#244 unofficial etsy featured seller - TheShabbyChicCottage

#244 unofficial etsy featured seller - TheShabbyChicCottage
Date joined etsy- 10/17/09
Sales to date - 1980
-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.

My name is Gina, and I've been married to my prince charming, otherwise known as Mr. SCC for nearly 10 years. We have 2 girls, Lala and Bre. Our cat Buddy rules our roost :) We live way out in the sticks in southern Tennessee, 10 miles from ANYTHING - including our closest gas station. We love our shabby little cottage by the creek, it's the best place in the world to live! If I'm not working or blogging, you can probably find me snuggled up reading a book, watching NCIS (I'm a DiNozzo addict!), or playing around with my girlies.

-Describe an average day in life of "you".

My day starts about 6 a.m. with a daily phone call to my best friend, then I see if I have any computer business to attend to. Depending on what has sold, I'm either stamping, painting, sewing... whatever needs to be done. I check my email/convos at least a dozen times a day. I like to tackle things as they come about. About 4 p.m. the girls get home from school and then I basically stop the hands on work and just do computer work. Sometimes, if orders are piling up, then I work a little while longer at night.

-Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?

I've always been a writer, since I was really young. I even got my BS in Professional Writing. It's the way I cleanse my soul. When I moved into my first apartment, I wanted it to be beautiful, but I was BROKE. So, I learned tricks to making a home pretty on a penny. That is my favorite kind of creative outlet.
-What made you want to start selling on etsy?

I started a blog in April 2009 to share the tales of remodeling our home. I was surprised at how fast it found a following. Several of my readers began asking if I was ever going to open a shop so they could buy the pillows, curtains, etc. that I did tutorials for. In October of that same year I opened shop.

-How long did it take for you to get your first sale on etsy?

I got my first sale the first day I listed something. I did have an audience through my blog before I opened, so my "first sale" story is a little different than most folks. It took about 2 months before I started getting daily sales, and after 4 months I was doing it full time :)

-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?

Like all southerners, I LOVE food :) Pizza, hot wings, a really good steak, shrimp alfredo, Corn Pops (I live on those!)

I'm a total TV Junkie! NCIS, Grey's Anatomy, The Vanilla Ice Project, anything Sarah Richardson, and Blue Bloods. I could list soooo many more. My DVR is always packed...

Only 5? The Beastie Boys, Michael Buble, Kenny Chesney, Maroon 5, and Jack Johnson (crazy eclectic!)
-Is there anything you'd like to try your hand at doing?

Knitting, baking, soap making, wood working, an instrument, etc. Aha! I do a little bit of everything, whatever tickles my fancy, lol. I would like to become a better wood worker, I'm hoping to get a laithe soon. I'm always learning new skills to expand my market. I know that there is a truth to "doing one thing and doing it well," but I have artistic ADD and can't just do one thing!

-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?

Start by joining the Etsy community: hang out in the forums, join a team, find friends. I also highly suggest blog advertising, on one that fits your audience. It's the single biggest thing I've done to help my business grow.

-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?

I ♥ SadieOlive, AirportLoveStory and JKPhotography, there are so many great shops on Etsy!

-One year from now...

I hope I'm finished remodeling my house - seriously we've been working on it 3 years now. But on the business end, I hope to have our furniture line up and running, it's been a long time dream of ours.


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Have an etsy shop with over 300 sales and want to be a featured seller? Contact me at phletcher@gmail.com
As always, thanks for reading :)

#243 unofficial etsy featured seller - banyantreeclothing

#243 unofficial etsy featured seller - banyantreeclothing
Date joined etsy- 10/21/08
Sales to date - 452
Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.

Hi, my name is Katherine. I live and work in a great old “farm house” in Eugene, Oregon. Though I am in town, I have a small creek going through my front yard and am surrounded by trees. I have lived here for 24 years! My house is approximately one half workspace. I have a tiny studio next to my house that is just for screen printing. I am a full time graphic designer and design and print t-shirts part time. My 26 year-old son, Jonah, has just come aboard this past year and he would like to quit his day job and work full time on the Banyan Tree. I have a chocolate lab named Coty and Yin/Yang cats (one all white, one, all black). I love pumpkin ice cream.

Describe an average day in life of “you”.

