#52 unofficial etsy featured seller - marywibis

#52 unofficial etsy featured seller - marywibis
Date joined etsy - 12/7/07
Sales to date - 1088-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.

My shop name is Marywibis, but that's just a nick name. My little brother couldn't pronounce my real name, Mary Elizabeth so it came out Marywibis. The name stuck just because he sounded so darn cute saying it. I currently live in Durham, NC and am soon to be married to a totally insane, wonderful guy who makes me laugh every day and night. I have two cats. I know I have a problem when I can identify with the insane crazy cat lady on The Simpsons. But in my own defense, my cat is officially, the cutest cat ever. I swear she's half human.

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

It starts with a kettle of water boiling while I check my overnight sales. I relish those early moments sitting with a hot cup of strong coffee re-listing sold items and responding to customer messages. Then I start the day by packaging orders headed out that day. I do everything in my living room floor which constantly has a fine dusting of cornstarch packing peanuts. I've fostered a friendship with my mail lady (solely through bribery) and she swings by my house every day to pick up my bulky packages. My afternoons are spent listing to music while photographing and listing new items and my evenings and nights are when I paint. I pour myself an over-sized glass of wine, listen to This American Life podcasts with my cat sleeping in my lap and paint until late in the night, usually till around midnight. Then my wonderful man gives me a hand massage and pours me more wine. It's pretty much the best life ever.

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

I was always a painter. When I was just 3 years old my dad had me painting and drawing. We would have family paint nights and all sit around the table painting a still life he'd put together. I have the best parents anyone could ever ask for and they fostered my creativity from the very beginning. In college I remember feeling frustrated, even jealous that I didn't have a difficult childhood. All the very talented artists I studied and admired had life-long struggles dating back to their childhoods. Here I was the happy go lucky, spoiled girl who simply really loved to paint.

-What made you want to start selling on etsy?

I was working as a graphic designer at an advertising agency and really hated the 9-5 desk job. A co-worker introduced me to Etsy as a place to buy great gifts for friends. It took one hour of perusing Etsy for me to realize "Hey--I could do this." 6 months later I had quit my day job and was doing Etsy full time.

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

It's hard to remember, but it was within the first week for sure. I was only listing prints at that time and they were fairly inexpensive.

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

I adore food. I don't know how I'm not 500lbs. I'm a Pescetarian (a vegetarian who eats seafood) and it's the crab that keeps me from being a true vegetarian. I love crab. It disturbs me how much I enjoy it. I blame my fiance. He's a seafood chef and makes the worlds best seafood dishes. I also think I would die without music. I always have something playing on Pandora or my local college radio station. I'm really into local music and shy away from trendy popular stations. Not because I'm a music snob--I just don't like the massively popular music that regular radio stations play. My standard go-to's are TV on the Radio, Ani Difranco, Broken Social Scene, Andrew Bird, Hayden, Songs: Ohia, Van Morrison, Cold War Kids... well, the list is just too long. But I like music a lot. I'm not really a TV watcher but that's probably just because I need my eyes to focus on what I'm painting.

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

I'm obsessed with trying new crafts and art-forms. I collect hobbies like people collect designer bags. I've delved into soap making, silk painting, marbeling, book making, ceramics and pottery, knitting, cooking, dance, and face painting. I actually worked as a carni at the Raleigh State fair and face painted over 1000 kids. It was a ton of fun. You can see some of my other projects on my website www.maryelizabetharts.com I've always wanted to play the guitar. I tried to so hard and taken several classes, but in the end I'm hopeless. I think my family would also agree that I'm tone def. You do not want to hear me sing.

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

Your photographs ARE your items. Never forget that. No matter how good you know your pieces look in person, if they don't look good in the photographs they will never sell well.

-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?

1. http://www.etsy.com/shop/bcyrjewelry
2. http://www.etsy.com/shop/ShibaNgDesigns
3. http://www.etsy.com/shop/emilywootton (she's my best friend!)

-By December 31, 2010 I hope my number of sold items is

2000. I broke 1,000 this year and I hope to do it again by next year!


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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 :)

#51 unofficial etsy featured seller - beatblack

#51 unofficial etsy featured seller - beatblack
Date joined etsy - 6/11/07
Sales to date - 336-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.

