Introduce yourself & say Hello!

[#1]

The Made in Devon team is a little over a year old and is still evolving...

So whether you are brand new or have been a team member a while, do pop in, say hello and tell us what it is that you do. What is it about being creative in Devon that is important to you? What would you like from this team?

This team can evolve into whatever matters to you! If you don’t see a discussion you would like to engage in – why not start one yourself! Ask questions, offer advice, get something off your chest – get involved and see what happens....

To get the ball rolling – I am Lynn, a printmaker in Exeter and part of Double Elephant Print Workshop. Mt Etsy shop is coming up to 3 years old in July. I’m pretty pleased with how it’s going – but I had v modest aims of selling one print a month, & v happy to have exceeded that. It was partly the colour of Devon soil that encouraged me to move into the area – but that’s a longer story.....

I’ve noticed this comment in the origin “welcome” thread from Ren from Fairysteps and think it would be a good idea to reiterate it here -

“For all members...

If you click on the 'Subscribe to digest' link on the left hand side menu of this page, you will receive all updates that happen within the Made in Devon team!

A great way to make sure you don't miss anything!”

BIG FAT DEVON WELCOME TO ALL.

[Lasercutz]

Hi Gemma, nice to meet you here ;) I made your soap stamp :-)

[YellowT4Studio]

Welcome peeps.

[Former_Member]

Hi everyone, my name is Sarah and I run my craft business Absolutelycrafted from home in Exmouth. I love living in Devon; I moved here about 14 years ago and it is since I came to Devon that I started sewing, inspired, I am sure, by the sea air and the beautiful scenery. It is great to have an opportunity to hook up with other crafters in the area. Happy crafting everyone. :)

[YellowT4Studio]

Welcome Sarah.
Please feel free to join in and ask away, we are a friendly lot.
Janners

[Lasercutz]

Hi Sarah :-)

[Former_Member]

Hi all :)

Sorry I joined and then went away for a few days and only just remembered to come back on!

Hi Dave - I am so glad I asked for the stamp, the feedback I have had has been just brill!

I really need to start getting to grips with this Etsy Malarkey lol x

[Lasercutz]

Welcome back Gemma :-)

[Former_Member]

Hi, I'm Kirsty, I'm 26, and I live in Newton Abbot in South Devon with my husband and our four children. I have been making macrame jewellery for about 18 months now and have been running it as a business for about 10 months. I have been here a little while now, on Etsy i mean, but have not had the time until now to make a real go of my shop - any advice would be greatly appreciated! I look forward to talking with you all :) x

[Lasercutz]

Hi Kirsty, welcome to the team - not been here long myself but been on Etsy for 3 years mainly selling to soap makers ;)

[Former_Member]

That's fab Dave - you have some great products to offer!

Looking forward to being part of the group :)

[Former_Member]

Hi Kirsty, it's lovely to have a new member of the team! We are planning an Etsy team meet up in Exeter on September the 27th if you fancy it? We are planning on going to see an exhibition being run by our group Captain Lynn, and then going for tea and cake somewhere afterwards.

Would be great if you can make it, that goes for everyone on this thread obviously!

Charlotte x

[CranesLaneDesigns]

Hi everyone,

I've just joined the team and have been looking at a few of your shops. There certainly is a lot of talent here in Devon!

I live in Exmouth and have been making leather bags and accessories for a few months as a spare time hobby. I'm very new to Etsy and haven't made a sale yet. I know I need to be patient as it's still early days but if anyone has any advice for me about how to get more people interested or any feedback about my shop I would be grateful.

I will be attending my first craft fair at Killerton in November (very scary!). Is anyone else on this team going?

[Former_Member]

Thank you Charlotte - that sound like a lovely idea! Unfortunately I won't be able to make the 27th but am definitely interested in any future meet ups!

Hi Maria! I too am trying to work my way round to visiting everyone's shops! There definitely are some lovely things on offer!

I have several events lined up in the run up to Christmas but not Killerton. I will be at Totnes Christmas Market at the end of November though and at events in Newton Abbot and Chudleigh during December ! :) xx

[CranesLaneDesigns]

Hi Kirsty

Your jewellery is fab! It sounds like you'll be very busy leading up to Christmas. What events are there in Newton Abbot? I have some friends who live there and could maybe take a look while visiting them! x

[ARPJewellery]

Hey all! we are A.R.P Jewellery from Newton Abbot!

I (alan) make the majority of the jewellery whereas my partner makes the bracelets and does the majority of the online sales :)

Thought we would say hello as we had been a member of the team for a while now :)

[Former_Member]

Thank you Maria!! There are two main events in Newton Abbot that I know of... Late Night Shopping in the town centre which is arranged by a company called Born Hectic Events, and an evening market at Newton Abbot Racecourse which is linked to Marldon Christmas Trees. Both are expecting a great turnout this year but I personally haven't attended either of them before :) x

[Former_Member]

Hi I'm Susan Penny editor of stitching and craft magazines and author of 50 plus books...and now the proud owner of an Etsy shop!

Really pleased to be part of this team, and hope that even though I am in North Devon will be able to be with you on some of your meets!

