Feature Friday: Lisa of seventytwostitches

Hello hello! It's Halloween Eve - everyone excited for some spooks? Allysattic is super busy with buying a new house so I am taking over this week's Feature Friday (scary, I know)! I took some tips from last week's entry asking for different questions and such, and changed this up a little. Enjoy!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself, your shop, and what brought you to the Etsy community.
Hello! My name is Lisa. I work part-time at Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts. I've been working there for about 6 years. I work only 2 nights a week, and I'm considering quitting and selling on Etsy full time! (More time to crochet!). I live in a cute medium-sized yellow house with my husband, and my 2 very spoiled cats, Ruby and Chester. I would have to say my cats are my inspiration. I started out crocheting toys for them, and I realized, they have more toys than I do! And that the house was slowly getting cluttered with cat toys (I hate clutter). I thought to myself, "Could I really sell these crochet toys? Would people want to buy them?" Once one of my friends (PrettyPeapod) started selling on Etsy that really gave me a push to go for it. So after thinking about it for a while, I jumped in and I joined the Etsy community. I thought I would try it out, and if I didn't like it I would quit. But soon after joining, I became obsessed.

2. Walk us through a typical day in your life.
In the morning I check my e-mail, and pack up any orders and walk to the post office. If I don't have any sales I play on the computer, update my blog, and read my favorite blogs. I also take pictures of new items and get them ready for my shop.

After lunch I start crocheting. Then I attend any virtual lab that are schedule for that day. If not, I continue crocheting. Or I will add new items/renew/relist.

In the evenings, my hubby and I go for a walk, watch a movie and I will do more crocheting. At this time of the day I like to work on projects that are for me, but it usually never happens. Most of the time I'm finishing up items for my shop.

3. What market (group of people) do you see your items being for?
I started out marketing to pets. But then I soon realized my items could be for kids, babies and adults.


4. Name your top three:
- Books
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
The Secret Life of Bees
She's Come Undone

- Music (song or artist)
The Beatles

- Movies or Television shows
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Grey's Anantomy
Supernatural

- Websites
twitter.com
hulu.com
etsy.com (of course!) :) 

5. Where do you hope your shop will be in a year?
I hope to hit 100 items in my shop. And continue having fun with it!

6. What is one of your favorite shops on Etsy?
Ohhh.... that's a tough one.
My two favorite shops are www.MelissaSue.etsy.com and www.moonscreations.etsy.com

7. What projects are you currently working on?
I'm still working on Christmas items for the shop. I'm also working on more variety in my shop. For example, different colored elephants, and items with and without bells. When I'm not working on an item for my shop, I'm crocheting a blanket for myself. It's made with 100% wool. It's going to be really nice and warm in the winter. If I finish it before winter that is. :)

8. If you could have one super power - what would it be?
The ability to stop time. So I can get more crocheting done. There needs to be more time in the day!

Happy Halloween!

Wishlist Wednesday: Hollie of blueberryshoes

Hi there everyone! I'm super excited to show you my picks! Right now I'm going through a serious leopard print phase, which I have a feeling will never die out. I'm also loving the 80's more than ever, as well as all the knit lovelies I've been seeing all over Etsy. Let's get this party started!!


1- 80s Vintage Designer Casadei Leopard Print Leather Stiletto Pump 7 - by Emeraldlove

These babies scream "I'M SEXY! MAYBE TOO SEXY FOR YOU", do they not?! I love how this pair would go with just about any dress, mini skirt, or romper you've got in your closet. We love versatile, don't we girls? They have the perfect height that I look for in a great heel-and are in tip top shape. Emeraldlove is a new shop, with not one sale! It is an all stilleto store, just begging for a sale! Now where is that $75 I lost...

2- COLOUR-ZIP STATEMENT NECKLACE by theriveriseverywhere

 
As soon as I saw this necklace I got a lil' weak in the knees. I'm a sucker for BRIGHT colors, and the mix of raw/edgy with the super-soft just caught my attention instantly. I see this necklace as more of an art piece than anything! I would be awesome to buy this. Actually we would ALL be awesome if we bought this. Bib and statement necklaces are huge these days in the world of high fashion, so this baby is on my NEED and WANT list, big time.

