Etsy's Featured Seller - FrucciDesign

If you're like me, you love to read the interviews with Etsy's featured sellers. The story doesn't end there though. How about post-interviews with those sellers? Here's an interview with the fabulous FrucciDesign, featured May 2, 2008.

What do you think are the reasons your shop was chosen to be featured?
I hope because it is a cool shop ;-P
No! Just kidding, I think one of the reasons is the use of unconventional materials combined with the green ecofriendly idea behind my pieces

What was your reaction to hearing that you'd been chosen?
I scream very loud…luckily I was in my lab (the science one) late at night waiting for an experiment to finish and I decided to check emails…and there it was I couldn’t resist I screamed and jump from my chair dancing!!

Since you couldn't run to the forums to tell us, who was the first person you told?
Rudi and of course he knew how much this meant for me, it made the all thing even more joyful!

How much time did you have before your feature and what did you do to prepare?
I think I had couple of weeks but it was like few instants…because at the same time I had to pack to move to san Francisco, quit my job, organize few farewell parties…a very busy period!

What affect did the feature have on your shop during your time?
It was an amazing experience!
I got tons of very nice messages, I had a lot of sales, I got very good new contacts, it was a fantastic opportunity!

Anything else you'd like to share about your experience.
Yep! I want to do it again!!!!









Read more interviews with Featured Sellers here.

new shop on etsy - NeedleWoodDesigns

Traditional, functional, and adorable! That about sums it up. I found this new shop and believe it or not, it actually reminded me of me when I first saw it. I used to do a lot with wool - penny mats and rug hooking. Her designs are just the style I love. She does beautiful work.

I love her tote bags too. I really love, the shabby chic quilted bag, made from an old quilt top, no less.

You've got to check out NeedleWoodDesigns and welcome her to etsy!

Etsy's Featured Seller - morgansilk

If you're like me, you love to read the interviews with Etsy's featured sellers. The story doesn't end there though. How about post-interviews with those sellers? Here's my first one with the fabulous morgansilk, featured May 5, 2008.

What do you think are the reasons your shop was chosen to be featured?
I have no idea, other than the email from an admin who said he thought my scarves were "fresh". I do think that, if I were scouting for features, I would pay attention to feedback. You need to have good customer satisfaction, I would think, and something that is unique.

What was your reaction to hearing that you'd been chosen?
I was surprized and happy-- and first thought it was some kind of mistake!

Since you couldn't run to the forums to tell us, who was the first person you told?
My husband, but he didn't understand it. I convoed a few of my Etsy buddies, knowing they would get it. Then I emailed all of my family and friends!

How much time did you have before your feature and what did you do to prepare?
I had about three days. I bought more lingerie boces, tissue, wrapping and ribbon. I also printed more business cards, address lables, box labels, and the special cards that I put into the boxes with instructions for care. I always individualize each purchase with a print of the scarf on the box and on the care card, so that was a biggie to do.
Then, I refreshed the front page obsessively.

What affect did the feature have on your shop during your time?
I sold 16 or more scarves, some unique hand painted clothing from my other store, got lots of well wishes from fellow Etsyans, and lots and lots of views and hearts. And my head swelled up to twice its normal size from feeling famous.
Since then?
The hearts have turned into purchases, in some cases, and my head has shrunken back to normal.

Anything else you'd like to share about your experience.
Be ready, if you are so fortunate, to work all day and night getting those packages out. Because it was just at the end of the shipping window for Mother's Day, almost all of them were rush orders. I was so glad to be prepared with all the materials I would need. Another thing-- be ready to visit the post office multiple times per day. Perhaps if not for the Mother's Day rush, it would not have been quite so busy for me. I was really lucky with that timing!




Read more interviews with Featured Sellers here.

Promote my Readers?

Wedding Guestbook by thisisit

So, I was trying to come up with a way to promote my readers. Just yesterday I added a Guestbook at the top of the sidebar. I thought that readers could leave links to their etsy shops and blogs. You all could tell us about sales, contests, new items or whatever. I guess I should have read the fine print on the guestbook website. Live links aren't allowed. I can now understand why. I found other ways to add a guestbook that would allow live links but then I'd be opening my blog up to spammers trying to get us to visit websites that we'd rather not visit. There goes that idea.

You can't leave live links in the comments here either.

I'm still trying to come up with a way to promote the lovely people that drop by to read my blog.

My next idea would be to have a special page promoting my readers. Maybe have you all leave a comment with your promotion and I'll add it to the page. Hmmm.

Or maybe I could ask readers to leave a comment somewhere, then devote an entire post to their promotion. Maybe a daily sale type of thing. Readers could sign up for a day. That sounds like Rare Bird Find's "Deal of the Day" that I participated in not long ago. You can tell that I'm thinking out loud here.

I'm going to keep thinking about this. Any ideas for me?

Well, since you're here and I have the new Guestbook, go ahead and sign it, would you? You can still leave your etsy and blog address, just not as a link.

