Reflected warmth of the season

Now that all the hustle and bustle of the holidays are over I start to relax and feel like myself again. The weather is still nippy and signs of spring in the US are not quite emerging. Maybe one can get a little bit of extra beauty sleep on the weekends, and maybe not. It's now that I feel like I can spend a little time reflecting and maybe have more time to create.

It's the coziest part of the season and following are some items made by the wonderful community of Etsy sellers that keep the mood easy and comfortable.
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I always like no fuss jewelry, don't get me wrong, bling is great but it has it's place. My favorite things to wear are very simple and warm and go with most anything I pick out in the morning. These crochet necklaces by TalinaAnn suit such a need just perfectly.

Not only that, they are versatile too! Suggested uses also include wearing as a wrapped bracelet, headband, hair tie, and anything else you can think up that needs a sweet little handmade embellishment.
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Floral earrings are some favorites of mine. There is something sweet about a little dainty earring that gives a little reminder that spring is just around the corner. Perfect for the romantic side of your personality or a sweet gift to a dear friend.

Jewelry by NaLa has a whole collection of sweet handmade jewelry to peruse in her Etsy store, from whimsical and romantic to classic sparkle.
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In the spirit of Valentines day and the season of love this pomander kissing ball is ripe with silk red roses. A delightful custom expression of love for a wedding, or really depending on the flowers, any celebration.

Handmade with love and care from christiecreations. She also makes a wide collection of blooming baskets full of giftable goodies for new babies or that special someone who needs a little rest and retreat with a spa gift basket.
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Does your baby boogie? Not only will your baby boogie in style, but they will be supporting handmade and repurposed at the same time! Kaboogie makes the coziest covers for the cutest little toes and sweetest soles. :) You can even get them custom for extra special little feet.

Now that's worth a boogie or two!
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Spoil yourself! Ivory Magnolia has a whole smattering of lush and deliciously scented treats for your skin. The photo over there links to the Bergamot Mandarin Whipped Soap just because it is one of my all time favorite scents, but she has all kinds to choose from. Take a little time out for yourself and indulge!

My personal favorites are the roll on perfume oils. Beautiful scents that fit perfectly in your purse. Perfectly suited for a lady on the go who likes to maintain sweetness :)
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Naturally delightful, these stones are collected by the artist along the shores of Lake Michigan. The Earth has so many treasures to share, many that one wouldn't even think of. The stones in this necklace are such classic colors that it would go with just about anything. Sue Davis and her husband collaborate to bring these treasures of the shoreline to you. If you are in the mood for pottery and other clayworks, be sure to stop by her husbands shop: Davis Vachon Gallery.
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Romantic simplicity is a delight with these beautifully pale roses set on antiqued finishes by Jillian Mackowiak of le Beau Papillon . Her Etsy store is brimming with such beauties to make that romantic heart of yours swoon with jeweled delight.

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I may have that cozy feeling but it is still undeniably chilly outside. Holistically Heather has you covered, or at least has those cold drafts from beneath the window or doorframe covered with this great draft dodger. The upholstery cover is washable (bonus!) and comes in this fantastically colorful diamond pattern. It's even adjustable in length, now that's crafty!
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Thanks to everyone who is a part of the Etsy community and spending your precious time and funds encouraging the handmade revolution!
-Licia


Most Informative Posts

New to Etsy or online selling? Maybe you want to delve a little deeper into building success and have no idea how... Following are the links to the most informative and handy posts thus far.

What is Project Wonderful? Learn about online blog advertising and how it can help you build your business.

Online salesmanship, or saleswomanship: Market your product to show it off

Sneak up and buy! Learn about Sneak Attack and the wonderful people who support other online sellers in a unique way.

What is branding? Do I need a logo? Be seen, be recognized and develop your online business brand.

Etsy Hacks : Want to see who has purchased from you before easily? Maybe see their transactions next to a "convo" so you know what is going on... EtsyHacks has some outstanding features for you, but you have to run firefox. It's free, and it's good, get both!

Featured Chick: randomcreative

Randomcreative or Rose, as I am sure she is known to her friends and family, joined the Awesome Chicks way back in January. She comes to us from North Liberty Iowa and teaches K-4 special education.

