Friday Roundup

Well, I'm glad I decided to restock my Folksy shop last week, as I've had 4 sales in it! I've gone a bit mad as usual over buying beads, so have vowed not to buy anymore until Christmas, unless I really need to. I'm not sure yet what constitutes 'needing to' buy beads, but I shall be testing my resolve!

I have left some new items into the shop I supply and there were only 2 necklaces that haven't been sold since I last gave them some, so I'm well pleased.

This week I've been quite busy making up new bracelets for my online shops and have been swearing at the weather! As I take all my pics outside the persistant rain we have been having here is making photo taking especially difficult. I have been dashing out between showers to try and snap off a few shots - not ideal.

I have long thought about a black and white Bubbles bracelet and this week have finally made one. I called it the Guinness Pearl Bracelet and am pretty pleased how it has turned out.



I also made this Dark Olive Bubbles Bracelet which is a mix of glass pearls and Gutermann Haiwiian Beads.



And finally I made this rather bright Black and Emerald Green Memory Wire bracelet with a view to all those parties coming up.

Christmas Wish List

I've decided in the run up to Christmas to do some virtual shopping on Etsy and Folksy and hopefully find some gifts for family and friends.

First up is for the man in my life. Hubbie dresses up for work, jeans and t shirts at home and hobbies are cars, athletics and watches!

I have long admired cufflinks in QuercusSilver shop. I especially like these Ripples in Sterling Silver



I think he would love this Triathlon - Unisex X Large long sleeved t-shirt in grey by totalradness as his goal is to complete a triathalon.



And finally, I found this amazing Copper Watch Face Leather Band Wristwatch watch by kapadesigns



I found some gorgeous items for men and have marked a few as favourites. I will definitely be buying some stocking fillers for Andy from Etsy for Christmas.

I've been buying!

It was my good friend Katherines birthday recently and I forgot - of course! So I wanted to get her something special that would be delivered to her door in Scotland. I had my eye on a gorgeous necklace in Chameleonites shop, so I got Mel to ship it directly there for me. Needless to say, Katherine was delighted with it!



Now all I have to do is find an excuse to buy this lovely Enchanted Whisper Vintage Pink Lily Pendant Necklace

Front Page!

Thanks to the lovely PaisleyChainsaw I was featured on Etsys front page again on Sunday evening. This is the third time I've made the front page recently in one of her treasuries, so thank you so much!



I was lucky enough to log on a few minutes before the front page changed so managed to catch my 5 minutes of fame! The bracelet featured got an amazing 30 new hearts and over 300 views, which was brilliant!

Mondays Featured Seller

Todays featured seller is Etsy seller Tessa from Colours and Textures

What is your name/business name?
Hi there, I am Tessa Spanton. I am fairly new to Etsy and sell there as coloursandtextures.


Silk Necklace with Sapphire Blue Glass

What is your craft?
I paint landscapes in a variety of media and mostly flowers on silk. Some of these flowers are grown in my garden.

How long have you been crafting for?
I think I’ve been doing art and crafts of one kind or another for as long as I can remember! I’ve been painting for over 20 years and making silk accessories for about 3 years. I also teach painting.


Sunset

What is your most favourite thing about your craft?
What I most like is those times when I get so absorbed in painting that I lose track of time, the paint flows. When I have a painting in an exhibition I like to come in and see it in its new surroundings and I like it even more if it gets a little red spot on it!

And your least favourite?
I don’t much like mounting the silk for framing as it’s quite hard to get it really evenly stretched and if it’s not it ends up looking like Nora Batty’s tights.


Silk Scarf Wookland Glade

Where do you sell your work?
I sell my paintings, prints and cards mostly around the SE of England at local exhibitions and galleries. I am a member of the Society of Women Artists and exhibit with them once a year at the Mall Galleries in London. I have a stand at the Carshalton Lavender Open Days once a year where I paintings of the lavender field and silk accessories such as necklaces and scarves mostly on a lavender theme.


Pink Peonies Original Silk Painting

Anything else you'd like to tell us?
My dog Stella sometimes comes and sits next to me when I am painting and when students come to my house she checks their bags as they sometimes bring doggie treats.