Magnetic Emery Pincushion Tins at dottyral

Something new in my shop - Magnetic Emery Pincushion Tins. These tins are chock full o' emery to keep pins and needles sharp. There's a magnet on the bottom if you'd like to attach it to your machine. The lid is very securely sealed closed so no emery escapes. These are great even if you don't use the magnet. I love how heavy they are. They don't slide around your work surface. I'm really pleased with these. I kept the first one I made and have been using it ever since. (Yeah, my personal emery pincushion collection is certainly growing!)

P.S. If you have a computerized machine, do not, I repeat, do not, put this magnetic tin on or near your machine. It could cause quite a bit of damage. (I did some research on that before listing these. Some say it's not true, but I wouldn't want to test it if I were you.)

Shop etsy on the SuppliesMiniBlog

You've seen the MiniBlog. Right? I wrote about it here. It's a place to shop handmade etsy items by category. There are thousands of shops. It's a wonderful way to shop and to promote your own etsy shop.

The MiniBlog now has a sister site - the SuppliesMiniBlog. Don't let the name fool you. This blog features supplies AND vintage etsy shops, all sorted by category. If you're shopping for supplies or vintage, check it out. Shopping couldn't be easier.




If you sell supplies and/or vintage on etsy, we'd love to have you join us! Just read the FAQs and TOS. Choose the one category that makes up the majority of your shop. Leave a comment in that category with your etsy username and shop number. One of the volunteers that work on the blog will add your mini.

Here are the amazing etsy sellers that I work with to keep the blog running....

Creator: schoollocker.etsy.com

cOveTableCuriOsitIEs.etsy.com


faro.etsy.com


ClosetAddiction.etsy.com


SandFibersSurplus.etsy.com

Organize Your Craft Room

I love to organize! Buying bins, filling them, rearranging - all fun to me. A while back I realized that I needed a much better system to store my Pincushion Rings and Pincushions. The rings were in one bin and the pincushions in another.

I couldn't easily tell if I was taking the last one of a design. I also couldn't easily tell which ones I was running low on to make more. I tried to keep a list and I would try to keep track of how many of each one I had. That would have been fine if I would remember to mark the list when I added one or took one away. I needed something that would let me see at a glance what exactly I had.



You can see what I came up with for the rings. I just covered some foam board with fabric, stuck pins in them, and hung the rings. Perfect. I can see at a glance how many I have of each design. They're also on the wall now, taking up previously wasted space.

Here's what I came up with for the pincushions....


I was going for something like a shoe bag that you hang over a door. I wanted pockets that I could see through. I just hand-sewed clear vinyl strips to a large piece of brown vinyl. I used yarn becaue I knew it had to be heavy duty. Emery Pincushions are heavy! I filled the pockets with the pincushions and the cut fabric for each of them. Again, at a glance, I can tell just what I've got.



How much did it all cost? About two bucks. I had everything I needed except a heavy duty dowel rod to hang the Pincushion Organizer.

Are you in need of a little organization? Just stop and think for a little bit. Get creative. What do you need to accomplish? What do you have on hand? What can you purchase? What can you make?

Summertime can be slower on sales. This might be the right time to get to organizing. I don't know about you, but I can work much easier and feel better in a nice, tidy room. Knowing what you have and keeping up your stock can relieve a lot of stress later.

So, are you going to do it? There's always something that can be organized better. I'm sure you'll come up with some great ideas tailored just for your needs. You'll feel great afer it's done. I promise!

Blog Tip - Table of Contents

Repurposed Books with Cookbook Divider Covers by copabananas

How about giving your readers an easy way to find older posts that they might want to read? I recently deleted my archives from the side bar and added a Table of Contents instead.

Do you all really care what I wrote in October of 2007? Probably not. Do you care to have a look at all of my Tips for Bloggers? Maybe.

Look at all of your posts and see if they can be divided by subject. Each subject will be a heading in your Table of Contents, kind of like chapters in a book. Your reader will click on a subject and see a list of the posts that belong there, all clickable of course.

Check out mine over on the right.

Here's what you do. Take a look at the oldest page of your dashboard. Take note of the date of your first post. Create a page for each of your subjects. Before publishing, click on "post options" below the text box for each post. Change the post date so that it is earlier than your first blog post. That way these pages won't show up on the front page of your blog. They'll be buried way in the back.

Ok, you've got a page created for each subject in your table of contents. Now to put them in the sidebar. Click "layout". Then "add page element". Choose "link list". Title it "Table of Contents". "New Site Name" - That's where you put the title of the first subject. Open a new window or tab. Go to the oldest page on your dashboard. Find the matching post to the first subject. Hit "view". Copy the url. Back to your link list. Paste the url where it says "New Site URL". Do that for each of your main subjects for your Table of Contents. Make Sense?

Now it's time to fill those pages that you created. Go through your dashboard putting the titles of each post onto the appropriate subject pages. Hit "view" for each post so you can copy the url and paste it to make each title clickable. You know how to make them clickable, right? Highlight the title. Click on the green button at the top of the text box. Paste the url in the box that pops up.

