Friday, July 31, 2009

shop of the week-ETT


Kimberley Williams, of Glitzy Events has one mission: to provide high quality products and personalized service to her clients. Whether working with brides-to-be, or those planning graduation, anniversary or other celebrations, Glitzy Events is a one-stop source for everything from gorgeous, fully customized invitations to products such as unity & memorial candles, place cards, menus, programs, etc.
Born out of Kimberley's frustrations while planning her own wedding, Glitzy Events is happy to design something unique for a customer. "We can take any design in our shop and customize it completely for our clients. If a client loves our work but wants something a little different we will work with them until we can come up with a design that they love. We don’t charge any additional design fees as we feel that this is part of the custom process." Located in New York, the shop currently ships to the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK and is always happy to provide shipping quotes for other International customers.
With a full service website as well as an Etsy location, Kim's always looking for ways to save time and has found Twitter to be very useful in reaching new clients.
"Twitterfeed.com has been an extremely helpful tool. As I list new items they are posted to my twitter account automatically within 30 minutes which then results in immediate views for my products. Using this tool saves me a lot of time and allows my products to be seen by hundreds of people almost instantly. This has helped me to connect with other professionals within and outside of my industry. These connections lead to referrals which lead to sales."


Glitzy Events is offering two specials this week: Become a Fan of their Facebook Page (http://facebook.com/GlitzyEvents), leave a comment on their Wall, and receive 5% off your full
invitation order
AND
Order 2 or more INVITATION samples and get free shipping...refund to be issued via Paypal.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

I was Featured on Etsy Twitter team as a guest blogger


This was posted on
http://etsytwitter.blogspot.com/
for the Go Green event please enjoy:

Guest Blogger:
Jen from
Jenco13.etsy.com

Think about how many places or times today you heard something about Going Green? Was it at the office, the grocery store, your child or a friend who spoke of it? In my house we talk about recycling everyday and I try as hard as I can to clean and recycle everything I can.

With school starting right around the corner the art rooms are in need of supplies. What can you send in or call your local school to donate? Well, lets see… at breakfast you may eat eggs. That egg carton could be used in classrooms to help students learn how to sort items or make a wonderful art project. At lunchtime you may have had a yogurt. Did you know that the schools use these in many different places? In the classrooms they use it for water, paints, and glue so they don’t spill. Other schools have a local charity that may give the school 2 - 5 cents for each (cleaned) container they receive (check your local schools newsletters or websites). Then comes dinner… You’re in a rush and you take that Healthy Choice out of the freezer and pop it into the microwave. Then into the garbage afterward, right?? Wrong. Wash it set it aside and give it to a school!! They are used for science projects or painting. All of these plastics may have the number 7 on it, but we could make a difference in our daily world instead of allowing the schools to go out and buy unnecessary supplies. You can be supporting the arts as well! Don’t want to contact the school… not a problem! Contact a friend you know who does art!

One of the books I have in my house is all about recycling. I haven’t gotten a chance to read all of it yet, but there are some really good steps about becoming green in this book that the Etsy Twitter Team has already done. Check it out!

Paper

With the amount of paper that is wasted on a daily basis, it’s no wonder that we are losing our forest and fresh air bit by bit. ACageyBee.etsy.com makes these adorable cards with paintings of girls on them. The envelopes that come with her cards are 100% recycled material. What a great way to write to a friend about an amazing book you have been reading about! Pick a card that looks like you or your friend to send to him or her. It will show your friends how much you’re thinking of them!!

Or how about a handmade Christmas tree ornament for that very special person from SalonDArte.etsy.com –Hey, it’s never to early to start your holiday shopping and help the earth at the same time!

Want to start a journal or a sketchbook? What about a list of things to do? In Pretty Cheap’s shop I’m sure you will find her journals to be perfect along with the fact that they are upcycled!!

Love beautiful flowers and real pictures on your cards? Check out DeeJayPhotography.etsy.com. They use 100% recycled cards with 100% recycled envelopes.

Jewelry

I don’t know about you, but some of the best jewelry I ever have received was handmade by someone. Many of our team’s shops recycle something that we see every day such as milk caps or dominoes. You also see them taking antique pieces of jewelry and making their own creations or upcycling vintage plastic beads and chains.