Thanks so much for answering my questions Tessa and I have one of Tessas greeting cards which is stunning! I'll hope you'll check out her shop.

Blog Giveway

I'm happy today to be promoting a giveaway on one of the blogs I follow. Mel from Kookie Designs is giving away this gorgeous Spring Green Cluster necklace



and also a Sooth Me Necklace for your little one.


Mel and other jewellery designers and lampwork artists are having a charity auction to raise money for Headway and Royal Free Hospital Kidney Patients Association, so the auction site is definitely worth checking out.

Friday Roundup

This week I've been a bit busy with off Etsy crafting for 3 christmas fairs that I have coming up in November. I've been really slack in the past at making things like girls jewellery, keyrings and phone charms to the last minute, so I'm trying to be better prepared this time round!

I have made a couple of new bracelets for my Etsy shop though. This Blue, Brown and Silver Memory Wire Bracelet was a good seller earlier this year but I kind of forgot to make any more! So I've listed a new one this week.



I'm still indulging my love of purple and made this simple Purple and Silver Memory Wire Bracelet



I'm offering 10% off throughtout my shop this weekend, ending Monday morning - I will refund through Paypal.

Statsy

A few weeks ago I discovered a brilliant site called Statsy, so I thought I would do a blog post about what the site has to offer.

The first thing is the Locator. To quote, "The Locator searches Etsy search results for an item and tells you on which page and what place it is, and it will even give you a link to the result! All you need to do is enter some buyer-like search keywords and your listing's ID, click Locate! and you will receive your answer in seconds!"

Another thing you can find out which is good fun, is your biggest fan. Just put in your shop name and you'll find out who hearts most of your items.

The other thing that Statsy will do is email you when you make the Front Page on Etsy. The . You just enter your Username and Email and sit back and wait for the email!

There's a couple of other features on the site that are worth checking out, so go have fun!

Family

A couple of weeks ago my sister Anne came home from Bahrain for a long weekend. She is a writer, has had several books published and as a result was invited to attend our old school prize-giving as Guest of Honour.This meant she had to give a speech.

She did really well, got lots of laughs and I'm sure inspired some of the school kids to persue their dreams!

This pic was taken of us 4 sisters and my Mum on the evening and made it into the local paper.


Lesley, Anne, me, Louise and Mum

Featured Seller

Apologies that this is a day late but I was at work all day yesterday so didn't get it done.

This weeks featured seller is Folksy seller Tracy from FatCatFelt


What is your name/business name?
Hi, I’m Tracy Markey and my business is called fatcat felt.

What is your craft?
I make handmade felt which I then transform into many different items!



How long have you been crafting for?
Oh gosh, for as long as I can remember! I’ve had a go at lots of things through the years, from sewing and embroidery; ceramics; drawing; painting; paper-making; photography; mixed media collage; weaving …

What is your most favourite thing about your craft?
I love that wool is so tactile, both for me while I’m working with it and also for the person who buys the finished item; there is no end to the things you can make from felt – the only limit is your imagination! Also, it’s a pretty sustainable material, the sheep will always grow a new fleece :)



And the least favourite?
Nothing really, I’m so lucky to have found something I really enjoy doing. My only complaint would is that there are never enough hours in the day to do everything I would like to do.

Where do you sell your work?
On Folksy (www.folksy.com/shops/fatcatfelt) and at local craft fairs and markets. I’m also hoping to get a website up and running in the new year.



Anything else you'd like to tell us?
Selling your own work isn’t always easy but if you find something you love doing, then follow your heart because you never know where it can take you, and you meet so many great folk along the way. It’s really important to have confidence in yourself and trust your instinct and also, of course, the support from all the great Folksy folk on the forums really helps too.

Thanks Tracy for answering my questions and I hope you'll check our her shop.

Weekly Roundup

A few months ago I did a big custom order for bridesmaids necklaces, bracelets and earrings. And yesterday Jill, the beautiful bride, sent me some pics of her with some of her bridesmaids wearing the pieces at the wedding.

I was so touched that she sent me the pics and was delighted that the jewellery looked so good!

