Tuesday Treasury Challenge

The Etsian Artists Team Tuesday Treasury Challenge is open to EVERYONE and not just team members so feel free to join us! This weeks theme is 'TEXT ' and remember that it can mean anything to you. This Challenge will run for 24 hours, your treasury must be created within that time frame and NOT before. Come back on Sunday to vote for your favourite one. You must have all 16 items in your Treasury on Sunday to qualify as a finalist, if there are any missing items in your Treasury it will be disqualified. 

The Winner of the Challenge will be the featured shop in the next weeks challenge as well, they will win a featured blog post including an interview with pics and links to their items, if that wasn't enough they will also receive a spot on the side bar of this blog for one full week!

Here are the rules for the Challenge:

1) You must follow this weeks theme "TEXT"

2) Spread the love... Do NOT include an item from your own shop & only one item per shop please

3) Must include 7 Etsian Artists Team Members or (search EAWT)

4) Must include 1 item from this weeks featured shop Oddball Art Co.

5) Must include 3 New or Undiscovered shops (New shops = open for 4 months or less / Undiscovered shops = 40 sales or less) These shops can be team members!

6) The last 5 are up to YOU!

7) Include the Team Tag EAWT

8) Include that you are participating in the Etsian Artists Team weekly treasury challenge somewhere in your treasury description with a link to our Team Bloghttp://www.etsianartists.blogspot.com/

9) Post your treasury's URL here in the link up below to enter in this weeks challenge!

10) Your Treasury created for the challenge MUST be created within the 24 hour day of the challenge which is every Tuesday, it can NOT be created before hand or it will be disqualified! 

Your Treasury MUST be posted in the link up below to be entered, if it is not in the link up below then it is not in the challenge! 

Good Luck & Have Fun!!! 

☺

Time To Vote

Thank you to everyone who participated!  Now get your voting caps on and use the polls to your right to vote for one of these fabulous finalists to win last weeks Treasury Challenge...

1. Classic Black by  Becky Helmer.
2. Classic Cars by 1treeyoga
3. ★☆★ Clean Out A Corner Of Your Mind & Creativity Will Instantly Fill It ★☆★ by  Lizzy Love
4. Classic Beauty by  Kris

We will have our next challenge this Tuesday and the theme will be "TEXT" and remember that it can mean absolutely anything to you!  You must swing by the blog on Tuesday for a complete list of the rules, to find out who this weeks featured shop will be and to post your treasuries in the link up.  HAVE FUN!!! 

☺

Tuesday Treasury Challenge

The Etsian Artists Team Tuesday Treasury Challenge is open to EVERYONE and not just team members so feel free to join us! This weeks theme is 'CLASSIC ' and remember that it can mean anything to you. This Challenge will run for 24 hours, your treasury must be created within that time frame and NOT before. Come back on Sunday to vote for your favourite one. You must have all 16 items in your Treasury on Sunday to qualify as a finalist, if there are any missing items in your Treasury it will be disqualified. 

The Winner of the Challenge will be the featured shop in the next weeks challenge as well, they will win a featured blog post including an interview with pics and links to their items, if that wasn't enough they will also receive a spot on the side bar of this blog for one full week!

Here are the rules for the Challenge:

1) You must follow this weeks theme "CLASSIC"

2) Spread the love... Do NOT include an item from your own shop & only one item per shop please

3) Must include 7 Etsian Artists Team Members or (search EAWT)

4) Must include 1 item from this weeks featured shop BabanCat

5) Must include 3 New or Undiscovered shops (New shops = open for 4 months or less / Undiscovered shops = 40 sales or less) These shops can be team members!

6) The last 5 are up to YOU!

7) Include the Team Tag EAWT

8) Include that you are participating in the Etsian Artists Team weekly treasury challenge somewhere in your treasury description with a link to our Team Blog http://www.etsianartists.blogspot.com/

9) Post your treasury's URL here in the link up below to enter in this weeks challenge!

10) Your Treasury created for the challenge MUST be created within the 24 hour day of the challenge which is every Tuesday, it can NOT be created before hand or it will be disqualified! 

Your Treasury MUST be posted in the link up below to be entered, if it is not in the link up below then it is not in the challenge! 

Good Luck & Have Fun!!! 

