Welcome to Rebecca Saylor, Our New Co-Captain!

Rebecca Saylor has been our Leader for Community Involvement and is stepping up to Co-Captain! Please join me in welcoming her to this role.  Our Co-Captains are paired up for overlapping 2 year terms so we can look forward to lots of fun with Rebecca and her shop OodleBaDoodle.

Many of us already know Rebecca from her recent success hosting the Bayview SF Etsy event: The Indie Holiday Emporium. She also is the creative mind behind the fantastic partnership with Rickshaw Bagworks. Whether teaching the latest Meet and Make or mentoring individual sellers, Rebecca freely shares her experience and enthusiasm for all things self-made. I had some fun interviewing her and hope you enjoy reading her answers and getting to know her better!

~Even

Meet Rebecca Saylor ~ SF Etsy Co-Captain

Rebecca Saylor and her famous Owl

Come say Hi on Facebook, Twitter, Etsy, Instagram, Pinterest, Flikr

How did you become part of SF Etsy? 

I moved to San Francisco in February of 2010 and not long after, I attended a panel discussion at the old Museum of Craft and Folk Art which included founding  team captain Jen Johnson. I had been a member of Etsy (both selling things and buying things) for a few years and it was an inspiration to see a local team of so many like-minded people and I wanted to get to know everyone!

What has SF Etsy helped you with in your business life?

The big help has been just giving me direction and a group of friends in a new city. Because I came from a business background, I started my business with a business plan but I had no idea what I wanted to sell. Maybe that seems odd and it's totally backwards, but that's how I did it!  Like many makers,I found it difficult to limit myself to making just one item and I tried a bunch of different ideas before developing the decorative pillow concept. After I joined the team, I went to a small meet up at Katy Atchinson's apartment and it was with the

encouragement of Katy, Eko Wright and Talia Jewell that I decided to develop the hipster owls into a viable product. Meeting other team members gives you the chance to flesh out ideas and grow your business in a way you might not have imagined. Being part of a local Etsy team has allowed my business to thrive offline and online.

What partnerships, collaborations, or community connections are you looking forward to fostering?

Before opening my Oodlebadoodle shop, I had a prosperous 15 year career in Human Resources and technical recruiting. Being part of the team has given me a chance to put those skills to use to develop ongoing relationships with local businesses to provide opportunities for our members. Over the last couple of years, we've created partnerships with local businesses like Rickshaw Bagworks, FabMo, All Good Pizza and Ruth's Table - our plan is to expand on those realtionships and develop new ones that can give all of our members an

opportunity to grow their own businesses.

How do you get inspiration for your evolving product line? 

Well, the creative process is a bit messy and sometimes I I find it difficult to process all my ideas. My inspiration comes from my love of fashion and the environment or sometimes an event in my life that sparks an idea. Oodlebadoodle started with "hipster owls" and the inspiration behind those owls, was actually the fashion I saw on the streets of San Francisco. I really admire the attention to detail that the men of this city take in how they present themselves and so the owls are a way for me to express my appreciation for men's fashion and my love of owls and other animals. Once I started putting myself out there with the owls, I began getting requests from my customers for other animals and I then selected ideas that I thought I could execute with my OodleBaDoodle spin.

OodleBaDoodle by Rebecca Saylor

Late last year, I had this idea that I wanted to somehow express how much I love the city of San Francisco. I've been know to say "I want to give this city a hug" so that's why I decided to make huggable pieces of this city, so I can hug it anytime I want!  That concept sparked an idea to designed and made a huggable Victorian house,

Golden Gate Bridge and Cable Car. I'm happy to know other people share my love of the city and want to hug it too! I'm expanding that product line to include a huggable Transamerica Building, Sutro Tower and huggable Oakland Cranes. If you want to hug something else in San Francisco, let me know :)

I started my career at a machine building company, just out of college. That company used to manufacture type sets for printing presses (think old school newspapers all made by hand) As you can imagine, they don't make those typesets anymore, but while working there, I fell in love with letters and type and the whole process of

making it. In particular, I really love the ampersand symbol. That simple symbol alone says so much, doesn't it? I look at it and I see love, togetherness, community, and joining of forces. So I'm working on a series of huggable ampersands based on some early type sets that were never made into fonts. Those will be available in the coming weeks.

