Saturday, September 29, 2012

Treasury Team Presents: Alter Ego


I like the idea that the best Halloween costume is one that brings out a side of you that isn't normally seen and embraces it fully.  My college chemistry teacher also once started stripping in class while giving the advice that "the worst Halloween costume is when you go as yourself."  Once he got out of his professor clothes, he was wearing a neon bike racing outfit (phew!).  So either way, our treasury challenge in the next two weeks is to explore the fun of your ideal Halloween persona.  Favorite costume of the past?  Seasonal embracing?  Modern politics?  Local party inspiration?

To participate:
  • Please include at least 4 SF Etsy team members (find with the tag "sfetsy" or "sf etsy") and don't forget that vintage and supplies hold some great treasures!  
  • Please tag your treasury itself with the full "sfetsy team treasury" so we can find each other and get seen by Etsy.com admin.  
  • In the description or first comment, link back to www.sfetsy.blogspot.com or www.fb.com/sfetsy so we can keep our community rolling.
  • Highest number of favorites, shares, comments, and clicks will win your shop and treasury the next blog feature!
  • Do message your featured sellers to let them know they are in your treasury and share your treasury in the SF Etsy team google groups as well as your own social media to spread your story!
Celebrating "Home Again" with the character of our Bay Area neighborhoods, we had myself (Even), Amanda Jayne, Lisa Spinella, Moria Hart, Jen Norton, Imelda, and Irina Lib curate treasuries and together we generated over 1700 views!  It's wonderful getting to know each other better too, please do chat in the comments and be friendly~

Our winning treasury was created by Lisa Spinella of TickleandSmash with nearly 450 interactions!  Go Lisa!  Lisa makes fantastic handbags in gorgeous and fun collage combinations.  Check out her very spooky Evilest Pazuzu bag, just in time for the scariest time of the year!
Halloween tote by Lisa Spinella of Tickle and Smash.

Thanks for participating! Our bi-weekly treasury challenges are open to all.  You can click "Create a List" on the right side of any existing treasury to begin your own.  I recommend using two open windows to make it easy to cut and paste listing numbers.  There's also the Treasury Tool from Shmetsy which is an add on app that helps you make treasuries faster (no cut and paste!) as well as message everyone in your treasury that they have been featured.  


If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Katy or Steph about joining SFEtsy!

Friday, September 28, 2012

#SFEtsy October 2nd - Product Selection




Etsy's Holiday Bootcamp has started again this year and I know many team members are participating or have done in the past. Even for seasoned sellers it can be useful to keep an eye on the articles for additional tips or reminders.

With this in mind I thought it might be useful if our tweetchats at least vaguely mirrored Etsy's Bootcamp schedule so this week we're going to be looking at product selection.

We'll talk about how we choose our price points and range of items. We'll also discuss how to work out what sells and how to build a line around that or discontinue a product, as well as how we choose new products to work on.

If you like to use tweetchat.com to follow our chats this is the link tweetchat.com/room/sfetsy

If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Katy or Steph about joining SFEtsy!

Rickshaw Bags Design Contest and Tour


Tuesday evening was the culmination event of our Rickshaw Bags design challenge and we celebrated SFEtsy style~creative friends, learning from our peers, wine and cookies...  Big thanks to our SFEtsy hosts Rebecca Saylor and Katy Atchison as well as Mark Dwight, Founder of Rickshaw Bags.

Our winner with the most likes for her design is Sarah Friedman of Birdbags.  She was bright eyed through the entire tour, her love for bags clearly visible.  Her design is based on the landscape of Sonoma and includes multiple appliques in vegan leather and machine embroidery.  As a special surpise, the runner up was also chosen to have her bag made!  Congrats to Usha of Usha Designs! Her bright flowers captured 21 shares on facebook during the contest.  Both designers have chosen their fabric and trims during our Rickshaw party and will be receiving their custom bags in a couple weeks.
Our winners Usha and Sarah in the Rickshaw sparkly pedicab!
Mark Dwight gave us a great tour through the manufacturing process of Rickshaw bags.  I saw many of our team members evaluating the scale, opportunities, and responsibilities of Rickshaw Bagworks (20 employees) in comparison with our own production levels.  It was great to hear some of Mark's challenges and successes.  We also talked about SF Made and it's potential as a service as a network for those in need of resources around scaling production of goods right here in San Francisco.  SF Etsy member Adra Valentine of Stone Valentine mentioned that she joined SF Made to find out who the cutters and sewers of the city are in case she needs them when increased orders come in for her cloth works.

