I Love This: cross my heart

Corset Heart Necklace by FrostedTreats

Undiscovered Gold: making history

Welcome to the new year! You have spent all your money on christmas presents and hopefully got some great handmade items under the tree. Of course there is always a gift giving holiday just around the corner and this one is big: Valentine's Day. I know when I think of that holiday the first thing that comes to mind is jewelry. Maybe that is wishful thinking :)

Dragonflight Designs is a great place to begin your search for the perfect present. Jo Campbell, creator of this shop, is an artist, wife and mother, working in polymer clay. Many of her handmade beads recreate the natural beauty of shells and fossils. She embraces their simple beauty by allowing them to stand alone on a silver chain, cotton cord or string of seed beads.

All this beauty is created in Scotland, so be sure to order early if you would like it for your valentine. You can check out all of her daily creations on her blog, fan her on facebook, or find a greater selection jewelry on her website.

I Love This: Button Up

Cute As A Button Bracelet by LoriCitsay

I Love This: Cha-Cha-Chain

Midnight Lace Chainmail Choker by Deepshade

I Love This: Barenaked Trees

Branches of Life Swallow Necklace by ExpressionsbyCheree

I Love This: Charming

Hand Stamped Two Charm Necklace in Sterling Silver with 2 Swarovski Crystals by StinkerandSpike

Undiscovered Gold: girly little girls

When I had my first child, we had no idea if we were having a boy or a girl. My husband and I wanted to be surprised. We bought everything in neutral colors and had names ready for both sexes. Even if we had known we were to have a girl, nothing would have prepared us for the frenzy surrounding one specific girl toy; The American Girl Doll.


Fortunately, The Walnut Rabbit is one of those shops that has your little girl in mind for the holidays. The walnut rabbit is a small workshop nestled deep in the woods of Northern Virginia They begin with an original watercolor of one of the American Girl Doll pets. The image is shrunk down to pendant size and attached to a piece of handblown glass. It is glazed and attached by its loop to a piece of satin ribbon.

The Walnut Rabbit doesn't just dress the doll of your little girl. Each pendant comes as a set; one for the girl and one for her doll. They even wrap it in an adorable little box with a satin ribbon and their mascot on the front.

I Love This

Sterling Silver Acorn Pendent, Medium

Undiscovered Gold

Sting Bodysilc Ray Orange and Black

This week I had very difficult decisions to make. As I pounced through the shops that have yet to have a sale, i found TONS of fantastic choices. There were new jewelers, knitters, painters and everything in between. I choice this shop because it was so unusual.

Blackapple Bodysilc could call itself a jewelry shop. It could just as easily call itself temporary tattoos. What they create falls somewhere in between. The pieces are handmade silicone which can be worn anywhere on the body you can find a clean, flat surface. Due to its natural adherent quality, it can be washed and reused.

Zero, the artist behind these creations, lives and works in Los Angeles. Since losing her job in the economic downturn, she decided to throw herself wholeheartedly into her art. How lucky we are that she decided to do just that!

Skullberry Bodysilc Orange and Black

Her work is not for everyone. Zero herself says that it is "alternative" fashion; it is designed for lovers of tattoos and other forms of body art. Many of her pieces listed currently take texture and color from lizards and snakes.

If you are looking for something different in body art but don't want to make the commitment to the permanence of most, this is the perfect solution. I look forward to seeing what amazing work fills her shop in the future!

I Love This

Alphabet Magnets by The Angry Robot

I Love This

Rhinestone Bridal Necklace by LivingVintage

I Love This

Champagne and Luxe multistrand necklace by Catrocks

Undiscovered Gold

Blogging is hard work, for me. i am not naturally one who writes about myself or any subject in particular. So I am constantly looking for reasons to share things with you. I have found a reason: Undiscovered Gold. My plan is to sift through the brand new shops and those that have yet to make a sale and give you a little view of what I deem to be the best.

CherishTreasures is going to be big. Every item in her shop is one of a kind and her presentation is flawless. This may be due to her background as a graphic designer, or just her love of combining her vintage materials with new in just the right way. She is located in Australia, but for only slightly more then domestic postage, she will ship anywhere in the world.

Since she just opened shop recently, there are only a few listings to choose from, but my personal favorite has to be Annie get your Gun. All of her work has a great sense of humor. i look forward to seeing more work from her in the future and her inevitable feature on the front page of etsy.

Handmade Shop of the Week: Honey from the Bee

Janet Bocciardi opened Honey from the Bee in 2008. In a landscape overflowing with jewelry, she stands out; combining metalwork, beading and color.

