#220 unofficial etsy featured seller - battysbath

#220 unofficial etsy featured seller - battysbath
Date joined etsy- 12/11/09
Sales to date - 590-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.

My name is Jamie and I live in London, Ontario, Canada with my fiance and our 3 dogs and a turtle. I'm finishing up a bachelors degree in psychology, have studied fine arts, and have a degree in animal care. Autumn is my favorite time for the year and I'm slightly obsessed with all things Halloween. My health is something that needs a lot of attention because I have Ankylosing Spondylitis and Fibromyalgia. Being able to work from home on a flexible schedule really helps me take care of my health.

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

My days are different than many people because I'm almost never up during the day except for craft shows!
-My "day" starts around 6pm
-I get up, feed the dogs, and have something to eat with Drew
-We talk about what I did the night before, and how his day went. We then walk the dogs, or watch some prime time TV.
-Around 11pm, Drew heads off to bed I get to work packing orders. After all orders are packed, I restock anything that has sold if the supplies are on hand.
-If I'm having a bad day (health wise), I soak in the tub for about an hour and then work on the computer checking emails, updating my social networks, reading up on industry news, and ordering supplies.
-If I'm having a good day, I skip the soak in the tub and work on building up stock for a couple hours before working on the computer. I may also take pictures in the studio before jumping online if I have a pile of un-photographed items piling up.
-I finish my day when Drew heads off to work early in the morning. I feed the dogs, check my email one last time, and then crawl into bed.

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

I worked with clay and paper a lot. I've always loved sculpture and paper goods. I have a paper goods shop on etsy (that's how things on Etsy started for me) but since opening my bath & body shop on etsy I've had to scale back on the number of pop up cards I make because I simply don't have time. Instead, I list cards if I ever find a spare moment and fill the shop with cute rings.

-What made you want to start selling on etsy?

As I mentioned above, I started a different shop before BattysBath.etsy.com called ShesBattyDesigns.etsy.com and I started SBD because I really loved the idea of sharing my creations with other people. I can only give so many creations to my friends and family before they have to start giving them to other people haha.

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

My first sale in my soap show came the first day I officially opened the doors and started listing! This didn't happen by sheer luck though! I did a lot of work up prep before I started to list and I got a lot of experience "learning the ropes" with my first etsy shop which helped me know how to pull off a successful launch.

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

Foods: cereal, cheese cake, donuts, smoothies, blueberries
TV Shows: lost, SVU, without a trace, cold case, and just about every reality show!
Bands: cyndi lauper, sugar land, miranda lambert, dixie chicks, the wreckers

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

I've tried pretty much every craft medium there is but I'd really like to get good at knitting and guitar. If I had to put everything on how and just focus on learning ONE thing for a month, I would definitely either knitting or guitar :)

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

I would suggest getting in the etsy forums first! There's tons of information there - it's like a GOLD mine! Plus, you might find some threads that interest you that you can post on. Remember, every post in the forums makes a link back to your shop and helps the Etsy community get to know you better. Be yourself, be helpful, and give back as much as you get :)

-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?

bestuffies.etsy.com
weezi.etsy.com
HatBoxStudio.etsy.com

-One year from now, I hope...

To have increased my etsy sales and have grown my business online to the point where I can reduce the amount of craft shows I need to do. Right now I have a craft show, home party, or other selling event happening EVERY weekend. This really takes a hit on my health and I often spent the first few days of the week recovering, which in turn, decreases the amount of time I have to restock, market, develop new products, and work online. My goal is to only have to do 1 to 2 events per month and be able to be able to pick and choose the events I REALLY enjoy doing (like the Bizarre Bazaar in Toronto, ON and our once a month "Beehives, Bubbles & Bows" event at Weezi in London, ON).
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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 :)

#219 unofficial etsy featured seller - talk2thetrees

#219 unofficial etsy featured seller - talk2thetrees
Date joined etsy- 4/22/09
Sales to date - 395-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.

My name is Rachael. I am currently living in Little Rock, Arkansas with my husband and our two crazy pets, Mowgli and Fungus. We've been moving around the country a lot in these last two years having tons of fun and crazy adventures. I love pizza, Chinese food, and anything raspberry flavored. Oh and I love chocolate.

