Date joined etsy - 5/31/07
Sales to date - 780
-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.Hi! My name is Michelle and I've been living in Honolulu, Hawaii for the past 16 years. I attended University of Oregon and finished up my Communications degree at University of Hawaii with a minor in Japanese in 2008. I live in a condo in Waikiki near the beach with my cat named Neko (it means "cat" in Japanese) :)
-Describe an average day in life of "you".
When I'm not playing around in my jewelry supply box, I'm either watching movies or drinking champagne. The latest film I've watched and enjoyed is Lymelife with Alec Baldwin and the Culkin brothers. Yes, I will watch any movie with the Culkin brothers hehe. I mostly enjoy watching indie/foreign films.
-Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?
Growing up, I traveled a lot back and forth to Japan visiting my grandparents in the countryside. I used to like dressing up in kimonos and getting them dirty playing around in my grandmother's garden. I'd walk the dog in my kimono, sleep in my kimono, and go to Karaoke in my kimono. However, I always felt like an outsider as I do not look very Japanese. My mother is full Japanese and my dad is Irish, Polish, German, and Russian.
-What made you want to start selling on etsy?
A few years ago I came across an etsy shop link on MySpace that is no longer available, and thought about selling little trinkets I'd make. I worked part-time in the jewelry section at Macys and I'd stand around all day trying stuff on and a lot of the times I would go home and take off parts of the necklace and add my own charms.
-How long did it take for you to get your first sale on etsy?
The first listing I had was a $2 earring which took 9 days to sell. I was checking my Hotmail account at a computer store and noticed I had a sale and was surprised. Then I realized I think I even lost money since I only charged $2 and spent more money on materials lol
-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?
Hmm it's always hard choosing a top 5 for anything. I love to eat escargot, but don't get to eat it enough. I love breakfast food, and I could never give up cheese, potatoes, and eggs. My favorite T.V. shows include It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Weeds, Skins, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Bands I currently listen to include Elliott Smith, Radiohead, Blonde Redhead, The Black Lips, and of course, The Beatles :)
-Is there anything you'd like to try your hand at doing? Knitting, baking, soap making, wood working, etc.
I've always wondered how people make soap, but never really looked into it. I have extremely sensitive skin, so I usually stay away from things with fragrance. I actually don't cook at all, so I have no idea how to bake. I don't even own a microwave lol I've tried woodworking only once. I carved my name into it with this woodcutter machine, and then decided to paint it blue. I let it dry on toilet paper and the next day, I found it fell on the toilet paper while it was still wet so there were pieces of toilet paper scraps stuck onto my wood haha I still have it on my desk, except I turn it the other way around where there's no toilet paper on it so instead of Michelle it's displayed backwards as Ellehcim
-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?
I suggest new sellers on Etsy to take advantage of the bookmarks Etsy offers such as Kaboodle and Stumbleupon. I also recommend submitting on Craftgawker, StyleFeeder, Stylehive, and other bookmarking sites. When I first started out, I used MySpace and currently have over 35,000 friends, but a lot of people don't use MySpace anymore, so I opened up an account with Facebook and a Facebook Fan Page. Anything to get your items seen is good for your shop.
-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?
FunWallArt - I purchased two boxes from them because their boxes are so adorable! I gave to one my sister and we keep our jewelry in them. SisterButterfly is also another good jewelry box shop :)
SunshineandRavioli has a lot of cute vintage style tags you can use for your gifts and invitations
ChelseaVanTol is a shop that always has pretty girly items full of pinks and blues, I love it!
-By New Years Eve 2011 I'd like to have _____ amount of sales.
I hope to make 300 sales this year! It's been a very slow start this year compared to last year, so I hope things will definitely pick up for Valentine's Day :)
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Want to be a featured seller? Contact me at phletcher@gmail.com
As always, thanks for reading :)