Why did you decide to open your handmade shop? 
Jewelry was multiplying and I was losing control! Seriously, I love creating and finding new stones and objects to include in my jewelry. In order to do that, I had to start bringing in some money. After a couple years of successful art fairs, selling to friends and family, and a change in lifestyle that made it difficult to find the time to do future fairs, I decided to go online. It’s been a learning experience, as I spent the first year wondering where everyone was! Just having a stocked shop doesn’t mean folks that will love your work will find you.

Has your inventory changed much since you first opened? 
Yes. I love to learn new things and as I gain new knowledge in techniques I add them to my repertoire of things to pull out of my hat. You’ll find more metalwork and found object pieces now then say 2 years ago. However, I still like to do beadwork and love color, so beads will always be a part of my work.

Who are the majority of your customers? 
Since I don’t meet my online customers face-to-face I’ll just assume they’re similar to those I met through my shows. In fact, those that bought from me there do buy online from me now either directly or with special commissions. Other artists also will buy from me.

They are 25-70 year olds that are confident in who they are and like to wear jewelry that inspires them. They enjoy the interaction they get from others who can’t help but stop them to ask about the jewelry piece they’re wearing. Life’s too short to wear boring jewelry!

Friends and family were my first fans and still some of my biggest.

How did they find you?
my blog http://thehoneyfromthebee.blogspot.com
Repeat customers
Google search
Word of mouth
Etsy, ArtFire, 1000Markets
Newsletter subscribers

What inspires you to create?
Life is the simple answer. A longer answer would be that my love for nature, protecting the environment, family, emotional experiences, new techniques, color, … my favorites to create are those in which I’m telling a story. My story initially, but the most exciting thing happens when the absolutely perfect person finds it and believes somehow I made it just for them. That’s the universal condition isn’t it?

Touching someone with something you’ve created is the best feeling I’ve ever experienced.

What is your favorite item in your shop currently? 

I have a couple that I’ll probably regret selling so I guess they’d be my favorites:
Marie Antoinette bracelet: http://www.etsy.com/listing/33319309/vintage-mother-of-pearl-and-crystal 
And
Happening at the Barnyard as it reminds me of my youth and hanging out and playing in our big red barn:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/16212620/picasso-ammonite-set-in-silver-and-red 

Your most popular item? 
My jewelry is almost all one-of-a-kind, but overall I’d say my earrings are the most popular over the last year. Sign of the economy perhaps or that we all can use another cute pair!

What has been your greatest resource to make your shop successful? 
Facebook and I believe my blog, which I’ve finally accepted and really enjoy posting in. It’s probably not a coincidence that they are both ways for people to get to know me and what makes me tick.

Any changes coming to your shop in the future? 
There will always be new work popping up. I try to improve my photographs constantly to make it easier for customers to see what they’re buying. Change is a necessity, but I don’t have anything else I can think of right now.

How else can we find you online? 
http://honeyfromthebee.artfire.com
http://honeyfromthebee.1000markets.com
http://thehoneyfromthebee.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/honeyfromthebee
http://facebook.com/honeyfromthebee
http://www.honeyfromthebee.com

Any team affiliations?
EtsyTwitter Team
Olympic Peninsula Team (Etsy)
HAFTeam (Etsy & ArtFire)
Pacific Northwest (ArtFire)
ArtFire Metalsmiths

LET'S DO A GIVEAWAY!

Janet wants you to follow her blog to get the latest happenings at Honey from the Bee. If you sign up between now and July 28th and leave a comment here and on her wall, you will be entered to win a pair of her gorgeous Ginger Jar Earrings. She will even let you pick out your favorite color to make them a one-of-a-kind item!

Interested in being shop of the week? email me for information.

Shop at Idiosyncrazies!

Can you believe it? Tracey Knits is now available in 2 retail locations!

Today I dropped off some of my braid belts to an amazing store in Point Pleasant called Idiosyncrazies. Sharon Murphy, owner of this eclectic little shop, has put together a space full of treasures.

There are the handmade items from local artists, including jewelry from my good friend Dori's line Face of Contentment.  There is a collection of items made of recycled materials and a gorgeous collection of Fair Trade.

Be sure to stop by her shop if you are in the area. I was there to sell her something and ended up buying a fantastic recycled/fair-trade purse made of used tires!

Handmade Shop of the Week: Cut Your Heart Out

I found Jessica of Cut Your Heart Out recently while searching for fun shops on etsy. She would describe her work as quirky, offbeat and slightly creepy but I just think of it as cool.

Every piece of jewelry in her shop is unique. As she states on her website,"All of the pieces created and sold are pieces that I would wear myself. I don't make anything that I wouldn't be proud to wear. I also don't believe in putting a high price tag on the items I create so everything you find in my store is affordable and reasonably priced."

