The Elle's Beads Blog

EB Friday Hotlist: All Good Things...

2011-04-06T18:34:00.001-04:00

(I know it's not really Friday, but I sure wish it was!)

As you've seen, I have not been updating my blog lately. If you've stopped by my shops, you also know that I'm not listing new items and I'm letting all of the current items expire. I have made the difficult decision to shut down Elle's Beads. I won't be updating the blog again any time soon, if ever, for the same reasons.

If I could give a crafter some advice about starting a business online, it would be to determine upfront how much time you wish to invest in building your business and how you will measure success. Back in 2009 when I started Elle's Beads, I thought I wanted to run my jewelry business as a full job. It didn't take long for me to realize that the "Quit Your Day Job" lifestyle wasn't actually what I wanted. Instead, I decided it would be a lot more fun to make whatever I wanted to make on my own time without the pressure of needing to bring in extra income. That worked really well for me. Through blogs, Twitter, forums, and teams I met tons of interesting people from all over. I am grateful to have had these experiences.

However, as I've said in previous posts, part of the calculations you should do when you're making business decisions is a cost/benefit ratio. You have to be mature enough to define what success means for you and then evaluate whether or not what you're putting out is worth what you're getting in return. In other words, you have to decide at what point you need to step back from the business or shut it down altogether.

For me, the other things I have going on in my life are more important to me than running and promoting Elle's Beads. I work full-time at a day job, and starting tomorrow I'll be working an additional part-time job in the evenings and on weekends. I'm doing all this so that I can be in a better financial position when I start law school in the fall. The school I'll be attending is 4 hours away, so in between work hours, I'll be spending a lot of time packing, cleaning, and getting ready to move. (Not to mention that I'll be looking for a place to live up there as well.) Additionally, since first-year, full-time law students are strongly encouraged not to work even part-time during the first year, I'm relatively certain I won't have time to make things, photograph them, edit the photos, and list them online. I am completely sure I won't have time on top of that to do any promoting of my shop whatsoever. Since my future career opportunities are more important to me than my beads, my cost/benefit analysis is telling me to quit while I'm ahead.

I want to thank each and every person who has posted comments here, bought jewelry from me, or has given me support in other ways. While it's possible that I'll come back next summer or in a few years down the road, returning isn't in the cards right now. My Etsy account will remain open, even after the last item has expired, and I paid out the nose for a lifetime Zibbet account, so I'll have a presence over there as well. Be sure to keep in touch!

Until next time,
Elle

Weekly Treasures: March 2011

2011-04-01T00:20:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the drive-by posting, but here are a few treasuries in which I was featured this past month:

Please stay tuned for the full story about where I've been, where I'm going, and what the future is for Elle's Beads!

Until next time,
Elle

Weekly BEST: All About Cats

2011-03-17T05:54:00.000-04:00

This week, I have the pleasure of featuring All About Cats, a handmade shop from Vermont. The owner, Linda, inherited her creative side from her mother. You can read about their relationship here on Linda's blog. Linda's favorite crafts are sewing and painting, and she puts her talents to good use in creating fun and imaginative toys for cats (and trinkets for their owners). Her use of bright, bold colors and animal patterns make her items truly "pop." Here are a few of my favorites from the All About Cats Etsy shop:

Dora The Duckling Organic Catnip Bell Cat Toy $6.00

Two Balls Organic Catnip Bell Cat Toys $6.00

Four Whimsical Fabric Cat Magnets $8.00

Four Reversable Cat Print Fabric Coasters $8.00

Linda's toys can be made without catnip if you prefer, so feel free to contact her if you would like a special order made. Find All About Cats at these locations around the web:

Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/AllAboutCats

Shop 2: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThisAndThatInVermont

Blog: http://allaboutcatsetsy.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/All-About-Cats/178751288826475?v=wall

Which item from All About Cats would you give to the cat lover in your life? Be sure to let us know in the comments!

Until next time,
Elle

I'm a part of an Etsy team called Boosting Etsy Shops Team or BEST. The purpose of the group is to provide promotion for each team member through our existing social networking accounts. Each week I'll be doing a blog feature about a different team member.

Weekly BEST: Sandyvern

2011-03-09T13:59:00.001-05:00

This week I'm featuring Sandy's Handmade Soaps & Things (sandyvern on Etsy), a unique shop from Stamford, CT. Sandy describes herself as a "self-taught crafter" and has developed skills in soap making, knitting, and jewelry making. While I'm only featuring her soaps here, be sure to check out the link section at the bottom of the post to find some of her knitting and jewelry (the monsters are too cute to miss!).

Sandy has been making soaps for three years through both the cold and "melt and pour" processes. Her ingredients include oils, butters, lye, goat milk, oatmeal, and honey. Interestingly, a batch of soap can take up to six weeks to perfect. Be sure to check out her Etsy profile here for more information about her creative process.

Here are a few of the scrumptious soaps for sale at Sandy's Handmade Soaps & Things:

Toasted Coconut Bar $5.95

Soap Popsicles $4.95

Brown Sugar Scrub Soap $4.95

Blueberry Crunch Soap $5.95

Sandy has a variety of other offerings that I did not have room to share with you here, so be sure to check out both Sandy's Handmade Soaps & More and her other shops. Find Sandyvern at these places around the web:

Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/sandyvern
Shop 2: http://www.etsy.com/shop/monsterlovemadness
Shop 3: http://www.etsy.com/shop/simplysandysthings
Blog: http://theadventuresofsandyvern.blogspot.com

Don't forget to come back here and let us know in the comments which item(s) you like best!

Until next time,
Elle

I'm a part of an Etsy team called Boosting Etsy Shops Team or BEST. The purpose of the group is to provide promotion for each team member through our existing social networking accounts. Each week I'll be doing a blog feature about a different team member.

EB Friday Hotlist: Five Tips for Avoiding or Reducing the Stress of Running an Indie Small Business

2011-03-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

When I sat down to write this post yesterday my first thought was: Wow, what a long and stressful week! I don't know about you, but TGIF has taken on a whole new meaning for me this week! Ironically, that thought gave me the inspiration for today's Hotlist post:

Stress Reduction Kit by
Programwitch, Used Under
Creative Commons License

Whether you are making 50 sales a year or 50 sales a week, you know the meaning of the word "stress." You probably also know that reducing this stress as much as possible helps you not only have a better quality of life, but also helps you run a better business and create a better buying experience for your customers. This time of year can be difficult for people, albeit in a different way than in the weeks leading up to Christmas. There is a lot of anticipation and frenzied preparation in December, only to be followed by a (typically) slower January and potential disappointment over the way things went during the holiday buying season. Whether you've got the pre-spring blues or you're struggling to keep up with orders, I think it's time for a brief refresher course in stress reduction. Here are five basic tips to help you deal:

* Engage with others. Maybe you're on a site like Zibbet, which makes it easy for you to connect with other people through groups and forums. These people are trying to do the same thing as you - run a profitable online business. Not only can enjoying the fun conversations about any and everything be a relaxing experience in itself, but engaging with other business owners will allow you to use them as a resource in the future. When you don't know how to do something (i.e. ship packages to customers in Taiwan, create a coupon code, resize photos), it's great to be able to consult other indie business owners and get constructive feedback instead of stumbling along in the dark all by yourself. Oh and if you're not on a marketplace website, there is still no excuse for not engaging. Join a site like Creating the Hive and get involved in the conversation!

* Know your season. People often feel that January and February are the worst months for their handmade businesses. The Christmas/holiday rush is over and people are out of cash to spend on non-necessities. This can make a seller feel like their shop isn't up to par, when really there are other factors in play. Don't beat yourself up because your shop views dipped one day out of 30 or freak out on the Etsy forums over a short-term dip in your Google Analytics charts. Also remember, different seasons are different for different sellers. A business selling thick wool scarves and knitted beanies is not likely to have a rush on orders in July, and a custom swimsuit shop may not have a Christmas rush at all. Keep things in perspective and know that ups and downs in sales are natural for a business.

* Stay organized. I've always been an advocate of keeping a schedule but that's not the only way you should try to be organized. Keeping your accounting up to date, your crafting room in some semblance of order, and your shipping supplies in one place and ready to be used when orders come in can help keep you from feeling so overwhelmed. Check out the second article in the suggested reading list for more information about this strategy.

Photo: Yoga In Nature's Way
by Tony George, Used Under
Creative Commons License

* Take a breather. Seriously, it's okay! There is no reason to let the stress of running a handmade business overrun your life. Are orders (or the lack thereof) just driving you nuts? Go take a walk, eat a snack, do some yoga - then come back recharged and ready to get back on the grind. It's important to make sure you're taking time for yourself and your friends/family on a regular basis. You wouldn't work 12 hours a day, 365 days a year at a regular day job, right? So why do you think you have to just because you're running a handmade business? You do have to put in a lot of time, but one of the best thing about having a your business online is that you can put it on hiatus whenever you want. Schedule yourself some time and take a vacation (or "staycation" if you're broke). Whether you take a break for a day or a year, the market for goods and services will still be there when you are ready to tackle your next project.

* Evaluate yourself. Whether you're just starting out or you've been in the game for a while, the handmade business world is not for the faint of heart. Just see the first blog on the suggested reading list for a little perspective. At many day jobs, if not most, supervisors conduct yearly or quarterly evaluations of their subordinates. These evaluations can determine whether or not that employee keeps their job. Since you don't have another boss to do it for you, you should make self-evaluation a regular part of your planning. Taking stock at regular intervals of what's working for you and what isn't will make decisions like changing product lines or closing up shop all together much easier to determine.

As you can see, these tips for stress reduction aren't new - I've been supporting these ideas for ages and they certainly weren't my own original ideas! Sometimes though, it can be beneficial to be reminded of the basics! Be sure to check out the links below for great insights on this subject.

Suggested Reading List:

Blunt Business Advice for the Handmade Market: If you're thinking about taking the full-time handmade business plunge (known on Etsy as "Quitting Your Day Job"), this is a must-read article. MinervaLi doesn't hold back in this blog post and can help you understand exactly what you're getting into.

Improve Your Productivity and Lower Your Stress: In addition to being a fabulous example of how to do a guest post, this article by Celeste gives you tried and true tips for getting more done in less time with minimal fuss.

15 Ways to Reduce Your Stress Level at Work: This article was written to help B&M business owners and employees have a less-stressful work environment. Let's face it though - many of these suggestions can be clearly and easily applied to your online business as well.

Until next time,
Elle

Weekly Treasures: Amber Sunsets In Your Life

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

Continuing this week's "sunshine" theme, I'm pleased to share with you a treasury by the talented Freedom32 on Etsy:

My beaded peace sign bookmark made it into this beautiful color-themed treasury:

Beaded Gold Bookmark $15.00

Be sure to check out Freedom32's original paintings and other items, as well as the shops featured in her treasury. Feel free to leave a comment both here and on the treasury to let us know what you think!

Until next time,
Elle

Weekly BEST: You Are My Sunshine

2011-03-01T12:00:00.002-05:00

Speaking of sunshine, this week I have the privilege of featuring a shop that always brightens my day! You Are My Sunshine is run by Nina, a jewelry artisan and vintage treasure seeker from the "Sunshine State" (aka Florida). The name of her shop has a touching origin, which you can read about on her profile. While Nina does have a separate vintage shop, You Are My Sunshine has a sophisticated vintage feel of it's own. Natural themes and bright, bold colors abound in her many accessories and statement pieces. Here are a few pieces I'd love to own:

Recycled Vintage Bobby Pin Set $10.00

Classic Oval Rescued Vintage Earring Ring $7.00

Necklace, Like a Monet Painting $50.00

Woodland Fabric Flower Bracelet $25.00

Nina has the entrepreneurial spirit in her blood and her shops are evidence of both her skill as an artist and as a business owner. I encourage you to sit back and enjoy flipping through the many pages of her items, as there's no telling what treasure might grab you! Find Nina and You Are My Sunshine at these places around the web:

Shop 1: youaremysunshine.etsy.com
Shop 2: mysunshinevintage.etsy.com
Blog: ninas-day.blogspot.com
Flickr: youaremysunshine-etsy.flickr.com
Facebook: youaremysunshine.facebook.com
Twitter: twitter.com/mysunshine4etsy

So what's your favorite thing from or about You Are My Sunshine? Let us know in the comments!

Until next time,
Elle

I'm a part of an Etsy team called Boosting Etsy Shops Team or BEST. The purpose of the group is to provide promotion for each team member through our existing social networking accounts. Each week I'll be doing a blog feature about a different team member.

Weekly Treasures: Orange You Wanting a Bit of Sunshine?

2011-02-28T12:00:00.001-05:00

I hope the weather where you are is as gorgeous and warm as it is here. I'm so glad that all of February wasn't a snowy/rainy drag! Danaemau brought some of that sunshine to Etsy last week with a beautiful orange treasury:

This fabulous buyer was kind enough to include one of my own items in her gallery - my deep orange ladybug earrings:

Wood and Crystal Earrings $12.00

For more of Danaemau's treasury lists, be sure to visit her profile (linked above). Feel free to leave a comment here or on the treasury to let us know what you think of the collection!

Until next time,

Elle

Weekly BEST: Alexander's Designs

2011-02-22T19:18:00.000-05:00

This week I'm introducing you to not one, but two talented artisans from Missouri. Alexander's Designs is a joint venture run by a husband and wife team, Jenny and Skip. Both have been making jewelry for several years and they each have developed rather sophisticated talents, including fused glass techniques and metalsmithing. The end result is a collection of unique, handcrafted wearable art pieces blending glass, semi-precious stones, crystals, and precious metals. Here are a few of my favorites from this shop:

Chessboard Sterling Silver Ring $58.50

Dichroic Ugly Glass Pendant $11.25

Fused Glass Striped Pendant $10.80

Blue Bubbles Fused Glass Pendant $13.50

Although it should be obvious that the prices I post in my blog features are subject to change, I do want to point out that Alexander's Designs is having a sale right now. These discounts are only good until 2/25/11, so be sure to check out the shop now to get what you want!

Find Alexander's Designs at these places around the web:

Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/alexandersdesigns
Shop 2: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ClassicallySimple --> Fabulous items on sale through tomorrow 2/23!
Shop 3: http://beaderydestash.etsy.com

Blog: http://alexandersdesigns.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alexanders-Designs/117051398358147

After you're done shopping, be sure to come back and tell us which items are your favorites and/or which ones you purchased!

Until next time,
Elle

I'm a part of an Etsy team called Boosting Etsy Shops Team or BEST. The purpose of the group is to provide promotion for each team member through our existing social networking accounts. Each week I'll be doing a blog feature about a different team member.

EB Friday Hotlist: Postling

2011-02-18T08:00:00.002-05:00

I get asked frequently how I manage to update my various social media accounts with fresh content on a regular basis. While life does get in the way sometimes, I am able to minimize disruptions by scheduling things in advance and working hard to get as much done as possible when I do find a few free moments. One of the tools that helps me do this more efficiently is Postling.

Postling is a scheduling website that lets you post things to your various social media sites from their portal. You can add a variety of social media accounts to your "brand," including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, LinkedIn and Blogger. Once you've added the social media account, you can use Postling to update it, either by an immediate post or a scheduled one. You're also able to check your "stream" or the feed of posts that come from those you follow on a particular network.

I prefer to update my Facebook and Flickr accounts manually, and I use TwitterFeed and Hootsuite to schedule my Twitter posts. I signed up for Postling primarily to deal with a problem I've encountered with Tumblr. Tumblr can be a great marketing tool and I'm currently using my micro-photo blog there to promote my brand name, the indie community, and Zibbet. However, I have had a problem with Tumblr's internal scheduling feature. I would set a few photos to be posted over the course of the coming week and check in a few days to find that they hadn't posted. Ack!

