Showing posts with label etsy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label etsy. Show all posts

October 13, 2013

August/September Creative Challenge Submissions

Pink and Orange Burst by Kelly Darke


Oh my goodness, I am so sorry everyone! I did not get this posted up on schedule, and I apologize! I have been so busy with work and crafting, story of our lives, right?

Anyway, we are now ready to accept submissions for our last creative challenge, which was The Jazz Age. Hopefully time didn't get away from you as much as it did with me, and you had a chance to make something inspired by the Jazz Age!

Leave a link here to your entry. You have until October 16, 2013 to post your link. Your creation can be something on etsy or your own personal blog, basically anywhere that you can provide a link to.

Voting will be held starting October 17 and ending October 20.

We can't wait to see what great pieces you have all come up with! Don't forget that the winner of this challenge will not only get to choose the theme for our next creative challenge, but they will also be in the running for our 2013 Favorite Creative Challenge Winner!


July 31, 2013

Creative Challenge Winner and Announcement for the August/September Challenge!

Congratulations to the winner of our June/July Creative Challenge... Jane!  Although Jane's Titania was the only submission for our last challenge, I think we can all agree that her piece is just breathtaking.


Titania- A Midsummer's Night Dream themed piece

As the winner of the Creative Challenge, Jane chose the theme for our next Creative Challenge... and that theme is... the Jazz Age, which spans over the 1920's to the 1940's.  What a unique and exciting theme, don't you think?

The rules are simple.  Create something with needle and thread that is inspired by the theme of the Jazz Age.  Here is your chance to make some really beautiful and exciting needlework.  Get creative and think outside of the box!  Submissions will be accepted between September 24, 2013 and September 27, 2013.

On September 24, we will put up a post asking for everyone's submissions. It can be a link to something you are planning to sell on etsy or other venues, or just a picture of something you created!

Starting September 28 and ending September 30 will be our open voting to decide who made the most awesome piece! All you have to do to vote is leave a comment on the voting post.

Feel free to leave comments here about different ideas for this challenge, or just to cheer everyone on! And remember, the winner of this creative challenge will be put in the running for a grand prize at the end of the year!

July 27, 2013

June/ July Creative Challenge Submissions

Pop Art Lips Necklace by A Little Offbeat

Well, it's that time again! Sorry to post this a little late this month, but we are now ready to accept submissions for our latest Creative Challenge!  The theme for this challenge is A Midsummer Night's Dream.  We hope you had some time to put your needles to work in creating some amazing midsummer night themed pieces!

Leave a link here to your entry.  You have until July 30th to post your link.  Your creation can be something on Etsy or your own personal blog, basically anywhere that you can provide a link to.

Voting will be held starting July 31 and ending on August 2.

We are excited to see what creations you have made!  The winner will not only get to choose the theme for our next creative challenge, but they will also be in the running for our 2013 Favorite Creative Challenge Winner!

June 1, 2013

Creative Challenge Winner!

Congratulations to the winner of our April/May Creative Challenge... Danny V!  His collection of adorable characters from Alice In Wonderland was the perfect fit for our challenge of Fairy Tales!

Fairy Tale Winning Piece!

As the winner of the Creative Challenge, Danny chose the theme for our next Creative Challenge... and that theme is... A Midsummer Night's Dream.  Wow, is that a perfect theme for June and July, or what?  Just hearing the theme is getting my creative juices flowing, we can't wait to see what gorgeous and amazing pieces you stitchers come up with!

The rules are simple.  Create something with needle and thread that is inspired by the theme of A Midsummer Night's Dream.  Here is your chance to make some really beautiful and exciting needlework.  Get creative and think outside of the box!  Submissions will be accepted between July 24, 2013 and July 27, 2013.

On July 24, we will put up a post asking for everyone's submissions. It can be a link to something you are planning to sell on etsy or other venues, or just a picture of something you created!

Starting July 28 and ending July 31 will be our open voting to decide who made the most awesome piece! All you have to do to vote is leave a comment on the voting post.

