Friday Specials!!

A few of our members are having some fantastic sales, or giveaways on their blogs. Be sure to check them out for a chance to win some awesome stuff!!!

Presents for Pirates is having a May sale--- buy any two sets of stationary, get a third set for FREE! Woot, FREE!





JBirkemeierphoto is having her first ever giveaway on her blog. Clickie the picture to see more :) (All you have to do is comment on her blog!) This ends TOMORROW at 12:00 Central (and you know, I don't know if this is midnight or noon, so you better get in quick!!!)

Owl Spotlight, Jbirkemeierphoto

What Etsy seller isn't inspired by (yet totally envious of) the sellers featured on The Storque's Quit Your Day Job series? I know I'm not the only one who used to read those stories on the computer AT the day job I wanted to quit, either. Well, five weeks ago, I did just that--I QUIT my day job in the hopes of crafting for a living. Now, I have to interject here. If you're anything like me, when you read these stories you immediately go to the person's shop to see how many sales he or she has made. Don't bother going to my shop--I've only had 13 sales. Unimpressive, I know. I'm fairly new to the industry and my sales are made from craft shows, so I don't think I'm totally wasting my time trying to be an independent artist here. I also have to say that I left my job at a commercial studio as a full time assistant and digital retoucher to pursue freelance assisting in studios around town...aaaaand I shoot weddings. What I'm saying is that I left my day job not expecting only to make an income from crafting.

Aside from reading the Quit Your Day Job and Featured Seller Articles, my eye was caught yesterday by a post in The Storque called Get Your Career in Gear, posted by Vanessa, an Etsy Admin. The article didn't really give advice, but it showed fun office items as a shout out to those sellers still stuck at the job they don't love. The topic got me to think, though, about the things I need to do to get more serious about staying self employed. This isn't a complete list but it includes:

1. See a CPA to get my accounts in order--http://www.cpadirectory.com/
2. Get my business name licensed--http://www.myownbusiness.org/business_permits_license/
3. Apply for more Craft Shows--I've never been able to find a great website for this. I've found out about shows through a couple local craft groups, so I would suggest making connections with the crafters in your area.
4. Find a marketing plan that works for me--http://www.etsy.com/storque/search/tags/seller-handbook/ (Basically read the Seller Handbook from start to finish).
5. Keep creating new items to post!

If anyone has other suggestions to build up their business that have worked well for them, please leave a comment.

Follow more of Julie's adventures at being her own boss by reading her blog http://jbirkemeierphoto.blogspot.com Also, be sure to visit her shop. Her photography's beautiful!

Owl Spotlight, Jbirkemeierphoto

"Staring at the pattern of the
flecks was dizzying. Staring at it
for a long time was hypnotizing."

--Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief

I could totally be Meryl Streep,
because I LOVE ORCHIDS!

Every year the Missouri Botanical Garden (www.mobot.org) hosts an orchid show. I got into photographing the show in 2006 when I had become really burned out on shooting portraits--which was all I was doing for my senior portfolio as I was graduating college. I went to the show not really knowing what to expect from myself, having never used a macro lens and not particularly caring about the subject.

After shooting for a couple of hours the experience ended up being extremely calming and revamped my love for photography. I go back to the garden every year to shoot the show. Four shows in, it is a great challenge to find an aspect of the flowers that I haven't already shot--but that's the fun of the creative challenge, isn't it?

My favorite way to photograph flowers is with a macro lens. Using the macro immediately allows me see the details in the orchid that I certainly wouldn't notice just in passing. It is captivating to study small sections of each petal--the tiny little hairs along folds and creases that make a delicate flower look like a cactus, each impulsive twist and curl in the edges. I really believe that if I didn't photograph orchids the majority of their beauty would go unappreciated in my mind. For this reason, I love sharing my photography with others. I want people to feel the same sense of awe that I have.

In the past year, aside from selling prints of my orchids, I began turning my work into coasters and note cards. Why not be able to enjoy the wonder of nature and protect your coffee table from water rings at the same time? For more orchids and orchid paraphernalia visit my Etsy shop at http://www.jbirkemeierphoto.etsy.com/.

Julie can also be found at http://www.jbirkemeierphoto.blogspot.com/ and is also on Twitter @juliebirkemeier Do check out her Etsy shop, she really makes some of the most gorgeous coasters!

There's still time to vote!!!

There's 23 hours left to vote on the Etsy Owls New Years Challenge---it's not too late to get your vote in! See the post below (or click on the link below if you aren't on our main blog page) for the entrant photos and vote in the poll on your left. A lot can change in 23 hours!

We'd also like to take the time to thank everyone from the Etsy community who has voted for our challenge. We have a record number of votes and it's awesome!

Here's the link for the entrants if you need it:

Click Me for some Awesome Photos