Postling eliminates my need for concern. I simply create posts in much the same way I would in Tumblr. I add tags and set the date and time I want my posts to appear. I can confirm that the posts are set up the way I want them to be by checking the "Drafts and Scheduled" section (pictured below). I typically set up about two weeks worth of posts at once, and it takes me about 30 minutes or so from start to finish (depending on how long it takes me to find the pictures I want). I then set a Google Calendar alert to remind me when my posts are running out so that I can redo the process when necessary.

My understanding is that Postling has a variety of other features for paid members. As I only utilize their free service, I can't recommend those features. I will say that Postling has helped me keep my Tumblr consistently updated and for that reason I recommend checking out their free service if you're looking for a post scheduling service.

Have you used Postling? What are your thoughts on it? Have any other schedulers you use? Let us know which ones so we can check those out too!

Until next time,
Elle

Weekly BEST: Too Much of a Good Thing

2011-02-15T08:00:00.060-05:00

Long time readers of the blog may remember this shop from an earlier feature in September 2010. Too Much of a Good Thing has really grown since then and I think you'll fall in love with the new items! For those of you who don't know, Leyla (the artist) has a variety of crafty talents ranging from wearable art to paper crafts to amigurumi. When I first introduced her I wanted to show off her beautiful cards, but this time I'd like to showcase some of her unique and colorful accessories for you:

Red Zipper Flower Brooch $9.00

Tan Neutral Zipper Flower Headband $12.50

Chocolate Brown Slouchy Beanie Hat $18.50

Sage Green Ear Flap Beanie $19.50

For more crocheted goodies, zipper flowers (how cool are those!?), and many other handmade items, make sure to mosey on over to Leyla's Etsy shop and browse around! Find Too Much of a Good Thing at these places around the web:

Shop: TooMuchOfAGoodThing.etsy.com

Blog: leylafolsom.blogspot.com

Also if you're local to Salem, Oregon or just happen to be out that way, check out this link to find out where you can purchase Leyla's work in local shops.

What is your favorite item from Too Much of a Good Thing? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,

Elle

I'm a part of an Etsy team called Boosting Etsy Shops Team or BEST. The purpose of the group is to provide promotion for each team member through our existing social networking accounts. Each week I'll be doing a blog feature about a different team member.

Weekly Treasures: Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day from Elle's Beads! Although I do not have any personal attachment to this holiday, I know there are many who enjoy it and I wish those people a romantic and meaningful celebration. And....umm....Happy Monday to the rest of you!

(Oh, lighten up - I hate Mondays too!).

Here's a look at the Valentine's Day treasuries I've posted over the last month in case you missed them:

I hope you'll have fun browsing though the shops. Go easy on the wine and have a great night! :)

Until next time,
Elle

Weekly Treasures: Be My {Foodie} Valentine

2011-02-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

This is the last of the 4-part treasury series celebrating the creative ways Etsians express love. This week's theme is food love and is designed with the foodie (food and/or wine aficionado) in mind:

I hope you enjoy browsing through these artists' shops! Please feel free to comment here or on the treasury and let me know what you think!

Until next time,
Elle

EB Friday Hotlist: Why People Should Buy From You and Not a Big Box Store

2011-02-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

This week I want to talk about the indie movement in general. Regardless of whether or not you sell online or at craft fairs or both, regardless of whether this is a hobby for you or a business or both, you are selling your items so that people will buy them from you. Your motivation may be different from the next person, but the basic goal is still the same - sales.

Stories by vasta on Flickr
Used under Creative Commons
license

How do you get sales? At the most basic level, getting sales requires 1) having a product and 2) putting it out for sale. To make a sale, you also have to set a price for the product and pricing your work can be a somewhat contentious issue among indie sellers. Some businesspeople lament the hobbyists who can charge less for their work because profit is not their motivation. Some hobbyists lament that their work is seen by some as inferior because it is frequently (and incorrectly) assumed that price is directly correlated with quality. No matter where your items fall on the pricing continuum, and no matter what criticism you receive (i.e. your prices are cheap so you must have Walmart quality items or why buy from you when I can get the same thing 75% off at Walmart) there is still a huge difference between your crafts and the similar items people buy at Walmart.

So why should someone buy a (insert name of craft here) from you as opposed to Walmart? I can get cheap, trendy jewelry there for a fraction of the price of some I see on Etsy. I can buy crocheted cozies, dyed scarves, and trendy shoes all in the same place without paying shipping or walking around a dusty farmer's market in the heat/cold/rain. What makes the handmade or vintage items you sell better than the mass-produced beauties in stores like Walmart?

Stories by normalityrelief on Flickr
Used under Creative Commons license

Only you can answer that question specifically. Maybe you've spent weeks combing over thrift store shelves and antique malls to find those perfect dresses and brooches and silk ties for your vintage shop. Maybe you fire up the kiln every other night to finish up the pottery you take to the local market each week. Perhaps the beads you use in your jewelry came from your grandmother, who is the one who taught you how to bead 40 years ago. Everyone's special selling point will be different, but the point is that every indie shop, handmade or vintage, has a story behind it. Telling this story in a compelling way is what will draw people to your shop instead of the big box retailers.

This week's suggested reading list will give you some ideas on how to figure out what your story is and how to turn that story into selling points to present to potential buyers.

Suggested Reading:

Buy Handmade: Why Buy Handmade? - Article with some of the reasons why people are choosing to buy handmade. Check out the list of links for ideas that may help you with developing your story and deciding why your indie shop is unique.

Etsy Blog: How to Sell Your Story with Johnny B. Truant - Article with great ideas on how to incorporate your story into your item listings to get people more interested in buying your items.

Etsy Community: Etsy Shop Makeover Challenge: Storytelling - Step-by-step article that helps you define your story, develop it, and turn it into a compelling artisan/shop profile, from the talented storyteller whose YouTube video I've embedded above.

Until next time,
Elle

P.S. My six word story is: Strength is the will to overcome. What's yours? Leave it in the comments after checking out Suggested Reading article #3.

New Items from Elle's Beads

2011-02-10T08:00:00.002-05:00

As you may remember, I'm a big fan of Animoto slideshows for showing off one's work and creating YouTube videos. Here's the newest slideshow I made featuring some new items I'm working on listing on Etsy:

As you can see, I'm trying to add a lot of bright, colorful items, especially in yellow - one of the colors that isn't represented often in my shop. What new items, colors, or styles are you working with this winter? Let us know in the comments!

Until next time,
Elle

Weekly BEST: MysticWynd

2011-02-08T08:00:00.001-05:00

"An awareness of peace and love rose anew,

As the spirit found truth and the Mystic Wynd blew..."

This week I have the pleasure of introducing you to Mystic Wynd, the shop owned and operated by BESTeam leader Karen. Karen hails from Scottsdale, Arizona and started expressing her creativity at a young age while living with her family in Chicago. Mystic Wynd is primarily a jewelry shop, though you will find little trinkets and handmade accessories sprinkled throughout the various sections. Although she features a very diverse range of styles, her use of categories makes it easy to find what you want. There really is something for everyone here, the reasons for which you can find in Karen's Etsy profile. As such, I've tried to pick items from different style categories to share with you:

Peridot Swarvoski Crystal Chandelier Drop Earrings $14.50

Rose Necklace in Champagne Blush $31.95

Green Apple Turquoise with Pearl Necklace $44.95

Magenta Pink Heart Charm Necklace $12.95

You can find Mystic Wynd at these places around the web:

Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/mysticwynd

Shop 2: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MWElegance

Shop 3: http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheCraftersCabinet

Blog: http://mysticwynd.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/mysticwynd

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mysticwynd

Be sure to check out the shop and come back here after browsing to let us know which jewelry style is your favorite!

Until next time,

Elle

Weekly Treasures: Helloooo Yellooooww

2011-02-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

My yellow beaded chunky ring is making waves again in a lovely treasury featuring members of the Queer Etsy Street Team. Check out the entire treasury below or click here:

Be sure to check out all of the shops, including the curator's (AllThatIAm). She makes beautiful wire and gemstone jewelry. Here's one of my favorite pieces from her shop:

Sterling Silver Wire Wrapped Pendant $395.00

Feel free to leave a comment here or on the treasury to let us know what you think of the selection!

Until next time,

Elle

Weekly Treasures: Be My {Geeky} Valentine

2011-02-06T08:00:00.001-05:00

The third, in what I have now decided will be a 4-part treasury series, is yet another unconventional collection of items pulled from Etsy search. This week's theme is geekery and has some great gift ideas for those who have nerdy chick or geeky guy to buy for this V-day:

I hope you enjoy browsing through this collection and the artists' shops. Please feel free to leave a comment here or on the treasury to let me know what you think!

Until next time,
Elle

Weekly BEST: WriteOwl

2011-02-01T08:02:00.004-05:00

This week I have the distinct pleasure of introducing you to Write Owl Designs (WriteOwl) from Portland, Oregon. The multi-talented shop owner, Jean, got her start in journal making at the age of eight. You can read about her source of inspiration here on her Etsy profile. Write Owl journals are perfect for doodling in, crafting poetry, and so much more. Jean encourages those who buy her items to use them as platforms for creating their own art.

Writing has always been therapeutic for me, but most of the journals I've had over the years have been spiral composition notebooks. If I could go back and replace those drab, boring notebooks with handmade works of art, these are the ones I couldn't do with out:

Pink and Brown Cupcake Hardback Journal $26.00

Romantic Vintage Postcard Hardback Journal $26.00

In addition to bookmaking, Jean also has a knack for making great desk accessories to go along with the journals, namely hand-painted pottery. Here are a couple of my favorite pieces:

Peach Lace Ceramic Pencil Cup $15.00

Set of 2 Teal and Brown Lace Coasters $10.00

Keep in mind that Write Owl Designs also offers custom orders for those who don't find the perfect item already sitting in the shop. Find Write Owl around the web at these locations:

Twitter: twitter.com/writeowldesigns
Facebook: facebook.com/writeowldesigns
Blog: writeowldesigns.blogspot.com
Livejournal: writeowldesigns.livejournal.com

Make sure to check out the shop and, as always, come back here and let us know what items you like best!

Until next time,
Elle

I'm a part of an Etsy team called Boosting Etsy Shops Team or BEST. The purpose of the group is to provide promotion for each team member through our existing social networking accounts. Each week I'll be doing a blog feature about a different team member.

Weekly Treasures: Be My {Gothic} Valentine

2011-01-30T08:00:00.002-05:00

This week my Valentine's Day-themed treasury is a bit darker, but in a good way. While I'm not a part of the Gothic subculture, I do find some of the Goth-themed fine art and handmade items on Etsy to be quite beautiful and filled with complexity. I decided to feature some of these items in a small 12-item treasury I put together using Etsy search:

'Be My {Gothic} Valentine' by ellesbeads

Beautiful collection of Gothic valentines and romantic items pulled from Etsy search

Original Art Card '... oddballartco $25.00	Dark Victorian Valentin... SpiritedWoodla... $9.00	Blood Red Rose on Gothi... robinhoodcoutu... $28.00
Tree of Hearts piasayshi $6.50	Desdemona Necklace DesignTheory $85.00	LOVE/HATE 8x10 art prin... ArtByLupeFlore... $12.99
5 Gothic Black Floral H... DawnToDuskGift... $22.50	The dark night - black... floraljeweller... $18.00	Valentines Large Gift S... rockinpapernsc... $2.50
Only Have Eyes - Goth G... GingerDead $2.75	Black Leather Love Cuff... LoveAtFirstBlu... $75.00	Rorschach Romance Silk ... LunaLacunaAtel... $25.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com.

I hope you enjoy browsing through these artists' shops! Please feel free to comment here or on the treasury and let me know what you think!

Weekly Treasures: The BEST Spring Collection

2011-01-26T08:00:00.002-05:00

I don't know if you're following the national weather stories, but this has been an unusually snowy and (in my opinion) dreary winter. Sometimes it's encouraging to look forward to warmer seasons and relief from slippery black ice and high heating bills. One of my fellow Etsy sellers and BESTeam members has decided to beat the cold with a brightly colored team treasury in the spirit of springtime:

The item of mine pulled for this treasury is my Yellow Beaded Chunky Adjustable Ring:

Be sure to check out the curator's shop, Your Daily Jewels, and all of the wonderful BESTeam shops represented here!

Also, if you made or were included in a spring or summer-themed treasury, be sure to post the link in the comments!

Until next time,
Elle

Weekly BEST: 41park

2011-01-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

This week I have the pleasure of introducing you to a talented artisan from Natick, MA (near Boston). Liza, a wife and mother with formal training in fine art and art education, is the creative soul behind 41park. While she has professional experience as a painter and potter, Liza's 41park Etsy shop focuses on my favorite medium: handmade jewelry. In addition to beautiful gemstones and metals, her jewelry often features eco-friendly components such as recycled silver and vintage glass. Here are a few of my favorite items from 41park:

Spiral Bracelet $45.00

Lil' Girls Nest $37.00

Mini Half Spiral Ring $40.00

Boston Garden Ginkgo $92.00

Each of her pieces has a story to tell, so I encourage you to visit the shop and read the descriptions! Find 41park at these places around the web:

Shop: etsy.com/shop/41park
Facebook: facebook.com/pages/41park/278664667185
Blog: 41park.blogspot.com
Twitter: twitter.com/41park
e-Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/kZFH

Don't forget to come back here and leave a comment about your favorite item and/or the 41park shop!

Until next time,
Elle

I'm a part of an Etsy team called Boosting Etsy Shops Team or BEST. The purpose of the group is to provide promotion for each team member through our existing social networking accounts. Each week I'll be doing a blog feature about a different team member.

Weekly Treasures: Be My {Eco-Friendly} Valentine

2011-01-23T08:00:00.009-05:00

As long-time readers know, I love eco-friendly items and try to do my part in minimizing my environmental impact. I also love supporting those artisans who are trying to do the same. For this weekly treasures post, I've put together a small, 12-item treasury of sepia and earth toned eco-friendly items in the spirit of the Valentine's shopping season:

'Be My {Eco-Friendly} Valentine' by ellesbeads

Lovely collection of recycled, upcycled, repurposed, and otherwise eco-friendly items pulled from Etsy search.

Je tadore French Adorat... deepfried $7.75	Love Coasters in Chocol... sparrownestkni... $28.00	Mixed metal vintage 2 h... mixedmetalmimi $45.00
FREE Shipping Valentine... braggingbags $19.99	Valentine Heart Purpleh... decoratethediv... $18.00	Woodgrain magnets - 6 l... tinchDesignStu... $12.00
Candle Holder Natural W... ArtisticWood $15.00	PETOSKEYS PUTTY AND LOV... Allybeans $15.00	Laser Cut Mini Wooden H... TimberGreenWoo... $3.95
I Love You - Wood Penda... SwanRiverStone $22.00	Mountain of Love foulardthreads $36.00	A Little Bit of Romance... shortysgourmet... $5.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

I hope you enjoy browsing through this collection and the artists' shops. Please feel free to leave a comment here or on the treasury to let me know what you think!