Names Sarah and I'm currently living in snowy downtown Toronto in Canada. No pets but I have a cell phone named cherry pie, a few cactus and a raccoon that lays outside my window in the warmer months :)

-Describe an average day in life of "you"

This is more of an average work day. I love sleep so it takes me a while to officially wake up. After I'm finally showered, coffeed and somewhat alert, I'll package up any orders I may have to some music or a movie off the laptop. When I'm ready I pack up my computer and packages (if any) and head out. I live off a street with various cafes, pubs, and a couple libraries that offer free wifi so I'll hang out there for a couple hours working (no internet at home). If I get home after that I'll chill out until I'm ready to pull out the clay. Most of the actual raw clay part of my craft is done at night. so once it hits the oven I'm getting ready for bed.

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

Art was always my thing growing up. My parents have all sorts of mediums in their house to experiment with. From a very young age I've had the opportunity to woodwork, paint ceramics, sew, use every colour acrylic, as well as the simpler things like play with plastercine... I still come across tiny random hairy plastercine figures from time to time.

-What made you want to start selling on etsy?

I've always wanted to have my own business. When I was 10 or so I ran a restaurant out of my parents dining room called "the fast and free", I had a massage company called "april showers" in my bedroom (dirty minds be still), sold handmade lottery tickets for prizes of candy and ran a carnival with my cousin in the basement providing wheely chair rides...

As soon as I found Etsy I knew I would be selling there. Its in my blood, haha

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

My first official sale came 25 days after my first listing and was a batch of beach glass. Considering all my other listings were monsters, voodoo dolls, pillows and such, I personally don't count it as the first first.

-Top 5 favorite foods,

-cheese
-bakery bread
-timbits
-the veggie turnover from the pump
-coke bottle candies (without the sugar coating)

tv shows,
-jim hensons the storyteller
-the tribe
-star trek
-californication
-heroes

and bands?
I did songs cause of some unknown reason

-mars volta, the widow
-bright eyes, road to joy
-cursive, driftwood: a fairytale
-modest mouse, missed the boat
-broken spindles, inward

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

I would love to master soap making. Its not as easy as I thought it would be when I started. Every year around Christmas time I bring out all the supplies again. Despite my intentions of making truffle soap, I end up with weird little gross looking, great smelling brown blobs. I will get it one day though... I'm determined

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

know who your customer is!!! Most important thing you can do. Maybe even create a customer profile outlining their gender, the places they like to go, other things they might buy, hobbies they enjoy, etc. If you know who they are you can start to figure out where they take in most of their advertising.

-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?

stoopidgerl - her photography skills and consistency is tops. its like unicorn barf with a smile.
louiseblack- beauitful and dark
yellena- incredible work and i want them all

-By New Years Eve 2011 I hope my number of sold items is 600.


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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 :)

#50 unofficial etsy featured seller - thelovelyteaspoon

#50 unofficial etsy featured seller - thelovelyteaspoon
Date joined etsy - 1/13/07
Sales to date - 6656-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.

Hello, my name is Alicia Murphy-Rodriguez but I go by Ali and I just turned 25. I currently reside in Ft Wright, KY with a supportive, loving husband, crazy four year old twin boys and a chubby little hamster named Kvetch. I’m an art school drop out and running my business (Etsy, craft shows, etc) is my only job... Other than being a mom.

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

It’s safe to say that I have my hands full taking care of twin toddlers but when I can I run my business. I make jewelry, answer emails, supply shop, post office runs, update my Etsy, flickr, twitter, do craft/art shows, all that jazz and everything else that comes with it. If I’m not working I am on my treadmill, reading, watching TED talks, watching past episodes of Star Trek TNG or taking a break... Cause even I deserve one every once in a while. ;-)

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

I believe everyone is creative growing up. Whether or not you chose to allow your creative side to take over is a whole other story... Mine did. I loved making greeting cards for people when I was young. I was in drama and art classes and decided in high school that I would pursue a career in fashion, but a sewing machine and I don’t get along so I took another route... Accessories!