Feel free to leave comments here about different ideas for this challenge, or just to cheer everyone on! And remember, the winner of this creative challenge will be put in the running for a grand prize at the end of the year!

May 28, 2013

Creative Challenge Voting

It's time to vote for our favorite April/ May Creative Challenge piece!  The theme this time around was Fairy Tales, and here they are for you to take a gander at!  Vote for your favorite by leaving a comment below!  Voting will be open until May 31st (this Friday), so get your vote in and spread the word!  The winner will not only get to choose the theme for our next creative challenge, but they will also be in the running for our 2013 Favorite Creative Challenge Winner!

Cinderella and Stepsisters by Aimee

Alice in Wonderland by Danny V

Medusa by FunWithNeedles

Little Red Riding Hood by AniaJane

Thanks for taking a look!  Leave your vote in the comments section below!

May 24, 2013

April/ May Creative Challenge Submissions

Geo Bear by Three Silver Trees

Hello to all of you busy busy stitchers out there!  It's time again to begin accepting submissions for our latest Creative Challenge!  The theme this time around is Fairy Tales.  We hope you had some time to put your needles to work in creating some amazing fairy tale themed pieces!

Leave a link here to your entry.  You have until May 27th to post your link.  Your creation can be something on Etsy or your own personal blog, basically anywhere that you can provide a link to.

Voting will be held starting May 28 and ending on May 31.

We are excited to see what Fairy Tale inspired creations you have made!  The winner will not only get to choose the theme for our next creative challenge, but they will also be in the running for our 2013 Favorite Creative Challenge Winner!

March 24, 2013

February/ March Creative Challenge Submissions

Necklace by The Werk Shoppe

Why hello everyone!  It's time again to begin accepting submissions for our latest Creative Challenge!  The theme this time around is The Garden.  Spring is in the air, so hopefully you have had a lot of inspiration.

Leave a link here to your entry.  You have until March 27th to post your link.  Your creation can be something on Etsy or your own personal blog, basically anywhere that you can provide a link to.

Voting will be held starting March 28.

We are excited to see what Garden inspired creations you have made!  The winner will not only get to choose the theme for our next creative challenge, but they will also be in the running for our 2013 Favorite Creative Challenge Winner!

January 23, 2013

December/ January Creative Challenge Submissions

Wall Art by Baby Gazelle

Hello everyone!  It's time for our creative challenge submissions!  We hope you're enjoying your winter and that it inspired you for our current creative challenge theme: Winter Sports.

Leave a link here to your entry.  You have until January 26th to post your link.  Your creation can be something on Etsy or your own personal blog, basically anywhere that you can provide a link to.

Voting will be held next week.

We cannot wait to see what you guys have come up with!


June 28, 2011

Tips and Tricks Tuesday: Making Your Own Fabric Labels

Fabric labels are a great addition to clothing, accessories, or even a fabric-based art piece. I always think a label makes something look just a little more professional and special. I've never tried labeling my items, however, so I am excited to try out this week's tutorials!

Thank you to Bekah, aka Beetastic, for the idea for this week's post, and the link to the first tutorial!

Making Labels Using Twill Tape and Iron-On Transfers : With this method, you print the text onto the iron-on transfers (which you can purchase at stores like Wal-Mart or Michael's), apply the transfer to ribbon or twill tape, and then apply the tape or ribbon to the item that you want to label.

Video: Using Freezer Paper and Normal Computer Paper : With this method, you use your ink jet printer to print the text directly onto the fabric, then cut the fabric and apply it to the item you want to label. This method is going to be cheaper, but has more room for error since not all ink jet printer ink is going to be permanent even when heat set.

Making Labels for Clothing Using Your Printer: This method discusses pre-treating your fabric to make it "take" the ink more easily.

If you have a typewriter, try these Typed Labels. This method is quick, easy, and has a cool retro feel to it. These make me want a typewriter!


June 14, 2011

Tips and Tricks Tuesday: Social Media Part One

New members- Be sure to use our "Categories" drop-down menu on the right to be able to access all the previous tips and tricks! Or use this link. You can also use the categories drop-down menu to see all our featured sellers, treasuries, patterns, etc!