Until next time,
Elle

Weekly BEST: Fluttering Flowers

2011-01-21T19:54:00.001-05:00

As a special treat this week, I'm doing a bonus Weekly BEST feature on a shop in Oklahoma that is just too cute not to share with you! Fluttering Flowers is a fantastically whimsical place full of bright color and youthful imagination. Deborah, the artist behind Fluttering Flowers, was introduced to her craft at a young age and has a true talent for shaping plain blocks of clay into something quite magical. Here are a few of my favorites from her large selection of handcrafted pieces:

4 Little Big Eared Bunnies $4.00

Fruit Pendant $6.00

7 Small Trees $3.00

Mushrooms and Noodle Plant Sticks $12.00

Deborah's shop has well over 100 listings for you to browse through, so I encourage you to take some time to discover more of her work. You can find Fluttering Flowers at these locations around the web:

Shop: etsy.com/shop/FlutteringFlowers

Blog: polymerplaytime.blogspot.com

Twitter: twitter.com/PicassosTears

Be sure to leave a comment and let us know which Fluttering Flowers creation is your favorite!

Until next time,

Elle

EB Friday Hotlist: Rethinking Your Handmade Business' Brand in 2011

2011-01-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

Topics about branding have been popping up again all over the web, including in the Etsy Blog, over the past couple of months. When the year starts winding down or the new year starts gearing up, people tend to reevaluate their goals and decide where they want to move next. While it's certainly true that this type of reflection can happen at any point during the year, the start of a new year for many people can feel like a new beginning - a fresh, clean slate. In light of this, here are a few questions you should be asking yourself about your business:


Photo by Angie Torres Used under Creative Commons License

1. What were my goals last year and how well did I meet them? Were these realistic goals, or perhaps were they either overly ambitious or not ambitious enough?
2. What are my goals for the new year? Where do I want my shop to be in 3 months? 6 months? 12 months? How do I plan to go about achieving those goals? If I'm not sure, how will I decide on the best approach to try?
3. Where do I see my business in the long term? 2 years from now? 5 years from now? Do my goals for the next year help me move forward towards my long term goals?

In order to really answer these questions, you need to keep your brand in mind. If you can't clearly articulate your brand in a few short sentences, it's time to stop and really think about what exactly you're attempting to accomplish. Here are some questions to ask yourself in order to define your brand:

1. What am I selling?
2. What need does this product fill and for whom?
3. What makes my product unique from the others on the market?

Those last two questions are really part of a larger question: Why should someone buy what I'm selling? Once you've figured out the answers, you can start branding your shop. You want to make sure that your business, from the shop front to the final package in the customer's hands, reflects the answers to those three basic questions. If you're able to consistently fill a need with your product and you are somehow distinctive from other people selling things to meet that same need, you've got a unique selling proposition (USP). Your goal at that point is to share your USP with your target market. Everything from your packaging, to your communication with customers, to your shop's graphics should be a reflection of your USP.


Photo by John O'Nolan Used under Creative Commons License

Perhaps your goal for 2011 should be developing your USP and figuring out your branding. Perhaps you should be tweaking your branding or focusing on new ways to reach your target market. Maybe it's time to make the tough decision to separate items into two shops that simply can't be effectively branded in the same shop. Or maybe it's time to focus on the visual - making your shop graphics and product photos tell a coherent, attractive story. Whatever your goals for 2011, be sure to keep your brand and USP in mind, so that any changes you make are in sync with the needs of your target market.

Suggested Reading:

Etsy Blog: Shop Makeover: Creating a Brand Identity for Your Shop - Article in the Storque about defining your brand, complete with a USP worksheet and tips for how to make your brand consistent at every point of the sale (before, during, after).

The Bookshop Blog: Bookshop Branding - Your Store Is Not Your Own - Article for B&M booksellers, but when taken as a metaphor, it works beautifully for online sellers as well. For example, when he talks about the backdrop (paint, shelving, etc.), think shop banner, avatar, color scheme, photo props, etc.

Brand Studio: 6 Tips for Branding Your Business Freebies - Great ideas that can be adapted and applied to online businesses. As the title suggests, this article is specifically about extending your branding to your freebies, i.e. business cards, magnets, pens, discount cards, etc.

Until next time,
Elle

Weekly Treasures: I Have a Dream...and Some Thoughts on MLK Jr. Day

2011-01-19T08:00:00.001-05:00

As an American in the US, I observe a federal holiday on the Monday closest to January 15th, in honor of the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. In my current job, this is commemorated by not making me go to work. (Yay!) However, this day is much more important than just a free vacation day, as Dr. King fought and gave his life for the civil rights I now enjoy as an African-American U.S. citizen.

Many people seem to have arrived at the unfortunate and misguided conclusion that since Barack Obama was elected U.S. President in 2008, that Dr. King's dream has been fully realized. While this is a beautiful and noble sentiment, it's quite untrue. I encourage you to reconsider Dr. King's actual words:

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

Surely, we have come a long, long way since the 1960s. We've come much farther than my grandparents and parents ever dreamed they would see in their lifetimes. However, I do not believe we have fully realized that dream that Dr. King so eloquently defined. Many still judge and find themselves judged for no other reason than they are Black, Hispanic, Native American, Middle-Eastern, too dark, too light, etc. Racial profiling is still a problem, and the disparity between minorities and whites struggling in poverty, achieving in our educational system, and wasting away in our penal system clearly demonstrates that the color of one's skin is still a factor in many people's everyday lives.

Dr. King was assassinated in 1968. Consider that it would be 1986 before he was recognized with a federal holiday and the year 2000 before all 50 U.S. states observed it. Consider that even in the past week there has been controversy over comments made by an elected governor that he would not be celebrating the holiday. Consider the recent birther movements that have tried to undermine the duly elected president of the United States because of the Kenyan (African) and Islamic heritage in one half of his genetic makeup. Consider that affirmative action programs are still in place across the nation, and in my opinion, are still necessary. Consider that there are dozens and dozens of hate groups still operating across the United States, with anywhere from 1 to 66 groups operating in each of our 50 states as of 2009. There is no such thing as a post-racial America at this time.

I say all of this to say that while I am grateful that we have made such progress in the last 50 years, I do not think we should allow ourselves to hang a "Mission Accomplished" banner over the late Dr. King's message. Let's remember where we've come from, but also continue to push forward to get to where we need to go. Let's educate our children about the important figures of the African-American/Black Civil Rights Movement, so that they understand why this matters. Let's do something more to honor Dr. King than simply enjoying a day off from work and going on about our lives.

Here's a treasury I made on Etsy this past Martin Luther King Day:

Thanks for taking a look at the work of these talented artists. Feel free to leave a comment on the treasury or here on the blog to give your response to this collection and the message I attempted to convey with it.

Until next time,
Elle

Weekly BEST: PaulaPi

2011-01-18T08:00:00.002-05:00

This week I'm featuring Paula Pi, a bohemian spirit, photographer, and artist extraordinaire from Miami, FL. Her work can be described as rustic and unconventional and ranges in medium from leather to wood to stone. As a reflective, thoughtful person, Paula encourages those who shop with her to explore themselves and to think of art as a means of self expression. I've picked out a few of the pieces from her shop to share with you. These compel me because they reflect some aspect of my true self:

Modern Silver and Amethyst Earrings $14.00

Eco Chic Pressed Flower Wood Pendant $21.00

Illusion Wood Pendant $10.00

Rustic Red Carnelian Pendant $12.00

Find Paula Pi at these places around the web:

Shop: etsy.com/shop/paulapi

Blog: think-soap.blogspot.com

Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001649696769

Be sure to follow her blog, check out her shop, and let us know here in the comments which items you love the most!

Until next time,

Elle

Weekly Treasures: Summer Colors

2011-01-17T13:33:00.001-05:00

It's been an unusually long, cold, and snowy winter here in my state following the longest summer and shortest fall I remember in my lifetime. I've made an active effort to create items in bright yellows, oranges, and reds lately to contrast with the dreary, gray weather we've been having. Etsy treasury creators have taken to making bright, summery treasuries as well. Here are a couple I found today while thumbing through my Etsy activity feed:

When is Summer Coming Back?:

When is Summer Coming Back? is a treasury created by getlovelights, a new Etsy shop featuring a mother-daughter team who specialize in wearable textiles. The item of mine pulled for their treasury is my Yellow Beaded Chunky Adjustable Ring:

Blue and Gold:

Etsy's billiebrand created this Blue and Gold Treasury. Billiebrand is a lovely accessories shop, featuring items especially for the little ones. The item of mine pulled for this treasury is my Paisley Shade of Orange Flower Brooch:

I hope you enjoy looking through all of the bright, cheery items from these two treasuries! Be sure to leave a comment on the Treasury pages if you would like to share your thoughts on the collection with the treasury maker.

Until next time,
Elle

Guest Posting

2011-01-16T22:56:00.000-05:00

As many of you have noticed, Elle's Beads has added a new feature to the blog - guest posting. Knowledgable craftspeople are invited to share their expertise with the Elle's Beads readers. Posts appear both here and on Creating the Hive. Guest posts may be published at any time, so be sure to check the blog regularly or subscribe via RSS (it's free!). I hope you'll love this new feature!

If you didn'1t catch the first EB Guest Post, please treat yourself here to a discussion on handmade clothing and get inspired!

Weekly BEST: Little Peach Fuzz

2011-01-11T08:00:00.002-05:00

This week I'm featuring a jewelry and accessories designer from Orlando, Florida who is no stranger to the world of creative art. Rachel is the owner and artisan behind Just Peachy (LittlePeachFuzz) on Etsy. This multi-talented artist spent many years drawing before expanding her creative energies to include the jewelry and knitting projects you'll find in the Just Peachy shop. Her shop is full of youthful, colorful, funky pieces made from buttons, ribbons, and wonderfully sparkly bits. Here's a selection of some of my favorite pieces from Just Peachy:

Dragonfly Lotus Origami Hair Clip $8.00

Rainbow Dangly Button Earrings $6.00

Metallic Sequin Earrings $6.00

Lotus Origami Ring $8.00

Find Little Peach Fuzz and the Just Peachy shop around the web at the following locations:

Shop: etsy.com/shop/LittlePeachFuzz

Blog: littlepeachfuzz.blogspot.com

Twitter: twitter.com/LittlePeachFuzz

Be sure to check out the shop for more funky button jewelry and intricate origami accessories, along with felted and knitted delights. Then come back and let us know in the comments which item(s) you like best!

Until next time,

Elle

Weekly BEST: Redemption Art

2011-01-05T19:06:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! I hope you rang in the new decade in style! The Elle's Beads Blog is starting 2011 with a BESTeam feature for your shopping pleasure. This week is not special for the Weekly BEST segment just because it is the first post of the new year; it's also special because this is the first time I can remember that the Weekly BEST feature has focused on a crafter that also sells vintage items! Redemption Art on Etsy features a wonderful mix of handmade, vintage, and upcycled items. The owner/artist, Connie, hails from Volcano, Hawaii and has enjoyed embracing her creative side now that she's out of the corporate grind. Connie's guarantee to all who enter her shop is that inside they will find a beautiful blend of Hawaiian diversity and a strong sense of the Aloha spirit. I certainly feel her shop meets those high standards. Check out my favorite pieces below:

Vintage Hawaiian Mermaid Glasses $15.00

Artsy Coconut Handmade Earrings $5.00

Vintage Hawaiian Pua'a Banks $8.00

OOAK Pen in a Sake Bottle $10.00

The pen in a sake bottle is best appreciated when you look at all five of the pictures provided in the listing. What an original, unexpected gift for someone who loves Japanese wine!

Find Redemption Art around the web in the following places:

Shop: etsy.com/shop/RedemptionArt

Blog: islandbuzzy.com

Twitter: twitter.com/islandbuzzy

Be sure to check out the shop and leave a comment letting us know what item is your favorite!

Until next time,

Elle

I'm a part of an Etsy team called Boosting Etsy Shops Team or BEST. The purpose of the group is to provide promotion for each team member through our existing social networking accounts. Each week I'll be doing a blog feature about a different team member.

Weekly BEST: Cksilver

2010-12-28T08:00:00.012-05:00

This week I'm featuring a mother-daughter jewelry making team from Washington State. Cindy and Marilyn own and operate Cksilver. As may be apparent from the shop name, both enjoy working with silver when making their jewelry. Both also share an inspiration from the beauty of the natural world. Much of the jewelry you'll find in this shop will feature semiprecious stones, pearls, Swarovski crystals, and natural color. Here are some of my favorite pieces from Cksilver:

Amethyst Dream Sterling Silver Earrings $34.00

Water in the Desert Earrings in Sterling Silver $34.00

November Sunshine Citrine Bracelet $47.20

Enchanting Midnight Turquoise Necklace $71.20

In addition to individual pieces of jewelry, Cksilver offers a Jewelry of the Month club. Their shop also offers gift certifications in denominations of $24, $34, and $49.

Find Cksilver around the web at these locations:

Shop: etsy.com/shop/cksilver
Blog: cksilver1.blogspot.com

Be sure to check out the shop and comment here to let us know which of the pieces are your favorites!

Until next time,
Elle

I'm a part of an Etsy team called Boosting Etsy Shops Team or BEST. The purpose of the group is to provide promotion for each team member through our existing social networking accounts. Each week I'll be doing a blog feature about a different team member.

EB Special Guest Post: Show Your Style with Handmade Clothes

2010-12-22T14:41:00.001-05:00

The Elle's Beads Blog has opened up guest posting opportunities to knowledgeable craftspeople who are enthusiastic about handmade. I hope you enjoy this new endeavor!

With so many shops and sites selling mass-produced clothes on the cheap, how’s a girl to show her sense of style - without spending a fortune? Of course there are loads of ways of styling up an outfit to inject some personality, but for a guaranteed unique look, handmade clothes are the way to go.

Coat's & Clark's Thread
Photo by trekkyandy
Used under Creative Commons License

When I say handmade, I don’t mean that you have to hunch over a needle and thread to get that “authentic” look. Shop-bought patterns, whizzed up on a sewing machine can still have loads of personality as well as being a perfect fit. The trick is to look for patterns marked as simple or easy, and if you’re not sure how to do that go ahead and ask the shop assistant for help!

Now you want to pick fabric that’ll make your simple pattern shine. Seek out vintage fabrics, patterns and colours that you love, to make even the simplest smock stand out. Or get playful with your choice of dress fabrics - try velvet instead of cotton, embroidered fabrics and brocades.

If you’re panicking at the mere thought of crafting your own clothing, there’s still lots you can do to get the homemade effect. Even simple customisations, like stitching a trim to a skirt or cutting a new neckline into a plain t-shirt, can transform your clothes instantly.

And there are a whole host of fixings and fastenings that can be used on your clothes to minimise stitching. From safety pins for a punk look to fabric glue and the less messy fusible fabrics – sometimes called “no sew” adhesives. Just place the adhesive between the two pieces of fabric, iron and voila! You’ve just customised your clothes.

Summer grass dress
Photo by ingermaaike2
Used under Creative Commons License

If you’re brave enough to give a homemade dress a go, but are still scared by proper patterns, get online. There are loads of great craft blogs with simple tutorials for dresses, shirts and skirts for maximum impact with minimum effort.

Or if you prefer books, there are lots to choose from. I’m a fan of Yeah, I Made It Myself by Eithne Farry. The subtitle - DIY Fashion for the Not Very Domestic Goddess - tells you all you need to know about this book.

Once you’ve got the hang of dressmaking, you’ll find her simple ideas a little pedestrian. But if you’ve got enthusiasm and not a whole lot of technical skill, it’s a great starting point – even Coco Chanel had to learn somewhere.

So if you’ve got a fabulous fashionista inside you just waiting to break out, start to make your own clothes. Not every experiment will work, but you’ve got to keep going until you’ve built up the skills to personalise your entire wardrobe (although you don’t have to customise/hand make everything).
Good luck!