-What made you want to start selling on etsy?

To be honest... Boredom and desperation. I was a stay at home mother in need of a hobby when my bff introduced me to Etsy. I fell in love with the idea of people appreciating the handmade quality and uniqueness of an item that they would pay for it. It didn’t take long for me to figure out what I wanted to “hand make” and I’m really glad I made the Etsy leap.

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

I started my Etsy shop January 13th, 2007 and I had my first sale on January 19th 2007. I started my business at a really good time. There was less competition and it was easier to find items. Now there are a ton of sellers and tons of items being listed all the time so it’s easy to get lost in all that fuss. I hear you should list often.

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

foods: 1. nachos 2. katsu-ju 3. sushi 4. nutella on toast 5. tea
tv shows: I don’t watch a lot of tv but... 1. Bones 2. Star Trek: TNG 3. CSI (original series) 4. Dexter 5. Clean House
bands: this list is ever changing and in no particular order... 1. Santigold 2. MGMT 3. Fujiya & Miyagi 4. Spoon 5. Phoenix

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

I’d love to get along with a sewing machine to make my own clothes, me and the sewing machine are not best friends. I would also love to work with resin and polymer clay, I’m intimated by them.

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

When I started my shop in 2007 there was a lot less competition on Etsy. The only promoting I did for my first year was word of mouth. It’s always a good idea to add a business card with every order you ship out, sometimes a few so they can give one to a friend. I currently use a blog, flickr and twitter to promote my business. My blog is www.thelovelyteaspoon.com and my flickr is www.flickr.com/thelovelyteaspoon My twitter is @lovelyteaspoon. Another great way to promote yourself is with art/craft shows. It’s a great way to meet your customers, meet fellow artists, promote and let’s not forget make money. I know a lot of people use facebook to promote and even magazine or blog ads. I don’t use facebook, too much lameness for me.

-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?

emandsprout I love, love, love her work, her shoes are the cutest things in the world! I wear mine all the time and get so many compliments. They are unique and well priced.
tracymakanani I met this amazing lady at a craft show over a year ago. I buy all my handmade cards from her and she is now starting to fill her Etsy shop with these amazing cards. This is also starting a Card of the Month Club which I am really excited about.
thecandyshoppe Including my mom on this list may be considered cheating but my mom is the most amazing person I know. She is fighting heart disease and has been a huge supporter and motivator in getting my own Etsy shop going. Her shop is filled with great vintage supplies, punches and more at very affordable prices... Even I have purchased some!

-By New Years Eve 2011 I hope my number of sold items is ______.

7500 I give myself a 1000 item goal a year, so far so good.



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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 :)

#49 unofficial etsy featured seller - georgiagracedesigns

#49 unofficial etsy featured seller - georgiagracedesigns
Date joined etsy - 9/21/07
Sales to date - 353
-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets,
favorite ice cream flavor, etc.

HI! I'm Jordon! I live in Tampa, Fl with my hubby, Dan, and three kido's. Georgia & Gracie will be 5 in May and Henry is almost 6 months. We have a poodle names Captain Stinky Pants. We call him Stinky and he likes it. I'm just a mom with a desire to create, design, and maintain a happy home. I don't like ice cream. Seriously. I began sewing as a child and it's turned into a wonderful creative outlet and business.

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

There is no such thing these days! I've got a 5 month old who rules my world. Sometimes he sleeps & sometimes he doesn't so I adjust. On a good day, I get the girls ready for preschool and my hubby drops them off. Henry usually stays happy until the moment they walk out the door, babies know these things, and then he needs some "mommy time". The rest of the morning seems to waiver between Henry time and sewing time. I sew when he sleeps and I sleep when he sews. No wait, never mind. I try to get as much done in the mornings because by 7pm I am ready to go to bed and usually do around 9pm. I am not productive in the evenings at all.

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

I was creative I think. My mother and I made hair bows and sold them at craft shows. Gosh, that was 20 years ago now but I remember really enjoying it. I learned to sew but didn't do much with that when I was younger.

-What made you want to start selling on etsy?

