MOOooooooo

I got my first full MOO card order yesterday. I really like the way they turned out. I do wish they would offer a more glossy finish because the black backgrounds look a little flat in a matte finish. Hopefully, someday they will allow you to use your own avatar image on the back too. All in all they are a great little thank you's to include in with my orders. Plus, when I had my business cards made I didn't have my Etsy shop yet so my shop address is missing from them. These MOO's will be fun to hand out, but at $19.99 (plus shipping) for 100 cards I will have to be a little discerning with who I give them too. If you haven't been to MOO yet take a look!

Spotlight on EtsyRain

This weeks EtsyRain spot light is on Daisiemai Creations. Janea, is a talented jewelry designer and mother of 5 year old Natasha. I really love the piece shown to the left and it is a beautiful representation of the eclectically artistic nature of her work. Working mostly with bead and wire techniques Daisiemai Creations has created an identity all her own. Check out her shop to see all the pretties she has to offer. And check out her blog to see what fun her little angle had with a bean bag (oy!).

Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!

Weather in the Puget Sound area was beautiful this weekend. I wanted to get out and take advantage of it at the same time getting more familiar with my great little digital camera. I don't have anything fancy, but I am amazed at the pictures I can get with it. A good shot is even easier to achieve on a sunny, blue sky day like yesterday. I had a third motive that sent me searching for a botanical garden setting that would provide me with lovely subjects. I need some thing new for my walls at home.

I tend to get overwhelmed by shopping for framed art. It is very rare that I am stumped when it comes to shopping. I love shopping and I love decorating my home even more. However, when I think about investing in a piece of fine art I instantly get indecisive. I think this happens mostly because my tastes change so often - I get bored easily. I'm always afraid I'll get tired of it in a year and artwork is something I feel you should love for a lifetime. Anyway, I digress...

I decided to head out to the W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory in Tacoma, WA. I was lucky enough to find a fellow EtsyRain'er who would accompany me. Thanks Sima! The little Atrium was really beautiful. The colors were so vibrant and the subjects amazing. I think I got a few really nice photographs. I'm thinking I might even list a few in my shop. If you want to see the rest of my shots I have them posted to my Flickr!. And if you have a free day and need some inspiration I'd recommend a trip to the lovely little W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory.

Spotlight on EtsyRain

I've decided Wednesday's will be the day that I highlight a fellow EtsyRain member and what better way to start than with the "A's".

Funny enough Art By Norm isn't art made by a guy named Norm at all, but a wonderful artist named Heidi. The mischievous looking little guy Heidi has brought to life through her paintings (and more recently through felted figures, clay, and fabric) always has a different story to tell. Whether Norm is at the beach or just playing around he is sure to make you smile.

I think Heidi describes her muse best, "Norm is a smirk in a world of sighs." Check out Norm/Heidi's Etsy shop through the link above and also her blog.

The Troll Stroll

One of the things I just love about living in the Seattle area is there is always something new to see and do. A couple weeks ago I met up with a group of fellow EtsyRain members. ("EtsyRain" being the group of crafters in the Seattle area who sell their arts on Etsy.) After starting our late morning with coffee (a must in Seattle). We decided to take in the Fremont Market, which is a wonderful people's market full of crafts, antiques, and food. It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood, especially for Seattle in the winter. I got to meet some great new members, which is always a good time. Then came the stroll to the troll! A troll you say, yes a troll. You can read all about the Fremont Troll here. It was a really fun touristy thing to do on a Sunday afternoon. I took a bunch of pictures that turned out pretty well. However, I was a bit disappointed in the fact that the Troll had been vandalized. The good thing is that the graffiti seemed to just be colored chalk. With a good bath he should be as good as new. If you are ever in the area I encourage you to take a stroll! ~ Thanks for organizing Trina!

First Things First...

When I started making jewelry back in August I wasn't sure how I would sell it. I have been successful with selling at in home parties. But, it is always more enticing when you can see, feel, and put on one of my pieces. It was great at first, but I quickly learned that I needed other outlets. So I joined the legions of passionately crafty people selling their wares on Etsy(dot)com.

Etsy is an outstanding site devoted to artists and the handmade items that they produce(if you haven't already become a fan you should check it out). Artists form, maintain, and stock their own Etsy shops. At first I thought, "Oh this will be easy", and in some ways it is. The ease of use is wonderful. Choose a shop name, upload some pictures of your items, write a clever little description, and WHAM you make money! Right? Well not quite. The competition is stiff. By searching the word "jewelry" I got 20,105 hits.

So how the heck am I going to get noticed amongst a sea of jewelry makers? I am in search of the answer to that question. There are plenty of people in the community ready to offer good advice on how to create a successful Etsy shop, and I am ready to take it! I am going to start with the part I feel is the most important. Product photography.

As I mentioned before, I get the response I am looking for when people see my work in person. Online, however, I am only able to engage my customers through the product descriptions and the PHOTOS! They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well I hope so because writing witty descriptions of my items is not my strong suit. Photos, lets focus on photos!

I took an awesome little class offered by a fellow EtsyRain (subject for another day) member who taught me three very important lessons. First, when taking pictures of smaller items like jewelry I need to use the Macro setting on my camera This really helped get better detail of my jewelry. Second, she helped me find the "white balance" feature. Funny I didn't even know my camera had that option? Setting the white balance is so key to getting colors in photographs to look true to what you see in real life. The third nugget of information I took away that day was how to use the focus. My camera automatically focuses on what you point it at. But what my tutor taught me was how to focus on one small part of the whole and adjust the focus so the rest of the field drifted off. This is hard for me to explain in words, but hopefully my photo above will illustrate my point.

I went back home that day prepared to reinvent my shop and hopefully make it stand out through my product photos. I have received a few orders as a result, but I'm not done yet. I know I can make it even better. So this weekend I built myself a light box. It's not nearly as complicated as it sounds. I have seen may blogs on this subject including where and what supplies to buy. Well one blog in particular peaked my interest (I can't remember which one at the moment. Darn, I will rack my brain.). Well here it is. My new light box. Hopefully this will be a positive next step in my quest to achieve Etsy greatness. Well, at least a sale or two.