Date joined etsy- 08/4/07
Sales to date - 806
-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.my name is danielle and i live in a rural area outside of lynchburg, va with my husband chris and our baby, flojo the parrot. i'm constantly trying to talk my husband into moving to san francisco, or at the very least, charlottesville, va, but for now we'll stay here on a farm that's been in his family since the early 1900's. my favorite ice cream flavor is black cherry or cotton candy, but i have to admit, i'm not a huge fan of ice cream; if i'm going to eat something sweet, i'd much rather have donuts!
-Describe an average day in life of "you".
my alarm goes off at 7:40, and i pry myself out of bed a few minutes later. the first thing i do once i'm out of bed is wake up flojo. we call chris at work to say good morning (yes, flojo like to involved in the conversation, too), open the curtains and look at the birds outside, then check email and etsy. side note, dinosaur toes, the shop name, is flojo's nickname. after breakfast, i get to work making things, packaging orders, taking pictures and/or adjusting pictures. if it's a busy day, i sometimes forget to eat lunch! then in the afternoon, flojo usually takes a nap snuggled against me and i do a post on my blog and get caught up reading friends' blogs. once chris gets home from work, aside from listing an item or two, i'm pretty much finished working so we can spend time together (which usually involves eating since we're food junkies).
-Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?
yes, i was very creative growing up. i loved painting and making things with supplies i could find outside. one summer when i was 10 and my brother was 5, we decided that we were going to make walking sticks with carved designs, then go around the neighborhood trying to sell them. we actually sold a few, and when you're that age, $15 makes you feel pretty rich! i think that's when i first decided that i wanted to do something creative for a career.
-What made you want to start selling on etsy?i actually never thought i'd have as many sales as i do or that this could become my job, i just figured if i could make a few dollars, i could justify buying new supplies!
-How long did it take for you to get your first sale on etsy?
less than a week after i listed my first item, i had a sale. i couldn't believe it, but from then on, i was hooked!
-Top 5 favorite foods, tv shows, and bands?
wow, it's pretty difficult to pick just five foods, but here they are: any sort of pasta with alfredo sauce, brick oven cheese pizza, baked potatoes, chocolate covered blueberries, philly cheesesteaks.
top five tv shows: seinfeld (reruns), the big bang theory, the shield (on dvd), anything regarding WWII on the history channel, true blood.
top five bands: woods, karl blau, little dragon, the horrors, still corners
-Is there anything you'd like to try your hand at doing? Knitting, baking, soap making, wood working, an instrument, etc.
i'm always looking for new mediums, processes, skills, etc. i do some sewing, although i can get lazy about it, and i've made some simple pieces of clothing from my own patterns, but i'd really like to have the time to make more clothing for myself with better patterns and fabrics. i've also always really, really wanted to work with porcelain and cast my own molds for porcelain figurines.
-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?first, and most importantly, i would say to get comfortable with your camera and be sure your pictures are clear. next, i think that updating your shop everyday, or almost, is really important in being seen. last, i've found that blogging is a fun and incredibly helpful tool in getting your name out there, not to mention meeting great people in the blogging community!
-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?
restless things - she is one of my favorite artists!
sadie designs - sarah is a friend i've made though blogging, and i just adore her style!
the social cellar - i always regret looking at her shop because i want a whole lot more than my wallet can handle!
and one more just because i can't choose three - allyson mellberg - she's an incredibly talented friend of mine, and i'm so happy that her prints decorate my walls!
-One year from now...
i'd like for chris, flojo and i to be working on the road during the month long adventure we've been talking about taking. now that chris and i are self-employed, we've been talking about taking a month, maybe more, and hooking up the camper and heading west making stops along the way. if that happened less than a year from now, i'd be happy!
--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 :)
