It was my pleasure to host this Blog Carnival and I want to thank everyone who participated! The turnout was great and I'm really enjoying reading through all of the blog posts about your Thanksgiving traditions and Christmas favorites and all of the fun you're having during this hectic and fun-filled holiday season.
Please stop by my blog and check out the carnival here... I'd love to hear from you, so please leave a comment and if you've not yet become a follower of any of these great blogs, be sure to join the fun!
Happy Holidays!
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by: Mystic Wynd
See EtsyBloggers team membership requirements here: etsybloggers.com
Got a blog? Love Etsy? Check us out!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Friday Feature -- The Fab Miss B
This week's featured Etsy artist at Mama's Magic Studio, cross-posted here for your enjoyment, is the fabulous Becky! She has two lovely shops: The Fab Miss B for for Vintage and One of a Kind Finds and BeckyKazana for her original Chenille Pipette Dolls and artwork. She's also the featured Etsyblogger of the month for November. Congrats, Becky!
I just love the wide variety of stuff you'll find in these two shops. Isn't this card too sweet?
And Monique would be darling atop a tree! When he saw her, my son asked, "Is that an angel?"
And I couldn't resist sharing this pic of Becky herself, modeling a beautiful vintage apron!
Enjoy the interview!
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by: Mama's Magic Studio
See EtsyBloggers team membership requirements here: etsybloggers.com
Got a blog? Love Etsy? Check us out!
I just love the wide variety of stuff you'll find in these two shops. Isn't this card too sweet?
And Monique would be darling atop a tree! When he saw her, my son asked, "Is that an angel?"
And I couldn't resist sharing this pic of Becky herself, modeling a beautiful vintage apron!
Enjoy the interview!
1. Please tell us about the items in your Etsy shop. What do you make? How did you learn your craft? What is involved in your creative process?
My Pipettes are my favorite thing to make! They were inspired by vintage ornaments I've collected for ages. They are made with humble chenille pipe cleaners, but I add lots of luxe embellishments like silk ribbons, antique lace, mother of pearl buttons, feathers, sequins and vintage costume jewelery. Their heads are all carefully hand painted too.
2. To which Etsy Teams do you belong?
I'm a proud member of The Etsy Bloggers Team, Crafting in Color and Sellers Assisting Sellers. (The last is a great resource for sellers new or old!)
3. How did you get involved with Etsy?
I discovered Etsy through some of my favorite bloggers over three years ago. It was love at first sight!
4. What inspires your creations?
I find inspiration everywhere- through travel, old movies, and fashion magazines. And of course, I love prowling Blogs & Etsy to see what other talented artists and designers are up to!
5. What is your biggest challenge related to your Etsy shop?
I think getting good photos is an ongoing challenge! I've had breakthroughs, but there is always more to learn. I'm also doing a lot of research on SEO lately, and I'm quite sure that will be helpful.
6. What is your favorite item in your shop (currently for sale or previously sold)? Why is it your favorite? (Please provide a link)
I'm madly in love with Daschshunds- someday I'd love to have a pair of them. But for now Daisy is as close as I can get!
7. What advice do you have for other folks selling or buying on Etsy?
The community on Etsy is your greatest resource! There are lots of talented and experienced artists and many of them are happy to share advice. And Etsy admin is constantly filling the Storque with tips and tricks. Sign up for the Seller Success e-mail if you haven't already. You'll definitely learn something new to improve your shop.
8. Tell us two (or more) other interesting things about you.
My husband and I love to travel and are lucky to have lived all over the world- Kenya, Uganda, China, Chicago, Las Vegas, and now we're trying out life on an island- The Big Island of Hawaii!
We adopted our funny last name- Kazana- while traveling in Africa just after getting married. It's a Swahili word that means "To make a home" and it reminds us that our home is where the other is.
9. Where else can we find out more about you and/or your creations?
I blog about the inspiration I find around me every day on The Fab Miss B and you'll find links to all my other internet portals in the sidebar right there! Swing by and say hello! I love to hear from you.
10. Is there anything else you'd like to tell us about your shop or your work?
The only thing I like better than making art is discovering that other people enjoy it! I do hope you'll swing by and say hello!
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by: Mama's Magic Studio
See EtsyBloggers team membership requirements here: etsybloggers.com
Got a blog? Love Etsy? Check us out!
Internet Artisan Interview - Cheryl's Purple Cow
I met Cheryl on a new Etsy group I joined called Facebook Fans on Etsy (FFEST). She is a very active member, and on the internet as a whole. When I saw her purple cow, I knew it would fun to get acquainted. Cheryl is supporting November's Epilepsy Awareness Month, and donating 15% of the sales of any purple item to Family Ties of Nevada to help families affected by epilepsy. So go by her shop this month, and look for her purple items!
What's the name of your business/shop?
Cheryl's Purple Cow
Do you have a registered domain name and/or a blog?
http://cherylspurplecow.etsy.com
http://cherylspurplecow.blogspot.com
What type of handmade products do you sell?