After I had my girls I was really picky about what they wore. I knew what I wanted and it was hard to find so I lugged out the sewing machine and started sewing again. With that came requests to make things for other (and flashbacks to selling hair bows) and it all just fell into place. When I found Etsy in early 2007 I didn't even understand what it was. Once I realized that it was I was in heaven and never looked back!

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

Okay, I know this isn't typical... but I sold a dress before I even finished my first round of listings. I know exactly what dress and still remember the buyer like it was yesterday.

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

Favorite foods; pasta, baklava, carrot cake, Diet Dr. Pepper, and good bread.
TV... I've been hooked on Burn Notice, actually all those USA network shows are about all I watch.
Bands; The Laurie Berkner Band doesn't make me want to hurt someone and since that's about all I listen to I'll go with it.

-Is there anything you'd like to try your hand at doing?

I've been trying to teach myself to crochet but it's a slow process. Mostly it's a matter of lack of time and I think I would do better if I had someone to show me rather than pictures in a book. I'm still trying. I've also been slowly playing with photography. I like to learn things slowly and see where they take me.

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

Don't be afraid to brag on your product (that's still hard) and find your market. For example, I know a lot of people in the on-line sewing world but I don't promote a lot in that crowd because they aren't the people who are buying handmade clothing. They are great contacts, not customers.

-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?

Simplyjcrochet.... I just bought two hats for my son and they are FABULOUS, great prices too.
StephanieFizer...ADORABLE original artwork, perfectly sweet
saratams...custom stationary, I did my Christmas address labels and gift stickers with her and I LOVE, LOVE them.

-By December 31, 2010 I hope my number of sold items is ______.

Honestly, I don't have a number. I appreciate each sale and I remember almost all of my customers. I want people to love the clothing they purchase and I want to love making the clothing. So if I can do that while selling 100 pieces a week, great! If it's just one piece a week that's great too. I will admit it's hard not to focus on that number and it is very exciting to watch it climb!




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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 :)

#48 unofficial etsy featured seller - smoobage

#48 unofficial etsy featured seller - smoobage
Date joined etsy - 9/28/07
Sales to date - 433-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor

My name is Heather LeeAnne Feather Feet Carnegie-Koide! no kidding. I live in a beautiful fishing town in California called Morro Bay.
I do not have any offspring but I do get exited when my plants get new leaves .... I sing "lucia got a new leaf, a new lea,f a new leaf" they are all named. My husband and I together are the Moosetapus and Sea goose. I have a smoothie for dessert most nights.

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

My typical day includes waking up about 7:30 or 8, I then grab my iphone and check if I have any important mail. My husband makes coffee and I put honey and milk in mine. A bowl of cereal with berries for breakfast. Package up any orders Then I ride my bicycle into town to go to the bank,library or post office(and get exercise). when I get home I get to crafting while watching movies I rented from the library. This crafting goes on late into the night if I am on a roll,and if I am lucky my Moose will make me dinner.

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

As a kid I was very creative with what I played with and usually found things outside in nature to keep my busy. I loved to have lemon aid stands! if you had a dot on the bottom of your cup you got a surprise friendship bracelet. Lemon aid was not all I sold though, one could buy grasshoppers in a jar at my booth.

-What made you want to start selling on etsy?

A friend of mine (jenmen.etsy.com) recommended etsy to me in September of 07. This was when I just got back from a 3 month trip throughout Mexico, I needed to make some extra cash to get into a new place.

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

It took me almost two months to get my first sale!

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

foods:
avocados
tomatoes
cereal
berries
bananas

tv:
house
what not to wear
ellen
simpsons
ummm thats it

Bands:
G-love and Special Sause
Pepper
Ben Harper
Mishka
Michael Franti

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

I would really like to try glass blowing some day! or learning to play the guitar.

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

If I could give any Etsy advice it would have to be persistence in posting new items and keeping active with using etsy features including chat,forums and treasury. Having business cards to hand out is a plus too.

-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?

valhallabrooklyn
TomBanwell
notmoira

-By New Years Eve 2011 I hope my number of sold items is ______.

