Lab Rats

Goodbye Virtual Labs

2011-07-22T19:12:00.000-04:00

And hello, Livestream. It's a sad day, but the Etsy Virtual Labs are offically retired.

You can read the announcement here.

Feature Friday, ImpossiblyAlice

2011-07-08T07:00:00.019-04:00

Please welcome fellow Lab Rat, Sheryl, from ImpossiblyAlice, who is our Feature Friday Artist of the month

Where can we find you?

My Etsy shop is www.etsy.com/shop/impossiblyalice. You can also find me on twitter @impossiblyalice or on my facebook page: www.facebook.com/ImpossiblyAlice

Please tell us about yourself, your shop and what brought you to the Etsy community.

I discovered Etsy last spring while I was on maternity leave and I became OBSESSED with it. I needed to be a part of it. I also needed a creative outlet because my little girl had waaaayyyy too many clothes!

What does a typical day in your life look like?

My maternity leave ended in January of this year and I had to return to work. My workdays now start with my alarm going off at the horrible hour of 5:30 am (I am NOT a morning person). I allow myself to snooze my alarm once so I can wake up slowly. I quickly get eat breakfast and get ready in a rush and go to work. My work day is usually done around 3:00 pm and then I get to pick up my daughter from daycare. We play, have a snack, whatever until my husband comes home. Then we do something together or I make supper. My little girl goes to bed around 7:00 and I have 2.5-3 hours of awake time (if I am lucky!) after that to take care of things. Knit, cross stitch, clean, run errands, watch TV, etc.

We try not to schedule our weekends too much because our weekdays are so hectic. This summer we are planning to spend every weekend that we can at my family cottage.

Name your top 3:

Books…

My top 3 books is a hard, hard question because reading is something I have always loved to do. I love the novel Portrait in Sepia by Isabelle Allende. I really like most of her books. On the flip side I also love the author Marian Keyes, I am hard pressed to pick a favourite though. A book I always turn back to is East of Eden by John Steinbeck. (And I may also have a *slight* obsession with Sweet Valley High.)

Music.....

Music is another hard one, it varies so much depending on my mood. Jack Johnson, Robbie Williams, and Michael Buble can pretty much satisfy me any time though!

TV....

Hands down the best TV show ever is Lost. Ever. I also love So You Think You Can Dance (both the Canadian one and the American one even though I find the judges too nice on the Canadian one) and Modern Family.

Websites....

I don't know if I have any 3 websites that I am super loyal to. Obviously I love Etsy. For knitting camaraderie I like Ravelry. Other than that, I am a freakishly obsessive Googler. I probably Google way too many different and random things in a day.

Etsy shops

*http://www.etsy.com/shop/kssmaternity - when we are ready to have our second child this will be the first place that I buy maternity clothes from.

*http://www.etsy.com/shop/ohsoretro - she is local to me, she is an amazing sewer, and she's super nice!

*http://www.etsy.com/shop/saltcityspice - she has a great idea and uses recycled materials. What could be better?

What are you currently working on?

Currently I am working on a personal project in the rare free time I have (work is a bit hectic right now). I am cross stitching my daughter's Christmas stocking.

Where do you hope your shop to be in the next year?

I hope to have an active shop within the next year. Sadly, I haven't been able to focus as much attention on my shop as I would like to since I returned to work. I need to find a good work/family/Etsy/social life balance.

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

I don't know if I am the best to give advice to new people since I haven't managed to find that magic formula for success on Etsy but I would advise new people to list as much as they can, connect with as many people as they can on a genuine level (don't just drop your link on other Etsy seller's face book walls and hope that they follow you back or spam people on twitter!), and learn as much as you can about how successful Etsy sellers became successful and what works for them.

Thank you for taking the time to share with us and welcome to the team!

Life of an Item with Jackthemanabouttown

2011-06-22T08:00:00.001-04:00

Well I am so happy to be contributing to the "Life of an item".

One night while picking up my order from The Red Dragon, I noticed a ceramic Fortune Cat at the register. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm - now that would make a unique hat.

Between munches on my egg roll I began to sketch the idea out. What does the paw symbolize? Google it! The most common belief is that the left paw raised brings in customers, while a right paw brings good luck and wealth.

After the hat is sketched and the idea brews in my cranium it is off to the yarn store for just the right fiber. A sweet brass button looks like the charm on a cat collar.

I have sold these in infant sizes to adult sizes. Fortune cat has been featured in 6 treasuries as well. Fortune cat makes me smile!

Mosaic Monday - Color!

2011-06-20T15:37:00.000-04:00

From top left, clockwise:

3princessesengraving, AngelPearls, GarageGypsy, Squier, AnEnchantedNotion, jellybeans

Treasury: HERE

Team Tag: labratsteam

July's Etsy Merchandising Desk

2011-06-17T14:37:00.000-04:00

July is on the way, sure to bring a busy season. Our goal is to create a healthy balance between promotions for traditional holidays, seasonal changes, cultural events, and lifestyle trends. It's also a great way to change up the way you approach managing your Etsy business.

We are continually looking to highlight the stories of the people behind the products. Including your name, in addition to your shop name, will not only help personalize your work, but also help Etsy admin looking for shops to highlight. To update your name, go to Your Account > Profile and edit the name section.

Holiday Tip: Think it's too early to begin listing your 2011 holiday line? Think again! Now is the time media and press publications are finalizing their print plans for the holidays. Take advantage of this knowledge by listing your holiday line now with clear seasonal tags. To keep things looking in line with the current season, use Etsy's Rearrange Your Shop tool to move these holiday items to the final pages of your shop.

Summer: Summer travel, outdoor activities, community events & fairs, open air soirees, summer fashion, and lighter, brighter colors. Emphasis on outdoor entertaining, hostess gifts, bath and beauty, and clever ways to stay cool all summer long.

Fashion: Emphasis on swimwear with NY Fashion Week 2012 taking place. Broader options for summer focus on showing some skin, open toed shoes, lightweight materials, and sun protection: sunglasses, sunscreen, makeup, balms, hats and coverups. Summer dresses, shoes, accessories, and options for hair are key. Design labels are already launching previews for for fall lines and lookbooks.

Weddings: At the height of wedding season, think about how your line can offer or evoke outdoor options for both the ceremony and after-party. Additional highlights on warm weather honeymooning and early preparations for fall and winter celebrations.

Outdoor Travel: Think in terms of the beach, countryside, forest and mountains. Outdoor activities on the rise include camping, biking, hiking, fun at the beach, fishing, and water sports.

Christmas in July Community Sale 2011: Get involved in this year's community driven sale by tagging your sale items with the terms "christmasinjuly" and/or "CIJ" between the dates of 7/14/2011 through 7/24/2011. All shops are eligible to participate and sale items do not have to be holiday themed. Be sure to add promotional details to the item description of each item you tag. For additional questions about how to get involved, contact the Christmas in July community sale leader, DesignedByLucinda.

Collecting: Summer months bring an opportune time to take advantage of antiquing, collecting, flea markets, outdoor bazaars, and vintage renewal.

Ruby is July's birthstone; July's astrological signs are Cancer and Leo (June 22 - July 22: Cancer, July 23 - August 23: Leo).

Trending Topics:
Vampires: They're back on the radar with shows like HBO's True Blood and the recent movie trailer release of Twilight's Breaking Dawn.

Sports: Tour de France trends including biking, the French countryside, and France.

The Typewriter: With the recent closing of one of the last typewriter manufacturing companies, these nostalgic forms of technology are becoming hot commodities.

Colors: Summer color trends include honeysuckle pink, neon, coral, and orange. Pantone's color trend report for fall 2o11 includes quarry, cedar, and teal greens, nougat and coffee browns, orchid and phlox purples, bamboo mustard yellow, honeysuckle pink, and ember-glow coral.

The Local Artisanal Shop and the Speakeasy: The butcher, baker, ice cream shop, patisserie. Barware, mixology, nightlife, live music, and secret passwords.

The Garden: Indoor, outdoor, community, and rooftop gardens. Glass domes, terrariums, air plants, window herbs, succulent plants, garden markers, planters, tools, buckets, baskets, gloves, organic seeds, and boxes.

Fashion: Slim clutches, espadrilles, wooden platforms, maxi dresses, stripes, tribal references, tailored classics, full short skirts, retro swim, summer scarves, circle lensed sunglasses, and sweetheart necklines.

Vintage Designer: Authentic fashion, collectibles, bikes, and auto accessories.

Writable surfaces: Chalkboard and whiteboard.

Letters, Numbers, and Symbols: Large vintage signage letters, letterpress blocks, monogram housewares, and typewriter keys.

Personalization: Monograms, initials, text, numbers, zodiac, constellations, portraits, custom labels, stamps, fingerprints and family trees.

Natural History: Woodland forest themes and animals, namely birds, owls, squirrels, hedgehogs, chipmunks, bunnies, butterflies, feathers, nests, eggs, acorns, leaves, trees, branches, woodgrain, and natural colors.

Lockets, secret hiding places, skeleton keys, arrows, diamonds, paper cuts, silhouettes, fortune cookies, wishbones, constellations, fortune telling.
Large scale vintage and handmade paper maps, botanical and anatomy charts.
Upcycled lights and lamps, specifically with exposed bulbs.
Feather hair extensions, earrings, and accessories.
Gadget cases, docking stations and accessories.
Scandinavian patterns and motifs.
Facial hair, beards, mustaches.
All things steampunk.
Wall decals.
Mermaids.
Peacocks.

If you'd like to stay engaged and involved with the approaching merchandising themes, use them in your own artistic voice as you add to your shop. They can be translated in your listings, photos, shop announcements, descriptions, tags, titles, sales promotions, and more.

If you make items that would fit well with the themes outlined, try stocking up and listing them in advance to take advantage of potential shipping deadlines and site features. Do you already have items in your shop that meld well? That's great! Now it's time to revisit those items to make sure your tags, titles and descriptions reflect keywords that shoppers might be looking for during this time of year. This is also a great opportunity to revamp your item photography with a new look. Check out some great how-to's for item photography to get started.