I like to think that my pieces tell a story and that keeps me motivated to continue to create.

Do you have other volunteer jobs?

I love to volunteeer! I feel very fortunate to be able to give my time to different community programs. Currently, I volunteer as a helper for the Etsy Meet & Make programs at the Museum of Craft & Design and I love to volunteer with FabMo with pick ups here in San Francisco or other projects they have going on in the city. I also have been mentoring a young man coming out of the foster care system who is learning to sew. Volunteering fills my spirit and I couldn't thrive without it.

What have been some of your favorite team events? 

Geez, there are so many events and I love all of them! There are a few that stand out, like our design contest with Rickshaw bagworks. I've been such a fan of the Etsy Meet and Make programs, as a teacher, volunteer or just an attendee, they are so much fun! Participating in the South Bay Meet and Make led to several personal and business connections that I am forever grateful for. I'm happy to have a friendship with Rosella from Ross Labs that came from that meet up.

All the events we've had at Ruth's Table. I met another dear friend, Paola from Knits by Paola at the Pricing Event, my co-captain, Even Howard presented. I learned a great deal that night about shipping, pricing and marketing my pieces. The two events that Stephanie Bolton from Since Sass and I put together with Ruth's Table were a blast too!  We did a FabMo selection event and a craft swap. We hope to repeat both of those this year.

One of my all time favorite small meet ups was held at Adra Valentine's house. We had a "crafty computer day" and spent time working on listings for our Etsy shops and eating delicious food. That was truly an inspirational day for me.

Rebecca, Adra, Eko, Katy, Even, and Talia meeting for "Crafty Computer Night"

Of course, I was blown away by the participation and excitement around our team Holiday show at All Good Pizza in the Bayview district. It was an honor to be part of such a great event for the team.

Recently, some of the team leaders, including the amazing Lisa Spinella, have been casually getting together

on Fridays for a little inspirational field trip somewhere in the city. We will be formally opening those field trips up to all of you on the team and I am really looking forward to meeting more of our team members.

You've brought some new leadership talent with you; can you let us know who and how you are looking forward to working with them?

I feel honored and proud of all of our members and it's really a pleasure when I get to know people more personally. In the past year, I've particularly enjoyed getting to know the very talented Betsey Reiche from B-Spired and Chelsea Farley from CuppaFog. We are so lucky to have them on our team and they both have joined the leadership team in 2014.

Betsey will be taking on my former position as Community Leader; she

has already been making connections and putting together some great

opportunities for all of us in the coming weeks. She's a very

inspiring person and her bubbly, inviting personality lends itself to

being a leader on our team. Chelsea will be bringing her savvy

bookkeeper skills to the leadership team as our Treasurer. It's

awesome that we actually need her to manage our funds. The leadership

team is so excited to be able to bring a series of exciting coaching

and business development programs that we will be rolling out in the

coming weeks to our SF Etsy team members! 

{We have a few more new great leaders coming on board and will be featuring all of them in upcoming blog posts!}

Catching up online with Rebecca:

She's a big fan of Fabmo: Banner Tutorial, No-Sew Coaster Tutorial
She's a great sewing teacher: Museum of Craft and Design Meet and Make

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Our Team Captain about joining SFEtsy!

SF Etsy Needs You!

Our team has reached an awesome place~we have more opportunities than we can accept! Every week our leadership team receives requests for partnerships and we need your help to take advantage of potential marketing, selling, and community events offered to our sellers. 

