Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Color Stream - Etsy Treasury Curated By Thot Design

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

This lovely treasury was curated by thotdesign.

Monday, May 30, 2011

New Supplies In Our Shops

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

As supply sellers we are always looking for new, exciting supplies to add to our shops! Here are a couple of new items from a couple of team members shops!

West Coast Sea Glass has the most amazing genuine, ocean tumbled sea glass I have ever seen! This lot of real aqua sea glass is gorgeous!
32NorthSupplies has a shop full of the most wonderful, unique items to enhance your everyday and holiday projects! This pair of large paper mushrooms on wooden dowel is brand new to her shop!
PatternsAndSuch has a shop full of patterns and well...such! A new item in her shop is this Simplicity Crafts 4320 Fabric Gift Boxes Pattern.
And back in stock in our shop, Evie's Tool Emporium is our leather punch set. We have been waiting patiently to get this back in stock!
Please take a moment to check out the new supplies in our shops!

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Purple and Green - Etsy Treasury Curated By Buttonalia

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

This lovely treasury was curated by Buttonalia.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Get To Know - Country Cottage Supply

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

What is your Etsy shop name?
Which one? LOL!! Country Cottage Supply
How did you come up with that name?
When I was growing up, I spent summers at my Grandparent's farm. Although they were retired farmers then, I loved it "the farm". And when I moved to my current home, it felt like I was in the country even though we are close to everything. So this is MY Country Cottage!!

What sort of crafting supplies do you sell?
Whatever I can find or have extra from my stash! Currently I am selling miniatures, my Grandaddy's Lunaria Seeds, glass, and crafting books.

Favorite website(s) aside from Etsy?
I love to surf looking at many different craft and art sites, but I also try to keep up with my friends and family on Facebook when I have time. Many of you are on FB too and it helps me see what new ideas are on the horizon. I don't have a lot of time for the computer, so Etsy and Facebook are priorities when I do have a few extra moments..
Do you craft yourself? If so, what do you like to make?
I love to piddle with everything. I love colored glass, mosaics, decoupage, photography, and jewelry and beads. I'm learning to scrapbook and am using all of the ideas and items from my other projects and loves within my books. I hope my children will appreciate these years from now. They will show how much I love them and how much I want to be creative. (I must have learned it from my Mom, who loves color, color, color!) Mixed media is great!

Please tell us one thing that nobody would know about you.
I've always thought that a day is wasted if I don't learn something new or experience a creative moment every day!

What is your favorite thing to make for dinner?
Whatever my wonderful hubby wants to cook! I used to cook all the time, but he has spoiled me! Do I have to pick dinner? I'm happy if I have my coffee, a salad, and anything chocolate!!
What goals do you have for your shop over the next year?
I'm actually fortunate enough to have retired from my “real” job early. My goal is to maintain my shops and hopefully expand in the fall. Having shops on Etsy allows me to stay in touch with what everyone else is doing in the art and craft world, allows me to declutter my craft room, and allows me to have a little extra spending money when I go on scavenger hunts for more supplies! I wish I had time to really make it a 40+ hour a week project because I love it! But life is precious and I love being retired and spending it with my husband and family. I was blessed to have helped my Father and Sister before they passed away, and now help with my elderly in-laws, and help with raising my sister's three special needs children. Life is too short - every day is important. But Etsy is a big part of my life too!!

If you sell on other venues, where else can we find your items?
I used to sell on Ebay and I've sold on Artfire before, but I am focusing on Etsy. Catch me at CountryCottageSupply, OurBookShelf, PackRatPattys and PattysPassions on Etsy. My newest is OurBookShelf and is a collaboration of my love of collecting and my husband's love of reading. OurBookShelf and PackRatPattys both actually have lots of photogravures that would be great as a “supply” in other artwork, even though they are gorgeous framed by themselves. I just love them - beautiful Oriental, German, and Religious black and white prints.
Feel free to add anything else you would like!
I've enjoyed spending time on Etsy and the team boards. I just wish each day had about 48 hours in it !! I am truly thankful to be a part of this, and I really appreciate those that are the "glue" to it all!
Country Cottage Supply - Supplies and more!
OurBookShelf - My Books, Photogravures, and Paper Site
PackRatPattys - Vintage and Supplies
PattysPassions - A few of my loves sold here! My art and more!