For your reading enjoyment today I bring you a collection of resources that can help you using social media on Etsy. Next week I'll focus on creating your own videos, like the Flickr video featured below!








June 7, 2011

Tips and Tricks Tuesday: Writing an Effective Listing Description

Thanks to JuneAtNoon for today's topic idea!

The styles that sellers on Etsy use to describe their items are as varied as the items themselves. I've always thought that less is more with descriptions-- You want to cover all the important information, but don't babble or tell an unnecessary story.

What IS the important information, however?

1. What are you selling?
Be specific: Not "a shirt", but "A hand embroidered yellow cotton button-up shirt"

2. How was it made?
It isn't necessary to provide a detailed tutorial by any means, but state the technique used. Hand embroidery is different from machine embroidery or screenprinting, so it's important to say your items are hand embroidered!

3. What does it look like?
Assume that the buyer's monitor may not show the same colors or textures that your monitor shows. If the shirt is canary yellow, say so! Describe the artwork if applicable.

4. What size is it?
Provide measurements in addition to any common size descriptors (small, large, etc.).

5. What is it made out of, and how does the buyer need to care for it?
Specify the fabric content when applicable. Even if care seems obvious, at least mention it. For example, many people wear their jewelry EVERYWHERE so they may need to be reminded not to wear a bracelet with a fabric base in the shower or pool.

Above and beyond this basic information, you will probably want to include something about what the intended purpose of the item is. For example, I include a short paragraph about giving my monogrammed handkerchiefs as wedding gifts. If your item is made to order, it's smart to include an estimated turnaround time. You may also want to explain the reason for a seemingly high shipping cost (if the item requires Priority mail, for example).

Now, I'm off to check my own descriptions!

May 17, 2011

Tips and Tricks Tuesday: May Flowers

This week I bring you a collection of tutorials on embroidering flowers... Because April showers bring May flowers! (Here in central NC it's been April showers bring more showers... Ugh!)


If you use any of these tutorials, be sure to post pictures and link here in a comment!

May 3, 2011

Tips and Tricks Tuesday: Store Your Thread!

How do you store your embroidery floss?

I'll admit, some of my "method" involves stuffing it into a box to sort "later" (and later... and later...). However, I do use some organizational tools, and I found a few interesting ideas online as well.

My favorite organizing piece- the divided plastic box. I like "Prism" by ArtBin because it's thick, snaps shut well, and wasn't expensive. I have the box with six different compartments. I put different color families into each of the sections so it's easy to find the color I need for a project. I don't use the traditional little white cardboard cards since they tend to kink the floss, so I keep the papers on and lay the skeins down flat in the containers.

I covet one of these DMC floss cabinets. A little out of my price range, but how cool! They remind me of vintage store displays.

How much fun is this "Dollar Store" craft-- Ice trays used for storage AND easy identification of colors.

This cute vintage domino box makes great storage for floss once the skeins are wound on cards (or in this case, plastic canvas).

This box-and-bag method looks like a lot of work, but the results are great.

This blogger had the same problem I've had with many of the notebooks marketed to embroiderers-- the floss falls out! She solved the problem with a little ingenuity and sewing.

April 21, 2011

Weekly Treasury Post


This week's theme is "We're So Hot, We're Seeing Red".  I have been on a real red kick lately, maybe because its my son's favorite color?  Either way, please click the photo above to see the treasury.

I hope every one is having a wonderful week...for those who work, only one more day!
See you all next week!

Cheers,
Pilous

April 12, 2011

Tips and Tricks Tuesday: Huck or Swedish Embroidery

One of my favorite retro embroidery styles is Swedish embroidery, often referred to as huck embroidery since it often uses huck toweling. (Monk's cloth is another popular base for this style, especially when creating hand embroidered afghans.) It is also referred to as Swedish weaving since it alternates the threads of the embroidery floss with the threads of the toweling.

Coats and Clark offers a free PDF on their website that includes patterns for Swedish embroidery. Check it out here.