3- 1940s Inspired Vintage Dress Floral Peplum Ruffle S - by tialeyvintage

 
Dear God, I love ruffled peplum ANYTHING. If you give me peplum on a dress, I will grovel. This dress is so perfect to me, that it kind of brings a tear to my eye. The color scheme-oh so Molly Ringwald, and the fit: DIVINE. Loving the model, and the style of the shot as well. I would buy this in a heartbeat if it fit more than one of my legs.

4- Dylan - Feather and Chain Necklace - by NOEMIAH

First of all, I'm sorry to be posting another necklace, but necklaces are my "thing" and I can never have enough of them. Plus, I must say I have many different styles that need tending to. This one tends to the soft, medieval maiden side-where whimsy and a certain je nais se qua are key. This necklace says, "I don't care, but I really, really do". Plus I love the shot, with the kitty! VERY nice.

5- Knittles Wooly Helm - Knit Armor Collection - by knittles

Okay, so I live in Florida. So what! I can still pretend that I'll ever get a chance to wear this perfect winter piece! You can't get anymore awesome than this. I ADORE the fit, the color, the texture and the button. You know how sometimes when you put a winter hat on you feel insecure and rather ridiculous? Not with this helm! You'll be looking for opportunities to wear it out, and prove how awesome your taste is!

Well, it's been fun and I truly enjoyed pretending to shop with you. Hope to do it again soon! Hugs!! Hollie

P.S. Let's be twitter friends! http://twitter.com/blueberryshoes

And I will leave you with my favorite item from blueberryshoes' shop!

Notes From The Meeting: Social Networking; Twitter

Thanks again to everyone who came to the meeting on Social Networking - it was a pretty big turn out! Here are some notes I put together on the topic for those of you who couldn't make it. To keep these posts from being ridiculously long, I am going to do them in steps. I am starting with twitter, and later this week I will post the ones on facebook, blogging and etc. sites. So, stay tuned for this series!

 

If you have absolutely nothing else social networking wise, it should be twitter. It's a fast, efficient way to connect with others and it's really simple to update. Twitter is called "micro-blogging", and it's simply mini updates about whatever you want to post.

-Keep it interesting. No one wants to read about just your shop, over and over again. Think of your twitter as a television show. For 90% of it, you want to entertain people (with links to good articles, funny blogs or pictures, or a good video to watch), but for the other 10%, put a commercial in there for the hottest new product in your shop. Basically, give people a reason to want to follow you & be yourself!

-REPLY TO PEOPLE. It is entirely frustrating to @ or DM someone and not hear back. There are links on the right side to check who @ or DMed you if you are missing it.

 -To get followers, start by finding people you already know on twitter and follow them. Post a link to your twitter everywhere - shop announcement, message to buyer, e-mail. I include a link in my message to buyer (along with a link to my blog and facebook), alerting them of special promos, deals and giveaways. There are also sites to join for your twitter business. twibes.com, twibs.com and a good article with links on tips here!

-Follow only people you want. There is no need to go on a follow frenzy and follow everyone, I did this at first and my twitter page was just obnoxious to keep up with. I now have it slimmed down to people I enjoy hearing from, and I do add new people every now and then.

-Follow etsy and etsy admin. @Etsy @daniellexo @TeenAngster @marymarytweets are good ones to start with!

-Announce specials, sales or deals. Do this more than one time, but not back to back. Post a notice in the morning and late afternoon, this ensures you are hitting mulitple timezones without being obnoxious.

-Lately, there as been a LOT of spam and virus' going around on twitter. If you are posting a link, don't just post the link. I am INCREDIBLY hesitant to click on twitter links as is, so if you're trying to link to a new item, but want to keep it a surprise, just post something like "New listing [link]" or "I almost couldn't give up this new item [link]".

-Whenever I find a blog/website I enjoy, I always try to find their twitter. Not only will it update me when there is a new post, but I can talk directly (or as close to directly) with the writer and build a relationship. This is excellent promotion for your business if you manager to get a retweet or a mention in a blog/on a website. In addition, should they ask for people to promote on their blog/site, you will hear first word from them!