Every designer present (and Jen by mail!) choose to have their original design made! It was a creative frenzy in the showroom as we chatted over fabric samples and helped each other find just the right match.  For each bag we choose the exterior fabric, interior fabric, and bag flap trim.  At one point we were all trying to fit a gorgeous seafoam into our designs and everyone loved the new herringbone fabrics (which are made in the USA from recycled bottles).  We'll all be getting our bags via mail or pick up within the next few weeks and Mark will be taking photos before they leave the factory.  We're looking forward to the group shot!
Katy and Mark working out her bag design options.
Mark reiterated his commitment to supporting local designers.  As SF Etsy team members, we now have the opportunity to design bag flaps and have the bags manufactured locally.  Please see Katy's original blog post to understand more about the process.  We all actually produced our own works in a suitable medium on fabric.  Purely printed designs can already be produced via Zazzle.com, which our members could use, but it's an entirely different scale to have custom artworks as well as the custom color choices.  The bag we all made is the Zero Messenger Bag, so named for it's very low amount of waste in cutting and manufacturing.  You can see Mark show how it's made in this video.

Thanks to all our participating designers and party goers! Lisa of TickleandSmash, Karen of Fabulry, Frances of Frances Marin Art, Fleur of ArteFleur, Jen of Mama's Magic Studio, Eve and Rick of Monkey and Seal, Toby of Savor the Date, Steph of Since Sass, Usha of Usha Designs, Sarah of Birdbags, Katy of Katy Atchison Illustrations, PJ of Wooliverse,  Eko of Eko Jewelry Design, Cristiana of Pebble and Fire, Nina of Neon Sprinkles Studio,  Adra of StoneValentine, Steph of Since Sass, Niana of SFlocal, and our colleagues and friends!

Bag design mini gallery!
If you've got great pictures to share or want to see more, do check out our tag #sfetsy on instagram and twitter!
Thanks again to our amazing creative instigator Rebecca Saylor! We all had a wonderful time and look forward to more~
Rebecca having a much deserved swoon after all the fun!
~Even


If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Katy or Steph about joining SFEtsy!

Thursday, September 27, 2012

#SFEtsy Catch Up - September 25th





Suggest a topic for a future chat or vote for topics you want to see here


If you missed our chat on Tuesday (Critique of Debbie's Etsy shop - Bluehour Studio), don't worry, you can  read the full transcript here. You can also login to create a list of your favourite tweets from the chat.


If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Katy or Steph about joining SFEtsy!

SF Etsy Team Survey: Results are in!


In August we launched a giant team survey to get to know each other better and find out how our leadership team can best support our growing community.  Thanks to everyone who participated in sharing your voice!  If you haven't done so yet, you still can right here: 
Thanks for taking the time to be part of our team's future direction!

In this post, I'll share some insights from the survey and our prize winners who all are receiving a "thank you" from members of the leadership team.  Winners were chosen by random numbers and matched with a leader's donation.  Thanks also to these leaders who have shared their works with us!
Winners, your prize donators will contact you through your Etsy shop, keep an eye out :)

Winning a cupcake painting and card set from Katy Atchison's shop is:
Kimberly of Multiflasking
Cutie Cupcake painting by Katy Atchison of Katy Atchison Illustrations for Kimberly!

Winning a cross stitch kit from Steph Cortes' shop is:
Nancy of Accessoryextraordinaire
Kits by Steph Cortes NerdJerk ~ for Nancy!

Winning a $25 gift certificate from Jen Johnson's shop is:
Christina of LeafandTendril
Gift Certificate from Jen Johnson of Mama's Magic Studio for Christina!

