Mondays Featured Seller

Today I am featuring the work of Karen and Rich AKA GrinGrimaceandSqueak. GrinGrimaceandSqueak is the home of handmade masquerade masks, fascinators, tiaras, head vines and more. They have a ready to wear range or can make one of a kind designs to match bridal or ball gowns.

Silver Wire Tiara


Jester Carnivale Masquerade Mask


Fascinator with red rose and black feathers



Check out their Etsy shop, own website and blog for more info on their fabulous work.

Friday Round Up

January has been surprisingly busy for me online. I say surprisingly because last January was very slow. I've been trying to add new items regularly while working on 4 big custom orders for bridesmaid accessories.

I been thinking for a while that I need to expand my earring section so I've been designing some new ones, which will be available in custom colours.

First up are these Bridal Ivory Pearl and Cubic Zirconia Floral Earrings


Next are these Bridal Swarovski Ivory Pearl and Rhinestone Fireball Dangle Earrings


And finally, a new, slightly different Bridal Oyster Pearl and Swarovski Crystal 2 Strand Bracelet


All feedback welcome :)

Friday Round Up

Since the New Year I've been working on 3 large custom orders. I'll post some pics of them next week when I've got them all finished.

This week I've decided to add a few more earrings to my shop. I've never had massive success selling them on Etsy (or Folksy) but since I've listed some to match my bracelets, they've been selling reasonably well.

Firstly I've listed these Bridal White Teardrop Pearl, Rhinestone and Handcut Crystal Earrings

AMIdesigns

As I'm going through a bit of a rhinestone phase I've also made these Bridal Swarovski Ivory Pearl and Rhinestone Fireball Dangle Earrings


I haven't given up on bracelets completely though, so I've added this Blue Pearl and Rhinestone Fireball Memory Wire Bracelet


We've been having some very bright, sunny and cold weather here this week, which makes taking photos on a white background impossible, so I've had to take them on a dark background. Never thought I'd be anxiously scanning the skies here for a little bit of cloud :)

Treasuries

I realised today that I'm in over 600 treasuries. Which is amazing! Some of them are very beautiful and I'm so flattered to be in so many.

However, it also struck me that I'm rarely featured on the Front Page. In fact, checking craftcult, I've been on the front page a total of 26 times since they started The Vault in 2009.(I think)

The interesting thing for me was to find that I made the FP 7 times last year, while I made it 19 times in 2009.

So what has changed? My photos are better now if anything. I'm featured several times a day in new treasuries.

So could all those hundreds of threads in the Etsy forums about FP favouritism for certain curators/sellers be right?

A very old thread by AREjewellery from April 2009 was resurrected this week in which she did an analysis of the FP over a 24 hour period. And guess what, things haven't changed at all in the almost 2 years since that thread was written.

Thankfully I don't and never have relied on front page exposure, or any type of exposure such as being featured in the Storque or an Etsy Finds email for sales, as I am one of those many thousands of Etsians who still sell without admins support. However wouldn't it be nice if admin just admitted that favouritism is alive and well on Etsy.

International Shipping

As someone who's online business relies heavily on international buyers, international shipping since the last week in November has been a complete nightmare. I try and ship within 24 hours of receiving an order, always convo the buyer to thank them for their purchase and give an idea of ETA.

However thanks in part to the adverse weather in the UK throughout November and December and the increased security of incoming parcels into the USA, shipping has been taking up to 4 weeks from the UK to USA and in some cases ever longer.

And understandably buyers are getting increasingly frustrated and annoyed that they are having to wait this length of time. Also, there is the very real possibility that some of these delayed parcels have got lost in the system somewhere.

So I'm wondering, what do you do if you have an upset customer who is worrying about their order? When do you decide that you should refund or replace? And what to you tell someone who is contacting you regularly for updates?

All thought welcome

3 year Etsy-versary

Yesterday was my 3 year anniversary on Etsy. In that time I've learnt a load about selling online - the ups and the downs!- international shipping, photography, tax returns and customer relations. I've had 748 sales, shipped to places I've had to look up on a map and 'met' some really fantastic people.

By my 4th anniversary I'd love to have reached 1000 sales. I'd also like to have mastered the art of not checking craftcult 50 times a day. Or spending an hour browsing the forums without actually commenting on anything. I'd also like to sort out my crafting corner and do a massive destash.

Bet I'm writing these same things next January :D

New Year Sale!

I'm having a 30% off sale in my Etsy shop to celebrate my 3 year Etsy-versary. The 30% is off everthing for the next week and the prices are already adjusted.