#29 unofficial etsy featured seller -
TessaAnnDate joined etsy - 4/23/08
Sales to date - 2146
-Give us some basic info about you: I live in beautiful Bend, Oregon with my adorable husband, Steven of 11 years. We hope to have a family soon, but now have 3 furry-babies. My husband is amazingly supportive of my crazy need to create. He helps me out in any way he can and I really appreciate him for that :) Before starting my button business I spent the last 10 years working as an office manager in a Physical Therapy clinic and part-time at my local scrapbooking store. I am forever grateful that my little business has grown so much in this last year that I've been able to work at home on The Button Shop full time!
-Describe an average day in life of "you".
My day always starts with a little anxious white fluffy dog dancing beneath me ready to go out for his morning walk :-) I bundle up, coffee in hand and head out in the cold morning air. It really has been a great way to clear my mind before I start my day. I try to get all of my emails answered in the morning, ready-to-ship orders packaged and then I spend the afternoon creating orders and custom orders on my ever-growing lists. My husband and I love cooking in, but since I work from home I usually want to get out and be around other people a few nights a week. Some nights after dinner I will work a little bit more and answer emails...and sometimes wind down with a glass of wine and a good tv show before bed. It's a simple day in my life, but I am content and happy that I can live what I love :-)
-Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?
I grew up being surrounded by crafty women. My Grandmas, Aunts and Mom all were very creative in their respective talents. I dabbled in many crafts throughout my life, really enjoying scrapbooking, drawing and sewing.
As a kid, I was in 4-H for sewing and knitting and loved the weekly meetings at our leaders home. She had the most exquisite home and would serve us hot tea as we worked on our projects. During high school and college I was training to become classical opera singer. Music was my art then. As a child I would write and illustrate notebooks with stories of magical ponies and princesses. I love looking back at the imagination I had at such a young age. It amazes me now :-)
-What made you want to start selling on etsy?
I stumbled across polymer clay in my local craft store and picked out a few colors and forgot about them for some time. I needed a special button for a project and I just wasn't finding what I wanted in my button stash. My husband had the brilliant idea to put that polymer clay I had purchased to use, and make my own button. Well, that took some trial and error, before I had a button that was functional and could be used on my sewn project, but a lot was learned in the process ;) I started my Etsy shop after such wonderful feedback locally about my little button creations. Etsy has been an amazing place to get my little business going.
-How long did it take for you to get your first sale on etsy?
I opened my Etsy shop in late April and I didn't receive my 1st sale until July. Once I received that 1st sale it seems like my shop just took off and before I knew it I had reached my 2000th sale.
-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?
- My top 5 favorite foods would definitely be these: I love, love a good salad, hummus, black beans, and sopa lima. Oh, don't worry, I'm normal. I love the bad stuff too like cheese burgers and BBQ chicken wings.
- My top 5 favorite TV shows are: Project Runway, Ellen, The Real Housewives of Orange County, Divine Design, Rachel Ray
- -My top 5 bands. I love the sultry sounds of Ella Fitzgerald, the way that Fleetwood Mac takes me back to my childhood and how my parents would play it in the car on long drives, Jay-Z because sometimes you just have to bump-it-up a little, John Ledgend for a little romantic, wine and dinner music and Jack Johnson's calm upbeat music is perfect when I am creating.
-Is there anything creative you'd like to try your hand at doing?
I have been itching to sew. I have so many ideas for children's clothing and accessories. I would love to combine my designs with buttons and appliques to make adorable girlie jumpers and dresses. It would be a fun transition one day! I just need to find my sewing machine peddle. (*wink*)
-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?
Take advantage of networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. I post my shop updates, as well as free shipping for my fans at FB and my Tweet friends. Create a blog and showcase your work. I love sending my products to designers I admire and showcasing what they create with my product. Be active in your respective online communities. If you sew, knit, scrapbook....join a forum that is about your craft. Networking is key to getting your product out there. Remember....the internet is world wide!
-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?
It's hard to narrow it down to just 3, but I really love:
The Black Apple,
Savor and
Bohtieque Design.
-By New Years Eve 2011 I hope my number of sold items is 6,000 or MORE. That's right! I'm going to aim high!
--
Have a successful etsy shop and want to be a featured seller? Contact me at phletcher@gmail.com
As always, thanks for reading :)