Jewelry. I make a lot of Awareness Jewelry. I have Epilepsy and November is Epilepsy Awareness Month so there will be a lot of purple Awareness Jewelry. I also have some hematite and metal-free jewelry. I am going to be adding my “Reflections”. Reflections are a candle arrangement that I make as a special order item.
Show us a piece you recently finished
Which online selling vendors do you use? What do you like best about each one?
I just started selling online in May and I have my shop on Etsy. It is difficult to sell jewelry because there are so many jewelry shops. I am looking into other sites but haven’t made a decision yet.
What are you working on right now? Any sketches?
I don’t make sketches. Most of my designs are trial and error. I am most creative when I don’t have a plan. When I started making my Swarovski Snowflake Earrings, I attached them to the Earwire with a figure 8 loop. Then I noticed that I could change them and attach them with an Awareness Ribbon Most of my designs happen that way. I usually make something about 3 to 4 times before I get the design that I want.
If you have a website or blog, what do you use for advertising?
I am using an avatar that my Brother and niece designed for me.
If you have a website or blog, tell us about your favorite widget.
I love widgets and I have a lot of them. I have 2 penguin widgets on my blog right now. I thought 3 would be overkill. But my favorite is the “Things to Ponder”.
“Why isn't there mouse flavored cat food?” I think that is a question that needs to be answered.
We'd love to see your little corner of the world, where you create.
That would take about a week of cleaning.
Are you involved in social networking? What's your favorite and why? If you're not involved, you must have a good reason!
Facebook. I can stay up to date with family and friends there. I have also re-connected with friends from way back. A friend that lived next door to me as a child found me. Her family moved away around 1973.
http://facebook.com/Cheryls.Purple.Cow
http://www.twitter.com/cherylpurplecow
All of us can use a helpful business hint once a week. What's yours?
I am a very impatient person and I try to remind myself every day. Rome was not built in a day. Don’t get discouraged.
Do you have a "modus operandi" for computing the price of a handmade object? Tell us your formula?
I wish I could find one that worked for every item. But there are some items that just don’t fit into a mold.
Where do you see your artwork in one year? Any plans in the works?
I really want to make and promote my "Reflections.”
It's time for the storybeader to pick a favorite!
I really like these earrings, that look like little candies. They're so realistic, and cute!
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by: storybeader
See EtsyBloggers team membership requirements here: etsybloggers.com
Got a blog? Love Etsy? Check us out!
What's the name of your business/shop?
Cheryl's Purple Cow
Do you have a registered domain name and/or a blog?
http://cherylspurplecow.etsy.com
http://cherylspurplecow.blogspot.com
What type of handmade products do you sell?
Jewelry. I make a lot of Awareness Jewelry. I have Epilepsy and November is Epilepsy Awareness Month so there will be a lot of purple Awareness Jewelry. I also have some hematite and metal-free jewelry. I am going to be adding my “Reflections”. Reflections are a candle arrangement that I make as a special order item.
Show us a piece you recently finished
Which online selling vendors do you use? What do you like best about each one?I just started selling online in May and I have my shop on Etsy. It is difficult to sell jewelry because there are so many jewelry shops. I am looking into other sites but haven’t made a decision yet.
What are you working on right now? Any sketches?
I don’t make sketches. Most of my designs are trial and error. I am most creative when I don’t have a plan. When I started making my Swarovski Snowflake Earrings, I attached them to the Earwire with a figure 8 loop. Then I noticed that I could change them and attach them with an Awareness Ribbon Most of my designs happen that way. I usually make something about 3 to 4 times before I get the design that I want.
If you have a website or blog, what do you use for advertising?
I am using an avatar that my Brother and niece designed for me.
If you have a website or blog, tell us about your favorite widget.
I love widgets and I have a lot of them. I have 2 penguin widgets on my blog right now. I thought 3 would be overkill. But my favorite is the “Things to Ponder”.
“Why isn't there mouse flavored cat food?” I think that is a question that needs to be answered. We'd love to see your little corner of the world, where you create.
That would take about a week of cleaning.
Are you involved in social networking? What's your favorite and why? If you're not involved, you must have a good reason!
Facebook. I can stay up to date with family and friends there. I have also re-connected with friends from way back. A friend that lived next door to me as a child found me. Her family moved away around 1973.
http://facebook.com/Cheryls.Purple.Cow
http://www.twitter.com/cherylpurplecow
All of us can use a helpful business hint once a week. What's yours?
I am a very impatient person and I try to remind myself every day. Rome was not built in a day. Don’t get discouraged.
Do you have a "modus operandi" for computing the price of a handmade object? Tell us your formula?
I wish I could find one that worked for every item. But there are some items that just don’t fit into a mold.
Where do you see your artwork in one year? Any plans in the works?
I really want to make and promote my "Reflections.”