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

I wake up around noon to my pup Mowgli begging to go "good boy outside." My day officially starts around one after I shower and get dressed (of course.) I spend about 30 minutes checking my email and answering convos. Then I finish up a few orders and run to the post office. Yes, I have actually ran there. I get home around 5 and I check any emails and blog for a little bit, maybe eat something for lunch. At 6 pm I work on orders while I watch movies until about 9 pm when my husband gets home from work. I take a short break and cook us dinner. Around 10 I get back to work filling orders. I usually go to bed around 3 or 4 am.
(I have a pretty weird schedule and eat about one meal a day.)
I take most weekends off for painting and sewing and other creative projects.

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

I was very creative growing up. I remember I was always drawing when I was little. I knew from an early age I wanted to be an artist. I would stay up all night while I was in high school to paint or sew. I would go to school the next day and sleep through any "non art classes."
-What made you want to start selling on etsy?

Last November I learned how to knit. I loved it so much I just kept knitting. Pretty soon I had a huge pile of hats and a husband who refused to buy me more yarn until I figured out what to do with that pile. I had an unused Etsy account already that I made before we were even married so I listed my hats and a few paintings I had done.

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

I got my first sale a day or so after I listed my first item. I really have no idea how it happened because the pictures were just terrible!

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

Foods:
Pizza
Chocolate
Raspberries
Tomatoes
Fried Okra
French Fries

Tv Shows:
Ghosthunters
X-files
Family Guy
Anything on the History Channel
Shark Week

Bands:
Stars
A Fine Frenzy
Azure Ray
Bright Eyes
The Weepies

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

I would like to learn to cook better, and get better at painting.
-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?

I need to learn how to promote my own shop! So far I just have a Facebook page and a blog. I would recommend a blog for sure.

-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?

theblackapple
Blueberryshoes
Loveerica

-One year from now...

I hope to be doing exactly what I'm doing now! Waking up everyday and getting to do the things that I love without having a "real job."

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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 :)

#218 unofficial etsy featured seller - bipolarbettygoods

#218 unofficial etsy featured seller - bipolarbettygoods
Date joined etsy- 8/9/09
Sales to date - 823
-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.

My name is Betty and I am frantically, fatally in love with anyone who gives me any little bit of attention. Where I live does not matter as much as where you live; that is where I can be found at night, prowling around my customers bedroom windows. If I could, I would make myself teensy, the size of a troll or Pretty Pony, that you could carry around in your pocket and then put me in water and I’d grow life size right before your eyes! Like a sea monkey or piles of pill bottles! I have 30+ cats that I have trained to move along the house in one tightly knit mass. Therein, I am able to stand on their backs and ride them like one big fur wave throughout the house and beyond! (Sometimes I just lay on my side. It is a comfortable way to travel, I tell you!). I tend to subside on long gone sweet memories of love and Chicken in a Biscuit crackers during the day, but switch directly to the vodka that I had infused with your forehead sweat by three; that way, I have enough time to get tipsy before I go out to the bus stop and stand on my (real life!) soap box to give the fifth graders a lecture on My Hopes for the Future of Modern Romance, or How to Turn the Dining Room into a Cat Box when in a Pinch (depending on my mood that day.).

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

First thing in the morning, I let the cats motor me around so that I can touch every doorknob in the house (including the stinkers high up on the cabinets!). I do this not only to keep my day on track, but to protect the balance of the universe. If I think that I’ve missed a knob, then I go back and start over. I had to back track for twelve hours once. But what is time when you are securing the Earth in its axis? After that, I have a various amount of household tasks that I attend to. There are “projects” that I check on. I say things like, “Are those ropes too tight?” and “Those ceramic angel figurines are so unique! Charge ten of them to my credit card please!”

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

I don’t know if you would call it creative, but I used to draw chalk outlines of myself all around our sidewalk and on my bedroom floor, just on the off chance that I was murdered and then my poor distraught parents would have plenty of placement options. In the fifth grade, I began constructing dolls out of straw and dog fur (naturally shed, of course!) that had prominent characteristics of the boys I had crushes on. Some even had authentic pieces of hair, fingernail clippings and a few teeth (I bet the tooth fairy was bummed!) embedded in the stitching.

-What made you want to start selling on etsy?

Some days, I think it was merely a subconscious trick to burn the tires of my anxiety and fishtail down the road of malcontent at warp speed like a pea green station wagon with duct tape holding the trunk down and no one at the wheel.

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

My first sale was to a friend, so I can’t count it with any clear conscience. I think the next 800 sales or so were to my mother disguised as various other customers.