Edited by Jacqueline Gikow at ChelseaRainbow. Thank you to everyone whose images I used.

Mosaic Monday - Yum and Fun

2011-06-13T15:55:00.000-04:00

Left: Yarnbees, Jackthemanabouttown, lemonadesun, hoganfe

Right: BrieLaGrandeFromage, SmithAndDaphne, AuntKarensCreations, rctees

team tag: labratsteam

Mosaic Monday, Simply Fabulous

2011-06-06T13:30:00.004-04:00

From top left:

FlirtyRoseBoutique

TerriorTrousers, Giggles

From top right:

2ndcoming

Treasury: HERE

Don't forget to tag your listings with labratsteam so we can all find you!

Mosaic Monday - Red, White and Blue

2011-05-30T11:05:00.003-04:00

Happy Memorial Day!

from top left: 1022SeaShellAve, Waterrose, ForsythiaHill, SmithAndDaphne

from bottom left: ORomeo, BySaraLynn, GlowingGlassStudio, ocasiocasa

Mosaic Monday Treasury: Here

Mosaic Monday, Shades of Blue

2011-05-23T14:36:00.001-04:00

From left to right:

Mosaic Monday Treasury: HERE

Team Tag: labratsteam

May's Treasury Challenge

2011-05-21T11:51:00.000-04:00

This must have been a tough month! With all the trouble with Blogger this month being down mid-challenge and comments disappearing, we ended up with entries from Giggles and NewHopeBeading. Both of these fabulous treasuries are below, but seeing as how NewHopeBeading was our winner last month, I'm going to spread the love and hand this one to Giggles. Thanks you two for these amazing treasuries!

Vintage Feel May by Giggles

Blue Skies Yellow Sun by NewHopeBeading

Feature Friday - Chelsea Rainbow

2011-05-20T08:38:00.001-04:00

Hello Lab Rats - It's Feature Friday time again!

I'd like to introduce you to Jacqueline Gikow/ChelseaRainbow and thank her for a fabulous interview! ~ Lori

Where can we find you?

Shop: chelsearainbow.com
Blog: chelsearainbows.blogspot.com/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/chelsearainbows
Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com/ChelseaRainbow/

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

My name is Jacqueline and I’m the owner of ChelseaRainbow. I live in New York City, one of the most vibrant urban cities of the world and also the capital of fashion. You may not be able to afford a designer dress, but you can always find my fashion forward jewelry to update your own looks and my elegant home decor accessories to enhance your home.

In the past I have had careers in pottery, graphic design and industrial design with a sidetrack into computer programming early on in my work history. Ever since I can remember, art in some shape or form has been my passion. I am a graduate of The College of Ceramics at SUNY with a BFA in sculpture and art history, an MFA in Arizona State University in environmental design, and an MID in industrial design from Pratt Institute. A perpetual student, I am self-taught in handmade fashion forward jewelry with a tasteful backing as a professional designer. I have also written and had published two hip, smart books: Graphic Illustration in Black and White and Polymer Clay; Creating Functional and Decorative Objects.

What brought me to Etsy was having a job in a crafts gallery that also sold jewelry. I had been making jewelry for about five years, but not selling it. A cousin of mine bought a painting on Etsy so I decided to check it out. I liked the atmosphere on Etsy so I opened a jewelry shop last June. By December I had diversified to include home décor accessories and I decided to change shops to Chelsea Rainbow; Exploring Creative Embellishments. I’ve now been open as ChelseaRainbow for about three months and took a large step backwards in my visibility so I’m working hard to get to where I was.

2) Please walk us through a typical day in your life.

In a typical day, I get up early and check my email and do some neatening of my shop. Then I have breakfast and I do two hours of work at my virtual day job, where I work from home.

After that stint of work I spend some time making jewelry or photographing my work and also editing it in my digital software.

Then I have lunch and do some errands. I then will promote my work in the various teams and social media.

After that I work two more hours on my virtual day job. And then I check out a few promotional websites. I subscribe to HARO (helpareporterout.com) and have been published a number of time from the site.

Then I might do some more promoting and I take the evening off. It’s handy having a virtual job because I can spend a lot of time working on Etsy, either in my shop or on my jewelry and home décor accessories.

3) Name your top 3:

Books
Purple Cow, by Scott Godin
Poke the Box, by Scott Godin
How to Make Money Using Etsy, by Tim Adam

Music
Melanie
Blue Grass
Classical

TV
Law & Order
NCIS
NatGeo

Web sites

chelsearainbow.com
www.senseofashion.com/jgik6856/seller

4.) What are your top 3 shops on Etsy?
www.etsy.com/shop/baconsquarefarm
www.etsy.com/shop/beadedembellishments
www.etsy.com/shop/thegirlmakesbanners

5.) What projects are you currently working on?

Currently I’m working on some semi-precious pendants and necklaces as well as making some large (size 13) knitting stitch markers.

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

I’m hoping to be more visible on Etsy and selling a bit faster. Since I sell jewelry, I have a lot of competition, but my work is unique and fashion forward, so I expect people to find me with the efforts I’m making to keep my shop up to date and well-stocked as well as approaching my target market.

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

Be prepared to work hard at filling your shop with products. Aim for at least two pages of items so that the buyer will be able to have a choice of products. Also be patient, especially if you’re a jeweler. It takes time to get known on Etsy both by the buyers and by the community. Join a team and make some treasuries so you can get seen. And finally get familiar with SEO so that you will also be visible on Google as well as on Etsy.

Mosaic Monday - like Sunshine!

2011-05-16T16:15:00.003-04:00

From top left clockwise:

rctees, yarnabees, treeandsap, AgelessThings, 2trUe, Jackthemanabouttown, ScrapHappyAZ, Cantrix

The Mosaic Monday Treasury is HERE!

...and guess what? other Lab Rats may be in the treasury with the Mosaic Monday featured shops...go peek!

May Treasury Challenge

2011-05-10T17:31:00.000-04:00

Vintage Tupperware Salad Fork Set from RomasMasion

A late start to the May challenge, but it is here! When I was looking at the merchandise notes for this month it caught my eye that May is known as National Barbecue, Bike, and Photo Month. A good Google search led to a few other topics May is "the month" for. It's National Hamburger Month, Motorcycle Safety Month, and National Family Month. You can take any of these ideas and run with them or choose your own topic to make a treasury that screams "May" for our challenge. Link them here by the 15th and we'll get a votin'.

Here are the rules:

Use at least 8 Lab Rat members. You can use the list on our sidebar.
Include "Treasury Challenge" in the title of your treasury
Tag your treasury with "labratsteam"
Tag your treasury with "team treasury"
Tag your treasury with "may trends"
Link back to this post to encourage others to participate
Leave a comment on this post with a link to your treasury for official entry
Promote & have fun!

Some more tips - include a variety of items with a range of prices, don't include yourself, and tag your treasuries with a few more relevant keywords. Head to the Treasury to get started or read up on how to make a treasury first. Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Mosaic Monday - Flowers!

2011-05-09T14:45:00.001-04:00

From top left, clockwise:

TangoCreations
justbecreative
BySaraLynn
WhiteThistleBridal
CafeD
AngelPearls
glassali
Rolyzcreations

Center:

ORomeo

In an effort to give our team and shops a bit more exposure, I'll be featuring the shops chosen for the Mosaic Monday feature in an Etsy treasury too.

treasury link here
So be sure to keep listing new products in your shops and tag with: labratsteam so I/we can all find you!

Introducing.......

2011-05-06T13:21:00.000-04:00

Its that time again to introduce our new members.

I am sure we have already met them in the labs but I would like to take this time to officially introduce them to the rest of the rats and I hope you all welcome them with open arms and lots of virtual hugs.

Drum roll please...................... here's our April members

Newhopebeading

What is your given name?

Caroline Magda

What made you want to start an Etsy shop?

Well, actually I tell the story in my Etsy profile so if folks would like, pop over there to read it :)

http://www.etsy.com/people/newhopebeading

Which item in your shop is your favorite?

Oh no so hard to decide... so I will give you 3 :

1) my family tree because it seems to make so many people happy http://www.etsy.com/listing/52976306/personalized-family-tree-necklace-fine

2) my initials because they are fun to make http://www.etsy.com/listing/50949500/personalized-initial-necklace-pmc-fine

3) and this necklace ... well because I just like swirls!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/61438266/personalized-inspirational-necklace-pmc

Where does your shop name originate from?

See question #2 LOL

ImpossiblyAlice

What is your given name?

My name is Sheryl

What made you want to start an Etsy shop?

Simply discovering etsy made me want to start my shop. After I found it, I needed to be a part of it!

Which item in your shop is your favorite?

Since we're so close to summer, I really love my summer scarves. One reason is because it was a challenge to create a scarf that is beautiful and also lightweight to wear with summer clothes. The other reason is because they are made with banana fibre which is a completely renewable resource and it was handspun in a fair trade women's co-op. It is both eco and globally conscious!

Where does your shop name originate from?

I started the idea for this shop last spring when my toddler was still a baby and I wanted it to be tribute to her. Her name is Alice so that part is obvious. Alice in wonderland also came out last year and I've always loved the quote about believing 6 impossible things before breakfast and I want her to grow up believing that she can do or be anything so the name came from that.

Welcome to the team and we hope to see you in the lab soon.

Squeak Squeak!

Poppy

(Poppyseedcats)

Sorry about the lateness of this post but I have had some major computer problems this week and have only just got back online.

Life of an Item with CassieArt

2011-04-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

My initial inspiration to begin sculpting buckles from clay came out of necessity. I love to wear a belt to add a bit of surprise and fun to my look, but I couldn't seem to find what I had in mind. On a whim, I decided to create my own. The process has been so fun, I've not stopped yet.

