I made an Etsy treasury today for the first time. I spent some time this morning refreshing through the "Pounce" on Etsy which is a feature that selects recently listed items from shops who have never made a sale or who have just made a sale (depending upon the option you select). As someone who is still struggling to get the sales going online I wanted to showcase some sellers who, at least as of this morning, had not yet made any sales on Etsy. Check out these fabulously funky finds:
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Weekly Treasures: My Etsy Treasury
Posted by Elle at 3:17 PM 0 comments
Labels: Other Artisans, Weekly Treasures
Monday, December 28, 2009
Branding Your Blog on a Budget: Free Blogger Layout Sites
If you've ever read up on how to be successful with online marketing, you've undoubtedly come across the subject of branding. The basic idea is that your marketing will be more effective if you establish a cohesive, unified brand: i.e. your logo, banner, color scheme, and more should all portray your intended message. A really clear explanation of what branding means can be found at this page: http://indiepreneur.org/2009/08/branding-youre-already-doing-it/.
I definitely don't claim to be an expert on great branding. I'm still looking for someone who can create a custom banner and avatar for both my Etsy and Artfire studios as well as help me figure out what on earth is going on at my homepage. What I do know is that an artisan's blog is a part of their branding. The appearance and content of your blog give important information about you as an artisan including your creative style and business style. Making sure that your blog accurately reflects the sense of style and personality you want for your brand is very important for drawing in potential customers.
I've noticed that quite a few artisans choose to maintain their blogs on Blogger. I don't know if everyone is reading the same business success guides or if people just happen to like this site, but regardless of the reasons it has become very popular. If you're like me, you may not have a ton of capital to invest in a unique blog layout nor the graphics know-how to design an impressive look yourself. There are a few sites that I think are among the best when it comes to free layouts, backgrounds, and features for Blogger:
This website also has a wide array of colorful and seasonal backgrounds for both two and three column Blogger layouts. The only drawback I've seen with them is the relative inability to contact the "2 Moms" that run the site. Their blog hasn't been updated in almost a month and when I tried to contact them on Twitter, I was unable to get a response. That essentially means everything is offered As-Is! They do add new layouts on schedule though, so they are absolutely worth a look.
Of course, what sites you choose to use for graphics will entirely depend on the look you're trying to achieve. I recommend checking out this post for more suggestions: http://buzz.blogger.com/2009/06/spruce-up-your-blog.html. Do you know of a great free site for Blogger templates, backgrounds, or other web elements? Be sure to share it in the comments!
Until next time,
Elle
Posted by Elle at 7:19 PM 3 comments
Labels: ...On a Budget, Tips and Reviews
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Weekly Treasures: A Collection of Etsy Treasuries
Like these treasuries or want yours featured on my blog? Leave a message in the comments!
Until next time,
Elle
Posted by Elle at 5:18 PM 4 comments
Labels: Other Artisans, Weekly Treasures
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Mini Magnet Christmas Gifts
As some of you may be experiencing, my economic situation has forced me to give more hugs and fewer gifts this holiday season. Even so, to show my support for artisan goods as an alternative to mass produced goods, I decided to only give handmade gifts this year. My mother and my grandmother have been there for me above and beyond this year financially as well as emotionally. I decided that since my resources are limited right now, I would only give presents to the two of them as a small token of my thanks. If you've read my previous post, you know that I bought my grandmother some pink sterling earrings in the shape of cancer ribbons. I'll try to remember to snag a photo of these after she opens them so I can show what they look like. I don't want to undo my wrapping:
For my mom, I debated over whether I wanted to make Christmas ornaments or magnets. I didn't have access to the pictures I wanted for the ornaments, so I made her some festive magnets instead:
Did you make anything fun for a friend or loved one this Christmas? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time,
Elle
Posted by Elle at 7:32 PM 0 comments
Labels: Tutorials and Craft Ideas
The Artist Affair Craft Show
As you know I've been blogging about doing my first craft show this month. The show was on December 12-13 in Raleigh, NC at a shop called Carolyn's Bead Addiction. The show was a moderate success for me. Saturday was the only day we had customers but I ended up making four sales, two of which were multiple pairs of earrings! One sale I made without even being present. Another artisan (the one who did the metal work you'll see below) was kind enough to sell a pair of my winter charm earrings while I went to pick up some lunch. I met a ton of great people out there and we all bonded as we shivered together in the cold for hours and hours. The weather was, in short, miserable but it really was great fun due to the personalities present.
The second day was very uneventful sales-wise. The weather was not only cold but rainy, so we stayed indoors for the entire time. It started out as a really, really depressing day but as we got to talking, crafting, and sharing techniques it became a great networking event. I learned a bit about wire wrapping and how to make ornaments. I also got some tips on great places to shop for some of the tools and supplies I need to improve my craft and practice things I'm interested in (such as making and hammering my own earwires).
I didn't take any pictures on the second day, but I did on the first while we were all outside. This was my booth:
Wear a little piece of beautiful
www.littleriverjewelers.com
orders@littleriverjewelers.com
Metal work: necklaces, earrings, and bracelets
I purchased an adorable pair of pink sterling earrings in the shape of breast cancer ribbons from this artisan for my grandmother as a Christmas present. The short version of the story behind them is that he originally made these earrings as a fundraiser in honor of his friend who had cancer. She passed away recently and he still sells them in her memory. The earrings range in price from $8 to $10.
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This guy makes some really beautiful, fancy designs with earrings starting around $15 and necklaces starting around $20. Had I made a few more sales, I would have purchased something from his booth as well. If you live in North Carolina, you can take a class from Andy at Carolyn's Bead Addiction. He's currently teaching wire work and something called "Wig Jig" (don't ask me, I have no idea!). For more information, check out www.carolynsbeadaddiction.com.