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

I can’t seem to get enough of QVC lately, that and Infomercials! I see now that you can by loads of sitcom seasons on DVD; I sure wish they’d make a box set for the last ten years of infomercials! I’d buy it in a hot second! I like to eat the centers out of white bread so much that I wish they’d just package it without the crust. Do envelope adhesives count as food? I go through about a box a day, just licking and sealing, licking and sealing. Some might call bill paying a pain, but I call it Lunch!

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

I am interested in gravity, mostly. I like to trip on nothing at least twenty times a day on my way around town just to further my research on the matter. I have a theory that, if you test its patience enough, one day gravity (just like everyone else!) will eventually throw its hands up at you and you’ll just go floating up like you are preparing to install Kung Fu justice on the world.

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

I’d advise those asking me (in hopes that they never will!) about promoting their shops that they should eat a lot of crackers (Chicken in a Biscuit!), pet a lot of cats, get a taste for pride and crow, weep compulsively and fall into a deep depression at least once an hour.

-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?

I guess you could call it love: I did, anyway. Due to the laundry list of complaints and subsequent restraining orders issued from these shops, I have to wonder: Doth ye Protest to Much?
1. http://dippylulu.etsy.com. (Dippy, you never called. Was it because I asked for my pie server back? You can keep it. Really.)
2. http://plumlanephotos.etsy.com Photos of places that I will never go because of my courthouse issued ankle bracelet. (OH Cynthia, you know it’s the gifts that keep on giving that mean the world to me.)
3. http://cherrybloomvintage.etsy.com. (Tara, I was serious when I said I’d pay top dollar for some hair from your brush and a tiny vile of your perspiration. I have a doll that I am making….Well, never mind. Just name your price!)

-One year from now...

I’ll probably be pushing a shopping cart full of cats and ceramic figurines around the city, searching in vain for that address you gave me that never really existed.


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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 :)

#217 unofficial etsy featured seller - mandeefranee

#217 unofficial etsy featured seller - mandeefranee
Date joined etsy- 11/15/09
Sales to date - 728-Name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.

My name is Miranda and I am a single mother to three LOUD boys. ;) We have lived in Michigan for the last five years. We have three pets - two dogs and one cat (also ALL boys). I'm not a fan of sugar-y sweets. No chocolate (I know, I think that's an official sin right out of the bible or something), cake, cookies or candy (unless it's VERY SOUR, then I'll make an occasional exception... example: SOUR Nerds, we're having a love affair. ♥ It's serious) ;) I HATE bugs (though I love to photograph them). I'm especially terrified of the flying, stinging kind. I tell my kids to stand still when a bee is nearby but I usually run squealing in the other direction. I know, bad mom. It's an uncontrollable impulse, I just can't stop myself. I am abnormally frightened of natural bodies of water. In my head I know it's likely nothing will happen... but I just can't get past the fear that a shark or a jellyfish or something equally monstrous and terrifying will bite/sting/DEVOUR my feet. I refuse to go in lakes or oceans... but swimming pools are fine. I say 'dude', 'totally' and 'like' more often than a 34 year old mother of three probably should. I use too many emoticons when I "talk" online, I capitalize to emphasize A LOT and I completely abuse the ellipsis... and the exclamation point!! (oh and parenthesis too) ;)

-Describe an average day in life of "you"

During the summer I kept some CRAZY hours! (sewing all night and going to bed at 7, 8, sometimes 9am) Now that school has started it's back to schedules... I wake up at 6 and make sure my oldest gets up and out the door for high school. I usually sit down at the computer to check messages on FB, Etsy, emails, etc. At 7 I wake the other two boys up... and again at 710... and again at 720... ;) they're not morning people, just like Mom! Once they're out the door I finish checking messages/emails, pop in a movie and usually poor myself a Pepsi (my morning caffeinated beverage of choice). Then I move into the living room (because unfortunately I don't have a dedicated craft room, just my desk and the coffee table) where I start working on orders. I try to take frequent breaks because sitting hunched over doing all that hand sewing for so long wreaks havoc on my sciatic nerve and my arthritis (I swear I'm only going to be 35 this month). I work on orders and shop stuff all day while my boys are in school... when they get home at 230/330 I supervise homework and sibling battles, work on more orders, go to the post office, fix dinner, do some laundry, work on more orders... around 930/10 when I have everyone in bed I spend a few more hours working on orders (and sometimes I sneak in a late night postal run) before I head off to bed myself.
-Were you creative growing up/what did you enjoy doing?

