Deck The Halls - Christmas Decorations in Our Etsy Shop

Morning! It's been a manic Monday here again, one day my children may understand the benefit of getting everything packed for school the night before.  Nevermind, that's what mums are for, nagging and getting everyone organised! So today is Cyber Monday which means there are some amazing offers to be had from the big stores and small businesses alike.  I've already seen plenty of tweets from Etsy & Not On The High Street sellers offering discounts today.  From now until midnight on Wednesday (30th) you can get free postage on everything in our Etsy shop, using the promotional code FREEPOSTNOV. 

Red & Green Paperchains

Penguin Paperchains

Penguin Paper Bunting

Red & green paper bunting will be added later today aswell as these cute Penguin invitations

Are you planning a Superhero party? These Superhero invitations & decorations are perfect!

Superhero Invites & Decorations

Our 'She Sells Seashells' paper bunting makes a great stocking filler for girls who like to decorate their bedrooms!

She Sell Seashells Paper Bunting

Are you offering a Cyber Monday promotion? Leave details in the comments or tweet me & I'm more than happy to share, well we all love a bargain don't we!

See you soon & hope your Monday is filled with orders

Zoe

xx

The Zoe & Drew Etsy Shop Is Open

Wow what a few days it has been, I am now crazy busy with organising the Riot Raffle after a phenomenal response to Tuesdays post. I am overwhelmed by peoples generosity and cannot thank you all enough for your support.  I will write a proper update in the next couple of days.

Quietly at the end of last week I started listing things in the Zoe & Drew Etsy Shop.  So far I have only listed three products and have already sold two items so have also relisted two, which is fantastic!  I am planning on trying to list something daily over the next three weeks whilst the children are still on school holidays. Then in September I hope to work on some more design ideas that I am putting on hold whilst it's still the school holidays and so I can concentrate on the launch of Riot Raffle.

Zoe & Drew on Etsy

As you can see I only have paperchains and paper bunting listed at the moment and will be adding the matching paperchains to the '1,2,3,4,5, Once I caught a fish alive' paper bunting.  I will also be listing cushions this week continuing with the theme of seaside songs, ditties and rhymes. 

Pink & Yellow Paperchains

I am not entirely happy with my photos as I don't feel they do the product justice. But I know this is something that will take practice and time!

Now back to that to do list. Hope you're all surviving the Summer holidays and I wish all our Scottish friends a good first day back today.

Take care

Zoe

xx

Etsy Treasuries

·   Today I am thrilled to welcome back Viv of Poppy Sparkles to explain about Etsy Treasuries.  I have never put together a treasury and I am sure they are a great way to build your network in the Etsy marketplace.  I would also like to tell you about Viv's fantastic new blog where she shares her insight into building a creative business online, Viv Smith : Online.
 

       Etsy is so much more than just a collection of online stores and there are a whole host of ways you can interact on Etsy, whether it's for fun or to increase your exposure and direct traffic to your Etsy store.  

What is an Etsy treasury?

A treasury is a gallery or showcase of items curated, or selected, by an Etsy member from the host of items available on Etsy. They can be for all to see, or you have the option to mark as private.

Cosy Nights - An Etsy Treasury I curated that made the front page of Etsy

 ·   
     How do you create a treasury?

You can create a treasury, by going to the treasury home page  and clicking the ‘create a list’ button.  It’s simply a case of copy and pasting the URLs of items into the relevant spaces. I find having two browser windows open useful for this  - one open for the treasury and then one open for a search of Etsy. You click on images and move then around until you are happy with their position in the grid.  Don’t forget to click the ‘save’ button – nothing worse than losing a beautiful treasury. I know, it’s happened to me before when the internet connection crashed - I think I nearly cried, well maybe not, but I wasn't a happy bunny.

·         Why create a treasury?

• Networking – treasuries are a great way of connecting with other buyers, however fleetingly. Often sellers will want to check out your work following inclusion in a treasury. It is also likely that they will promote the fact that they’ve been featured in a treasury, which will hopefully lead to people clicking through to your Etsy shop.

