i'm not singing I talk to myself whilst beading and lastly I have the most supportive family and friends who I am most grateful to!

Some great advice from HautTotes on Niche Marketing

2010-01-20T07:15:00.001-05:00

HautTotes - Who has been around a short 6 months, is already a pretty successful seller here on Etsy with 200 sales in 6 months (great job)! She took some time to write a really good forum post about the benefits of niche marketing. I have re-posted it here for you to read and the full forum post can be read here.

HautTotes says:

"You can’t be everything to everyone, nor can you sell everything to everyone… Why I think cutting down on potential customers can increase your sales.

Though the desire to have “something for everyone” in your shop may be strong, the truth is that while niche marketing may in fact decrease your pool of potential customers, if done well it can INCREASE your sales! The key is to find (if you are a supply seller) or create a product that your accessible customers want but is unavailable or under-available from other shops.

Niche shops have the potential to be very profitable despite their small size. Most large sellers will ignore small demands leaving you with the monopoly on that product. A smaller customer base and much smaller competition base can make a lot of $ense!

Now, I’m not a marketing professional, and with only 6 months under my belt am a bit of a newbie. I have however been moderately successful here on Etsy. This morning, almost 6 months to the day from my first sale I had my 200th.

There are about 40,000 bags on Etsy tagged with “Tote” a mere 75 of those are mine. That makes me 0.001875 percent of the Etsy tote bag market. My totes average $37 and I don’t advertise. Yet I average a sale a day. How? I have a great niche! Many of the other 39,925 totes are less expensive, fancier, more complicated even prettier. What most of them also are is far more mainstream.

Not into totes? Lets take a hypothetical newbie soap maker. This soap maker when asked, “Who are you marketing to?” may answer “Anyone who is dirty.” Your fellow soapers (competition) are all looking for those same dirty people! Now what if this soap maker decided that instead of looking for ALL dirty people, they were going to spend their energy just looking for dirty babies, or dirty pets or dirty vegans… They’d have far fewer customers, but also far fewer competitors.

An added advantage is the better idea you have of who you are marketing to, the easier it will be to maximize your promotional energy and your advertising dollars (if you spend them). Developing new product ideas is also easier because you are working with a good knowledge of your target customer’s likes and dislikes.

Niche customers tend to be very loyal as well, as you are the one who has provided them with their desired item when others ignored their needs.

*** Some tips on finding your niche. ***
Etsy is (I believe) the worlds largest group of exceedingly talented artisans, no matter how talented you are; you can’t compete with them all…

Ask yourself the following questions. Answer honestly!
What do I enjoy making? What do I make REALLY well? What types of things do my current customers have in common? How do I want set myself apart from the competition? What can I offer that is better and more compelling than what my competition offers? Can I tailor my product to specific customers better?

Two last notes, don’t be afraid to venture out of your niche (especially if it isn’t working for you) and a niche can be too small. I wouldn’t invest too much energy in starting up a shop specializing in costumes for pet flies. :)

10 guidelines for offering a great customer experience

2010-01-16T09:43:00.004-05:00

Due to a long career in customer service, mainly in retail, there are a few rules I have come to recognize as cornerstones for good customer service. I would like to share those with you now and hear what you have to say as well. Be warned - This post is a little long, but I think very helpful.

1) Don't sell crap
Seriously! Make a product to be proud of. No matter how nice you are, if you don't make something good, no one will buy it.

2) Set clear policies
This is very important, especially for online shoppers. Vague policies can often make customers leery of buying from you since they won't know what to expect. Be as specific as possible regarding returns, refunds, exchanges, repairs, and shipping policies. Another good tactic is to put the links to your shop announcement and policies section at the bottom of each listing. Since many customers, especially people that are new to ETSY, won't think to look there. Doing this will save you and your customers a lot of headache later. Generally it will protect you should something go wrong or you get a strange request. Just make sure that none of your policies contradict ETSY's since theirs will trump yours should there ever be any question.

3) Listen and Communicate
First and foremost, listen to your customer. Do they need it in a specific size? Do they need a certain color? Do they need priority shipping? Can you gift wrap that for them? There could be any number of things that your customer may need from you. Make sure that you are listening to their needs to make sure that you offer them the best experience possible. Most requests will be reasonable and they will be grateful for anything that you can do to help them out.

Second, communicate! Do this quickly and politely. If your customers didn't want to hear from you, they wouldn't purchase from you. No, this does not mean that you can bombard them with SPAM, unwanted offers, and solicit for feedback. But it does mean that you can let them know that you have received their order, it has been shipped, they can expect it such and such a date, and here's the tracking number. If you use paypal shipping this happens automatically when you print a label and you can enter a personal message. You can also contact them to say that you see they have received their order and to thank them for their business.
Always treat conversations as if they were sales. If someone contacts you with questions, answer them. You never know why they might be contacting you or how much they will spend. They may not spend any, but they could be contacting you for information in order to feature you somewhere or recommend you to someone else. But it is guaranteed that if you don't answer, and answer promptly, that you will loose sales.
Also, include thank you notes. It doesn't have to be anything long and drawn out. Even a colorful post-it note with a "Thank you!" and a smiley face on it will do. Personal communication never fails to go a long way.

The way you communicate says a lot about who you are as a seller. If you don't communicate quickly and pleasantly, and listen to what you customer has to say, then what does that say about how prompt you are with shipping? Will the order come in as asked? How will you react if something goes wrong with the order? Over the internet you don't have much change to make a good impression. So a first is all you may get. People are very guarded buying from individuals because they never really know who their dealing with. It isn't like a giant corporation with headquarters to contact and reputation to uphold. Yes, ETSY has admin to contact and a reputation, but they leave much up to the individual seller, so there is a lot that can go wrong. Communicating with your customer eagerly and amicably will help gain you a lot of trust and earn you repeat sales.

4) Exceed expectations
Imagine this, you place an order for a gift for a friend of yours. You contact the seller to let them know that you need it by X date. You receive the product two days earlier than expected, it is already gift wrapped with a pretty tag on it, there is a thank you note inside, and there is a little thank you gift for you in there as well. How do you feel?
It never hurts to go the extra mile, ever! Your customer will be blown away if you just provide the teeniest bit extra than they expected. Maybe that means gift wrapping something. Or, getting a custom order done a shipped a day early. It could also mean refunding shipping cost that you didn't use, or offering them a little extra gift. The power of going out of your way to get an extra smile out of purchase should never be underestimated. Your customers will appreciate all the extra work you put into their purchase and will be sure to come back in the future.

5) Admit when your wrong
We are human and mistakes happen. You know this, and your customer knows this. That being said, if you are honest about you mistakes and offer to go above and beyond to fix the problem, 99.9% of the time your customers will be accommodating and understanding. Case in point, I had a customer purchase something and upon trying to package up their order, I realized it had been misplaced. I contacted them IMMEDIATELY letting them know that their was a problem. I needed to know if the item was a gift, would they mind waiting a couple days to see if I could locate the item, and if not, I would PROMPTLY offer them a refund or a chance to exchange the item. The person was very accomodating. In the end I wasn't able to locate the item they had asked for, but offered them two other items for the price that they paid originally and they were very happy to accept the compromise.
Life happens. If is inevitable. The point is that if you don't communicate with your customer about problems, then you will end up with more headaches then you would have had you taken care of the problem in the beginning. There have been plenty of horror stories about sellers not getting back to people. and the anger and frustration that it creates. And this not only hurts your business, but everyone's. Because now that person is always going to wonder when they are going to get screwed next.
Now, if mistakes happen often, then you should take a hard look at whether or not owning a business and offering a product or service is really for you. It is not for everyone, and if you just don't have the time or patience to honor your responsibilities then maybe this isn't for you. And that's ok. It may be disappointing, but it is also an opportunity to try something else.
And a last note on this, never deprive your customer the opportunity to leave feedback. If you made the mistake, then you deserve whatever feedback you get. There is always this Kiss and Make Up feature. But when you own your own business, unhappy customers is a risk that you take.

6) If it's broke, fix it
9 times out of 10 you should follow this rule. Make it clear in your shop policies what you will do for repairs. If you make fragile products, either make insurance in your shipping mandatory, or state clearly that this product is buy at your own risk. If you don't sell something fragile, that is still breakable, if it breaks fix it. My policies state clearly that if something breaks within 6 months, I will fix it. And even if something breaks after that, I will probably still fix it, because that's good business practice. There are exceptions to every rule and that's up to you to decide what the exceptions for your business might be, but generally your customers will be pleased when you fix something that has been broken in either shipping, or during wear.

7) ALWAYS be respectful
Remember you are dealing with PEOPLE, not dollar signs. Behind every bill that goes into your Paypal account there is a person who worked for that dollar and spent it on you, or may spend it on you. Yes, there are rude people, and yes they will somehow invariably search you out and contact you will the sole purpose of being rude. But, what does that say about you as a seller and as a person if you are rude back? There are also people who just plain don't know about your product, the time you spend on it, and the quality that matches the price tag. Be polite all the time, NO MATTER WHAT.
Working in retail, I was constantly yelled at, complained to, and sometimes called names. But never ever was I rude back. Simply state what you policy is, what the product entails, and why it is the way it is. And politely tell them that if they are unhappy with your policy that there are plenty of other shops on ETSY that may be able to accommodate them and you wish them luck with their future purchase.
If it is someone who already purchased a kind attitude is even more important. Listen to them, respond to them, and no matter how unhappy with you they are, always be personable. If the person is completely out of line, report them to ETSY abuse. If you were the one that was polite then ETSY is more likely to side with your side and the issue more easily resolved.