It's time for the storybeader to pick a favorite!
I really like these earrings, that look like little candies. They're so realistic, and cute!
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by: storybeader
See EtsyBloggers team membership requirements here: etsybloggers.com
Got a blog? Love Etsy? Check us out!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Happy Birthday to a new member!
It is so neat to wish a member of Etsybloggers a Happy Birthday, especially when she's a new member!!
Have you met Nina? She has 2 shops, today is her birthday - please pop on over to one of her shops and send Happy Birthday Greetings!!
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by: Handmade By Sandi
See EtsyBloggers team membership requirements here: etsybloggers.com
Got a blog? Love Etsy? Check us out!
Have you met Nina? She has 2 shops, today is her birthday - please pop on over to one of her shops and send Happy Birthday Greetings!!
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by: Handmade By Sandi
See EtsyBloggers team membership requirements here: etsybloggers.com
Got a blog? Love Etsy? Check us out!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
A belated Happy Birthday to HomeMadeOriginals
Please send a belated Happy Birthday wish to HomeMadeOriginals - her birthday was Sunday, the 15th of November!
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by: Handmade By Sandi
See EtsyBloggers team membership requirements here: etsybloggers.com
Got a blog? Love Etsy? Check us out!
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by: Handmade By Sandi
See EtsyBloggers team membership requirements here: etsybloggers.com
Got a blog? Love Etsy? Check us out!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Celebrating a birthday today
Today we are celebrating the birthday of MagdaleneJewels! Help make her special day more so, by sending special wishes to her at her blog http://www.MagdaleneJewelsblogs.blogspot.com or convo her at either of her 2 shops!
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by: Handmade By Sandi
See EtsyBloggers team membership requirements here: etsybloggers.com
Got a blog? Love Etsy? Check us out!
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by: Handmade By Sandi
See EtsyBloggers team membership requirements here: etsybloggers.com
Got a blog? Love Etsy? Check us out!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
MINI MONDAY: "A KEEPER'SJACKPOT
"AKeepersJackpot" EtsyBlogger Mini Monday Featured Artisan
Before I start my first MiniMonday Blog, I would like to say a special thanks to "Cozy" and "TulipsTreasureBox" for doing such a great job creating these blogs every Monday for the past few years.
For my first MiniMonday Blog, I choose to feature Jackie from "AKeepersJackpot", who will also be my co-Mini Blogger!
Jackie has been selling jewelry for over two years now. When she first started her work consisted mainly of beaded jewelry, but recently has begun making handmade pendants as well. She recently has been experimenting with wire wrapping and wire crochet also. According to Jackie, her favorite things to make are necklaces with large pendants that really stand out, but she also says that "earrings are fun to make too". In her shop, http://www.AKeepersJackpot.etsy.com, Jackie has a special section of "discounted" items as well as doing custom orders from Alchemy.
Something new to keep an eye out for in her shop will be fishing lanyards. "I made one for a friend of mine, and thought it would be something cool to appeal to my outdoorsy followers that I like to hike and be outside as much as I do!" Sounds like a great gift idea for those husband who like to fish as a special Holiday gift. Speaking of Holiday gifts, Jackie has some adorable Christmas items in her shop, such as these "peppermint earrings".
When Jackie is not busy working on her jewelry for her shop, or writing on her blog, http://www.AKeepersJackpot.blogspot.com, or hiking (which is her other passion), she works full time as a Clinical Laboratory Technologist in a hospital lab. She has been married to her husband for over four years, but they have been together for almost twelve. They share a home with their two cats, Rocky and Twosie, in Upstate New York.
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by: MagdaleneJewels
See EtsyBloggers team membership requirements here: etsybloggers.com
Got a blog? Love Etsy? Check us out!
Before I start my first MiniMonday Blog, I would like to say a special thanks to "Cozy" and "TulipsTreasureBox" for doing such a great job creating these blogs every Monday for the past few years.
For my first MiniMonday Blog, I choose to feature Jackie from "AKeepersJackpot", who will also be my co-Mini Blogger!
Jackie has been selling jewelry for over two years now. When she first started her work consisted mainly of beaded jewelry, but recently has begun making handmade pendants as well. She recently has been experimenting with wire wrapping and wire crochet also. According to Jackie, her favorite things to make are necklaces with large pendants that really stand out, but she also says that "earrings are fun to make too". In her shop, http://www.AKeepersJackpot.etsy.com, Jackie has a special section of "discounted" items as well as doing custom orders from Alchemy.
Something new to keep an eye out for in her shop will be fishing lanyards. "I made one for a friend of mine, and thought it would be something cool to appeal to my outdoorsy followers that I like to hike and be outside as much as I do!" Sounds like a great gift idea for those husband who like to fish as a special Holiday gift. Speaking of Holiday gifts, Jackie has some adorable Christmas items in her shop, such as these "peppermint earrings".
