Feature Friday

Please extend a warm welcome to our Feature Friday artist of the week, Trish, from pixiedustfineries

Where can we find you?

http://pixiedustfineries.etsy.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pixiedustfineries

http://www.twitter.com/pixiedustfine

http://www.handmadespark.com/myspark/PixieDustFineries

http://www.pixiedustfineries.com/

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

Office and Packaging

My name is Patricia however I go by Trish, I am 52 years old, married, a mother of two beautiful daughters, and I have three wonderful grandchildren one girl and two boys. I live in Arlington, Texas, which has been my home since 1984, prior to that I was all over the world, my Dad was in the Army. I worked in the corporate world as an Office Manager from 1975, until I lost my job in January 2007. I originally started making jewelry for my family for Christmas, but I loved it so much I started selling on Etsy in March 2008. I started selling on Ebay (hated it) and then my daughter told me about Etsy, I checked it out and I was hooked.

I have always loved jewelry and I love the relationship that women have with their jewelry. It makes us feel beautiful, feminine, and powerful. It affects us in many ways, and even if a piece does not cost thousands of dollars, it is still precious to us.

2) Walk us through a typical day in your life.

I usually start at 8:00am, sometimes earlier, I stop by the kitchen to get a diet coke or coffee and then into my office.

I start out checking emails, once that is finished I begin to take pictures of items made the previous day and then I relist one item and list a new item every day. Once they are listed, then I start my marketing…twitter, facebook, Etsy Forums, stumbleupon, etc. that pretty much takes me into lunchtime. While eating lunch, I prepare the previous day’s orders for shipping.

Next, I will start working on my next project, this week it is Breast Cancer Awareness Jewelry items. I work on projects until 3:00pm, and then take packages to post office, return to projects until 5:15pm, cook dinner, rest until 6:30pm.

Back to the computer to write up cost worksheets, descriptions and Photoshop pictures I took earlier for the items to list the next day. I am usually done by 9:30pm. Oh, and thru out the day, probably every few hours I check Craftopolis to see how many views I have, if its not high enough, I do more marketing. Then it starts all over the next day.

With Etsy being my full time job I am always working, when I am watching TV or looking thru a magazine I look at the jewelry the people are wearing. Most people watch TV to watch the show or the news, I am only looking at the jewelry 80% of the time. It seems that I constantly have new ideas popping in my head, to the point that I get up in the middle of the night and make a sketch so I will remember in the morning.

3) Name your top 3:

Books…

I do not have a favorite book, but I have favorite authors, all are Mystery writers…Mary Higgins Clark, Iris Johansen, Patricia Cornwell

Music...

Everything Country and some of the 1970’s Rock

TV...
I have so many favorites, but Lost was my number 1, Greys Anatomy, Brothers and Sisters, and anything on HGTV Channel.

Web sites...

Well the first one is easy Etsy, Face Book, Pogo Games (when I need to get away)

4.) What are your top 3 shops on Etsy?

I have many favorites, I do not think I can pick just three, and there are so many talented people on Etsy. Nope, can’t just pick three, sorry.

5.) What projects are you currently working on?

I am concentrating on Breast Cancer Awareness (BCA) Jewelry right now; I am going to run a sale on them thru the month of October, which is BCA month. My sister is a BC Survivor, and I lost both of my parents to Cancer so awareness is very important to me.

6.) Where do you hope your shop will be in a year?



Wedding Collection



Like everyone else, I hope to be a successful shop with daily sales. In addition, I hope to improve my skills by going to workshops. I recently attended two wire wrapping class and really liked it.

I have created my own Bridal line called “Aglow” and I have already had good success with it, I have done jewelry for four weddings ranging from two bridesmaids to twelve bridesmaids. I see myself concentrating more on Bridal jewelry and bridal shows.

7.) What suggestions/tips would you offer to someone new to Etsy?

Come to the Virtual Labs you can get tons of information from them. Be patient. Do not just list and item and then sit and wait for a sale, you have to work for it; you have to get your name out there. Focus on what you love and you will be successful.