I get up very early, make coffee, and head right to the office. I keep pretty busy with my graphic design work, so that is priority one. Throughout the day, I check in on Etsy, relist items as needed and get generally taken in with all of the beautiful work, blogs, etc. I think up new designs. I get inspiration in just about everything I see.

Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?

Ms. Creative! I was the girl in the corner drawing in her sketch book., I designed and made a lot of my clothes, and touched on just about every craft known.

What made you want to start selling on etsy?

In 1984, the year my son was born, I opened a small boutique in Eugene, the Banyan Tree. It started out of my love for design and screen printing. I got into garment dying because I couldn’t find the right colors for my designs. I then started designing clothing, too and it became this little cottage industry. Everything was made in Eugene. I did that for 12 years. I loved it til I woke up one day and realized that more of my time was being spent on simply running the business. I sold my store and went back to school to learn the computer-tech side of graphic design. (When I graduated originally, there were no computers, it was all done by hand. T-Squares, X-acto knives and rubber cement!) Anyway...after getting back into graphic design, I really missed making things with my hands, and selling them, so I found Etsy and a balance in my life happened. Best of both worlds.

How long did it take for you to get your first sale on etsy?

Just 2 days. Awesome!
Top 5 favorite foods, TV shows, and bands?

Seafood, spinach cheese focaccia, Mexican food and chocolate truffles. yum!

I do watch TV, but mostly movies. I love a good foreign flick. Anthony Bourdain, Chopped. Oh, I like that survival show with the hippie and the redneck. I forgot the name.

I am an old Deadhead and still love the Grateful Dead music. That is where I first made and sold t-shirts, to pay for traveling around to Dead shows. I love a lot of music. All kinds. I have been listening to real gypsy bands, just downloaded the entire Beatles catalog and am a die-hard Joni Mitchell fan.

Is there anything you’d like to try your hand at doing? Knitting, baking, soap making, wood working, an instrument, etc.

I have 2 guitars and I wish I could play them well. Someday, I want to concentrate on really learning to play guitar well.

What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?

I am not very good in this area and could use some help, myself. I have a Banyan Tree Facebook page, but only post occasionally. My son sells at the Eugene Saturday Market in the spring and summer and we do a huge craft show in July, the Oregon Country Fair, and give business cards out and refer people to the Etsy site. We are just now trying to devote more time to promotion. The more sales the merrier! (How DO those people get 1374+ sales??!!)

3 etsy shops you just LOVE?

Just 3? That’s hard. OK, I will pick them ever so randomly.

brookhousepottery

sarahclemensclothing

jennytrinh

One year from now...

I want to be doing the same thing with a little more space to do it in. I just feel so lucky and blessed to be able to make a living doing what I love. With a bigger studio space., I can love it more. My dream is to extend the house about 12 feet out. And I am thinking of designing clothing again.

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Have an etsy shop with over 300 sales and want to be a featured seller? Contact me at phletcher@gmail.com
As always, thanks for reading :)

#242 unofficial etsy featured seller - SavageArtworks

#242 unofficial etsy featured seller - SavageArtworks
Date joined etsy- 1/26/08
Sales to date - 968
-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.

My name is Terry. The last name shouldn't be too difficult to figure out. I live in Vancouver BC Canada, a wonderful place. My husband and I are now empty nesters, with all 3 of our kids out on their own. We have one dog at the moment, she was rescued from an animal shelter many years ago. We have always had all sorts of pets though. Not a big ice cream eater, but when I do, it's chocolate.

-Describe an average day in life of "you".

I go to real work in the morning. It's a 4 hour job at a local elementery school, running a lunch program for inner city kids. Then I come home and catch up with emails, orders and things in the forums. I do a bit of exercise, any household chores, make supper and spend a bit of time with hubby. Then I get to do something I look forward to all day, and that's take myself into my studio, I have a TV in there so I can have on my favourite programs and paint. I work until bedtime usually, which is at 11.

-Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?

I loved to draw. Back then it was animals, and pop art posters. My mom is very talented and we used to do art and crafts together all the time. I really got inspired from her.
-What made you want to start selling on etsy?

I am shy and have a hard time selling in person, so I stopped. Someone told me about Etsy and it sounded perfect for me, and it was easy to start. I wanted to get a feel for selling online and expected it to take time. I really was hoping to make a small business for when I retired, even though that is a little ways off.

-How long did it take for you to get your first sale on etsy?