When Jackie is not busy working on her jewelry for her shop, or writing on her blog, http://www.AKeepersJackpot.blogspot.com, or hiking (which is her other passion), she works full time as a Clinical Laboratory Technologist in a hospital lab. She has been married to her husband for over four years, but they have been together for almost twelve. They share a home with their two cats, Rocky and Twosie, in Upstate New York.
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by: MagdaleneJewels
See EtsyBloggers team membership requirements here: etsybloggers.com
Got a blog? Love Etsy? Check us out!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Internet Artisan Interview - The Beaded Lily
Sarah, owner and operator of thebeadedlily, uses a variety of techniques in her jewelry design. Many of her current pieces are complicated and minimalist at the same time. I started following Sarah's work in the Etsy Beadweavers challenges, about a year ago. If your love beadweaving like I do, the Etsy Beadweavers are something to see. After watching Sarah's shop on Etsy, I noticed her at other selling venues, many the same I belong to. There's lots of opportunity to see her work; I suggest taking a look at her blog first, and go from there.
What's the name of your business/shop?
thebeadedlily
Do you have a registered domain name and/or a blog?
http://thebeadedlily.blogspot.com/
What type of handmade products do you sell?
Pieces by thebeadedlily generally fall into three categories.
Stringing: bold, colorful, texture laden designs, often influenced by the artists and artisans who create the beads I work with.
Wirework: simple, clean, and highly primitive. I use ancient wire-workin
g techniques and aim for what the earliest jewelry must have looked like, to create something timeless, like what you'd find in a museum's antiquities exhibit.
Beadwork: totally unique and original one of a kind art pieces.
Show us a piece you recently finished
What are you working on right now? Any sketches?
A collection of pieces inspired by the colors of Alphonse Mucha, my favorite artist. I don't sketch too much and I didn't sketch these at all-- but I am beading with my Mucha calendar right next to me!
If you have a website or blog, what do you use for advertising? What do your avatars look like?
The graphics are my current ads and the face shot is my current avatar for most of my accounts.
If you have a website or blog, tell us about your favorite widget.
I'm not too into them. I make sure that my Etsy mini, ArtFire kiosk and 1000Market shopfront are up and running! I worry that too many cool widgets will get distracting.
Which online selling vendors do you use? What do you like best about each one?
Love
Etsy's built in traffic!
ArtFire has some cool cutting edge features and is so reasonably priced!
1000Markets has such a gorgeous look and really upscale professional feel.
Are you involved in social networking? What's your favorite and why? If you're not involved, you must have a good reason!
Does Flickr count? If not, facebook! I just like knowing what everyone is up to. I'm not very skilled at leveraging social contacts.
Keep up with me:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/thebeadedlily/70612550008?ref=ts
http://twitter.com/thebeadedlily
All of us can use a helpful business hint once a week. What's yours?
Grab yourbusinessname.com and hold on to it!
Do you have a "modus operandi" for computing the price of a handmade object? Tell us your formula?
It depends on the item. For earrings and wirework I'm mainly concerned with what the market will bear. For beadweaving the key factor is how long the piece takes to create. With my strung pieces the biggest factor is the price of the materials that go into the piece.
We'd love to see your little corner of the world, where you create.
Two shots -- the fairly organized wall and absolutely unorganized table!
Where do you see your artwork in one year? Any plans in the works?
That's something I've been contemplating myself for a week or so as I've been thinking about tightening up some things. I really haven't decided on a firm direction.
OK, it's the storybeader's turn to pick one piece by thebeadedlily.
I just adore beadweaving, but guess I don't have the patience, or stamina, to stay with it. Maybe some day, when I have more time! Sarah's beaded cuffs are amazing; her "Hands Against Time" is one of my favorites:
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by: storybeader
See EtsyBloggers team membership requirements here: etsybloggers.com
Got a blog? Love Etsy? Check us out!
What's the name of your business/shop?
thebeadedlily
Do you have a registered domain name and/or a blog?
http://thebeadedlily.blogspot.com/
What type of handmade products do you sell?
Pieces by thebeadedlily generally fall into three categories.
Stringing: bold, colorful, texture laden designs, often influenced by the artists and artisans who create the beads I work with.
Wirework: simple, clean, and highly primitive. I use ancient wire-workin
g techniques and aim for what the earliest jewelry must have looked like, to create something timeless, like what you'd find in a museum's antiquities exhibit.Beadwork: totally unique and original one of a kind art pieces.
Show us a piece you recently finished
What are you working on right now? Any sketches? A collection of pieces inspired by the colors of Alphonse Mucha, my favorite artist. I don't sketch too much and I didn't sketch these at all-- but I am beading with my Mucha calendar right next to me!
If you have a website or blog, what do you use for advertising? What do your avatars look like?
The graphics are my current ads and the face shot is my current avatar for most of my accounts.
If you have a website or blog, tell us about your favorite widget.
