We are now a member of the Etsy Teams blog ring! There's a great little blog element in the top left hand column, that will allow you to surf the blogs of all the Etsy Teams. We have two new cool neighbors, Etsy Kids and Vegan Etsy.
This is very exciting! Yay!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Stellar Seller, 8/25, giftbird
| Etsy Buy Handmade Giftbird |
This week's Stellar Seller is Giftbird. In the outside-Etsy world, Giftbird is Deb, who was more than happy to let us into her world. We Owls love Giftbird's shop, and we promise that it's for more reasons than the fact that she has a whole section of owls and birds in her shop. :)
But seriously, she has a whole section of owls and birds in her shop!
Get to know Deb by reading the interview below, and click on any of the links or the Etsy Mini to check out her shop.
1. Tell us all about you, as much or as little as you'd love to share with the Etsy world.
I'm 29, going to school full time to become an occupational therapist, and work part time as a ballroom dance instructor. I love using crafts as my own form of "therapy" and hope to share my interests with others. I started becoming interested in my store, Giftbird when I became obsessed with owls and bird jewelry. I wanted to make a few owl and bird necklaces to see if other people would have similar shopping interests and so far, I've found that people like my style. I hope to continue to share my love of birds, roosters, owls, with other people.
2. What made you get started with making jewelry, and how'd you end up on Etsy?
My sister and mother both make jewelry. I wanted to learn how to make jewelry so I could have fun with my family. We used to go to the jewelry store together and I would sit and watch. After a while, I wanted to learn how to make jewelry as well.
3. What inspires you to create?
I love to be crafty. I love looking and shopping on etsy for new inspiration. Usually, I'm also trying to come up with something for one my classes (Occupational Therapy school) that is functional and creative.
4. Describe yourself in one word: Determined
5. What is your favorite:
--song to craft to? anything Latin. I love Latin music of all kinds to craft to, dance to, sing to, etc.
--off-air television show? Chuck (I think it is coming back on TV again though).
--thing to do on a rainy day? Other than sleep, I like to craft too.
--restaurant? BBQ anything. I will just about anything for some home cooked mashed potatoes.
--Etsy seller? DennisAnderson - I love this guys soap. I use it every day. His soap is the only thing I look forward to in the morning other than my peanut butter and banana.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Graphic Designer and Cool Gal: The HenryRabbit ETSY True Hollywood Story
Some of you may remember us holding a contest a while back where we were searching for a graphic designer to help us with a new banner for our team shop. The winner would receive a generous prize package and a feature on our blog. One such designer arose from the mist and gave us the banner you see here today.
EO: Tell us all about you, as much or as little as you'd love to share with the Etsy world.
HR: I am a 31 year old wife and stay-home mommy to two beautiful kids, Natalie who is 3 1/2 and Milo who is 18 months. They are my whole world, and they inspire me in everything I do. Other than graphic design, my hobbies are photography, reading, watching reality TV and shopping. I'm rarely outside with my kids without the camera, and the term "mamarazzi" totally fits me. Reading is my luxury, something I love, but don't get much time to do. And reality TV shows like Survivor, Project Runway, and, well...pretty much all of them, are my guilty pleasure.
EO: What made you get started with your craft, and how'd you end up on Etsy?
Tell us about your graphic designs and about your cute-as-pie plush rabbits.
HR: I actually started doing graphic design through one of my parenting message boards. I started out creating cute signature images for myself and then was asked to do them for some of the other moms on the boards. I was content doing that for a long time,
and learned a lot about Photoshop in the process. In March of '07, someone on the message boards posted about Etsy, and warned us not to go there unless we had a few hours to kill. They weren't kidding!! I have always been a huge sucker for stuffed animals, and I was so enthralled by all the unique and wonderful plush creations I found there. I was entirely a buyer for about 7 months when someone (again from my message board) suggested I try making banners. I started out with a few premade banners and most of my first customers were other Etsy mamas from the boards. Once I got a few designs out there, I was hooked!
The henryrabbits came a few months later. Sewing has never really been one of my natural talents, though I do enjoy making things. My husband bought me a sewing machine for Christmas a few years earlier and I had never even taken it out of the box. I realized, with all the plush things I was buying on Etsy, that I could do something like that too. I was trying to do something based on my original logo, and the rabbits just sort of came to be. I didn't have anything real specific when I started. They've evolved since the first few I made. They now have fleece-lined ears, so they stand on their own. They're bigger, and I think I also pay a lot more attention to how the fabrics work together. I never expected them to be such a hit, but they seem to make people fall in love with them quite easily. In fact, I love them so much, I redesigned my logo to match more closely with their appearance.
EO: How did you choose your shop name?