This week I decided that rather than letting my Folksy shop die, I would restock for the Christmas period. So I've added a few new items this week, but I've got to admit I'm bemused by how items are listed. I've searched for my pearl bracelets I've just listed and they turn up pages and pages down the search option.

Anyway, I've listed this Apple Green Pearl Bracelet



and this Lavender Pearl Bracelet



This week I've also decided to have a sale on Etsy of some of my older items. I've added memory wire bracelets, necklaces and a couple of pearl bracelets, so check it out! Here's a couple of the items on sale -


Sea Spray Swarovski Crystal and Pearl Bracelet


Olive and Navy Memory Wire Bracelet

I've been featured!

To be honest I don't pay much attention to my Google Analytics usually, but last week I took a look and found my views had shot up. It turned out that I'd had a lot of views from a website called 10marifet.org. I took a look at the website and found out that my Lemon Bubbles Bracelet had been featured.



As it was a non English speaking site I was completely bemused but using my Miss Marple powers of investigation, I took a further look at my GA to find lots of views from Turkey that day.

So I put a post on the Turkish thread on the Etsy forums and 2 very kind Etsians convo'd me with a translation. It turns out that it's a very popular handmade site in Turkey and someone liked my stuff and promoted me on it!

So thank you for that exposure and maybe I'll look at my GA a bit more now :)

Autumn!

I love autumn. The cool, dry weather with the hint of winter frost. The smell of leaves burning and leaves changing colour. Lighting the fire in our front room at the weekend and the smell of the turf. Roast dinners replacing the bar b q and salads of summer.

I took some photos this week of the village where I live. It is not a picturesque village, but the surrounding County Antrim country side is gorgeous at this time of year.


This is taken at the end of the street I live on.


Across the fields.


In the garden of a neighbouring house.

The clocks will change in a couple of weeks and as the days become shorter and the weather colder, I start to look towards Christmas. I'm lucky that my children still believe in Father Christmas, so that in itself makes it special. However, I dread the period after Christmas when the lights stay on all day and the weather is usually wild, wet and windy.

So for now, I'm enjoying the mild autumn weather and the beautiful colours of nature at it's finest.

Front Page!

Well I said before that I believe things come in 3's and it turns out right again!

I made the Front Page of Etsy again over the weekend. This time it was in this gorgeous tresury made by PaisleyChainsaw. I had been an alternate in the treasury but made it to the FP when something sold.


I've also decided to have a sale section of some older stock in my etsy shop, so please check it out!

Mondays Featured Seller

Todays featured seller is Etsy and Folksy seller Jackie from Forever Foxed

What is your name/business name?
My name is Jackie and I sell my terrier-ific designs under the name of Forever Foxed.


What is your craft?
I started making terrier-inspired greeting cards using felt and then moved on to traditionally printed cards. Since then I have branched out and use a small Japanese printer called a gocco and am about to start using a letterpress. I then began to think about ways to expand so recently introduced badges into my product range. More products coming soon!

How long have you been crafting for?
I've always enjoyed making things, but only had the confidence to start selling stuff recently.


What is your most favourite thing about your craft?
I love getting covered in ink and experimenting with my gocco printer. I'm pretty excited about beginning to work with letterpress as the end result is so tactile; the images are "pressed" into the paper so have a lovely feel to them.

And the least favourite?
Clearing up! I always seem to make such a mess.


Where do you sell your work?
I mainly sell through my own website (http://www.foreverfoxed.com) but I also sell on Etsy (http://foreverfoxed.etsy.com) and Folksy (http://foreverfoxed.folksy.com)

Anything else you'd like to tell us?
To all budding sellers out there, make the most of all the social networking sites to promote your goods. Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and blogging are all valuable tools and they're FREE. Just remember not to bombard everyone with product information as it gets a little tired.


Thanks to Jackie for answering my questions and I'll hope you'll check out her terrific shops!

Friday Roundup

Well this week I've been working on some necklaces. Don't get me wrong, I love making bracelets and never seem to run out of ideas for them, but I worry about prospective buyers getting bored with a shop full of bracelets. So I've stuck with pearls and made 3 new necklaces.

This Burgundy Bubbles Necklace is simply a variation on the Bubbles Bracelets in my shop and I will be working on different colours in this style over the coming weeks.