I'm not too into them. I make sure that my Etsy mini, ArtFire kiosk and 1000Market shopfront are up and running! I worry that too many cool widgets will get distracting.
Which online selling vendors do you use? What do you like best about each one?
Love
Etsy's built in traffic!
ArtFire has some cool cutting edge features and is so reasonably priced!
1000Markets has such a gorgeous look and really upscale professional feel.
Are you involved in social networking? What's your favorite and why? If you're not involved, you must have a good reason!
Does Flickr count? If not, facebook! I just like knowing what everyone is up to. I'm not very skilled at leveraging social contacts.
Keep up with me:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/thebeadedlily/70612550008?ref=ts
http://twitter.com/thebeadedlily
All of us can use a helpful business hint once a week. What's yours?
Grab yourbusinessname.com and hold on to it!
Do you have a "modus operandi" for computing the price of a handmade object? Tell us your formula?
It depends on the item. For earrings and wirework I'm mainly concerned with what the market will bear. For beadweaving the key factor is how long the piece takes to create. With my strung pieces the biggest factor is the price of the materials that go into the piece.
We'd love to see your little corner of the world, where you create.
Two shots -- the fairly organized wall and absolutely unorganized table!
Where do you see your artwork in one year? Any plans in the works?
That's something I've been contemplating myself for a week or so as I've been thinking about tightening up some things. I really haven't decided on a firm direction.
OK, it's the storybeader's turn to pick one piece by thebeadedlily.
I just adore beadweaving, but guess I don't have the patience, or stamina, to stay with it. Maybe some day, when I have more time! Sarah's beaded cuffs are amazing; her "Hands Against Time" is one of my favorites:
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by: storybeaderSee EtsyBloggers team membership requirements here: etsybloggers.com
Got a blog? Love Etsy? Check us out!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
The November 9 Blog Carnival is Up!
I'm happy to say that the November 9 Blog Carnival is up on my blog and you can find it by clicking here!
I'm exceedingly happy to be the one to hostess this time. Please be sure to comment when you visit and I look forward to meeting everyone!
- Laurie
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by: Indulge Your Shelf
See EtsyBloggers team membership requirements here: etsybloggers.com
Got a blog? Love Etsy? Check us out!
I'm exceedingly happy to be the one to hostess this time. Please be sure to comment when you visit and I look forward to meeting everyone!
- Laurie
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by: Indulge Your Shelf
See EtsyBloggers team membership requirements here: etsybloggers.com
Got a blog? Love Etsy? Check us out!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
EtsyBloggers Weekend News
Good morning! Here is some EtsyBloggers weekend news for everyone to enjoy. As you read, take a moment to click around, and check out all the wonderful new items for Autumn and Winter in the below listed shops in this post.
Along with the Fall season, our team has also undergone some changes lately. With last week's saying goodbye to some wonderful long-standing teammates Cozy and Stormy, this week brings new additions to our team in the way of team event coordinators, blog authors, and volunteer listmakers.
Take a look at this inspiring artist feature done by our wonderful and always helpful Deb of http://storybeader.etsy.com which is posted here on our team blog -- a great read: http://etsybloggers.blogspot.com/2009/11/internet-artisan-interview-photographic.html
Take a moment to welcome our new BirthdayMini Coordinator, Sandi of http://HandmadeBySandi.etsy.com -- she has written the belated bday wishes post for the second half of October Birthdays and a November bday too: http://etsybloggers.blogspot.com
If you haven't yet read last week's edition of the EtsyBloggers Blog Carnival, you can read about it here. Do check that out because the new edition of the Blog Carnival event will be posted sometime between now and Monday morning. You can always find the current edition right here on our team blog every other Monday. Thank you to http://IndulgeYourshelf.etsy.com for hosting!
Now handling the EtsyBloggers MiniMondays for our team will be our adventurous Jackie of http://AKeepersJackpot.etsy.com along with another lovely volunteer http://MagdaleneJewels.etsy.com For any not in the know, the EtsyBloggers MiniMondays event is held weekly. Please see the FAQ's and sign-up thread for that event is here.
There some new volunteers who have made helped with listmaking/updating this past week. Updates will be seen on our team blog/team shop this weekend. The October volunteers' avatars will be located over there on the right-hand column. Thank you again to all these volunteers, you are appreciated!
http://NICOdesigns.etsy.com
http://peacoxcreations.etsy.com
http://mamasmagicstudio.etsy.com
http://MadeByMelissa.etsy.com
http://sykin.etsy.com
http://foxygknits.etsy.com
http://sassalynne.etsy.com
If you too would like to volunteer for November, please let me know. And if I missed you from this list (ack, sorry!) please also do let me know so I may correct my thank-you list. :)
As for our wonderful bi-weekly EtsyBloggers Blog Carnival, I am now handling this team event. If you have any questions, please convo me via my Etsy shop.