8) Don't Whine
I am constantly in the forums reading what's going on. And nothing turns me off more than whiny sellers. And sellers aren't the only ones in the forums. Buyers are in there all the time as well. As a buyer and a seller, I would not buy from a seller that constantly complained about low views, no sales, blah blah blah.... You own a business, part of that is sometimes having a down time. If that's the case I would rather hear about what can be done to promote, what goals do you have, what kind of plans people are making to improve things. Not a bunch of crab-a^^ing about ETSY not putting you on the front page, or not being in the gift guides or blaming other people for your bad sales. Successful sellers will add more items. create a new line, reach out for help, create a blog, anything that will improve their customer base and get them seen by more people. They will WORK HARDER to move their shop forward, not spend valuable time complaining.

9) DON'T SPAM!!!!!
I hate buying from a company and as soon as my purchase goes through my inbox is full of "This on sale" or "You must buy this" or any other number of offers. If you would like to keep in touch with your customers, start a newsletter that they can subscribe to. You can include this option when you confirm an order and let that be the only time you offer it to them. If they don't accept then, they know how to contact you at a later time. I don't personally do this, but I know of many sellers that do and it works out pretty well for them.
WARNING - if you do SPAM and it is reported, ETSY can suspend your account.

10) Don't make promises you can't keep
If you can only make it to the post office to ship twice a week, don't say you offer next day shipping.
If you only offer something in one color, don't say the item can be modified.
If you promise that an item that requires customization will be ready in three days, make sure it's ready in three days.
Your customers will hate you if you continually break promises to them. Know yourself and your limits and work with-in them. If you offer honest service, even if it may take little longer and you communicate that, your customers will be happy because they will buy knowledgeably.

In the end, all of these come down to one golden rule - HONESTY. If you offer a good honest product at a good honest price with honest customer service, your customers will never be let down and your business will thrive. If you are a dishonest seller, your business will eventually tank faster than the Titanic.

An awesome tool I bought on etsy...

2010-01-12T08:34:00.002-05:00

And if you own an etsy shop I totally recommend it.

While hanging out on craftcult looking at my new views (a new feature that I totally love) I saw and ad that caught my eye. It was an add for spreadsheets to help me keep track of my etsy business. Now, I have seen plenty of these before I hadn't been impressed yet. But, I clicked on the add to check it out and I am so glad that I did!

A browse through the seller's page told me that I had finally found something that might actually work that I didn't have to make myself. There were a whole bunch of tools that I could use, in and out of etsy. Some were a little pricey, but after using them, they are worth every penny. I deliberated for a week to make sure that it was something I would really use, constantly clicking on the could items I was considering purchasing. I finally bit the bullet, bought, and couldn't be happier.

The seller was awesome to work with, accommodating and friendly, and helped me personalize it to better fit what I needed. Below are some screen shots from some of the products from the shop. You can view the whole shop here.

These are from the jewelry double pack, which is a business management program and a raw materials program. There are tons of others which will work for craft fairs, non jewelry sellers, helping with taxes, profit and loss, and even a gift card tracker. I highly recommend everything this seller has to offer! MissSideburns - you have totally made my day!

Wow, I have really neglected by blog....

2010-01-12T08:33:00.003-05:00

Sorry about the hyadis (if that's spelled right) folks! I'm not sure what happened there. From now on I'm going to try to keep up with this whole blogging thing much better. Thanks for sticking around and waiting for me to those who follow!

And craft fair season begins!!!

2009-08-02T15:27:00.002-04:00

I love craft fair season! It's nice to actually get out there and meet the people who intend to buy my stuff. I love talking to them and seeing there faces and watch them look through everything. I know there are a lot of people who don't like it when customers touch their products, but I love it. I like to watch them hold things up and see the expressions on their faces while they try to decide where they will put the stuff they are going to buy or how it's going to look in a certain book or room. It's so much fun!

I had my first one last weekend. One of my sorority sisters went with me and we had a really good time. It's live and learn though, that's for sure! This was my first outdoor show. I didn't take wind into account so my dispays kept falling over and we finally had to tie AND tape them to the table. We had a good laugh out of it though trying to figure out how to keep them up and anticipating when then breeze would be strong enough to knock things over. My grandfather is helping me fix them so that stuff like that won't keep happening.

I made some new little signs to place in front of the items so people will know what everything is since I constantly have people confusing me with a jeweler, which I am not. I also had to bring my own tables a tent and those were interesting to put up. My arms were hurting the next day from carrying them around and trying to push the tent up.

I also WAY overpacked. I thought that I would want to make some new things while I was there, but I couldn't decide which beads to bring, so I brought ALL of them. That was totally stupid. The weather was nice and there were lots of people and good music, so I had a great time just sitting and socializing. I have a scrabble tile project that I'm working on now that doesn't take up a lot of space so I'm going to just bring that from now.

My car was also a worry. I have an awesome 1975 dodge dart, but I didn't anticipate how heavy all my stuff was. I loaded it all in and after about 5 minutes it started to make funny squealing noises from all the weight. So, now that I've learned not to over pack, hopefully that won't happen again. Or I'll just have to borrow my mother in law's truck.

I have quite a few more dates coming up and I'm so thrilled!

So, if you are going to be in massachusetts area, you can find me in the following places on the following dates!

August 15-16 - Templetom Arts and Crafts Fair, Templeton, Ma

August 22 - Ashby Town Fair - Ashby Ma

Sept 12 - Spencer craft Fair (I think) Spencer, Ma

Sept 26-27 - Lunenburg Town Fair, Lunenburg, Ma

I would love to you all!

Time Machine Top 5

2009-07-31T07:21:00.011-04:00

Yes - that is pretty creepy.... But at least the button itself is funny!

2.25 creepy santa button by suzanneartist

I like soft comfy clothes! And the look of this one is especially cute. I love the wrap shirt and the belt that finishes the look.

Yoga pants and wrap set by econica

What a beautiful bead! I love it! And the best part is that it's really really big.

Amethyst carved flower/butterfly pendant by LABeads

It's huge, gaudy, gold, and flowered.... what's not to like?! I have to admit, I'm not crazy about pink, but I love this necklace.

In the Pink by rebecca3030

Walk in the rainbow forest anyone? This would totally match my sister's idea of what the woods should really look like!

Linden Tree ACEO by jerise

I'd like to welcome myself to Collaborators in Cahoots!

2009-07-22T11:50:00.002-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to join a really cool group of etsy peeps and I'm so excited about it! I'm now a proud member of Collaborators in Cahoots. So far, I'm still learning about the rules and meeting everyone and deciding how I want to do promos. But I'm enjoying meeting new people, finding cool new talent, and having my stuff posted all over the internet thanks to the lovely people there!

Don't worry guys! I'll be posting yours everywhere soon too!

I would especially like to thank my friend PromoPixie for getting me into it. I stumbled across her treasure hunt game in the etsy promo forums and she invited me to join. And, I won some awesome earrings from that game courtesy of kawiibuddies.

I'm so excited to be a part of the group! To see some of the awesome peeps in the group, click on the etsy mini's to the left!

Thanks everyone!

Featured Seller: dizzeelizzee (and she's giving something away!)

2009-06-27T21:36:00.009-04:00

If you are looking for something totally out of the ordinary and crazy unique, welcome to:

dizzeelizzee

I came across dizzee's shop a few weeks ago while looking for items for my Time Machine Top 5 feature (which I have really been slacking on and I'm sorry about that). I featured a quilled gift bag of hers, and once I started the featured seller back up, I knew instantly that I wanted to feature her, and more items from dizzee's fabulous shop. And, without further ado, meet the wonderful woman behind dizzeelizzee.

Tell us about yourself. Who is the creator behind such awesome designs?
***************
All about me! I'm an average person....who fell in love with crafting and creating. Even when I was a youngster, I be drawing or doodling, instead of doing my math homework.

How did you come to be in the paper craft business, and what inspires your wonderful designs?
**************************************
I'm a late bloomer to the paper biz. I painted all thru my 20's and sewed thru my 30's, so now in my 40's....I finally into paper! Inspiration comes from all areas....I love flowers and nature, I'm lucky enough to live in a place that has wonderful access to nature and unique places.

How do you keep things new and fresh, and keep yourself motivated to make new designs?
***********************************************
Keeping things new and fresh is difficult for any artist. You want to go with what works before. Personally I keep reading books, blogs, instructional materials, any thing I can get my hands on! I find I experiment a bunch, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. To me, that is the joy of creating!

How did you come to be on Etsy, and what do you think are the best things about owning an online business?
****************
I found ETSY by accident. I was looking around for places to buy materials...and there it was. After years of nagging from my family to try and sell some of the things I've made, it seemed like and easy and relatively inexpensive way to get my feet wet. It's been a wonderful experience. I still feel the joy of a convo...and I've made a couple of cyber friends too!

When you aren't creating and spending time on etsy, what do you do for fun?
********************************************************
....I love baseball, so I'm always watching my Mariners! I try to grow flowers, and vegis, and my family keeps my running around.

(I have to say lizzee, I'm got sucked into the Red Sox Nation myself)

Anything else you would like to share?
**************************************
The only thing I'd like to tell your readers is that you MUST try! What ever your passion, desire, or wish...go for it. You get only one shot at this life...don't let fear of failure hold you back.