Posted by Elle at 10:55 AM 0 comments
Labels: Craft Fairs and In Person Sales, EB Updates, Other Artisans
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Technical Difficulties
My computer is currently in the shop. Im sorry for the long delay in posting. I hope to be up and running again next week.
Posted by Elle at 7:27 AM 0 comments
Labels: Annoucements
Friday, December 11, 2009
Reminder: Craft Show and Vacation and EB Hotlist
Hi everyone! I have a huge amount of work to do to get ready for the Craft Show tomorrow at Carolyn's Bead Addiction in Raleigh. I still have to price all of my items, finish my display, and finish up a few remaining projects. Unfortunately, that means both of my shops are on vacation and I'll be unable to post this week's EB Friday Hotlist. The good news? I'll be posting new listings as well as 2 website reviews next week. Be sure to subscribe and bookmark my blog so you won't miss a post!
Until next time,
Elle
Posted by Elle at 7:29 PM 0 comments
Labels: Craft Fairs and In Person Sales, EB Friday Hotlist, EB Updates
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Craft Fair Display Booth Advice
I finally got my camcorder memory and YouTube to get my video uploaded correctly. The top part of my face that's cut off at the end of the video...well that's neither of their faults
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I saw a photo of a contact's booth for the recent Art Walk downtown. I immediately started thinking about what I was going to do to make my setup appealing. If you have any suggestions on cheap or free ways to spruce up my booth, please let me know in the comments!
See my Google Calendar in the right sidebar for more information about this event. Also, please be aware that if it's raining badly the show will be rescheduled and I will be one disappointed chick.
Posted by Elle at 6:57 PM 0 comments
Labels: Craft Fairs and In Person Sales
Technical Difficulties
I recorded my latest blog entry last night, but unfortunately I seem to be unable to upload it. I hope to have it uploaded some time this afternoon. Thanks for your patience!
Posted by Elle at 11:36 AM 0 comments
Labels: Annoucements
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Update on Fabric Flowers and Shopping and My First Craft Show!
So after my sad, droopy flower (which I've made into a refrigerator magnet) I decided to make another one Thursday night. I think it's much better:
So I've been shopping at A.C. Moore, Michaels, Panopolie, and Carolyn's Bead Addiction so much, I'm not sure I have enough gas to go anywhere else this week (oops!). Check out some of the awesome things I picked up!
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
If you're in the Raleigh/Durham or Central NC areas, make sure you attend the craft show, Carolyn and Friends Artist Affair. It's located at Carolyn's Bead Addiction (formerly Bead Delite) on Old Wake Forest Road near Capital Blvd and Triangle Town Center Mall. Be sure to visit my Google Calendar in the side bar and click on the event for more information and the complete address. I will be there both Saturday and Sunday Dec. 12-13. I hope to see some of you there! If you're an artisan, contact Carolyn ASAP via email at carolynsbeadaddiction@yahoo.com as she has a ton of space outside of her boutique and may have some left for you to sell as well. If you come either as a customer or as a fellow seller, make sure you introduce yourself both in the comments and at the show!
Until next time,
Elle
Posted by Elle at 4:01 PM 2 comments
Labels: Craft Fairs and In Person Sales, EB Updates, Tutorials and Craft Ideas
Friday, December 4, 2009
EB Friday Hotlist
This week's website is Handmadeology University. The site is run by a man named Timothy Adam, a successful Etsy seller and blogger. I was pointed to this website by a tweet by someone I follow and decided I might as well check it out. After all I didn't make my first Etsy sale until today so at the time my shop had no customers. Timothy offers a 5-day free marketing course through HMU with information that his website claims will get sellers more traffic and sales. I decided to take the course and this is what I found out:
Despite the style of the website (which reminds me of some exploitative websites where you have to pay after a trial period), the course is absolutely free. You're only required to enter your email address and then wait for the daily emails from Timothy.
Each lesson is about using social media and marketing strategies to your advantage. Timothy covers Facebook, blogging, and Twitter over the course of the week. After each lesson you can leave a comment at the bottom of the page and he says he reads each one of them. I found the information about blogging very helpful, but the vast majority of the rest of the material were things I'd already figured out on my own by doing my own research. If you're already savvy about social media, this course will be very basic for you. If you are new to social media or want information about how to maximize your use of these services, this course gives you the basics you need to set up your blog, use Twitter (though I disagree with his mass follower strategy, it does work), and get a Facebook page for your business. I was not impressed personally by the course because I was already doing just about everything he suggested, but according to the comments from others the information has really been helpful to some and may be a good starting point for you in getting more traffic to your shop.
My verdict? Definitely check out this site if you are not familiar with blogging, Twitter, or Facebook and if you need advice on how to get more traffic to your sites. If you already have mastered these points, plan on using this course as a refresher and check out the link in the sidebar to the most recent Webinar for additional information from Timothy. (Be aware, I tried this but the sound quality was too poor for me to hear it without using headphones.) Proceed with caution if you decide to pay for the advanced services, and please let me know in the comments below whether the information you obtained through them was helpful to you.
Until next time,
Elle
Posted by Elle at 9:37 PM 0 comments
Labels: EB Friday Hotlist, Tips and Reviews
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Cute Fabric Flowers and How You Can Make Your Own
The sewing I did this afternoon did not quite go as planned, but I think I'll get better once I've done more of them. I found this fantastic tutorial for making fabric flowers here: http://sewritzytitzy.blogspot.com/2008/11/from-annas-gardenfabric-flower-tutorial.html and decided to give it a whirl. Don't laugh at my flower:
Posted by Elle at 11:30 PM 0 comments
Labels: Other Artisans, Tutorials and Craft Ideas