Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Artisan Spotlight - A Catlike Curiosity


7 Questions is our spotlight on our favorite artisans. Please welcome... 

1.      What do you sell in your shop? Art, cards, jewellery and textiles pieces. Everything I sell features my art work in some way - you can purchase originals, prints, necklaces, cards and ornaments all with the same art work featured :)

2.      What is your favorite thing about etsy? The community - so many lovely sellers all willing and wanting to support each other.

3.      What is your least favorite thing about etsy? The fees I think - they really add up. Also, it can be hard to get your store noticed as it is such a huge site.

4.      What does your studio/workspace look like? You can see lots of my workspace pics each Wednesday on the blog. I love to share the behind the scenes work with people. It encourages me to be nice and tidy too :)

5.      What do you do to relax? I create art, crochet, stroke my kitties, watch detective shows and cuddle MHI (My Handsome Irishman).

6.      What accomplishments are you the most proud of? I am proud to have reached the 1000 followers mark, proud to have settled into our lovely home and proud to have a store stocked to the brim with curious goodies.

7.      What are some of your goals for the next year? My goals for next year are to expand my sales via Etsy and to introduce a completely new venture for me. I'll give you some clues - it will include an inbuilt community, access to lots of lovely printables and much, much more :)

Find more of Sarah here:

Friday, May 24, 2013

May Flowers Link Party

The Monthly Challenge for May was Flowers by Sharla of BeadedTail. Her wording about this challenge was as follows: "April showers brought May flowers so let's see them! Create something with flowers and let your imagination bloom!"

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Artisan Spotlight - Antiquity Travelers

7 Questions is our spotlight on our favorite artisans. Please welcome... 
Cynthia of Antiquity Travelers


 








What do you sell in your shop? I sell jewelry. It is all handmade using items like semi-precious stones, pearls, shells, art glass, enamels or the occasional beachcombing item like sea glass. I use gold, silver and copper earwires as I have allergies to base metals, and so I swear by not using them for the items I create.  I rarely duplicate an item as I create each piece as an artistic outlet.

What is your favorite thing about etsy?  I love the ease of being able to set up a shop to sell my jewelry, but still continue to create and run everything out of my home. I don’t think I would have ever built up a following like this, or so quickly if I had needed to build my own website.

What is your least favorite thing about etsy? The fees, of course. I’m lucky that this is a hobby for me, and I don’t need to focus on the margins. I am just trying to afford my bead-a-holic tendencies so I can buy more beautiful beads! But because this is a hobby for me (I have a day job) I also don’t have as much time to dedicate to pushing sales volume in my Etsy Shop. So the fees rack up, without the offsetting of sales. 

What does your studio/workspace look like?  Originally I had taken over a corner of the living room with all my bead tins and baskets of supplies. But about a year ago, I cleaned out the kid’s playroom and took over part of that room … complete with a table that seats 6! So I have lots of space to spread out. But honestly, it usually just means my mess gets bigger!

What do you do to relax?  If I’m not hanging out with my kids, then you’ll find me beading! I love to make jewelry. Some people knit to relax, I don’t knit. But I do find it relaxing to bead weave.

What accomplishments are you the most proud of? Well, if we’re talking about my jewelry, then I would say that I’ve recently had my first published design in Stringing magazine. I’ve submitted a few more pieces and I’m hoping that another design or two might make it into a magazine. Fingers crossed!

What are some of your goals for the next year?  I have an idea for a book series, and so I’m hoping that I’ll get the chance to ‘pitch’ the idea to a publisher. Who knows what might happen!

Find more of Cynthia here:
Blog: http://antiquitytravelers.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @AntiquityTravel

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

May's Monthly Challenge

This month's challenge is brought to use by Sharla of BeadedTail. Sharla says "April showers brought May flowers so let's see them! Create something with flowers and let your imagination bloom!"

DIY Printable Flower Bursts Digital Paper Pack
After the long winter many of us had, this is such a welcomed challenge! No more gray skies and white
snow. Let's see those beautiful blooms!