Last but certainly not least!! The November ROLL CALL and Featured EtsyBlogger for November will be sent to all EtsyBloggers teammates this weekend via eMail. Have a lovely day!!
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by your Admin & Team Leader, Joey & Aleethea
See EtsyBloggers team membership requirements here.
Got a blog? Love Etsy? Check us out!
Along with the Fall season, our team has also undergone some changes lately. With last week's saying goodbye to some wonderful long-standing teammates Cozy and Stormy, this week brings new additions to our team in the way of team event coordinators, blog authors, and volunteer listmakers.
Take a look at this inspiring artist feature done by our wonderful and always helpful Deb of http://storybeader.etsy.com which is posted here on our team blog -- a great read: http://etsybloggers.blogspot.com/2009/11/internet-artisan-interview-photographic.html
Take a moment to welcome our new BirthdayMini Coordinator, Sandi of http://HandmadeBySandi.etsy.com -- she has written the belated bday wishes post for the second half of October Birthdays and a November bday too: http://etsybloggers.blogspot.com
If you haven't yet read last week's edition of the EtsyBloggers Blog Carnival, you can read about it here. Do check that out because the new edition of the Blog Carnival event will be posted sometime between now and Monday morning. You can always find the current edition right here on our team blog every other Monday. Thank you to http://IndulgeYourshelf.etsy.com for hosting!
Now handling the EtsyBloggers MiniMondays for our team will be our adventurous Jackie of http://AKeepersJackpot.etsy.com along with another lovely volunteer http://MagdaleneJewels.etsy.com For any not in the know, the EtsyBloggers MiniMondays event is held weekly. Please see the FAQ's and sign-up thread for that event is here.
There some new volunteers who have made helped with listmaking/updating this past week. Updates will be seen on our team blog/team shop this weekend. The October volunteers' avatars will be located over there on the right-hand column. Thank you again to all these volunteers, you are appreciated!
http://NICOdesigns.etsy.com
http://peacoxcreations.etsy.com
http://mamasmagicstudio.etsy.com
http://MadeByMelissa.etsy.com
http://sykin.etsy.com
http://foxygknits.etsy.com
http://sassalynne.etsy.com
If you too would like to volunteer for November, please let me know. And if I missed you from this list (ack, sorry!) please also do let me know so I may correct my thank-you list. :)
As for our wonderful bi-weekly EtsyBloggers Blog Carnival, I am now handling this team event. If you have any questions, please convo me via my Etsy shop.
Last but certainly not least!! The November ROLL CALL and Featured EtsyBlogger for November will be sent to all EtsyBloggers teammates this weekend via eMail. Have a lovely day!!
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by your Admin & Team Leader, Joey & Aleethea
See EtsyBloggers team membership requirements here.
Got a blog? Love Etsy? Check us out!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Internet Artisan Interview - The Photographic Aspect
OK, you're in for a treat today! Mark has to be my all-time favorite photographer, and I'm so honored he took time to respond to this interview. He has a unique way of capturing motion and color that is absolutely breathtaking. All day long, I'm surrounded by black and white images at work, in "my" archives. To come home and read Mark's blog is a real treat. If you are interested in photography yourself, you need to follow his blog and see the techniques he uses for capturing beautiful images. He has an Etsy account, but doesn't have a large stock there. You can always go by his online studio.
What's the name of your business/shop?
I came up with the name Aspect Studio about 20 years ago when I decided to start my own graphic design business. I thought it worked nicely for both design work and photography, so I have been using that ever since for both.
Do you have a registered domain name and/or a blog (urls, if available)?
My website is www.AspectStudioPhotography.net, with portfolio galleries and purchase info, and I have been writing a blog, "The Photographic Aspect" at aspectstudiophoto.blogspot.com for nearly a year. That has been a great project, because it allows me to examine my own motivations and thought processes, while at the same time getting feedback from a wide variety of viewers.
What type of handmade products do you sell?
Fine art photographic prints.
Show us a piece you recently finished
This image is from my most recent excursion (back in July) to Arizona. I already posted it on my blog recently, but maybe the readership here is a bit different than over at my place and I think it's one of my best from that trip. I haven't printed it full size yet, but it will probably be the first from that group to be printed and framed for sale as soon as I can get to it, in the next few weeks.
What are you working on right now? Any sketches?
Photography is really a multi-step process: traveling and shooting, followed by processing and ultimately, printing. I like to go back to shots I made months or even years ago and rework ones that I wasn't quite happy with, and often find new interest in ones that I completely passed over first time around. So I'm constantly working on something, even if it's just researching and planning a future trip, or something like printing greeting cards on scraps of photo paper.
If you have a website or blog, what do you use for advertising? What do your avatars look like?