This squirrel buckle was created with a little backyard friend in mind. I remember it like it was yesterday...spring had just sprung and I decided to put some flowers in the ground. That weekend, we went out of town and upon our return, my entire flower bed was empty! My poor blossoms had been plucked off and just the shriveled stem remained. Then, right before my eyes, the furry culprit returned to the bed to scrounge for more flowers. Finding none, he's since taken to driving my poor cat Asha crazy by devouring the bird food we leave on our deck.

Even though he ruined my flower bed, he's so stinking cute, I had to dedicate a buckle to him. When I come up with a buckle idea, I begin by sketching out my design. Once I'm happy with my sketch, I transfer my drawing to a heavy card stock paper that allows me to trace the image into clay multiple times.

From there, I begin rolling out the clay. My favorite thing to do is roll the clay through my stash of vintage lace. I've also found burlap, stamps and even place mats offer a great variety of textures for the clay. Once rolled over a texture, I then trace my image into the clay.

After that, the buckle is finished for now. The clay must dry out completely before firing, so they usually take about 3-5 days to air dry. Once dry, the buckles are what's called greenware and ready to be fired in the kiln. That first firing leaves them with a bright white look called bisqueware. Think of the pottery you see at those glaze-your-own pottery shops, that's the same thing. My glazing process can take 2-3 additional firings, depending on the desired glazed effect. My crackle and metallic glazes often require more firings.

Once out of the kiln, I can begin pairing the buckles with my stash of mostly-vintage fabrics for the creation of the belt. Often times, I cannot find just one fabric to accompany the buckle, so I'll create a reversible belt. Some of my buckles are reversible also, so the belt can be worn four different ways.

So, that's the process for making my belts. I currently have a new backyard fri-enemy: a mole. Because of his lack of cute, I don't anticipate any mole-themed buckles soon...but you never know!

Time to Check In!

2011-04-26T11:00:00.000-04:00

Japan Relief - For the Dog Lover by Rctees

Just a friendly reminder to fill out this quick form to maintain your Lab Rats membership. We like to know you're still around and still want to be part of the team. Thanks!

Mosaic Monday - Ocean Breezes

2011-04-25T13:12:00.000-04:00

from top left, clockwise

team tag: labratsteam

Feature Friday with Senioritis

2011-04-22T01:00:00.003-04:00

Please give a warm welcome to our fellow Lab Rats - Garrick, Beth and Jillian of Senioritis

Garrick

Where can we find you?

In our ongoing quest to take over the world, senioritis can be found here:

Site: www.senioritis.net

Blog: www.senioritis.co

Etsy: www.senioritis.etsy.com

Famous Senior of The Day: www.thesenioritis.tumblr.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/itmakesyoulazy

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thesenioritis

Flickr: www.flickr.com/thesenioritis

For monthly updates on all things senioritis please feel free to check out our newsletter: www.bit.ly/hellolazy

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

Hi, my name is Garrick and I have a design problem.

I started senioritis with my sisters, Beth & Jillian, in 2006. Our childhood was typical. Winters ice fishing in the Pacific Northwest and summers spent swimming with the sharks by the Great Barrier Reef.

We climbed Mt. Everest for the first time in 2000, when Jillian was 11, with our sherpa Noomsey. Looking out from the summit we were inspired to start an apparel and design company. The rest, as they say, is history.

Our Shop

We are the purveyors of colorful inspiration. The designs in our shop pay tribute to famous, and sometimes infamous, people throughout history with their words of wisdom and our artwork. Many of our designs carry inspirational messages and we like to work with bright colors so make sure you have some sunglasses handy ;)

Finding Etsy

I’m going to have to give our mom credit for this one. I don’t even remember the conversation but back in May of 2009 she had mentioned Etsy and that we should check it out. I went online that day looked around the site a bit and created an account. Fast forward about 5 months and we had our first print listed. Several months after that we discovered the forums and the Virtual Labs, and got to meet a bunch of awesome Etsians!

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

I’ll go with a Saturday as that’s the day that we do the most work for our Etsy shop.

I’m usually up by 6ish and the first thing I do is grab my computer. I check out Google Analytics since we use it to track several of our sites and then I fire up Outlook. After getting our email sorted, it’s time to post our Famous Senior of The Day (#FSoTD). Once this has been done, BINGO, time for breakfast!

Breakfast usually consists of some senioritis oatmeal (http://bit.ly/senioritisoatmeal) and some type of citrus juice or whatever flavor juicy juice was on sale that week. After breakfast it’s workout time, Wii Fit, Cardio Boxing, the gym; I like to switch things up.

Once all of this stuff is out of the way I check out what’s going on with Etsy. I like to use the activity tracker because it’s simple to view and easy to read, basically it rocks. We answer convos and print invoices as necessary,

After this it’s time for the real fun stuff, time to start creating! This usually takes me right into lunchtime. After lunch it’s more creating with the occasional tweet, facebook update, and blog post. By the time I turn around most of the day is usually gone. I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun ;)

3) Name your top 3:

Books

Beth: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close; A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; David Copperfield

Jillian: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, The Girl Who Played With Fire, Black's Law Dictionary

Jillian

Garrick: The Richest Man In Babylon, Don’t Know Much About History, Captain Underpants

Music

Beth: Sara Bareilles; Adele; Regina Spektor

Jillian: Sara Bareilles, Guster, Jason Mraz

Garrick: Jay-Z, Sinatra

TV

Beth: Modern Family; Parenthood; Gilmore Girls

Jillian: Bones, Gilmore Girls, Fairly Legal

Garrick: Yankees, Discovery Channel, History Channel

Web sites:

Beth: Gawker; nytimes.com

Jillian: Hyperboleandahalf.com, googlemaps and youtube

Garrick: tumblr.com, colorburned.com, kidrobot.com

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

We have way too many to list but here’s a few shops that we really dig their style:

Joelquiggle.etsy.com

Tsaifi.etsy.com

Everybodyelse.etsy.com

5.) What projects are you currently working on?

top secret project - a sneak peak!

This was supposed to be a secret but since you asked we’ll share ;) We’re currently working on a higher end line of pieces; we can’t give too many details but think museum style display! We should have a few teaser shots on our blog soon.

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

One year from now we hope to take over the world, but at the very least, we expect to have consistent sales on a daily basis.

At this point, the vast majority of our Etsy sales come from people with buyer only accounts, which is great. We would love to get some more exposure and share our work with our fellow Etsy shop owners as we feel there’s tremendous room for growth within this group.

We also plan on expanding our apparel line and increasing our brick and mortar presence.

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

Below are some things that helped us as a bit when we were starting on Etsy (and continue to help us); perhaps you’ll find them useful as well.

Beth

Getting Started on Etsy

· Etsy has a bunch of moving parts, don’t get overwhelmed: Take things one step at a time. There is a ton of information on Etsy but when we got started we found that the best way to learn how to list an item was to list our first item. Remember, the only way to learn to swim is to get wet ;)

· Know why you’re setting up an Etsy shop: Will this be a hobby, a way to earn extra income, part of a career change, a virtual gallery for your work, a way to leverage online presence etc.

· Write your own definition of success: Is 100 items in your shop success? Is 5 sales in a month success? We don’t have an answer but you should have a feeling of what you consider success. Once you have your definition, don’t worry about what others are doing, put on your blinders and focus on your goals ;)

· When in doubt ask: We think that the Virtual Labs are a tremendous tool. After about a year of attending various sessions we continue to learn new things each time we attend one. It is a great environment to get feedback and ideas from fellow Etsians and experienced Etsy admins. If you have a question don’t be shy just ask and someone will gladly help out. Remember, we all start in the same place, the beginning ;)

· Last and absolutely most important in our opinion: HAVE FUN!!!

If you have any questions about anything please don’t hesitate to reach out to us (info@senioritis.net), we would be more than happy to help our fellow Etsians if we can!

Last, but not least, be sure to stop by the Senioritis blog for a visit, pick up a free sticker and enter their sticker contest!

2011-04-20T17:41:00.000-04:00

It's STICKER TIME

Sticker Contest HERE

May Merchandising Trends and Tips

2011-04-20T12:29:00.000-04:00

May is almost here! By sharing our merchandising tips, our goal is to create a healthy balance between promotions for traditional holidays, seasonal changes, cultural events, and lifestyle trends. It's also a great way to change up the way you approach managing your Etsy business.

Stay Engaged in May  Our central merchandising will focus on Mother's Day, graduations, and Father's Day this month. While emphasis will be placed upon the seasonality of the Northern Hemisphere, it's important to remember the Southern Hemisphere is preparing for autumn. Maintaining seasonally appropriate options year-round is good practice for boosting international and overall sales.

Mother's Day: Make sure to have expedited shipping options available to take advantage of any last-minute shoppers in need of the perfect gift.

Graduation and Teacher Gifts: As the traditional academic year comes to a close, think about offering items that would show appreciation for teachers or a sentimental congratulation for graduates. Personalization, handmade cards (think monetary gifts), and keepsakes are always sought after. The typical college year comes to a close in early to mid-May, while high schools tend to close in mid to late June.

Fashion: Options for summer emphasize showing some skin, open toes, lightweight materials, and sun protection: sunglasses, sunscreen, makeup, balms, hats and coverups. Summer dresses, shoes and accessories, and options for hair are key.

Gardening and Artisanal Food: Thoughtful cultivation of food is becoming less a trend and more of a sustainable movement. Think in terms of what you can offer toward organic methods, growing, non-processed options, recipes, and education around sustainable food options. Expect farmer's markets, raising animals, community gardens, and co-ops continue to grow in popularity.

Weddings, Proms, and Celebrations: Embrace your inner teenager and think about glam prom options with a touch of sparkle and edge: dresses, shoes, jewelry, bags, hair accessories, corsages, and make-up. Smack in the middle of the busiest time for wedding season, think about how your line can offer or evoke outdoor options for both the ceremony and after-party.