Thanks Ya'll !!!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Spring Crafting By Team ESST - Etsy Treasury Curated By Plurfection

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

This lovely treasury was curated by Plurfection.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Shadows and Light - Etsy Treasury Curated By Memories Mosaic Supply

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

This lovely treasury was curated by MemoriesMosaicSupply.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Subtle Hints Or,...Not,... - Etsy Treasury Curated By ShelsJewelrySupplies

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

This lovely treasury was curated by ShelsJewelrySupplies.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Some great offerings from Etsy Supply Street Team - Etsy Treasury Curated By Buttonalia

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

This lovely treasury was curated by Buttonalia.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Planning My Summer Vacation - Etsy Treasury Curated By All Things Beadiful

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

This lovely treasury was curated by AllThingsBeadiful.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Get To Know - a Little Graphic

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

What is your Etsy shop name?
Our shop name on Etsy is aLittleGraphic.
How did you come up with that name?
We wanted a name that would be memorable and a bit cheeky while expressing what we do. We also wanted a name that would match our website/blog.

What sort of crafting supplies do you sell?
We offer digital vintage images that we have restored, preserved and otherwise derived from actual vintage artwork, sheet music and other paper ephemera that are at least 75 years old.

Favorite website(s) aside from Etsy?
Blogger. I love to design a blog so it looks like a website. I had no idea I was this much of a geek, but there it is. I'm also a twitter junkie http://www.twitter.com/alittle_graphic and have several twitter accounts for my various interests.
Do you craft yourself? If so, what do you like to make?
Making jewelry intimidates me. I love working with paper, but I have crafter's ADD so I tend to start a project, then get distracted by something shiny and abandon it. Making my digital vintage images and collages is my crafting outlet.

Please tell us one thing that nobody would know about you.
I am embarrassed to say I have very few secrets. I guess one fun little-known fact about me is that I can be seen as a waitress in the movie "Bruce Almighty" during Tony Bennett's rendition of "If I Ruled The World."

What is your favorite thing to make for dinner?
Guacamole. And chips. No really, it's a healthy meal.
What goals do you have for your shop over the next year?
To learn what crafters need and fulfill those needs.
To offer an automated system that would allow our customers to receive their files immediately, 24 hours per day. To expand our product line to include more collages and vintage images.

If you sell on other venues, where else can we find your items?
We are setting up shop within our website at http://www.alittlegraphic.com/. We want to provide "on demand" service to our customers, so through our website they will be able to either download images or receive them via email immediately. Frankly I don't have the energy to open up shops on artfire or zibbett!

Feel free to add anything else you would like. emh productions, inc. is the corporation behind alittlegraphic and is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. I am Liz Hewes, president, chairperson and chief bottle-washer.
A love of vintage, a passion for creativity, and an inability to throw anything away have all conspired to bring us to this place we like to call virtual vintage. It's heartbreaking to find a gorgeous 100 year-old piece of sheet music that has been marked up, folded, and used as a coaster. So we scan it, doctor it, crop it, tweak it... and return it to the world as a "new" creation. It's our humble little way of playing God.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

A Wedding in Spring - Etsy Treasury Curated By Cyber Fabric

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

This lovely treasury was curated by Cyber Fabric.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

A Collection Of Shop Tips To Help You Make The Most Of Your Selling Experience On Etsy

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

The Etsy Supply Street Team - ESST - is very lucky to have a very diversified group of sellers. Each seller brings a level of expertise to our team with their unique business backgrounds. I'm excited to share with you today the expertise of Amanda, of 32NorthSupplies. Her shop is filled with amazing Dresden trims from Germany, fancy fabric trims and other delightful finds. Today Amanda is sharing with us her collection of shop tips to help you make the most of your selling experience on Etsy. Some are tried and true, others are more subtle, and all are worth trying out!
* MAKE GOOD USE OF THE REARRANGE FEATURE
Keep your shop looking fresh and organized by re-ordering your shop. We recently started arranging certain pages of our shop by color and saw sales increase immediately. Rearranging allows you to make customers feel like your shop is always new.