Well, marketing my website was the original motivation to start up a blog, but then that in turn needs to be promoted, doesn't it? Fortunately there are quite a few tools for that and one of the most important is just visiting other people's sites and leaving your "footprint" in as many places as possible. I'm certainly not as good at it as many others, being limited in both time and energy while trying to run a business. Among all the blog directories out there, my favorite by far is BlogCatalog.. it's very useful for finding and communicating with other bloggers and being able to see who is visiting your site. I have been with EntreCard since I started the blog also.. I think quite a few readers have found me through that site and I like the proactive concept of it, but there are some things recently, especially with the paid ads and changes to the credit system that I don't like about it, too. I haven't been spending much time over there recently.
If you have a website or blog, tell us about your favorite widget.
I think the networking widgets like Friend Connect and BlogCatalog are very useful.. you can see who's been visiting and reading. I try not to go overboard with too much of that stuff in my layout; I don't like clutter and they really start to slow the site down when you get too many. I have actually stopped visiting a few blogs just because they take forever to load, with all the ad links, widgets and animations.
Which online selling vendors do you use? What do you like best about each one?
I do have a spot on Etsy, because with them you produce and ship your own work and they just facilitate the sale... but I haven't put much effort into promoting my presence there. The flood of art marketing websites and millions of artists promoting their work is making it very hard for anyone to stand out in the online environment, isn't it? Getting actual prints in front of people's eyes, in person, where they can see and feel the quality is the only thing that really works for me. I don't like sites like ImageKind or Red Bubble that just use your artwork to sell their products. If anyone is selling well under that type of system, I am happy for them, but that's just not my goal right now. I prefer to produce my own prints, and sell them directly.
Are you involved in social networking? What's your favorite and why? If you're not involved, you must have a good reason!
No, I've signed up for Twitter, and I think I even have a few followers, but I don't do anything with it. I already spend nine or ten hours per day working at a computer and that is enough for me. I haven't utilized Facebook or Myspace yet either.. I suppose I'll have to get into them eventually, though.
All of us can use a helpful business hint once a week. What's yours?
Try to work at something you enjoy, so that it really isn't work at all.
Do you have a "modus operandi" for computing the price of a handmade object? Tell us your formula?
Mostly I look at what other work that I feel equivalent to mine is selling for in local galleries or on the web... and try to stay in that range. Of course, there are a lot of variables with photography... size, matting, framing and all that, so I have quite a wide price range depending on the presentation.
We'd love to see your little corner of the world, where you create.
The answer to that is to look at my photos! It's much different than being a studio artist or designer... When I'm out shooting, I get to experience some of the most amazing, beautiful and isolated locations anyone could imagine. It's one of the true benefits of landscape photography that I need to make that effort to get out and find places that I would never otherwise see, if I wasn't so compelled to photograph them. Of course I have a work space where I do mounting/matting/framing and store my framed pieces... I guess I could show you a picture of my desk and computer, but neither would be very interesting.
Where do you see your artwork in one year? Any plans in the works?
Of course I'm constantly trying to add to my body of work and expand my audience. I plan to eventually run my own gallery, selling my work along with some complementary work by other artists/crafters; probably in the little mountain village of Idyllwild, CA where my wife and I have a home that we built back around 2000/2001. It's a very "arts-friendly" location, with lots of creative people and we plan to live there full time in the near future. In this current economic climate though, I'm very happy just to be making a living from doing commercial work, which allows me to pursue my photographic art at a comfortable pace and not have to worry every day if I sold something or not.
OK, it’s the storybeader’s turn to pick a favorite. This is very hard for me, because I love so many of them. Here’s one of the first images I saw that Mark had taken. Titled “Fall Saplings” from Utah , 2007.
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by: storybeader.etsy.com
See EtsyBloggers team membership requirements here: etsybloggers.com
Got a blog? Love Etsy? Check us out!
What's the name of your business/shop?
I came up with the name Aspect Studio about 20 years ago when I decided to start my own graphic design business. I thought it worked nicely for both design work and photography, so I have been using that ever since for both.
Do you have a registered domain name and/or a blog (urls, if available)?
My website is www.AspectStudioPhotography.net, with portfolio galleries and purchase info, and I have been writing a blog, "The Photographic Aspect" at aspectstudiophoto.blogspot.com for nearly a year. That has been a great project, because it allows me to examine my own motivations and thought processes, while at the same time getting feedback from a wide variety of viewers.
What type of handmade products do you sell?
Fine art photographic prints.
Show us a piece you recently finished
This image is from my most recent excursion (back in July) to Arizona. I already posted it on my blog recently, but maybe the readership here is a bit different than over at my place and I think it's one of my best from that trip. I haven't printed it full size yet, but it will probably be the first from that group to be printed and framed for sale as soon as I can get to it, in the next few weeks.What are you working on right now? Any sketches?
Photography is really a multi-step process: traveling and shooting, followed by processing and ultimately, printing. I like to go back to shots I made months or even years ago and rework ones that I wasn't quite happy with, and often find new interest in ones that I completely passed over first time around. So I'm constantly working on something, even if it's just researching and planning a future trip, or something like printing greeting cards on scraps of photo paper.
