Does This Ever Go Out Of Style? I Hope Not!

A classic black and white checkered floor. Simple. Beautiful.

Photo from here

Marketing Monday: Is Use the Best Form of Marketing?

PettiBear

I read this post, Is Use the Best Form of Marketing? sometime ago.
But just last week, I was out and about & talking about my jewelry....
And was not wearing a single piece of my work.


alexkeller.etsy.com

I believe the message should be repeated and
knock me over the head with it, would you please?


onewomanstudio

Wear your work:

• It's free marketing.
• It's an icebreaker.
• It's market research.
• It's product testing.

misscourageous

I liked the last paragraph, too, which addressed those that
do not make wearables.

Hang this up!

PopCultureRehab

Use this at your next party!

bprdesigns

Take this bag to the store!

fashiongreentbags

Pull this out of your handbag!

slyraccoon

And put this on your table!

EyePopArt

Put these on gifts and packages!

wearwolf

But you are already doing that, right?

Feature Me Friday: Anyone's Guess

This week for Feature Me Friday, we have Nancy of
Anyone's Guess from Forest Park, IL.

Who is Anyone's Guess?
I upcycle a variety of materials into creatively designed,
fun to wear jewelry.



What’s the first thing you remember making?
When I was in grade school, I made some stuffed animals for my
brother and myself from printed fabric patterns that I cut out,
sewed, and stuffed with old nylon stockings. That was also my first
use of recycled/upcycled material. I still have the stuffed horse I made.

Why work with recycled materials?
I inherited the recycling gene from my parents, who grew up during the Depression and taught me the value of thrift and re-use. As an adult, I became concerned about being a good steward of the earth’s resources. I also love the surprise of the unexpected- wearing trash. This is why I like using things that are still recognizable as trash, even though they have been transformed. It's a metaphor for life and reflects my belief - and my own experience - that God can transform
even our worst experiences.

Where do you work?
I work in a spare bedroom - a.k.a. 'the junk room' - for more reasons than one! I am always accumulating more "raw material," and have a hard time keeping up with organizing and storing everything.



How do you get from A to Z?
I start with something discarded and begin playing around. My workspace is usually pretty messy, so I'll see something lying out in the open and get an idea about how to use it, or what things might work together. Just sifting through things generates more ideas.

What are your favorite tools?
My chain nose pliers. I have them in my hands at one time or
another every time I work.

What music do you listen to while you’re working?
I prefer quiet; background music distracts me.

What are the best things you’ve purchased on etsy
and where did you find them?

"Trashion" bookmarker from naturemadescents

recycled record earrings from misscourageous

a bottle cap horse from embarkingdog (my favorite)

and my newest purchase, a recycled T-shirt scarf from ragsbysockmonkey



Read any good books lately?
Son of Hamas by Mosab Yousef; The Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin;
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon; The Gift of Dyslexia by Ron Davis

Been to any great exhibits?
I enjoyed touring the American Precision Museum in Vermont
this summer. It's full of interesting early machine tools.

Who inspires you?
My grandmother. She had elocution lessons as a young girl and gave a recital. She talked about the fuss people made over her after her recital, but she never let it change her. At the age of 92 she performed a poem from memory that she had done over 70 years earlier. I hope I have that kind of energy and recall at 92!



What do you do for fun?
Read, sing with our church praise team, and of course, make jewelry!

Besides Etsy, where can we find you work?
I recently starting posting photos on Flickr, and I do a Christmas
show locally at Pleasant Home (house museum) in Oak Park, IL.

How do you promote your work?
Some of my pull tab earrings appeared in the August 2010 issue of
Greencraft Magazine. I also get some business from wearing my
work. I've found being part of the Etsy Trashion team a big help;
participating in our combined Earth Day sale helped me reach new
customers, and I'm currently participating in the Trashion team
promo. I'm also considering expanding my use of social media.



Have any words of wisdom?
Do what you love, do it wholeheartedly, and don't quit.

What’s in your future?
I'll continue to use a variety of upcycled materials in my work,
always looking for innovative ways to transform my trash into
someone else's treasure.

I HAVE To Make This

I love sunburst mirrors. I have no idea why I do not own one. It's just ridiculous. Seriously. I think it's mandatory that every interior decorator have one in their home. I will remedy this problem very soon by making my very own sunburst mirror like this one I found on Isabella and Max Rooms.