I haven't finished making all of my titles clickable. It's a mighty big job. Maybe your blog is young and it won't take you very long. If you've been blogging for a while, maybe choose your most informative, funniest, whatever, for your Table of Contents. Then from now on, with each post you create, be sure to add it to your Table of Contents.

Your readers will thank you.

new shop on etsy - MiniPlants

I found this new shop while browsing through Pounce. I couldn't believe my eyes. Tiny flowers and plants that looked amazingly realistic. This artist creates every petal, every leaf, every branch, everything by hand. I'm still in awe. Click on one of the photos so you can see the details. She even paints "dead spots" on the leaves. Wow, wow, wow.

This shop may be new to etsy, but the shop owner isn't. She also has a gorgeous jewelry shop - MangoTango.

You just have to go have a closer look at MiniPlants. Even if you don't have a dollhouse, I'm sure you could find the perfect spot for one of these gorgeous, tiny pieces of art.

Emery Pincushion Rings at dottyral

I am so thrilled to finally launch my new line of Pincushion Rings! Unlike my other Pincushion Rings that are stuffed with fiber-fil, these are filled with emery - a mineral to keep pins and needles sharp.

I've had quite a few requests for rings filled with emery to match my Emery Pincushions. I just had difficulty getting the design right. I thought about it for months. I couldn't come up with a design that would take care of all of the problems I could foresee.

The problems I was trying to avoid....

The pincushions have to be lined to keep the emery from escaping through pinholes. How to keep the lining from causing too much bulk? How to fill it with a good bit of emery without the lining taking up too much space? The emery has to be tightly packed and not mixed in with fiber-fil or fabric.

I wanted to use a metal ring, not elastic. How to attach the ring without creating a hole in the fabric for the emery to escape?

I didn't want the ring to get too heavy or too large.

I didn't want any glue inside the pincushion.

I wanted it to be attractive.

I came up with a few possible designs and finally got to work. Of course the first one I made didn't solve everything. Neither did the second, or the third, or the fourth. I think you get the picture. I kept making adjustments until I had it.

With my last design, the emery could never escape from the bottom. There was no bulky lining. No glue. The emery was tightly packed and there was a good bit of it. It was smaller than my first attempt. It was a good size. The metal ring was firmly attached and it looked darn cute!

I don't think there's anyone else selling Emery Pincushion Rings anywhere. That's pretty exciting to me. Perhaps you read my earlier post about copyrights. This is one of the designs that I applied for. I expect to receive my certificate in a few weeks. Yay!

Blog Tip - Create a Poll

Polls are a fun way to get your readers involved and for you to hear what they're thinking.

Creating a poll in the sidebar couldn't be easier. Blogger does all the work for you.

Click "layout".
Click "add page element".
You'll see the new poll button. Click "add to blog".
Just fill in the info.

BUT would you rather have a poll right in the body of a post? Polls in the sidebar are nice for long-running, maybe generic polls. You can put a poll in any post, specific to that post. There are plenty of websites that will help you do it. I found polldaddy and have liked it. Just sign up with them, create a poll, copy the code and paste it in a post. (Be sure to be on the "edit html" tab of course.)

Oh, and you won't see the poll when you hit "preview". You have to publish to see it.

For this poll, I chose the option of not to block repeat voters because more than one answer can apply to you. So tell us what you think and vote as many times as you'd like....

Copyright Your Work

Have you ever thought of trying to get a copyright? Have you put it off because of fear, the cost, needing an attorney, not sure it's necessary, what the benefits are, or if you're eligible? It was all of the above for me. I finally decided to get serious and really look into it. I started my search in Etsy's Storque, reading the articles written by Etsy's in-house attorney, Sarah. That lead me to Sarah's shop and her book Copyright for Artists. I purchased the ebook and actually applied for three copyrights a few days later! It's all thanks to Sarah. Her book was amazingly helpful. It answered all of my questions. She spells everything out in a very easy-to-understand way. She defines all of the terms, walks you through the process of applying for a copyright, and so much more. You don't need an attorney, it's only $35 when applying online, and it wasn't all that scary. (Ok, I was scared but I think I did okay.)

Did you know that Sarah has a jewelry shop too? Not only is she an attorney, she's a jewelry artist that actually has applied for and received many copyrights. With her legal knowledge and the experiences she shares with us as artists/crafters, she's the perfect person to offer advice on this complicated process.

After purchasing the ebook from Sarah, I had to go check out her jewelry shop. Enamel jewelry! Did you read my recent post about my new found love of enamel jewelry? I'm being taunted by enamel jewelry. I love her Initial Pendants! These would make great personalized gifts. These earrings are another of my favorites from her shop. Gorgeous! Oh, and take note of the copyright notations at the bottom of each of her listings.

Well, I'm not sure how this copyright thing is going to turn out. Maybe I messed it all up. Maybe I'll be rejected. Even if that happens, I'm glad that I gave it a shot anyway. But maybe, just maybe, I'll be the proud owner of three copyrights. I'll let you all know the outcome.

If you're considering applying for a copyright, do check out Sarah's book. It could make all the difference.