Drawing, latch hook, cross stitch... I'm pretty sure I've always had my hand in something crafty.

-What made you want to start selling on etsy?

When I lost my job due to the economy late in 2009, I opened an Etsy shop and tried to figure out what I could sell to make even a little bit of money, until I found a "real job". I sold three ornaments in December and then nothing else for about 6 months...

Out of my natural love of all things crafty, one day I picked up a holey sock that my son had discarded while he was getting ready for school that morning. And something unexpected happened! I turned that holey sock into a cute (if kinda goofy looking) owl. My son took that owl in to school to share with his class and over the next couple of weeks kids started bringing in their holey socks and asking Carter if his mom would make them a sock monster. After sharing with my own friends on Facebook I heard over and over again that people actually wanted to buy my creations. When a photographer friend asked if I could make her a "scrunchie with a face" I said, sure, and Lens Pets were born. Now I spend most of my days sewing and I'm totally loving every minute of it. :)

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

I listed my first three Lens Pets on Etsy on May 25, 2010... all three sold the next day. Within a month I sold over 200 Lens Pets! It was quite shocking to say the least!

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

FOODS: strawberries, raspberries, mandarin oranges, pepsi (that's totally a food, right?!), BREAD (the softer and squishier, the better!)
TV SHOWS: Alias, Lost, X-Files, E.R., House (that doesn't look good for you House... I seem to be some sort of bad luck charm for my favorite shows! the first four are all off the air now! watch your back Gregory House!)
BANDS: (warning... I am a child of the 80's, DO NOT LAUGH) New Kids on the Block (yes, you read that right. and I'm not embarrassed to admit it), Enrique Iglesias (I know he's not actually a BAND, but he's got the most fabulous accent... plus he's just downright HOT... so even as a singer all on his own, he's better than a whole entire band), Journey (but only WITH Steve Perry... because anything else is completely sub-standard), R.E.M., Maroon 5

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

When I was younger I started piano lessons, then quit after I think 2 or 3 sessions because it interfered with cheerleading practice... I still wish I could play the piano. Crafty-wise, I've always wanted to learn how to knit and/or crochet.
-What would you suggest to new etsy sellers to promote their shops?

Frankly, I still think of myself as a new Etsy seller after only 4 months here! :) But I've had really good luck with the Facebook ads that I've run. I recommend searching the Etsy forum for a coupon code and once your shop is really set up, with a large number and variety of listings, run a FB ad. For me, it brought not only a lot of new fans, but a good amount of sales as well! And with the first one costing nothing thanks to that code, you can't lose! Aside from that just get your name out there where people can see it. Post in the forum at Etsy, post on FB, Twitter, comment on blogs... the more people that have the opportunity to see your shop the better!

-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?

.....I have SOOOO many that I had a VERY hard time narrowing it down, but here goes...
*The Jae Bird: (SUPER adorable OOAK plush monsters, I'm personally starting my own little uggle army! ;) LOVE!)
*Bubbly Schnooks: (a recent find and Oh My Gosh! I want to buy everything in her shop! The most adorable artwork turned into super fun cards and prints and stickers and more! Super fun!)
*B Connor Design: (crazy wicked artwork, the details in her pieces are just amazing!)

-One year from now, I hope...

first and foremost, I hope to still be in business in a year!
I hope to have a much shorter wait time (or maybe even NO wait) for orders.
I hope to have successfully introduced at least two new product lines to my shop (I've already started working on one)


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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 :)

#216 unofficial etsy featured seller - Vivavivant

#216 unofficial etsy featured seller - Vivavivant
Date joined etsy- 12/4/09
Sales to date - 683-Give us some basic info about you:

My name is Meredith and I live with my darling Joel in the old Milton Schoolhouse in Alton, Il. The schoolhouse was built in 1908, became an art glass factory for ten years during the 1980s, and then was mysteriously abandoned for about a decade before we purchased it last year. Aside from (supposedly) being one of the most haunted places in the United States, it was left full of the former owner's random (but awesome!) stuff.

Before buying the school I was an office minion in a design company's marketing department- Joel was in the fine dining industry. Now, we've been able to support ourselves and our building projects inside the school selling our finds online, and using our building skills for other companies around town.

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

Mornings are a rush. Whatever time we wake up, I usually spend the first three hours of my day taking care of our pets (two dogs, two cats, twelve chickens), cleaning up the dishes, all of that boring household stuff. After that's all done- the fun begins.