I have to say, that dizzeelizzee's designs amaze me every time I look at them. Everything in her shop screams loveliness and I can't wait till the holidays come around, because I know exactly where I'm going ot be getting my christmas cards and gift bags!

And because she's fantastic, dizzeelizzee has graced us with an awesome giveaway!!!

This is her Floral Fantasy Magnet. From the picture you can see how dainty it is and how much detail went into this lovely little piece! Thanks so much lizzee and good luck to everyone!

Here are the rules:

1) go to dizzeelizzee's shop, pick out your favorite item, come back here and post the link to it. There must be a link or you entry is void!
2) Blog, twitter, or post something about this giveaway anywhere on the internet and it will earn you extra entries, just make sure that you come back here and post the links to your post about this giveaway.

The giveaway ends Wednesday July 8th at midnight!

My friend really needs your good thoughts and prayers

2009-06-24T20:06:00.002-04:00

Today, a really good friend of mine is going to court to here the verdict regarding the custody of her children. As of right now, she currently has full custody of them.

In January of 2008, the father of her children left her and her two boys for another woman. He doesn't admit that, but two months later he was bringing this woman around her children. I don't know if he was telling the truth or not, but I don't believe that he wasn't with her when he left. He allowed my friend and the kids to stay in his house till then end of the school year until she could find another place to live.

She has told me stories about how he has beaten her children, pointed a gun in her face while drunk, threatened to kill her and the kids, peed in the closets and all of the house while drunk, and passed out naked in his son's bed drunk. She went to the police but they said there was nothing they could do. She didn't want to leave him because she firmly believes in family and was hoping she could change him.

In July of 2008, she took her kids and moved back to her home state of New Hampshire. She did not tell the father. She feared for her life because of previous experiences, and he had also told her that she would never leave the state alive with his children. She was able to get a restraining order against him in NH temporarily, and it was lifted in February when he made it out there for the hearing and it was clear he wasn't a threat to them since he could barely afford to get there.

In April, she went back to Michigan to begin court proceedings. She was told be the Friend of the Court that she was a disgrace as a mother for taking her kids so far away without notifying him and they don't see anything wrong with him. So, obviously he has been lying to them as well. He is saying that she is mentally unsound, a liar, and all kinds of other stuff. The recommendation made to the court was for him to receive full custody of the children.

This is the man that left because he said that he couldn't handle being with them all the time, told his son that he deserved nothing more than a bag of dogshit as a birthday gift, and told my friend that he liked his younger son better so maybe she should take the older one and he gets the younger one.

Please, if you pray, pray for my friend. If you don't, then please just keep her in your thoughts and hope for the best.

I don't agree with everything she did. I know that she put herself in this position by not leaving sooner and filing reports and all that other stuff. I know that it was wrong for her to leave without telling him. In her mind she was doing what she thought was right. And I hope for her sake, and for her children's sake even more, that she wins out on this one.

Thank you.

Featured Seller: kirevi8

2009-06-15T23:13:00.010-04:00

Ok, I told you that would be get back into the swing of doing a featured seller series. I searched through the time machine to look for some awesome pieces and guess who I found.....

kirevi8

Take a look at anything in her shop and her talent and uniqueness emanate from every piece she has in there!

Take this piece for example - new joy of anatolian woman.
This was the one that REALLY caught my attention when I was scrolling through the hundreds of images in the time machine. I couldn't take my eyes off of it and I knew I had to see more. Once I was in her shop I wanted to meet the woman and creator of such wonderful pieces of wearable art.

Tell us about yourself. Who is the person behind kirevi8?
**************************************************
My name is Semra Ascioglu and living in Istanbul -Turkey with my family and my 9 years old cooker, KUKI.
I studied Journalism and public relations. My section was Radio -TV

Despite of different jobs, my hobby followed me since my young ages up to now.
I have been always happy to learn and practice all kinds of handmade arts, work with my hands and always been told that my designs were original and very stylish.
I started my own line with bali style and modern jewelry and specialised in authentique anatolian jewelry.
In other words I want to bring the old ethnique traditions to our modern life.
In my designs I like to use exotic colored beads, crystal, hand stitched flowers, ethnic symbols as oya flower, ceramic and glass beads, leaves, coins, leather, knitting pieces and combine them with modern materials.

Every piece is unique and each jewellery has its own story in Anatolia which makes sense to me.

I have to agree with her here. Look at this piece! There is so much variety in the materials and colors, it's easy to see how anyone could combine the old and new into any outfit.

What inspires your pieces? They are all so unique and very creative!
**************************************************************
I like very much to visit art museums in Istanbul.
Specially I prefer Turkish Islamic Arts Museum and Ethnography Museum where I can find old Anatolian and Turkish traditional accessories, dresses, life style.
I follow all Turkish and Foreign publications, reviews concerning traditional Turkish arts.

Because the ocean is one of my favorite places, I couldn't help but fall in love with the fantastic sea shell necklace! I love the variety of shells used and how they all look so elegant together.

How did you get into crafting in the first place, and what motivates you to keep doing it?
********************************
I really do not know how or when I started to get into crafting.
I started to make different kind of handwork since my very very young ages, lets say when I was 4-5 years old. First I learned how to knit, then comes stitching, then decorating flowers, patchwork, glass painting, painting, one stroke, wood painting, stitching, etc.
It is a lifestyle for me to make or to work on handmade arts. I love to do it and always I try to progress in my works.

This piece is absolutely stunning! This is an oya Turkish lacework necklace. The delicacy of this necklace, to me, makes it absolutely beautiful and so feminine. The colors in it are so rich and wonderful. Awesome work!

What do you have planned for the future of your etsy shop, or any plans with your crafting business?
*************************************************************
I am planning to list more and more oya turkish lacework flowers. They are so beautiful and all they have their own story. I want to share all my knowledge with my customers. Also I will add new textile designs to my shop. I want to open an other shop for supplies and accessories. I guess I will do it at the beginning of next season.

Is there anything else that you would like the readers to know about you?
***********************************
I can tell this - that I faced a lot of difficulty when I started this business professionally. I was off from work for 20 years. I did not know how to use PC, programs, how to make photos, resize them,... what does it mean to give a link?? what is to open a shop in web... etc etc..
It was really very very difficult and hard for me to learn it. But I never gave up. I begged my sons to teach me all about PC. They were very helpful. After 5 years I know almost everything about PC. But it was really very hard and harmful process for me. Now when I look behind I am smiling and I feel very proud of myself. After 20 years I made big job.

Well, we are so glad that you learned and tried as hard as you did. You are truly an example of how hard work, persistence, and passion really pay off. The Etsy community is lucky that they have such wonderful talent to share!

Anything else that you would like to share?
***************************************
I would like to say that now I am very happy to be a member of Etsy family. I am working very very hard to improve my sales in Etsy and make myself to be well known there. But the most important point is that I met very nice friends there

To see more of kirevi8's beautiful pieces, you can visit her shop by clicking on her name at the beginning of this post, or by clicking on her etsy mini in the sidebar. Thank you so much for reading and I hope that you enjoy kirevi8's creations as much as I do.

KITTY PHOTOS!!!!!!!

2009-06-15T08:14:00.003-04:00

These aren't the same tiny kitty ones I promised, but any kitty photos are cute kitty photos!!!

These ones were taken of the farm kittens that are up near my dad's place in Maine. These ones are only about 3 weeks or so old, and there were 11 of them!

My dad has a crate that he keeps them all in when they are at the farm this way they can't get lost and the other cats can't get in. It has a top that closes and screened in sides so that they can see out and everything, and the mamas can get in.

For being little kitties, they were SO LOUD! Especially when they are all competing with each other for attention. When we first went over and opened the crate up they were all piled on top of each other sleeping and we could only see about half of them since the rest were buried underneath.

In this picture you can see how little they really are. I held my hands out and one kitten fit nicely in my palms.

This little black and white ones was one of my favorites! He fell asleep right there in my hands and I just wanted to take him home with me.

I'll try to post some more pictures soon! but since my sis is the one that took them, I have to wait until she posts some more.

Enjoy everyone! I hope this little guys make you smile, because I know they make me smile!

\

Some sad news....

2009-06-14T20:06:00.002-04:00

I know I promised pictures of the little kitties, however they are sick and I haven't been able to go over there.

One of them died today. The little calico, that I named Princess, because she was loud and very needy, was the one to go. I talked to my sister in law and she said the other two aren't looking too good either.

With two cats of my own, i don't want to go over and bring home something that my kitties might get.

These poor little things are only about a week old. The two black twins (I named them Sherlock and Mr. Watson because even with their eyes closed they are trying to investigate everything around them) aren't looking too well she told me. One is really cold and they are looking too thin. I hope for their sake that they pull through because they all are really cute.

I went over earlier this week and they are so tiny that one whole kitty could curl up and fit snugly in one of my palms. They are only about 6" long from tip of nose to tip of tail.

If you pray, please keep these little bits of wonderful in your prayers. If you don't pray, then please just think good thoughts for them.

I gave my blog a new look!!!

2009-06-14T12:08:00.002-04:00

Let me know what you think. I'm not sure what is going to be easy for people to read, or if on your computer you can see the leafy outline on the side.

So, if you have a minute and don't mind giving me a little feedback I would really appreciate it. There will be more changes coming. I'm waiting on my friend to make me a new banner for this, hopefully that will be done soon, and I'm looking for some things to add to the sidebars.

Thanks to everyone who leaves me some feedback!

I love TINY KITTIES!!!!!!!

2009-06-09T23:08:00.002-04:00

I mean that! I love them!