• Karma – if people see you featuring other’s work, they’ll hopefully feature you.  You really do get out what you put in.  The handmade community recognises and rewards those that contribute.

• It can help you understand the importance of keywords, good product photography and other key elements to improving your chance of selling online. I take a real pride in my treasuries, choosing fabulous items and images.  Each and every treasury I create I aim for front page worthiness and it’s made me realise how much work I need to do in order to get my own photographs up to scratch. As I search for particular items on a theme or colour, I start to gain an insight into the kind of words buyers or other treasury makers might be using – I can then look at my own product keywords.

• It’s fun – like virtual window shopping and a great way to discover new items.

Retrolicious 4 by yumalum

·         Top tips for creating treasuries:

• Theme it for an aesthetically pleasing look – by colour (2-3 complimentary or contrasting shades work well) and/or subject

• Vary it – use a range of different items from different categories if you are going to aim for front page status. A treasury just of one type of product is very unlikely to make front page - an exception was calendars at New Year. 

• Be seasonal - capture the current mood or holiday. So, if it's Spring think of spring colours, blossoms etc. Near Valentine's Day hearts and romance are an obvious choice that will be popular.

• Use keywords to help people find your treasury eg colours used, textures, items, theme etc

• Contact every seller featured – include a link to the treasury and links to your social media (I do a message that I can quickly copy and paste in the convo box to all sellers I feature to save time).  If part of your motivation is networking and promoting yourself, then this is crucial. Most sellers will want to promote the fact that they have been selected for a treasury.  I take a screen shot of all my features, pop them on my facebook with a link to the curator’s shop and often also blog about treasury features too, providing additional promotion for someone.

• Get a screen shot as soon as you can, so you can blog and/or facebook your treasury. If an item in your treasury is delisted, as opposed to sold, then it will disappear from your treasury.

• Share it! Facebook, Blog, tweet, stumble....! 

Written by Viv Smith, owner of Poppy Sparkles, jewellery creator, supporter of handmade and social media addict.

Thanks Viv, I'm hoping to get a spare hour to give it a try this week!

Poppy Sparkles

{blog} {twitter} {Etsy} {Folksy} {GWAG} {Facebook}

{Viv Smith Online}

Business Wednesday - Etsy Teams

Today I would like to properly introduce you to  Viv from Poppy Sparkles, who will be guest posting here on Zoe and Drew.  For Business Wednesday this week Viv is going to explain the importance of Etsy teams and building a network within this huge marketplace to stop you just being a little fish in a very big pond.

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m Viv Smith and the owner, designer and Jewellery maker behind Poppy Sparkles. I’m also a busy mum of two little ones, a twitter addict and a lover of handmade and crafts.

2. When did you start designing jewellery?

I started designing and making jewellery in my early teens. It began as a solution to my parents’ refusal to let me have my ears pierced and the frustration at being able to find trendy clip on earrings. I then progressed to necklaces and bracelets. Mostly I created for myself, but sold at events locally to me. In recent years I started to dabble with selling online and in March 2010 decided to take it up a level and launch Poppy Sparkles.

3. How did you discover Etsy?

A couple of years ago my mum mentioned a website, www.etsy.com, had been featured in The Times Sunday magazine. As a lover of handmade I soon fell in love with Etsy and whiled away many an hour browsing the beautiful creations.

4. Did you open a shop immeadiately?

No. I experimented with selling on Folksy prior to setting up Poppy Sparkles and was a bit scared of Etsy – little fish in a big sea syndrome I think. However, after so much browsing I started to feel less scared and as it wasn’t much more work to list an item on Etsy as well as on Folksy, decided to give it a whirl. Etsy is a huge website and it is hard to be seen, but the internet is vast too and wherever you are on the internet, you need to put in the promotion and SEO work.

5. Etsy is now a huge marketplace, do you think it's important to join a team?

I firmly believe that networking is so valuable and the Etsy teams afford an opportunity to network with like-minded people. There are teams for a variety of different things, linking people by area, discipline and various social factors or stations in life. But, what all these teams provide is support and an opportunity to network.