*KEEP DESCRIPTIONS CONCISE AND ACCURATE
Descriptions that are short and sweet are easy to understand. Be sure to include accurate measurements and, if possible, include an object like a quarter in photos for size comparison.

*KEEP YOUR SHOP POLICIES SIMPLE AND STRAIGHT FORWARD
Simple shop policies make customers feel comfortable and know what to expect.

*GOOD PHOTOS
Most of us have heard it a million times but it couldn't be more true: good, clear photos taken in natural light that are accurate representations of how items look are photos that make sales happen. There are tons of sources and tutorials if you're not sure how to set up your shots that are all worth looking into (the Storque is an excellent place to start).

Taking advantage of being able to add multiple images to listings also helps sell items. Different angles and detail shots add to your listing and help give your customers an idea of what they're really looking at.

If you sell multiple colors of the same thing, consider including a color chart as one of your photos to show customers available options.
* LIST OR RENEW THINGS EVERY DAY
Not only does it keep your store fresh and full, but listing/renewing a few things every day keeps your listings closer to the top of search results. Being at the top means buyers see your items sooner.

*RESPOND PROMPTLY TO CONVOS
Customers appreciate prompt responses. It shows you value them and their time and that you take what you're doing seriously.

*SHIP QUICKLY
We ship orders out within 2-24 hrs, the only exception being Sundays and holidays. Customers appreciate getting their items fast. It lets them know their business is valued and that getting purchases in their hands is a top priority. Quick shipping tells your customers they can count on you and increases the likelihood of building a repeat clientele.

*INCLUDE MULTIPLE DESTINATIONS IN THE SHIPPING SECTION OF LISTINGS
This is something we wish we'd done from the start. We made postage to Canada, the EU, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan standard on the majority of our listings and saw sales increase immediately. Not everyone wants to ask then wait for you to add their country -- give them the option to shop with you and check out right away.
*USE LOGICAL CATEGORIES
With just over 2,000 items in our shop, organization is a must. Etsy allows 10 categories so make the most of them with concise and descriptive names. When we're shopping we often pass over shops that don't categorize their items. Don't get me wrong, we love a good treasure hunt, but there is such a thing as too buried.

*PARTICIPATE IN PROMOTIONS
Each time we participate in a sale or promotion we have a great result. We're always sure to advertise the terms of our sale in our banner with extra details in our shop announcement to make it clear and obvious to customers.

*THE GOLDEN RULE
"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." So simple, so true, something we've all heard before and something to always keep in mind.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Rich, Earthy, and Colorful - Etsy Treasury Curated By JemmDee

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

This lovely treasury was curated by JemmDee.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Etsy Supply Street Team - ESST - Appreciates Their Customers

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

As supply sellers on Etsy each of our shops have stories of wonderful customers. We would like to take the time to recognize one of them today!

This creative artist is a wonderful customer of ESST member Shels Jewelry Supplies. First a little bit about Shels Jewelry Supplies. She opened her shop because she longed for good quality jewelry findings and components - especially earring wires - that weren't mass produced and that looked great with the jewelry she was creating. She believed others were looking for the same thing she was. Her earring wires are created using .999 fine silver, .925 sterling silver, 14K gold fill, copper and/or brass 20g round wire and the type of metal is mentioned in each listing.
The customer of Shels Jewelry Supplies that we would like to recognize is rebrewedcreations.
Rebrewedcreations is a fun-loving, beer-drinking lady living in the City of Brotherly Love! She started making jewelry out of beer bottle caps thanks to an overabundance of the material and a love of repurposing items that would generally just get tossed in the garbage.

