Date joined etsy - 4/18/06
Sales to date - 990
-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.My name is Pamela Quevedo, I live in the center of California, where not much happens with my husband, two small daughters, four black cats and a revolving cast of insect pets.
-Describe an average day in life of "you".
I am a homeschooler to my 5 year old daughter, so my day revolves around classes for her, entertaining her younger sister and occasionally getting some tatting done during nap time. I try to get up ridiculously early to get things like email and orders out of the way before the kids rise and my laptop is never far away from me, so I can spend too much time on twitter and etsy.
-Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?
My entire family is creative to varying degrees. I was always exposed to art, sewing, knitting, crochet, painting, music and any number of crafts at all times. Though I only discovered tatting in the last five years or so, there has been thread and yarn flowing through my fingers as long as I can remember.
-What made you want to start selling on etsy?
I discovered etsy about the same time I taught myself tatting. I had seen the site profiled on Attack of the Show on G4. I had lost my job to a store closure while pregnant and after I had my first baby I knew I couldn't go back to work, so I thought I might be able to bring in a little extra money there, or at least pay for my hobbies myself. There were plenty of knitters selling on etsy, but no tatters, so I thought it would be a great thing to sell there.
-How long did it take for you to get your first sale on etsy?
I made my first sale the first day I listed. Of course I had listed dozens of items that day not knowing I should space them out. After that I made a sale every couple of weeks for quite some time. It took at least a year before I started making steady sales.
-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?
I don't have a top 5 favorite anything. I am far too fickle to settle on just a few. I do love food, but I hate to cook. I like a lot of t.v. but most of what I love gets canceled so I try not to get attached. After working in a music store for nearly a decade, I have far too many favorites to choose and what I like rarely impresses anyone.
-Is there anything you'd like to try your hand at doing? Knitting, baking, soap making, wood working, etc.
I've tried so many crafts it's kind of crazy. I would love to try metalwork someday, though the start up for that is a bit prohibitive for me
-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?
Things that have worked best for me promoting, which honestly I hate doing, are REAL social networking, not link dropping to other sellers. You have to get out there, meet real people, make friends and promote occasionally. I use twitter a lot, I write two blogs 5 days a week, one for my stuff and another finds blog to post what I like. I upload photos to flickr occasionally and I have recently started a facebook fan page. I never advertise anywhere, though I think that is a failing on my part. I also owe much to joining the right street team. I joined Esty Steam Team and it has afforded me many opportunities as well as support.
-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?
After nearly four years, my collection of favorite shops is HUGE. Some places and people I love to shop with: Rocklove, WoebegoneArt, stilettoheights
-By New Years Eve 2010 I hope my number of sold items is ______.
-By New Years Eve 2010 I hope my number of sold items is at least 1300…though if we're being fantastical, I'd love to hit 2000 as unrealistic as that is.
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Have a successful etsy shop and want to be a featured seller? Contact me at phletcher@gmail.com
As always, thanks for reading :)
