New Members Introductions

[#1]

Hello, and welcome to The Business of Doing Business etsy team!

As a new member, we would like for you to introduce yourself to the team. Go ahead and post a reply to this thread to give a hello to everyone and tell a little bit about yourself and / or your business.

[Former_Member]

Hello everyone!
Thank you for inviting me to this team :)
I'm Cristine and I make jewelry from random types of material. Mostly focused on wires and chainmaille at the moment. I have a full time job at a clothing company so I don't really have much time to spend on my shop and on Etsy unfortunately, but I try to whenever I can.
I still have a lot to learn about Etsy and selling items, but can't wait to experience Etsy with you all! :)

[exitworkshop]

Hi everyone! My name is Gina and I'm currently doing my masters in rehabilitation medicine. My background is in design, recreation, and tourism management, so my experiences are fairly diverse.

e x i t has been a wonderful creative outlet for me over the last year; I started officially making hats, headbands, and other fun things in November 2012, but have been making things with my hands since my grandma taught me when I was a little girl. I'm heavily involved in the outdoors, and I think this is reflected really well by my brand. I love to nerd out and talk about marketing strategies, and generally believe in a grassroots approach to marketing, rather than looking strictly at the numbers - after all, ideas have to come from somewhere! I run a fairly successful facebook page, published my first website in August, and just had my first craft show last weekend, so I've come a long way since I first decided to take making hats seriously. Feel free to shoot me a message if you have any questions!

[Former_Member]

Hello! My name is Terrie, and I have three shops here on Etsy. I'm looking to learn from others, as well as providing business insights which I have gained over the years.

[Former_Member]

Hi Everyone, my name is Judy and I am a florist who does all floral design and other handcrafted items including soy candles and shell jewelry. I also work part time as a book-keeper. I would love to do my business full time and open my own shop in the future so any insight and advice is greatly welcomed!

[beeblecat]

HI thank you for the invitation. I sell digital downloads and some art, usually cat art. All my sales go into a cat fund that helps to buy cat food for the cats in our care.
We have rescued over 100 cats since 1995. We don't take in new cats anymore but have many that were never adopted and will live out their lives in our care. You can see a few of them on my about page.

Any advice about my shop will be appreciated.

[JulieMarieSink]

Hi Ever'body!

I'm Julie Marie, and I mostly make chickens! Unfortunately, I have a bit of a short attention span, so I end up making many (many many many) other kinds of things as well. I'm trying to learn to focus and run a coherent shop. Very much looking forward to learning from others here!

[Former_Member]

Hello,
I'm Melanie, I am new to this team and fairly new to Etsy. I make and sell handmade home decor, mostly wall art and signs. I'm a mom of 2 girls, run my Etsy shop and work part time at an arts and crafts store, so I have a very hectic life lol!

[APieceoftheFarm]

Hello,
I'm Tracy, and I currently hand sculpt fifteen breeds/varieties of chickens for decorative coops, earrings and wine charms. My creations are a result of a long time tradition with my best friends and my hobby farm.

[DebbiesDenimDesigns]

Hi and thanks for the invite to the team!

My name is Debbie and I make purses and other small items from blue jeans. I love the idea of recycling, plus blue jeans have so many nice pockets that naturally lend themselves to purse compartments. I'm generally a hands-on person when it comes to projects, and I've always loved crafting, so this seemed like a perfect outlet when I retired from my tax business 2 years ago.

I sell my items both here and at craft shows. Although I do well at craft shows, I really can't seem to get any momentum going on Etsy. Sooo, any advice and critiques would be welcome!

[Former_Member]

Hello and thanks for the invite to the team.

My name is Brandon and I started my photography business early this year after making the final touches on my logo which is my watermark on all my works.

The way the name came around is the fact that nodoka means tranquility in Japanese which also relates to patience, being calm and the like. It relates to my business personality very well and I now use it as a business moniker. All the letters can be found in my name, so that helps. ;p

My work is mostly nature and ocean photography, but I dabble in various others as well when I get the chance including night, food and more. I've been serious about it since about 2007.

So far, I sell my items on both here and deviantART. I'm currently working on printing out my works so that I can start selling at local farmers markets.

[kazzycaboodles]

Hi there! Thanks for the invite.
I'm Kat and I sell handmade earrings (made from vintage buttons, buttons and raw minerals), original artworks and the occasional vintage / collectible item.

I am currently studying my Doctorate full-time and running my Etsy shop part-time. I'm still getting the hang of juggling multiple commitments but this community seems like an awesome place to learn new things! :)

[DreamersGifts]

Hello my name is Jean. My shop name comes from my horses name dreamer. She is my inspiration. I make a variety of different items in the themes of rustic and country. I usually do not make the same exact thing twice unless requested. I just like to keep changing to keep life interesting. I am still learning how to run a shop and always looking for advice on how to improve. :)

[Former_Member]

Hi I'm Lori from Grandiflori. I make wreaths and flowers out of old sewing patterns and have painted mason jars. Sales have been slow for me, so I look forward to the group's advice. :)

[Former_Member]

Hi everyone. My name is Susie & I'm a Photographer. Recently moved to Portland from Las Vegas & I'm trying to redo my business by adding the ability to sell my travel images. Normally I shoot weddings & portraits.