Rebrewedcreations purchased ear wires from Shels Jewelry Supplies and created these lovely dubbel beer-rings!
It has been fun sharing with you an item that has been created with supplies from Shels Jewelry Supplies. Please be sure to check out her shop and the other lovely creations that this wonderful customer of Shels Jewelry Supplies has crafted.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Get To Know - Feille

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

What is your Etsy shop name?
My Etsy shop name is Feille.

How did you come up with that name?
I love leaves and flowers, and intended to use the woud "feuille", the french word for leaf. I accidentally left out the "u" when choosing my Etsy username, and the rest is history!

What sort of crafting supplies do you sell?
I sell handmade fabric buttons, and embellished and decorated fabric as well.
Favorite website(s) aside from Etsy?
Flickr : Flickr
My Flickr Stream : 4turners
Ravelry : Ravelry

Do you craft yourself? If so, what do you like to make?
I am Jane of all crafts! There isn't almost anything I haven't tried. I do have a handmade shop on etsy that features crochet, fabric and leather items . It's where all my forays into other crafts end up! The shop is here: embellishedlife.

Please tell us one thing that nobody would know about you.
I secretly would love to be the next Martha Stewart, or the next best thing, work for her. To craft all day and come up with new ideas for a living would be a dream come true!
What is your favorite thing to make for dinner?
Homemade chicken soup with dumplings and sweet potatoes.

What goals do you have for your shop over the next year?
My goals for the next year are to keep adding more gorgeous fabrics; to introduce some tutorials for my customers; keep on experimenting with buttons; venture into more aggressive and targeted advertising; maybe start a blog; and last but not least, sell more and reduce my inventory!
If you sell on other venues, where else can we find your items?
Artfire: embellishedlife
My own site (fabric only for now) : embellishedlifedesigns
Ravelry (crochet patterns) : embellishedlife-designs

I would just like to say thanks to all the Etsy suppliers! Even though I am a seller, I also buy supplies for my handmade items and am always excited by the sheer beauty of what's available!

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Supplies and Creations - Etsy Treasury Curated By Woolenmore

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

This lovely treasury was curated by woolenmore.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Tutorial - How To Forward Your Domain Name To Your Etsy Store

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

The Etsy Supply Street Team - ESST - is very lucky to have a very diversified group of sellers. Each seller brings a level of expertise to our team with their unique business backgrounds. I'm excited to share with you today the expertise of Nil, of NAKPUNAR. Her shop features handmade emery pincushions, loose emery sand to fill your own pincushions, and dmc threads.
Here is an informative tutorial from Nil. It is a clear, concise tutorial on How To Forward Your Domain Name To Your Etsy Store. In the tutorial Nil explains why you should do this and how to do it! Simple and easy!
Thank you Nil for your wonderful tutorial!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Spring Greens - Etsy Treasury Curated By CardsAndCraft

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

This lovely treasury was curated by CardsAndCraft.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Take a Seat - Etsy Treasury Curated By Art Passions Design

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

This lovely treasury was curated by Art Passions Design.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Get To Know - West Coast Sea Glass

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

What is your Etsy shop name?
WestCoastSeaGlass
How did you come up with that name?
We've traveled the world for genuine, vintage sea glass but most of our trekking comes from years of living and working along the Pacific's West Coast where our work studios are and where the shores are rugged and majestic. This combined with decades of natural tumbling has conditioned our regional glass to be some of the best quality sea glass found.

What sort of crafting supplies do you sell?
We sell from a large and rare collection of loose sea glass, hand collected by us over decades from mostly Pacific Ocean shores. When we can let go of a piece (because we are artists ourselves) we list them by lots, by color, condition and drilled when desired for other crafters around the world.
Favorite website(s) aside from Etsy?
Because we are beach combers by profession we live by the tide charts, earthquake charts and tsunami watch sites almost on a daily basis.