Winning a one of a kind handbag from Lisa Spinella's shop is:
Claire of Embergrass
Gorgeous Handbag from Lisa Spinella of TickleandSmash for Claire!

Winning a jam collection from Rochelle Foles' shop is:
Jessi of Makingjiggy
Seasonal Jam Set from Rochelle Foles of hauteplate for Jessi!

Winning a custom color crochet bracelet or ring from Even Howard's shop is:
Kyla of ImpressedbyNature
Custom Crochet jewelry from Even Howard of Nadene for Kyla!
~Some insights from the survey~

Communication and Networking:
Our team communicates mostly on the Google Group, this is the primary place to be! 89% of us read or post at least once a week.
  • 84% of members have their own facebook fan pages
  • 76% use twitter
  • 51% are following @SFEtsy on twitter at least once a week.
  • 34% have participated in a SFEtsy twitter chat (Tuesday mornings at 10am)
  • 60% have shared about our team shops or events on facebook
  • 91% talk up our team to friends, family, and colleagues at least once a month!
  • 39% have participated in at least one in-person SFEtsy event

What we want to Learn:
  • 77% Search Engine Optimization: Getting Found
  • 48% Pricing, making it as an independent business
  • 94% Want to improve sales on Etsy
  • 57% Want to learn how to branch out with online selling options
  • 59% Want to learn advanced social media
We learn the most from the Google Group, followed by the Etsy Seller Handbook and learning from our peers at in-person events.

Why we joined SF Etsy:
"I love the enthusiasm and community support. sf etsy is a wonderful resource full of very sweet & driven people. I hoped it would also help my shop's visibility, which I do believe it has :)"

"I am new to SF and I wanted to become apart of the crafting community, network and make some friends."

"I was referred to the SF Etsy team by another member at a craft show I was vending at. She said it would be a great way to learn about local events, and she was correct."

"I joined in March of 2007, very small team of less than 10 folks. I am a native SF-er and interested in everything regarding San Francisco"

"To interact with local artisans and learn more about having a successful business."

"To network with other artists in the Bay Area. Potentially collaborate. Let each other know about resources"

"To connect with other sellers in my area so I didn't feel quite so isolated, to discover more vending opportunities, and to learn from other small business owners."

"I joined for information about shows and got so much more than I expected, including the opportunity to know some awesome people!"

What we think about our shops on Etsy:
31% of you would like to expand your shop into a full-time business!
30% have never sold at a craft fair or market.

There's plenty more too!  Team Leaders and Volunteers are listening and have created the SF Etsy Holiday Boot Camp Events for  learning new skills. It's a great season for networking and expanding our sales opportunities; take advantage of the SF Etsy Holiday Show~Vagabond Indie at Urban Bazaar and our SF Etsy Pop Up at Bazaar Bizarre!  I'll share more insights as topics come up, feel free to ask questions in the comments and I'll answer right away~

Thanks again Team and if you haven't added your voice yet, please do so!
http://tinyurl.com/sfetsysurvey

~Even


If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Katy or Steph about joining SFEtsy!

Sunday, September 23, 2012

#SFEtsy September 25th - Shop Critique (Bluehour Studio)




It's time for another shop critique and Debbie is next on the signup list so our chat this week will be about Bluehour Studio

You can find her Etsy shop here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/bluehourstudio


As last time, other chat participants will be looking over the shop and offering their (constructive) opinions on each of these areas:
Overall feel
About Page
Photos
Policies
Products
Product Descriptions

There will also be a chance to offer any additional feedback which you think would be helpful.

If you would like to volunteer to have your shop critiqued at a future chat, please fill out your information in this sheet

If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Katy or Steph about joining SFEtsy!

An Ode to Martha

Hey folks!

     Our fellow teammate Zelmarose is in the running for the Martha Stewart American Made Awards, a contest that is "searching for the rising stars in a new generation of small-business owners." Lisa has moved to the final round - down to only 100 people out of 2,000! Read below learn about her exciting journey through this process, what it's meant for her, and how its' affected her shop, and then check out the contest before voting ends tomorrow!



Me  & Martha.