Feeling my way on Etsy at the moment, although I have been surprised at the number of sales since I opened in May. Not really sure yet how to do Treasuries, but that is something I am going to tackle next! I have a fb page and a newly designed web page (lovely husband) which opened this week for business.

I don't like the social media side of being a small business...I want to create not sit on my computer checking for back links and SEO stuff! I understand the why but haven't sorted out the how just at the moment. Lovely not to feel alone. Do pop by and have a look at my stuff...

Susan x

[Lasercutz]

Hi Maria, Alan and Susan :-)

I agree Susan - I have a blog but never post simply because I never know what to say! I post on Facebook now and then but then my corner of the market is a bit different.

SEO is one of those things I know is important and do my best with on my site but I feel you can get side tracked with it and over analyse!

Check out Janners post https://www.etsy.com/teams/15348/made-in-devon/discuss/15067240/ Promote and boost front page.. if you haven't already ;)

Best
Dave

[Former_Member]

Hi everyone :)

I'm Sarah, and I live up in the north of Devon in Torrington, which is near Bideford. I mainly sell woven scarves and knitted items..although I have plans to expand my range of items to include more seasonal stuff as well as handmade clothing.

I am really thrilled to have found this team, and will be now spending some time looking at everyone's lovely shops :)

[Former_Member]

Hi Sarah and welcome to the team! We're having a meet up on the 27th in Exeter if you're around? Take a look at the team discussions, and you'll find more details there.

Any questions about the team or Etsy in general, just ask! We're a nice bunch and it's just really great to have you on board too!

Charlotte xx

[OceanArtsNorthDevon]

Hi
I am Mark and I live in North Devon, I am an artist and musician and my work is inspired by the beautiful coastline of North Devon. I work with driftwood, reclaimed, recycled wood and materials where possible and a typical example of what I produce is the surfboard clocks and tideclocks I hand make from wood complete with fin. Most of the clocks I make I finish with a design burn't into wood using a pyrography pen, design would be something themed along the beach/sea like hibiscus flowers, tikkis, VW logos, surfing etc . I started my business Ocean Arts North Devon nearly two years ago but have only just joined Etsy, I tick along but would really like to get my work out there so any advise is most welcome, also if anyone knows of any good craft fairs in the area which are worth a try or know of any shops I can get my work displayed in.
Happy Waves:)
Mark

[Former_Member]

Hi Mark,

Your work is great, and you live in the same place as me! How about approaching 14 The Gallery in the pannier market? There are two levels of membership there, you can be a 'full' member where you have to spend some time working in the shop but pay no commission on sales, or you can be an" associate" member where you just leave your work and pay a commission on a sale.
Alternatively, you could find out when Carol is in the shop, and ask her for details about being 'Artist of the Month' - this way you can have your work displayed in one of the main windows.
Just pop along to the gallery, they are a friendly bunch!

The Plough Arts Centre has a Christmas event which is really popular. Local craftspeople display their work there from the end of October, and it gets really busy! You have to pay commission on sales though - but they ring you to let you know when you have made a sale.

Also, there is RHS Rosemoor, and I reckon your work would sell really well there - if you are interested I have the email address of the lady that you need to contact. Their fairs are really well organised and promoted, and I know a few people who make a fair bit of money at them. They are VERY keen to promote the work of local craftspeople, so I'd give it a go :)

Somewhere else you could approach is 'The West Gallery', which is opposite the Gnome Reserve nr Putford...they are lovely, and have a wide range of items for sale - there is no harm in approaching them either.

Hope that helps?

Good luck with your Etsy shop, it looks great!

Sarah x

[OceanArtsNorthDevon]

Hi
Would just like to thanks to Sarah for her reply and advice, very helpful.
Thanks
Mark

[Former_Member]

Hello All,

I'm just taking my first steps on Etsy so it's great to have stumbled across the Devon team!

I'm an artist based in North Devon. I work from my studio The Blind Spot Studio and deliver courses, paint (obviously) and sell prints.

I paint landscapes, seascapes, floral and romance pictures. Always on the lookout for exhibitions. I am heavily involved with the Macular Society as I have no central vision which means I have a very unique method of painting. It probably also explains my love of vibrant colour and contrast to some extent.

Looking forward to getting to know you all and doing my bit to support you and Made in Devon. Need to go and upload some art works now.

Speak soon,

Yvonne

[LynnBaileyPrintmaker]

Welcome to Etsy and the Made in Devon Team Yvonne, that's an inspiring story and I'm looking forward to seeing your paintings if you decide to open a shop here.

Nice, also to see some North Devon makers joining the team lately. Greetings to anyone I haven’t had chance to say hello to yet – thanks for joining the team. Do feel free to join in with any discussion or start your own. You will find its normal for everyone’s degree of involvement with the team ebbs and flows depending on how busy life is. If you would like to organise a meet up in your neck of the woods, give a shout out in the discussions. We only seem to have had success in arranging meet ups in Exeter so far. But there's no reason other areas can't get it together.

I've been busy with other projects recently, but enjoying catching up now and exploring new peoples shops now that I've got a bit more time.

L