Peek back later this week, continuing this series with discussion on Facebook. If you have any more twitter tips, feel free to post them in the comments!

Mosaic Monday: All Hallowes Eve

Only a few days until Halloween - hope everyone is ready for a night of tricks and treats! Here are some wonderful Halloween items from some rat's shops.

1). Origami Sea Urchin by SleipnirDesigns
2). Black, Grey and Plum Stitch Markers by Cantrix
3). My Little Pumpkin by Paperbullet
4). Creamsicle Heels from verabelle
5). The Rabbit Illustration by imfromthewoods
6). Black Leatherette Hemp Bracelet by Katiesbasement
7). Witch Hats Set of 3 by seventytwostitches
8). Sun Kissed Conch by 1022SeaShellAveo

Happy Halloween, Rats! Feel free to post a Halloween item from your shop in the comments :-D

Feature Friday - Asking for Suggestions

Hi everyone! Allysattic here. I decided for this week's Feature Friday post that I'd ask for people's thoughts, comments, and suggestions on the weekly Feature Friday posts that I've been doing for our blog.

For those of you who may be new to the team, every Friday I create a blog post featuring one of our great team members. They answer a series of questions that I sent them earlier in the week. I post their answers as well as the banner from their shop(s) and pictures of their items. You can see examples of Feature Friday postings on the blog.

Here are the questions that members are asked to answer when they are the Feature Friday person:

1. Tell us a bit about yourself, your shop, and what brought you to the Etsy community.

2. Besides creating beautiful things for your shop, what do you spend your days doing?

3. What sources do you draw your inspiration from and what is your creative process(es)?

4. What market (group of people) do you see your items being for?

5. Name your top three:
      - Books
      - Music (song or artist)
      - Movies or Television shows
      - Websites

6. What are your favorite features on Etsy? What new features would you like to see added?

7. How do you market your work? What has or hasn't worked for you in the past?

8. What do you like most about the Virtual Labs?

9. What topics or events would you like to see added to the Virtual Lab offerings?

Anyway, please post a comment about what you think about the weekly Feature Friday posts. Should we change the existing quetsions, or add to them, or get rid of them? What else can we do to feature a person in the post?

I'm looking forward to hearing your comments and suggestions!

Allysattic out.

SimplyInvitingCards' Holiday Chaaalleennnge!

Hey rats! Fall is in full swing, and the holidays are peeking around the corner. It's the perfect time for a little friendly competiton for a fantastic prize.

What is the theme?
Glistening Snow and Mistletoe!

How do I enter?
1). Create an item that best fits with the theme, Glistening Snow and mistletoe. ANY item can be entered, so long as it fits the description of the theme. It must be a NEW creation, not something pre-exisiting.

2). List that item on Etsy, and it MUST be tagged with "labratsteam". If you have a flickr account, upload it to the team's group (this is optional)!

3). Copy and paste the link into the comment section of THIS blog entry and this blog entry only. You may only enter once, with ONE item - so make it a doozy. :-P

Who is judging?
itsastitch, Allysattic and SimplyInvitingCards (since she picked the theme). The next time we do this (which will be next summer), another member will be choosen to pick a theme and judge with us.

What are we looking for?
- GREAT photos.
- Fits with the theme.
- Creativity.
- A thorough, well done description.

How long do I have to enter?
Contest starts today and runs for a month, ending on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22nd. That means the last day to enter will be SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21st.

How will we score/pick the winner?
With a scale of 1-5 for each category, 1 being worst, 5 being the best. We will look at each entry in a private chat room, and score, picking a top 5 from the entries and announcing them on WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25th. Once the top 5 are announced, we will create a poll for you  to vote on. If you happen to make it into the top 5, you may invite anyone and everyone you know to vote on it, you DO NOT have to be a member to vote. The poll will be up for ONE WEEK, ending TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1st at 11:59pm EST.

Ok ok ok, but what is the prize?!
Well, the winner's item will receive a 4-day long promotion on craftcult.com on the scrolling bar at the top, paid for by me, Allysattic and SimplyInvitingCards! It will run the very first avaliable 4 day span on craftcult, and we will notify the winner of those days.