☺

Time To Vote

Thank you to our 4 participants in last weeks challenge whom are now our 4 finalists!  Each week as I see the number of participants in our challenges dwindle I keep trying to figure out why?  I would LOVE your opinion, if you have any ideas, suggestions, whatever that you would like to see to improve our Treasury Challenges please use the comments below to give me some feedback.  I am open to suggestions...

Please use the polls to your right to vote for your favorite of these 4 fabulous finalists...

1. Sexy Lines by  Cat Thomas
2. Do You Think I'm Sexy? by  MadScientistsDesigns
3. Sexy Lips by  1treeyoga
4. vintage sexy by  kristen and denver

We will have our next Treasury Challenge this Tuesday and our theme will be "CLASSIC" and remember it can mean ANYTHING to YOU!!!!   Do not build your Challenge Treasury until it is Tuesday wherever you are in the world and be sure to stop by the blog post for a complete list of rules and to find out who our featured shop will be!  HAVE FUN!!!

☺

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Tuesday Treasury Challenge

The Etsian Artists Team Tuesday Treasury Challenge is open to EVERYONE and not just team members so feel free to join us! This weeks theme is 'SEXY ' and remember that it can mean anything to you. This Challenge will run for 24 hours, your treasury must be created within that time frame and NOT before. Come back on Sunday to vote for your favourite one.  You must have all 16 items in your Treasury on Sunday to qualify as a finalist, if there are any missing items in your Treasury it will be disqualified.  

The Winner of the Challenge will be the featured shop in the next weeks challenge as well, they will win a featured blog post including an interview with pics and links to their items, if that wasn't enough they will also receive a spot on the side bar of this blog for one full week!

Here are the rules for the Challenge:

1) You must follow this weeks theme "SEXY"

2) Spread the love... Do NOT include an item from your own shop & only one item per shop please

3) Must include 7 Etsian Artists Team Members or (search EAWT)

4) Must include 1 item from this weeks featured shop Cherrytime

5) Must include 3 New or Undiscovered shops (New shops = open for 4 months or less / Undiscovered shops = 40 sales or less) These shops can be team members!

6) The last 5 are up to YOU!

7) Include the Team Tag EAWT

8) Include that you are participating in the Etsian Artists Team weekly treasury challenge somewhere in your treasury description with a link to our Team Blog http://www.etsianartists.blogspot.com/

9) Post your treasury's URL here in the link up below to enter in this weeks challenge!

10) Your Treasury created for the challenge MUST be created within the 24 hour day of the challenge which is every Tuesday, it can NOT be created before hand or it will be disqualified! 

Your Treasury MUST be posted in the link up below to be entered, if it is not in the link up below then it is not in the challenge!  

Good Luck & Have Fun!!! 

☺

The 80:20 Rule

Hello fellow Etsian Artists!  This is my second post as a guest blog writer for our EAWT blog. In this one we will be getting down to business, pun intended.

I recently started attending a six class business course at my local RCEDA (Ravalli County Education and Development Authority) who holds continuing education classes for The University of Montana.  The first class I had was Business Basics.  It was pretty much an overview of all the topics that they will discuss in further detail in the following classes.  First we discussed creating a Business Plan.  Some of you may have already created yours in order to apply for a loan or such.  Many of us, however, have not even wanted to think about doing that yet...it can wait 'til later, right?  Yes, and no.  While you may not be applying for a loan at the moment, writing a business plan will provide better incite for where your business is going and what you will need to get there.

The next topic presented was developing a Marketing Plan and deciding on your marketing goals.  As with most goals, they should be specific and reachable!  Don't set yourself up for "failure" when you decide on a goal that is broad and unattainable.  For Ex:  Say you are a brand new Etsy shop.  You decide on a goal to reach 5,000 sales in your first year.  That is not realistic.  If you do, however reach 5,000 sales in your first year kudos to you, but the majority of sellers will not attain that many sales in their first year or come close!  Also, make sure that your marketing goals are included in your financial projections and operations plan.

We have a distinct advantage of being Etsy sellers.  Etsy is a wonderful community with a vast amount of people living all around the world!  However, they can all be found in one convenient place, etsy.com.  Evaluating your competition is important, and isn't it nice how easy Etsy makes it for us!  Some people sell a wide array of items while others stick to one or two types.   If you are a vintage shop that sells everything from books, to toys, to records, home decor, etc you will want to peruse other shops with the same character.  Same thing if you are a shop that sells one or two specific categories of goods.  Viewing shops with similar items and vibe will give you a better idea of where your shop stands, if your prices are too high or too low, and see things that you or they are doing right and wrong.  Learning your competitions' strengths and weaknesses is never a bad thing.