HR: Funny thing about this...my shop name actually came about because of Myspace. Way back in 2004, I joined Myspace and my user name was Natalie's Mommy. My main picture was a picture of Natalie, who was just a baby then. As anyone who knows Myspace can imagine, such a name and picture invited a lot of...well, less than desierable people to contact me. I decided to change my name to something less obvious, and while looking around the room for inspiration, I saw a stuffed rabbit that my husband had bought for me during our honeymoon that I had named Henry. Henry Rabbit came into being that day and I've used the name in most of my online endeavors ever since. It was perfect for Myspace, since most people saw the name Henry and assumed I was a guy. Funny, since I never go on Myspace anymore, but that's where the name came from. in fact, when I first signed up on Etsy, I had no intention of ever selling anything. Lucky that I love the name so much I didn't have to worry about changing it when I started selling.
EO: what inspires you to create?
HR: Just the love of creating something new and cute. My customers come up with awesome ideas, so I'm always inspired by them. Going to the fabric store always inspires me to create new henryrabbits, which isn't good for my wallet or my ever growing fabric stash.
EO: What made you join the EtsyOWLS banner contest and how did you come up with the winning design?
HR: I was contacted by Jamie from suenosdejmi about the banner contest. I love designing owls, so I was very excited to get started. I designed the owl first, and then came up with the background. The details for the contest said that you ladies liked bright and bold colors and funky designs, so I wanted something fun and colorful.
EO:describe yourself in one word:
HR: kaleidescope
EO: What is your favorite:
--animal? cats
--Muppet? Beaker
--pizza topping? pepperoni
--Game Show? Supermarket Sweep!
--Etsy seller? How can I choose just one?? mintconspiracy, chimeracrochet, vickangaroo, siansburys, gorjuss...to name a few!
Here we go...
EO: Tell us all about you, as much or as little as you'd love to share with the Etsy world.HR: I am a 31 year old wife and stay-home mommy to two beautiful kids, Natalie who is 3 1/2 and Milo who is 18 months. They are my whole world, and they inspire me in everything I do. Other than graphic design, my hobbies are photography, reading, watching reality TV and shopping. I'm rarely outside with my kids without the camera, and the term "mamarazzi" totally fits me. Reading is my luxury, something I love, but don't get much time to do. And reality TV shows like Survivor, Project Runway, and, well...pretty much all of them, are my guilty pleasure.
EO: What made you get started with your craft, and how'd you end up on Etsy?
Tell us about your graphic designs and about your cute-as-pie plush rabbits.
HR: I actually started doing graphic design through one of my parenting message boards. I started out creating cute signature images for myself and then was asked to do them for some of the other moms on the boards. I was content doing that for a long time,
and learned a lot about Photoshop in the process. In March of '07, someone on the message boards posted about Etsy, and warned us not to go there unless we had a few hours to kill. They weren't kidding!! I have always been a huge sucker for stuffed animals, and I was so enthralled by all the unique and wonderful plush creations I found there. I was entirely a buyer for about 7 months when someone (again from my message board) suggested I try making banners. I started out with a few premade banners and most of my first customers were other Etsy mamas from the boards. Once I got a few designs out there, I was hooked!The henryrabbits came a few months later. Sewing has never really been one of my natural talents, though I do enjoy making things. My husband bought me a sewing machine for Christmas a few years earlier and I had never even taken it out of the box. I realized, with all the plush things I was buying on Etsy, that I could do something like that too. I was trying to do something based on my original logo, and the rabbits just sort of came to be. I didn't have anything real specific when I started. They've evolved since the first few I made. They now have fleece-lined ears, so they stand on their own. They're bigger, and I think I also pay a lot more attention to how the fabrics work together. I never expected them to be such a hit, but they seem to make people fall in love with them quite easily. In fact, I love them so much, I redesigned my logo to match more closely with their appearance.
EO: How did you choose your shop name?
HR: Funny thing about this...my shop name actually came about because of Myspace. Way back in 2004, I joined Myspace and my user name was Natalie's Mommy. My main picture was a picture of Natalie, who was just a baby then. As anyone who knows Myspace can imagine, such a name and picture invited a lot of...well, less than desierable people to contact me. I decided to change my name to something less obvious, and while looking around the room for inspiration, I saw a stuffed rabbit that my husband had bought for me during our honeymoon that I had named Henry. Henry Rabbit came into being that day and I've used the name in most of my online endeavors ever since. It was perfect for Myspace, since most people saw the name Henry and assumed I was a guy. Funny, since I never go on Myspace anymore, but that's where the name came from. in fact, when I first signed up on Etsy, I had no intention of ever selling anything. Lucky that I love the name so much I didn't have to worry about changing it when I started selling.
EO: what inspires you to create?
HR: Just the love of creating something new and cute. My customers come up with awesome ideas, so I'm always inspired by them. Going to the fabric store always inspires me to create new henryrabbits, which isn't good for my wallet or my ever growing fabric stash.