6. How can the new Britsh Sellers on Etsy Team help Etsy sellers in the UK?

The British Sellers on Etsy Team has become somewhat bigger than we ever expected, but is becoming a hub of activity and support for British Etsy Sellers. There’s something for every one from treasury challenges to shop talk. The Team Twitter account I set up, along with the #uketsy hashtag, has shown how powerful social media can be and the viral effect of team members re-tweeting other members’ tweets featuring #uketsy is helping all members reach a far greater audience. As one tweet said last night “I didn’t know there was an easy way to find British Etsy sellers. Have now added you to my favs”. Another tweet was from a seller commenting on how they didn’t feel so lost now there was a community of Etsy sellers coming together on twitter. And, it’s not just Etsy sellers following the team Twitter account, I have noticed some media and PR people have started to follow and I am sure word is getting out there that the quick way to find UK Etsy items is to look up the team account or the #uketsy hashtag.

We’re not just stopping at a Twitter account either. We have a Facebook page being set up and a blog will be launched shortly where we hope to offer a platform for British Sellers on Etsy to showcase their work.

We’ve been a bit blown away by the success of the British Sellers on Etsy team and are working hard to ensure we provide a valuable service to all the British Etsy Sellers in our team. One thing we have all learnt is that collaboration and teamwork works wonders and it’d be great to continue to build a community of UK based Etsy sellers.


Thanks Viv, I look forward to seeing how the British Sellers on Etsy team progresses.  Also wishing you every success with Poppy Sparkles this year.

Poppy Sparkles

{Etsy} {Folksy} {Blog} {Twitter} {Facebook}

British Sellers on Etsy

{Etsy} {Twitter} {Facebook}

Business Wednesday - New Etsy Team & UK Handmade Website

For 2011 Wednesdays will be all about small business and I hope to cover lots of interesting topics over the next few months. 

from Helkat Design

British Sellers on Etsy

Whilst many of us were enjoying a restful New Years Bank Holiday Viv of Poppy Sparkles was taking on the social media for a new team on Etsy.  As one of her goals for 2011 to promote British handmade crafts Viv took on the promotion of the  British Sellers on Etsy team and has already set up a Twitter account with a blog to follow very soon.  By joining forces in a marketplace dominated by American sellers these members, already over 500, hope to gain more recognitiion and help each other to promote their Etsy shops.  So if you have an Etsy shop and are a British seller be sure to join the British Sellers on Etsy team.

Like minded in our mission to promote handcrafted designs I am looking forward to Viv sharing some Etsy knowledge in the coming weeks here in my weekly business posts.

{British Sellers on Etsy} {Twitter}

Poppy Sparkles

{Folksy} {Etsy} {Twitter} {Facebook}

New Website for UK Handmade

Today sees the launch of UK Handmade new website.  The team have been busy over the holidays creating and updating and as a writer for UK Handmade I am very excited about the new look.  Be sure to take a look!

Erin Bradley Design

I wanted to thank you all for your good luck wishes and words of encouragement via Twitter and Facebook for my new shop.   Lots of people have commented on my new logo for the shop but I cannot take the credit for such a fab design.  Erin of Erin Bradley Designs offers many designs in her Etsy shop giving you the graphics to launch your shop with style.  I discovered Erin via blogworld and knew when I decided to launch a new shop that her designs would be perfect.

So if you are thinking of opening a new shop or fancy a revamp then I am sure Erin Bradley Designs has a design just for you.

My New Etsy Shop

I opened my new Etsy shop yesterday. I have only listed a couple of things so far but will be adding to it everyday. I am really excited about this and am thrilled to be designing and making again. The only problem now is I wake up in the night thinking of new ideas, I'm sure I'm not the only one who does this!

I will be opening a Folksy shop aswell this week and am hoping to revamp this blog later this week too. Busy busy, but to be honest I wouldn't have it any other way! Then as a reward I am off to the Country Living Christmas Fair on Saturday. I have wanted to go to this for the past 3 or 4 years but never manage to get there, so I am very excited to be heading down to London for the day. The only problem is I know I will come back with a whole heap of new ideas.