One fun business fact that really stuck with me from my class is that 80% of your business will come from 20% of your customers.  Simply put, repeat customers are king!  Word of mouth (or keyboard as explained in my last guest post) is one of the biggest ways you will draw in customers.  We have a wonderful little feature on Etsy known as Feedback.  This is where buyers and sellers can leave positive, negative, or neutral feedback for a seller or buyer depending on their specific experience with that person.  This can be a great way for potential customers to see what previous satisfied customers have to say about your products and customer service.  Negative feedback can hurt your business dramatically.  For all those impulse buyers out there (and believe me I'm guilty of it, too) they may never even see those one or two negative feedbacks prior to purchasing.  However, most people who shop online nowadays really shop around, read reviews, and browse as many other options as possible to make the best buy.  Providing fast shipping, thank you coupon codes for buying, or a free gift are some great ways to make buyers happy and compel them to want to buy again and leave you glowing feedback.

Recently, we had a customer purchase a necklace for her friends' birthday.  We decided that we would include a similar style set of earrings as a gift from us to her friend, a birthday card, and we laser engraved "Happy Birthday, _____" onto her jewelry boxes.  Her friend who made the purchase contacted me the other day saying thanks for everything and how she wanted to leave us positive feedback on Etsy but didn't know how.  That was the first time that it had occurred to me that some people on Etsy do not know how to leave feedback or even know that feature exists!  I walked her through it and she left us some wonderful words of praise and said she couldn't wait to buy again.  Now, you don't always have to give away free stuff (and please don't if it's not at all profitable for you), but I'm sure you'll be more prone to repeat customers and customer recommendations if you go the extra mile in some way.  The extra half-mile or quarter-mile could work, too!

I have my next class this Thursday where we will be delving into Marketing.  You know that thing that we have to constantly be doing in order to succeed ;)  I'm sure I'll have some new useful information afterwords.  Until then, thanks for reading and feel free to leave us comments below.

Sunday Feature ♥ MadScientists Designs

ENTER SHOP

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your shop?

Like me, my shop is quite eclectic. I love to try new things and have many interests so my inventory reflects that. I love the esthetics of Steampunk, I also love a good sense of fun and humor as long as it's not malicious. My work reflects all of my moods so you'll find fun, dangly, pink earrings right beside Gothic black rose earrings and everything in between. I also introduced art recently and have been having a lot of fun colorizing black and white copyright-free images. Take a look around... You can never be quite sure what you'll find.

What inspired you to open your shop?

I started out with some used vintage vacuum tubes that I wanted to find a use for... My shop is the organic evolution of that original idea of recycling or upcycling the vacuum tubes.

Besides designing & creating things, what do you do?

I enjoy photography and reading. We just got a new camera for Christmas, so there may be photographs entering the mix soon. 

Where, who or what does your influence come from?

Well, I must say that several of my adventures in creativity started with a team challenge or a custom request... it's been very influential in pushing me to stretch my skills and my imagination. I've also been influenced by Steampunk and Gothic elements.

What inspires you to be creative?

I find inspiration in everything and everywhere. I am very visual, so I like browsing and finding new ways to do things and new techniques to use... Interesting new ways to imagine an object into jewelry. I ask a lot of what ifs.

How do you get out of a creative rut?

I haven't really experienced a creative rut so much as a creative block at this point. I just let the problem roll around in my head until my subconscious solves the creative problem I've encountered.

When did you first discover that you were or wanted to be an artist?

I've always liked art and drawing. I had never tried jewelry as artistic expression until early in 2010. Then I discovered that I really liked making jewelry art and all of the different styles to explore.

What is your most cherished handmade possession?

On one of my Etsy teams, Artists For Animals, we had a Pay It Forward game and I recieved the most amazing personalized journal from Boitifole. It is wonderful! I love it!

Who are your favourite shops to browse on Etsy?

Wow. What a difficult choice. There are so many shops that have great things to look at. I love exploring MandarinMoon for the amazing mozaic and clay work, amechanicalmind because I just love the jewelry, RobotsAreAwesome because it is so true, they are! I also love reclaim2fame who makes amazing recycled robots, creaturesfromel who makes gorgeous sculptures, freeheart1 makes terrific polymer clay pieces, and TheVerificationCat for the most hilarious illustrated explanations of verification words around.