If you have a minute check out my shop & let me know if you think I should remove certain prints. I'm trying to figure out if I should remove some and I can't seem to make a decision since I've been looking at them too long.

[SuchAMaterialGirl]

Hi everyone, I'm Joanna and I sew and sell aprons, scarves, purses, and things under the name FMM Marerial Girl. The FMM is for Fort McMurray - I live in the Canadian Tar Sands in northern Alberta where I also work as a substitute teacher. Thank you for including me on your team!

[SuchAMaterialGirl]

Hi everyone, I'm Joanna and I sew and sell aprons, scarves, purses, and things under the name FMM Marerial Girl. The FMM is for Fort McMurray - I live in the Canadian Tar Sands in northern Alberta where I also work as a substitute teacher. Thank you for including me on your team!

[wreathsplusbylyn]

Good ole southern Hey Yall, from NC...come on in my shop to relax with a cup of coffee and sit a spell...I am new to Etsy, newly married and retired. I love to craft and the area I live in as well as the view from my shop window cant be beat for creativity. At this time my shop features awesome burlap wreaths. It gives me such pleasure each time I custom make a wreath for someone special.

[SimpleHomeAccents]

Hi everyone! I'm Jen and I've had my shop open since August of this year. I have a little bit of this and that in my shop, but the bath and body products and custom photo coasters seem to be the biggest sellers for me. I would love to learn more about the business side of being a shop owner as this is all still new to me.

Thanks for the invite!

[Former_Member]

Good afternoon. My name is Brad Sears. I'm a full-time professional woodturner--that is: I make my living with an 800 lb. machine called a wood lathe to turn pretty blocks of wood into (hopefully) prettier pieces of fine craft. While I've created many forms of work from salad bowls, to wine bottle stoppers, this past year has seen me concentrate on four "series" of mid-to-high end pepper mills and salt & pepper sets. In addition to Etsy, I sell my work at juried fine art/craft fairs--and demonstrate, teach and lead woodturning workshops for individuals and woodturning clubs around the country.

[LouGenesRockShop]

Thanks for the invitation to join the group! I'm Terry and I live in a small town at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. My Etsy shop is LouGenesRockShop. It's named after my parents Gene and Louise Tipton and now is in memory of them. I lost my mom in May and my father in July. They were rockhounds for almost 50 years. I have been involved with it off and on since I was 7 and consistently for the past 10 years. We started rockhounding when I asked to go to the ruby mines in N.Carolina for my 7th birthday.

Opals and emeralds are my favorite stones. I have been fascinated with things that are inside other things, snow globes for example, since I was little. When I was in my teens my mom gave me a vintage floating opal pendant. That combined my love of opals with my fascination of things inside other things. I taught myself how to make floating opal pendants and a new passion was born. I make other types of jewelry as well but creating floating opal jewelry is what I love best.
I'm a little low on inventory right now due to Christmas but am adding new pieces weekly. I am also starting to work on a new pendant line that also features things inside other things.
Cheers and Happy Holidays to All!
~Terry~

[apaperaffaire]

Hello! My name is Holly and I'm from Seattle. I make greeting cards for (almost) every occasion. I'm also an ESL instructor at 2 community colleges by day and an avid stamper by night.

[Former_Member]

Hi everyone,

I'm Elizabeth. I make leather journals, sketchbooks, watercolor books and albums. I opened my Etsy shop in June 2013.

Hope to learn the ins and outs of online selling and presentation of products.

Nice to meet you all.

[Former_Member]

Hey everyone! My name is Courtney and I sell crocheted items. My craft started off as a therapy technique that ended up becoming a hobby and because it became a hobby, the things I was making were taking up all the space in my walk in closet. That's how my store came to be!

[Former_Member]

Hello, and thank you for the invite! My name is Angela, I'm 38 years old and I'm the "shabby shopgirl"! I've been active here on Etsy for 8 months, and I make shabby chic cards for all occasions, journals, smashbooks, bookmarks, specializing in wedding items. I'm also a stay at home, homeschooling mom of 5 and a pastor's wife married for 20 years.

[JasminesTreasuresLLC]

Hello, My name is Teresa, my daughter Renee and I run our shop together. We have some other family members who contribute some too. We sell a lot of hand-painted items such as glassware, cards, etc. as well as sewn items like placemats and mug rugs, and some other home décor items. Thank you for inviting us to this team. We are looking forward to learning all we can.