EO: What made you join the EtsyOWLS banner contest and how did you come up with the winning design?HR: I was contacted by Jamie from suenosdejmi about the banner contest. I love designing owls, so I was very excited to get started. I designed the owl first, and then came up with the background. The details for the contest said that you ladies liked bright and bold colors and funky designs, so I wanted something fun and colorful.
EO:describe yourself in one word:
HR: kaleidescope
EO: What is your favorite:
--animal? cats
--Muppet? Beaker
--pizza topping? pepperoni
--Game Show? Supermarket Sweep!
--Etsy seller? How can I choose just one?? mintconspiracy, chimeracrochet, vickangaroo, siansburys, gorjuss...to name a few!
**Special thanks to Amanda from HenryRabbit for being so awesome! She does wonderful graphic design and she's been an absolute pleasure to work with!! Please visit her shop if you are looking for a fun and new graphic to spruce up your shop!**
Sunday, August 10, 2008
It's a SPEED sale!
It's another Etsy Owls Speed Sale! We love these! They are our favorite type of challenge!
Several of our Owls have listed items in their shop following our Rockstar theme. The rules of a speed sale are the first item sold wins. Our winner has already been selected, but there are other items still left in the challenge.
If all items sell by 8:05 PM Monday evening, all buyers get an awesome free gift with purchase!
To see the items, check out the slideshow below this post. To see them on Etsy, click the title of this forum post or go here for the offical challenge thread!
Several of our Owls have listed items in their shop following our Rockstar theme. The rules of a speed sale are the first item sold wins. Our winner has already been selected, but there are other items still left in the challenge.
If all items sell by 8:05 PM Monday evening, all buyers get an awesome free gift with purchase!
To see the items, check out the slideshow below this post. To see them on Etsy, click the title of this forum post or go here for the offical challenge thread!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Giving a little something back...
One part of our Etsy Owls team sale was to raise money for our first charitable donation. We all agreed we'd like to help out some actual real life owls, so we found this owl organization in Canada that rehabilitates owls for return to the wild but also keeps owls that cannot return to the wild, does breeding to keep the owl generations alive, and everything.
So we set out to raise money for the Owls, and over the course of the 2 week sale we raised $125!!! Our team shop donated most of it's proceeds to the charity drive and had a few sales, and several other team members donated percentages of items sold to the charity drive.
We'd like to give a little bit of owl love to Courtney, who donated by far the most money for the cause, and just say thanks for doing so much to help the Owls help some owls! Courtney runs two shops on Etsy, afabricqueen and corkyscookies , so drop by and say hello!
Also, please check out The Owl Foundation website to learn more about the amazing work they do, and if you are interested in helping them, or helping any other charity, you can visit Canada Helps or Just Give if you are interested in finding a United States based charity.
So we set out to raise money for the Owls, and over the course of the 2 week sale we raised $125!!! Our team shop donated most of it's proceeds to the charity drive and had a few sales, and several other team members donated percentages of items sold to the charity drive.
We'd like to give a little bit of owl love to Courtney, who donated by far the most money for the cause, and just say thanks for doing so much to help the Owls help some owls! Courtney runs two shops on Etsy, afabricqueen and corkyscookies , so drop by and say hello!
Also, please check out The Owl Foundation website to learn more about the amazing work they do, and if you are interested in helping them, or helping any other charity, you can visit Canada Helps or Just Give if you are interested in finding a United States based charity.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Etsy GIVEAWAYS FREE STUFF!!!!
I have been busy compiling a list of blogs that host giveaways. Each blog is giving away amazing Etsy gifts! Check them out they are free!!! Who knows you might be able to win some of your Christmas gifts.
Compilation of Blog Giveaways.
http://www.appleblossomfl.blogspot.com starting monthly contests on 8/10
http://blog.satindoll.biz – monthly giveaways
http://experiencecreativity.blogspot.com
http://gazeduponglass.blogspot.com/
http://gracedlace.livejournal.com/ - bi-monthly giveaways
http://HeartHugsdesigns.blogspot.com hosting a photography giveaway
http://www.hollysdesigns.blogspot.com– bi-monthly giveaways
http://japanfocusetsy.blogspot.com/ - free samples
http://kbyk.blogspot.com – monthly giveaways
http://koalafuzz.blogspot.com monthly giveaways.
http://www.lamiadesigns.blogspot.com
http://louisefelice.blogspot.com – monthly giveaways
http://naturalamber.wordpress.com/
http://www.ourgreatgreenglobe.com
http://pamperingbeki.blogspot.com
http://pinkcrabcreations.blogspot.com
http://soapdelinews.com/categories/Contests.aspx- monthly giveaways
http://timothyadamdesigns.blogspot.com/ - bi-monthly giveaways
Compilation of Blog Giveaways.