A week. :)

-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?

Foods: lasagna, potato chips, chocolate, bacon, cherries ( I had to put one healthy thing in there)
TV Shows : Criminal Minds, NCIS, The Walking Dead, Survivor, Destination Truth
Bands: The Cure, The Beatles, Ok Go, Fleetwood Mac....I give up. Too many different ones and different styles to decide.

-Is there anything you'd like to try your hand at doing? Knitting, baking, soap making, wood working, an instrument, etc.

I'd love to knit well, and play the guitar. I would also love to make things with wood, but am kind of afraid of power tools.
-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?

Put on your snark proof pants and check out the forums on Etsy. Be respectful and you can get people to go to your shop and you can learn a lot.

-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?

hard to pick 3
-fing (cute felted animals)
-littlewoodpeople( like it says, but very weird and creative)
-moonscreations (amigurumi)

-One year from now..

I would love to be doing pretty much what I'm doing now. But I would be happy if business was busy enough for me to do it full time.

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Have an etsy shop with over 300 sales and want to be a featured seller? Contact me at phletcher@gmail.com
As always, thanks for reading :)

#241 unofficial etsy featured seller - MapleShadeKids

#241 unofficial etsy featured seller - MapleShadeKids
Date joined etsy- 12/2/08
Sales to date - 610
-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.

My name is Wanda Hirsch and I live in New Hampshire with my husband, 10 year old daughter, 7 year old twin boys and our two rescued cats. My favorite ice-cream flavor is grape-nut (I know, I know!). I love combining vintage and modern decor so our 1800 New England farm house is the perfect backdrop to add fun, modern pieces.

-Describe an average day in life of "you".

6:00am: Rise and Shine!.... ahh, peace and quiet. With a big mug of hot brewed coffee, I check for sales, return emails and/or pack products to be shipped.

7:00am: Try and wake the rest of the family. No one, but me, likes mornings.

8:00am: Drop kids off at school and packages at the post office.

9:00am-3:00pm: Creation time! Glue, seal, cut wood products, sand, take pictures - whatever my goals are for the day. Enjoy a quick lunch with my husband, who is also fortunate enough to work from home.

3:00: Mom Duty. Snacks, soccer, dance, boyscouts, help with homework. If possible, put a quick coat of sealer on products if need be.

6:30pm: Family dinner. Eat, talk, laugh.

8:00: Kids into bed. Try not to fall asleep as I snuggle up with them while they read to me.

8:30 - Relax with book, movie or tv show.

10:00pm - Sleep

-Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?

I grew up in a small town in Maine climbing apple trees, balancing on old rock walls, and creating many “gifts” for family members and friends. These gifts ranged from drawings and magazine collages to painted wood boxes and pot holders – you name it, I did it.

-What made you want to start selling on etsy?

I came across Etsy in a magazine article. After checking it out, I knew instantly it was the perfect place for me. No need to spend weekends at craft fairs or carting around 3 kids trying to pitch my products to businesses.

-How long did it take for you to get your first sale on etsy?

I posted a few products and waited and waited and waited for 5 long weeks before my first sale!
-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?

Indian or Thai food - bring on the spice!
Shows: Modern Family, Dancing with the Stars, anything design related on HGTV.
Music: Jack Johnson, Yael Naim.

-Is there anything you'd like to try your hand at doing? Knitting, baking, soap making, wood working, an instrument, etc.

I’m inspired by all the beautiful fabric out there and admire people who can sew gorgeous items. Right now, my children know to go to their dad if something needs to be sewed. Maybe someday I will surprise them!

-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?

Stay a top Etsy’s merchandising themes by visiting www.etsy.com/storque/seller-handbook/ and reading “From Etsy’s Merchandising Desk” each month. Here you will find the hot items Etsy will be looking for and can create and tag items/treasuries accordingly.
Re-list at least a product every day. The 20cent listing fee will definitly pay off.


-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?

www.etsy.com/shop/irenesuchocki
www.etsy.com/shop/herbolution
www.etsy.com/shop/ethanollie

-One year from now

I see Maple Shade Kids product line growing to incorporate new and exciting eco items and designs. Chat later, I better get back to creating! Best of luck!

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Have an etsy shop with over 300 sales and want to be a featured seller? Contact me at phletcher@gmail.com
As always, thanks for reading :)