To say I love Martha Stewart would be the understatement of the century.  She’s amazing.  A top-notch businesswoman, intelligent, fierce, an innovative eye for trends and creativity long before the rest of us catch on, and a stamina that just won’t quit.  She has built her business from the ground up twice, mastered all channels of media and baked brownies with Snoop Dog.  Martha just plain rules!  

You can imagine then my out of control excitement when my friend Kelly alerted me that Martha and her crew were having a contest to find unique makers from across America.  No sooner did I get the message from Kelly that I received an email from the American Maker Contest that I had been nominated.  Now don’t get too excited, to be nominated only means that you either nominated yourself, or a friend or fan nominated you.  I didn’t care if it meant my mom had done it, I was psyched!  I got to work right away.  After checking out the other nominee entries, the first call I made was to my good friend Karrie Myers Taylor of Videokard.  Karrie is gifted behind the camera and creates video based business cards for all kinds of professionals and businesses.  I knew if I wanted to catch the eye of Martha’s editors, I had to get Karrie to shoot one of her trademark videos.  Karrie was on board!  Next step was to cram as much info as I could about me, my business and my goals into 1500 characters.  Then on to choosing just the right bio and product photos.  Luckily this was easy. My friend and Awfully Grand blogging partner Sarah Deragon takes all my headshots and model shots for Zelma Rose.  I was set.  

I started Zelma Rose a little over two years ago.  I come from a long lineage of master woodworkers and seamstresses and crazy creative types.  We Andersons make with our hands.  I’ve always been an artist and worked as one for many years, but took a brief, okay not really, try 6 year detour to become a licensed psychotherapist.  That was great and I still love psychology but through a wild series of strange events called life, I went back to my first love when my man and I started a family.  I have my hands in many things, as a businesswoman.  There is Zelma Rose, Wed & Roses, my wedding cake topper business, and Lisa Anderson Shaffer Consulting.  I provide psychologically minded business solutions for startups, tech companies, and small businesses.  Whew!  That and I am a blogger.  I blog here and there, for my own blogs, Zelma Rose and Awfully Grand, and provide content for IndieMade, Stitch Labs, and Rena Tom.net.  I looove to write.  This whole woman with many hats thing works for me and I am an endlessly happy worker bee.   

My goal going into the contest was to just somehow someway get the Martha crew’s attention.  I thought if I never got anywhere beyond being a nominee it still meant that for one brief second, someone over at Martha Stewart Omnimedia was going to be aware that I existed.  A few days later, early in the morning while chasing after my toddler my husband called to tell me I made it to the final round.  Yes, I totally screamed.  The final round means that among over 2000 entries, I was chosen to be 1 of 100.  Now it is the audience’s turn to pick one winner and Martha and her crew to choose 10 winners.  Yikes.  The audience voting ends September 24.  My fingers and toes are crossed and I’m hoping for the best.  I feel so much support and love from my customers, friends, SF Etsy teammates and family.  Everyone has voted and kept the cheering section going strong.  I definitely do not have thousands of votes, but maybe just maybe…

Whatever happens, I’m just thrilled to have been on the Martha Stewart radar for a brief moment in time.  The exposure has been great and I’ve seen an increase in sales, Zelma Rose is spreading on Pinterest (The Martha peeps even pinned one themselves), and I’ve been contacted by some PR agencies, and press.  All in all it’s been awesome.  And mission accomplished!  My fantasy is that somewhere on someone’s’ desktop at Martha Stewart is a folder with Zelma Rose on it. I’m waiting for that email saying that she absolutely needs samples of my work to shoot for the next issue.  Martha, I’m ready and waiting!! 

- Lisa of Zelmarose





If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Katy or Steph about joining SFEtsy!

Friday, September 21, 2012

Friday Feature - RoseLaMer


Happy Halloween! Friday!