For this Silver Pearls Necklace I have used 12mm silver pearls with one 12mm caviar pearl as a focal point, handwrapped on black headpins and attached to antiqued silver chain.



And finally I made this Olive Pearls Necklace with 12mm and a focal 10mm olive green pearl on finer antiqued silver chain.



I find necklaces much harder to photograph than bracelets so I'd love some feedback!

Etsy Front Page!

I was delighted to wake up to increased views and hearts on Tuesday morning as a result of making the Front Page in this gorgeous treasury by RecycleRabbit. My memory wire bracelet is on the left hand side of the second row.



A couple of weeks ago I had signed up to the
Statsy Featurator which will send you an email letting you know when you are featured on the Front Page. Sure enough, I got an email letting me know. I'm going to do a blog post dedicated just to the Statsy site as it's full of really fun and interesting data!

As these things seem to go, after appearing on the FP my latest treasury made it to the Front Page last night too - and even better I was logged on and saw it! Thanks to Clare from ClareBears for getting the screenshot for me.

Carrickfergus Castle

At the weekend my son Jamie went to a birthday party at Carrickfergus Castle. It was no ordinary party though, it was Sword School!



He and the other 11 boys were taught by a 'knight' how to sword fight with foam swords. Of course, a gang of young boys being taught how to fight each other without being able to hurt each other is the perfect party.

And he came home full of useful facts. Like did you know that knights couldn't be left handed as they wouldn't have been able to fight on a spiral staircase as their arm would have hit against the wall? That rules me out as a knight then.



But Carrick Castle is worth a visit even if you don't apply to Sword School- just watch out for small boys playing knights.

Featured Seller!

This weeks featured seller is Natalie from Folksy shop Lissi

What is your name/business name?
Hi my name is Natalie and I am the founder of Lissi, Naturally Dyed Products.


What is your craft?
I create silk fashion accessories and greetings cards by using natural dying techniques to colour cloth and then finish everything off by hand or machine stitch.

How long have you been crafting for?
I have only been making my products since June this year, but the concept and ideas generated from using the techniques to produce my final major project for my degree, and I really enjoyed dying and making items that were all original so found a way to carry on!


What is your most favourite thing about your craft?
I love that you can never dye anything exactly the same twice! Each time it’s a guessing game of how things will turn out.

And the least favourite?
The fact that I still only own one large jam pan and can only do one dye pot at a time!


Where do you sell your work?
I have the most products available in my Folksy shop, but I am also testing the waters with a few products on other sites such as Misi and Joolia.

Anything else you'd like to tell us?
I have recently added more pictures of dye samples, products, and information to my website http://lissionline.jimdo.com



Thanks to Natalie for answering my questions and I hope you'll all check out her lovely shop.

Giveaway Winner!

I'm delighted to say that I have a winner for my bracelet giveaway - Tessa from Colours and Textures! I used the Random Number Generator so make it as fair as possible.

So congrats Tessa, your Silver Pearls Memory Wire Bracelet will be winging it's way to you tomorrow

Friday Roundup

This is a bit of a weekly roundup and a monthly one too. I've had another good month on Etsy with 33 sales. One of those was actually for 8 items which means I've had over 40 for the second month in a row!

I've been working on some new memory wire bracelets this week, made with pearls.

This one, the Burgandy and Silver Pearls wrap is a mix of smooth and roughened pearls that I think work well together.


I've got to admit that this Purple Pearls wrap is actually my favourite as I'm in love with purple at the minute!


And finally, I made this Golden Brown wrap in shades of gold, chocolate brown, bronze and ivory.


So roll on October and we'll see what the start of the Christmas selling season brings - hopefully lots of sales to us all :)

Giveaway!

I decided a while ago that when I reached 200 followers on my blog that I would do a giveaway as a celebration! So I've decided to do a giveaway of one of my newest memory wire bracelets, a Silver Pearls Wraparound.



All you have to do to enter is to take a look at my AMIdesigns shop and tell me which item you like best. The giveaway ends on Sunday at 12.00 when I'll pick the winner using the Random Number Generator.

Good luck!