Here are some of my favorite shops:

ThatsHeadley.etsy.com - recycles tins into fabulous jewelry
PunkyJane.etsy.com - metal clay silver jewelry that is recycled silver
WellspringCreations.etsy.com - all natural stone jewelry
PrettyWhimsical.etsy.com - recycled pendants
NovaScotiaBeachGlass.etsy.com - a day at the beach jewelry!
LindaB142.etsy.com - love the bottle cap earrings!!
InMyHeadStudios.etsy.com - upcycled domino and Scrabble tile pendants
FirebirdHouse.etsy.com - antique jewelry pieces made new again
EchodAmour.etsy.com - custom item jewelry with recycled metals
BeadsofGlass.etsy.com - uses metal clay that contains recycled silver (99.9% silver)

According to my book, it’s a great way to go for a vintage item such as necklaces, wedding rings, etc. instead of buying something new. Why? Because metal is not being melted down to make new items. What do you need to melt down metal? Fuel. Energy. These things are becoming precious in our world. Buying vintage really helps to save the world in the long run!

Home Decor

Decorating your home can be really hard these days. Too many choices if you ask me! Plus you want everyone to walk into your home and say, “Oooooh, that’s so nice! Where did you find that?” You can make your home one-of-a-kind by checking out these handmade goodies!

KimWhiteCreations.etsy.com – tic tack toe pillows
FirebirdHouse.etsy.com – recycled sweater felted pillows that hide your journals
GeekDetails.etsy.com – uses some upcycled materials in her work
CuriousMess.etsy.com – recycled embroidered olive oil bottles

Now go enjoy a “Go Green” party and show off your green items!!

Go Green Bags

Reuse your grocery bags!! When my great grandmother was around she used to take all of the plastic bags and twist, turn, and knot them until they became a door mat. Yes, a door mat! They lasted a lot longer than you would think and they cleaned her son’s boots off from the farm. (That’s what my grandmother tells me.) Grandma would be proud of me because even though I may not know how to make these amazing door mats, I use a recyclable bag every time I go to the grocery store, the mall, or even that big warehouse I love so much. Here are a few stores on our team that sell these bags!

PinsWithFury.etsy.com
JaybirdDesigns.etsy.com
HandmadeBySandi.etsy.com

Did you know you would also be helping animals not eat these plastics in the sea or fill our landfills? How about helping the super markets save money on plastic bags? Ask their front desk to see if they give a you discount for every reusable bag you use. It could range from 5 to 25 cents each!!

Back to School Must Haves


The last bit of shopping I want to share with you are back to school items… there will be hats, shawls, back packs, cup cozies, and sweaters that are needed for fall fashion. Jump start that fashion with some of our shops:

KnittingGuru.etsy.com - uses eco-friendly yarn
JusShar.etsy.com - shawls and the coolest skirts (with bags to match)
Jenco13.etsy.com - scarves and cup cozies
HuayruroPeru.etsy.com – eco-friendly jewelry
HerbanLifestyle.etsy.com - organic teas and bath items to help you unwind from that long day at school or work
GreenBubble.etsy.com - organic and natural bath items
AquarianBath.etsy.com - no chemical fragrants
AmieVoltaire.etsy.com – adorable eco-friendly back to school outfits for children


I hope you check out some of these amazing shops because becoming a “Go Green” person is easier than you think when you start shopping with the Etsy Twitter Team.

If you would like to know where to buy a certain Go Green item, please post your questions here and we will point you in the right direction!

Happy shopping!

- Jen

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

shop of the week july 20- GEEKDETAILS


Amanda Roberts, of GeekDetails.etsy.com, is a very creative artist. She makes a variety of handmade items that are all geeky in nature. She has everything from pinback buttons to handpainted dishware to specimens from her favorite books. She is constantly rolling out new products based on her favorite geeky past times. Her store inventory is a reflection of what she’s into at the moment. And it’s all wonderful geeky goodness!! But you don’t have to be a geek to enjoy her work. It’s all very fun and sometimes whimsical. Her buttons are quite witty!!

“I want my customers to know the attention to detail that goes into my products. I don’t make things I wouldn’t be happy with receiving myself. I love making custom orders and just because an item isn’t listed doesn’t mean I’m not willing to make it. Some of my favorite items stem from a customer contacting me about an idea they had.

“What inspires me: I can look at a shell shaped dish and figure out something to do with it or overhear a conversation during a party and run upstairs with a new idea for the store. Some of my best ideas for my store happen over a couple drinks with geeky male friends while discussing the finer points of Arathi Basin or heckling the zombie lore of a movie.”


Monday, July 20, 2009
Shop of the Week: Geek Details



Amanda Roberts, of GeekDetails.etsy.com, is a very creative artist. She makes a variety of handmade items that are all geeky in nature. She has everything from pinback buttons to handpainted dishware to specimens from her favorite books. She is constantly rolling out new products based on her favorite geeky past times. Her store inventory is a reflection of what she’s into at the moment. And it’s all wonderful geeky goodness!! But you don’t have to be a geek to enjoy her work. It’s all very fun and sometimes whimsical. Her buttons are quite witty!!