To make it easy for you, I've organized our present volunteer opportunities below. We have online and out and about, team leadership and community connections, long terms and quick help options. You can reach out directly to the contacts listed for each position.
All of these positions qualify you for inclusion on the fabulous SF Etsy Leadership Team which include blog and Etsy.com priority linkbacks, fun leadership only events and opportunities, and the choice to grow or streamline your position in the company of great friends.  A steady hour per week helps tremendously! Our special events are planned around our volunteers' timelines so you can participate a little or a lot.
Many of these jobs can start in 2014 so if becoming more involved is one of your upcoming resolutions, reach out now and we'll set you up!  We look forward to unveiling an expanded leadership team in the New Year!
~Even

Online Only Positions:

These are great if you like checking in at least weekly and would like a commitment that fits in anytime, anywhere.


Graphic Designer
Any location, Longer Term
Contact: Katy Atchison
Katy often creates our posters and online images for our events and she would love to have help from a budding designer or an experienced designer in search of some quick work.  You could choose to create for specific events or partner with Katy on any projects. Please link to your existing work when you message Katy.

Treasurer Filled~Thank You!
Any location, Longer Term
Contact: Rebecca Saylor
While you're more than welcome to meet in person, most of this job can be done online in spare moments. Managing our paypal account income and expenses. Helping file our Etsy grants, and keeping track of our repeating event costs are all part of the job. Bonus if you are interested in helping us find an umbrella non-profit so we can move up in the world!

Pinterest Manager Filled~Thank You!
Any Location, Longer Term
Contact: Lisa Spinella
Pinterest lover? Our Social Media Team needs you! Lisa Spinella can help you get going, we've had guest pinners, shared boards, and special coverage during flash sales and events as well as just supporting our members on Pinterest. This is a fun position where you get to see the depth of our team's creativity and share it.  Weekly activity is a must, but on your own schedule.

SF Etsy on Pinterest

Archivist
Any location, Longer Term
Contact: Even Howard
If you love organizing for improvement, we need you! This job is online only and can be done at your own pace. We use google drive for all kinds of things and would love to have an organized system of documents that relate to our various events. Familiarity with google drive is a must as well as interest in organizing and communicating well through mostly written word.

Calendar Keepers
Any location, Longer Term
Contact: Even Howard
This is a simple job: put up team events in two categories on our google calendar. We have events hosted by members and also ones where members are participating and we'd like to do a better job of sharing both. You'll receive calendar posts by email and add them in. You'll be part of the awesome Social Media Committee with Leader Lisa Spinella. If you like, this job can expand to posting Facebook event pages or other promotional powers. 

Google Groups Helper
Any location, Longer Terms
Contact: Even Howard
Work with our Membership Committee to simplify the use of our Google Group. We are looking to create a quarterly notice that includes tips on how to use the group so this could be a very laid back position.  If you would like more activity, we are considering a "This week in SF Etsy" post to summarize the not to be missed posts and events.  Experience with email (and bonus if you've ever looked at the menus of google groups) will help with this job.

Out and About Community Positions:

If you're pretty friendly and like making new professional connections, check out these jobs.

Bay Meadows and Flywheel Press 2014 Craft Show Producer
San Mateo, Longer Term
Contact: Jen Johnson for an Introduction.
As an ongoing or larger opportunity, Bay Meadows and Flywheel Press would like to partner for a curated craft show or similar event in 2014. SF Etsy members would serve as a primary contact for several months prior to the show.  Our Leadership team can support with templates for submissions, press, and timelines.

Bay Meadows and Flywheel Press Workshop Leader

San Mateo, Short Term

Contact: Jen Johnson for an Introduction.

Bay Meadows and Flywheel Press are currently running "Momdays" (crafty events with a mom/kid friendly angle) as well as First Fridays. Both feature local artists and they would love workshop leaders as one time presenters.

SF Meet and Make Leaders

Mostly San Francisco, Short Term and Long Term

Contact: Even Howard

We are often offered to host tables of "make and take" at local events and would love to form a cohort of super crafters to be called on in these cases.  We have many supplies already as well as experience to offer among existing volunteers. This idea just needs a leader to set up a list of who can offer what and be a contact for organizing. 