Jessica's love of tattoos, Alice in Wonderland, and loud music shine through in each one of her designs. Her favorite materials are stones, glass and paper which she uses often and with great flair.

Besides her etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/cutyourheartout , you should check out her blog http://cutyourheartoutstore.blogspot.com/ and her facebook fanpage http://www.facebook.com/cutyourheartout. Jessica is a proud member of the etsynj team.

Interested in being featured? Email me for more information.

Handmade Shop of the Week: Paradise Purls

Elizabeth Humphries, of Paradise Purls, loves handmade. She loves it so much that she could not limit herslef to one category. She has been selling both Hand Knits and Handcrafted Jewelry since January 8, 2010.

Why did you decide to open your handmade shop? 

I've always made knits and given them to close friends and family. When friends of friends starting asking if I "was on etsy" I decided to find out what that was! One look and I was hooked as a shopper, and it didn't take long to progress to opening shop. I thoroughly enjoy knitting as well as beading so I'm excited for the opportunity to bring my creations to the handmade community.


Has your inventory changed much since you first opened?

 

In the beginning, my inventory was mainly baby hats and scarves. As the seasons, changed my inventory needed to change with it. Most recently I've added knitted bracelets and beaded jewelry and bookmarks in addition to my knits.

Who are the majority of your customers? 

Fellow etsians and friends (and friends of friends!).

How did they find you?
 

I spend a significant amount of time promoting my shop on twitter, facebook and in the etsy forums. Most of my customers come from those sources.

What inspires you to create?


Color and texture! I love shopping for yarn. It's always first the color, then the texture of the yarn that draws me in. I also take note of colors that occur in nature and draw inspiration from that beauty as well. On a selfish note, knitting is very calming to me. I knit to relax as well as to create!

What is your favorite item in your shop currently? 

The "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" Chenille Scarf is my favorite. I'm seriously thinking of keeping it! Your most popular item?

Right now my most popular item are the hand knit bracelets. 

What has been your greatest resource to make your shop successful? 

Time...time to invest in marketing and promoting to get some exposure and to get noticed.

Any changes coming to your shop in the future? 

I am working on several additions at the moment. I'll be adding more knit accessories such as coffee sleeves (very eco-friendly!), possibly ipod/cell phone cozies and eventually some felted soaps.

How else can we find you online? Any team affiliations?

http://www.paradisepurls.blogspot.com 

http://www.twitter.com/paradisepurls

http:www.facebook.com/paradisepurls
And, yes, I'm a member of the Etsyknitters Team, HAF Etsy Team (Handmade Artists' Forum), and BEST (Boosting Etsy Shops Team)

DISCOUNT TIME!

All this week, Paradise Purls is proud to offer a 15% discount to anyone mentioning TRACEYKNITS at the time of purchase. She will refund the money through paypal. This is good on every item in her shop, so stock up on those adorable hats and scarves!

Interested in being featured? Email me for information.

Handmade Shop of the Week: Mootsie

Audrey Angrisani, of Mootsie, considers her work to be mixed media art, though most of it ends up as wearable Jewelry. She opened her eclectic shop in 2007 as a way to reach her customers without working the craft fair circuit.

Why did you decide to open your handmade shop?
I used to do shows, I found them to be exhausting , was looking for some other way to sell my art that made sense.

Has your inventory changed much since you first opened?
Yes

Who are the majority of your customers? How did they find you?
Mostly Women who appreciate unique handcrafted jewelry, I find alot of customers on Twitter.

What inspires you to create?
Mostly vintage supplies like buttons, ribbons, broken jewels, I lay them out and just play, sometimes I have a sketch, Nature also is a huge inspiration.

What is your favorite item in your shop currently? Your most popular item?
My Nest Pendants are my Favorite, I can't stop making them, and they are probably the most popular next to my Alice in Wonderland items.

What has been your greatest resource to make your shop successful?
Etsy Forums, Twitter and I belong to a group of artists called CAKE, we have a BNR on etsy and promote each other on the forums and on twitter.

Any changes coming to your shop in the future?
try to add more items daily

LETS DO A GIVEAWAY!

Mootsie loves nest pendants and she would love to share one with you.

here's how to enter: one entry for each action, giveaway ends May 2nd, 2010
1) visit Mootsie and comment here on your favorite item in her shop
2) make mootsie one of your favorite shops and heart your favorite item
3) follow her on twitter and be sure to tweet about this giveaway
4) write a blog article about Mootsie and her giveaway
5) make a purchase in her shop!

Interested in being featured? Email me for information!