“I want my customers to know the attention to detail that goes into my products. I don’t make things I wouldn’t be happy with receiving myself. I love making custom orders and just because an item isn’t listed doesn’t mean I’m not willing to make it. Some of my favorite items stem from a customer contacting me about an idea they had.

“What inspires me: I can look at a shell shaped dish and figure out something to do with it or overhear a conversation during a party and run upstairs with a new idea for the store. Some of my best ideas for my store happen over a couple drinks with geeky male friends while discussing the finer points of Arathi Basin or heckling the zombie lore of a movie.”




Twitter tricks of the trade: “I have a widget on my blog now that posts to my Twitter account every time I post a new entry on the blog. It also does a Twitter feed in a sidebar of my blog for me. I’ve found this to be helpful in directing traffic to my blog or my Twitter and it also makes the Twitter account a bit easier to update.”

Follow her @geekdetails
Read her blog at geekdetails.com/blog


Special Deal for the Week: One FREE button for every $10 in merchandise purchased (shipping not included). Include the names of the buttons you’d like in the notes to seller. She will also have a listing up for a value pack of buttons that will be up for one week.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Etsy Twitter Team


Etsy Twitter Team: "Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Go Green with the Etsy Twitter Team is Coming!
Graphic created by Susan Brown of SalonDArte


The Etsy Twitter Team is throwing an eco-party, and everyone is invited!


From July 21st to July 27th, the authority on Twitter for all things handmade will be offering a summer feast of cool eco-friendly tips, suggestions, awesome handcrafted genius and a scavenger hunt with lots of “green” prizes for the winners.

Our team, which uses Twitter to expand its reach to a global audience, thinks that “Going Green” is far more than just a sales pitch. We really want to dispel the myth that items that are “green” have to be expensive or time-consuming to find, and encourage people to think of ways they can conserve the most valuable resource we have, which is the Earth itself. This is one way to really turn people on to the idea of buying responsibly and learning how to find items, which support, rather than harm, our natural resources.

We feel that supporting green initiatives are part of meeting the Etsy Twitter Team's mission to become the authority on Twitter for all things handmade. The handmade lifestyle is an important piece of the eco-puzzle and we want to be sure and share that with the rest of the world, on Twitter and off.

Beginning on Tuesday, July 21st, our blog will have a list of participating shops that feature eco-friendly handmade items and more details about the fun scavenger hunt. See you there!!"
If you would like more information or a Press Release on this event please contact me through twitter @jenco13 with your email address.

Monday, July 6, 2009

One on One with ThatsHeadley!

Starting this month I am going to be interviewing artist one on one about the little things we don't hear about. This week I interviewed Ginny from ThatsHeadley! She is a fellow member of the Etsytwitter Team on Etsy.


1. What inspires you to make your items/craft?

I am inspired by all the wonders and colors of nature, and the pretty stones and shiny silver I love to work with. I think I have a bit of the magpie in me!

2. Do you have a special place in your home that you work in?

Yes, I have a jewelry bench set up in my home office (more on that later), but I can take small wire-wrapping projects anywhere. But I like my bench the best.

3. What else do you do besides the crafts?

I am a full-time consultant in public health - which is why I have a home office, because I do a lot of writing and data analysis - but I also travel all around Texas for projects that I work on in infectious disease control and prevention, and in emergency preparedness. I also am a wife and mom - I love all four of my jobs!

4. If you could go any place in the world where would you go?

Oh, this is a hard one for me. I want to see so many places! But the next on one my list is Paris next spring with my daughter. We're going in March, and I can hardly wait!

5. What is your favorite item to make in your shop? and why?

My favorite item to make are my
Whirled Peas! The Peas in a Pod Earrings are so light and beautiful, and proceeds from every sale go to help out the Fisher Houses, one of my favorite charities. These Houses are like "Ronald McDonald" houses, except they are for families of veterans who have to travel to receive medical care. I think it is so important for us to give back to those who sacrifice all for our country, and even though it's a small contribution, it means a lot to me to be able to help even just a little bit.

to learn more about Ginny and her amazing shop please visit her blog at http://thatsheadley.blogspot.com/

follow her on twitter at : http://twitter.com/thatsheadley
or visit her shop on
ETSY

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

ETT Shop of the week : SumikoShop 6/29-7/5


Evelyn Palazzin, of sumikoshop creates gorgeous jewelry and accessories for women. Whats very unique about Evelyn's shop is that she is from Italy. Her colors and old world charm make each piece stand out from the next. Picture here is the SunFlower Ring which is part of her floral collection.

Follow her on Twitter: @SumikoShop
Read her blog: SumikoCreations.blogspot.com


Special Offer for the Week: Free shipping worldwide. Mention “Etsy Twitter” in Message to Seller and shipping will be refunded.