Monday's Post

[Former_Member]

This is in reference to the blog post for Monday 3/18/13. For any one wanting to participate please answer the following questions and mark your responses with the corresponding number.

Questions.

1) What is your specialty niche?

2) How long have you been creating said items?

3) Is there anything that you do within your niche that in your opinion you do differently than others in that particular category? If yes, what?

Once I learn a little more detail on each of your shops I may ask each of you a question that is particular to what you sell.

[Former_Member]

Heather, I have to go to bed now (it's after midnight here) but I will come back here tomorrow to answer your questions :-) I'm very excited about this!

[Former_Member]

That's totally fine Alex! goodnight, sleep well and I'll " see " you tomorrow :)

[RusticNorthern]

Heather ...Do you want the questions answered here or do we message you with the answers.

[Former_Member]

You could answer them here if you'd like or message me if you'd like to keep it private.

[TheKraftieKat]

1. pet portraits
2. over 10 years
3. yes! I create my pet portraits from wood

[RusticNorthern]

1. Rustic Handmade Wood Signs & Woodsy Home Accents
2. Crafting with wood for years ... :0)
3. There is a lot of different signs out there, but we use fallen trees from our property and all the milling and the making of our products is done here all from our property in the country.We try to create more of a rustic look!

[Former_Member]

Wow! Both of you gals sound so fascinating! That is so amazing what all you can both do with wood! My husband is really into woodcarving ( and knitting!) I keep trying to get him to open his own shop!

[Former_Member]

Hello my name is Amy Walsh and I am a mother of 5. I taught school, the Outbound program, kids that got kicked out of school for 5 years. I then began dabbling with starting my own business.. construction, selling art work, party design, house cleaning, you name it! August of 2010 our house was deemed uninhabitable from Hurricane Irene, FEMA seemed as if they were going to come to the rescue but after almost a year and a half of filling out paperwork, attending meetings, paying for temporary housing, getting countless denials and having someone steal my identity which also ruined my credit..........my positive outlook began to diminish.
I sat on the couch one night crying, I then thought to myself.... your amily loves your organic handcrafted product, God gave you a talent of art and writing, maybe its about time you used it!
I started making my products, creating new label and listing them on Etsy and Pintrest and it has renewed ,y outgoing positive love for life!
I still have the task of securing permanent housing for my family but one step at a time! I also have some house plans that I designed and had engineered with the help of a friend, I have those listed for sale on Craigs List, not sure if that is an acceptable Etsy item?

1. I love all sorts of art, science and math.
2. I have been creating items as long as I can remember, I have a painting and pen and ink drawing in the Miami Dade Childrens Museum from when I was in third grade.
3. I am not sure what I do differently then others but I always try to create unique packaging and make sure my bath and body products have 10 solid reviews before putting them out for sale.

[GoldenGifts]

1. Deerskin and fur baby moccasins

2.I have been making them 35 years. We used to do the mountain man reenactment and I learned how to make Indian clothing, tan hides,and to do bead and quill work . We lived in a tipi in the mountains west of Denver for 5 months with our 2 year old daughter.

3. I decorate the moccasins with fur and snake skins. I want to use the most exotic furs I can find out of damaged vintage coats. I just got some chinchilla!

[TreeCraftDiary]

1) Handcrafted jewelry from natural stone / semi precious stone, and most of them are one of a kind piece.

2) Less than a year for handcrafted jewelry. But I always love to make things with my own hands since I was small :)

3) Yes! I have different categories of stone jewelry, which blends in with mix materials like wire, charm, bead and chain.

[Former_Member]

I'm back with my answers :-)

1) Original personalized paintings for children. I make personalized art for grown ups as well, but my "birth certificates" and nursery canvases are what I'm mostly known for within my circle.

2) I've been painting and drawing literally since I can remember myself (my earliest works from kindergarten may not be my best stuff though... ;-) . I graduated with a Fine Art degree over a decade ago (oh my!! I can't believe it's been so long!) and I started painting this particular genre of personalized canvases around a year ago (at first, just for friends and family).

3) Unlike most 'birth certificate' keepsakes around (if not all..?), I make my own painted on canvas (not on paper etc), putting the emphasis on the artistic aspect (my birth certificate canvases are actually paintings, which at the same time incorporate the baby's birth stats, rather than plain canvases with writing on).

Also, unlike most nursery paintings I've seen, I like to use all sorts of different canvas shapes, such as triangles as well as round ones, rather than just the usual rectangular or square ones.

Lastly, another thing which I believe I do different from a lot of other children's artists, is that I paint each canvas individually- they are originals, not print-on-canvas, so each painting is unique. Most of my orders are created entirely per the customer's requirements- any subject, colour etc, whereas some others are based on previous artwork I've made (I also have a few paintings I've made already, on which I'd add the customer's chosen name and birth stats).