Some days are set aside just for cleaning up the neat things we find during the week to photograph and list on etsy. Mondays, I usually spend the entire day packaging. The rest of the time, you'll either find me swinging around powertools with Joel and our volunteers, rummaging through dusty boxes, or pursuing my own artistic interests. Recently, I've been into making light fixtures out of found things in our warehouse- bicycle parts, chandelier prisms, floppy disks, old iron parts from the boiler....

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

I have an overactive imagination that lead me to having a lot of imaginary friends as a child. My favorite "toy" was a huge bin of my mother's sewing scraps that I would tie and safety pin around me in various ways to create new "outfits".

Joel and I are really big into reusing recycled materials from demolition sites in the school- which demands a certain level of patience and creativity. Our latest creation was a beautiful suspended vanity in a bathroom made out of old slate chalkboards from the school.

-What made you want to start selling on etsy?

Necessity! I've long been a buyer on etsy, and wanted to sell my own creations, but didn't know where to begin.

Selling our found treasures as supplies to other buyers gave me the confidence of working as a seller with the site- as well as a lot of practice on writing descriptions and taking good photos of our pieces. We started up another shop a few months ago, ThirteenTwenty, and I just sold my first piece of original art. I hope to someday make my living through my own work.

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

Not very long- a couple of days. But sales were slow in the beginning, so I wasn't too motivated to update the shop very often. I supposed I didn't want to get my hopes up. After about three months we were discovered by a very talented mosaic artist who couldn't get enough of the broken glass pieces we found. The first time I saw one of her creations using something from Milton- I was so excited! It really gave me the confidence to throw myself into etsy and make it a daily part of my life.
-Top 5 favorite foods?

Anything Italian! I can't pass up a good lasagna. I love growing fresh herbs for homemade pizzas and pasta. I've recently come to enjoy eggs- ever since we started raising our own chickens. For some reason, they taste a billion times better than store bought eggs. I make awesome omelets!

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

Oh, this list is too long. Everything I see, I want to know how to make it. Someday, I want to build a giant Japanese pond, learn how to make stained glass windows, weld a giant elephant sculpture, and make my own yogurt.

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

There is a ton of advice on etsy's forums about photography, relisting often, making your packages special- and it's all true. I would add that taking the opportunity to really get to know the people who are buying from you is one of the most incredible things etsy allows. You'll meet some really amazing people- and they'll be able to give you the best feedback for how to make your shop even better.

-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?

midnightboudoir
I recently met Glenda because she had bought a few pressed brass pieces form our shop. I'm always nosey about people's shops, and instantly fell head over heels with her incredible fascinators. I know fascinators are really popular, and there are a lot of artists who create them on etsy, but her pieces really stand out as being amazing works of art.

HidenSeek
I just purchased a birthday card for my mom from this shop- it was the most perfect thing! Her art is perfect for someone with "grown-up" taste who has never grown up enough to have stopped imagining they were living a fairytale.

XylocopaDesign
So geeky and cool. What's not to love?

-One year from now, I hope...

....to be able to slow down enough to actually get to know the area I live in well enough to not get lost.

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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 :)

#215 unofficial etsy featured seller - lisahopkins

#215 unofficial etsy featured seller - lisahopkins
Date joined etsy- 5/8/08
Sales to date - 784-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.

My name is Lisa Hopkins. I live in West Lafayette, Indiana with my husband, Mark, and our two dogs and three cats.

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

A typical day in the the studio begins with answering emails and convos and packaging new orders to ship. I update QuickBooks, take care of other administrative paperwork, and review my "to do" list for the day. I then get started on studio work, creating and finishing new pieces or sketching/drawing/lettering new designs. A good work day for me is one in which paperwork and interruptions are at a minimum and I can focus on creating. I usually photograph newly finished pieces late in the afternoon, create new Etsy listings, and write out my to-do list for the next day.

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

I've enjoyed creating as long as I can remember. When I was quite young I used to write and illustrate small handmade books. I still have a couple of these and wonder how I came up with the stories. I loved art class in school and I remember classmates would ask me, "are you an artist?" I always found this question puzzling and my response was something like, "no, I'm just a kid like you." I thought you had to be an adult to be an artist. My grandma actually was a professional artist, a painter, and when I'd visit her she'd give me lessons. We would paint side by side, with her instructing me. I loved those visits.