What is your best advice to newbie Etsian's just opening their shops?

Always be true to yourself. I know it sounds cliche, but you have to love what you do and have fun with it. Don't be afraid to try new things and stretch yourself. Find a good Etsy information team , for example, Etsy Success, to read up on all of the ins and outs of owning an Etsy business (you can also ask for advice or ask questions).

Where else other then Etsy can you be found on the net?

I have several social media accounts, but you can follow me on Twitter or visit my Blog I'd love to hear from you.

Do you have any coupon codes that you would like to share with our readers?

You can use EAWT2012 for 10% off your purchase.

Time To Vote

Thank you to everyone who participated in our last weeks Treasury Challenge, I realize that the theme wasn't one of our easiest ones so far but that is what sometimes happens when you let a random word generator determine the theme! lol   

I also just want to take a moment to remind everyone who participates in our challenges to go back and revisit your challenge Treasury either Saturday or Sunday morning just to make sure all of the items are still there.   If they aren't then just replace the missing item with something else that works in the treasury as the rules say that the treasuries that make it to the finals MUST have 16 items in them.

With that, our 2 finalists this week are...

1. Red Line by cherrytime
2. The Cycle Repeats by Nik

Please use the polls to the right of the blog to vote for one of these fabulous Treasuries!  

Our next Treasury Challenge will be this Tuesday coming up and the theme will be "SEXY" remember that this theme can mean anything to you!  Please be sure to pay a visit to the Challenge blog post on Tuesday to find out who our featured shop will be and to post your finished Treasury.  All Challenge Treasuries MUST be made on Tuesday and not before.  Finally and most of all HAVE FUN!!!

☺

Feature Friday ♥ Pearle's Pretty Pieces

ENTER SHOP

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your shop?

I am a 37 soon to be 38 on February 10th self taught artist. I just learn as I go..which is a pretty groovy way to do things. I am a single mother raising a little girl named Reagan. 

I have no family..so it is just the kid & me. 

I love painting and creating things. I especially like to rescue pieces of furniture and give them a Pearle♥ make-over. 

I am a little obsessive...Once I start dotting something...I have a hard time stopping. 

I am usually bad at these interviews because I am a bit of an over sharer...and I tend to share as much about my personal life as I do with my art because in my world they are all part of the whole. 

My whole life right now is aimed at making it better...for myself, for my daughter and for our two cats...Free and Groovy. 

What inspired you to open your shop?

I have always been creating things..and painting everything I can get my hands on. For years I was trying to figure out what to do with it. People suggested I open an Etsy shop and so I did...in 2008 I opened it but I was not ready. It scared me to put myself out there. Finally January 2011 I decided to start listing my pieces. 

Besides designing & creating things, what do you do?

I am a single mother and I guess the only thing I do besides create is try to parent my 11yr. old daughter Reagan as best I can. I don't have any family to help me so I am quite exhausted all of the time. Reagan and I are quite a team so far...she is a great person and is very helpful w/ our business. She likes to run errands for me has even brings packages to the post office and ships them for me. She is a dancer and a dreamer...and well...we spend a lot of time trying to make our dreams come true. 

Where, who or what does your influence come from?

I have always had a need to do something w/ my hands all the time. I have always doodled or whatever...and my art sort of just comes from somewhere inside me. I am not sure if I am influenced by any one thing.

What inspires you to be creative?

I am inspired by the desire to better my life for my daughter and me. We have been struggling for so long and the idea that "real" life can just beat our spirits down is a real motivator to create things that bring beauty. I am inspired by the possibilities of true happiness. 

How do you get out of a creative rut?

When I am in a creative rut I just do the prep work on pieces I will work on when I get out of the rut. I try not to stop working. I will prime pieces and organize my work space (my living room) and just keep moving. Usually my ruts don't last long but no matter I try to stay productive on other things. 

When did you first discover that you were or wanted to be an artist?

I don't think I ever really thought about it. I just did it. I think there was a time a few years ago when I was asked if I was an artist and I may have responded with a yes...perhaps it was right at that moment I discovered it. 

Can you describe your creative process for us?