[Former_Member]

In reading the guidelines for the teams section more closely, my boys saw that minors are not allowed to use them so we have written to Etsy to see if it is possible for me (their Mom) to use them instead. So with hope that that is an acceptable arrangement for Etsy, I will be posting here for them until we hear otherwise. I hope that is ok with you as well.

1) Their specialty niche is handcast and handpainted metal (non lead!) miniatures - mostly soldiers/military (Romans, Goths, Napoleonic, Knights, Revolutionary War, Civil War, WWII, cannons, mortars, catapults) and fantasy (hobgoblins, orcs, elves, wizards, witches,warg riders, female adventurers) and Dickens scenes and Christmas scenes.

2) They have been making these for about the last 5-6 years. At first they needed a lot of help from their Dad, especially with melting and pouring the metal, but over time, they have taken it all over and now they do it all.

3) The boys' "tin soldiers" are different than others who are in the same niche because they use a high quality non lead metal. (That was one of our stipulations for them when they wanted to start making lead soldiers-they could do it if they used non lead metal! :) They also make them themselves and can customize them. (if someone sent them a picture of a certain uniform or wanted certain colors, they can do that.) . We homeschool and count a lot of their work both making the miniatures as well as the business side of it as a beneficial learning experience.

[Former_Member]

1) What is your specialty niche?

I make functional unique ceramic wares. Imagine bowls, plates, tumblers, and mugs. I also make vases.

2) How long have you been creating said items?

I started in 2010. I got pretty serious with my work about a year/year and a half ago.

3) Is there anything that you do within your niche that in your opinion you do differently than others in that particular category? If yes, what?

Yeah. I think so, at least. I like to do detailed glaze layering, and I am a big fan of fun [read: segmented] handles. (Or maybe I just really don't care for boring handles?)

[Former_Member]

Nathan and Noah's Mom, that is so nice of you to help your boy's. It is absolutely fine with me if you post on their behalf!

[SamfireHandmade]

1. Handmade greeting cards and felt brooches and keyrings

2. Cards for about 3 years, felt gifts 8 months

3. All my cards are 100% handmade and my own designs. I don't print my cards, they are all made from coloured papers, hand cut and then hand drawn. This makes each card unique. Please see my About page to see how I do this.

[Former_Member]

Would each of you send me a picture of your choosing of one of your "specialty" items and write a short discription? Try to write your discription in a way that is informative but also to market.

[Former_Member]

Would you like us to attach it to a post here, or in a private message?

[Former_Member]

John,

If you wouldn't mind please send the pictures in a personal message. It will be easier to organize and find them that way :)

[Former_Member]

Heather, I've sent you my 2 pics via convo. If you need anything else, let me know.

By the way, I was just looking at The etsy scene blog (very nice interview of Erica btw!), I wanted to "join" the blog but could not find the button. I couldn't see anywhere the members who have already joined, either. In case I haven't gone blind, and they really don't show, may I just suggest that it would be a great idea to have the numbers of members showing, cause people are more inclined to stick around and join if they see that many more before them have already done the same. I think this way the blog would gain popularity even faster! I hope you don't mind my suggestion- I admire your efforts and think this would help even more :-)

[Former_Member]

I know that the blog was a little " too busy"and hard to see that navigation tabs so I changed the background last night. I should still have a " Subscribe by email" button right above my picture. I'll go double check just to make sure. I would be so excited to know someone has subscribed!!

[Former_Member]

:) It is a win-win for all of us! We love the effort and time the boys are putting into such an interesting hobby and the only creative superpower I have is creating wonderful children (we have 8!) so I can be the research/development assistant and they can do all the creative things! It's a great partnership and I get to surf Etsy!

We will send some pics shortly! Thank you again for all the work you are putting into this!

[ThatRetroGirl]

Hi Heather,
Here are my answers:

1. a curated eclectic collection of antique to mid century housewares and clothing for style conscious young adults seeking mid priced quality items.

2. one year and a half on Etsy, but I have been collecting my whole life.

3. The thing I think that makes me stand out from other vintage shops is the way I mix and match different styles from different eras and make it work.

[Former_Member]

1. Needle working, specifically cross stitching.
2. 4-5 years
3. I have never worked from a store bought pattern. Both my husband and I are designers, so we have both created all of the patterns I've used. I love adding a modern spin to the classic art of cross stitching and giving it a fun, new feel.

[Former_Member]

1) What is your specialty niche?

The simple answer is anything handmade. I am curious by nature and find sincere joy in the various steps of different projects.

2) How long have you been creating said items?

I have always been creative. I have never been willing to accept an item as only what it currently is. I think it is fun and exciting to unearth new uses and ideas.

3) Is there anything that you do within your niche that in your opinion you do differently than others in that particular category? If yes, what?

I think what makes me different is that my shop cannot be contained in one niche. I have different items from month to month. I do keep my Lace Masks and Camo Cutie tutu sets in stock but everything else is just as I feel like. For example I recently purchased a kiln so in the next few months you should expect to see blown and slumped glass and ceramics!