Just follow the super simple instructions and you can have one too. Then we can be fashionable together!

"Up" Up and Away!

My super talented sister-in-law, Lynette, just did a wedding all based on the movie "Up". It was so sweet and original that I had to share.

Don't you just love it?! Especially the little vignettes and that cake! Wow!!! Awesome job, Lynette! I'm really happy to have a wedding planner in my family. Now I just need a wedding;)

Marketing Monday: Wider Shop Pages on Etsy

Last week, Etsy created wider shop pages.
Here's the tech post and a forum announcement.



Here's a screen shot of our team page.
Note the change in the placement of the banner.
I believe it is the same size, just moved over a bit.

There are lots of changes in the shop announcement,
with a run - on structure and a pop - up box.
If your announcement is longer than space allows, you will have
a 'read more' link. Links in the announcement do not work until
you click on the announcement and get the pop - up box.

Sellers have been deleting their banners, changing their
announcement to fit the space or deleting that, too.

I also just noticed with the team shop, that when you have no
sections, the avatar is closer to the top. If you deleted your
banner, would you delete your sections, too, to get your avatar
closer to the top?

For further discussions, take a look at 'wider pages' in the forums.
How have you changed your shop?

Feature Me Friday: Metamorphosi

This shop supports completely the Organization Progetto
Metamorphosi which promotes the use of recycled material
to create art and design and opportunities of work.

"Beside our studio in Calcata, we started in 1997 an organization
to promote the work of artist and artisans using recycled material."



Run by Ilaria Sadun, Metamorphosi sells unique creations made
with recycled material.



"We do projects with schools and events with public or private
organization. We have an ongoing project in Valença, Bahia, Brazil,
to support a group of talented women who are otherwise unemployed.
We initiated it in the year 2007 with the ONG Banca Comunitaria
Mais Vida, a project for street kids and poor family kids. 70% of
the sales of their creations go back to them."

Open Shelving

Are you a fan?

I know some people don't like all their kitchen items on display. They think it looks messy and unorganized. I love the open feel. And it really makes your kitchen feel spacious. Here are some well organized and eye-pleasing examples of open shelving. Just remember to keep the mismatched tupperware hidden in cupboards and then you're fine.

Photos from here

Photos from here

I Need Your Opinion

I've been decorating my main living room wall and I'm loving my picture, the plates and keys. But it needed something so I put the mirrors up.

What do you think?

Yay or Nay?

Sorry for the poor picture quality. I needed some quick pics and used my phone.

Every House Needs A Playroom

Just because it's a playroom doesn't mean it has to be a disaster room. I'm loving this playroom makeover that Ashley Ann did. Still kid-friendly but parent-approved.

Marketing Monday: Selling the Handmade Way, Wider Shop Pages & Pocket Shop

Bonnie of Going Home to Roost is starting an e-course on
Selling the Handmade Way. She is also offering a free guide
you can download. It is a shop help guide, with a lot of
information targeted to newer shops. But it doesn't hurt
to give yourself a refresher every now and then!

"making readers of your about or profile page feel important,
cared about, and well educated on you and/or your business
is a great starting point on building a relationship with them."

"use your shop title wisely- make it short and sweet, and what
you most likely think your customers will search for."

"the first bit of your shop announcement is the most important.
you want to open here with your ‘hook’ "

"make your space inspiring. one of the quickest ways
(i’ve learned) to kill my motivation is to have a messy workspace.
sometimes i try to work through the clutter, but it never fails to
effect my inspiration, and nag on my motivation. surround yourself
with things that make you happy like flowers, artwork or pictures
and reflect on them when you’re feeling a little bogged down. it’s
also helpful to just take a break and change the mood. go for a walk,
open the windows, fix some lemonade, or anything that will help
rejuvenate your spirits."


And did you see The Storque last week?
The tech post about wider shop pages?
Now is a great time to get your sections in order, and edit your shop
announcement, as it will be shortened on your page. The part that
doesn't fit can be read in a pop up box.




A new widget was also mentioned Handmade Code: Pocket Shop.



From Craft Cult, it reminded me of this post and the widget from Cr8tivity.

What are you doing this week to promote?

In Honor of the Perseid Meteor Shower...

Which I viewed last night, I'm sharing some star inspired finds. You can still watch tonight. I won't because I'm still sleepy. But it is worth the lack of sleep.

Found here

Buy these here

Buy here

Have a stellar weekend!