Emerald is May's birthstone; May's astrological signs are Taurus and Gemini (April 21 - May 20: Taurus, May 21 - June 21: Gemini).

Trending Topics:

Cinco de Mayo: Celebrations and honor of Mexican culture: beverages, food, festive decor, bright colors, and music.

Gadget Accessories: With the recent iPhone and iPad availability on Verizon, coupled with the release of iPad 2, accessories for smartphones and tablets are on the rise.

Letters, Numbers, and Symbols: Large vintage signage letters, letterpress blocks, monogram housewares, and typewriter keys.

The Indoor Garden: Glass domes, terrariums, air plants, window herbs, succulent plants, garden markers, and planters.

Fashion: American prep, nautical, and equestrian references. Tribal, geometric, and color-blocking. Peekaboo cuts, sheer panels, and lace. Wooden platform heels, reversible swimwear, and vintage sunglasses.

Personalization: Monograms, initials, text, numbers, zodiacs, constellations, portraits, custom labels, stamps, fingerprints and family trees.

Vintage: Globes, maps, crates, baskets, barware, industrial appliances, farmhouse, typewriters, cameras, brass and cast iron animals.

Natural history and woodland forest themes and animals, namely birds, owls, squirrels, hedgehogs, chipmunks, bunnies, butterflies, feathers, nests, eggs, acorns, leaves, trees, branches, woodgrain, and natural colors.

If you'd like to stay engaged and involved with the approaching merchandising themes, use them in your own artistic voice as you add to your shop. They can be translated in your listings, photos, shop announcements, descriptions, tags, titles, sales promotions, and more.

If you make items that would fit well with the themes outlined, try stocking up and listing them in advance to take advantage of potential shipping deadlines and site features. Do you already have items in your shop that meld well? That's great! Now it's time to revisit those items to make sure your tags, titles and descriptions reflect keywords that shoppers might be looking for this time of year. This is also a great opportunity to revamp your item photography with a new look. Check out some great how-to's for item photography to get started.

For those of your who enjoy making treasuries, we'll be looking to highlight lists that interpret these themes in a creative and cohesive way throughout the site. Please tag your treasuries accordingly.

See the rest of the May Merchandise Desk in the Storque here: http://www.etsy.com/storque/seller-handbook/from-etsys-merchandising-desk-may-planning-12555/

Edited and images chosen by Chelsea Rainbow

Mosaic Monday - Bunnies, Bunnies Everywhere!

2011-04-18T14:53:00.000-04:00

From Top Left, clockwise:

team tag: labratsteam

Congratulations...

2011-04-16T12:26:00.000-04:00

New Hope Beading!

Your treasury received the most votes this month. Thanks so much to everyone who made treasuries and voted. Peek into NewHopeBeading's shop in the Rat Spotlight.

2011-04-15T18:07:00.000-04:00

April is Sticker Time for Senioritis

Swing by, say hello and pickup your sticker HERE

Life of an Item with SmithAndDaphne

2011-04-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

Hi, all - this is Kristen from Smith & Daphne! I’m slowly working on creating more items for my shop, and one thing I’m focusing on is my line of animal pillows. I’ve been really inspired by the woodland trend that’s been happening, since it’s something that I love. At this point, I have a fox, a hedgehog, and a bear:

Each pillow starts with the drawing process. I’m not exactly an “artist”, so this sketching process has stretched me.

As you can see, there can be many versions of an animal before I get to the final one. I’m really drawn to graphic shapes so I wanted to use simple silhouettes, but you lose a lot of defining detail when you’re only working with an outline! It takes me a while to find the right balance for each new animal. The sketching often involve research, as well. For example, I now know two new facts about bears. 1) They walk flat footed/heel-first, like we do (many other animals don’t). 2) They move the legs on the same side of their bodies at the same time - unlike, say, dogs, which move diagonally-opposite legs together. Fascinating, eh?

Once I have the animal’s shape finalized, I draw it on plain white paper. If necessary, I can scan the image and resize it on the computer to print either a larger or smaller silhouette. (It was actually a much more difficult process to enlarge the image than I expected. My Mac didn’t want me to make an image that would print on more than 1 piece of paper.) I use fusible interfacing to transfer my shape into felt and place the felt on the fabric. The fusing process makes it simpler to keep my shapes consistent, and it also allows me to decide whether or not I want my hand-stitching to literally attach the felt or just enhance the design.

Each of my pillows has hand-stitching around the silhouette. I vary the stitches I use as well as the embroidery thread color. I usually pull out my boxes of thread (these were originally my mom’s!) and set them out next to the fabric to help me decide which to use. Sometimes I use a tone-on-tone look; other times, I go for contrast. I often watch Grey’s Anatomy or another TV show or movie while I stitch - it’s time-consuming!

After the applique is complete, it’s time to make the fabric into a pillow cover. I almost always use French seams in my covers for durability, and sometimes I use one of my machine’s decorative stitches as a little accent on the back. I include a small label on most pillows, but I just place it on the inner half of the envelope-style opening, so you only see it if you’re inserting or taking out a pillow form. Right now, I use iron-on printable fabric with my shop name and website that I cut into strips - quick and easy.

Each pillow is unique, but I can easily duplicate and customize them. My very first sale was a custom order for a pillow just like one I had listed but in a different color. I’m always open to custom requests, and I enjoy working on them. I have plans to keep expanding this product line, and luckily, once I have an image created, the entire process is much simpler. Many of my other items are one of a kind and not so easily recreated - it’s nice to have a “go-to” item that offers room for creativity but still lets me relax a bit on the design process.

Mosaic Monday...Spring and Easter, just around the corner

2011-04-11T10:53:00.000-04:00

From top left, clockwise

center:

team tag: labratsteam

please tag your items so the team can find you! :)

Treasury Challenge Finalists

2011-04-09T19:56:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to ImpossiblyAlice, Giggles, and NewHopeBeading on having the top treasuries this month! Vote for your favorite and the winner will be announced on the 16th.

It's Not to Early to Start Shopping for Mother's Day by ImpossiblyAlice

April Forest Friends by Giggles

Green Equals Earth Day by NewHopeBeading

Mosaic Monday...Spring is Coming

2011-04-04T13:42:00.000-04:00

From top left, clockwise:

Team Tag: labratsteam

2011 Style Inspiring Muses for This Year’s Crafts

2011-04-03T19:59:00.002-04:00

Crafting in General

For this year I put on my thinking cap and came up with a plethora of crafts in demand. The demand for eco-minded craft supplies like naturally-sourced woods, recycled resin and metal, beeswax, and affordable natural and organic fabrics (in bold colors and prints - of course!) will increase in 2011.

Colors

Colors from nature will be the trendiest shades in 2011. This includes bright jewel tones like honeysuckle pink, rich yellow, fuchsia, deep red, plum purple, teal, and earthy tones like grey, dusty browns, natural greens and blues.

If we were to have a 2011 runway show, fabric combinations like lace and flannel would adorn the models, as well as shorter hemlines, lots of layers, and clothing with advanced details like creative and structural pleating, smocking, pleasant finishes and detailed embellishments. The top fashion style of 2011 is one that mixes the 1940’s and 1970’s with modern finishes and techniques!

2011 look books will include more symmetrical designs and vintage patterns. The types of fabrics crafters want to work with the most include comfort fabrics, high contrast prints and stretch knits.

Jewelry Making

In the world of jewelry making, material imitations using clay, fused plastic and resin are predicted to be popular in 2011. We may also see the millefiore technique making a comeback!

Sewing, Embroidery and Quilting

In 2011, newer techniques like stitching on mixed media and free form stitching will grow in popularity as advanced needlework artisans look to take their craft to the next level. Embroiderers will take advantage of more in-the-hoop designs and a spike in the creation and use of vintage embroidery transfers. Quilters will increase the use of non-traditional embellishments and will leave us in awe with detailed art quilts, a popular activity especially amongst hip crafters.

Knitting and Crochet

In 2011, the types of yarn knit and crochet artisans will prefer are super soft acrylics, wool and natural yarns. Crochet techniques, such as using a double-ended hook and crochet-cables, will be trendy. Cabled knits are predicted to be a hot knitting technique in 2011.

Paper Crafting

Using layers, ephemera and inking edges to give paper and embellishments an aged and antique look is a hot trend that’ll continue in 2011. I foresee a strong growth in the creation and use of digital scrapbooking image sheets.

Baking and Cooking

Fondant and decorating gels will take the cake in 2011, so to speak, for cookie, cupcake and cake decorators. Decorators will continue to advance their craft by producing highly realistic details and representations out of edible products. On the cooking side of things, the demand for locally grown food, gluten-free food and organic food and the adoption of cooking with fresh, seasonal foods will all lead to healthier crafters in 2011.

Handmade Gifts

Personalized, one of a kind items will be the go-to gifts for crafters to make family and friends in 2011. Accessories for gadgets like cameras, phones, MP3 players, iPads, Android Tablets and Kindles are popular gifts for the tech-savvy crowd. For the practical crafter, reusable gifts such as quilts and small wearables like scarves, wrist warmers and hats are sensible gift options that can last a lifetime.

For the advanced crafter, giving a gift basket with handmade goodies like washcloths, potholders, cleaning supplies, food, candles, soaps, and beauty supplies is an enjoyable gift that is met with open arms.

Sorry I couldn't fit more items in this blog, but it was so long as in is. I hope everyone learns something from my guest blog and contact me if you would like ~ ChelseaRainbow/Jacqueline Gikow

April Treasury Challenge

2011-04-02T12:42:00.000-04:00

Baby's First Egg Hunt Onesie by PeaPodRay

Yay! It's time for another treasury challenge! I loved seeing all the different ideas used to inspire your treasuries last month and so this month we want to encourage the same. Keeping April in mind here are some ideas straight from this month's merchandising notes. There are two big holidays this month and another one to prep for - Earth Day, Easter, and Mother's Day. The on trend topics still include spring, gardening, personalization, geometry, and woodland themes with a few new ones thrown in. Pick out your theme and enter your treasury by the end of April 8th. Then you know what happens - the vote!