About The Author

Katie Saxon is a devoted crafter who loves to make clothes. She’s working for White Lodge Fabric, a UK-based online fabric shop selling dress fabrics worldwide.

Weekly BEST: Moonangelnay

2010-12-21T08:00:00.001-05:00

This week I'm featuring Moonangelnay, another brilliant photographer from the BESTeam. The artist, Naomi, hails from Birmingham, UK and specializes in both photography and digital art. Her shop features her photography in the form of prints, photo jewelry, calendars, collage sheets, and more. As you'll see when flipping through the pages of her shop, she finds inspiration in color, contrast, and nature. Naomi's work is multidimensional as well - she strives to move beyond the level of just "physical art" or "home decor" and into a higher level that reflects her philosophy. Because of this, I've chosen to showcase items from her shop that spoke to me or moved me in some way:

Raw Orient $15.00

Sunflower Dreams $15.00

Vintage Faery Magic $10.00

Beyond Boundaries $30.00

For information on prints, finishes, and sizes, visit the profile page. For your last minute gift giving needs, Moonangelnay also offers gift certificates in amounts ranging from $5-$100.

Find Moonangelnay around the web at these locations:

Shop: etsy.com/shop/moonangelnay
Shop 2: babamoon.etsy.com
Blog: moonangelnay.blogspot.com
Facebook: facebook.com/MoonangelnayPhotographyOnEtsy
Twitter: twitter.com/moonangelnay
Flickr: flickr.com/moonangelnay

Find an item from this shop that speaks to you in some way and be sure to come back here to tell us which one it is!

Until next time,
Elle

I'm a part of an Etsy team called Boosting Etsy Shops Team or BEST. The purpose of the group is to provide promotion for each team member through our existing social networking accounts. Each week I'll be doing a blog feature about a different team member.

Weekly BEST: Gilliauna

2010-12-14T08:00:00.016-05:00

This week I'm featuring some familiar artisans, Zoie and Leal of Gilliauna. As you may remember from my first feature on this duo, Gilliauna has a wide variety of handmade jewelry, rosaries, lanyards, eyeglass chains, and bookmarks. Essentially, their shop includes a little something for just about everyone on your shopping list! They even offer a layaway plan, for which you can find the details here.

Here are my favorite Christmas-themed items from this shop:

Handmade Holiday Poinsettia Bracelet $42.00

Beaded Reindeer Bookmark $12.00

Beaded Book Charm Christmas Tree $13.50

Christmas Charm, Key Chain, Zipper Pull $11.70

For your last minute gift giving needs, Gilliauna also offers gift certificates ranging from $10 to $150.

Here are a few of the many places to find Gilliauna around the web:

Shop: etsy.com/shop/Gilliauna
Destash Shop: etsy.com/shop/BitsnBeads
Website: bitsnbeads.com
Facebook: facebook.com/BitsnBeadsbyGilliauna
Blog: colorfulartisanjewelry.com
Twitter: twitter.com/gilliauna
Flickr: flickr.com/photos/gilliauna
deviantArt: gilliauna.deviantart.com
Tumblr: gilliauna.tumblr.com
The Meandering Musings Blog: handmadeshoppingguide.com
Newsletter: eepurl.com/FQkf
Where to buy in person: http://www.auntbillies.com

As this is a BESTeam feature, it should also be noted that Gilliauna was awarded the very first Member of the Month award this November for their participation in the Boosting Etsy Shops Team (BEST). Congratulations to them for the award!

Please check out the shop and let us know what items are your favorites!

Until next time,
Elle

I'm a part of an Etsy team called Boosting Etsy Shops Team or BEST. The purpose of the group is to provide promotion for each team member through our existing social networking accounts. Each week I'll be doing a blog feature about a different team member.

Weekly BEST: Danizabeth

2010-12-07T08:00:00.062-05:00

This week I'm featuring the fine art photographer Danielle Elizabeth from Peru, IL. Danizabeth, as she's known, is a trained graphic designer working in that field. She also has experience in painting. However, photography is where her passion is directed after work hours and her subject matter is often a reflection of her personal childhood experiences. Be sure to check out her Etsy profile to find out how. Reflected in Danizabeth's work is a sense of nostalgia and an aptitude for capturing beauty with a lens in unexpected places. Here are my favorite photos from her online collection:

One Headlight $15.00

Sing The Blues Series 1 $15.00

Red Truck Series 4 $15.00

Mount Ayr $15.00

As you can see from the listings, Danizabeth's standard photos are 8x10 matte. However, she offers a wide variety of other sizes, which you can find listed along with the pricing in her policies section. Find Danizabeth at these locations around the web:

Shop: etsy.com/shop/Danizabeth

Blog: danizabeth.blogspot.com

Facebook: facebook.com/danizabethphotography

Be sure to come back after you've checked out the shop and let us know in the comments which photo or series is your favorite!

Until next time,

Elle

Weekly BEST: Arm Candy For You

2010-11-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

This week I have the opportunity to feature a business specializing in "arm candy" - purses, clutches, and handbags galore! Arm Candy For You is based in India and features beautiful bags made by Priti, an engineer turned entrepreneur. Now that she is a stay at home mom, she has been able to find time to express her creativity with materials like silk and leather. Each bag is handmade and one of a kind - no two bags in the same pattern, color, and fabric are ever made. Each is a unique work of art. I've picked out a few favorites to share with you below:

Rubber Rose Purse $38.00

Vegan "Leather" Clutch $40.00

Pure Silk Indian Clutch $60.00

Wristlet Clutch Purse $35.00

Be sure to check out the shop and snap up a treat for you or a friend this holiday season. Here are the links you need for all things Arm Candy:

Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/armcandyforyou
Blog: http://armcandyforyou.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/armcandyforyou
Twitter: http://twitter.com/armcandyforyou
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/51064949@N04

There are some truly beautiful bags in this shop suitable for every day use, business and professional wear, and even semi-formal or formal attire. Let me know in the comments what kind of bags you typically carry and which bag from Arm Candy For You you'd love to add to your wardrobe!

Until next time,
Elle

I'm a part of an Etsy team called Boosting Etsy Shops Team or BEST. The purpose of the group is to provide promotion for each team member through our existing social networking accounts. Each week I'll be doing a blog feature about a different team member.

Mini EB Friday Hotlist: Three Quick Tips for Getting Sales During the Online Holiday Shopping Season

2010-11-26T18:00:00.000-05:00

Photo by the justified sinner on Flickr
Used under Creative Commons license

Online shopping tends to pick up this time of year as people start buying gifts for loved ones, friends, coworkers, teachers, secret santas, holiday parties, and more. From Black Friday (today) and Cyber Monday through the day-after-Christmas sales, our consumer culture tends to kick into overdrive - even during a recession. If you're working on growing your business, it would be a mistake not to capitalize on this. Here are some quick tips for maximizing your business this holiday season:

Tip #1 Make sure you utilize your social media tools effectively. If you're on Twitter, tweet an item a day and tag it with #handmade, #shophandmadethisholiday, #cybermonday, #(etsy, artfire, zibbet, etc.),
#(product type), etc. Make sure you send out an email to your mailing list and/or a Facebook post to your fans letting them know about any holiday-specific sales or great gift items you have. One fun idea is to do a 12 Days of Christmas sale with a new item on sale each day, announced that day. It generates buzz and keeps people coming back to your social media sites...for at least 2 weeks anyway. It's important though to remember to keep promoting on social media even if you're not having a big sale. See Tip #3 for more information on that.

Tip #2 Check out what your selling venue provides. Every year the major selling venues have item tags and special twitter hashtags to use to promote the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales. There's much more available though every year, so do your research. Did you know that Etsy now has % off coupon codes and Timothy Adam now has a site where you can promote them? Or that Zibbet has gift guides to which premium sellers can add their own items? (Yes, they are now live.) Or that you can now put all of your items on sale at once in your Etsy shop via a third party site? Do a little research on the newest features of your venue so that you can maximize your use of them this shopping season.

Photo by SSSasky on Flickr
Used under Creative Commons license

Tip #3 Offer perks for shopping with you. Maybe you can't afford to slash prices 40% and offer free shipping just to get a few sales. Supplies cost more than ever and, let's face it, shipping isn't free. If you're not doing a sale, that doesn't mean you slack off on promoting until all of the % off, free shipping, BOGO frenzies are over. Be proactive by focusing on what you can offer instead. Maybe you're willing to ship directly to a gift recipient, making it easier for someone to buy a last minute gift. Maybe you can provide free/low-cost gift wrapping, fancy and festive packaging, a free handmade gift tag, or options for expedited shipping at the customer's extra expense. Get creative. Everyone has something to offer.

I hope these three tips will help you as you take on your holiday selling adventure. Best wishes for many, many sales!

Happy holidays!!
Elle

Weekly BEST: From Shirlee

2010-11-23T08:00:00.001-05:00

Warning! If you like handmade items that can be described as adorable, professionally made, colorful, festive, shabby chic or all of the above, you cannot afford to miss this shop! From Shirlee is a collective shop run by a mother-daughter-daughter team who trace their artisan roots to the family's grandmother, Shirlee. Shirlee's inspiration and passion for all things crafty spread down through the next two generations to these three shop owners: Linda, Brittany, and Ashley. I tend to really love collective shops because of their propensity to display diverse talents, and From Shirlee is no exception. You'll find anything here from scrapbook pages to baby afghans to hair accessories. Here are some of my favorite items from the shop:

Christmas Countdown Magnet Board $30.00

Have This Dance Scrapbook Pages $15.00

Snowman Welcome Wall Hanging $50.00

Amigurumi Octopus $15.00

I hope you'll visit the shop and look through each category, because there are so many more fun items I don't have room to post! Here's where you can find the From Shirlee crew around the web:

Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/FromShirlee

Blog: http://musings-of-a-domestic-goddess.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FromShirlee

Twitter: http://twitter.com/FromShirlee

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/54396216@N03

Once you've checked out the shop, come back here and let us know which item(s) you like best. Don't forget to "heart" them if you're an Etsy user!

Until next time,

Elle

EB Friday Hotlist: More on Microblogging and How to Keep a Positive Brand Reputation Online, Part 2

2010-11-19T19:18:00.000-05:00

This is the second part of a two-part article on Twitter mistakes for handmade businesses to avoid. You can read the first half here.

Continuing on with our discussion, it is important not just to control your own content but also to control what content written by others you publicly share.

Be mindful of what you favorite and retweet.

In other words, pay attention what other people say and make a determination on whether or not passing the tweet along has the potential to hurt your business and/or your credibility. Twitter has some concrete ways that you can show your stamp of approval and disseminate content to others. Making use of these tools can make you a more interesting person to follow, but they need to be used carefully and thoughtfully.

This is an example of a retweet.

Lets define our terms first. Retweeting can be done in two ways - by using the retweet button or by typing RT, the person's @ name, and the text of their tweet. It basically allows you to take someone else's content and share it with your followers, while still giving credit to the original speaker. People appreciate when you share their content and may return the favor when you post something cool or interesting about your business. Your followers will appreciate seeing what you retweet because they may benefit from the information or simply find it interesting, and may even have a new contact to follow thanks to you. Retweeting and being retweeted can increase your status in the Twitterverse because people will find following you worthwhile.

Favoriting tweets on Twitter is quite different. If someone tweets something you like, find funny or interesting, or for any other reason you want to keep it bookmarked, you can click a clear star that appears next to the tweet which will then turn gold. You can go to your favorites list via the Twitter website or a third-party application and it's just like clicking the drop-down menu on your browser that lists all of your bookmarked webpages - all of your favorite tweets are right there. While these two features are obviously very different, the advice is pretty much the same for both of them:

Never recommend a tweet you haven't read. For all intents and purposes, retweeting a link means you recommend your followers take a look at it. If you're going to share content with your followers you need to make sure that it's legit. Check the original poster out (if that information is still with the tweet) to make sure they aren't a scammer or sending people viruses. If you don't trust that you can click on the link without causing harm to your computer, don't share it with anyone else, please! (We all thank you in advance.) If you trust the link, click it and read the web page, article, photo caption, or whatever is being shared. Make sure you're really okay with sharing the content. Not clicking just because you trust the original twitter can cause you to spread false or misleading information, information that isn't really relevant (titles can be misleading), or just offensive material. Here's an extra tip I read recently - show your followers that you're intelligent, well-versed in your subject matter, and interesting enough to continue following by adding your opinion in as well. Don't just link drop. Instead tell your followers why you cared enough to RT and why they should care enough to click (most people don't). Can't do it in 140 characters? Try this.

Never favorite something you haven't read and aren't prepared to justify. I will qualify this by stating that until writing this post last Saturday, I didn't even know my favorites were available for the public to see. I actually got the inspiration for this blog post after seeing this controversy surrounding Sarah Palin hit the blogosphere. (skip down to Update 3 - the information before that is irrelevant to this discussion). Anyway, I'm not suggesting that the news media is going to report what you favorite on Twitter, because you're probably not as famous as Gov. Palin if you're reading my blog. Remember, I'm showing extreme real life examples to show you that it's always crucial to think then act, even though it's "just" the internet.
See the star?
Now I also totally get that it's possible that you would want to bookmark something you disliked, disagreed with, or found offensive so that you could reference it later. Be aware though that the word "favorite" is generally associated with "like." Your potential customers might be offended by that adult-themed cartoon you found hilarious or turned off by your seeming interest in controversial social movements, regardless of whether or not you sympathize with said cause. If you want to favorite something that might make a customer second guess supporting your business, just bookmark it in your web browser or on a site like Google Bookmarks. Do the same thing if you don't have time to check out a link from a tweet now, but you want to later. If your customer checks out your favorite tweets and gets a virus from a link you seemingly like, they might not ever go back to your Twitter again...or your store. By the way, you can bookmark tweets in your browser too. Find the link to an individual tweet by clicking on the date/time stamp (i.e. "24 seconds ago" or "4:21 PM Nov 5th").

What I hope you'll take away from this post is a goal to make sure you're not ostracizing your current or future clients by acting considerately and thoughtfully in your use of social media. Stop and think about the implications of a message before you hit the tweet button. Social media should boost your business, not hurt it.

Until next time,

Elle

I hope you have a safe and happy holiday season!

Weekly BEST: Chasing the Nuns

2010-11-16T08:00:00.003-05:00

This week, I'm featuring a crafter named Sarah who runs the shop Chasing the Nuns. She is a stay at home mom that hails from the great state of Illinois. A unique sense of humor and personal style are reflected in her work, which includes crotchet, knitting, and sewing. Sarah also upcycles t-shirts and turns them into fabulous shoulder bags. Here are my favorites from the shop:

Music Hand Bag $20.00

Mr. Rogers $30.00

Aviator Hat $30.00

Crochet Necklace $20.00

In addition to the shop offerings shown, Chasing the Nuns offers custom color and yarn options. If she makes it, she can probably make it for you in your favorite color or yarn. Even more exciting - if you're like me and have t-shirts you love but no longer wear, Sarah can preserve them for you by turning them into bags like the ones you see above. Just ask her about custom ordering!

Check out the shop in these places around the web:

Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/chasingthenuns

Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/charlesandsarah

Blog: http://chasingthenuns.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/McHenry-IL/cerlandia/273587627352

Twitter: http://twitter.com/chasingthenuns

Picasa: http://picasaweb.google.com/chasingthenuns

Visit the shop and check out Sarah's work. Then come back here and let us know which item you like the most. Also in the comments, let us know which of your t-shirts you'd most like to see turned into a bag! For me, it would be the embroidered Montreal shirt that was brought back for me as a souvenir years ago.

