Virtual Lab Highlights

Time again for another virtual lab highlights. These questions/answers came from the Seller Chat with HeyMichelle on Wednesday 10/27/10. Due to some technical difficulties on Etsy's end, the chat was a bit short, so there's only a couple things that I have to share.

1. Can the word "gift" be used in tags? The most recent Merchandising article in the Storque was a bit confusing.

The simple answer is no, you cannot tag items with the word "gift" unless they are something like handmade gift bags, gift wrap or something similar. Per the Etsy Do's & Don'ts:


"Tags should only state what the item is, not what the item may become or potential uses for the item (for example: yarn should not be tagged with "sweater," beads should not be tagged with "bracelet," small gift items should not be tagged with "stocking stuffer")."

The article in question is the November "From Etsy's Merchandising Desk" article. It talked about thinking in terms of what types of gifts your items would make, and creating treasuries as gift guides. The article was talking about tagging Treasuries with the words "gift" or "gift guide" which is perfectly fine.

2. Do other shops have their own unique website, and does it help bring business to their Etsy shop?

HeyMichelle decided to post this question in the room as 2 polls, and here are the results.

• Do other shops have their own unique web site? 19 yay, 23 nay
• If yes, does it help bring business to your Etsy shop? 10 yay, 5 nay

It was mentioned that even if you're not ready to dive into creating your own website, it may be a good idea to purchase the domain name that you would like, say one that is similar to your shop name. You can then set that domain to either forward directly to your Etsy shop or put a link to your shop on that first main page.

Well, that's the highlights for this lab. Hope they were interesting and informative. Come join us soon in the Virtual Labs!

Introducing..... our Lab Rats Team Welcome To Our Newest Members!

Introducing......... Our newest members for October!

Our team is growing and we cherish each member! We are happy to welcome our newest members by introducing them to the entire team. Here is our opportunity to meet our new teammates, make new friends and help one another in our endeavor to make our shops better.

Lets give a big Lab Rats Team welcome to our newest members!

Introducing....

                                                     FranticFiberFun 

1. What is your given name? (If you are only comfortable giving your first name that is fine.)
Heather Flanagan

2. How long have you been on Etsy (includes the time you were NOT a seller).
Oh, about two years, I think.

3. How long has your shop been open?

I opened it in May 2009 selling handspun yarn and fibers. I recently did a big revamp to focus more on handwoven scarves, with the yarn and fibers as a side line.

4. Which item in your shop is your favorite?
Oh, this one, without a doubt .... my orange handwoven silk scarf.
The color is wonderful, and the drape of the scarf is just perfect.

5. What do you enjoy doing when not creating for your shop?
Messing with my cats, reading fantasty, sci-fi, and/or trashy romance, hugging my sweetheart, that kind of thing. Essentially I'm a home-body and would rather be here crafting than doing anything else. I also volunteer (and might even get paid some day!) as coordinator for an information technology project called COmanage funded by the NSF and Internet2.

6. What question would you like to ask your new teammates?
What are your favorite colors? I like to know 'cause it helps me think about what colors I'll be using next for my scarves!

Introducing....

 FunkyMonkeyCreations

1. What is your given name?
Stefan

2. How long have you been on Etsy (includes the time you were NOT a seller).
Since March of '09, so a little over a year and a half.

3. How long has your shop been open?
Since April of '09.

4. Which item in your shop is your favorite?
Wow that's a hard one; I can hardly pick just one! I'd have to go with my Blue and/or Gray Scarf. It's simple and warm yet beautiful to me. I have this thing for simple beauty. :)

5. What do you enjoy doing when not creating for your shop?
I enjoy life itself and take advantage of all it offers me. Dancing, writing, being with people I love, hiking, creating just to create, enjoying nature in all its' forms, listening to and making music, singing, swimming; these are just a few of my favorite things to do if I'm not creating for my shop.

6. What question would you like to ask your new teammates?
I would like to ask my new teammates: What would you like to see me make more of? Either something new (I enjoy being challenged with a new design) or more of something that I'm already selling (perhaps more bottle-cap necklaces?).


Introducing.....