1000



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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 :)

#47 unofficial etsy featured seller - ajsweetsoap

*GIVEAWAY INFO AT BOTTOM OF INTERVIEW!

#47 unofficial etsy featured seller - ajsweetsoap
Date joined etsy - 2/3/09
Sales to date - 439

-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor

My name is Denise and I'm a full time working mom with two young children (3 including the husband!) My life is constantly on-the-go, as I leave the house at 6:30 AM and don't return home until 7 PM. My day hardly ends there since I'm coming home to two kids (Justin is 10, Alyssa,4). I usually begin my soapmaking once the kids are in bed and I get some peace and quiet! Needless to say I put in some very long evenings!

I started making soap as a therapeutic way to unwind after a stressful day. I adore making outrageously decadent looking treats that you won't find anywhere else. I truly love hearing customers say "can I eat that?" or "Wow that looks so real!". It's a great, rewarding feeling.

My favorite ice cream flavor? That's an easy one - Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough! I love the stuff! I can't keep it in the house, though, because it would haunt me until it was gone! Now chocolate - that's safe...We've had a half-gallon in the freezer for weeks!

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

As far as I'm concerned, I've never been good with crafts growing up - I had no patience whatsoever, and I have a mother who could make anything from a piece of fabric and a sewing needle so I gave up! I was much more into writing short stories and poetry. My creative gene didn't kick in until much later!

-What made you want to start selling on etsy?

My first introduction to Etsy was from being added to the Etsy Finds mailing list. I don't know how I got on there, but I had no idea of what Etsy was (see, I told you I wasn't creative - no creative person could NOT know what Etsy is!). I took a look one day, and wow, I was amazed! From that point on, I told my husband that I wanted to get involved in something that I could make and sell on there. I just didn't know what I wanted to do!

My first trip to Michaels Craft store was a mission - to find something creative that I could do and list on Etsy. I looked at everything from candles to scrapbooking, but it was when I stumbled across a soapmaking kit that I knew I found what I was looking for! I couldn't wait to rip into the box when I got it home, and aside from the quality of soap leaving much to be desired, I really enjoyed it! I quickly ditched the kit, ordered high quality ingredients from a supplier and began to make what I now consider to be my "Guiltless Indulgences" soap line.

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

When I first listed on Etsy, I wasn't thinking of making money. The thought of people all over the world being able to see my craft was exhiliarating to me. I started out posting just a few items, and it took a few weeks for my very first sale (I remember it well - my soap bar with jellybean embeds). I was so excited to get a sale, but once the second and third sale came in, I was pysched! Now I realized there could be money made doing what I loved!

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

My soaps depict my favorite food items - desserts! All things chocolatey and decadent! That's why I have so much fun doing what I do! As far as music is concerned, I love Heavy Metal (Metallica is my all time favorite band!) People have such a hard time picturing me as a Metal girl, but I really do love it! Nowadays, I love Top 40 rock as well, since it's so much fun to sing along with the kids!

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

As much as I love my desserts, I am a horrible baker (maybe that's a good thing)! I love to cook, though and would love to pursue some culinary classes.

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

For anyone contemplating opening their own Etsy shop - DO IT! Etsy has the greatest and most supportive group of people around, and there's so much that you can learn from the experiences of others. A successful seller really needs to be true to themselves and their craft, and not worry what others are doing and try to keep up. Set your own pace, and your obsession can become others obsessions too! Rely on Twitter and Facebook networking, because you'll find friends you never knew existed!

-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?

I admire so many sellers on Etsy that it's difficult to pinpoint only 3. I love the creativity of Auntiescardshop - I often use her notecards and tags with my orders. I also admire the fact that her creativity extends to candles, jewelry and soy tarts, too (how she manages it all so well amazes me!). Arttales, Myotherprincess,TwoSugarBabies and KimArt also deserve honorable mention - I have such great respect for their work!

-By New Years Eve 2010 I hope my number of sold items is ______.

I always set small, achievable goals for myself - my last one was to reach 400 sales by my first Anniversary. I reached it 2 days late (close so I'm still counting it!) My goal for December 31 would be to reach 600 sales! With the great customer following that I've developed, and the new customers that I've been attracting each and every day, I'm considering this to be very realistic. It's something new to strive toward!