Until next time,

Elle

EB Friday Hotlist: More on Microblogging and How to Keep a Positive Brand Reputation Online, Part 1

2010-11-12T22:00:00.000-05:00

This is the first half of a two-part article about how average users' mistakes on Twitter can be learning tools for handmade businesses looking to establish their social media presence. I encourage you to check out each linked article and to check back on November 19, 2010 for the second part of this story.


Check out HautTotes on Twitter.

I've written about Twitter before and it still remains my favorite social media tool. Since I'm currently on a semi-vacation from my jewelry business, my Twitter has definitely become more of a personal and less of a business account. I comment back and forth almost daily with fellow fans of my favorite TV shows as they air, read hundreds of tips and tweets about the LSAT (December 11 is fast approaching!), and react to current events (midterm elections, anyone?)...all more often than I get to talk about handmade. My Twitter started as a personal account anyway and really only developed into a business tool after starting Elle's Beads. I really wanted to start a new account to match the all of my other branding, but the name @ellesbeads was already taken and Twitter won't let users snatch up inactive names. I decided to stick with the commonly given advice that primarily talking about things other than your shop can actually drive business to your shop, so my @ellexmarie Twitter became a part of my marketing strategy. Time will tell if that was a good idea for me. I think Haut Totes is truly the master of "Twitter for handmade businesses" with almost 30,000 followers to date. From what I notice in my timeline, she seems to have a nice mix of work and personal life, with the bulk of her tweets focused on encouraging followers to engage with her brand. It goes to show that what some social media experts say and what actually works for each individual business doesn't always mesh.

If you're like me (i.e. not really at the 10,000+ follower level or even in shouting distance) and don't already have a strong customer base or online following to funnel into Twitter, you're probably reading forum posts, blog articles, and e-newsletters written from these aforementioned social media experts about how to navigate Twitter and increase your followers. There are tons of them out there - and by them I mean both articles and self-declared experts. For this blog article, I'm taking a different approach than I did last time. While I still stand by my advice that using hashtags effectively and filling out your profile information can increase your following, not doing those things will probably not keep people from buying from you. The things that will are the focus of this post. I want to talk about how you can keep the followers you already have and avoid damaging your business with your tweets. This is based on what the experts say, actual real life situations, and my personal experience using Twitter both primarily for business and primarily for social interaction.

Be careful with what you say.

Obvious, right? I didn't say these tips would be rocket science. :) Whether you're running a business or just chatting for fun, what you say on Twitter can really come back to bite you in the butt. Don't think so? Remember when Facebook started and then slowly expanded and became more popular? Remember when law enforcement, employers, and school officials started accessing it and then started holding people

Photo by edvvc

accountable for what they posted (text, pictures, video...even outright confessions to crimes) by arresting them, firing them, or not accepting them into their universities? If you weren't around when this all developed, that's okay. Technology has progressed significantly over the past few years - I'm pretty young but I remember using pay phones at school because personal cell phones (the small ones that could now fit in a purse) were a luxury. Forget the iTouch - I was so unbelievably excited to get my first portable CD player because it didn't require cassette tape rewinding like the Walkman. And yes, if I wanted to keep a recording of a song I either had to wait for it all day on the radio and hit the record button on my radio-cassette player (aka "boom box") at just the right moment or I had to get my mom to take me to the store and purchase the tape or (by the time I got to middle school) the CD.

Anyway, now I'm digressing and feeling nostalgic. If you don't remember the advent of the home computer, the internet, and the subsequent social media explosion dominated by MySpace and Facebook, here's a recent (as in this month) story for you to relate to: Check out what happened to this student who posted a comment on Facebook that landed him in jail, barred him from finishing college, and is basically killing his dreams for the foreseeable future. While I doubt you or the average Facebook user will ever have these kind of consequences for what you post, it's important to bring up because there are more common, lesser consequences for less egregious behavior as well. There are tons of personal problems you could encounter, but for the purposes of this discussion we'll focus on the repercussions for your business.

Alex Payne's tweet caused considerable backlash.

Twitter is a social media tool just like Facebook and, just like Facebook, text and photos (think TwitPic for example) as well as links to anything and everything are posted all the time. It's easy to get complacent in the midst of all that information sharing, especially considering the fact that a very small percentage of tweets are replied to or shared by other users. However, if you're running a business you're likely including your Twitter link on things like your mailing list emails, your Facebook fan page, your blog, and your shop. If you want it to be a useful tool for business, you need new people to follow you and share your content. To facilitate this, your timeline is probably "unprotected," which basically means that all of your tweets are public and users don't need your approval to view them or to follow you. What this all means practically is that potential, current, and former customers as well as fellow artisans and competitors are following you or finding links to your tweets through your shop, mutual contacts, or even search engines like Google. Yeah that's right - public tweets are indexed, included in searches, and sometimes show on the search page in real time via a scrolling widget (see screenshot below). Here's what you don't want to have them see:

Anything absolutely stupid. Again, if it has the potential to get you in trouble with law enforcement, your boss, or your school, just don't mention it on Twitter. Go old school and do what I did before Xanga and Live Journal became cool - write it down with a pen in a real-life paper journal and keep it off the internet. Remember too, it's not always the case that an offending tweet is inherently stupid and it may even be something you'd say out loud to a friend in real life. Just take a few seconds to think
Did you know that your tweets are in Google and Bing?
ahead about how people may react to it or take your statement personally. And most importantly, just like anywhere else on the internet, people can take screenshots of comments they see online, access search engine caches (i.e. images of your deleted tweet) for days and sometimes weeks, and even get around your password protections if they're really savvy. Do not ever make the mistake of thinking that having a protected account is the same thing as privacy or that deleting an offending tweet will erase all traces of it instantly. The internet doesn't work that way. Think before you tweet.

Criticism directed towards a customer. This is dangerous for two reasons. The first should be obvious. That person could come across your rant and decide to do everything they can to oppose you if they haven't already - from leaving scathing feedback to starting an active online campaign against you (I've seen it done). Alternatively, if they are a reasonable person and would have accepted your genuine attempts to correct their dissatisfaction, you pretty much end all chance of that working out when you attack them on Twitter. At best, you've just lost a customer and lost any business that customer might have referred to you. The second reason is also pretty easy to figure out. People are generally turned off by that kind of negativity. A potential customer is going to think "Gee, look at the way she's talking about Customer X. I don't want someone talking about me like that! I bet she has poor customer service if that is how she treats people!"

Controversial topics. Now this is going to be different for different people. While I originally stayed away from tweets like these, I do now post about my support for LGBT issues, women's rights, and progressive political causes. I've probably lost a few followers for that, but I don't mind. My support
for different issues, especially those affecting LGBT persons, is clearly reflected in both some of my work and in some of the charitable causes I'm involved in through Etsy. If you are someone that has a problem buying from someone that holds these types of convictions, you're not going to purchase from me whether or not I'm tweeting. And for the record, I seem to have a diverse group of Twitter followers who have all types of different belief systems. So there is nothing wrong in theory with voicing your personal opinions on your business twitter, but keep it calm. Don't attack other users for their views, don't bully, and try not to alienate large portions of your potential customer base.

The rest of this article is scheduled to post next Friday. After that, the Hotlist will be on hiatus as I will be ~~enjoying the Thanksgiving holiday~~ studying like a mad woman for the December LSAT. I will likely spend all of December finalizing law school applications and waiting impatiently for my test score. Weekly BEST features will still be posted each week, but they will be scheduled in advance. I still encourage you to post your comments! Thank you for your understanding and I look forward to learning from and with you in the new year. Have a safe, happy, and super profitable holiday season.

Until next time,
Elle

Weekly BEST: LotusMira

2010-11-10T21:02:00.001-05:00

This week I'm featuring a fellow legal professional from our nation's capital (Washington, D.C.) who is in the process of earning both a law degree and an advanced graduate degree. In addition to her academic pursuits, she manages to find time to nurture her creative side. She specializes in soldered art and jewelry and uses her talents to upcycle found items and combine them with vintage images. Check out my favorites from this shop:

Vintage Pink Poison Labels Pendant $14.95

Indian Hand Painted Tile Pendant $14.95

Chiyogami Paper Pendant $14.95

Vintage French Stamp Pendant $23.95

These pendants are as beautiful and unique as the shop owner's name. Lotus MiraGe is a symbolic, meaningful name which you can read all about on her Etsy profile. Get to know this artist better by checking out her work at these locations as well:

Shop: etsy.com/shop/lotusmira
Blog: lotusmira.com
Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Lotus-MiraGe-Ephemera/330807772723
Flickr: flickr.com/photos/49115646@N04/
Twitter: twitter.com/lotusmira

Please visit this shop and have a look around. Then come back and let us all know in the comments which item you would love either for yourself or as a gift for someone you know this holiday season.

Until next time,
Elle

I'm a part of an Etsy team called Boosting Etsy Shops Team or BEST. The purpose of the group is to provide promotion for each team member through our existing social networking accounts. Each week I'll be doing a blog feature about a different team member.

EB Friday Hotlist: It's Not Too Late to Advertise for the (Handmade) Holidays

2010-11-05T23:17:00.000-04:00

September and October came and went pretty quickly this year. Lots of the handmade gift guides finish accepting submissions during those months, but that doesn't mean you're totally out of luck if you didn't already act. I have a few ideas for my crafty but procrastinating readers to make a last minute effort to promote yourselves during the biggest shopping season of the year:

If you've got something handmade, unique, and beautifully photographed, you can submit to the Handmade Gift Guide at any time for free. If selected, your only "cost" is adding the Handmade Gift Guide button to your blog and promoting your feature - gee, shouldn't you want to do that anyway? Go ahead and submit now and you just might have your item featured in time for the shopping season.

Are you a member of an Etsy team? Get your fellow members involved with Handmade Spark's Handmade Holiday Gift Guide. Sure they've already featured tons of teams, but since they stated that there was no deadline for submissions, you should hurry up and talk to your team leader about this opportunity. Don't wait - you don't know how many teams may already have posts lined up!

Also, if you're a premium (paid) member on Zibbet, you can put the items of your choice into any of several gift guides. The problem? Customers can't actually view them yet. When you click the front page graphic advertising the gift guides, it takes you to a "Coming Soon" page at the time of this post. I have no idea why they already have a link up for a feature shoppers can't access with no apparent ETA, but hopefully they will post them ASAP. And by ASAP, I'm hoping within the next week or it won't be worth much this season. I don't recommend upgrading to access this feature because I don't know what it will look like or if it will even be ready in enough time to matter this year, but if you're already premium it costs nothing to add a few items.

Some other ways to get noticed this holiday season include:

Submitting your craft project ideas to blogs and indie sites that are posting tutorial collections for Thanksgiving or one of the religious holidays this winter
Posting and promoting your own holiday gift guide on your blog or website
Guest blog for someone who is taking time off this holiday season and help keep their content interesting for readers
Consider investing in paid advertising on websites featuring holiday gift guides that are already full, because quite frankly, that's where the handmade-minded shoppers will be
Consider running a Black Friday or after-Christmas sale. Participate in the sales promotion opportunities provided by your selling venues.

Do you know of any other last minute places to submit your work this handmade holiday season? Any suggestions for next year? Let us know in the comments!

Until next time,

Elle

Weekly BEST: Buy Some Love

2010-11-01T16:51:00.001-04:00

This week I'm featuring some fellow legal professionals and jewelry artisans - a husband and wife team in or near Toronto, Ontario. When I say that this is a team effort, I genuinely mean it - both partners have active involvement in the creative aspects of the business. The husband contributes beaded necklaces to the shop and the wife adds her charm necklaces and earrings to the mix.

The jewelry in this shop often features nautical and feminine, floral themes. The use of color, pearls, charms, various metals, and a combination of simple, dainty designs alongside more complex, clustered jewelry give a variety of choices for every buyer. As always, here is my selection of favorites from this shop:

Turquoise and Ivory Cluster Earrings $16.50

Anchor Boatwheel on Sterling Silver $15.00

Layered Glass Pearl Necklace $55.00

Choose Your Own Ring $7.01

Now usually I only select 3-4 items from the featured shop, but there are some additional really cool items in this shop that I haven't seen before and to which I want to draw your attention. Check out the unique selection of chalkboard jewelry from Buy Some Love by clicking on the image below:

Real Chalkboard Jewelry $8.25 - $18.50

Find Buy Some Love around the web at these locations:

Shop: Buysomelove.ca
Blog: raisingaking.blogspot.com
Facebook: facebook.com/BuySomeLove

Be sure to check out the shop to find out about their special, ongoing discount for loyal customers as well as the current selection of sale items. After you do, please come back and share your favorite item(s) in the comments!

Until next time,
Elle

I'm a part of an Etsy team called Boosting Etsy Shops Team or BEST. The purpose of the group is to provide promotion for each team member through our existing social networking accounts. Each week I'll be doing a blog feature about a different team member.

EB Friday Hotlist: How to Maximize Returns After You Make the Sale

2010-10-30T00:42:00.000-04:00

*I'm in VA for the weekend, so I apologize that this is a little late. I promise it's worth it. :)

There was an interesting thread on the Etsy forums that I discovered through the most recent Etsy Success email. I only click on those links every now and then but the title of this particular thread caught my eye: "10 Ways to Make the Most Out of Every Sale." Think about that for a minute. Once you've already gotten the sale, there are definitely some things that you can do to try and maximize the situation - namely in gaining a repeat customer and/or referral. The artisan who authored the thread is Lori of Risky Beads (who just so happens to be from my town). She was kind enough to let me repost her 10 Ways here on the EB Blog. Check out the "Cliffs Notes" version below, complete with comments from yours truly, and be sure to visit the original thread for more details on how Lori implements her own suggestions:

1. Send a freebie along with each order.

This can be an effective technique. I've seen it work for bath and body sellers who include a tiny soap sample or candle makers who include a mini tea light in a complimentary fragrance. Risky Beads emphasizes that the freebie should be something that people want. It can sometimes be hard to guess what that might be. Easy to use samples like the ones I mentioned are a pretty safe bet.

For jewelry sellers like me, it can be a little trickier. Her suggestion to use sustainable marketing items is probably the best idea. Some people will throw away a magnet or keychain or business card, but it never really hurts to include one, as long as it's cost effective (read: include the cost of the promotional item into your pricing calculation).

Yep, if you want to make money, freebies that you send out with every order shouldn't really be "free" - the money has to come from somewhere. Giving people items that you would have just thrown out in the trash is not a good way to encourage repeat business. That means supply sellers - don't dump your misshapen, crazy drilled, beat up beads in a plastic baggie and write freebie on it. And non-supply sellers, never send your customer unsolicited "supplies." 9 times out of 10 they are going in the trash. If the person wanted to make a similar item they would buy the supplies from a supplier not the finished product from you.

2. Invite customers to join your mailing list.

Okay, so I'm really bad about doing this. I really need to push my mailing list more and I also really need to write a newsletter again. It's been a couple of months. I blame the LSAT.

It takes time and effort to build up a mailing list, but you definitely should suggest it to people that have already demonstrated an interest in your shop by buying something. If you offer exclusive discounts, first access to new items, and other information that benefits the customer, they'll actually read the newsletter too.

3. Send a coupon for their next purchase.

I do this each time I make a sale. So far, no one has taken me up on the discount BUT I do not have an expiration date for the offer. At first, I included information about the discount in my thank-you notes. Now I use my little mini Moo card collection with different pictures of my items. On the back of the card is my "Customer Appreciation Discount" complete with the important information: shop URL, shop name, discount %, and secret coupon code. Sometimes I drop in two in the hopes that one will be shared with a friend. However you decide to offer a repeat customer incentive, I think it's important to remember to include your shop URL with the message about your offer. I've gotten some before that just say "10% off your next purchase" and two months later I've forgotten who sent me that piece of paper. I can't use your discount if I don't know which store it's for!