{Zoe & Drew}

Selling in Multiple Marketplaces

As is life wasn't confusing enough, the internet has added to such confusion for artists, designers and makers when it comes to selling their wares.  The creation of Etsy, Folksy, Misi, etc are fabulous but also can create more computer time and less making or designing time. 

Last week I wrote my first post for the UK Handmade blog discussing the pros and cons of selling in multiple market places. Whilst it may seem beneficial to try and sell your work in many different venues these will all need promoting, which as you know is very time consuming.   So before opening a shop in every available outlet please read my post over at UK Handmade! 

Places to Sell Your Wares

{Folksy}

{Etsy}

{Misi}

{Giftwrapped & Gorgeous}

{Wow Thank You}

{Not On The High Street}

{Artfire}

{Made It}

{1000 Markets}

{Dawanda}

There are so many, please share any more in the comments section.

Also take 10 minutes to read the great advice from UK Handmade in response to Mary Portas' advice.

BUSINESS : Advice from Mary Portas Part 1

Fabric Friday - Melissa Bombardiere

This week has again flown by and I really hope somebody will declare that we have an extra couple of hours in each day.  Yet thankfully as it's Friday it means that it is Fabric Friday.  For todays feature I have looked at Etsy to find a textile designer who hand prints their fabric and I promise you will not be disappointed, these prints are fabulous.  The featured designer this week is Melissa Bombardiere.

Melissa Bombadiere is a graphic designer by trade working full time in the advertising industry in Sydney, Australia. However with a love for vintage fabric Melissa loves to design patterns and recently started hand printing onto fabric.

Melissas fabrics are bold and dramatic yet remind me of quirky fifties patterns and the birds remind me of Scandinavian designs.  Another fantastic example of gorgeous hand printed textiles that I have added to my favourites as I plan a kitchen makeover, I think those birds woud make a great blind!

Melissa Bombadiere

{etsy} {blog}

Fabric Friday - Windbreaks & Play Tents

Imaginative Play Toys

First week of the school summer holidays and chaos ensued, certainly in my house anyway! Suddenly in between of everything else all my children were home and wanting to go the beach, the forest, the park, whether it was raining or not.  I love the school holidays, just a chance to wake a little later, not rush out of the door by 8.30 and spend some time with my wonderful children, who make me smile everyday and laugh until it hurts!

Imaginative Play Toys

For todays Fabric Friday I have chosen to find some fab windbreaks and play tents, as our days will be filled with trips to the beach or playing in the garden. As long as the British weather plays nicely! 

Gracie Bean Baby

Moozle Home

Sugar Shacks Teepee

The Reefer Sail Company

There are some wonderful playtents and teepees on Etsy but I have only found one windbreak on NOTHS, a gap in the market for you fabric loving seamstresses?!

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer holiday and enjoy the weekend!

Crafty Connections

Just a really quick post today as I wanted to share a great post from Bonnie at Going Home To Roost.

Enjoy!

Etsy Business - Getting Involved in the Craft Community

Advertising Winner Spotlight - Peculiar Forest

Today I would like to introduce you to one of my advertising giveaway winners,

Peculiar Forest.

Peculiar Forest designs and makes jewellery from art clay silver or PMC, from her home in France, having recently moved there from the UK. Lucky her!

Peculiar Forest started out using polymer clay about five years ago creating personalised wedding cake toppers, which she sells in her other Etsy shop, Hunter Designs.

Peculiar Forest has embraced selling on Etsy by joining Etsy Metal Clay Team and European Street Team.

I adore walking through the forest and Peculiar Forests jewellery truly reminds me of this!

Aswell as selling on Etsy, you can read more about the design inspiration on Peculiar Forests blog or find her on Folksy.