If you have a website or blog, what do you use for advertising? What do your avatars look like?
Well, marketing my website was the original motivation to start up a blog, but then that in turn needs to be promoted, doesn't it? Fortunately there are quite a few tools for that and one of the most important is just visiting other people's sites and leaving your "footprint" in as many places as possible. I'm certainly not as good at it as many others, being limited in both time and energy while trying to run a business. Among all the blog directories out there, my favorite by far is BlogCatalog.. it's very useful for finding and communicating with other bloggers and being able to see who is visiting your site. I have been with EntreCard since I started the blog also.. I think quite a few readers have found me through that site and I like the proactive concept of it, but there are some things recently, especially with the paid ads and changes to the credit system that I don't like about it, too. I haven't been spending much time over there recently.
If you have a website or blog, tell us about your favorite widget.
I think the networking widgets like Friend Connect and BlogCatalog are very useful.. you can see who's been visiting and reading. I try not to go overboard with too much of that stuff in my layout; I don't like clutter and they really start to slow the site down when you get too many. I have actually stopped visiting a few blogs just because they take forever to load, with all the ad links, widgets and animations.
Which online selling vendors do you use? What do you like best about each one?
I do have a spot on Etsy, because with them you produce and ship your own work and they just facilitate the sale... but I haven't put much effort into promoting my presence there. The flood of art marketing websites and millions of artists promoting their work is making it very hard for anyone to stand out in the online environment, isn't it? Getting actual prints in front of people's eyes, in person, where they can see and feel the quality is the only thing that really works for me. I don't like sites like ImageKind or Red Bubble that just use your artwork to sell their products. If anyone is selling well under that type of system, I am happy for them, but that's just not my goal right now. I prefer to produce my own prints, and sell them directly.
Are you involved in social networking? What's your favorite and why? If you're not involved, you must have a good reason!No, I've signed up for Twitter, and I think I even have a few followers, but I don't do anything with it. I already spend nine or ten hours per day working at a computer and that is enough for me. I haven't utilized Facebook or Myspace yet either.. I suppose I'll have to get into them eventually, though.
All of us can use a helpful business hint once a week. What's yours?
Try to work at something you enjoy, so that it really isn't work at all.
Do you have a "modus operandi" for computing the price of a handmade object? Tell us your formula?
Mostly I look at what other work that I feel equivalent to mine is selling for in local galleries or on the web... and try to stay in that range. Of course, there are a lot of variables with photography... size, matting, framing and all that, so I have quite a wide price range depending on the presentation.
We'd love to see your little corner of the world, where you create.
The answer to that is to look at my photos! It's much different than being a studio artist or designer... When I'm out shooting, I get to experience some of the most amazing, beautiful and isolated locations anyone could imagine. It's one of the true benefits of landscape photography that I need to make that effort to get out and find places that I would never otherwise see, if I wasn't so compelled to photograph them. Of course I have a work space where I do mounting/matting/framing and store my framed pieces... I guess I could show you a picture of my desk and computer, but neither would be very interesting.
Where do you see your artwork in one year? Any plans in the works?
Of course I'm constantly trying to add to my body of work and expand my audience. I plan to eventually run my own gallery, selling my work along with some complementary work by other artists/crafters; probably in the little mountain village of Idyllwild, CA where my wife and I have a home that we built back around 2000/2001. It's a very "arts-friendly" location, with lots of creative people and we plan to live there full time in the near future. In this current economic climate though, I'm very happy just to be making a living from doing commercial work, which allows me to pursue my photographic art at a comfortable pace and not have to worry every day if I sold something or not.
OK, it’s the storybeader’s turn to pick a favorite. This is very hard for me, because I love so many of them. Here’s one of the first images I saw that Mark had taken. Titled “Fall Saplings” from Utah , 2007.
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by: storybeader.etsy.com
See EtsyBloggers team membership requirements here: etsybloggers.com
Got a blog? Love Etsy? Check us out!
A birthday greeting - a little late
Do you know Lindab142? She is a member of our Etsybloggers team. And her birthday was the 1st of November!
I just started writing the posts for Etsybloggers about birthdays in the group - so missed singing Happy Birthday to Linda.
Linda, I could always sing it now if you would like.
Help me send birthday wishes to Linda!!
Until next time
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by: HandmadeBySandi.etsy.com
See EtsyBloggers team membership requirements here: etsybloggers.com
Got a blog? Love Etsy? Check us out!
I just started writing the posts for Etsybloggers about birthdays in the group - so missed singing Happy Birthday to Linda.
Linda, I could always sing it now if you would like.
Help me send birthday wishes to Linda!!
| Etsy Buy Handmade Lindab142 |
Until next time
Posted for the EtsyBloggers team by: HandmadeBySandi.etsy.com
See EtsyBloggers team membership requirements here: etsybloggers.com
Got a blog? Love Etsy? Check us out!
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