Showing posts with label my etsy shop. Show all posts

In the Etsy forums, I see a lot of conflicting views about whether or not to share information about techniques and supply sources when it comes to each of our crafts. Some say sharing this information is bad for business and to guard such trade secrets. Others say share the wealth, it's about community and helping each other out. I've seen some heated discussions about this and a lot of people feel strongly about it, either way.

I say, mind your own business. If you want to share, then share. If you want to hoard, then hoard. Me, I'm a sharer. Nothing I know is a huge secret that can't be discovered in the same way I have. Here is a list of some of my favorite supply sources. When it comes to supplies, I'm usually looking for paper goods or jewelry supplies. So, that's what my list consists of.

Ribbons and Bows Oh My - great selection of ribbon (gross grain, velvet, satin, novelty, etc.) good prices and easy to navigate, accepts PayPal.

Two Peas in a Bucket - one of my favorite paper sources. Tons of scrapbooking supplies. Carries many company's products, easy to navigate, great site tools, fair prices, accepts PayPal.

Paper Source - lovely site. Unique paper in large sheets, bookbinding supplies, cool catalog, fun to browse.

Paper Mojo - another great selection of unique papers. Easy to navigate, pretty to look at.

A Cherry On Top - another scrapbook shop, large selection, carries many company's, good prices, fair shipping, and they have a fun game where you collect cherries whenever you see one on certain products when browsing.

Accessories Susan - my new favorite jewelry supply source. Awesome prices on findings, gems, settings, etc. No sterling silver, but lots of brass, copper, and plated metals. I try to buy jewelry supplies at wholesale, but found this place to be priced even better. Great find. PayPal friendly. Free shipping.

The Beading Path - Love this place. I have a wholesale account with them, but they sell retail also. If you can get a wholesale account, you can buy at 50% off with no minimum and they offer free shipping. Great variety of glass, vintage, swarovski, and much more. A must visit. I love this place. PayPal friendly.

Rings and Things - I have only browsed this site so far. But, I hear many great things about this shop. Easy to navigate, large selection, and good prices.

Fusion Beads - Everything you need in one place. Good prices, free shipping, no minimum, easy to navigate. No PayPal here, though.

Black Star Beads - Etsy shop with great vintage beads and great prices.

Black Sheep Beads - Etsy shop with vintage beads, findings, and great prices.

e & e bungalow - Etsy shop with beautiful wood beads.

Stone Soup Supplies - Etsy shop with awesome handmade findings.

The Beading Tree - my favorite Etsy shop for shipping and packaging supplies.

Gaussboys Super Magnets - the lowest prices for rare earth magnets that I've been able to find. Quick shipping. PayPal friendly.

***added 04.26.08
Stampfranciso - after browsing this site I got excited about going to their shop, assuming it was local. Apparently they aren't actually in San Francisco. Washington, actually. But they aren't open to the public there either. The online shop is awesome. I love their selection of stamps, they have soooo many. Tons of cool, unique stamps to choose from. PayPal friendly too. I highly recommend this place.

I'll add more as I discover or remember them. Please share your favorite sources, if you are willing....

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was having a new logo made by the fabulous bennyandroo. She did a fabulous job, as I knew she would. I had like 8 options to choose from, which was great, but difficult. She has a knack for understanding people's style and I was very happy with the outcome. Here it is:


So far, it has become my new avatar and I added it to my business cards. I haven't change my banner yet, because I think they still work together. I may incorporate it into my banner, eventually. For now, I'm just so glad to have a new logo, one that is easier to include on all my business forms. I am sooooo glad to be gone of the lily flower that was my avatar for so long. It just didn't go with my shop.

One of the first purchases I made on Etsy was my shop banner. It's the one on the top of this blog. I feel so lucky to have found Briana of bennyandroo, who created it. It was a premade banner she had listed in her shop, but I swear it was meant just for me. I've had it since, May, and I still absolutely love it whenever I look at it., which is so rare for me. The only problem I have had with it, is trying to use it as a logo. Because of it's shape, (bannerish) I have a hard time trying create a square logo or avatar from it, without cutting off most of it. I made due, as this was a minor issue, especially since I was so happy with it. However, I knew that one of these days I was going to commission Briana to create a custom logo for me, one that I can use to brand my shop completely. I wanted to have something that would work as my banner, my avatar, and for all of my business forms, easily. Her fees were quite reasonable, worth every penny. Now that my PayPal account had a few extra bucks in it, I am able to have her create one for me. So, I've contacted her, paid her, and she is working, this week, on my brand new logo! I can't tell you how excited I am to see what she comes up with. I'm a little sad to give up my current banner, but I just know whatever she creates will be just as fabulous, if not more. So, stay tuned for the "brand" new branding of my shop.

I highly recommend Briana of bennyandroo if you are in need of any graphic design work.

I have been wanting to contribute to The Sampler, ever since I discovered it. If you don't know what The Sampler is yet, check it out. It's great. I finally get it together and just sent in my contribution for the December Holiday Sampler. I'm not sure how effective it is going to be, as far as getting people to my Etsy shop, we'll have to see. I'm pretty excited about receiving my sampler that I get for participating. When I first contacted them, letting them know I was interested in contributing, I was feeling a bit over confident, when I first starting putting my samples together. For some reason I thought I'd be able to get 200 of them done. I had almost a month to get it ready. Well, it didn't take long for me to realize that wasn't going to happen. I ended up getting 100 (108 actually) done. It still qualified me to contribute to the media only sampler, if I want to. I plan on doing that next month. So anyway, I decided to contribute a mix of items, magnets, push pins, gift tags, and a few pendants. It came out to about 75 gift tag sample packs, 25+ mini boxes of magnet sets or push pins, and 5 pendants.

Here are a few of the mini boxes of magnets and gift tags packs. I like the way the gift tag packs turned out. The mini boxes were something I learned from an Etsy tutorial from the Storque .


Here is everything all boxed up ready to send off.


I received an email from them today letting me know that my package arrived safely. I am so relieved it got there on time and intact. I'll update once I know how it goes.

Not so far, at least as my Etsy shop is concerned. So often I heard about the holiday rush for Etsy shops. Sellers who have had their shops for a year, talked about how much business picks up when holiday shopping begins. I read lot's of tips about how to prepare for this busy time. Those of us who weren't around to witness it, were eagerly waiting the much talked about sales. Well I gotta say, it's been quite the opposite for me, so far. It is only November 9th, so I'm still hoping. But, so far, the past month or so have been the worst ever, since opening my shop. There have been a huge increase in new shops opening up, which explains the slow sales. When so many new shops are opening, while not so many new shoppers are visiting, it sure does change things in Etsy land. I hope that despite the growth in sellers, as Christmas gets nearer, that sales pick up a bit.


Here are some of my newest gift tags:

I am such a last minute person, especially when it comes to the holidays. I am one of those people who are out on Christmas eve, scrambling for last minute gifts. Having an Etsy shop has forced me to prepare ahead of time, at least for other shoppers looking to buy for Christmas. I have to admit, even though November has begun, it is a bit strange creating things in red and green color schemes. I hope I don't get tired of seeing it before Christmas even arrives. Here are a few of the holiday items available now, in my shop:


"deck the halls" gift tags


"holly jolly" gift tags


"jingle bell rock" gift tags


I am not sure how ready shoppers are to buy holiday gift tags yet, but at least I've prepared, some, for when they are ready. I've got lot's more ready to add, so check back often to Pictures of Lily.