My Find of the Week 7/23/08

I see great things on Etsy all the time! I've decided to do a Etsy find of the week. My first find is this adorable Fat Monkey from Sweetestpeas' shop. Fat Monkey is 5.5" tall and carries a waist line of 14.5".
Fat Monkey swings from the trees right into your heart. He loves bananas, of course! But, since he's sneaky, he might try to get into everything in the kitchen.
Things to know:
♥Fat Monkey is made to order. Please allow Sweetestpea 7-10 days to complete this little guy for you.
♥You can choose the color of your monkey! How great is that? All you have to do is convo Sweetestpea.
♥Fat monkey is best for children over 3. If you would like a Fat Monkey for a child under 3 adjustments can be made just let Sweetestpea know and she will embroider the eyes, make an unbendable tail and not include a beanbag.
♥If you prefer another animal check out her shop!
I'm always looking for great Etsy items to feature! If you're interested let me know! As always happy crafting.

Etsy Feature ☼Manamoon☼

I meet this week's feature artist on Flickr. Manamoon is perhaps one of the most talented wire jewelry makers I've ever seen. Manamoon is a husband, Damein, and wife, Sharon, team that works 7 days a week to create their beautiful pieces. They started their Etsy shop on January 13 of this year and have already had 14 sales!! You can find their jewelry on their personal website. Damein does all of their Chain Maille pieces while Sharon concentrates on the other jewelry aspects of their fabulous shop. You only have to spend a few seconds in their shop to understand how talented they are. It's like a jewelry candy store!! One of my favorite things about Manamoon is that they use focal beads from other very talented Etsy Artist in their pieces. Every time I think I can pick a favorite piece they come up with a new one that is fabulous. Here are a few of my favorites:

This geourgous piece is called Royal Vineyard.

This bracelet is called Seeds of Life.

I'm always looking for great artist to feature. If you're interested please let me know! As always happy crafting!

Some new dandies

This weekend was a busy one for me. I managed to complete five bracelets. I just couldn't help it I got a huge order of beads in. I some how managed to get them all done, start a sixth and go see my dad's band play. It's been a long week but it was worth it. I've only listed one of my new babies looking for a home, so you'll have to wait until later in the week to see the other four. :)

This is Deep Blue Shimmer. I hand wove this bracelet in a Peyote Stitch using 11/0 Japanese Triangles. The shimmer in this bracelet is fabulous. I'm always looking for great Etsy Artists and pieces to feature. If this describes you let me know!! As always Happy Crafting!

Thinking Outside the Box Fridays

It's no secrete that Etsy is hard work and some times it can feel like you're working your tail off with no results. Sometimes you have to think outside the box to achieve what you want. Here are my top 10 ways to be more successful on Etsy. I can't say that if you do all these things you will be the top seller on Etsy.

1. If what you are doing isn't working try something else.
When ever I start feeling like things aren't working I try a new technique. I make jewelry but if you make soaps for instance try a new scent, make salts etc. If you aren't selling well a couple new items will freshen up your shop and also make you excited to do something new.

2. Treat your shop like a business.
I think a lot of people look at there shop as a hobby and it maybe a hobby but your buyer doesn't know that. You want to put your best face forward. That means don't complain in forums all the time.

3. Promote
You need to promote yourself because in reality no one is going to do that for you. I'll be giving promotion tips in my next Thinking Outside the Box.

4. Blog
I know that blogging can seem like one more thing that you have to do on your list. Make sure that if you blog it's because you want to and not just because it's on a list somewhere and everyone is doing it. Read other people's blogs! Surf around blogs are great place to network and learn.

5. Join a street team
I love my street teams, especially my Jets. Find a street team that you fit into well. Street teams will help you promote, offer great friendships and most of all give you tons of support.

6. Don't depend on Etsy as your main income
You're probably saying what is she talking about? Well I'm saying don't put all your eggs in one basket. Is Etsy the most popular handmade selling website? Yes it is but the more you're out there the more you're noticed. There are a lot of other websites like Lov.li, Craigslist, DaWanda etc.

7. Give Back
Help others along the way. If someone is in the forums and ask a question that may have been asked a thousand times DO NOT jump on them. Instead help them. Yeah they could have done a search but chances are they may not know how. Remember you were new once too. Also I know that I personally make a note of people who are nasty in forums and don't buy from them. I figure if that's how they treat their co-workers than how will they treat me. Give back also through promoting others!

8. Observe the Golden Rule
If you send someone a convo or leave them feedback you'd like the same in return right? Well don't forget that others do too. Try to return convos in 48 hours because if a person has to wait longer they will move on and buy from someone else. There goes your sale. Feedback is really important to a lot of Etsy sellers. We want to know did you like my product? Was my customer service good?

9. Photos and Tags
Use all your photo slots and tags if you can. When doing your photos make sure they are clear and the background doesn't take away from your item. Also make sure you do one macro photo so people can really see your stitching, colors etc. Tagging is so important on Etsy! When you have tags to fill don't forget colors, textures, materials and how would you search for your item if you were going to buy it?

10. ALWAYS HAVE FUN!!
I think the most important tip is to always have fun. Once you craft becomes a pain staking job that isn't fun your craft will reflect that. You should see this as a job but who wants to work at a job that is awful? No one! You are your boss so don't hate yourself.

Stay tuned for more Thinking Outside the Box. If you have any tips to add leave a comment! I'm always looking for great pieces and Etsy Artists to feature. If you think that's you let me know! As always happy crafting!