Here are the rules:

Use at least 8 Lab Rat members. Try using our new member shops tab.
Include "Treasury Challenge" in the title of your treasury
Tag your treasury with "labratsteam"
Tag your treasury with "team treasury"
Tag your treasury with "april trends"
Link back to this post to encourage others to participate
Leave a comment on this post with a link to your treasury for official entry
Promote & have fun!

Introducing.......

2011-04-01T14:39:00.000-04:00

Its that time again to introduce our new members.

Drum roll please...................... here's our March members.

FoggyMorningSundries

What is your given name?

My name is Misty.

What made you want to start an Etsy shop?

I love making soap and needed something to do with what I made...Etsy was a perfect solution!

Which item in your shop is your favorite?

I am rather partial to my puzzle piece soap because my son has autism. But I love my rubber ducky soap too!

Where does your shop name originate from?

My name is Misty Dawn. Because of this, my uncle called my younger sister Foggy Morning. I loved the way it sounds, so here I am! :-)

Hammingen

What is your given name?

David Wilson

What made you want to start an Etsy shop?

As far as the real reason goes my memory doesn't quite stretch back that far. It appears that I have filled my mind with far to many other pieces of information to recall anything that happened more than a week or so ago however I can give you the reason that I continue to work on my shop to this day. In the next 6 months I am hoping to depart on a religious mission and I am attempting to gather together some extra money in order to pay my way for two years. In addition to this I enjoy the crafts which I participate in and being an etsy seller allows some of my materials to be purchased.

Which item in your shop is your favorite?

My favourite product in my store would probably be one I don't even have in my etsy shop yet. I'm working on my pencil sketch art, specifically the anatomical sketches which I love so much so keep an eye out for those which should be coming soon. For the sake of being able to put an image to this paragraph though I would have to say my 'Alice in wonderland ornamental wooden blocks (set of two). I just love the way they came out and they were a lot of fun to make.

Where does your shop name originate from?

The name of my shop really has no relation to anything in it. The name Hammingen is merely an online username which I use for every one of my accounts, hence with creating my shop when I was new to etsy I used my username as my shop name as well. Since then the name of my shop on my banner has changed to 'from the other heart', which I like to think represents the type of soft and rustic style items which I like to create.

CindyBead

What is your given name?

Hi, My name is Cindy Warner.

What made you want to start an Etsy shop?

I was encouraged to start an Etsy shop by my friends who are Etsy fans. After I investigated Etsy for myself, I thought it would be perfect to sell my jewelry.

Which item in your shop is your favorite?

My green dragonfly is my favorite piece. It’s my favourite because it’s my first.

Where does your shop name originate from?

My name is Cindy and I Bead. Therefore Cindy Bead was born.

Squeak Squeak!

Poppy

(poppyseedcats)

Life of an Item with BySaraLynn

2011-03-29T08:00:00.001-04:00

Creating for me is rarely a linear process. Maybe it’s because I constantly have a handful of projects already started or suffer from major procrastination and I-don’t-feel-like-it syndrome. One thing that remains the same for every piece is it starts out as a doodle. Everywhere I go in my house I can find one of these little scrap pieces of paper with different ideas. That simple flower drawing is where this idea began.

To start this piece I made the kanzashi flower first. This involves folding itty bitty 2” squares of fabric into the petals and stitching them all together. Of course, I have to pick out the right cute button, too.

With the flower made and the embroidery hoop picked out it’s time for a few more doodles. This time they are size accurate and a couple of ideas come out. I like the one with a single flower best. When I pick out my background fabric I start thinking about thread colors. Those get jotted down on my doodle along with different stitches I can use. From the beginning I know this is going to be a bright piece.

Time to get it all on the fabric! I choose to freehand my design on the fabric with an air soluble marker. The marker disappears within 72 hours, often sooner, so once I get started I like to keep going until the stitching is finished.

The stitching takes the biggest chunk of time in the whole process. It’s a very detail oriented process with lots of tiny stitches. With some Pandora, Netflix, or just TV the time goes pretty quick though. In this piece I used 4 different stitches – the backstitch, running stitch, stem stitch, and lazy daisy. Once all the stitching is done it’s time to trim the excess fabric, secure the piece in the frame, and cover the back with a simple piece of cardstock. And there you have it!

Mosaic Monday - Seeing Red...and Black

2011-03-28T15:45:00.000-04:00

From Top Left, clockwise

senioritis
ORomeo
Caracrass
BabyEtte
EarthyHabitat

PoisonPaws

Mosaic Monday - Just Ducky

2011-03-21T16:33:00.002-04:00

From top left, clockwise:

FoggyMorningSundries

mrooart

peapodray

yarnabees

team tag: labratsteam

Congratulations...

2011-03-19T11:08:00.000-04:00

Squier!

Your Ides of March treasury topped our treasury challenge this month. Check out Squier in the Rat Spotlight to get a glimpse into Rita and Mike's shop.

2011-03-17T08:00:00.001-04:00

Looking at an Etsy shop today I clicked on the listing for a necklace. I thought "Nice colours, and it looks like the sort of design and nice long length that such-and-such friend would like."

In the description, the seller used the word "long" to describe the necklace three times, but since there wasn't an image of the piece on a mannequin or a model, and she didn't actually say HOW long, I'm still left wondering. I know, I know, I could convo her to ask, but every extra step a buyer has to take gets in the way of a sale.

This seller is doing a lot right, and has respectable sales and feedback to prove it. But as a potential customer those nuts-and-bolts details are every bit as important to me as knowing her inspiration for the design.

The 20 Questions Your Buyers Are Asking article in Etsy's blog includes a handy checklist of things to think about when listing. After all, size isn't the only thing that matters!

Life of an Item with La Alicia

2011-03-15T08:00:00.002-04:00

Hi there, my name is Alicia of La Alicia, earth friendly frills. I make women's accessories with recycled materials. I am paper-obsessed!

I thought it would be nice to share this eco friendly multipurpose paper pouch tutorial with the LabRats Team. Squeak!

1. Start with a square piece of paper. The one I used was 8” x 8”. Place it on your work surface with one corner pointing toward you.

2. Fold the corner pointing toward you up to the opposite point and crease the fold.

3. Fold the far right point in lining it up with the opposite edge and crease the fold.

4. Repeat with the far left point.

5. Fold the top point down along the line that was created with the previous two folds and crease.

6. Unfold and tuck the top piece into the top pocket created.

7. Fill pouch with items on your choice and fold the remaining flap by tucking in into the pouch with the previous one. Viola!

These little pouchlettes can be made in a variety of sizes by starting with different size paper squares. I love to use reclaimed magazine pages and junk mail to make these. You could use any foldable material you like to create these. They’re great to keep little things from getting lost. This size perfectly fits a pair of earrings and a business card.

I hope you enjoy making and using these as much as I do.

Mosaic Monday - Happy St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-14T12:17:00.001-04:00

From top left, clockwise

team tag: labratsteam

Treasury Challenge Finalists

2011-03-13T17:18:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to our top team treasury curators for March - Squier, GrayFlannelDesign, MrooArt, and MollyFinds.

Take a peek at these top treasuries and cast your vote by March 18th.

Ides of March by Squier

March Lab Rats Team Challenge by GrayFlannelDesign

Vernal Equinox by MrooArt

Shades and Textures in Green by MollyFinds

Mosaic Monday

2011-03-07T11:51:00.000-05:00

From top left, clockwise

team tag: labratsteam

Treasury Challenge Returns!

2011-03-06T12:58:00.000-05:00

St Patrick's Shamrock Potholder by ScrapHappieAZ

After a month off the team treasury challenge is back! This month we're keeping the theme loose - absolutely anything to do with March. Here are some ideas - Mardi Gras is this Tuesday so make the biggest, baddest party treasury you can. Same goes for St. Patrick's Day except make sure it's green, just like the beer that day. And, of course, the end of March is the official start of spring. Get your treasuries in by the 11th and the top treasuries will go up for a vote.

Here are the rules:

Use at least 8 Lab Rat members. You can use our members list in the sidebar.
Include "Treasury Challenge" in the title of your treasury
Tag your treasury with "labratsteam"
Tag your treasury with "labratchallenge"
Tag your treasury with "march"
Link back to this post to encourage others to participate
Leave a comment on this post with a link to your treasury for official entry
Promote & have fun!

Think about incorporating ideas from March's merchandising notes like woodland themes, gardening, and personalization. A few extra tips to make your treasury front page friendly - include a variety of items with a range of prices, don't include yourself, and tag your treasuries. Head to the Treasury to get started or read up on how to make a treasury first. Either way - make the Lab Rats proud.

Introducing.......

2011-03-03T06:28:00.000-05:00

Its that time again to introduce our new members.

Drum roll please...................... here's our February members

Paperfinchart

What is your given name?

Lisa Stevens

What made you want to start an Etsy Shop?

I've been selling my art at local brick and morter shops and art galleries in Nashville, TN for a few years now and decided I wanted to expand my customer base through various online venues, including Etsy.

Which item in your shop is your favorite?

It's so hard to choose! I'd say it's a toss-up between "Annibel Lee" and "Origin of Creativity" because they both came out of a huge creative transition in my life. Also, my whimsical birds on a wire series has been very profitable, so in a way they are also a favorite. In general, my favorites are often the pieces that surprised me at their completion, becoming something better than I'd planned at the start.

Where does your shop name originate from?

My shop name originates from my business name, Paper Finch Studio. You can check out my website for other work not on Etsy at www.paperfinchstudio.com.

Alphabetcitystudio

What is your given name?

Carrie

What made you want to start an Etsy shop?