4. Send a brochure with FANTASTIC pictures of other products you sell.

This is a great idea for beauty products, as Lori describes in her thread. I've decided against this idea for my jewelry business for the time being, but I have given some thought to developing a brochure with information about booking me for home parties.

What you should take away from this, regardless of whether or not you decide to try a brochure, is that pictures sell. I choose to put pictures of my products on my regular Moo business cards and my mini-Moo cards. Give your customer something they'll want to keep on their fridge or give to a friend. Visual appeal is important.

5. Invite your customer to a future secret sale--not too far in the future, say 2-3 weeks max AND/OR unveil a secret product and offer it early to your existing custom base.

This is another interesting idea. You might leverage this idea into more newsletter sign-ups - i.e. "sign up for my newsletter and receive exclusive information about my upcoming secret sale."

6. Send along your Twitter and Facebook links...either on a card or via a convo/email when notifying about shipping.

I think it's always good to encourage customers to sign up for your social media outlets. I personally choose to put other contact information on my business cards (phone, address, email) and this info simply wouldn't fit. Instead, I have my one URL listed there: http://elles-beads.com. Once a customer goes to that site, they can find my Twitter, Facebook, and more links than they'd ever be able to keep up with. I also use Mad Mimi for my newsletters and they have a great setup for you to add clickable icons in your newsletters to take customers to these social networks. However you go about doing it, definitely encourage people to follow you - as long as you're providing them with worthwhile content, of course!

7. If you have a significant customer base, send out a customer service/product survey and offer a nice coupon for customers that complete it.

This is an interesting idea and wouldn't cost you anything but the time it takes to set up a free online survey. I imagine the feedback gained would be more than beneficial for you as a seller.

8. Send samples of a new product and ask for feedback. This can be a great way to try out a new scent/flavor/color of something.

Great idea for those who make candles, bath and body, and other similar products. I'm not sure I could send out a sample of a necklace I'm making (mail customers one of the beads? lol). No, instead, for other sellers this is a great way to make use of the Facebook fan page. Make the new item and introduce it on Facebook so that people can comment on it and give constructive feedback. This will not only improve your product line, but will also get people checking back with your shop to find out when the new item becomes available.

9. Offer an instant entry into a giveaway for their purchase.

Giveaways are a nice way to boost sales when they're done properly. I'll defer to someone with more experience with them, but this is a nice incentive and may get someone to buy an item if they already like it and just need an extra push.

10. Network with other Etsy sellers who sell complimentary products to yours, not direct competition.

This is an excellent strategy that I highly recommend. Make use of other people's customer base and offer yours in return. Business card exchanges are an easy way to do this. Trading advertising space on each others' blogs could work too.

I truly enjoyed going through the Risky Beads suggestions and appreciated the reminders of things I could be doing better. For more information about running a successful handmade business directly from Lori herself (who, by the way, is almost at her 2,000th sale on Etsy), you can purchase an inexpensive e-book called How to Make it Small When You're Trying to Make It Big. You know I'm all about low cost and free - this book will only set you back about $9 and comes with free updates.

Let me know in the comments what you do to capitalize on the sales you make!

Until next time,
Elle

Weekly BEST: As You Like It by DiCarlos

2010-10-24T21:38:00.000-04:00

This week I'm featuring an artist and teacher from from Woburn, MA (Boston area). Stephanie is the creative force behind the shop As You Like It (found under the Etsy username "dicarlos"). Her shop features jewelry, artwork, cards and stenciled notebooks. The work seems to be inspired by bright, earthy colors, as well as a love of writing and literature. Here are my favorite items from the As You Like It collection:

Purple Fish Bubble Card $2.50

Flower Mandala Blank Card $2.50

Dangle Necklace $35.00

Silverdoodle Square Painting $40.00

Stephanie's other shop on Etsy is called Unexpected Knock and draws inspiration directly from the poetry of Emily Dickinson. Find her at these other places around the web as well:

Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/dicarlos

Blog: http://etsyasyoulikeit.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Woburn-MA/As-You-Like-It/135523136473551

Check out Stephanie's shops and let me know in the comments which item is your favorite!

Until next time,

Elle

EB Friday Hotlist: Entrecard

2010-10-22T22:58:00.000-04:00

This week, I want to talk to you about advertising opportunities through Entrecard. Please scroll down to the bottom of this post and read the disclaimer. When you're finished, join me back up here for the discussion.

Entrecard is a website that allows users to get free advertising. Since I'm all about low cost and free, I signed up for this site quite a while ago. You may have even noticed the little Entrecard widget on the side of my blog. After seeing a widget on someone else's blog, I decided to look up the site and find out more. In order to participate in the advertising network, you are required to install the widget on your blog. Then Entrecard staff view your site and decide whether or not to approve you. Non-English and sexually explicit websites are always rejected.

Once you have installed the widget and are approved, you'll notice that you have credits in your account. These credits are like currency that you can use to buy advertising in the widgets on other people's blogs. Use the Campaign search to find blogs that cater to readers in your target market. For example, if you're a jewelry seller like me, you may want to advertise on women's fashion blogs. Each blog or site has a credit price associated with it depending on a popularity calculation. Your ad will be displayed for 24 hours at the price displayed. You have the option of allowing people to purchase ads on your site too through your widget. It works the same way except that instead of spending them, you receive credits which you can in turn spend on other websites - without ever opening your wallet.

If you want additional credits once you've spent them all up, you can get them. Buying credits costs money though and you all know I'm not in favor of spending a lot of cash. An easy way to get free credits (in addition to having other people advertise on your widget as mentioned earlier) is through dropping. Check out other sites in the Entrecard network (there are literally 30,000+ to choose from) and "drop" your card on them by clicking the "drop" button on the widget. You get one credit for each drop so earning credits this way can take a while. And no you can't just drop your ad 300 times (the max allowed in one calendar day) in a row as quickly as possible or you will be penalized. Take time to look through the website before dropping and wait a little while before you try to drop on the next site. It makes good business sense to take your time anyway to make sure you're dropping your ad someplace it will actually have an impact. For more information on how to drop correctly and maximize your credits, check out the FAQ.

Now, one of the things you have to consider when trying out an advertising opportunity is whether or not it is working for you. I'm sure we can agree that an advertising opportunity is only successful if you get more publicity, clicks to your site, and (eventually) sales. Entrecard does provide statistics for you to evaluate the success of your campaigns...but they also admit that they are unreliable. The website makes it clear that it is possible to generate "fake" clicks, which can skew your statistics. If someone (presumably the site owner) is clicking many times on the ad you purchased, it might make you think that ad is doing well for you (i.e. many different potential customers clicking on your ad) and cause you to continue putting your credits into that site. Fraud is completely lame, but there's not much Entrecard is doing about it and I'm not sure they even can do anything. The only way I can think of to combat that problem is to do your own research. Google Analytics might be able to differentiate between the fake and legitimate visits (maybe in your bounce rate?), but I'm no expert so make sure to look into that yourself. I also suggest considering adding a poll to your site asking people where they found your site or adding a poll to your PayPal or other ecommerce account to ask your buyers how they found your shop. Not everyone is going to answer these polls, but at least they are less easily manipulated as most only allow one vote per IP address and no one gains anything from scamming your independent poll. If any current Entrecard users have any other suggestions on drawing conclusive statistics, please let me know. Otherwise, you'll just have to trust that the people you advertise with are honest.

There are other features on the site that I haven't used, such as the market or the affiliated atokens.com website. If you're interested in joining Entrecard, check out those features when you sign up.

I'll be honest, I don't spend a lot of time monitoring my Entrecard account. I get periodic emails from them updating me on the number of credits I have. Once I notice that I've built up a few credits from people advertising on my widget (at least 100+), I take a few minutes and go buy some ads. It's really that simple. I never spend any of my own cash and the time investment is minimal. I'm sure that the more time you spend working it, the more benefit you'll get from it. However, I don't think you have anything to lose by giving it a try even if you don't have a lot of spare time to work out the right sites for maximizing your ad credits.

Do you use Entrecard? Be sure to reread the disclaimer below and consider writing your own post reviewing the site. There is a "contest" I'm entering that is open to everyone who wants to weigh in on the site. Get more information about the contest here: http://entrecard.com/blog/?p=1593. Free credits for all! :)

Until next time,
Elle

Disclaimer: In exchange for writing this review, I am hoping to receive $15 worth of Entrecard credits through a contest. No, I'm not selling out. The review does not have to be positive in order for me to receive the credits. Here are the instructions about the contest as copied and pasted from the email I received, typos and all: "Just write a review about Entrecard on your blog. Share the pro’s and the con’s (hopefully, there will be pro’s ;) ). And in your blog, please place a link back to this contest (Here’s the URL: http://entrecard.com/blog/?p=1593 Tha’ts it!" So, as you can see they are not requiring anyone to write an unfairly biased review. My view is strictly my own.

Weekly BEST: Ardent Reverie

2010-10-21T12:49:00.000-04:00

Ardent Reverie is a diverse business based in San Diego, CA. In addition to original artwork, the shop features a wide variety of wearable art accessories including hair clips, crocheted beanies, fascinators, and scarves. This shop is a true family-run, handmade business headed up by two sisters, Melanie and Meghan. These are my favorite pieces from the items currently for sale:

Origami Lotus Hair Clip $12.00

Lurie Glow in the Dark Painting $50.00

Trailing Chain Necklace $18.00

Bella Moss Feather Clip $13.00

Find Ardent Reverie around the web at these locations:

Shop: etsy.com/shop/ardentreverie
Blog: ardentreverie.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ArdentReverie
Twitter: twitter.com/ArdentReverie1

Please check out this fashion foward shop and let me know what your favorite item is in the comments!

Until next time,
Elle

I'm a part of an Etsy team called Boosting Etsy Shops Team or BEST. The purpose of the group is to provide promotion for each team member through our existing social networking accounts. Each week I'll be doing a blog feature about a different team member.

EB Friday Hotlist: The Updates for Handmade Venues You Need to Know About

2010-10-15T23:57:00.002-04:00

There have been some crazy exciting updates in the handmade world in the past month and I want to share a couple of them with you tonight:

Etsy On Sale: Just in time for the holidays, Etsy on Sale makes it possible for Etsy sellers to put their items on sale. That's right - at once. Automatically (well...it takes a few minutes, but still...). You can save yourself tons of time editing or processing PayPal refunds with this feature. Get more information about it by clicking the image below or visiting the site (link above):

Think of all the time you'll save when you run a sale this holiday season! One of the Etsians that has tried this feature boasted on Handmade Spark that she made 9 sales during her promotion. This comes highly recommended.

Zibbet-Etsy Importer: After initial outrage (by sellers) that their Etsy importer was rejected by Etsy, Zibbet turned right around the next day and launched an importer that will allow you to copy your listing information from Etsy to your Zibbet shop. I haven't tried it out yet as my current Zibbet shop is specifically geared towards beaded and upcycled magnets, but I'm eager to give it a go. Try it out yourself and let me know what you think! Be sure to check out the article on what to do after you import (click the picture below):

It's never optimal to keep all of your focus on one venue. Zibbet is a great up and coming handmade (and vintage, supplies, and fine art) site with monthly instead of item based fees and great new features added all the time. Consider using a coupon code to give them a try this holiday season. It's easier than ever to set up shop.

I hope you're as excited to try these new features as I am! Have you found any others that will help you get your shop ready for the holidays? Let us know in the comments!

Until next time,
Elle

Weekly BEST: Rae of Light

2010-10-13T20:52:00.000-04:00

This week I have the pleasure of featuring a photographer from Missouri. Rae of Light Photography is the photo business of a 28 year old woman from a family of photographers. What she lacks in professional training has been made up for with informal training from her talented family members. She is able to capture the beauty in the simplicity of the everyday world around her. She doesn't just offer prints of her work, but has magnets, calendars, cards, and puzzles available for sale as well. I picked out some of my favorites from her shop which you can find below:

Fifth Street Flower Flower Calendar $15.00

Blue Butterfly Puzzle $25.00

Curve Appeal Original Print $30.00

Cafe Delight Greeting Card $3.50

I hope you are as inspired by the nostalgic and romantic feel of her natural scenes as I am. Check out Rae of Light around the web at these locations:

Shop: etsy.com/shop/RaeoLight

Blog: raeoflightphotos.blogspot.com

Facebook: facebook.com/RaeofLightphotos

I encourage you visit this shop and then leave a comment here to let us know what your favorite item(s) are!

Until next time,

Elle

EB Friday Hotlist: How Wholesale Can Help Your Business

2010-10-08T23:57:00.002-04:00

What's the difference between consignment and wholesale? In both situations, you are offering your work to another business at a lower rate than your retail price for them to resell. Also in either situation you might sign a contract and/or have an ongoing relationship with this particular business. The major difference from my perspective is that in a wholesale deal your items are purchased outright. The reseller can then mark up the prices and sell the items to their customers (or, really, do whatever they want with them). When you consign your items, however, you are paid your percentage when and only when the items sell. If your items sit on the shelf collecting dust, the same collects in your wallet. I have heard horror stories in the Etsy forums of consignment deals gone bad, so I've decided to stay away from that avenue. I would highly recommend wholesale, however. It can be a fantastic feeling to have your work in a brick and mortar retail shop and it can be a great way to grow your business.

As many of you know, I recently sold about 50 pieces of jewelry to a new shop in Durham, NC called Hunky Dory. If you're local, be sure to check them out and tell them Elle's Beads sent you! I stopped into the shop the other day to show a friend my work and he snapped this picture:

The jewelry I made can be seen from the middle to the right side of the picture, along with a few pieces from some other artists. I was fortunate enough to make this huge sale just by being found on Etsy. Previously I had only briefly skimmed the forum threads and thoughtful discussions on wholesaling. I raised my prices some, but that was the only action I took. I assumed that since I only sold one-of-a-kind pieces that I wouldn't attract that kind of interest. I was happily surprised to find out that wasn't the case. So, there are some things that I was prepared for and some things I wish I had thought through in advance. To hopefully get you excited about selling wholesale, here are my top five pieces of advice:

1. Be thorough in setting up your online shop because you never know who may come across it and decide that your work is a perfect fit for their business. This is my first piece of advice because I didn't actually seek out this order - the owners of Hunky Dory found me through searching on Etsy. If you want to be found, you must make sure that your work is properly titled and tagged and optimized for search engines. Use clear photos and accurately describe your work in the appropriate sections. Especially if you sell on a site like Etsy where users can search for sellers local to them, be sure to include an accurate and complete location (city, state or province, and country). Actually, doing all of this will help you not only with wholesaling, but with attracting regular customers, being featured in blogs or magazines, etc. - set up your shop to work to your advantage!

2. If you're interested in selling wholesale, recognize that you need to prepare for it ahead of time. The most important preparation is tackling your pricing. Go back and read that last sentence again. From what I've read on Etsy, most wholesale orders tend to run at 50% of retail price. That means if I have a ring listed in my shop for $10, my wholesale price should be $5. This allows the retailer that buys your crafts to mark them up so that they can make a profit from selling them. If you would lose money selling your items at this 50% rate, you are not ready to wholesale. It's time to raise your prices.