JollyLittlePurse

1. What is your given name? (If you are only comfortable giving your first name that is fine.)
My name is Olga.  

2. How long have you been on Etsy (includes the time you were NOT a seller).
Approximately a year.

3. How long has your shop been open?
My shop has been open since February, 2010.

4. Which item in your shop is your favorite?
My favorite item in my shop was just sold recently, my next favorite is my red ruffled Iphone case.

5. What do you enjoy doing when not creating for your shop?
I enjoy my super cute 3 little adorable kids. I am happy being a mother.

6. What question would you like to ask your new teammates? 
Oh my, that is hard, since I have so many of them. I guess, what was the most successful thing you did, being the owner of the etsy shop?

Introducing....

PoppySeedCats
1. What is your given name? (If you are only comfortable giving your first name that is fine.)
The name on my birth certificate is Laura but I prefer to be called Poppy

2. How long have you been on Etsy (includes the time you were NOT a seller).
Since July 2010

3. How long has your shop been open?
Since September 2010

4. Which item in your shop is your favorite?
My favourite changes daily I think today it is my Needle Felted Fluff Egg Totoro Phone Charm.
5. What do you enjoy doing when not creating for your shop?
Looking after my 3 cats 2 rats and tortoise

6. What question would you like to ask your new teammates?
Etsy Related - What promoting methods work best for you?
Non etsy related - What pets do you all have?

Introducing.....

 TreeAndSap

1. What is your given name? (If you are only comfortable giving your first name that is fine.)

Amber Toland

2. How long have you been on Etsy (includes the time you were NOT a seller).

Since 2009

3. How long has your shop been open?

August 2010

4. Which item in your shop is your favorite?

Monsoon Shave Jelly

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

Spending time with my family

6. What question would you like to ask your new teammates?

None I can think of so far.

Welcome to team Lab Rats!  We all look forward to seeing you and getting to know you even better!

Life of an Item with Franticfiberfun

Just about all of my scarves start out as a problem I assign myself to solve. Sometimes it is a fairly simple problem, like "How can I best bring out the character of the yarn I'm featuring?" Other times its "I need 1200 yards of yarn for warp and weft, and I have 3 450 yard skeins of different colors. How do I make a scarf out of this?" In the case of my latest scarf, the problem was "How do I use to best effect this pattern that I have only read about?"

Creating a scarf is, on average, a 14 hour endeavor. It start with measuring off the yarn for the warp - the long part of the scarf. Sometimes I measure off enough for 3 scarves at a time, which works out to about 280 7-yard threads. I'll spend up to 3 hours just measuring yarn! From there, the yarn goes to the loom and I have to get each thread through the right holes in the right order, and make sure that each thread is as tight as the next thread - that's called tensioning. Another 4-6 hours right there. It's only after all that is complete that its time to weave! The weaving itself goes by fairly quickly - a single scarf can be done in 4-6 hours. But wait, there's more! The scarf, when done weaving, is still not Done. After it is off the loom, its time to tuck in any loose ends, wash it to get the yarn to set in place, and press it to complete the item. If I decide to add beads or something to the fringe, tack on another 2-4 hours.


Through all of this, there are breaks that must be taken, because weaving can be hard on a body. Lots of short, detailed, repetitive movements. Fortunately, I have supervision to remind me of the more important things in life, like petting the cat!

Mosaic Monday

1. Sweet Maroon Empire Waist 1970s Autumn Maxi Gown by zwzzy

2. aeiou lower case letters font hand embroidery pin brooch by waterrose

3. Sea Glass Holiday Ornaments Set of 3 by 1022SeaShellAve

4. Frodo Mousekins Crochet Mouse by yarnabees

5. Scarlet Red and Rust Orchids on an Ivory Silk Ring Bearer Pillow by WhiteThistleBridal

6. Leather iPod sleeve - hand-painted - cranberry red by 11m2

Holiday Trunk Show Announcement

Frosty the Snowman by Yarnabees

The time is coming for our 2nd Annual Holiday Trunk Show! This year we will be having a two night event on Tuesday, November 30th and Wednesday, December 1st both at 8pm EST. Why two nights? Well, this way more teammates will be able to participate and more people will be able to attend without the evening getting too long.

Now that you know the basics, it's time to sign up! All Lab Rats members are invited to participate and present their deals. Check out this link if you would like to participate. Everyone else is invited to shop! So join us in the Virtual Labs Moon Room for this fabulous event.