Growing up without much money, I was taught to be resourceful and make things from what we had. My Mom and Aunt were very creative and we would always get together as a family to craft. The biggest project of the year was to make Christmas ornaments for a tree (or to make a tree!) and other Christmas decorations for the big family Christmas dinner. When I was in college, my sister and I would shop for earrings and thought, "We can make that!" and so we started to make earrings together. We sold them at little parties we put together, but was limited to only the people we knew. We stopped that project after some time, but I always had in the back of my mind, a thought of one day opening a shop where I could sell my crafts. I knew that opening a physical shop would have a lot of initial investments and overhead and that it would take a lot of my time - and that would mean no time to make things. I thought of opening a shop on-line, but I knew nothing about websites and e-commerce, setting up a virtual merchant, etc. - AND there would be a big initial investment as well. Also, I'm fickle, so I knew that if I started out with jewelry, for example, I might later on want to make greeting cards or start sewing clothes or bags, etc. So, when a girlfriend of mine (OverallBaby on Etsy) introduced me to Etsy, I knew it was what I was waiting for! A place where people sold their handmade goods - and it could be ANYTHING! All the logistics of payment, website layout, and even a customer base was all set up! ...and the best part - it was FREE to open up shop!!! I started with making greeting cards in 2008, but when 2 of my best friends got pregnant in 2009, I switched gears to baby items.

Which item in your shop is your favorite?

My favorite item in my shop now is the "Create your own reversible dress". I have them in infant sizes (NB to 18 months) and girl sizes (2T to 6T). The dresses also have a different cut - a wider angle at the bottom for the infant sizes for room for diapers. I love to see the different prints and combination that each customer chooses - right now I'm working on 4 dresses and all 8 prints are different. I actually started off with color coordinating the 2 sides, but when my girlfriend ordered a toddler dress with one side pink and another side blue, it rung true that you are getting 2 dresses in one!

Where does your shop name originate from?

When I was trying to come up with a shop name, I wanted to make sure that it wouldn't be too specific in case I decided to eventually have a shop with a bunch of different items. I also didn't want to use anything that was related to my name, screenname, username, etc. So, after a lot of thinking, I thought of how my crafting and creativity was nurtured throughout my childhood and thoughts drifted back to my old neighborhood (I had already moved to LA by 2008). I was born and raised and lived in the Lower East Side Manhattan in Alphabet City (Avenue C to be exact) until my late 20s. I thought "Alphabet City" was perfect since I could include anything in my shop that began with any letter of the alphabet! ..and then I threw in "Studio" in hopes to give it a feel of a more personal studio vs. a big manufacturing company. (Also, for search engine purposes, I figured "studio" would help narrow down the searches.)

Repurposeddrivenlife

What is your given name?

Kaleigh

What made you want to start an Etsy shop?

I started making teacup candles - and really started to love re-purposing items. To figure out whether or not these would make good gifts for Christmas time, I put them up on Etsy - and they sold! It was so exciting.

Which item in your shop is your favorite?

Probably the retro Johnson Bros. Tea pot - how redonkulous is that?

Where does your shop name originate from?

I have never read a Purposed Driven Life but knew that it sounded familiar. A Repurposed Driven Life is just that - a life that is driven to get every use from the junk that we collect over the years. Not only is it environmentally friendly, but it is cost effective and more importantly fun!

3princessesengraving

What is your given name?

Rachael Hardiman

What made you want to start an Etsy shop?

I've always loved creating things but never thought of myself as a business/sales person. I had this really weird concept of business: that pushy buy my stuff; money, money, money; and, no friends in business attitude; which, always scared me away because that is sooo not me. My family has always worked with wood and wanted to keep the tradition, then my husband got the idea of having an engraver business. Bought the engraver and haven't looked back. Then I found Etsy and fell in love! I love the sense of community. People help each other care about one another. It's about unique ideas and things, creating something with pride and making friends, supporting one another. I opened shop and haven't looked back.

Which item in your shop is your favorite?

That's so hard: I'm torn between my heart pendant and my circle wall art The pendant feels like I'm carrying on the family tradition sanding things by hand and I love how it looks. The circle wall art because I stepped out of my comfort zone. I had no idea of how it would turn out when I first started designing it and ended up creating something pretty neat.

Where does your shop name originate from?

My shop name: 3Princesses Engraving is named after our three little girls. My husband and I wanted the name to mean something to us so we named it after them. Our name probably confuses a lot of people (no princess styled items-ha!) and the name is rather long but I couldn't imagine having any other name :)

Gerdasgarden / Heart4him

What is your given name?

Gerda Collins

What made you want to start an Etsy shop?

This is my second shop, I wanted to focus on my paintings.

Which item in your shop is your favorite?

http://www.etsy.com/listing/65812911/apple-watercolor-print

Where does your shop name originate from?

My first name is Gerda and I wanted to share my love of plants/gardens

Welcome to the team and we hope to see you in the lab soon.

Squeak Squeak!

Poppy

(Poppyseedcats)

Life of an Item with Cantrix

2011-03-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

I am inspired by many things, sometimes it's a photo in a book or on the internet, sometimes a song or even an idea, but really I'm just inspired by color. When I created this colorway I didn't have an actual picture that I went by. Some of the most fun in my "dye lab" (read tiny kitchen) is when I stand with a blank skein of yarn, my dye, and the desire to create something unexpected. I love putting together colors you might not usually think to put together. Often times those are the best combinations! This colorway in particular has some great pastel and bright colors that you might not expect to see with each other but I think what really makes the colorway is the balance of the sable brown.

Every time I dye yarn it starts the same, I take out my tools - bowls, measuring cups, spoons, and whisks as well as all of my 'ingredients' - powdered drink mixes, food coloring, citric acid, and of course yarn. All of this goes on top of my stove, because it's easiest to clean up. The actual dyeing is really quite simple. I just add my ingredients to water, and dip my yarn in it however the design of the colorway requires. As I create a new colorway I keep very detailed notes so that I can recreate it again. Once the yarn has had the dye applied as needed it goes in the microwave. The heat sets the dye. At that point it's mostly done. I let it cool for some time because as it cools down the dye sets further into the yarn. Once it's cooled I rinse it thoroughly, roll it up in a towel, step on it to get the water out, and hang it up to dry. It is usually dry by the following afternoon and ready for pictures.

I don't have a fancy light box or anything for photos, I just use a big roll of white paper in front of a window with nice light. The white paper really simplifies the photo taking and lets the colors of the yarn shine. The white comes in handy though because I can use it to adjust the white balance on my camera and once again when I take the photos to my computer to edit them. Getting the color absolutely correct is difficult but essential when color is your main focus. I use Picasa to edit my photos and I am almost always able to get the color to look right with little adjustment. Then it comes to listing. I have a love hate relationship with listing. It is fun, but time consuming. I try to enjoy the creative aspect of it by having fun with the names of my colorways. I often get my husband in on it (he also has an etsy shop recordtime.etsy.com) and he actually came up with one of my most popular colorways, Mean Mr. Mustard http://www.etsy.com/listing/54365028/mean-
mr-mustard-hand-dyed-merino-silk we are big Beatles fans. Sometimes the names come from my inspiration for the colorway or sometimes the yarn just reminds me of something. My goal with my shop was to create colorways I could duplicate so that I wouldn't have to go through the entire listing process every time I list a new item. That is now the case. I still enjoy doing a one of a kind or new colorway from time to time, but it's really nice when something sells to be able to 'renew sold'!

Mosaic Monday

2011-02-28T11:01:00.000-05:00

From top left, clockwise

Five Rules for Etsy Success, Part I

2011-02-20T15:10:00.001-05:00

Anyone attending the Virtual Labs when I'm in there being an opinionated buyer has likely seen some version of my Five Rules for Etsy Success:  1) Don't sell crap  2) Have great photos 3) Make your tags, titles and descriptions work hard 4) List often 5) Promote, promote, promote.

This time I'll ramble on about Rule 1. It's true that "crap" on Etsy is very much in the mind of the beholder.
I often see stuff that makes me wonder what the heck the seller was thinking, but then I'll also note that they've made sales of items I wouldn't have in my house. That serves as a useful reminder that one person's crap is another's wonderfully creative or useful thingie.

So, how to avoid trying to sell crap? First, love what you make. If you don't think it's awesome, why should anyone else? If it's just out there because you think it will sell, you're not being true to yourself, or respecting that potential buyer.
Then, ask yourself some questions:

  • Is it the best quality it can be for the price?
  • Would you buy this item if you couldn't make it?
  • Who is your competition? Does anyone else sell this item?
  • If it is a commodity product, such as jewellery assembled from standard components, what is it about your product that makes it better or more interesting or more appealing? Think about materials, technique, design, and of course YOU.

Great photos, brilliant tags, titles and descriptions, strategic listing and relentless promotion can take a shop a long way toward success, but it all starts with the items.

If you're feeling stuck, try brainstorming some ideas alone, or with friends or Team mates. Ask your customers or readers of your blog what could make your items better, or what they're looking for that you don't have. Research your competition. And of course subscribe to the Etsy Success newsletter and read the monthly Etsy Merchandising Desk articles for timely information about current and upcoming trends, features, and events or occasions that can spark fresh ideas.

Life of an Item with TreeandSap

2011-02-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

I am very excited to introduce you to the shop of Tree and Sapling, named after my husband who is 6'7" (Tree) and myself who is 5' (Sapling). Our shop is inspired by mine and my husband's need of products that are skin quenchingly good and deliciously scented! Trying to decide what products to do wasn't as easy as coming up with our shop's name. Loving everything beautiful and unique, I was indecisive and couldn't settle on an inspiration for our very first product.....

So... through my indecisiveness of what to start with, my husband had the idea to create a shave item that could help protect his skin from shave burn and the rawness caused by wearing a collared shirt and tie every day to work. Mix this with the scorching heat of Arizona, the standard shaving products currently on the market left his skin feeling sensitive and more prone to getting burned by the sun.

After researching ingredients and adding everything to my shopping cart, looking at the total, and then taking everything out of the cart again, I settled on a cosmetic base that has lots of lush ingredients and room for me to add some of my own.