Handmade Shop of the Week: Fabled Charm Designs

Welcome to the 8th edition of the EtsyNJ Team Tuesday blog hop! Here's how it works - write a feature about any EtsyNJ team member on your blog (as long or as short as you'd like it to be) and then add the blog hop code at the end of this post and check out all of the other great features - get to know the EtsyNJ street team!!

Carrie A. Cahill, of Fabled Charm Designs, has been selling her delicate Jewelry and Handbags on etsy since December 30, 2009. She combines crystal beads with metal accents creating a subtle but beautiful effect.

Why did you decide to open your handmade shop? 

I sell handmade jewelry to local boutiques and want to get more exposure on the web.

Has your inventory changed much since you first opened? 

Yes, even though I've only been open since December, I've been tweaking my inventory based on what I see sell more on etsy.

Who are the majority of your customers? How did they find you? 

Most are adult females. I've been found on twitter and facebook.

What inspires you to create? 

I love beads. Working with the colors and textures of different beads is a process I love. My inspiration starts with matching up colors, textures and shapes and then putting them together to create a unique product.

What is your favorite item in your shop currently? Your most popular item? 

I recently created a pair of lucite tulip earrings that are probably my favorites. I almost kept them for myself.  In its first day it had 40 views.

What has been your greatest resource to make your shop successful? 

So far, my views and sales increased as soon as I started promoting in the forums and putting items on twitter. 

Any changes coming to your shop in the future? 

I will probably be adding some scrabble tile pendants. They are fun and easy to make, so I will probably add some here and there in between making actual jewelry pieces. 

How else can we find you online? Any team affiliations? 

Other than EtsyNJ, I don't have any team affiliations yet. I just opened a new website. http://fabledcharmdesigns.com and I'm on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/fabledcharm

LETS DO A GIVEAWAY!

I have a pair of cute earrings with small porcelain owls that I would like to list as a giveaway. They are hook style earrings with pewter rings and tiny porcelain owls with green wings.

Here's how to enter: 

You will get one entry into her giveaway for each action. Giveaway ends April 25th, 2010

1) Visit Fabled Charm Designs and comment here on your favorite item in her shop. 

2) Heart her shop and your favorite item.

3) Follow her on twitter and tweet about this giveaway.

4) Write a blog article about Fabled Charm Designs and this giveaway.

5) Make a purchase from her shop.

Interested in being featured? Email me for information.

Handmade Shop of the Week: ThreePeats Jewelry

Suzanne Lamberg, of Threepeats Jewelry, has been creating handmade jewelry for her shop since January 2007. She works often with recycled materials to make beautiful new things to adorn necks and ears.

I started creating my unique necklaces for myself, friends and family. When strangers started asking me to make them one I decided to open an online shop. Since I had discovered etsy as a buyer, it was the natural place for me to start selling.

I have added several new necklace designs and incorporated new materials such as vintage ribbon and lace and recycled t-shirt yarn and felt beads. I also started creating earrings at one customer’s request.

The majority of my customers seem to be young women, especially college students (I often ship to dorms!). I promote the shop on facebook and twitter where many customers seem to be hear about my work.

I have many inspirations. The materials themselves, especially the vintage beads and chain, speak to me. I also am inspired by people, places I’ve travelled to and music.

Right now, the favorite group of items in my shop are the T-shirt Yarn Necklaces. They are soft around the neck and lightweight. I’m all for comfortable, affordable jewelry.

I think personal connections ( as much as possible in the virtual world) have helped to make my shop successful. I create treasuries, respond to convos, twitter and blog about other peoples’ work. A new style of necklaces (shorter) I’m working on now came from ideas given to me by several prospective buyers. As an online buyer, I also know how important fast shipping is. I make sure all items purchased from me are shipped within 48 hours (easy to do if you live in NYC:))

I write two blogs, one about my jewelry ( http://threepeats.blogspot.com// ) and one about life in NYC ( http://sittlife.blogspot.com/ ) People can follow me on Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/threepeatsJewelry and/or twitter @ http://twitter.com/threepeats I am also a member of the very active Etsy Twitter Team whose blog can be found @ http://etsytwitter.blogspot.com/


LETS DO A GIVEAWAY! Threepeats is happy to offer the item of his/her choice from her etsy shop to one lucky winner! You recieve one entry into the drawing for each of the folowing actions: 1) Comment here on your favorite item in her shop 2) Tweet/Facebook about her shop and/or this amazing giveaway 3) become her fan on facebook and follow her on twitter 4) Heart her shop and/or your favorite item 5) Blog about it or find someother way to share your love of Threepeats with the world. Contest ends March 8, 2010

Interested in becoming Handmade Shop of the week? Email me for more information.