Featured Chick: Happy Cloud Moments

Joyce from Germantown, MD joined the Awesome Chicks in January of this year and has been a energetic member ever since. Her Etsy store is called happycloudmoments which she began mid December 2008. It's obvious by her fantastic photos that she is a quick learner. Following is her interview:

Do you have a day job, if so what do you do? I am a software engineer and I specialize in web application development and user interface. It is really not as boring as it sounds :)

How did you discover Etsy? I was looking at new web application technology and stumbled upon Etsy.

How did you begin creating? It was preschool and we were going finger painting. It was just so much fun that I never stopped creating. Though for a while, the only creating I did was "software design".

Why do you enjoy creating? Why do I like yellow? I just do :) It makes me feel good.

What do you sell? Dazzling Swarovski and sterling silver jewelry. I plan mix it up with some cubic zirconia and czech glass soon.

Where is your studio space? Right now, it's the dining room table whenever we are not eating there.

How long does it take you to create a piece? Ranges from 10 minutes to 4 hours.

When do you do most of your creating? Weekends and late nights. My mind just works better when the stars and the moon are shining on me.

What is your most popular item in your shop? I am guessing my Nautilus earrings. Sold a pair on etsy and few pairs locally.

Any tips or advice you can give others who are new to Etsy?
Join the Awesome Chicks of Etsy! (is that sucking up? >.< ) Just get involved in the community. There's so much good information and inspiration here.

What do you do to promote your shop?
Participate in chatrooms and forums, facebook, flickr, and bribing my friends with free jewelry to spread the word.

What is your favorite part of being a member of Etsy? Etsy just has so much that I am interested in. The community is great and there are so much creativity and inspiration here. Also, Etsy is a very well designed website which appeals to my geeky side.

How do you balance your business work with creating and home life? I just sleep less now and stopped playing video games. I also prioritize everything now. What's more important? Software
deployment deadline or promoting (chatting in chat rooms) or having dinner with family. It's so hard to discipline myself, but I think I am getting better at it.

Any organization tips? I love making lists! I also love my Snap 'N' Stack containers. Have all my Swarovskis in one stack and metals in another. I also use gerber 1st foods containers to separate
my beads by color.

What inspires you? Life.

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

What are some future goals that you have pertaining to your Etsy business? I am averaging about 1 sale per week. I am hoping to get that up to 2 per week by April. and 4 by August. That's as far as I can think about right now.

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Joyce is the one with the cute little doggie in the scrolling chicks photos to the right. :) Aw, how cute!

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