I now spend lots of time mixing, measuring, and smelling to get everything just right and usually use all the bowls, spatulas, and measuring cups belonging to Tree and Sap until the sink is overflowing and I am happy with the outcome. I then assign my husband to dish duty so I can start all over again with another product!

Photographing the products and capturing the perfect snap is second best to trying the product out when it is first created. What could be better than always having a cabinet full of fun filled products!

Stop by Tree and Sap's for your next shave jellies, soaps, whipped soaps, salt scrubs, or sugar scrubs with more to come!

Mosaic Monday...Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T13:29:00.001-05:00

Center:

rctees

From bottom left, clockwise:

labratsteam

Mosaic Monday...Love is in the air

2011-02-07T12:29:00.000-05:00

1. WhiteThistleBridal 2. UniquelyEJewelry

3. Rolyzcreations 4.CardsBetweenFriends

5. SmithAndDaphne 6. hoganfe

7. ForsythiaHill 8. Jackthemanabouttown

don't forget to tag items in your shops with labratsteam so the team can find you

Introducing.......

2011-02-03T08:42:00.000-05:00

Its that time again to introduce our new members.

Drum roll please...................... here's our January members

Smithandaphne

What is your given name?
Kristen DeOrnellas.

What made you want to start an Etsy shop?

Hmmm... I like making things and thought it would be a good outlet for that urge to create. I've been on Etsy as a buyer/browser since 2007, which is also around the time I started learning to sew and crochet and really get interested in making things myself. My husband encouraged me to start a shop because I'd made a floor pillow for our dog and he thought I should sell them - I do not, in fact, sell dog pillows, but I did decide to open a shop.

Which item in your shop is your favorite?

That's a hard one... I'd have to say that right now, it's the red and white chain garland. I love the colors, the texture, and the process of making it.

What do you enjoy doing when your not working on your shop?

Well, when I can find or make time, I love to read. I also love working in the garden (at my parents' house) or on the balcony (at my apartment). I also find plenty of things to make for our home or as gifts. I also spend way too much time reading blogs and "surfing the net" (do we use that phrase anymore?)

Where does your shop name originate from?

Good question. I just kind of made it up. I debated over the name for way too long and got to a point where I really needed to just pick one so I could open my shop. I liked the association of "Smith" with making things... blacksmith, silversmith, etc. It's also generic, which was something I wanted because I don't know if my shop is going to stay in the direction it is now (housewares) or move into other channels - and I didn't want to box myself in with a too-specific name. The "Daphne" is due to my love of the plant; the smell of daphne immediately makes me think of home. It's also got a link to mythology. I like that there's history to the words in my shop name, that like the crafts I practice, those words reference the past and for me, they reference home and the things I love as well.

DaisyDoe

What is your given name?

Erin

What made you want to start an Etsy shop?

Seeing so many wonderful creative individuals out there with their own Etsy shops really inspired me to start my own. Making items for Etsy really allows me to take my mind off every-day events and just relax. It's also pretty cool to receive nice comments about my items, and to see people enjoying my items.

Which item in your shop is your favorite?

Oh that's a tough one, but I think I would say my favourite item is "Rose the Pink Bunny", she's just got such a cute and innocent look about her (and plus, I love pink!)

What do you enjoy doing when your not working on your shop?

I enjoy designing and building websites, drawing and photography.

Where does your shop name originate from?

My love of nature - both flora and fauna. I find that even though daisies are a bit plain, they are still beautiful flowers, and deers are very alluring with their gorgeous big eyes. I thought the name "Daisy Doe" was unique, but not so much that others wouldn't be able to relate to it.

BonandChi

What is your given name?

My name is Sandy~ :) Though I've been using my nickname Chi on Etsy since it's part of the shop name and would be easier to remember.

What made you want to start an Etsy shop?

The thought of opening an online handmade business has never crossed my mind until I had made our wedding cake topper out of polymer clay (It is also the avatar I use on Etsy). It had received some great response from those who attended and a few of our friends and family had planted the idea to sell figures like this~ and when I stumbled across Etsy while shopping online one day, I found the perfect place to start a shop~ :3

Which item in your shop is your favorite?

It's quite hard to choose just one... as I like different aspects of each character creation. I guess an overall favorite would be the Mokuzai Ninjas (Ninja tree stumps), which is the first in the series that has the ability to merge with the "environment" (by turning 180 degrees around~ haha~). For some reason I really like making tree stumps!

I also have a real liking for Ninja Spheria (from the Ninja Shapes series) and have one of her charms dangling off the zipper of my bag~ (I also put her boyfriend, Ninja Square, on the zip of Bon's bag! X3 hehe) I also really like Miss Couch Potato as she reminds me of myself sometimes~ X3 although she haven't been as popular as the ninjas she will be having her own series (Exercise with Miss Couch Potato) out soon, which I hope will inspire the couch potato in us to exercise along with her~ ;)

What do you enjoy doing when your not working on your shop?

Bon and I really like playing video games~ X3 (see the inspiration for Miss Couch Potato?) Though I haven't been playing as much after starting the Etsy shop... We also love playing volleyball, although I can't say that we're pro's at it... Bon also loves soccer/football and we are Barca supporters! :D My favorite player is Xavi~ Bon's favorite would be Messi~ X3 I also love karaoke, but haven't been singing for a looooong time (other than in the shower... does that count?)

Where does your shop name originate from?

The name Bon&Chi is from the last characters of my hubby (Bon) and my own (Chi) Chinese names. Although we were born in Hong Kong and Taiwan respectively, we actually grew up in Australia and New Zealand (so my Chinese is actually not that good... I wish I had paid more attention at the Chinese classes my parents had sent me to when I was younger... :() I first used the Bon&Chi name on T-shirts that I had designed and we wore at the volleyball game during our wedding (Yes! Instead of "first dance" at our wedding we had the "first serve" haha~)

Earthyhabitat

What is your given name?

My first name is Sandra but my friends and family know me by my middle name which is Fiorella (or "Fio").

What made you want to start an Etsy shop?

A couple of years ago, I began attending craft fairs and selling my artwork as well as some jewelry pieces. I enjoyed the experience a lot and opened a physical store along with another local artist I had met at my workplace. A year later, I changed jobs and had to move two hours away from the area the store was located at. My business partner and I agreed that it would be easier for us to just part ways. As I was working on the idea of opening my own store in the town I now live in, I found out I was pregnant and all my plans were put on hold. Then, one day, I somehow ended up on Etsy while browsing the internet for baby items. At that point, I just knew that an online store was the way to go.

Which item in your shop is your favorite?

I love almost 90% of the items I make so the "favorite" one is usually my latest creation. In general, however, I enjoy the tagua jewelry very much. I feel good about using an eco-friendly and sustainable materials. At the same time, I also feel very proud because these seeds come from my country (Peru) and with each one that gets sold, I know I'm sharing a little bit of it with the rest of the world.

What do you enjoy doing when your not working on your shop?

I enjoy spending time with my 5 month old daughter. When I'm not at work or making things for my Etsy shop, I'm always hugging her, kissing her and playing with her.

Where does your shop name originate from?

'Earthy Habitat' was the name of my physical store. I invested so much on a domain name, website, business cards, flyers and other stationary that it just made sense to use it for my Etsy shop as well. I currently redirect all the website traffic to my Etsy shop (since this is what I've been maintaining the most lately). I also had FB fans for my store page, which are now finding out about the Etsy shop.

The idea behind the name is that we all belong to the Earth and that humanity as a whole should look at this planet at their natural habitat where no boundaries, borders or any kind of separation exists.

There are many beautiful things that nature provides us with in every corner of the world. I feel we all should make ourselves aware of that and enjoy them while we can.

Welcome to the team and hope to see you in the labs soon.

Poppy

(Poppyseedcats)

Life of an Item with SuzyJaneB

2011-02-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone! I'm Suzy, and my Etsy shop is Strung Art at www.SuzyJaneB.etsy.com. I make a whole bunch of different stuff for my shop. I started out with marionettes. I still make those, although they are always my longer term projects as there is a lot of work that goes into producing one of these. I also make soft cloth with acrylic paint art dolls, cute felt things, personalized nameboards and mirrors, and I have a range of illustrated Moleskine notebooks also listed in my shop.

I work from my office at home. I also have a workshop set up in my garage for larger projects and equipment storage, but it gets a bit cold there in the winter! So at the moment I have my projects spread throughout the whole house (sorry family!). I live in the Netherlands, the land of Rembrant, Vermeer, and Van Gogh, and the winter countryside is very much like you see in the old masters paintings, soft light and strong silhouettes of trees, windmills, and cows, actually quite inspiring! I have lived here for about 9 years with my dutch husband and two kids. Before that I lived in my home country New Zealand, where my daughter was born. One day I would like to go back there to the uncrowdedness, beautiful nature, and easy lifestyle. Its an interesting experience to feel at home in two very different countries!

Anyway, my featured item is a marionette. He has been a long time in the making, and isnt 'quite' listed in my Etsy shop, but he will be this week! He just needs hands!
With my marionettes I dont take a purely traditional approach. I start with either a wooden dowel frame, hinged with metal hooks in the joints, and a papier mache torso, or I sometimes (as with this one) use braided twine for the very long arms and legs, with knee and elbow joints of hooks and eyes. I like the lanky slightly gangly wobbly look that the thick twine provides. My head and face I sculpt completely from scratch, sometimes with a sketch to work off and sometimes just seeing what comes to me as I work. I use paper modelling clay, my favourite brand is Premier, its very light and offers a lovely smooth finish. It can also be lightly sanded and polished for a really smooth finish, but in this case I wanted a rough aged look, so I left it unsanded. I mostly use acrylic paint for the features, and for this gargoyle character I used quite earthy 'stone' tones and rubbed away some of the paintwork, again to make a quite aged worn look. He is pretty ugly!