A few Haight Neighborhood members on craft night:
Susan Leff,  Lisa Spinella, Heather Lodgson, Arena Shawn, and Even Howard.

Your own ideas!

Contact: Even Howard

Remember the first Crafty Computer Night, Holiday Boot Camp, our huge Flash Sales, or our Rickshaw Bags Contest?  All these events and more were dreamed up for the first time by members just like you! Our most successful events and partnerships have been when SF Etsy members share what's important and local to them.  Have you always wanted to check out a museum in your area? Know a local manufacturer?  SF Etsy leadership is happy to help you kick off a new idea, let us know how we can help!

San Francisco Craft Show Producers

San Francisco, Long Term

Contact: Even Howard

We've great existing partnerships with venues like Urban Bazaar, Ruth's Table, SF Bazaar, Yelp, and more that can use leaders as well as event day volunteers.  You can serve as a committee leader for a specific event and we can help coordinate volunteer help for the days of the event itself. These positions usually offer back a free table for selling at the event. All these events have been done before so there are existing help and templates. We are open to new events as well.  Craft show experience is a must, if you want to start small, we can do that!

SF Etsy members Kelsey Holt, Ruth Tillman, and Imelda at SF Bazaar 2012

Internal SF Etsy Positions:

We do a lot in the company of each other to grow our business, host small events, and learn together. If you like interacting within a core team, this is a great place to be.

Neighborhood Meet-Up Leaders
All over, Long Term
Contact: Even Howard
You've probably heard about Imelda hosting the Business Group in her Outer Sunset neighborhood, or Deb Styer with 3rd Wednesdays in the Mission. Rebecca, Rochelle, Even, Katy, Adra, Eko and other team members have also hosted simple events in their homes from Crafty Computer Evenings to actual crafting, these are simple gatherings to meet close-by members and create any type of events you like. The main thing is to have fun and meet your neighbors!  Check out some of the linked events or create your own and let us know what neighborhood you represent. These groups often meet monthly on a regular date and you can certainly rotate responsibility for hosting among your group to make it extra easy. One of the easiest ways to start is invite your neighborhood members to go to a craft show or workshop.


SF Etsy Bloggers
All over and Online, Long Term
Contact: Ash Haak
Our Blog Team produces crafty tutorials, event promotions and reviews, shares personal stories, and much more.  Our Blog Team Leader, Ash, considers ongoing bloggers as well as one time articles. We also love to repost or excerpt stories and projects you've shared on your own blog.  Take advantage of being a Friday Feature as a first step!

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Our Team Captain about joining SFEtsy!

Meet Your New Co-Captain of SFEtsy

We had a tremendous year in 2012. And we accomplished so so SO much stuff... including building a complete Leadership Team - with committees and volunteers! Each leader spends 10-20 hours a week helping our team succeed in ways large and small. This year, we have a new Co-Captain stepping up the ranks to help me (Katy) lead the team!

Announcing our new Co-Captain: EVEN HOWARD!

Even Howard, Co-Captain of SFEtsy

Photo by J. Astra Brinkmann

Even has been tirelessly going above and beyond for SFEtsy this last year as the Leader in charge of Business Development & Education. Through this committee she organized many team workshops and events (like the Holiday Boot Camp, Zoo Event and the Bazaar Bizarre SFEtsy Booth!).
As well as contributed to the blog, built the team survey, helped with social committee and
meetup committee. Also, a little known fact - Even has been on Etsy the longest out of
ALL of our over 800 members!