You may be thinking, "Why would I want to sell my one-of-a-kind items at 50% off?" It's true that for this kind of wholesale order you aren't making large batches of the same item at once, which saves time and cuts down overhead costs. However, consider the amount of work that it takes to promote your individual items and sell them, and how much money you spend in advertising, renewing, and craft fair booth fees. It may actually be more cost effective to sell a large number of items at once for less profit per item than one item at a time for a higher profit. The point is to make a profit and make sure you aren't cheating yourself.

3. Another main preparation you should consider is delivery of the goods. Whether or not you sell to someone local, you will have to consider how you will package the items and deliver them. If you make a local sale, you may be able to arrange for the buyer to meet you to pick up the items. (Remember to exercise common sense safety precautions - you are meeting a stranger from the internet and bringing valuable merchandise with you.) Otherwise you will have to factor in shipping costs as well. Make sure you're prepared with promotional materials and think of creative ways to use them. I noticed that one of the other local artists who recently sold jewelry to Hunky Dory attached their rings to their business cards in a similar fashion to the way earring cards are used. While every business may not allow you to include your own branding and promotional materials with your items, it can further expand your business if it is allowed.

4. Decide on your policies ahead of time. Once you receive the order request is not the time to make up your mind on what your wholesale rate is. You need to consider under what circumstances you will sell wholesale, for example:

*What is your minimum order amount for the wholesale discount? 10 items? 50 items? $200 worth of merchandise?

*Will you offer a smaller discount for those who do not meet your minimum order requirement?

*Will you have the customer place the order through your website or through an artisan venue?

*What payment methods will you accept? Cash? Checks? Money Order? Online bank transfers? Credit card payments? And how will you go about accepting payment? In person? Through the mail? Through a payment service like PayPal or Google Checkout?

Make sure to clearly state your policies to the customer and consider adding them to your policies page on your website or shop.

5. Respond quickly, stick to your agreed time frame, and be as accommodating as possible. Hunky Dory hadn't yet opened when they contacted me, but they were looking to get the shop opened within the week. Without staying on top of communications and quickly getting together the order for them, I may have lost the sale. You don't need a Blackberry or fancy tools to be professional. I made use of the Etsy convo system to update them daily (sometimes hourly) on the status of the order and to make sure they knew I was concerned with making the sale an easy, pleasant transaction for both of us.

Now you may not have the time right now to prepare large orders for wholesale and that's understandable. Most of us one-of-a-kind item sellers are gearing up for lots of smaller sales from holiday shoppers this time of year. However, start thinking now about whether or not wholesale may be a viable option for you and take steps to prepare yourself for the possibility. For more information on wholesale including selling non-OOAK items and exclusivity, I recommend checking the Etsy forums by using the search bar at the top of the page.

Do you have experience with wholesale? Consignment? Interested in it? Let us know in the comments!

Until next time,
Elle

Weekly BEST: Inkstrand

2010-10-06T13:50:00.000-04:00

Inkstrand is an Etsy shop run by a crafter named Jamila from Portland, Oregon. A self-described dreamer and jack of all trades, Jamila specializes in pendants, purses, and accessories in this Etsy shop. Inkstrand takes you back to the Victorian era, meshing aesthetics from that era with elements of nature, science fiction, and fantasy. Inkstrand is also eco-friendly - Jamila uses a mix of new, recycled, and repurposed materials in her work. Here are some of my favorites from her shop:

Absinthe Green Adjustable Ring $8

Light Bulb Brass Pendant $15

Green Maple Seeds Pendant $15

Red Winged Leaf Pendant $15

Inkstrand can also be found on the web at these locations:

Shop: etsy.com/shop/inkstrand
Blog 1: inkstrand.blogspot.com
Blog 2: inkstrand.tumblr.com
Twitter: twitter.com/dream24seven
Flickr: flickr.com/photos/dream24seven

What's your favorite item from Inkstrand? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,
Elle

I'm a part of an Etsy team called Boosting Etsy Shops Team or BEST. The purpose of the group is to provide promotion for each team member through our existing social networking accounts. Each week I'll be doing a blog feature about a different team member.

EB Friday Hotlist: One Year on Etsy

2010-10-01T23:13:00.000-04:00

Time flies when you're not quite paying attention! As you know, my focus lately has not been on my craft business and so I completely missed the fact that my one-year Etsy-versary was last month. On September 16, 2010 I concluded my first year of selling online, which quite honestly is a little mind-blowing for me. Now I can't boast that I've turned a major profit or that I'm ready to "quit my day job" (it's not even my goal...), but I still feel like I've been successful. I've learned how to sell at craft fairs, the farmer's market, and the flea market. I've gotten a blog, Twitter, and Facebook following. I've made 25 online sales between Etsy, Zibbet, and Artfire and learned how to package and ship across the country. I've also sold a large wholesale order and seen my jewelry on display in a local shop (more on that in a later post). I've made friends, honed networking skills, and organized and led a local team event. Most importantly I've learned a great deal, not just about running a small, independent business, but about myself - my personality, my strengths, and my passions.

I've been talking a lot about inspiration lately, and if there was one piece of advice I could give to anyone starting out it would be to stay inspired. Do something you really enjoy or it's really just work. Crafting is generally not easy money (hence the popular term "starving artist"), but it is possible to turn your passion into a successful business - whatever "success" means to you.

Many thanks to each and every one of you that read the blog, tweet the posts, leave comments, subscribe to the newsletter, and purchase from the shop. I don't know what I would have done without you this past year. I genuinely appreciate all of your kind words and support. Happy sales!

Until next time,
Elle

Weekly BEST: Blue Forest Jewellery

2010-09-29T22:53:00.000-04:00

As you can see from the title of the post, this week I have the pleasure of featuring a jewelry artisan from across the pond. Blue Forest Jewellery is a business owned and operated by Alison from Coventry, UK. She's been working with jewelry - from repurposing and adapting pieces to making her own - for about as long as she can remember. You may have already guessed this based on her business name, but Alison finds inspiration for her work in color and nature. Semi-precious stones, earth tones, and bright splashes of natural color are prominently featured in the jewelry she creates. The name "Blue Forest" comes from the bluebells and beautiful sky she sees in the Forest of Arden where she regularly walks her dog and spends time in nature.

Much like me, Alison only makes jewelery she'd wear herself. With that in mind, I decided to browse through her shop with the intention of picking out a few pieces that I would buy for myself. Check them out below:

Handmade Turquoise and Howlite Necklace $60.00

Blue Lace Agate Chip Necklace $40.00

Wire Wrapped and Crystal Earrings $15.00

Handmade Lucite Flowers Cluster Necklace $40.00

As you can see, Alison's work is at the same time both trendy and classic. To find out more about her and Blue Forest Jewellery, check out the following links:

Shop 1: etsy.com/shop/BlueForestJewellery

Shop 2: folksy.com/shops/BlueForestJewellery

Shop 3: zibbet.com/BlueForestJewellery

Blog: blueforestjewellery.blogspot.com

So, which piece from her shop does your wardrobe need? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,

Elle

EB Friday Hotlist: Pride Edition

2010-09-24T23:07:00.000-04:00

Anyone that follows me knows that I'm openly bisexual, a member of the Queer Etsy Street Team, and a huge supporter of all things LGBT. A lot of people celebrated LGBT Pride earlier this year, but here in North Carolina we are celebrating this weekend. Tomorrow I plan to head up to Durham to meet a friend who will accompany me to my first ever pride events (yay!). So, I decided to take this post as a mini-celebration online of something that definitely influences and colors my craft.

As you may have heard (even right here on this blog), the Queer Etsy Street Team is raising money to benefit the Trevor Project. The Trevor Project provides the only 24-hour national (US) suicide and crisis hotline for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning teens. They also provide a host of other services to benefit queer teens and young people and actively advocate for their rights, protection, and safety. Purchases from our team shop go to benefit the Trevor Project. We are donating 100% of proceeds to them from this year and we're offering free shipping to all customers for all items. Please take a look at the shop and purchase something to support this cause.
____________

If you're interested in taking a look at other LGBT art, feel free to browse some of my old Weekly Treasures blog posts. You'll find several treasuries featuring queer-themed work found on Etsy.
____________

I've been talking and thinking about inspiration lately and how I find it necessary in order to create. My bisexuality plays a significant role in my work. Most of you have heard the story before, but to make a long story short...due to stress and a host of other factors (including personal conflict over my identity), I decided to start making jewelry as an outlet. That wasn't the first time I'd ever dabbled in jewelry making though. A couple of years prior I had searched and searched online for bi-themed jewelry and was unimpressed at the relatively minimal selection. I ended up going to Michael's, purchasing an assortment of findings and pale pearls, and making my own bi pride jewelry. I still wear it on occasion and I have a pair of earrings made with the same pearls for sale in my shop (see picture). When I started selling jewelry on Etsy, I made a conscious effort to add an LGBT line so that others in my situation would have a little more to choose from. Unfortunately because of time constraints, I haven't been able to replenish my stock for that line or for any of my others. I am, however, immensely pleased that one of my sources of inspiration turned into a product line that resonated with customers.

What aspects of your personality do you put into your work? What is it about you that bleeds over into your creative projects? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,
Elle

Weekly BEST: Gilliauna

2010-09-22T20:59:00.001-04:00

This week I get to feature a great jewelry making duo that aren't just BEST teammates of mine but also QUEST (Queer Etsy Street Team) members! Their presence spans two countries - from Seattle, WA to Vancouver, BC. The sensory and emotional experience of color is a major inspiration for this pair and that comes through very apparently in their work. They also often use vintage beads and repurposed jewelry in their creations. You'll find extraordinarily beautiful items in the jewelry shop ranging from rosaries to eyeglass chains to lanyards to necklaces. Check out my favorite items from their wide selection:

Handmade Charm Bracelet - Bound in Love $56.00

Bronze Floral Choker Olive $48.00

Holy Rosary Handcrafted in Blue Ceramic $150.00

Beaded Badge Holder (Holiday) $20.00

There are 15 pages of fabulous items in this shop so be sure to go and pick out your own favorites! Also, check them out at these locations around the web:

Shop: etsy.com/shop/Gilliauna
Destash Shop: etsy.com/shop/BitsnBeads
Website: bitsnbeads.com
Facebook: facebook.com/BitsnBeadsbyGilliauna
Blog: colorfulartisanjewelry.com
Twitter: twitter.com/gilliauna
Flickr: flickr.com/photos/gilliauna
deviantArt: gilliauna.deviantart.com
Tumblr: gilliauna.tumblr.com
The Meandering Musings Blog: handmadeshoppingguide.com
Newsletter: eepurl.com/FQkf

And last but not least, visit http://www.auntbillies.com to find out where you can see their items in person.

Now that you've checked out the dynamic Gilliauna team, let me know which item or category of items you love best from their shop!

Until next time,
Elle

EB Friday Hotlist: Finding Inspiration for Your Craft

2010-09-17T23:11:00.000-04:00

I've truly missed being able to craft and spend more time interacting with all of you, but studying has taken up so much of my "free" time lately. Perhaps you've been in a similar situation - where you are so invested in something else that you don't find the time to be creative anymore. Or maybe you have had a lull in your work for some other reason. I got to thinking today about my inspiration for crafting and why it is so important to me. As you may know if you've followed my history, I started making jewelry as a response to depression and anxiety I was dealing with in my personal life. I turned to wearable art as a way to express myself while having something fun and productive to do in my spare time. I don't always feel like crafting things though. Sometimes I've gone to my work room (aka dining room), sat down, picked up a few things and then set them down and walked back out. Why? Sometimes I just don't have the inspiration. As someone that generally creates one of a kind pieces, I desperately need to have some sort of inspiration in order to plan my next piece and move on to the next idea. Here are some things I do when I lose my inspiration and need to refocus in order to craft:

Photo from Tsun_TsuKu_Tsun used under CC license

1. Don't push it. When I try to make things and I'm not feeling inspired, I always end up taking them apart or never finishing the project. If you don't want to make it (and you don't have a customer waiting for it, of course), wait until you do feel like it again. When I take a few days off, I'm usually itching to get back to the work table. Never try to force yourself to be creative - let the ideas come to you naturally.

2. Go outside, even if that's not really your thing. Nature can be a powerful influence and just experiencing it for a while can bring up new ideas. If it's too hot, cold, or stormy for a long walk in the woods or on the beach, try finding a (safe and comfortable) spot to sit and view nature. You don't have to risk being struck by lightning or passing out from heat stroke to get the benefit of experiencing nature's beauty and power.

3. Experience someone else's art from a different field than your own. For example, if you're a painter, try going to see a play. If you're a jewelry artisan, consider checking out the paintings in a local art gallery. If you're a photographer, go listen to an orchestra play. These are all flexible examples, but the point remains - you don't want to copy someone else's ideas (i.e. a painter reproducing a photographer's work in watercolors without permission) but, when done correctly, reaching far outside your own medium is a great way to spark your creativity.


Photo from Passion Fusion used under CC license

4. Try something new. After I made jewelry for a while, I branched out and learned how to sew. Working with fabrics and vintage buttons gave me ideas that eventually bled over into my style of jewelry. Trying out a new medium is a great way to get new creative ideas and potentially even new product lines for your business. If you don't know how to do anything else, try taking a beginner's class at an arts and crafts shop or studio. Even learning something non-"crafty" like cooking (which I see as a type of art form in itself) can have a positive influence on your work - and you may be surprised by how much you enjoy it.

5. Think outside of the norm. (I bet you thought I was going to say box, didn't you? Same thing.) Do you find yourself at peace when you're strolling through a farmer's market early on a Sunday morning, enjoying the air, tasting fresh produce, and smelling flowers and freshly baked bread? I do. Maybe you experience that feeling while sipping coffee at a cafe, playing with your dog at the neighborhood park, or listening to your grandfather share his life stories. Whatever it is that moves you, go do it...and be moved.

So what gets you in the creative mood? And how do you find your inspiration again when your passion starts to fade? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,
Elle

Weekly BEST: Too Much of a Good Thing

2010-09-14T21:43:00.000-04:00

This week's feature is about a multi-talented artist from Oregon who makes accessories, housewares and greeting cards. Leyla started crocheting at age 12 and loves working with cotton. Her greeting cards are a huge hit with everyone that receives them and can be found locally in Salem, Oregon at Willamette Valley Fruit Company, Danner & Soli, Felicity Boutique, and State Capitol Gift Shop. I can't get over how beautiful the cards are! Here is a selection of my favorites from her shop:

Monogram Initial Polka Dot Note Cards $7.50

Birthday Card $3.75

Hot Air Balloon Note Card Set $7.50

Wedding Card $4.00

For lots of other cards and crocheted goodies, you'll have to check out Leyla's shop:

Shop: TooMuchOfAGoodThing.etsy.com

Blog: leylafolsom.wordpress.com

What is your favorite item from her shop? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,

Elle

EB Friday Hotlist: How Becoming a Joiner Can Improve Your Business

2010-09-10T21:46:00.002-04:00

There are artists and artisans selling online who simply do not understand the allure of membership and what it can do for one's craft business. If you're not a joiner, this article is for you. Crafting communities are known as such because of the numerous benefits you experience when you are able to connect large groups of people around common interests and goals. All of the major crafting sites and social networks for crafters have smaller communities within the larger community - on Etsy they are known as teams, on Zibbet they are called groups, on ArtFire they are dubbed guilds, and on 1000 Markets they are promoted as markets. If you sell crafts or art online, I'm sure that you've seen some version of the mini-crafting community within a larger site.