Want to win one of ajsweetsoap 's soaps? YOU could win her cheesecake soap.
How to enter: Leave a comment on this post, follow our blog, or tweet about the post (@andalliteration). You can get up to 3 entries by doing all 3 :)
When: We're randomly picking a winner on Friday at 8pm! So hurry and submit your entry.

*UPDATE - vickie won! congrats!

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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 :)

#46 unofficial etsy featured seller - SpinSpanSpun

#46 unofficial etsy featured seller - SpinSpanSpun
Date joined etsy - 2/28/09
Sales to date - 379-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor :

Hi, my real name means Blueberry in french! I'm 31 and I am a french girl living in Chicago. I am expecting my 1st baby for mid-march!
I live and work in Chicago, I have no pets and I don't eat a lot of ice cream! I'd say I like pretty much all flavors, except chocolate!

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

From monday to friday, I wake up around 6am to get ready for my "real life" job ; I check my emails, try to answer them. From work, I relist a couple of items a day, if I don't forget! I come back home around 5 pm, and then I try to spin some yarn ; I prepare my orders, if any. Before I was pregnant, I'd also dye all my fibers : it meant that every 3 weeks, I'd spend one whole weekend in my kitchen, preparing my rovings.
On weekends, I try to spin more, but I also love to be outside and see the world!

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

I have always been imaginatively creative, but my family background is very classic and I'm not gifted at all for all stuffs made by hands! I had to make huge efforts to learn how to spin! I have a quite strong will and the conviction it was the right craft for me now.

-What made you want to start selling on etsy?

Seeing a friend doing it : bykes.etsy.com ; and the fact that I love to make but hate to keep. I have strong ideals of simple living.

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

I can't remember ! I have to check. Well, not too bad ! 5 days. But it was not handspun. 1st handspun sold after 3 weeks.
It's the kind of things I don't remember, because I keep working my pace, even if I don't sell one thing. I have a long distance confidence, even if sometimes I'm impatient!

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

foods... well,I'm a french girl ! les macarons Adam de Saint Jean de Luz, le roti de boeuf avec des pommes de terre, mashed potatoes and ham, les carambars au caramel, and cinnamon rolls! I'm not very food oriented... and I don't have TV :)
I stopped watching it when I was 15. I do like House MD though! But that's the only tv programm I can mention.
For bands... I'm just a old teen.. I love psychedelic era strange stuffs, early punk music ; I also love contemporary and some classic music. I am a huge fan of Philip Glass and cry with Sibelius. I have songs that I can listen to death and then give up... for example "Fade to grey" (Visage) or "California Draming" (the Mamas and the Papas). I have also songs that make me up for something : "London Calling" got me amazing results in ancient greek poetry!!!

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

I'd love to have a garden, with vegetables and fruits, but also a lot of flowers! I'd love to wander in it, and to make bouquets.
I'd also love to make ceramics, and to make all my clothes (I do some, but I'm still clumsy..)

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

First, trust yourself! and make what you love and believe in.
No pressure
Keep working, no matter you don't have a sale or have a bad feedback ; keep a positive attitude and love around! Etsy is a great community of people.
To be honest, I don't promote a lot even if I should.. but as a slow spinner, I don't produce a lot...
Basically, I do 2 things : I'm active on ravelry.com ; I relist items almost every day.
Sometimes, I chat on Etsy.
I should FaceBook, Twitter, etc.. but I don't.
I don't write a blog and will not.
I don't try to connect online so that people could spread the news and promote my shop. But I love when somebody comes to me and say, like you Lauren, "I'd love to speak about your shop". It seems that a seed, somehow, started to grow... and that's very rewarding!

-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?

Hard to give only 3 !!! let's say my friend's : bykes.etsy.com ; studioleroux for the baby Kanoe I chose for my soon-to-be-born ; owlyshadowpuppets for her beautiful shadow puppets

-By New Years Eve 2011 I hope my number of sold items is ______.

800.
But I don't really make such plans !

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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 :)