My sister in law surprised me this morning by bringing by three TINY kittens that her roommate had found outside their apartment. These little bitties are only about 1 day old and are some of the cutest things I've ever seen!

Their eyes aren't even open yet. And the have little nubs for ears and their tails are only a couple of inches long, if that. I got to feed them and it was so cute! They were just sucking it down and when they were done I could see the pudge in their bellies because they are so little.

There are two little black twin boys and a little calico girl. But, I can't have them. I have two of my own kitties and my husband would kill me if I brought more home. And, luckily, these ones already will have homes when they are old enough to be given away.

I told my sis in law that if she needed help with feedings and things like that I would help out since she works nights.

I will have pictures soon enough so that I can share these wonderful lovey little kitties with everyone!

Holy crap, I think I'm actually getting good at this!

2009-06-08T18:01:00.004-04:00

This week has been quite an awesome week, and it's only MONDAY!

First, I had two awesome giveaways. Congrats to those that won!

Next, I had two items featured in the gift guides. One of them was actually in three different ones!

This one was featured in the June pearls gift guide!

It is made with fantastic gold pearls that are wire wrapped to a length of chain and have a beautiful czech cut glass bead on top.

I was so excited about this when I made it. It was my first creation with these pearls and I'm so happy that it made it to the gift guide so that so many wonderful people could find it more easily.

I had always questioned the real significance of the gift guides, and often wondered if the really made that much of a difference. But this little guy ended up with over 150 views in 4 days. So, questioning is all over with.

The next one that made it was this key book pendant. Which is totally cool to me because it's a new line of book marks that I've only had up for a couple of weeks!

I used a red ribbon with a large pewter key. At the bottom hangs a bunch of red and aurora
orealis glass beads. And the book it's attached to isn't too bad either.

This one was featured is currently featured in the teacher's gift guide, was in the student's gift guide yesterday, and then was in another one but I can't remember what it was.

So, thanks Etsy admin for that!

And, last but not least, I came home today to find that I am an alternate on a front page list. It's not the front page exactly, but it's close enough.

This fancy-shmancy wire doodle is the alternate. I don't know if it will show up, but I feel good knowing that I'm closer than I was.

My mom made this one. It's really cute with a variety of brownish beads and yellow beads, all on a copper wire with fun wire wrapped shapes at each end. The whole thing can be viewed here.

So, all in all, it's been a pretty good start to my week. hopefully my good luck will continue and maybe all this wonderful featuring will lead to lots and lots of sales!

Now I just need to find time with my day job to make, list, and take more pictures of stuff!

Yay me!

Congrats to Bellissima!

2009-06-06T13:37:00.003-04:00

She won the giveaway from the feature in Roses7184's blog.

This is what she will be receiving in the mail -

This is a pretty green book thong decorated with large lucite trumpets and czech cut glass beads. I hope you enjoy in Bellissima!

I will be hosting some more giveaways on a couple of other blogs too. I will give you all the details when they arrive!

May Giveaway winners!

2009-06-05T12:37:00.002-04:00

Ok, sorry it's been awhile everyone! I have a day job now and it's totally killing my etsy time.

Here are the winners of the May giveaway! Congrats!

1) Audrey - Sun/Sky Lanyard = Blue Lagoon Lanyard

2) Carapace - Coppery Green Wire Doodle = Amazon River Snake Wire Doodle (currently inactive while I retake the pictures)

3) Woolies - Amber and Purple Lanyard = Honey and Lilac Lanyard

Thanks so much to everyone who enter! I will be contacting the winners to get the info to send you the gift certificate. And because this giveaway was subjuctive, everyone else who entered will receive 10% off their purchase in my shop. I have to give you guys credit for trying to help me out! Thanks so much everyone! There will be another giveaway later this month and I'll give all the details when it starts!

For those of you that did win - this weekend I will be re-editing the listings so that your new name shows up and credit to you will be given in the item description.

Thanks so much to Roses7164!

2009-06-01T19:58:00.002-04:00

Thanks so much to her for the lovely feature she did and the giveaway that she is hosting for me!

She has an absolutely LOVELY blog! Hopefully one day I'll get mine to look that nice. If you have'nt seen you you definitely need to check it out.

She was nice enough to do a wonderful feature of me, for which I am SO grateful. You can view the feature and the giveaway here!

P.S. For all of those who entered my May giveaway, I'm going over everything right now and making my final decisions and will post the winnings soon. I will contact those who win this week to send you the certificate!

My First Gift Guide Feature

2009-05-31T19:46:00.002-04:00

Woo hoo! I made it into the gift guides! Sometimes the promo section of the forums pays off.

Click here to see my Cascade of Pearls Book Thong and all of the other wonderful pearl related items for June!

I found these pearls at the specialty bead store down the street and I couldn't resist the golden color of them. I'd never seen pearls that color before and they are just awesome. And the cut glass bead at the top was striking when I saw the strand. I have two lanyards with these colors in them that are in the process of being photographed so that I can list them this week.

Thanks Etsy admin for the feature. I have another one of those in purple too if anyone is interested. It just hasn't been photographed yet.

I'm featured! YAY!

2009-05-30T08:48:00.003-04:00

I've never had a blog feature before today so I'm really excited!

it can be viewed here - http://ourcreativeworld.blogspot.com/2009/05/forest-creations.html

The giveaway I referred to is the one ending tomorrow (when I wrote her I didn't realize till after that it would be posted the day before the giveaway ended).

Enjoy!

At least I got to say Goodbye....

2009-05-28T14:58:00.002-04:00

..... to my friend. I blogged about the situation a couple of months ago. I won't rehash the whole things now, but today I got to say I final goodbye. Thank you for the apology, and I'm really truly glad that you are in a happy place. I wish you nothing but the world and all the good things that are in it. But that doesn't change how hurt I feel.

This experience has taught me a few things.

1) Just because someone hurts you, you shouldn't pull back from trusting others. I need to work harder at the friendships I have now more than ever. Because everytime one ends, that makes that ones you still have that much more precious.

2) I am worth it! I am worth good friendships. I should not sell myself short because I'm afraid of getting hurt. I can not settle for less. I need to find friends who will treat me as I deserve to be treated.

3) Friendship needs to be free. You need to give it freely with no need for gifts, or praise, or rewards. You ask nothing in return but friendship from the other person. At times it is hard, but in the end, you must love that person to the core of your heart.

4) Hating those that hurt you does no good. Even after everything, I cannot find it in my heart to hate this person. Even after being ignored and disposed of, I can't find a place for hate. It does not exist for me. I know that he thought he was doing what was right, and that's all anyone can really try to do. So be happy that you were given what you were given and move on. One day you will find a friend who truly deserves you.

Need a laugh? Read these

2009-05-28T11:34:00.002-04:00

I couldn't help but laugh hysterically when I read these!

A nipple for your thoughts

Why is it that smaller breasts get catered too?

Enjoy!

Only 4 days left!

2009-05-27T19:34:00.003-04:00

Only four days left to enter my giveaway! I'm giving away 3 $15 gift certificates to my shop to those who help me rename some items. Go here to enter!

Thanks to all who have already entered. I can't wait to pick the winners!

5/21 Time Machine Top 5

2009-05-21T00:17:00.003-04:00

Here's today's TMT5! (I got tired of typing the whole thing out) Remember clicking on the pic takes you to the listing page, or it should anyway. If it doesn't work let me know.

1) Goldtone Shell Necklace And Bracelet - I hearted this item with hopes to buy it sometime soon

2) PAINTING SALE - 25 PERCENT OFF - Heart and Soul - Original Tree Painting
I love this sellers stuff! I think I still have their etsy mini up on the right hand side. I would love to own one of these once I'm not living in my inlaws basement anymore.

3) Venetian Butterscotch Glass Mosaic Art Tiles Tesserae 1 lb - I love this color! I have no idea what I would ever use them for since I don't make mosaics.

4) SPRING IS IN THE AIR -LARGE PLEATED BAG - Sooo cute!

5) Pink Quillled Flower Gift Bag - This is wonderful! I can't believe it's only $4.50!

VintageCarolina: You are a wonderful person...

2009-05-20T14:02:00.002-04:00

... even if you decide not to purchase anything from my shop.

VintageCarolina decided that she is new to Etsy and needed to shop to gain feedback, and she kindly decided to buy from those who are out of work. I think that this is an absolutely wonderful thing to do!

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6156781&page=1

There was only one surly person in the thread, but he got shot down real soon -

bruce22 says:
I appreciate your generosity, but you've just opened up the door to more sob stories than any human should have to endure.

I suggest you just go browse around and find something you like and buy it, I can guarantee you that whomever is the recipient of your sale needs it and will appreciate it.

This point is moot. It doesn't matter if they are sob stories, or whether or not people are lying. The point is that VC decided that she had some extra to go around and that she is generous enough to share it.

So, kudos to you VintageCarolina! I would love a sale from you, but even if I don't get one, I think that you are wonderful for what you are doing and I hope that someday the universe repays you for your generosity.

I WON! i WON!

2009-05-19T19:10:00.002-04:00

I won an awesome pair of earrings courtesy of jacarandadesigns.

I entered her giveaway last month. The earrings looked very cute in the pictures, but that didn't really do them justice. They are so cute and so sparkly and very well put together! I have to say that sometime soon, I'm probably going to have to buy something to go with them from here. I don't have a lot of purple, and I love having jewelry in sets.

Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks to her and share her wonderful work with everyone!