Even's Etsy Shop ~ Nadene
 

Even on Facebook
 Even on Twitter
Even on Pinterest
Even on Instagram

Even says, "Handmade has always been the cultural touchstone of my life. Long before I knew that everyone didn't live such a life, I enjoyed making gifts for friends and family and my first thought when I had a want for something new was how I could make it with something I already had. I love ideas and their fruition, the collaborative synergy as well as the lone exploring along the way. My crochet jewelry is born of this journey, my own answer to the question of how to live simply and well while encouraging and enabling others to do the same in their own way. I've now lived in San Francisco longer than any other place in my life. Enjoying living at the place where people meet the ocean, I'm consciously learning from the people and potential of this city and especially our Etsy team beings and doings. Our team creates momentum and inspiration along with all our arts for sale and I love being part of that."

Her favorite item in her Etsy Shop is this Cedar Facet Geo Wood Ring.

EVEN'S CURRENT PROJECTS:

~ SFETSY Zoo Calendar (premiering soon!) - a partnership between SFEtsy, Weave & The SFZoo

~ Outright & Etsy Taxes Workshop! - Happening in Early March at Ruth's Table

~ The "Asking Even" Blog Series! as well as the Treasury Team challenges 

Ask Even anything and she'll give you the answers you're looking for. She has years of expertise in selling her own work on Etsy, licensing products, working with retail businesses, gallery and event management, teaching workshops & more! 

Together your Co-Captains - Even and Katy look forward to supporting SFEtsy!

TAKE ACTION: JOIN A COMMITTEE

Over the next couple of months, we will be looking toward team members and asking people to join committees and TAKE ACTION - be brave, contribute to our supportive arts community in ways that mean something to you. You want to know a secret? Why this community works so well, is because it's based around supporting members through projects each member is passionate about.  Now is a great time to reach out and be part of upcoming events as well as share new ideas.

SFEtsy is what you want it to be! 

WHO IS ON THE LEADERSHIP TEAM: read up here

HOW TO JOIN A COMMITTEE: Email Katy or Even!

Your Co-Captains, Katy & Even at a Crafty Computer Event - Photo by Adra of Stone Valentine

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Our Team Captain 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: 

http://tinyurl.com/sfetsysurvey

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

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

Mama's Magic Friday Feature

Alright, folks, we're pulling out all the glitz and glam this week! 

We've got a new article - "ask Even", exciting new content from our regular columns, our 500th SFEtsy blog post, and now....It's the interview we've ALL been anticipating! (I know I have!)

This woman has been the Mama behind all the SFetsy Magic for over 2 years. And today we get to take a look into her bag of tricks! Jen of Mama’s Magic Studio has been a member of Etsy since 2006. In 2010, she took over the role of SFEtsy Team Captain. Since then, she exponentially grew this team to an impressive amount of members, and created an entire team of leaders.  She's continuously a wealth of Etsy knowledge and a strong pillar of support. Recently, Jen has stepped down as Team Captain, but remains a Team Leader - still very active in helping us expand the quality of our SFEtsy community. I've worked with Jen these past 2 years and have been consistently wowed by her motivation and excitement for this team. She is a true inspiration to me, and to so many others.  Thank you for this honor, Jen! When I think back 2 years, I can't even IMAGINE this is where we'd be...


Enjoy the interview!

"To which Etsy Teams do you belong?"

SF Etsy is where I’m most active. I’m also a member of:

Etsymom

Etsybloggers

JenEtsy

CCCOE

Etsy South Bay

Captain’s Quarters

"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 “Handmade Magic” – a deliberately broad label that can encompass all of my crafting interests. Because who knows what I might end up making next in Mama’s Magic Studio? My creative process is closely linked to my passion for learning new skills and exploring new designs. These days, in addition to making jewelry, I quilt, sew, knit, and dabble in whatever new craft catches my attention. At heart, I am a serial crafter who loves to learn new ways of making, new ways to keep my hands busy. I tinker and play and dream, and then I deliberately design. All this is part of my creative process, along with my joy in making one-of-a-kind and custom items. No two works of my Handmade Magic are ever exactly the same!