I make the clothing one layer at a time. I make my own pattern as I go, as each marionette is different. I cut each item of clothing, and I generally hand stitch everything. Its all a bit small and fiddly to sew with the sewing machine. I find hand sewing a very meditative activity, also giving me time to plan the next item of clothing and get to know how everything needs to fit! So this guy has a white shirt with high collar, a silk waistcoat, and a sleeveless black jacket with velvet trousers. Each of these I made individually, I think this gives a very finished and detailed look to the final piece so its worth the extra time it takes.
I have modelled his shoes from Fimo, although sometimes I will also sew leather shoes or fabric, depending on the style. I have also used premade wooded clogs on dolls too! Easy to find in Holland :).

Lastly I will string these marionettes to a fairly simple handpiece, allowing for a string to each knee for walking movement, a string to each hand, one to the back for the 'bow', and one to each side of the head. The movement they provide is very simple, but easy for anyone to try out to great effect. This gargoyle guy however wont be strung yet - I am going to list him as either Art Doll suitable for hanging on the wall, or offer the marionette stringing if desired.

I hope you like him, he is so ugly but I hope someone loves him! If you would like to see more of my work you can find my blog at www.marionetteshop.com, or follow my Facebook fanpage at www.facebook.com/StrungArt - I have started posting 'how to' videos (currently a Valentines Heart Felt Mobile) and plan to do a downloadable project feature about every month or two, just for fun :)

Mosaic Monday - Love Exists

2011-01-31T12:03:00.000-05:00

From top, clockwise:

Mosaic Monday - Warm and Fuzzy!

2011-01-24T15:13:00.000-05:00

From top left, clockwise:

Introducing.......

2011-01-21T12:33:00.000-05:00

Its a bit late but please give a big squeak for our new December members.

I am sure we have already met them in the labs but I would like to take this time to officially introduce them to the rest of the rats and I hope you all welcome them with open arms and lots of virtual hugs.

First up.....
kiwichris

What is your given name?
Christine Baker
How long have you been on Etsy?

Since July 2010

How long has your shop been open?

Since July 2010

What do you enjoy doing when not creating for your shop?

As my shop is new, I'm always on the computer researching how to make some different jewelery. I also like to work on my family tree and ancestry.

What question would you like to ask your new team mates?

What Etsy application or tool do you like to use and why? I love explorer.

_________________________________________________________

JacquelineJewelry

What is your given name?

Jacqueline Gikow

How long have you been on Etsy?

Seven months

How long has your shop been open?

Seven months

Which item in your shop is your favourite?

Oh, groan, I don't have a favorite. :-) I make ooak items and usually the most recent listing is my favourite. I just finished designing these sweet dangly chandelier earrings so I guess I'll use those for this questionnaire.

What do you enjoy doing when not creating for your shop?

I like reading, hanging out with friends, going to the movies, writing on my blog, and of course, spending time with my boyfriend.

What question would you like to ask your new teammates?

I don't have any questions in particular other than wanting to get to know them and maybe becoming friends with a few.

_________________________________________________________

TangoCreations

What is your given name?

I'm Valeria Thomason

How long have you been on Etsy?

I've been on Etsy since January 2009.

How long has your shop been open?

My shop has been open since august 2010.

Which item in your shop is your favourite?

Each item has a time like my "favorite" until I create something new. Neck warmer and Hat in Summer colors has a lot about my country (Argentina).

What do you enjoy doing when not creating for your shop?

I enjoy my time working for charity with "Share a Square" program read more about the program http://thiseclecticlife.com/2010/11/09/tie-one-on-with-me/

What question would you like to ask your new teammates?

None yet, I just have a huge thank you for letting me be part of the Lab Rats team!!

_________________________________________________________

CafeD

What is your given name?

Dana

How long have you been on Etsy?

As a buyer, I think I started with Etsy sometime in 2008.

How long has your shop been open?

I opened CafeD in October 2010.

Which item in your shop is your favourite?

Right now it's my line of Rustic Candles which burn slowly with a gentle vanilla scent and are available in: Creamy Beige Sisal, Natural Light Tan Hemp, Dark Chocolate Brown, Dark Forest Green, Rudolph Red.

What do you enjoy doing when not creating for your shop?

Traveling with my husband and step-son to find the greasiest, tastiest cheeseburger and prettiest campground. (My sweetie and I are newlyweds.) I love vintage, antique-ing, traveling Route 66 and cooking.

You can learn more about us at:

My food and etsy blog at http://www.cookingatcafed.com/

My vintage travel blog at http://www.feastingonamericana.com/

What question would you like to ask your new teammates?

I get most of my questions answered right away in the labs and forums. There is so much to learn. Most of all, thank you all SO VERY MUCH for the camaraderie already expressed by the Lab Rats. Your friendliness and helpfulness has made my first few months a real pleasure. :) *squeek*

_________________________________________________________

Hedgehogandrabbit

What is your given name?

Lindsay Hartwell

How long have you been on Etsy?

I've been on Etsy since 2007.

How long has your shop been open?

HedgehogandRabbit has been open since August 20, 2010

Which item in your shop is your favourite?

My favorite item is my garnet pomegranate brooch. I loved the process of making it and how it turned out.

What do you enjoy doing when not creating for your shop?

I make ATCs. I've been trying to get into the habit of making art for the sake of it. ATCs are my gateway art. I hope to someday be making useless impractical beautiful things in the future. It's my dream.

What question would you like to ask your new teammates?

I'm not famous for asking questions. Just the opposite. I look forward to seeing everyone in the labs (the one's I remember to get to). :)

_________________________________________________________

Well that wraps up the December memberships, I will be back at the end of the month to introduce the January members. An English Squeak to you all.

Poppy

(poppyseedcats)

Mosaic Monday

2011-01-17T13:56:00.000-05:00

More fabulous Lab Rat Team Members...

Left, top:

Plum linen pillow cover with wool felt fox applique by: SmithAndDaphne

middle:

Eco Friendly Light Blue Tagua Seeds Handcrafted Earrings by EarthlyHabitat

bottom:

Harness Coat -Vest in Classic Red Plaid by TerrierTrousers

Right:

Chinese New Years Bunny by BonAndChi

PS. Don't forget to tag your items so we can all find you - labrats, labratsteam

Congratulations...

2011-01-15T21:30:00.000-05:00

AngelPearls!

As always, thank you to everyone that participated making treasuries, commenting, and voting. This beautiful treasury has earned AngelPearls a spot in our Rat Spotlight in the blog sidebar. Take a moment to peek into her shop and see a variety of goodies.

Life of an Item with PoppySeedCats

2011-01-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

Hey, I’m Poppy of Poppy Seed Cats, I live in the dull rainy UK and share my house with 3 cats that are my constant inspiration and keep me very busy cleaning dirty little paws. My shop has a mixture of wire and wool sculptures based mainly on the cat form (a few extra animals like to sneak in every now and again). My wire sculptures are my favourite and today I will be showing you the process of my latest addition to my wire range.

Unfortunately due to living in a one bed roomed house my studio is my sofa in the living room and quite often my boyfriend will come home from work to find me under a pile of wire or wool trying to find the TV remote.

My inspiration for the wire cats comes from just watching my own cats move around the house and playing with each other, the feline body is an amazing and sleek machine which has inspired me all my life. My sculpting process used to start with a quick sketch up of the position I wanted the cat to be in and then move onto a scale drawing so I could get all the dimensions exact but now I can just jump straight in with the sculpting and I know the feline form by heart, I do miss the sketching process at times but it is now unnecessary and very time consuming.

The life of my tiny wire kitties starts at the tail and I work down with the wire creating the limbs as I go until I have created a skeleton out of one piece of wire. The next step is to bulk out the frame until it doesn’t look so anorexic, after this is done the head is created separate from the body. Usually at the stage while I’m occupied with the head one of my cats (usually Kiwi) steals the body and I have to swiftly rescue it before it resembles a pile of unsalvageable wire.

I create the head by wrapping the wire evenly around its self similar to making a snowball , when it’s the right size I create the ears using a single piece of wire bent with pliers to create a definite point. The head then gets attached to the body and the finished piece is gently pressed into its final shape before photographing it to be listed in my shop.

I usually take about 20 pictures in my homemade light box which lives on a shelf in my living room just out of reach of naughty kitties since the first one I made lasted less than an hour before someone decided to run through the tissue paper and then sat inside it attacking anything that was brave enough to try and walk by. After the pictures are complete I upload them to Photoshop to fiddle with lighting levels and crop and resize ready for listing.

And that is the life of one of my tiny wire kitties, I can usually have one of these made, photographed and listed in about 1 ½ hours. The finished kitties then live on a high shelf waiting to be rehomed while dodging the paws of death.

Mosaic Monday

2011-01-10T14:38:00.000-05:00

clockwise...from top left:

Small Collage Art Bottle by ocasiocasa

Nub Cigar Box Amp by squier

Burlap Wedding Favor Bags by WhiteThistleBridal

Vintage Rooster Creamer Pitcher by 4GetMeNotTreasures

Blue Bunny Tags by CardsBetweenFriends

Honey I'm Home Cross Stitched Picture by cowboybunny

Treasury Challenge Finalists

2011-01-09T12:10:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to AngelPearls, SevenSails, and RolyzCreations for having our top treasuries for this month's challenge!

New Fresh Feelings by AngelPearls

Happy New Year by SevenSails

My New Year Wishes by RolyzCreations

Vote for your favorite April treasury!
	It's Not Too Early by Impossibly Alice
	Forest Friends by Giggles
	Green Equals Earth Day by New Hope Beading

pollcode.com free polls

Vote for your favorite March treasury!
	Ides of March by Squier
	March Lab Rats Team Treasury Challenge by Gray Flannel Design
	Vernal Equinox by MrooArt
	Shades and Textures in Green by MollyFinds

pollcode.com free polls

Vote for Your Top Treasury of the New Year!
	New Fresh Feelings by AngelPearls
	Happy New Year by SevenSails
	My New Year Wishes by RolyzCreations

pollcode.com free polls