New Treasury

2009-05-15T23:34:00.002-04:00

I called this one "Too Colorful for the Front Page?"

I'm really sick of seeing subdued colors and monotoned front pages on etsy. If you take a look at the Vault on craftcult.com a pattern emerges - most of the front pages have the same toned backgrounds and the colors are subdued. It's really annoying. So in this one I featured some really colorful items.

I hope you enjoy it. Click on the image to go to the treasury page.

5/15 Time Machine Top 5

2009-05-15T21:33:00.002-04:00

Ok here's today's top 5! I tried to pick out a lot of colorful things this time. I hope you like them! Remember, clicking on the picture will take you to the listing.

1) Smoky quartz Necklace with drob Pendant

2) Honeysuckle Poppy Soap - BRAND NEW

3) Poco Albero Rosso 8x10 signed art print by TR Mack, free shipping in USA, Italian tree

4) 70 colorful acrylic beads

5) Vintage 1930's Czechoslovakian Crewel Silk Embroidery Table Covering

Graduation time is here!

2009-05-12T12:01:00.003-04:00

I just realized that it's time for graduation!

What better gift to give a graduate (besides money and we all now what college kids spend money on......) then a new bookmark or lanyard?

Lanyards make great gifts to put the new college ID in. The ones that I had in college were the crappy cloth ones that looked like thick shoelaces. Not very attractive. Having one that sparkles is a sure way to engage conversation with new people. As a newbie in college, it's frightening to be around so many people that you don't know (been there, done that), so make it a little easier on yourself with something that will get compliments and that little boost that every new student needs.

Then there are the books. The endless amount of books that every college student has to buy. If you have to read them and carry them around with you, you might as well make them pleasing to look at. And, when youget bored in class it will give you something pretty to play with while you pretend to listen to the professor drone on about something that you don't care about. You are only in that class for the credits anyway.

Or, for that teacher that you love so much, shower them with a great gift you know they will use. The lanyards can be used for their ID badges and their room keys. And they have their own set of books they have to carry.

If you would like something personalized, just ask!

(Ok, sorry for the cheesy promo ploy, but I had to get it out there. I'm not so good at being a sales person yet)

May Giveaway!!!

2009-05-12T11:25:00.006-04:00

Ok, I'll help you out if you'll help me out! I'm looking for some creative new titles for some of the items in my shop (mainly because I suck at naming them). Help me out and you are eligible to win a $15 gift certificate to my shop.

Open to: Worldwide
Ends: May 31, 2009
Winners: 3

In order to win here's what you have to do:
1) Go to my shop here
2) Pick out two items that have titles that you just hate
3) Give those two items new and creative names
4) Come back here and comment with the new names and the links to the old ones so that I know which items you are referring to.
5) Be sure to leave contact info so that I can let you know if you've won!

In order to win extra entries, come back and rename as many items as you want. The most creative names will win. I will pick the ones I really like and those winners will receive a $15 gift certificate to my shop. (please note that the shipping cost is included in the $15) Those new titles will then be used on those items and the winner will be mentioned in the descriptions of those items.

Thanks so much for participating and I can't wait to see what creative titles everyone comes up with!

Today's Time Machine Top 5

2009-05-11T17:46:00.002-04:00

Here are today's top 5 picks. Clicking on the image will take you to the etsy listing.

Enjoy!

1) Unique Beadwoven Chocker with Swarovski Crystal Cabochons

2) Greek Olive Blossom soap with olive oil

3) DarkCards Poppy Parent

4) Avocado Chip and Dip Set

5) Amy Butler, Dandelion Field in Forest, Daisy Chain Fabric, 1 Yard

I'm Considering a New Giveaway

2009-05-11T12:03:00.002-04:00

I really really stink at giving items in my shop good names. Some of them are ok, but others are just pretty boring. So I was thinking of letting people rename a couple of items in my shop which will get them an entry into a giveaway. There would be three winners and would be picked based on the names that I like the best. I could then use those names in my shop and send the winners something cool. I haven't decided which items I have that I'd want to include as the prizes yet. But, I thought it would be a neat idea. A little bit more creative than just "pick which item is your favorite and post it here" kind of thing.

If you have any thoughts let me know.

I'm stuck in Maine right now visiting my sister and my parents. So, I won't be able to post the giveaway till the end of the week at the earliest, but I thought I would throw out a heads up.

Treasuries that should make it to the front page but never will.....

2009-05-08T09:23:00.006-04:00

Today, instead of browsing the time machine, I thought I would pass through treasuries because I haven't been there in awhile.

If you've ever been to the Vault on the craftcult website, you'll notice a lot of the front page picks all seem to have the same color tones and themes, which to me, is really boring. So I decided to compile a small list of treasuries that should be one the front page of etsy, but will never get there because they are just too colorful.

Right now the list is small but I will be adding to it throughout the day.

(Clicking on the picture will take you to the treasury page)

This one is called "A Splash of Color" by eclectibles. Lost of wonderfully colorful items, with a lot of variety in category and price. Very very nice!

This one is "Interaction of Color" by LinArt. I love how all the different colors flow together from picture to picture. Nothing really look out of place.

New Line of Bookmarks coming soon!!!

2009-05-07T15:22:00.008-04:00

I am pleased to say that in just a few days a new line of bookmarks will be coming to my shop!

I think I'm going to call them book pendants but I haven't decided yet. If you have any input on it let me know. Below are few pictures of some of the ones that have been completed but not listed yet. I'm trying to work up a few more of them before I start listing.

I bought some really large pendants because they were really on sale and I just couldn't pass them up. But, they were just too big to be on book thongs. So What I decided to do was create a new type of book thong. These ones have extra long ribbons so that the pendant can hang farther down on the book. Beads decorate the bottom of the ribbons.

(Above - Glass spiral with yellow background and silver foil spots. Attached to white ribbon with yellow foil beads and pewter spiral charms)

(Below - antique silver charm with resin flower inlay. Attached to sheer cream ribbon with maroon glass pearls and antique silver bead caps at the bottom)

(Left - Gaint silver seahorse, about 4 inches tall, attached to a peach ribbon with wire wrapped natural fresh water pearls)

(Right - Giant silver heart about 3 inches across, attached to a teal ribbon with glass cut beads, silver bead caps and teal seed beads at the end)

Time Machine Top 5

2009-05-07T13:33:00.003-04:00

Since I've become addicted to the time machine, I decided to start a Time Machine Top 5 a few times a week. So, here are today's Top 5

(Clicking on the photo will take you to the etsy listing)

1) Teletubby Bloodbath by neonblood - Who hasn't imagined killing a teletubby every once in awhile?

2) Bright and Bound by strungoutdesigns - Love this shop. There are some awesome designs. I love this because it's simple yet interesting.

3) Aqua Shimmer Eyeshadow by BodyDelights

4) No Hurry pants by NewExtrave - Love how wonderfully flowy these are!

5) Fuzzy Ocean Purse by Divasew - The beach is my favorite place to be so why not have a bag to match?

I love having employees!

2009-05-04T00:29:00.002-04:00

I would like to congratulate my best friend Joie on being my brand new photographer!

The one thing I hate the most, is taking pictures of my items. This in only because I SUCK at it. All I can do is white backgrounds, white to me, are very boring. They work, but don't show the item in it's intended context at all.

So, thanks to my wonderful friend, I no longer have this job. My only job is to list and to create, which are the things I like doing the most anyway.

The best part is, that now we have the means to save for our vacation - together. She and I have a wonderful road trip planned from here in Massachusetts all the way to Vancouver, Canada in my fantastic 1975 Dodge Dart Sport (Hang Ten Special Edition). Our favorite show, Supernatural, is filmed there. And, because we are HUGE dorks, we are going to travel there in the fall. With an old car, and two weeks worth of traveling planned, we need to save - fast. So what a way to work together to do it!

So, now you can look forward to more things hitting my shop faster, with better pictures, and no price increases.

I'm so excited!!! BTW - if you haven't seen Supernatural and you are looking for some wonderful eye candy to enjoy, you should totally tune in. Thursdays on the CW at 9 pm. Be there or be square (God I'm old!)

I now live in Massachusetts

2009-04-16T08:27:00.002-04:00

Today is my first day in the state of Massachusetts! My best friend and I spent 14 hours driving from Michigan to here with a dog and two cats in the car. My Maine Coon cat (aptly named Sasquatch by my husband) we had to drug, twice, to make sure she survived the drived. She still freaked out a couple of times and cried for most of the trip, she even molted some of her fur. I felt really bad about that. We had to stop every two hours to let my huge yellow lab go to the bathroom. The only quiet one was my little calico cat. She only meowed when she wanted a little attention and then would roll over and go right back to sleep.

Today my moving truck comes, so that I can now unpack everything I just fnished packing two days ago. I'm waiting for them to come out with teleportation so that I can just teleport all my items over instead of packing and unpacking everything.

My inlaws finished their ginormous basement off for us to use as our apartment, which is really nice of them. I don't know how long we are going to be staying so I told my husband that I'm only unpacking what we need. Depending on how lone we stay we can unpack things as we go. But I'm not unpacking everything just to repack a bunch of crap we didn't use. And if we don't end up using it after awhile we should really question whether or not we even need the stuff. And that's after gave away over $2000 worth of stuff to a local charity. $800 of which was in clothes that I had never used, but were really really nice.

So, with any hope, I'll be able to keep my shop up soon. My best friend is a photo major and might start taking all my pics for me and helping me list so that I can just concentrate on actually making the stuff. I would split the profit with her, which I would happily do out of just the convenience of not having to take pictures. I would rather spend my time creating.