But what if my item sells?
Well first, yay sales! But secondly, the item can remain in the contest, and should it win, an item of your choosing can be used in place of the item that won for your ad.

Best of luck, rats. Can't wait to see your entries!

On your mark, get set - CRAFT!

Wishlist Wednesday - Allison from Allysattic

Hey all. I happened to pull my own name out of the "hat" this week for Wishlist Wednesday. :)

So, without further ado, here are my wishlist picks for this week (they all have to do with setting up my new craft room in the house my husband and I are closing on on October 30th!)

1. The first item is a great parody of that "Keep Calm and Carry On" phrase that you will see if you spend any amount of time poking around on Etsy. This item, titled "Keep Calm but Carry Chocolate" by ChuckEByrdWallArt is not only funny but is a nice shade of chocolate brown.

Anyway, that's definitely going in my craft room somewhere because sometimes, when you're trying to close a stubborn jumpring or when a little teensy tiny bead has flung itself from your pliers, chocolate can be a good thing.  :)

2. My second item is also art for the walls of my craft room. This print, titled "SO VERY HAPPY" by dazychic is a a great reminder to just be happy.

And, it's also darling. I mean, look at that little bird checking out that french fry. Totally cute, right?  :)

3. My third item is a fine art photograph by studiocvh titled "Love Will Tear Us Apart 1 - 8x10 Photograph Fine Art Print".

There are several things I like about this photograph. I especially love the shadows and that it is in black and white, but yet is not "stark". Hope that makes sense. Plus, the statue is just so absolutely cool. I don't think I've ever seen a grieving angel statue.

4. Okay, I guess this whole list is going to be things to decorate my craft room with. My fourth wishlist pick is a great print by BestArtStudios2 titled "Heartache and Poetry IX".

This artist has an entire series of "Heartache and Poetry". Number IX made my wishlist because I love the way that the trees are angled in it, and also that the girl on the swing is dropping something - what could it be?  :)

5. And last, but not least, is not artwork for my wall (ha!) and is something I already bought at the end of last week because I wouldn't wait anymore, but I wanted to talk about it anyway. So there. My last wishlist item is "Aleksandr - A Blueberry Bat" from blueberrydays.

Isn't he darling? I'm going to dangle him from the underside of a shelf. There are many many many cute items in blueberrydays' shop. Even if you are not in the market for small hand-crocheted items, I'd encourage any of you who have items that could have "stories" attached to them to look at a couple of items in this shop. Each of the little critters, such as Aleksandr, have absolutely adorable stories about them in their descriptions.

Anyway, those are my five wishlist items. They don't make much sense when put together, but I invision my craft room being a space of creativity and I gathered these items with the intent that they would inspire me in many different ways.  :)

Allysattic out!

IMPORTANT!

 *I know I just e-mailed this to everyone, but I wanted to put it elsewhere too, just in case*
Hello wonderful members!

I had to reschedule our meeting. It will now be at 12pm EST tomorrow (instead of 9pm!).

We will be discussing how to fully utilize twitter, facebook, flickr, blogging for your etsy shop. We have lots of great advice and tips picked out, as well as people who know their stuff when it comes to these venues.

Please come by if you can, and invite anyone in - it's not a private meeting and there will be lots of great advice. If you can't make it, there will be a blog entry later this week on the same topic.

Hope to see you there!

Mosaic Monday: Here Comes The Sun

It has been raining for about a week+ straight, even snowing in some places on the East Coast. Today I woke up to sunlight and had to make this week's Mosaic Monday theme about blue skies and yellow sunshine!

1). Bright Yellow and Curvy Wall Hanging by sewhome
2). Heather's HugEms by HeatherJaneDesign
3). Golden Burst Rectangle Pendant by Allysattic
4). Cart Ride by mizkatie
5). Bamboo Dog Jacket by TerrierTrousers
6). Baby Boy Smallest Things Card by SimplyInvitingCards
7). Small Canisters by ocasiocasa
8). Pinup Hair Clip by sweetsnstuff


Enjoy the week everyone! Don't forget about our meeting Wednesday night at 9pm in the labs!

