Date joined etsy - 4/3/09
Sales to date - 509
-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.
My Name is Chante` Magpusao and i currently live in the bay area with my fiance Derek. I currently go to San Francisco State University full time majoring in Molecular and Cellular Biology. I grew up in Monterey County with my parents and two sisters.
-Describe an average day in life of "you".
When on school breaks my average day revolves around Etsy. I wake up check sales and make a fresh pot of coffee. I reply to convos. Then its off to crafting. I turn on the glue gun and start making feather headbands, shoe clips, flower headbands, gaga bows, or other facinators. My house looks like a tornado hit it after an hour. I tend to take every bit of counter space we have. If i remember i will eat lunch. I try to take my pics by 4pm since it gets dark right after that. I package all things that need to be shipped then go to the post office, i make it there by 6pm (thankfully its open that late). Then i go to Michaels or the fabric store. I order most of my supplies online so i dont have to do a lot of shopping outside the house. I then clean the house before my fiance gets home and then we make dinner and watch a movie. If i have a lot of orders i will continue crafting through the night.
-Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?
I was! I was a dancer growing up. I loved all things girly and ballet was my favorite, i did intensively for 10 years and studied at Joffrey School of Ballet for a summer. I also played the drums. I got my first drum set in 8th grade and played that for 7 years. I loved it i competed and performed in China, Hawaii and Canada. It was a great experience.
I never really made hair accessories like i do today though. I grew up on 45 acres, so my sisters and i got very creative. We would make Tee pees with large eucalyptus branches and old sheets and we would draw symbols on them. Then we would make Indian dresses out of pillow cases and cut fringe on the bottom. Or play house in a forest of pine trees that took us a half hour to hike to. Our dad would come get us on dirt bikes, we would hear him honking and we knew it was dinner time.
-What made you want to start selling on etsy?
I had heard of etsy for the first time this past April form a girl i worked with at school. I went on and said "hey, i can make tings too!". I love accessories, especially for the hair. That is when i started Black Satin Shoes.
-How long did it take for you to get your first sale on etsy?
It took 2 weeks to make my first sale, and it was from my sister. Then the next day i had a "real" customer buy a headband. Then it was Dead for a month.
-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?
Dried Mangoes
Lasagna
Bruschetta
Sushi
Salad (most kinds)
Burn Notice
Criminal Minds
History Channel
Flight of the Concords
Incubus
Yelle
Joss Stone
The Bravery
Amy Winehouse
-Is there anything you'd like to try your hand at doing? Knitting, baking, soap making, wood working, etc.
I love baking and do it often. In my dream world i would make shoes, but realistically i would love to make myself clothes. That is my next step.
-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?
Word of mouth! i just got a twitter account like a week ago, so i cant say it has really helped me and i dont have a blog. I suggest participating in forums. I have gotten many sales in the forums. I like the community aspect of it. I did a craft fair in October and that helps because people can see your product in person. Also wear your stuff. I always get asked where i got my accessories and then you can give them your business card.
-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?
Timelessvixinvintage.etsy.com
clairelafaye.etsy.com
sarahseven.etsy.com
-By New Years Eve 2011 I'd like to have at least ____ sales.
2000
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Want to be a featured seller? Contact me at phletcher@gmail.com
As always, thanks for reading :)