This popular booklet by Coats and Clark has been reprinted several times (I own one and I love the patterns). It features Swedish weaving along with other types of needlework.

Avery Hill also provides free instructions. These appear to be vintage, but the age isn't indicated.

One word of warning... I've heard people say that they have trouble finding the huck toweling or monk's cloth needed for these projects. My local Jo-Ann Fabrics sells it, but you may have to look online!

April 5, 2011

Tips and Tricks Tuesday: Improving your Etsy SEO

Your SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is an important part of getting your work seen by potential buyers. Search engines like Google only use a certain number of characters, so you have to use your title and description, shop announcement, shop title, etc. carefully. You don't want to waste valuable characters on words that buyers aren't going to use in a search.

I recommend starting with Etsy's HELP guide to SEO here. It tells you which parts of your shop and listing are used for search engines, so you can tailor your keywords to achieve the greatest impact.

Handmadeology has an excellent post about SEO.

Etsy user "SEOWebDesign" has a great series in the forums that goes into lots of detail about SEO. Find the first post in the series of six here.

There is also a video on this page, created by DanielleXO (Etsy admin).

An important SEO tip: set up Google Analytics if you haven't already. (What is Google Analytics?) This will help you figure out which search keywords to use once you know where to put them. To set up Google Analytics with your Etsy shop, log in to "My Etsy", go to "Options" and "Web Analytics". This will allow Google Analytics to access your shop to create your analytics reports. I use two main features on Analytics-- both are under "Traffic Sources" (on the left hand menu when you log in to Analytics). One is the list of referring sites-- this tells you which websites people are using to access your site. The second is the list of keywords-- this tells you which search terms people use to find your products.

March 29, 2011

Tips and Tricks Tuesday: The Perfect Satin Stitch



Today I'm bringing you a collection of tutorials and my own advice about how to perfect your satin stitch.

1. From "Stitch School", a blog all about stitches: Satin Stitch

2. The classic Sharon B's stitch dictionary: Satin stitch

3. From Needle 'N Thread: Serious Padded Satin Stitch

(Don't want to satin stitch today? Try crayon tinting with this excellent tutorial... I plan to write my own soon, but this one pretty much covers it!)

My personal advice about satin stitches:
1. Use fewer strands of floss-- 2-3 is ideal for most projects. I've used all six before for a fun, chunky look, but not a classic satin look.

2. Use satin stitches on small areas. If you try to cover too large an area, your stitches will hang loose and look bad.

3. Cover the entire back the same way you did the front. This gives more stability to your stitches and makes it easier to keep them close together.

4. Even if you prefer surface embroidery (like me), practice your satin stitch on aida cloth (cross-stitch fabric). This will allow you to get a hang for spacing out your stitches correctly.



March 22, 2011

Tips and Tricks Tuesday: Using Etsy Circles and the Activity Feed

You have probably noticed a new link (now a button) on the far left when you log in to Etsy's homepage. I'm not really sure what its proper name is, but it reminds me of several things... a whirlpool, a tornado, hypnotism glasses, that weird circular thing that James Bond likes to walk through... Whatever you call it, this button leads you to your activity feed.

This is something totally new for Etsy in the past few months, and I personally LOVE it. Every time someone adds an item in your shop to their favorites, or shares your item in a treasury, or makes a purchase, that activity shows up in your activity feed. It helps me see which items are "hot" with potential buyers. It's free market research that automatically pops up without me having to do anything!

In addition to activity related directly to your own shop, your activity feed also shows the activity of people that you've added to your "circle". The benefits of using circles are harder for me to understand. I think the idea is that circles allow sellers to help promote each other because any item I "favorite" will show up on the activity feed of anyone in my circle.

Here are some helpful posts from the Etsy forum about circles:


The Unofficial Etsy Forums also had some interesting discussions about Circles:
Circles and Friendship (The thread isn't as negative as the title makes it sound.)

I'm still debating about whether or not I like the circles feature, but it definitely has potential.

How have you been using Circles and the Activity Feed?