You Show Me Yours, I'll Show You Mine

Alright, weekend game time! Want a prize? See how...

Step 1:

Pick one thing that is under $10 (including shipping) from a fellow member's shop that you just LOVE. Copy and paste the link in a comment.

Step 2:

Include a link to your shop OR (if you can) include a link to an item in your shop that is $10 or less, including shipping in the same comment.

Step 3:

Do this by tomorrow night and I will used random.org to select a winner and buy that item for them!

Here is the >$10 item I want:

And the >$10 item from my shop:

Have fun! You have 48 hours to do this - gogogo!

Feature Friday - Lindsey and Shannon of milanddil

Hey everyone! Allysattic here. I tell ya, it seems like Friday's are coming faster and faster!  :)

It's time for another great Feature Friday spot. This weeks featured member shop is milanddil.

To begin, I'd like to mention that milanddil are offering to their fellow Lab Rats team members a 15% discount on anything in their shop. All you have to do is enter "Lab Rats Rock" in the 'message to seller' box when you checkout and they will refund the difference (not including shipping) via PayPal after your payment clears! Super!

Now lets get started with the questions!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself, your shop, and what brought you to the Etsy community.

We are a mother-in-law (Lindsey-MIL) and daughter-in-law (Shannon-DIL) team that creates affordable, unique, handmade, upcycled button jewelry. We work almost exclusively with repurposed materials and specialize in transforming the ordinary button into something extraordinary!

Our story of how we came to be in the Etsy community begins in California. MIL was there visiting her daughter and just for the fun of it, began creating button bracelets. When MIL returned home, DIL admired the bracelet and suggested they team up and create a business together…so we did and here we are!

2. Besides creating beautiful things for your shop, what do you spend your days doing?

DIL: Besides MilandDil, I am an instructor at a Northern Illinois University, so most of my time is spent either teaching my 2 classes (Introduction to Physical Geography & Introduction to Maps and Mapping), meeting with students, preparing to teach and/or making sure everything is generally running smoothly. My husband and I are also in the process of purchasing our first home, so packing and getting ready to close and move is also how I’ve been spending my time lately.

MIL: Besides MilandDil, I have been and done any number of things in my life. I’ve taught children and adults in public and private school, I’ve worked in churches and am an ordained minister. I’ve been a hospital chaplain and am a licensed professional counselor and a certified rehabilitation counselor. Throughout the years I’ve turned to crafting as a sideline; sewing, knitting and crocheting among other things, but collecting buttons along the way like many others have done. I love the name of our business and I love that our family has grown to include a Dil, (Shannon) and a (Sil) Steve. In addition to our son and daughter in law, my husband Bob and I are the proud parents of two sons and two daughters. They are grown and so as they’ve made me aware my ‘kids’ now are the 4 Chihuahuas and 2 cats that share our living space.

3. What sources do you draw your inspiration from and what is your creative process(es)?

Our inspiration comes from anywhere and everywhere. Nature, events in our little world (real and imagined) - what we've been thinking about, symmetry, and oftentimes a button is the basis of a bracelet (especially found buttons that add a sense of adventure to the bracelet) and so everything about the bracelet might stem from that one button. It all depends. We like it best when we can trust our own personal creative process and our intuition.

4. What market (group of people) do you see your items being for?

ANYONE & EVERYONE! - Females, males buying as gifts, little girls – looking to dip the toes into the big girl world without losing out on childhood, moms, best friends, anyone who likes jewelry or likes gifting jewelry, people who are nostalgiac for buttons, environmentally conscious people, people who have a strong sense of individualism & like being unique, people who want handmade items, cost-conscious people, people with empathy for relationship between mother-in-law & daughter-in-law…basically anyone who likes designer jewelry at friendly prices!

5. Name your top three:

- Books

DIL: Anything by Daniel Quinn, coloring books, and plant identification guides...and many more!

MIL: Little Prince, Spoon River Anthology – basically, I should be a bookaholics anonymous charter member – so many great ones!

- Music (song or artist)

DIL: Iron & Wine, Rufus Wainwright, & Andrew Bird…to name a few!