Do you craft yourself? If so, what do you like to make?
We are trained silversmiths so a lot of our glass is used in our own creations in earrings, necklaces, bracelets and more. We really have two working studios. One is where most of the collection is housed and the other is where we do about half of our jewelry design work.
Please tell us one thing that nobody would know about you.
I've developed a stifling fear of small taxi-cabs over the past two years.

What is your favorite thing to make for dinner?
Green chile enchiladas.

What goals do you have for your shop over the next year?
At WCSG we wrote out 6 specific goals with measurable objectives for each for 2011. A couple that I can share here are:
1. Improve Our Studio Work Area - Installing new power tools, new lighting, etc.
2. Another one is that we've scheduled 4 beach trips (each quarter) to do some photo work and to get out and get inspiration and get some farther away collecting done.

If you sell on other venues, where else can we find your items?: WestCoastSeaGlass.com and in about 40 galleries around the world including England, New Zealand, Australia, The Caribbean Islands and more.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/westcoastseaglass/3969443744/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/westcoastseaglass/4664962273/

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Fiesta Forever - Etsy Treasury Curated By Art Passions Design

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

This lovely treasury was curated by Art Passions Design.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Creating Cabochons - Hand Cut And Polished

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

The Etsy Supply Street Team - ESST - is very lucky to have a very diversified group of sellers. Each seller brings a level of expertise to our team with their unique business backgrounds. I'm excited to share with you today the expertise of Mary Lou and her husband, of azbluerockers. Their shop is filled with all kinds of glorious rock cabochons, rough rock, polished rock and cabs! Agate, Jasper, Petrified Wood - you name it and they probably have it! Mary Lou shares with us how a cabochon is created!
Our rock cabochons are all hand cut and polished by my husband - there are many rare and beautiful natural rocks out there originally made by nature - We either find them by going out rock hunting, or we purchase them, as many of the beauties come from all over the world. We go to two of the largest gem and mineral shows in the world, Quartzite, AZ and Tucson, AZ, and many small ones in between. We have a full rock shop with all the equipment it takes to create our great cabochons. A cabochon is the final result of an artful process of cutting and polishing Mother Natures incredible rocks!
My husband starts by taking a large rough rock, putting it in one of his rock saws and starts to cut it - he cuts it into approximately 1/4" slabs, then takes those slabs and finds the most incredible pictures, patterns or scenes in them and cuts them down into natural shapes and sizes. There is then another process! After he gets them down to the general shape and size he wants, he then glues each one to a dowel stick - he hand shapes and polishes each one to an incredible shape and the perfect size and polish for jewelry. He makes large ones for belt buckles, bracelets and large pendants, all the way down to very small one for the dainty pendant, and all sizes and shapes in between. Some of them he can get a complete polish on with all his grinders and polishing wheels by hand, and some of them he will finish off in large tumblers that he runs.
Thank you so very much Mary Lou for sharing your expertise with us today! Amazingly beautiful!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Lillies Of The Field - Etsy Treasury Curated By Rosebuttons

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

This lovely treasury was curated by rosesbuttons.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Etsy Supply Street Team - ESST - Appreciates Their Customers

By Michelle of Evie's Tool Emporium

As supply sellers on Etsy each of our shops have stories of wonderful customers. We would like to take the time to recognize one of them today!

This creative artist is a wonderful customer of ESST member Buttonalia. First a little bit about Buttonalia. Her shop features original, unique, handmade ceramic buttons.
The customer of Buttonalia that we would like to recognize is SilverPsyche. In her shop you'll find rustic, earthy, natural, primal, talismans and companions in sterling silver pendants - to wear close to your heart ~ So inhale, exhale and enjoy. Her previous Etsy shop was Plainspirit!

SilverPsyche purchased corncopia of small ceramic buttons from Buttonalia and created this lovely ALIVE-Handmade Red Pottery Button Sterling Silver Necklace Pendant !
It has been fun sharing with you an item that has been created with supplies from Buttonalia. Please be sure to check out her shop and the other lovely creations that this wonderful customer of Buttonalia has crafted.