Following is a little more about her:

Your etsy shop: randomcreative

Do you have a blog or Twitter?
A blog: http://randomcreative28.blogspot.com . I don't have Twitter...yet anyway haha.
Do you belong to any Etsy teams? Etsy Beadweavers

Where is your studio space? Primarily my living room.

How did you discover Etsy? From a friend who knows an Etsy seller.

What do you sell? Bead woven and button jewelry.

How did you begin creating? I got inspired by some bead woven pieces that I saw in the Amana Colonies over the summer.

Why do you enjoy creating? I have a job that does not involve tangible results. Some days feel more successful than others, but it's hard to measure that success. I enjoy having hobbies that involve results that I can see.

How long does it take you to create a piece? Anywhere between a half hour and 6 hours.

When do you do most of your creating? At night and on the weekends.

Any tips or advice you can give others who are new to Etsy? Promote as much as you can on and off of Etsy. Start a blog for your Etsy related endeavors. Post on the Etsy forums and participate in other areas of Etsy like the chat rooms and treasuries.

What do you do to promote your shop? My blog, flickr, Etsy chat rooms, Etsy forums, business cards, word of mouth, Facebook.

What is your favorite part of being a member of Etsy? Finding other people who enjoy similar passions.

How do you balance your business work with creating and home life? I struggle to find time for all of it around working full-time, but I do the best I can with what time I have.

Any organization tips? Haha not really!

What inspires you? I get inspiration from color combinations that I see in all sorts of random places. I love browing my Etsy favorites and favorite sellers for inspiration, too.

Do you have any favorite Etsy shops other than your own? I have lots! My two favorites are http://sandfibers.etsy.com and http://time2cre8.etsy.com .

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Check out her shop here and see her entry in the July Etsy Beadweavers "Here comes the bride" challenge!

Honey! A Yart Sale! Let's stop!

A what? A Yart Sale.

The term Yart is an artistic spin on the traditional yard sale: Art + Yard Sale = Yart Sale! It's sponsored by Etsy Supply Street Team and goes from Wednesday, June 10 through Sunday, June 14, 2009.

Several Awesome Chicks of Etsy members are having one, and you really should stop by!
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Happy Cloud Moments
*Up to 30% of selected items in my Yart Sale section
* Free shipping when you purchase any three items. Shipping fees
will be refunded through Paypal.
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J n J Designs
*10% OFF AND All Purchases will will receive FREE SHIPPING in the USA and Canada!!!
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Stuff by Xtine
During the Yart Sale, all orders over $25 will receive FREE SHIPPING no matter what you buy!
(I'll credit the shipping costs to your PayPal account.)
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JillianMackowiak
BUY 1 GET 1 50% OFF, or 10% off one item. I have a 'SALE' section where I've lowered all my prices.
These sales can be combined, so if you find 3 items you like you can use the BUY 1 GET 1 50% OFF, and the 10% OFF.
My 'SALE' section is not subject to the 10% off, but can be used in the BUY 1 GET 1 50% off!
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I heart Etsy Hacks!

There are some fantastically helpful people in the Etsy community who are willing to donate their skills to make Etsy a little easier to navigate. Etsy Hacks (Ian) totally has an Etsy store, as well as a fantastic website where you can download "hacks" to make things easier. You have to use Firefox (not Internet Explorer) to be able to use it, but really, it's better as far as I am concerned anyway.

etsyhacks

Lets say you would find it handy to remove a favorite seller (oh no!) and reheart them so they show up at the top of your favorite sellers/items list again, with the click of a button... Yup, they have that.

Maybe you want to see repeat buyers (totally handy, I love this one) on your sold items page.

Heres a good one... Upload all 5 (or however many) photos at one time! Heck yes!

Maybe you want to know why you have 20 earrings, but only 15 are in a section. They have a hack so you can see if you have "unsectioned" items too.

Create a new listing based on an existing listing... got similar items? Feel like the Add new item button could be better? Yup, just copy the whole darn listing and edit where needed!

Chat driving you crazy when it kicks you out of a full room as you check a shop? They have a hack for that so it opens without the kicking you out part :)

Treasury clicking gotcha down because of the slowness? Tired of watching the rainbow mandala? Just press ctrl when you click and they will all open in a new window and you can keep browsing while they open slowly in the background...

There is even a hack so that you can have new hacks show up at the top of your screen. Don't miss out on anything!