Okay, it might seem early, but Halloween, for lots of people, is one of those holidays that creeps up so fast, they don't plan for it. Folks find themselves on Friday night trying to pull together a black dress and broom, white sheet with eye holes cut out, or a roll of toilet paper and tape (fingers crossed it doesn't rain!) Now, I know we're all crafty people, but there are only so many hours in a day that your fingers can handle! Luckily, there's shop RoseLaMer. Her handmade hats, headpieces, and combs are so ornate, they'll make your costume speak for itself. You've got some time to decide, but hurry up before you see that 1920s gal at the party wearing the amazing bird brooch comb you were going to buy!  


Enjoy the interview. Kelsey's story is just as interesting as her creations.


1. What is your shop name and URL? 



2. To which Etsy Teams do you belong?

Milliners of Etsy, Its a Madcap Life, Business Topics, Etsy Contest, Vintage Lovers, SF Etsy


3. Please tell us about the items in your Etsy shop. What do you make? How did you learn your craft? What is involved in your creative process?

I make hats and headpieces using vintage and reclaimed materials, all made by hand. I've never been officially taught hat-making, but I've learned my way through a stack of vintage millinery books and fashion texts. Much of what I do is pieced together through experiences I've had in my life; having learned sewing from my amazing mother, working in a costume shop, being an antique rug restoration specialist, and just making art and crafts all the time. I have also met some amazing milliners through etsy, and all of these women have given tips. Usually I go into my studio, pull out my fashion books and a stack of fabrics, feathers, netting, and gems and just shuffle around until items click together. But, most of the time I'll be laying wide awake in the middle of the night and be seeing crazy ideas floating around.


4. Tell us two (or more) other interesting things about you. 

I run my hat business on the side. I have a full time job working at a jewelry manufacturer and wholesaler called Nina Designs. I work with a group of ten amazing women to run the day-to-day of the business. We do everything from customer service to website troubleshooting. And we do get to play with some amazing jewelry components! I live in a tiny town called Crockett, out on the edge of the San Pablo Bay, with my partner and our dog and cat. We bought an amazing fixer-up house and have been totally immersed in the joys of tiling, roofing, decking, and painting. As well as going thrifting and antiquing for fun household items! I used to be an art teacher at a K-5th program where I had some great excuses for working on my other loves of painting, muraling, and crafting.


5. What inspires your creations?

I am inspired by eras past. I adore scanning fashion frames from the 1870s-1950s. There are so many variations of styles and ideas through those decades that the possibilities of inspiration are endless. I also have the 'Fashion' book from the Kyoto Fashion institute. That book is what my mom and a few of my fashion friends call our Bible. It has an amazing amazing wealth of fashion knowledge, and I would never want to be without it.


6. What is the craziest gift you have ever received?

I don't know that its weird crazy, but it was totally a wild time. It was Valentine's Day, and my beau called me up and asked if I had gotten home yet. I said yes, and he said he was just pulling up into the driveway but I couldn't look out the window. He pulled up, got me outside blindfolded, and then revealed his gift: he had done some installation work at a theatre in Marin and was asked to take some items out to the dump. One item was a Victorian couch, fully restored with red velvet cushions and perfect wood work. they didn't want it, he snuck it into his truck, and brought it home to me for V-Day. It was totally unexpected and perfect!


7. Where else can we find out more about you and/or your creations?

You can find me and friend me on facebook! facebook.com/roselamer


If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Katy or Steph about joining SFEtsy!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

#SFEtsy Catch Up - September 18th




Suggest a topic for a future chat or vote for topics you want to see here


If you missed our chat on Tuesday (Crafting Connections with Steph from Nerd JERK), don't worry, you can  read the full transcript here. You can also login to create a list of your favourite tweets from the chat.


If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Katy or Steph about joining SFEtsy!

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Tuestorials: Gold Bootie Redo

Ankle boots or booties are everywhere now. I have a small collection I wear year-round that is starting to show it's use. On my boots, the heels are the first to go. Rather than throw out that pair, I decided to give it some love and add some fun too. If you do not have a pair of booties laying around, you can easily find a cheap pair at Payless Shoes or your local Goodwill.


Not Many Materials Needed to Create Your New Look!
Materials
  • Old ankle boots or booties
  • Gold paint (spray paint works too!)
  • Brush
  • Painter's tape
  • Newspaper or paper bag (for protection)

Booties Needing an Update!
Step 1:

Select boots with a defined heel and take note of the material. The boots I selected are made of faux suede and I used a fast dry enamel paint (in a "gold leaf" shade).

