My First Give Away!

Come read this giveaway blog- babylyonstreasuries. Wire Tree is featured and I'm giving away a pair of silver and jasper earrings. All you need to do is visit my shop and then leave a comment about one of my pieces on her blog and you'll be entered in the giveaway!

10 City Promo Idea

Sometimes the forums on Etsy produce great things. A few weeks ago I was surfing around and got in on a conversation about cross promotion. AlwaysAmy had this idea: 10 people mail out two promos to 10 other people across the country(world). Everyone takes the promos they get and posts them on two community bulletin boards. Then, take a picture, send it to Amy, and blog about it. About 20 people replied so Amy put us into two groups.

As of now, I've received 5 out of 10 promos and am planning where to post. I'm thinking the shops on Alki Beach are a good choice for a lot of exposure. Here's who's in my group:

AlwaysAmy
Bamabelle
RecycledIdeas
adlenskrafts
RosannaElizabeth
BeadBratOriginals
CustomMemoryBooks
DesignedbyLucinda
LoveMeKnotCreations
Stubbornwoman

I'll post pictures when I get everyone's promo!

the handbook to handmade

I arrived home from NYC last night to find my edition of the handbook to handmade: Volume I! How exciting! It looks beautiful and contains about 35 fabulous etsy artists. I happen to be on pages 14 and 15 and the photos look great. It was very exciting to be part of this project and now I'm busy thinking about where I can leave the book so the artists will get the most exposure. If you're interested in checking it out, you can look here for listings of the book.

Something New From EtsyRain!

The EtsyRain artists are at it again. Last night 10 of us got together on Julie's houseboat (awesome!) to put together sampler bags. Each of us brought 10 handmade items, each worth $10, and then we put together 20 sampler bags to sell in our shops and to promote EtsyRain. So, each bag has $50 worth of items and we're selling them for $25. Each member then keeps what thier listing earns.

The bags contain jewelry, note cards, candles, and beautiful textiles. Part of me is hoping one of them won't sell so that I can keep the contents for myself!

Come visit my etsy shop to find links to all of the artists who participated.

And Trina, last night was NOT a good time for a swim!

Promotion outside of etsy...

I was just looking through the forums and found a post about coffee table book that's being published. The whole thing is about etsy artists! He's still looking for folks who'd like to be involved- http://etsypromobook.blogspot.com/

The book is meant to be left in coffee shops or your hairdresser's or anywhere people might look through it while waiting. Check it out.

Get Organized!

I've probably said it before but organization is not one of my strong points. I've got lots of ideas but I still wind up with little piles everywhere. Last year I bought an accordion folder for all my home receipts. Well, right now I'm looking at it and it's balanced precariously on top of 6 months worth of receipts! Yes, that's on my to-do list today. Anyway, I asked for tips in the Etsy forums earlier this week and here's what I got:


EyePopArt says:
Well, it's not the most exciting idea in the world, but it works for me. I got an over-the-door hanging shoe holder for the closet door in my crafting space. It has 24 sturdy, clear plastic pockets that I use to organize all of my clutter, such as envelopes, glues, scissors, postcards, staplers, rulers, tools, and even some shoes. Since I don't have a lot of drawer space I find it very helpful. Here's a picture:http://flickr.com/photos/eyepopart/1507589589/


DragoninKnots says:
Some ideas:- You know those plastic bags with zippers that bedding and curtains come in? They are great for storing large items like blankets, clothing, scarves, shawls, etc., so they don't get all jumbled up in a tote. They are clear, so it is easy to find an item when someone purchases it.
And since you would be reusing them, they are better for the environment than buying something else.
- If you are looking for a bead organizer and can't find what you want, try going to a hardware store and looking at their organizers for screws, nails, etc.
- Computer keyboard boxes that open from the top are great for storing jewelry in little boxes because they are thin and long, so all the small jewelry boxes are easily accessible.


ConstantDreamer says:
I put all of my paints and various markmaking tools in small plastic baskets (I bought them at Target). They sit inside a cabinet until needed. My brushes are kept in a container originally meant for kitchen utensils.My other big thing is to get rid of any supplies I don't use regularly. If I don't want to throw them, I put them in containers and store away from my work area until needed.

miribelladesigns says:
I keep my beads in an apothecary cabinet I restored and refinished. The drawers are nice and small and it looks better than most regular organizational drawer units.


Stay tuned for more tips! I'll be working on some of these myself!!

Awesome Etsians!

I've just added a bunch of artists from the Seattle area to my "blogs to check out" section. We're all a part of a group we call Etsy Rain (Seattle, get it? Ha ha). This is a wonderful group of people with a wide range of talents. Etsy Rain serves as a brainstorming group, a support group, a social group (although I aparently missed a very fun art walk recently), a promotional group, and a great way to find a person to share a table with at the many craft fairs coming up! I'm very psyched to have become involved with these creative folks. Check out their blogs and their shops- you won't be disappointed.

Consignment!

While I kind of feel like I'm counting my chickens before they hatch, I've got to say that I'm pretty excited because I've signed my first agreement to do consignment! I actually hooked up with the company on the forums on etsy yesterday so I guess my continued promoting is paying off. I put 5 of my pieces in the mail today and I'm holding my breath. I'm not sure what I'm afraid of but I'll feel a lot better when I see them in the store! The owner and I are also talking about making my photography available for commercial use. I never even thought of that.

Anyway, I'll post a link to the store when I know it's actually for real.

Article Featuring Wire Tree

Today I'd like to point you to Dawn Vogel's blog about Etsy artisans. She's written an article about Wire Tree. Thank you Dawn!!

http://shopetsy.blogspot.com/2007/08/etsy-seller-profile-wiretree.html