Check out all the other fantastic hacks here!
So get Firefox, and then get EtsyHacks!

Vegan and worldwide with Indie Craft Samples!

Following is a guest article from Awesome chick: HolisticallyHeather

Looking for a way to promote your shop/craft around the world? We are now looking for crafters/artists for our second round of indie craft sample bags!

How does that work? Crafters from around the world send in samples/coupons to us, we put them in beautiful handmade reusable market totes and sell them to folks far and worldwide! Sending samples of your work to people all over the world. Our first round of sample bags sold like hotcakes, so we are planning to make the second one bigger and more craftalicious!

The only requirement other than handmade is that they items are vegan. Wait, before you freak out wondering if you items are vegan, we will tell you that most items are vegan and you don't even know it! It's not as hard as you would think! If you have any questions as to what is acceptable and what is not, please feel free to get in touch! 10% from each bag is given to an animal sanctuary which is voted for right on our blog!

You can get more information/sign up by emailing ecosampler [!at] yahoo.com. Also, we have some free ad space available on our blog, and we are always willing to trade ads with people as well.

Please check us out online
http://www.vegansamples.blogspot.com
http://www.myspace.com/vegansamples
http://www.vegansamples.etsy.com
http://www.vegancraftsamples.com


Featured Chick: Viridian

Nicki of Viridian joined the Awesome Chicks in January when I had the pleasure of being a customer of hers. She makes these great necklaces (right) and I just had to have one and I still just love it! Anyway, on with the show!

Do you have a blog or Twitter? My blog was abandoned in its early days, but I hope to revive it eventually. I'm just getting involved with Twitter- it's a ton of fun!

Where are you located? Northern Illinois, a coupla hours west of Chicago

Do you belong to any Etsy teams? One very inactive team...it's not doing much for me

Do you have a day job, if so what do you do? I'm a design consultant for a small custom-order furniture store. I *heart* discontinued swatches!

Where is your studio space? Our apartment, for some odd reason, has a bathtub in a small dormer room off the kitchen, totally separate from the bathroom. I've commandeered the rest of the space for my work.

How did you discover Etsy? A thread on Craftster, way back in the day.

What do you sell? Leather flower pins, wallets, fabric bags

How did you begin creating? I've been crafting since I was a wee little one- I can't imagine NOT being creative. It's actually been too long for me to remember how I got started!

Why do you enjoy creating? I just love making beautiful things! I have an entrepreneurial spirit, so selling my pretties when they started piling up was a natural progression.

How long does it take you to create a piece? Usually less than an hour- I have what I refer to as "crafting ADD." I get bored easily with long-term projects!

When do you do most of your creating? In the evenings, and all day long on my days off from my day job!

What is your most popular item in your shop? So far everything seems to get an equal amount of attention. Lately, my leather wallets have been getting snatched up as soon as I list them.

Any tips or advice you can give others who are new to Etsy? Research and learn as much as you can! Look around at your competitors, and adapt your style for a personal twist. And great photos are KEY to selling online- there are tons of resources out there for learning how to take good pics of your work.

What do you do to promote your shop? I hand out business cards, chat when I can, use SocialMarker occasionally (thanks, TimothyAdamsDesign!) and try to list frequently.

What is your favorite part of being a member of Etsy? Honestly? The extra money- the fact that there are people out there that like my work so much that they're willing to pay me for them! That feeling never gets old- I think it's that entrepreneurship I spoke of earlier. It's a great place to have a business.

How do you balance your business work with creating and home life? Um...I fit it in when I can. It's not very well balanced at this time...

Any organization tips? Keep your listed items clean and orderly- if something sells, you don't want to be scrambling around trying to find it!

What inspires you? My materials! I get ideas by pulling out the drawers on my bead caddy and rummaging around until a combination comes to mind, or pawing through a pile of fabric until my hands touch something that says "it's my turn to be a purse."

Do you have any favorite Etsy shops other than your own? Lots! Too many to list here...

What are some future goals that you have pertaining to your Etsy business? Just to grow my business as much as I can- I'm looking forward to that 300th sale, 500th sale, etc... Coming up with new ideas for items in my shop is the hardest thing for me right now- I like my mix the way it is! But evolving and changing is important if I want to succeed.
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Check out all the great things at Viridian on Etsy!