I’ve taken a few classes (millinery, basket weaving, machine quilting) and I’ve learned some skills from my mom and from friends who knew how to make things. But I’m mostly self-taught, especially with my jewelry skills. I discovered beading as a teenager and taught myself how to string seed beads on tigertail wire when I was in high school. I was 18 when I sold my first jewelry creations in a small boutique in my hometown, and I’ve been making one kind of jewelry or another ever since. Right now, my shop focuses primarily on handcrafted wire work and beaded jewelry: family jewelry like my bird’s nest pendants and sweet pea pods, necklaces and earrings for knitters and yarn lovers, and other baubles. 

I’m also starting to list some of my upcycled creations: flower accessories made from repurposed fabric and zipper bags made from fabrics recycled by FabMo

blue flower upcycled accessory

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

I was the first woman on either side of my family to go to college. I graduated at the top of my undergraduate class, with a double major in English and Women's Studies. I also have a master's degree in English.

Before staying home with my two amazing kids, I held various teaching jobs. I’ve taught: college composition, high school English, creative writing, and (with my husband as a partner) East Coast swing dance.

I was born in Delaware and moved to California in 2000.

"How long have you been a team leader for SFEtsy? And what has holding this position meant to you?" 

I joined what would become SF Etsy shortly after joining Etsy in 2006 – back then, it was all one big general Street Team, led by Matt (one of the original founders of Etsy). This Etsy Street Team eventually localized into the different area-specific teams. I was pretty quiet at first and then became more active over time. I became team captain in January 2010 and served as captain until January 2012. When I passed the captain role to our two new (fabulous!) co-captains, I stayed on as a team leader. I now help support the captains, run the team blog with Ash, and act as a local leader for the South Bay.  I strongly believe that with volunteer work like this “you give what you get” – I’ve given a lot, but I’ve gotten even more from my involvement in SF Etsy.

As a stay-at-home mom who was desperate for a creative outlet (not to mention adult contact!) I am so grateful for how SF Etsy has connected me to this vibrant community of fellow crafters. I’ve made great friends, discovered amazing artists and artisans, and participated in many team events and activities that have brought me both personal fulfillment and professional success. I’m deeply honored to be part of this team, and being trusted with a leadership role in SF Etsy has meant more to me than I can say. Being part of SF Etsy has given me the courage to finally identify myself as an artist.

knitting needles and yarn earrings 

"What struggles and challenges arise when holding a team leader position?" 

Being a team leader can take a lot of time. This was particularly true when I was the only team captain and had not yet recruited other leaders and supporting volunteers to help share the load. A lot of work goes on behind the scenes to keep SF Etsy growing and thriving. For quite a while, I was doing too much of this all by myself. In addition to participating actively as much as I could, I was doing all of the administrative work of reviewing and welcoming new members, managing the Google group, updating the roster, getting the team blog up and running, managing our various team accounts and pages, and more…. Some days it felt like being the SF Etsy captain was a job all by itself, especially as the team has grown so much – it was hovering at about 100 more-or-less active members when I became captain in 2010, and now we are rapidly approaching 700 member shops! I’m so happy to have on board so many great team leaders and volunteers. (By the way, dear readers, we’re always looking for folks to help out because we have big dreams for this team and are already achieving many of them! But to reach our full potential, we need as many people as possible to participate. If you’d like to be more involved, we’d love to hear from you!)

In general, I think it’s really important for team leaders to feel supported and not overwhelmed by their positions and responsibilities in SF Etsy. But it can sometimes be a challenge to find that balance between being a passionate and involved volunteer and a successful entrepreneur. I find that the sort of people who step up to help out with organizations like SF Etsy are also the kinds of people who like to give everything their all. Great as that is, we each of us have only so much to give, only so much time and energy. It’s important not to burn yourself out!

"What was your favorite sfetsy event since being a team leader? Why?"

SF Etsy has had many really great events since I became a team leader, but my favorite is still the first one that I helped put together: the SF Etsy Sampler, which was the first SF Etsy team trunk show. I think this show really sped up the momentum of the team and gave us an idea of what we might be able to do with in-person team shows and events. It was also a big learning opportunity for me, since it was the first time I’d helped to organize an event like that. It was quite a success, and it even made it into the Etsy blog!http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2010/ten-tips-for-a-terrific-trunk-show-sf-etsy-style/

peas in a pod pendant

"What inspires your creations?"