Anyway, look for more updates soon. One day I will actually start a cool routine with my posting so that it's more helpful for everyone who reads. But sometimes life is crazy!

New Local Currency in Detroit!

2009-04-07T23:14:00.002-04:00

I saw this on the news this evening and I thought that it was really cool.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20090323/BIZ/903230389/Detroit+cash+keeps+hometown+humming

Some local business in the Detroit have come up with a way to keep money local by printing their own currency. They took the idea from the Great Depression. The money is only good at participating locations, but I think it's awesome that the community is banding together to help each other and the residents out. I think this is a great way to remind us that shopping local is VERY important in tough economic times and that we need to stick together. I think it's also a great way to get people out to know their community and who's in it. I hope that other areas start doing this. If I weren't moving I would totally participate and go to those places that offer this. Most of them are local bars and clubs, which is where most of my money goes anyway when i'm not spending it on beads. I hope Boston starts up something like this.

Thanks so these people for taking some initiative and some responsibility to those places that you live. Awesome!

My favorite item so far, ever!

2009-04-07T21:49:00.002-04:00

Finally! I had a chance to actually list some stuff. The best of which I think is the best lanyard I've ever made. I found some beautiful maroon glass pearls at my favorite bead store a couple of weeks ago. I had no idea what I was going to put them with, but while making another piece I realized I could use the same teal pearls I was using for that with the maroon pearls. It was such a wonderful combination, but it wasn't sparkly enough. So, I went back to the store with my pretty pearls and found some awesome Icodite Swarovski crystals that matched awesomely. They didn't have the same crystals in a smaller size with a satin finish, so I went with blue zircon. They were a close color and added a little bit of a dimension to the design by being slightly lighter. To top it all off, I used square spacers between the large crystals, and large ribbed balloon spacers between the pearls.

So far, this has been one of the best lanyards I think I've done. My mom bought the other one (of course). I just listed it today, and it's a little expensive, but hopefully someone will love it enough to snatch it up quick!

What a load of crap!!!

2009-04-03T11:35:00.002-04:00

I'm sorry, but I have to take a minute to vent about something totally ridiculous.

So in the past 6 months I have been completely ditched by two of my best friends. Why? Because they are lame.

Both have been friend for a really long time. One since high school and the other since early college. Both have recently got married and stopped talking to me - without telling me they don't want to be friends anymore! When I confronted them, one said that his fiance at the time was jealous of our friendship so he had to stop talking to me. I've never even met her! She doesn't know anything about me or our friendship! Does she has that many trust or self esteem issues that her husband can't keep an old friend? WTF is that?

And the other was fine with our friendship until his wife had baby, now he refuses to talk to me. He won't even respond when I ask him what's going on.

You know, if you don't want to be my friend, fine. I get it, things change, people have lives. I'm not that self centered to think that the world revolves around me. But I don't deserve to be ignored. I think I at least the respect of being told what's going on rather than being treated like I never existed. I'm not a piece of trash that you can just throw out and forget about.

I told my husband when we got married that my friends are my friends. And if he doesn't like them then he better learn to deal with it because I wasn't changing things for him. And I would expect him to say the same thing to me. We are who we in part because of our friends and I would always treat them with the utmost respect and love because they are a part of me. So I don't understand why I don't deserve the same.

But, even after all of this, I know that if they said sorry and came back I would probably take them back, because that's the kind of person I am and I know that love makes some people do really stupid things. I probably wouldn't have the same amount of trust for them. I would always be worried if they were going to pick up and leave again. But everyone deserves a second chance.

I hope they live happy lives. After I hit the "post" button, I'm going to do my best to forget about them as much as they have apparently forgotten about me.

It's about time for some new stuff!

2009-04-02T17:36:00.003-04:00

Ok! Finally! I found the time list some new items after I went on a creating binge.... which did not do wonders for my wallet, let me tell you. But it's ok, because now everyone else gets to enjoy them instead of just me.

This is one of my favorite book clips. It is made with a shell charm and big blue faceted glass bead. I like it because it's simple yet interesting.

I have lately made some of my book thongs with larger charms. This one is a good example of that. It has to large interlinked star charms. It uses the same blue bead as the shell charm, but it also has some yellow glass beads and a pretty faceted acrylic teardrop at the other end.

More to come soon! I'm just glad I finally got around to getting something up.

This Week's Featured Seller - poetsummer

2009-04-02T14:00:00.003-04:00

I had some time to browse the Time Machine function in Etsy the other day and came across something absolutely wonderful - poetsummer's shop. The amazing variety of jewelry she had was great and the designs were totally unique. I looked through her sales to see how her business was going, and I wasn't disappointed. Lots of people seemed to love her creations as much as I did.

I contacted her to see if she would like to do an interview to be my weekly seller and she kindly
obliged.

Where did you come up with the inspiration for your designs?

My inspiration is nature of course and anything I hold dear to my heart. I love old romantic movies and old post cards (I have thousands of them). It's almost like looking into someone's life, someone here long long ago and it's their way of connecting with you. When I am making a Marilyn Monroe bracelet I can almost hear her whispering "That's right darling tell them how fabulous I was."

2)How did you get into selling on etsy?

I started my business on ebay and after 5,000 sales there one of my customers sent me a link to etsy. My customers have been so wonderful and they almost direct my business. Long before I was making steampunk pieces I had emails asking me to make them.

3) You have TONS of sales in the year and half you've been on etsy. What do you find are the best ways to market yourself and what advice would you give someone who's just starting out.

I give away. Giving back is very important. To my family and friends I give them my jewelry to wear and a pocket full of my cards. They hand them out to everyone and they are my biggest cheerleader. I also refer my sales over from ebay to etsy because etsy is where my heart is. At the holiday i hand out flyers at the L stations in chicago and months after I have had a sale I will send a card or a pair of earrings for a holidaiy to my biggest customers. Ir reminds them you're around. I also don't give out feedback immediately. I like to sit on it awhile so when I do give it it once again reminds them you are still around and draws them to look at what you're doing "these days."

4) Is this your day job, and if so how did you make the switch? If not, would you like it to be?

It's my day, night and weekend job. I work far more now than I did when I worked in the corporate world. About 2 years ago I had a major heart attack due to my valve not working correctly. At the age of 40 I had to heal and to figure out my life and I knew I didn't like wearing a suit every day and as my son was about to go off to college I knew I had prepared well enough to try something new. So, I purchased a box of junk jewelry on ebay and took it all apart and put it together the way I saw it working. I have sold over 10,000 bracelets since then and haven't looked back. I quit my job a month into it, sold my little condo and purchased a big house in the burbs with a studio space and haven't been this happy in my entire life. I can't imagine doing anything but jewelry now, although I do paint on commission and I love to garden.

5)What are some things that you do in your free time for fun?

I play the violin. I work out marketing strategies for my little business. I paint, garden, collect rejected cats, decorate my house, but the most fun thing? I love to spend time with my best friend goofing off, reading together, having a pic nic, and playing a little game we called "7 days to fix your life." It's an eye opening view of how someone close to you looks at your problems and how to solve them. It almost always involves ignoring the bossy republican boy toy in my life.

6) Is there anything else you'd like to say or would like everyone to know about you?

I am just a girl trying to figure out her little portion of the world. I know what brings me joy and sharing that with other people doubles that joy. The first time someone called me an artist I couldn't clean the smile off my face and it only motivated me to hear it again and again. Do I always do the right thing? No, of course not. I have an artist's temper and I am always trying to "let it go."

poetsummer - I'm so glad that I found your shop and your lovely things. One day I hope that my shop will be as successful as your and my life just as fulfilling.

This is one shop visit that will not leave anyone disappointed.

Thank you once again to the Etsy forums!!!!

2009-04-01T18:45:00.002-04:00

This time I really really mean it.

I am a total Twilight junkie. It took me four hours to read the whole first book and I was done with the whole series with in three days. I saw the movie opening night and bought the DVD as soon as it came out and then proceeded to watch it about 20 times in a row. I know I'm a HUGE dork but I'm not going to apologize for it. Robert Pattinson is hot and I would gladly divorce my husband just to get the chance to do naughty, dirty things to him.

Well today while browsing the Etsy forums, someone haplessly threw out the link to the draft of Midnight Sun, the version of Twilight from Edward's point of view, not knowing that a crazed Twilight fan would read the post. Well I did. And oh was it wonderful. I knew that she had written a manuscript, but never knew the draft was there, or even that there was a chance of it being published. Well now I know both and am screaming for a release date!

I read the draft, which much to my dismay is unfinished and cuts off before some of the best parts. A good marketing ploy on her part though because now the few of us that have started it will be scrambling to get our hands on the rest of it. My husband thinks I'm a total nerd, however, he should be grateful. Reading the juicy parts at least gets me to make out with him, and if I'm in the mood maybe I'll act out some of my naughty thoughts for Edward out on him. (Shhh..... don't tell him that's what I'm doing).

If you would like to read this most wonderful of things go here - http://stepheniemeyer.com/pdf/midnightsun_partial_draft4.pdf

Etsy Day is here!

2009-03-31T23:06:00.002-04:00

SOOOO excited. A week or so ago I read a post about creating a worldwide Etsy promotion blitz day. So, here are the wonderful, exciting details courtesy of Shugirl:

(for full post go here - http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6101448)

The long awaited details are here!
When:
Friday, April 24th ALL DAY!!