Advertising Winner : Peculiar Forest

{Etsy}  {Folksy}  {Blog}

Stationery - Rekindling an old love

When I was about ten I would save my pocket money to go and buy these gorgeous coloured pieces of writing paper and envolopes that you could buy singularly from a local bath goods shop.  The papers were gently scented by the aroma in the little shop and all the girls in my class would collect different colours and write little notes to each other on these lovely sheets of paper.  Recently my passion for stationery has been rekindled by looking at stores on Folksy & Etsy that sell beautifully designed stationery, including Gooseberrymoon, one of my advertsing giveaway winners. But more about Gooseberrymoon another day! Today I am going to share some of my new wishlist buys.  So grab your shopping bag and come along.....

Perfect for teachers presents.

Little Bird Too

Original Notecards!

Konnie Kapow!

gooseberrymoon

My Husband would love these!

Three Rubies

My son is in a production of Wizard of Oz next week, so very apt!

Stephanie Fizer

Mew Paper Arts

Printable Stationery pdfs that you can use again & again, how fab!

M.andrea

Bored no more

Todd Design

As you can see there are some great designers out there, maybe one day I'll have enough time to learn to use Photoshop and create my own. In the meantime I'm stocking up on printed papers!!

Fabric Friday - Patty Young

This week has flown by and I cannot believe it's Friday already. As the end of the school year draws nearer here in the UK life seems to get even busier. Well in Buttons & Bows tradition it is Friday, so that means it's Fabric Friday.

Today I have chosen to look at the designs of Patty Young. Having grown up in San Jose, Costa Rica, Pattys family moved to the United States in 1987. Two years later Patty started her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design and Photography, graduating in 1993. Initially Patty worked as a graphic designer for a number of marketing agencies, until in 2005 she left the corporate world to be a stay at home mummy.

However like so many women who become SAHM's, Patty started her own business. Drawing on her creative talents Patty launched MODKID,LLC, a design business that specialises in children's boutique sewing patterns. Patty has also started MODGREETINGS, which is a showcase of her original art work in the form of greetings cards.

Patty has also designed four fabric ranges for Michael Miller fabrics, Andalucia, Mezzanine, Flora & Fauna and Playdate.  These are all very vibrant in their choice of colour and the prints reminiscent of european travels, not surprising that Andalucia is inspired by the beauty of Southern Spain and Mezzanine draws inspiration from ironwork and fretwork Patty saw on her travels to Northern Europe. Her third collection, Flora and Fauna, is an eclectic mix of hummingbirds, moths and daisies, in bold fushia and lime contrasting with the neutral palette of black, grey and white. Pattys latest collection, Playdate, is a bright, fun mix of little girls and lollipops.

I am continually inspired by so many women as they combine working from home businesses in design whilst being a busy mum. Patty Young is no exception, she has sucessfully created two businesses, designs for a major textile company, all whilst being a mum. I love to read Patty's blog and follow her tweets and of course I adore her fabrics!

Big Love Designs

Sassy Apron

Komono Art

Bags and Buds

Sew Lovely Designs

Turtles R Us

As you can see Patty Young fabrics are gorgeous and very versatile, have fun sewing!

P.S. Appologies for the delay in posting , I had problems with Blogger.

Fabric Friday - Pillow & Maxfield

A couple of weeks ago I shared with you some photos, courtesy of The Fabric Shopper, of the Quilt Market.  Whilst writing the post I came across a name I had not heard of before, Pillow & Maxfield.  So for todays post I thought I would investigate and find out more about this design duo!

Pillow & Maxfield produce bold colourful prints in partnership with Michael Miller fabrics.  The design team behind Pillow & Maxfield are Val and Anne, who are good friends and artists through and through.  They claim their inspiration can literally come from anywhere or anything.  They have designed two collections under the Pillow & Maxfield logo, Whimsy and  Pretty Bird.

Creative Bee

Marci Girl Designs

Sandman Quilts

Finn Fancies

Blue Manatee Buttons

Bags by Whimsy

As you can see these fabrics are colouful and bold and perfect for lots of projects. Thank heavens for the internet as nobody in the UK stocks Pillow & Maxfield.