It's Ready!
Step 2:

Clean the area you want to paint and apply painter’s tape around it. On my boot, I applied painter's tape around the top of the heel.

Step 3:

Apply paint. For gold paint on black boots, apply two coats. Dry in-between for best results.

New Dancing Shoes!
Step 4:

After the paint dries, remove painter's tape and admire your work! Your new shoes are now ready to party. Adding glitter or stripes to the heels are good remix ideas too. Be inspired by your craft closet to create a new look!


If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Katy or Steph about joining SFEtsy!

Monday, September 17, 2012

#SFEtsy September 18th - Crafting Connections





This post may be a lot later than usual but trust me when I say the wait is worth it! This week's chat will be co-hosted by our co-captain - Steph from Nerd JERK.

We'll be hearing Steph's wisdom on Crafting Connections. You'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out the specifics!

If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Katy or Steph about joining SFEtsy!

Thursday, September 13, 2012

#SFEtsy Catch Up - September 11th





Suggest a topic for a future chat or vote for topics you want to see here


If you missed our chat on Tuesday (One Of A Kind Items), don't worry, you can  read the full transcript here. You can also login to create a list of your favourite tweets from the chat.


If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Katy or Steph about joining SFEtsy!

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Rickshaw Bags Design Contest ~ Works in Progress

Our collaborative contest with Rickshaw Bags is coming up to deadline this Saturday, September 15th. There's still time to participate and have your design made into a custom Rickshaw messenger bag! All the details are here.  All entries will be voted on via Facebook and shown at the celebration event:
WINNER ANNOUNCED DURING THE
SF ETSY EVENT @ RICKSHAW BAGS
SEPTEMBER 25th @6pm
904 22nd Street – San Francisco, CA
Right next to 22nd Street Cal Train Station
So, what are we making?  I asked our team to share their designs in progress and here's two ideas.  Feel free to share yours in the comments below or email me at evenhoward @ gmail.com and I'll add your photos too!

Sarah Friedman of Birdbags

"The design is sketched roughly, in chalk.  Lately, I have been missing home (New York) and have decided to make this flap in honor of our new home in Northern California, by celebrating all that the landscape has to offer.
Sarah's work in progress Rickshaw Bag Flap design drawn with inspiration photo.

My flap design is based on a photo that I took in Sonoma County, when we first moved here.  I will be using the colors and the design elements in the landscape to create an abstract version of the image on a piece of Turquoise "Vegan Leather" (Vinyl).  I will be machine embroidering the elements to create a "drawing" in thread.


Sarah's new Nightingale Handbag ~ check out her machine embroidery!
I've been experimenting with embroidery on vinyl to give an extra dimension to the fabric.  I'm having a lot of fun with it, so I am excited to push the limits in a more literal, pictorial way with this design."


Jen Johnson of Mama's Magic Studio

"Lately I’ve been playing with a “Bluebirds – Happiness” theme for collage quilts, and I continued the idea for my bag flap. I’m attaching a pic of the submission finished so far and a pic of my wall hanging quilt that started the series. I’m trying to decide if I want to include a heart above the two birds similar to the one in the wall hanging quilt. Leaning towards no, but still deciding and would love opinions!
Jen's Rickshaw Bag Flap Design ~ entirely made from FabMo fabrics. 

Oh, and one more thing that might be of interest – my submission was created entirely from upcycled designer fabric remnants obtained through the recent SF Etsy fabric distribution at FabMo!"
Jen Johnson's Birds of Happiness quilted panel~her bag inspiration!

Jen's "Mother Bird Nest Pendant" from her Etsy Shop


I'm working on a colorful thread crochet flap; I hope with a graphic black and white element. Betsy is using Spoonflower to print her own fabric.  The possiblities are endless!  Looking forward to seeing more of what our team creates!  Questions about the bag contest can be directed to our fearless Captain Katy.




If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Katy or Steph about joining SFEtsy!
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