Where:
globally, with any luck!

Concept:
So many people don’t know what Etsy is. Wouldn’t be great to do a grassroots, marketing blitz to raise awareness and create a buzz. The idea is to create a mystery about Etsy. We want to educate the public by throwing the word out there in mass numbers without telling them what it is, thereby getting people to notice it everywhere, wonder about it, talk to people, and eventually researching it on the internet. See initial thread:
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6092607

Materials:
I know some of you want to buy shirts, bumper stickers, car decals, etc. That’s great. You can do that in ADDITION to printing our car sign for free here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36935450@N03/3403147220/
(This sign is only to be used for Etsy Day or future Etsy Days TBA)

We want everyone to be able to participate. We are strongest in numbers! And this car sign is the simplest method. For those who don’t drive or live in the city, you could:
1. Arrange to meet other fellow Etsians (if you live in metropolitan area) to hold the Etsy car as a sign. Ex. Meet in Times Square for 15 min and wave the sign or pass it out as fliers. Then leave…blitz-like.
2. Print car sign and post in the local coffee shop, diner, etc
3. Wave it on the Today show! Hehe
4. email me at www.schuschu00@aol.com and I can send you an email with bookmarks, cards, fliers to print and distribute.

*I think it will be a little flimsy when printed so I think it would be great to glue the sign to black construction paper.

** Remember: For this one day we are asking that you just promote Etsy, not your personal shop. United, we stand to gain the most!

*** With the recession looming over us, we have a great opportunity to explain to people that there’s a need to go back to simpler times ie. supporting artisans and craftmen(women).

****Please try to spread this thread to as many fellow Etsians as you can. If you notice your state’s team not responding to the thread, send them an email with the link.
Let’s make this BIG!!!!

Totally out of control!

2009-03-31T22:58:00.002-04:00

Browsing through the forums as I usually do, I cam across this fantastic piece of information...

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6101394

This is totally ridiculous! Who does this guy think he is? Maybe some talented people decide not to go into the gallery because of the pompous arrogant attitude that seems to permeate the industry. The people who make those items work out of their homes and private studios just like the rest of us. And many of the most famous artists did not necessarily go to a university to learn their craft.

What a schmuck....

Some cool stuff I found while pouncing!

2009-03-30T00:43:00.003-04:00

If you scroll down to the bottom you will find some etsy mini's for some awesome stuff I found while pouncing! It's kind of my new obsession and I'll try to add a few new ones during the week. I'm off to pounce some more...... Enjoy!

My computer is back!

2009-03-29T14:20:00.003-04:00

Thanks so much to my friend Chris who fixed it for free! Now that it is back up and I can start listing new things on etsy and post some new and wonderful things here as well. Sorry about that everyone. Check back soon for some new posts!

My computer strikes again!

2009-03-25T18:49:00.002-04:00

My computer finally crapped out... gone... dead... done.

So, needless to say, posting will be sparse over the next week until I can get it fixed or just get a new one. Sorry about the slow news. Hopefully I will have something new up and running in the next week and will be able to post all those wonderful pictures of all the lovely stuff I finally had time to make.

Until then I'm stuck using my neighbors computer... poo...

You've got to be kidding me!

2009-03-23T13:55:00.002-04:00

Well the wonderful Etsy admin strikes again.... but this time I mean that with complete sarcasm.

The following thread was extremely funny, completely unspecific, and shut down by admin for no particular reason. You mean that people can buyer bash as much as they want but we can't seller bash? Expecially when no names were given, most of the references had to do with craft shows, and no one had said anything that even warranted shutting it down. I don't think it's fair to shut down threads just because they "might" go somewhere bad. It seemed to me that everyone was having nice conversation and enjoying the thread in such a way that didn't involve calling out, bashing other posters, or lots of cussing.

Anyway, thanks PussDaddy for the laugh. I really needed that. Sorry it got shut down. I was at least enjoying it.

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6090964

Praise to the Sunday nap!

2009-03-22T17:47:00.002-04:00

Life can be tiring. So today, I took a much needed nap. And it was wonderful. Now I have the energy to make more wonderful things for others to buy. Now, if only I could get the dog to entertain himself for a few hours... or if I could get the dog to sit down and craft with me that would be great too. But, I have the feeling that's not going to happen.

I also bought new batteries for my camera. I originally got the rechargeable ones, but I'm beginning to think that those are crap. If I leave them in the charger too long they die, and if I leave them in the camera too long they die too. So they aren't that great. Now I'll be able to list all those wonderful goodies I've been making the last few days. And it's been almost a month since I listed anything so I think it's about time. I'll put a few pictures up here when I finally get them finished.

Well, that's all the updating I have for now. I'm off to make new lovelies!

Today's Treasury

2009-03-22T13:05:00.002-04:00

Ok, I have gone Treasury crazy! Here's one in red for you. To click on individual items, you can view the whole thing here.

Desperation for attention much?

2009-03-19T19:34:00.003-04:00

Ok, I'm not normally one to complain about other people's negativity; I usually just let it roll off my back. But this forum post kind of pushed me over the edge today. It was originally in the business topics and then rightfully moved to promotions, because that's exactly what it is, cleverly disguised as a complaint about sales.

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6086471

When I looked at the seller's shop, there were plenty of sales. They had slowed up a little but there was still at least one sale a week. I would be happy with that much consistency in my shop! I would kill for a minimum of one sale a week. And I'm not threatening to just pack up shop and "throw in the towel". I wait patiently, happy with making awesome new items, and if I sell something to someone then great!

This seems to me like a desperate cry for attention - "I haven't had a sale in day so please look at me! Look at me!" It reminds me of a child in the middle of the grocery store crying because mommy wouldn't let them have some candy today. It was a poor attempt to promote the shop to see if whining might bring some pity views and perhaps pity sales.

I feel bad at taking a shot at someone, but this is just the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. I'm so tired of hearing about low views, and low sales, and it's the ecomony, and blah blah blah.... Yes, the economy sucks, but people are still buying. Plenty of them! Instead of sitting around whining about how it sucks and getting views that way, take the energy and find something positive to do with it. Have a sale, redo your shop and give it a new look. But don't complain to me when I would gladly trade places with you.

Ok, that's my rant for the day. Thanks for bearing with me on that one.

Here's another laugh for you!

2009-03-19T17:36:00.003-04:00

This one went around in January and is mentioned in my thread. I thought I would save everyone the trouble of searching for it and give out another laugh. Enjoy!

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6002154

A Funny Day at the Forums, courtesy of me...

2009-03-19T09:15:00.002-04:00

... of course. I'm not opposed to being the butt of a joke every now and then, especially when I can admit that it is pretty funny, as this was.

I posted a new thread in the forums regarding accurately pricing items and what a pain in the ass it is to try to do. Well, what should have come out "Pricing is a Bitch", was wonderfully transformed by Etsy to say "Posting is a Puppy".

To give yourself your daily dose of funny, go here to see the full post.... you will not be disappointed!

Here are some more great items for you!

2009-03-18T12:37:00.003-04:00

Here's another Treasury for today. This one is themed around the color "Lime". You can view the treasury here to click on individual items.

Featured Sellers and items from left to right, top to bottom are:
Lemon Lime Ball-n-chain earrings by decoratethediva
Lime Cilantro Huge Bar 6.5 oz by smellitlikeitssoaps
Harmony by karingrow
Lime and Coconut Scarf by CozyGirlDesigns
Lime Blossom Handspun Tencel Merino Yarn by tlwoldc
Opaque Vibrant Green Faceted Fire Polished Glass Beads by RJBeads
Black Bird Large Tote by rainbowswirlz
Lemon Lime Bath Bombs - set of 3 by KBShimmer
Pink and Kiwi Daisy Infant/ Toddler Elastic Lace Headband by plumdaisy
Keep calm and Carry on (lime) by cutpasteprint
Wood and Lime retro bohemian style necklace by yukijewelry

That's right! I got a Treasury Baby!

2009-03-16T12:14:00.004-04:00

Here it is! My wonderful treasury. I try to usually work around themes, so this time I went with apples. I hope you all enjoy it, and thanks and good luck to all those that are featured in it.

If you'd like to view larger images and click on the items for more info, view the treasury here - How do ya like them Apples?

This Weeks Featured Seller: DesignedbyLucinda

2009-03-16T11:11:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I'm a forums junkie! But it's not all bad because every time I'm in there I meet someone new and awesome. This time, it is DesignedbyLucinda. Never failing to chime in her two cents, or start a positive thread, Lucinda has been a pleasure to see there. Upon visiting her shop, one finds wonderful items made from natural stones. And there is quite a variety of designs, from necklaces and other jewelry, to bookmarks (at least she's good, friendly competition).

A couple of weeks ago I asked her to let me post and interview and she kindly agreed. DesignedbyLucinda - I'm sorry this took so long to post! Thanks so much for you kind patience and understanding.

1) You have some very lovely designs. What inspires them, and why do you choose the materials that you do?
I have always been a rockhound who loves to look into rocks and see images inside. Nothing thrills me more than seeing a pretty stone just begging to be made into wearable art. I listen to what the rocks have to say (yeah, I am a crazy person) and sometimes it can take a few days before I decide to match this stone with that piece of silver etc. I started working crystals into my designs because my neighbor was very into *bling* and 14 kt gold, and I could afford to use the crystals more than adding in the gold. I liked the way the crystals added some flash to the stones so I started mixing the two mediums. I just sit with a few pretty new stones and some crystals and my box of silver beads and then I follow what the stones tell me :)

2) How do you keep things new and fresh, and keep yourself motivated to make new designs?
I am always cruising the internet for new colors/shapes of stones and/or new pieces of silver. That keeps the pieces looking fresh and keeps me motivated. I also try to expand my range by adding more accessories like the bookmarks and wine rings. The bookmarks allow me to buy heavier stones than I would normally use in jewelry while the wine rings let me buy tiny fun shapes that might get lost if used as jewelry.