Etsy Feature ♥Bbesigns♥

I belong to one of the greatest street teams on Etsy, the Jets. As a group we are doing a cross promotion with Etsy Greeting Street Team. I'm very excited to feature my partner, Bbesigns.

Twenty five years ago she received her BFA in design from Kansas City Art Institute. Just two months later she was blessed with the birth of her first son. She made that tough decision to put her career on the back burner to raise her three sons. Now that her sons have grown into men she is ready to get back to her love of design. Through out the years she has dappled in jewelry, interior design and lots of boy scout crafts. She i
s now concentrating on her new love paper crafts. She creates one of a kind cards. Each card is hand made by her so each one is different from the next. On June 6th of 2007 she joined our great community of Etsy. Since that time she has enjoyed 11 sales. She enjoys doing large orders so if you have an upcoming event, birthday or just want a pick me up card visit her shop. An added bonus right now if you buy three single cards you will receive one card free!!
One of my favorite card sets in her Birthday Cards with Quotes Set of 4.
♥I'm always looking for great people to feature. If you think you're that person please contact me via a conversation on Etsy! As always Happy Crafting!

Outside My Comfort Zone

As an artist myself I always respect others work but I must say I always thought stringing beads was easy. In some cases I still find that stringing can be easy. My parent's friend wanted me to make her an anklet. I told my parents you know what that just isn't my thing. After a little nudging I decided to give it a whirl again. Below are my two creations.
Starry Love Nights

Amber Canyon

Let me know what you think! As always Happy Crafting!

My Baby Started Daycare and I Survied

Yesterday my baby, okay he's almost two, started daycare. This is something that I've struggled with myself and with my husband. My husband has been trying to get Anthony in daycare for some time now. I've always stayed home with him and it just plain hurt my heart to think that someone else would care for my baby. Naturally I was also paranoid that he'd be hit, learn to swear or hate it. I think that's the first time mom in me. Lately I've gotten to the point in my jewelry business that I just need more time to work without little bead loving fingers touching everything. So yesterday was the big day. I got up bathed Anthony, got him breakfast and took a shower. I was doing great and felt we had made a good decision. I toured the daycare center and met the staff; both were great. I was fine while we got in the car and for half of the 7 minute drive. At the last stop sign before I had to drop him off I just started to loose it. I managed to pull myself together to sign him in. I took him to his Snoopey room to drop him off. All the kids were having so much fun playing ring around the rosie. I thought to myself keep it together lady. Then Anthony started to bawl and scream Mama no Mama no!! Next thing you know we're clingy together both of us bawling like we'd never see each other again. It was so hard to hand him over and have to leave while he was screaming Mama. I left the room only to be greeted by the older kids getting ready to go to swimming lessons. They actually pointed at me and asked what was wrong with me. Which of course only made me cry worse because I was so embarrassed. Then I had to go to Hobby Lobby to get a clasp to finish up a bracelet. I managed to get a lot done yesterday after I got through my break down. I spent 10 minutes on the phone with my mom telling her how awful of a person I was for abandoning my son when he was scared. I'm lucky to have a great friend who recently had to take her daughter to daycare too and a great street team in the Jets to get me through. My husband called from work to check on him and he was just fine. When I went to pick him up he was napping and still alive. I guess we both made it through one of the toughest days.

This is one of the pieces I did yesterday. I started Honey while on vacation last week. I finished her up yesterday. When the sun hits this bracelet it shimmers so nice.
Sandy Waves is another bracelet I completed yesterday. Sandy Waves is a mixture of two of my most popular bracelets, Oil Spill and Copper Elegance, both of which have found new homes. This bracelet is really a great mix of Sand and Waves just like a day at the beach.

Though I was very productive in starting another project, completing two bracelets and almost finishing a third, yesterday was still rough. I know over time Anthony and I will both adjust.

Birthday Bash Entire Store Sale July 9th 2008

Come help me celebrate my birthday!!

Front Page

I'm very excited that I managed to get on the front page again. Thanks to my fellow Jet, JealousyDesign, and her fabulous treasury, Between the Moon and the Mind.

New this Week

This week was a good listing week for me. I hope you enjoy these new pieces! Let me know what you think.♥
Funky Wood is a mix of different vintage red, oranges, brown and tan wood beads. The different shapes and colors blend together to create this funky piece inspired by the 70's. Funky Wood was strung using two lengths of Fireline to ensure it's durability and finished off with a magnetic silver clasp. It measures 21" in length. You can purchase this bracelet in my Etsy Store.

Cobblestone reminds me of a small town in Nebraska. The up town area has this beautiful cobblestone brick sidewalks. I used 11/0 Delica Triangles in the colors of copper and a deep brick red in a Peyote Stitch. I used a hand woven beaded Peyote tube as a finishing clasp. Cobblestone is 6 1/2" x 1 3/4". The thickness of this beautiful bracelet makes a real statement. You can purchase this bracelet from my Etsy Shop.
When I was a child my grandma had this wicker furniture that was so beautiful. Follow the Wicker Road reminds me of that furniture if it had crossed the yellow brick road. This bracelet is made out of 11/0 Glass Triangles that look and feel like wood. I used my Stain Glass design to create Follow the Wicker Road Bracelet. The bracelet is very light weight and will drape your wrist delicately. Follow the Wicker Road Bracelet features a hand woven Peyote Stitch tube clasp. This bracelet measures 7 1/4" x 1 1/4". You can purchase this bracelet in my Etsy Shop.

This week I also completed my first custom piece.
Do you have new pieces this week? Let me know. I'm always looking for new people to feature in my blog. If your interested let me know ! Happy Crafting♥