-What made you want to start selling on etsy?

I got my feet wet selling letterpress cards in my other Etsy shop, paperdragonfly, shared with my friend, Julia. We were both longtime Etsy buyers, loved the venue, and decided to try selling our cards. Selling on Etsy was such a great experience that I opened my jewelry shop several months later.

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

Two weeks.

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

food: guacamole, chocolate, roasted tomato basil soup, my husband's homemade manicotti, my mom's homemade jam.

I don't watch much TV but I've recently gotten hooked on the new series Covert Affairs.

Music playing in the studio lately includes: Lisa Hannigan, Bela Fleck, Rachael Yamagata, Teitur, Tori Amos

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

I've been interested in learning glass blowing since taking a hot glass workshop.

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

I recommend making a habit of carrying business cards--there are plenty of opportunities to hand them out. If what you sell is wearable, like jewelry, wear your work--it gives people the opportunity to ask you about it. I've been fortunate to have been featured on quite a few blogs. It's hard to beat that exposure and I'm grateful to the bloggers who have featured me. My facebook business page (http://www.facebook.com/lisahopkinsjewelry) is a helpful promotional tool for me and I've also recently started a blog (http://lisahopkinsdesign.blogspot.com). I recommend starting a mailing list. Give people the opportunity to sign up and then send out an email newsletter. I send one out quarterly. Joining an active Etsy team can also be helpful. I'm a member of two fantastic Etsy teams: the Artisans Collective and HandMade Division.

-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?

It is hard to choose, there are so many....
Here are three I've purchased from. I love their work:
lottahelleberg
modernbird
WoodElements

-One year from now...

One year from now I'd like to be enjoying my work as much as I do now while finding a bit more time for other interests and activities.

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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 :)

#214 unofficial etsy featured seller - fashiontouch

#214 unofficial etsy featured seller - fashiontouch
Date joined etsy- 9/6/08
Sales to date - 687-Give us some basic info about you: name, where you live, kids/pets, favorite ice cream flavor, etc.

Hi! My name is Elena Polko and I am the owner and designer behind FashionTouch –
cool knits for moms and kids. I was born in USSR, grew up in Russia and now live in
beautiful Niagara on The Canadian Side with my husband and little cute puppy named
Waco.

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

I am blessed with a very supportive husband so I am able to dedicate my time to my
creations. I wake up around 6 am and take the dog for a walk. We all will have breakfast
after and I spend time checking orders and replying to the convos/emails. I do all of the
work around the house and chat with my parents over the skype (they are still in Russia)
in the morning. In afternoon I start working on the orders and create new items. Post
office run is usually at evening and right after I go for a nice relaxing swim. I need a cup
of tea with milk and honey after, a good book or a movie. On weekends I try to spend as
much time as possible with my husband and dog and it is mostly outdoors.

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

Housekeeping and creative arts are compulsory credits in Russia, so I learned how to knit
and crochet at school. Other than that, I think the rest are in my genes. My mom is a very
creative person.
-What made you want to start selling on etsy?

One of my friends suggested that should try selling my creations. At that time I started
researching how can I sell my creations online and found etsy. It was and still is lots of
fun and excitement!

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

3 days! Oh, I was doing my happy dance the whole day! The buyer was another very
successful seller on etsy, She 1st included my scarflette in her treasury and then purchased
it! I was extremely happy!

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

Food:
Pelmeni (its like perogies, but with meat)
Sushi
Tomato sandwich with bacon (the way my husband makes it)
Ribs
Seafood

TV Shows: I don’t have tv connection, mostly watching online tv from eastern Europe

Bands (this is the difficult one:):
Sade
Georgian Duduk
INXS
U2
Lady Gaga

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

I used to do pottery, it was very relaxing and enjoyable. I would like to return to that
sometime. And I also would like to learn to speak French and Italian.

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

First and the most important is to love what you are doing. Beside that, if you treat it as
hobby, it will remain a hobby, if you treat it as a business it will be a business. Therefore,
research the market and create what market will take. I’ve tried many things to promote
FashionTouch, but a picture is worth a thousand words. Etsy does their best to attract
buyers to their search, now it is you turn to make them click your thumbnail.

-3 etsy shops you just LOVE?

morelle
Silvia66
TianaCHE

-One year from now, I hope...

Myself and my family happy and healthy, finish our house renovation, bring my parents
to Canada, and have more business on Etsy


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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 :)