http://www.appleblossomfl.blogspot.com starting monthly contests on 8/10
http://blog.satindoll.biz – monthly giveaways
http://experiencecreativity.blogspot.com
http://gazeduponglass.blogspot.com/
http://gracedlace.livejournal.com/ - bi-monthly giveaways
http://HeartHugsdesigns.blogspot.com hosting a photography giveaway
http://www.hollysdesigns.blogspot.com– bi-monthly giveaways
http://japanfocusetsy.blogspot.com/ - free samples
http://kbyk.blogspot.com – monthly giveaways
http://koalafuzz.blogspot.com monthly giveaways.
http://www.lamiadesigns.blogspot.com
http://louisefelice.blogspot.com – monthly giveaways
http://naturalamber.wordpress.com/
http://www.ourgreatgreenglobe.com
http://pamperingbeki.blogspot.com
http://pinkcrabcreations.blogspot.com
http://soapdelinews.com/categories/Contests.aspx- monthly giveaways
http://timothyadamdesigns.blogspot.com/ - bi-monthly giveaways
Monday, August 4, 2008
Owls Stellar Seller, Earcmra
We're finally getting around to the sweet stuff! By sweet stuff, we're talking about these absolutely yummy looking caramels from Earcmra.
The brains behind Earcmra is Rachelle, a college student who has definitely gotten our attention with her shop full of candy creations. Read her interview to find out more about Rachelle and Earcmra, and check out her shop to buy yourself (or us!) some of her yummy caramels!!!
**Edit: Since we featured Rachelle, her shop has changed. She is now selling her caramels at CaramelJubilee **
Owls: Why did you start making candy and how did you end up on Etsy?
Earcmra: I've always enjoyed cooking, and I particularly like taking on big complicated recipes. I never would have guessed that I'd be known for working magic with a fairly simple recipe--caramel. One day about five months ago I was looking for something new to make and came across a recipe for anise (black licorice) caramels. I was intrigued so I made them. They turned out fantastically well, and the rest is history!
I came across etsy in December 2007 wile surfing the web and Christmas shopping. I joined that day and started making a few purchases. I started selling my caramels in mid-May. Etsy gives me the perfect flexible avenue to fit my caramel selling in with the other aspects of my life at this time. I love etsy!
Owls: What inspires you to create?
Earcmra: I find ideas for new caramel recipes in my everyday life. While on a vacation in New York I came across delicious pomegranate juice. I knew it was destined for caramel goodness, so I brought it home with me and figured out a recipe. A friend of mine is bringing me hazelnuts from a visit to Oregon and I plan to work up a recipe for them too. It's fun to see how these luscious flavors combine in a caramel base.
Owls: Describe yourself in one word
earcmra Inquisitive
Owls: Tell us your favorite:
--musical group/artist that starts with the letter 'b'?: Badly Drawn Boy
--kind of cookie?: Gooey chocolate chip with German chocolate frosting on top
--song from the 90s?: Green Day's "Good Riddance"
--restaurant?: Sego Lily Cafe in Bountiful, Utah
The brains behind Earcmra is Rachelle, a college student who has definitely gotten our attention with her shop full of candy creations. Read her interview to find out more about Rachelle and Earcmra, and check out her shop to buy yourself (or us!) some of her yummy caramels!!!
**Edit: Since we featured Rachelle, her shop has changed. She is now selling her caramels at CaramelJubilee **
Owls: Why did you start making candy and how did you end up on Etsy?
Earcmra: I've always enjoyed cooking, and I particularly like taking on big complicated recipes. I never would have guessed that I'd be known for working magic with a fairly simple recipe--caramel. One day about five months ago I was looking for something new to make and came across a recipe for anise (black licorice) caramels. I was intrigued so I made them. They turned out fantastically well, and the rest is history!
I came across etsy in December 2007 wile surfing the web and Christmas shopping. I joined that day and started making a few purchases. I started selling my caramels in mid-May. Etsy gives me the perfect flexible avenue to fit my caramel selling in with the other aspects of my life at this time. I love etsy!
Owls: What inspires you to create?
Earcmra: I find ideas for new caramel recipes in my everyday life. While on a vacation in New York I came across delicious pomegranate juice. I knew it was destined for caramel goodness, so I brought it home with me and figured out a recipe. A friend of mine is bringing me hazelnuts from a visit to Oregon and I plan to work up a recipe for them too. It's fun to see how these luscious flavors combine in a caramel base.
Owls: Describe yourself in one word
earcmra Inquisitive
Owls: Tell us your favorite:
--musical group/artist that starts with the letter 'b'?: Badly Drawn Boy
--kind of cookie?: Gooey chocolate chip with German chocolate frosting on top
--song from the 90s?: Green Day's "Good Riddance"
--restaurant?: Sego Lily Cafe in Bountiful, Utah
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