MIL: Jackson Brown, Teddy Thompson, Nilsson sings Newman (ask me tomorrow and 2 & 3 might be different)

- Movies or Television shows

DIL: The Wire, Lost, Friends; Princess Bride, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Phantom of the Opera

MIL: Harold & Maude, Ordinary People, Annie Hall; Six Feet Under, Nip Tuck, Dexter

- Websites

Do you have to ask! :) http://www.milanddil.com/ – of course & http://www.milanddil.etsy.com/ too! Also, http://www.praywhat.org/

6. What are your favorite features on Etsy? What new features would you like to see added?

We like: Lab Rats (& virtual labs), Etsy success and news emails, and the ability to convo people!

New features: More batch edit tools that are easy to use – like for prices and shipping…etc

7. How do you market your work? What has or hasn’t worked for you in the past?

Primarily we use the usual social media networking tools like:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=69206905&ref=profile#/group.php?gid=214591180152

Twitter: http://twitter.com/MilandDil

We also go by word of mouth and update our blog often and try to incorporate a personal touch to make connections with our buyers, friends, and fans.

We’re relatively new, so we are considering this a learning year as to what works and doesn’t work!

8. What do you like most about the Virtual Labs?

We like that you can connect with other people and see what other people are doing. We basically want to absorb all we can in order to make our shop successful and the virtual labs are a great resource for this.

9. What topics or events would you like to see added to the Virtual Lab offerings?

We think it would be cool if they did sessions where they had rotating invited guests that could share some information on a more local level.

Thanks milanddil! Remember about that 15% offer for purchases made today Rats!  :)

Wishlist Wednesday - Miki from duckfoot

Hello all! Allysattic here to put up another great Wednesday Wishlist from one of our fabulous members!

Today's list is from Miki of duckfoot.

1. Fingerless Gloves in Grey by homelab are delicious to look at! The texture is gorgeous, the cute button strap make these classy for professional wear, and the short length is perfect for busy hands that still need freedom to manipulate objects. Everyone's fingers get cold in the winter (outside in the cold air or indoors where *someone* thinks its okay to raise the thermostat!) and this is the perfect solution!

2. SJK VINTAGE -- Glamorous Pink Pearl and AB Expansion Bracelet (For Small Wrist) by SeeJaneKnitYarns is a bright costume jewelry piece. I really love colors and this bracelet would be awesome for an informal, crazy night out on the town! I also love that it is vintage and the seller is re-using old pieces, everything deserves a good home!

3.Pomegrante Seeds Dangles with natural brass kidney wires by ZerbenaBoutique. I love pomegranates and these earrings definitely embody all the great qualities of that seedy fruit. I love how the artist combined two simple elements to make a very elegant, minimalistic piece of jewelry. The stacked glass pearls contrast very nicely against the patina of the metal teardrops. Very lovely and dreamy to look at!

4. Thai Legends Shadow Puppet Set by orangemoontoys. Not only did the artist put some thought into this (based on history, people!) but look how intricate these paper cuts are! Lots of time went into this and the effort is well worth it.

5.Sushi Socks - 6 to 12 month Baby Socks by sushibooties. I heart sushi, so these cute baby sushi socks are extra adorable! Plus. they look really snuggly and I don't think I would be able to resist any chubby bundle of joy if they came looking so delicious!

And finally, if I were putting together a wishlist of my own, I would include these Metal Cut Flower Earrings from Miki's shop! 

Have a great rest of the day everyone!

Mosaic Monday: Birthday Wishes

Well, I'm kind of combining Mosaic Monday and Wishlist Wednesday (although, there will still be a WW). My (itsa) birthday is tomorrow, yay! So, today's theme is some things I really want from my fellow rat's shops.

1). Fly Toward Love by elizabethnormand
2). 2010 16 month Calendar by jellybeans
3). sea. love. ring by WorksInProgress
4). Green Lace High Waist Skirt by ZidishaLuxe
5). Mexican Maroon Leather Boots from zwzzy
6). Gray/Blue Gnome at Dusk Pillow Cover by Pixelknit
7). The Brentwood by lushboutique
8). Keep on growing in pink by moonthroughfog


I will accept any and all as birthday gifts tomorrow :-P

Member Review

Happy Sunday, Rats!