3) What do you think are the best things about owning an online business?
The best part about owning an online business is being able to access it anytime I want. If I want to put up new stock at midnight I can do it. If I want to take off a few hours to go watch the snow fall, I can do that, too. I can set my own hours without having to be At The Counter 70 hours a week (my retail store, while fun, was a huge time sucker). Also, the opportunity to be available worldwide is huge for me - - I get an enormous kick out of looking at a map and seeing all the places hundreds of thousands of miles away where someone is wearing a DesignedbyLucinda piece. Marketing globally is a tremendous advantage to having an online business.

4) What do you like to do in your free time?
I like talking to people, whether sitting on my porch or on the phone or in the forums. But I am bad about taking totally free time - - I will usually tinker with some stones or be surfing the net for new supplies at the same time. I should work on that ;)

5) What advice would you give to someone who is considering starting up on etsy?
Don't make the mistake so many do, that you'll put up a store and the sales will just fly out the door. It is hard work and just like with a real local shop, it will most likely take you 2-4 years to start making any decent money (know that going in so you don't start selling your items for less than they are worth just to get a sale unless you really need to). Also, don't limit yourself to thinking that your shop is there for already-on-Etsy sellers/buyers - - you have *worldwide internet presence* so market off Etsy to the world, as well.

And the Winner is ... (insert drumroll here) ... WindyCindy!!!!

2009-03-16T10:09:00.002-04:00

Congrats on winning a beautiful new lanyard! I will be contacting you shortly to get the details of where to send it.

As for everyone else, thanks so much for playing! I'm thinking of making this a monthly thing so keep checking back to see what I may be giving away in April. If Windycindy doesn't respond withing 24 hours, a new winner will be chosen.

Long time, No post

2009-03-14T09:15:00.002-04:00

I'm back!!! It's been awhile since I've posted, but life has been CRAZY!!!

My husband and I both lost our jobs recently, and last week he got a job in another state. So this week we have been packing like madmen. So, I haven't had much time to do anything else. The weekly featured seller piece will be back up next week. I was supposed to have it up last week and was never able to post it.

Today is also the last day to enter my giveaway! I will be choosing the winner tomorrow and will post it on Monday. Good luck to all and congrats to the lucky winner whoever that will be.

I will also be adding new items to my shop starting up again next week. Again with the packing, I haven't been able to take any new pictures or fix the old ones in order to renew them.

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Blog Giveaway! Win a free Lanyard!

2009-02-25T10:13:00.005-05:00

Welcome to my first blog giveaway!

If you have to carry it with you, it might as well be pretty! Keep all your everyday items with you - keys, id badge, glasses - but keep them on something that is sparkly rather than the old boring cloth lanyards.

This lanyard is made with a variety of glass beads. The center beads are purple cut glass with silver bead caps on either end. From the inside out there is a small purple cut glass bead, clear czech glass bead, another cut glass purple one, silver spacer, and purple glass bicone bead. In between sets are tiny czech cut AB glass beads, mini seed beads, and clear seed beads. In the back is a strong magnetic breakaway clasp.

You are eligible to win if:

1) You are a US resident and 18+
2) You go to my shop at www.forestcreations.etsy.com, pick your favorite item, come back and post a comment with the link and why you chose it.
3) You leave contact info so that I can let you know if you have won
4) You respond to being contacted with-in 24 hours, otherwise a new winner will be chosen

Thank you so much for participating and good luck!

Weekly Featured Seller - Meet WryandGinger!

2009-02-24T07:45:00.003-05:00

It seems that no matter when I'm in the Etsy forums, I always seem to run into WryandGinger. Her funny posts keep us all smiling at her colorful sense of humor, while being an unbelievable help to us all. Her many posts on current Etsy issues range from what I can learn about business from Pat Benetar, to copywriting issues and pricing, each time never failing to entertain. Her shop at WryandGinger.etsy.com contains a variety of humorous cards that sport little animals and funny phrases.

I asked WryandGinger if I could do a mini-interview in order to try to get to know her a little bit better. She agreed whole heartedly on the condition that she not be sensored - of course.

1) Your cards are really funny. How did you get into making them and what inspired the style?
I did this sort of thing on the side for various projects and then found etsy and kablooey! Originally I did calm, contemplative sort of birds in the trees and then a friend mentioned that she thought it looked like the birds were talking. It sort of went to hell from that point on.

My style, if you can call it that, comes from just how I like things - simple and not busy. I like using the silhouettes because it leaves a lot of the impact on the words and doesn't make the cards rely too heavily on any visual humor. The animals are almost blanks, which makes delivery of cruelty a little easier, I guess.

2) When you aren't creating and selling here on etsy or spending gobs of time in the forums, what do you do for fun?
I have a day job that is slowly crushing my will to live. Ha! I kid, I kid! I work in socio-medical research during the day. Academia and medicine...both excellent places for gathering up examples of how to slowly grind down the will to live from any living creature. Works good for the cards.

Also I like to cook.

And since my dog Rudy departed this earth last year, I have focused my unhealthy love on the animals outside. Hooky, my backyard crow, will be learning to weed the garden for me by July - of that I am sure. He's like a twitchy methwhore with the peanuts and will do anything for them. ANYTHING.
JimJam the squirrel is less malleable and is currently trying to woo a lady love. And when I say "woo" I mean he tolerates her most of the time and then occasionally goes primeval on her. And not in a sexy way, poor thing.
Upon reflection, it is possible that I spend way too much time cracking pecans for the backyard gang.

3) What do you think is the best thing about being a crafter?
I have never called myself a crafter. I do sew and knit but that's really like watching Hulk try to bedazzle doilies. He means well but, you know.
And I don't cut or paste (with my actual hands) or glue or stick or build, though I used to make really cool mosaics on hand cut wood forms, but that was messy and heavy and dirty and cards are light and smooth and the ink tastes like magic and makes your teeth pretty!

What was the question? Best thing! Right.

It's having a way to or silence the jabbering fucking voices in my head that doesn't involve hammers or a steady supply of kittens.

4) What advice would you give anyone who wants to start an etsy business?
Learn to do for yourself and to learn for yourself. And toughen up and stop blubbering! Business is like life - full of rejection and spitballs.

5) Anything else that you would like to share on any topic whatsoever?
I think Thatcher was out of line introducing the Poll Tax and the Trafalgar Riot of '90 was inevitable, as was her ousting some months later.
Also, if you have never really listened to David Bowie, then maybe you should reserve your "I don't like David Bowie" opinion for someone else. Say possibly a drooling, slack jawed mountain man with three intact teeth and a heady dose of pubic lice. Perhaps HE would be a more receptive audience to your uninformed opinions.

WryandGinger hosts her own blog that hosts a library of helpful tips for Etsy sellers, and her own commentaries on whatever she believes deserves some attention.

WryandGinger, I think I can speak for us all when I tell you thank you for all your help and all the smiles. Keep up the good work in your own shop and in the forums.

Her Blog and some of the useful forum topics she has contributed to are below.
http://www.wryandginger.wordpress.com
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6031598
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6024480
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6050530

We're up and running... kind of

2009-02-22T14:47:00.003-05:00

Ok! Welcome to my new blog. It's still under construction while I continue to learn about html in order to make this a pretty place. So, for awhile it will be a surprise every time you return!

I'll start out by introducing myself. My name is Lauren, and I'm addicted to crafting. I was told the first step to admitting you have a problem is admitting it. Well, I've admitted it, but the only thing to do about it is to keep on crafting.

I currently live in Michigan with my mostly wonderful husband, 2 crazy cats, and a nutty dog. All in all, they keep my pretty entertained. I'm not currently employed by a regular day job, so I occupy myself with Etsy.

It has recently become my dream to just not have a day job, and spend the rest of my life crafting. My husband was not so keen on that idea since he didn't think it will ever bring in enough income. So, after much arguing and stress, I expanded my dream. I have decided to open a completely local handmade shop. It will feature not only myself, but local handcrafters from my town and the closely surrounding areas. Since joining Etsy I have been overwhelmed at the support for the handmade lifestyle. Especially with the economy so low, it is imperitive to support US made goods, and even more importantly state and local made goods. With so many people trying to add extra income by selling handmade items, I think that it is the finest form of patriotism to by from your neighbors. Afterall, every business has to start out with 1 person just trying to make a living. And that's what we all deserve.

In light of all of this, I have made it my vow to support my fellow crafters and artists. My husband is happier with this dream of mine. Now I have to listen to him go on and on about demographic and market research, business plans and real estate locations. But, at least he is now contributing.

My new and latest addiction has been the Etsy forums. I recently posted a thread asking for advice on what people would like in a handmade shop. See below to contribute to the forum, or feel free to leave comments here. I would love to hear your suggestions!
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6052444

Ok, well that was long winded enough for one post. I will be back shortly. Hopefully with a new blog feature to accompany the post!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you back soon!

COMING SOON!!!!

2009-02-06T00:06:00.001-05:00

This site is under construction! Check back soon please! We will be opening shortly!