I don't really put a lot of thought into the pieces I create before I start. Usually I just start and it just goes where ever it goes. I love to listen to music or watch really bad TV while I work and I just get lost in the piece. I feel like I should be more poetic about my process but really...I simple prime the piece and then from there the piece takes me where it wants to go. 

What is your most cherished handmade possession?

I really Love the Upcycled Trader Joes Cookie box. It arrived in a box of stuff somebody shipped to me. I saw it and knew straight away what I wanted to do w/ it. 11 hours of dotting...and it is one of my favorite pieces. It was on display, with a bowl and Orb (in my shops banner) at a local Art Museum during the Members and Off the Wall shows. That is pretty cool...from somebody's basement, to me, to the Museum. I really dig that! 

Where do you see or want your shop to be this time next year?

I hope I can keep a steady flow of creations....This time next year I hope I will be on my feet showing my daughter that all of our hard work paid off. 

Where would you like to be in ten years?

In 1o years my daughter will be in her senior year of college (hopefully). I hope I am in a nice place. Maybe buy a townhouse and have an actual studio to work in. In 10 years I hope Pearle♥ is a name that is well known for Christmas Ornaments. 

Who are your favourite shops to browse on Etsy?

KarolinFelix

Knotwork

What is your best advice to newbie Etsian's just opening their shops?

Stick to it. Don't quit. It isn't enough to just list some items and wait around for sales...go after those sales. Bring people in. Be very pro-active w/ your shop. This is your dream...go after it. Catch it by the tail and hang on no matter the ups and downs...because I believe in the end all your hard work and devotion will pay off! Don't quit before the miracle!

Where else other then Etsy can you be found on the net?

I have a BLOG but it is neglected...Because I spend all my time on Facebook

Do you have any coupon codes that you would like to share with our readers?

Well...I actually do. You can use PRETTYPIECES and save 20% xoxox Pearle♥

Tuesday Treasury Challenge

The Etsian Artists Team Tuesday Treasury Challenge is open to EVERYONE and not just team members so feel free to join us! This weeks theme is 'REPETITION ' and remember that it can mean anything to you. This Challenge will run for 24 hours, your treasury must be created within that time frame and NOT before. Come back on Sunday to vote for your favourite one.  You must have all 16 items in your Treasury on Sunday to qualify as a finalist, if there are any missing items in your Treasury it will be disqualified.  

The Winner of the Challenge will be the featured shop in the next weeks challenge as well, they will win a featured blog post including an interview with pics and links to their items, if that wasn't enough they will also receive a spot on the side bar of this blog for one full week!

Here are the rules for the Challenge:

1) You must follow this weeks theme "REPETITION"

2) Spread the love... Do NOT include an item from your own shop & only one item per shop please

3) Must include 7 Etsian Artists Team Members or (search EAWT)

4) Must include 1 item from this weeks featured shop MadScientistsDesigns

5) Must include 3 New or Undiscovered shops (New shops = open for 4 months or less / Undiscovered shops = 40 sales or less) These shops can be team members!

6) The last 5 are up to YOU!

7) Include the Team Tag EAWT

8) Include that you are participating in the Etsian Artists Team weekly treasury challenge somewhere in your treasury description with a link to our Team Blog http://www.etsianartists.blogspot.com/

9) Post your treasury's URL here in the link up below to enter in this weeks challenge!

10) Your Treasury created for the challenge MUST be created within the 24 hour day of the challenge which is every Tuesday, it can NOT be created before hand or it will be disqualified! 

Your Treasury MUST be posted in the link up below to be entered, if it is not in the link up below then it is not in the challenge!  

Good Luck & Have Fun!!! 

☺

Time To Vote

The voting will run for 24 hours, during this time please use the polls to the right of the blog to vote for your favorite of the following four fabulous finalists... 

1. Happy Anti Valentines Day by  MadScientistsDesigns
2. Gray Skies on Valentines Day by  Becky Helmer
3. if I were single... by  kristen and denver
4. Valentine Blues by  Cat Thomas

Thank you to everyone who entered last week, you all produced fabulous treasuries!!!!  Our next challenge will be held on Tuesday and the theme will be "REPETITION" remember not to build your challenge treasury until it is officially Tuesday where ever you are in the world and to check the blog post to find out who our featured shop of the week will be.  

Have Fun!!!

☺

Treasury Thursdays

A fun take on Valentine's Day Today...

Anti-Valentines made by and featuring members of the Etsian Artists Team... 

Enjoy!

xoxo Mad