Just letting you know that Allysattic and I will be review members this week, and deciding on those we feel are not active within the team. Please don't worry, we don't plan on removing people who have made a point of telling us they have been busy or something similar, we are reviewing members who joined the team, but have made absolutely no contributions or efforts to be active within the team.

Those members will be contacted later this week, letting them know of their removal to the team. We want our team to be full of quality members who truly enjoy the team and what it does. It's not about having the largest team, it's about having fabulous members!

Check back tomorrow for Mosaic Monday & enjoy your Sunday!

Feature Friday - Rose from SevenSails

Good morning everybody! Or afternoon, or evening, or whatever time of the day it is when you a reading this. :)

Today's fabulous Feature Friday person is Rose from SevenSails.

Rose writes that: "I live in SE MI by Lake Erie. I have spent many hours in, on and by the lake. That is where my shop name originates. I learned to knit as a child. Over the years I have made numerous items. Afghans,scarves,socks... all make great gifts. Last year I gave one of my scarves as a hostess gift. She loved it so much that she encouraged me to make and sell them. So last winter I made a boatload of scarves. Having heard of Etsy on the Today Show, I opened my shop in August. Since then I have been expanding my product lines. Knitting and learning all about the many facets of Etsy consumes most of my time. However, I do get out for a round of golf or a bike ride. My flower beds take up a lot of my time. Right now I'm trying to get back into pilates."

Rose finds "inspiration everywhere. I love looking at yarns and patterns. For the first time I am looking at photos from the Fall 2009 runway shows to see what"s "hot". I'm also creating more of my own patterns. I'm finding that to be a real growth experience."

In her spare time, Rose likes to read Barbara Kingsolver, Bill Bryson and Margaret Truman, who are a few of her favorite authors. She also likes "most movies but love suspense. "Mercy" and "The Good Wife" are already favorites on TV. I love listening to PBS on Sat. mornings. They have a great line up of shows."

 

Rose writes that "I'm finding Etsy to be such a great place to sell my things. The support and encouragement are amazing. I love the virtual labs. I can even knit while being there. I like the more educational labs best. I would like to see a library of videos to answer all those handbook questions."

In terms of networking and getting started selling online, Rose says that "I'm finding craftgawker to be good at increasing views. Since I'm still waiting for my first sale and am quite a newbie, I can't say what has been successful. I am trying lots of ways to market my shop."

I'm happy to mention that Rose can no longer say that she has had no sales! She made her first sale yesterday! It must have been yesterday later-afternoon or evening, because Rose sent me her Feature Friday question answers at about 1:00 pm (MST) yesterday. Congratulations Rose!

Wishlist Wednesday - Kelly from justbecreative

Hey everyone! Allysattic here with another great list of items from today's Wishlist Wednesday featured Lab Rats Member. Wow, that was a mouthfull.  :)

Today's great picks come from Kelly, who runs the shop justbecreative.

1. The first items on Kelly's list is this Oatmeal tweed cape by ileaiye. Kelly says that "This oatmeal tweed knitted cape is PERFECT for fall. I always get cold in meetings at work, and this stylish cape is perfect for this time of year in NM when it's chilly in the mornings."

2. Kelly's second list item is this great "clutch - wavy pleats - burnt orange" clutch by yorktownroad. "This gorgeous pleated clutch is the perfect shade of burnt orange, my favorite color! This little guy could have a million and one uses, but a night one the town and having a place for my cellphone and lipgloss sounds pretty darn good to me about now."

3. The third item on the list is by SaraLananCollection, and is titled "Golden Applique Necklace". Kelly things that "If you want to make a statement that is elegant, yet fun and flirty...this is your perfect accessory." And I wholeheartedly agree!  :)

4. This "Black Widow FREE SHIPPING Victorian Noir Organza and Satin Flower Bracelet" from vividcolors comes in at number four on Kelly's list. She says that "I'm way past prom-age, but this elegant little bracelet reminds me of my corsage from Senior year but way cooler than 1989..."