I believe that something truly magical happens when an artist's hands create. Most fundamentally, it is this magic that inspires my creations. When the hands finish the work, something new and beautiful exists in the world. To me, that's magic -- even though I know and experience the effort and skill required by every step of the process. Handmade Magic is not the result of a wave of a wand! It's a labor of love, and (aside from being a Mama) the most satisfying thing I know. I opened my Etsy shop to share that magic and love with the world.

I am also inspired by my children, by the natural world, by poetry, by literature, by other artists and crafters, by the joy of learning new skills, by my love of textiles, by the zen of the creative process, by the way that colors play off one another…. truly, this list could go on forever! Lately I’ve been very inspired by the challenge of repurposing materials that still have beauty left in them, creating items that give new life to something that would otherwise be discarded.

"How did you get involved with Etsy? "

I joined Etsy back in 2006, when the site was still in Beta and being run by the four founding guys out of their apartment in New York. I stumbled across a discussion of Etsy online somewhere – it’s been so long I don’t really remember where, but it might have been craigslist. I remember reading about Etsy, clicking through to the site, and immediately falling in love with the idea of opening my own shop.

wristlet purse

"What is your biggest challenge related to your Etsy shop?"

Like so many other Etsians, I struggle to be found on Etsy. As the site has grown, this has become more and more challenging. I am learning all I can about SEO and relevancy and the like, and I’m improving, but I still have a ways to go.

 It’s definitely been a challenge to see Etsy changing in so many ways since I first became a member. When I joined, it felt very much like a sort of Handmade Field of Dreams: “If you open it, they will come.” (It being an Etsy shop; they being customers.) Exhibit A: the fact of my first sale in my first shop (http://www.etsy.com/transaction/27847) Back then, I did no promotion of my shop, no SEO – I just made the item, took the (embarassingly bad) pics, put up a listing, got a sale. No way would that have happened today!

Back then, Etsy felt very much like a small village of like-minded creative folk. Now, Etsy is truly worldwide, with a population to match. This has its benefits and its drawbacks, and Etsy’s growth has not always happened smoothly. But in spite of some of the growing pains that I’ve witnessed over the years, I still have hope that there’s a place for small shops like mine in “the world’s handmade marketplace.” It’s sometimes difficult to figure out what that place is, and how to make the most of it, but I’m still up for the challenge.

"What is your favorite item in your shop (currently for sale or previously sold)? Why is it your favorite?"

I love making custom designs of my family bird’s nest pendants. It is such fun to make a nest especially for a customer, representing a particular family. I can do up to six pearl eggs in each nest, and the pearls can be large or small (to represent parents/children or children/grandchildren). I also customize the pearl color – white, blue, or pink. Each one is unique, just like each family is unique.

mother's day bird nest pendant

(Shameless plug: by the way, today Friday 5/4 is the last day to put in Mother’s Day orders!)



"What crafting skill(s) do you wish you had or hope to learn someday?"

Don’t get me started! Weaving, woodworking, welding, throwing pots, silversmithing, painting, book making, paper making, tatting, drawing, spinning, felting… I want to learn how to crochet and how to make chain maille, how to make furniture and how to work with art glass. I’d love to learn costume design. I dream of making huge, elaborate art quilts and enormous metal sculpture. (Then I wake up and look at my 2 feet by 7 feet corner of the bedroom that is my “Studio.” And I think, “Someday. But not today.”) I am hopeful that in the coming year I’ll be able to join TechShop San Jose and cross some of these items off my big bucket list for craft skills.

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

Blog: http://mamasmagic.blogspot.com/

website (work in progress): http://www.mamasmagicstudio.com

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mamasmagicstudio

twitter: https://twitter.com/mamasmagic

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