I am currently a part of four Etsy teams: Queer Etsy Street Team, Boosting Etsy Shops Team, NC Triangle Street Team, and Handmade Artists Forum Team. When I was on ArtFire I was on the Shops With Less Than 10 Sales Guild (I had no choice but to leave the guild when I closed my shop and downgraded to basic membership). On Zibbet, I'm in the Zibbet Vintage, Zibbet Mentors, Zibbet Community on Facebook, and U.S. Zibbeters groups. (Since I brought them up I feel like I should say - I discovered I wouldn't have time to actively promote a shop on 1000 Markets, so I didn't complete my application and therefore am not able to comment on their markets. No slight to them intended.)

To be frank, I can honestly say I have gotten nothing out of the groups I haven't had time to participate in regularly. The ones I have though have drastically improved my business.

Let's first talk about the NC Triangle Street Team. Although because of time constraints I am no longer active with the team and may have to resign membership for a while, I can honestly say being a part of a local team has been extremely beneficial. The best resource this team has to offer is their forum. Members can offer each other critiques, promote their treasuries, organize local meetups, and find out where and when craft shows are happening as well as how to apply. Before joining this group I had a very difficult time finding craft fairs on my own. Networking with the group not only allowed me to find smaller events I could actually afford to get into, but also helped me avoid some seemingly promising events that were duds in years past. Joining a local group allows you to tap into the reservoir of knowledge the members have about your area and will help you find out how to best market your business to your real-life community.

The Queer Etsy Street Team has been great for me on many levels. Members promote each other through inclusion in treasuries and mentions on the team Twitter feed, Facebook page, and Tumblr blog. There are activities such as the team shop and monthly item creation challenges that are completely optional. (If you haven't heard about our efforts to raise money for the teen suicide prevention agency known as Trevor Project, check out my articles here and here to find out how you can help.) The best benefit of this group though is the social aspect. Even though I'm not the greatest at remembering to attend our weekly chats, I am able to chat with other members and join in on discussions via the threads sent to my email by our Yahoo! Group. Finding other queer people who are interested in the same things as me hasn't been easy but this team has helped to fill that void. Maybe you as a mom, student, Christian, etc. would benefit from "hanging out" (online) with a group of similar people and enjoying the new friendships you make. I can definitely say that QUEST membership has made me more invested in keeping my business on Etsy. I do not want to be cut off from these quirky, intelligent, and super talented peeps!

Since the Handmade Artists' Forum really deserves it's own full post, I'm going to talk last about the Boosting Etsy Shops Team. Unlike the other teams I'm in which simply require monthly participation, BEST requires a solid weekly effort. The sole purpose of the team is cross promotion. Every week members are assigned another team member to feature. The main focus is on blog features (you can check out mine here), but members who only have Twitter, Facebook, and/or other social networking accounts are also welcome to join and cross promote that way. Each week I write a post about a team member that showcases their shop and (ideally) someone else in the team writes about me. The benefit should be obvious - when someone else is talking about how great you are it carries more weight and credibility than when you are just talking about yourself. You're also benefiting from reaching your team members' blog audiences, as chances are they are not all the exact same people reading your own blog.

I've tried to explain the benefits of joining groups (teams, guilds, markets, etc.) by showing some examples of how they've helped me. As a rundown for those just skimming this article, some of the greatest advantages of group membership are:

1. Inclusion in team treasuries (Etsy) and guild collections (ArtFire)
2. Promotion of your shop by team members that reaches audiences who would otherwise never know about you
3. Social support and camaraderie (aka fun)
4. Information on craft fairs and networking events as well as info on how to run your business in your area
5. Business advice, technique tips, tutorials, etc. from those who have the same "crafty" interests as you
6. Providing you with something to talk about on your social networks and blogs other than yourself

Some groups have specific requirements for membership, so read everything before deciding to join. Which group is right for you will depend on what your interests are, what you're able to invest time-wise, and whether or not the group's level of activity matches what you're looking for. Some people are working on their businesses full time and may be able to participate actively in many different groups that meet their needs. Many others are more like me and work at a separate job for the majority of the week, only to come home to more major responsibilities: school, family, religious activities, etc. I have had to pick and choose lately which groups I want to spend my limited time on, since my focus really has to be on performing well at my day job and studying hard for the LSAT at night.

Be advised, you will only ever get out of a group what you put into it.

If you can only invest a couple of minutes per week on a team, limit the number you join to one or two and seriously consider groups that have a primary focus of cross promotion so that you're maximizing your time. Don't be afraid to switch guilds if you don't like the one you're in. If you contact the moderator for membership and don't receive a response of any kind, that usually means that the group (or its listed leader) just isn't active anymore. Don't take their silence or even an outright rejection personally. You're much better off knowing now that the group isn't right for you than after putting in the time and not seeing any results.

Are you in any crafting groups within major crafting communities? Share your tips and warnings about joining groups in the comments!

Until next time,
Elle

Weekly BEST: Waterwaif

2010-09-07T22:13:00.000-04:00

This week I'm featuring a talented jewelry artisan from Melbourne, Florida. Waterwaif features a variety of modern and vintage jewelry in sterling silver, gold, and copper. Her connection to her work is very personal and each piece has a story to tell. The ocean is one of her sources of inspiration and strength and this connection shines through in her work. I picked out these as my favorite ocean-themed items from her shop:

Starfish Necklace $25.00

Laguna Beach $52.00

Teal Starfish Charm Bracelet $46.00

Octopus Bracelet $40.00

Be sure to also check out the shop for more jewelry and some original paintings! Find Waterwaif around the web at these locations:

Shop: waterwaif.etsy.com
Blog: waterwaif.blogspot.com
Facebook: facebook.com/waterwaif
Twitter: twitter.com/thewaterwaif

What's your favorite item from her shop? Let us know in the comments!

Until next time,
Elle

I'm a part of an Etsy team called Boosting Etsy Shops Team or BEST. The purpose of the group is to provide promotion for each team member through our existing social networking accounts. Each week I'll be doing a blog feature about a different team member.

Announcement: Elle's Beads Future

2010-09-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

I'm sure if you regularly follow the blog, you've noticed I'm not posting as much as of late. I feel as though I owe an explanation for this. The good news is that I've made the decision to apply to law school. I want to further my education and I'm taking the time now to prepare for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and fill out applications. The bad news is that test prep and application writing take up the time I used to be able to spend on Elle's Beads. While I will still update the blog and my shop whenever I have the opportunity, I won't be spending a lot of time on either for the next few months. Thanks for your patience and understanding. The best ways to get in touch with me will be through Twitter and email. Feel free to drop me a line anytime!

EB Friday Hotlist: Etsy Tools from Whale Shark Websites

2010-09-03T17:03:00.000-04:00

Whale Shark Websites is a online resource run by a programmer named Martin. He has developed a great tool that will save considerable time when posting treasuries on blogs and other websites. The Etsy Treasury HTML Code Generator...well...is exactly what it sounds like! By copying the treasury ID (the random string of numbers and letters in the middle of the treasury's URL) and pasting it into the generator, you can get HTML code to post the treasury on your site without needing to upload a screenshot and provide a link manually. You still may want to take screenshots of treasuries if you want to upload the picture to Flickr or a photo hosting site. Otherwise, this will be a huge time saver for those of us who post treasuries. The generator allows you to determine the size and number of columns displayed, meaning you are able to shrink the treasury to fit the space you have available. Here's an example:

(Click the image twice to view a larger version of the above screenshot.)

This is what pasting the code I generated into Blogger looks like:

'Not Easy Being Green: Queer Etsy Street Team's September Challenge!' by QueerEtsyStreetTeam

The latest installment in the Queer Etsy Street Team's Rainbow Challenge series. This month QUEST explores nature's favorite hue, from Emerald to Olive and back again.

Lady of the Green statu... greenmandesign... $75	Green Plaid Hip Zip fiberistaNora $25	Kambaba Japser, Onyx an... GalleriaDiGian... $45
Handmade, Carved, Wood... RamshackleStud... $115	Three Tiny Toads lampwo... CrowbirdieBead... $24	Beaded Eyeglasses Holde... Gilliauna $20
Olive You Kawaii Olives... BunnyKissd $3	BRASS LEAVES AUTUMN OLI... PaperDemonJewe... $25	Good Luck Green Aventur... MikesHempBrace... $10
3 Piece Bluish Green Ap... kuberacove $50	Fairy Trail - 8x12 Prin... BustedKnuckle $20	Green Apple Explosion S... eccolights $5.5
Hand Painted Rotating I... HempHelpers $16	ELEPHANTS BINKY RAKER C... osha $10	Blue Herons - 14 x 17 i... jerise $150

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Be aware that in the example above, I've shortened the treasury from 4 columns to 3 columns. In order to maintain even rows, the 16th item is not being displayed. Be careful of this when you are working with this tool. It may be better to shrink the size of the images than to have items lopped off when changing column numbers.

Martin has also developed other tools for Etsy sellers. His creation CraftWeasel has been taken over by another developer and renamed Tagtastic. Tagtastic allows you to enter the name of a type of item (i.e. beaded jewelry, knitted scarf, etc.) and it returns relevant tags based on average views/day, number of items, and average price. The shop stats tool will analyze your own tags and see which ones you use the most and have the most views.

Be sure to check out Martin's blog for information on setting up a business website and adding an Etsy feedback widget to your Wordpress blog.

Do you use the tools on Whale Shark Websites or Tagtastic? Let me know what you think of them in the comments.

Until next time,
Elle

Weekly BEST: Vie for Color

2010-09-01T15:40:00.001-04:00

This week's featured seller is quite unique. Vie For Color is an Etsy shop that features hand-painted clothing in bright colors and patterns. The artist was inspired to try this medium after growing tired of only painting canvases. Here are some of the funky items you can find in her shop:

Painted Sweatshirt $75.00

Painted Shirt $45.00

Painted Dress $50.00

Find Vie For Color around the web at these locations:

Shop: VieForColor.etsy.com

Blog: vfcshop.wordpress.com

I think the painted dress is my favorite item of hers. Which is yours? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,

Elle

EB Friday Hotlist: More on Guest Blogging

2010-08-27T19:58:00.002-04:00

Two weeks ago I wrote about how guest blogging can benefit your business. If you missed the article, you can check it out here. I put my own advice to use and pitched my Tumblr article from July to Jonathan, the very approachable CEO of Zibbet, and landed the guest blog opportunity. I reworked the article and it was published on the Zibbet blog this week. When you check out the article, you'll notice a small blurb with my information and a link to my blog and my shop are at the top. Remember, depending on the traffic the blog you post on gets, that little piece of web "real estate" can bring real traffic to your blog and your shop. I hope you'll seriously consider taking advantage of this aspect of blogging.

Now, I was contacted by Ann Smarty on Creating the Hive (one of my recommended sites) as a result of my last article on guest blogging, and she shared her site with me. It's called My Blog Guest and is dedicated to connecting guest bloggers and their articles with blogs that want to host their content. Limited membership is free and that's the level I recommend for the average craft blogger. The best feature is the forums where you can announce your availability to guest post or post requests for guest content. Only one forum section is limited to premium members, so you will still be able to make great use of this area. Definitely check this one out if you're interested in getting or sharing blog content.

And just in case you're curious, the traffic to my Zibbet shop this week is up 190%. It does work! Happy blogging!

Until next time,
Elle

Weekly BEST: Turquoise Angels

2010-08-25T20:20:00.000-04:00

Turquoise Angels is a mother-daughter team from Purcellville, Virginia. They design and produce handmade apparel and accessories. Here are some items from their shop:

Bright Polka Dot Hair Bow $3.50

Tri-Color Tutu $26.00

Tutti Frutti Confetti Tutu $40.00

Find Turquoise Angels around the web at these locations:

Shop: turquoiseangels.etsy.com

Blog: http://turquoise-angels.blogspot.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/TurquoiseAngels

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=110868795592188

Let me know your favorite item in the comments!

Until next time,

Elle

EB Friday Hotlist: 10 Dos and Don'ts For Running Your Online Craft Business

2010-08-20T22:30:00.000-04:00

This week I'm going to go over a few things I wish I'd known or thought through when I first started selling online.

10. Don't jump in without giving it some thought. Do you want this to be a full-time business, a means to support your crafty hobby, or something in between? What kind of time and money do you have to invest? What marketplace seems to be the best fit for your style of work? Do answer these questions and do the research.

9. Don't think you can set up shop and sales will automatically start rolling in. Unless you have a highly original or trendy product, it's not likely to happen. Do learn about search engine optimization, product photography, tagging, effective description and policy writing, etc.

8. Don't join Facebook, Twitter, Kaboodle, Tumblr, Blogger, StumbleUpon, Squidoo, and Digg all at once. I'm on all of these sites but I don't spend much time on some of them because there are only so many hours in a day. I get the best results from the ones I spend time on and enjoy. Try one thing at a time and see what works best for you. Do make sure you haven't overextended yourself or you won't have time to craft.

7. Don't be afraid to ask for feedback. Sure, your friends and/or family might think what you do is great. That doesn't mean fresh eyes can't see ways to make your shop better. Do make sure you get a critique from your online crafting community once you've set up shop.

6. Don't take every piece of advice you get. Harsh, blunt advice can sometimes be the most helpful, but that's not always the case. Sometimes the advice you get isn't what's best for you and your shop. Do take what you can use and leave the rest.

5. Don't sell yourself short. Learn how to price your work and make sure you can live with the profit that results. If you're paying renewing fees or monthly subscription fees, do work them into your pricing so you don't chew away at profit if the item sits for a while.

4. Don't let promoting steal your joy. If you can, use sites like Blogger, Tumblr, or HootSuite to schedule posts in advance. A little bit of forethought can save you time in the long run. Do try to find ways to promote that save you time and don't cost more than your budget allows.

3. Don't let your time get sucked away by unimportant things. You may enjoy the socializing, but hanging out on crafting community forums for hours at a time isn't considered working (unless you're researching like mentioned in #9 and #10.) Do use that time to work on your shop instead.

2. Don't think you're done. You're never done! Your pictures can almost always be improved. Because Google algorithms change, your SEO will need tweaks. You may find another venue or setting up your own site is necessary for you to grow. Do understand that even successful businesses strive to be better than the year before by changing, tweaking, and (hopefully) growing.

1. Don't give up. If you love your craft, don't quit trying to sell it even if it takes a while to get your business off the ground. Do refer back to #2 during the slow times and think about what you can do to improve. Stay motivated!

Do you have any tips for someone new to online selling? Leave them in the comments!

Until next time,
Elle

Weekly BEST: Clever Crafter

2010-08-18T12:38:00.004-04:00

I'm very excited to share this week's artisan with you. Clever Crafter, aka Jenni, hails from Michigan and enjoys everything from quilting, sewing, crocheting, and cross-stitching to beading and scrapbooking. Her shop is full of fabulous guitar pick and button jewelry, which just so happens to be in a style I personally really enjoy. I've selected some of my favorites for you to check out below:

Guitar Pick Earrings $9.00

Rose Bouquet Button Bracelet $18.00

Bold and Beautiful Button Bracelet $18.00

Fall Trees Button Bracelet $18.00

Guitar Pick Earrings $9.00

Jenni can be found at these places around the web:

Shop 1: clevercrafter.etsy.com
Shop 2: zibbet.com/CleverCrafter
Blog: cleverscorner.blogspot.com
Twitter: twitter.com/cleverscorner

Be sure to check out her shops, blog, and Twitter and let me know what your favorite piece is from Clever Crafter in the comments!

Until next time,
Elle

I'm a part of an Etsy team called Boosting Etsy Shops Team or BEST. The purpose of the group is to provide promotion for each team member through our existing social networking accounts. Each week I'll be doing a blog feature about a different team member.