5. The last item for this Wishlist Wednesday is this "Fanny in Grey Suede Leather" by StudioOneDesigns. "SHUT UP! I found the most gorgeous bag! And I have the perfect gray suede boots to match!"



Thank you Kelly, for being today's Wishlist Wednesday person!

And to round it all off, if I was putting together a wishlist, I would add Kelly's "Natural Aquamarine" bracelet:

Have a great humpday everyone!

Next Meeting

Hola! Just posting a little update to remind everyone of our meeting tomorrow. These will be shop critiques and I will be choosing from people in attendance!

Meeting is at 1pm EST in the Sky Room of the Virtual Labs.

Just come on in the room - no password is required. I (itsa) will be hosting the lab via webcam. Hope to see you there!

Mosaic Monday: Warm & Cozy

The lovely BabyEtte selected this week's Mosaic Monday!

1). Chunky Deep Purple Scarf by yarnabees (free shipping on this one!
2). Goose Crossing Sweater from zwzzy
3). Feminine White Scarflette by strawberryona
4). River Rocks Handwarmers by funkisockmunki
5). Red Orange and Grey Cowl by SevenSails
6). Altered Vintage Leather Gloves by aprilevening

Stay warm, rats!

Feature Friday - somavenus

Today's great Friday Feature shop is somavenus!

1. Tell us a bit about yourself, your shop, and what brought you to the Etsy community.

I'm a rad dorky eccentric introverted crafty crazy cat lady (you can read more in my Etsy profile!) My shop is filled with things I've put so much love into. I usually make my sketchbooks outside overlooking the pacific ocean, or deep in the woods closer to home. Love and magic from the pacific northwest is sewn into each book. My jewelry is made from my original artwork, and I have some limited edition zines and clocks and other neat things. :)

I joined the Etsy community when it first started up back in 2005! I didn't really take listing seriously until a few years ago, and wish I was this active back from the very beginning!

2. Besides creating beautiful things for your shop, what do you spend your days doing?

I work a 9-5'er that I'm hoping I'll soon be able to trade in for full time artist! When I'm not there or working on Etsy, I'm probably on the road headed to the ocean or the woods. I love cloud watching, photo adventures, listening to birds, and being alone in nature. It's where I get my best ideas and recharge and get inspired.

3. What sources do you draw your inspiration from and what is your creative process(es)?

Inspiration for me comes from everything I encounter. It comes from the clouds and blue sky, the rain, the wind. the birds. the ocean. the trees. things left behind. things forgotten. junk stores. sitting in traffic.

my creative process is simple. i just go. i don't really think or plan it out. just an roll with it. make it work!

4. What market (group of people) do you see your items being for?

I am still trying to find my market. I've been surprised to hear where my sketchbooks have gone. One BINGO sketchbook was used as a wedding guest book! They seem to appeal to all ages in person - but I see my work appealing most to the 20-30 something crowd. zinesters. artists. craftsters. rad people!

5. Name your top three:

- Books

Introvert Power
King Cat
Invincible Summer

- Music (song or artist)

the microphones
cat power
the books

- Movies or Television Shows

office space
how to draw a bunny
high art

- Websites

etsy!
sendsomething.net
somavenus.com

6. What are your favorite features on Etsy? What new features would you like to see added?

I'm excited about the new rearrange your shop feature! I would LOVE to see a batch edit listing tool - especially an easy way to change the price of multiple items at once (similar to the batch shipping tool).

7. How do you market your work? What has or hasn't worked for you in the past?

I market through facebook/twitter/myspace - the usuals. I don't know if I get much traffic from it. What works the best for me is trying to renew at least a few times a day. What hasn't worked for me (yet) is doing shows! I've done a few now (small free art walk in town) and I'm soooo painfully shy sometimes - it was really difficult to open up and talk to anyone looking at my work. I was lucky to have a friend do the talking for me (how embarrassing!) - but it WAS a lot of fun to see how well people responded to my work. I feel like I'm so much cooler on the internet ;)

8. What do you like most about the Virtual Labs?

the friendly helpful supportive community!

9. What topics or events would you like to see added to the Virtual Lab offerings?

more quit your day job labs - labs on promoting and being seen!