The jolly month of may team chat

[Former_Member]

Thought Id get a early start on opening up the new threads as I wont be home tomorrow.

[Former_Member]

Good idea Vanessa! I will start it off officially one hour before May 1!

Happy May everyone!

[Former_Member]

Happy May All!

I'm finding things picking up a little sales wise - fingers crossed it is a sign of good times ahead.

Happy Sales and All The Best :-)

[COLDHAMCUDDLIES]

Two for the price of one today: under the weather yesterday, means there are two Cuddlies looking for some love, please!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/107123292/toy-baby-owlet-lt-brown-plush-safe-for?
https://www.etsy.com/listing/55190188/toy-koala-tree-bear-light-brown-and?

Did list them in the proper thread, but as I was headed here, and I'd still got them loaded, decided to throw them in here too. Hope you don't mind.

Beginning to feel more human as I type, but seem to have collided with a tummy bug that has been doing the rounds around where I live and in the Village too. Normally, I tend to keep myself to myself, but last week there were three occasions when I was out of the flat and mixing with people, some of whom have young kids - and we all know what happens if they, bless 'em get these nasties!!! Anyway, was well looked after, but have been advised to take things easy! Not difficult earlier, but as I said, am beginning to come round to feeling normal again.

Happy May to everyone. Glad things are picking up for you Ewan. They're definitely taking their time around here, I fear!

[Former_Member]

I can't believe it is already may! Where has the time gone! Hopefully this month will be full of sales and happiness for us all :)

[Former_Member]

Sorry you are down with the tummy bumbles, Isobel.
I have been putting together my new work space, so excited to have a place for everything. Still hoping it will fit all our craft stuff in, definitely not sewing too, but I have some of hte crafty type sewing in there and then EK keeps most of the paper in her craft space, which is a huge closet just outside this room, so it is all near, if not together.

My biggest wish is a computer, printer and space for all my Etsy processing, but for now I think I can at least do all the packing in there, but listing will have to remain out here in the dining room for now. Right now I am wishing I was like Ewan and had only little cars to list, as that would take only a fraction of the room my items take.

Super nice, the last week of the month I sold two large items that take up a bunch of room, so I have more shelf space now!!

Hope May springs forth with good sales for all of us, I know last year, this was a good month for me, but June and July were dismal!! not looking forward to that again!

[Former_Member]

Hey guys please go and check out shop of the month :)

[Former_Member]

Hello all - hope you're all well and fine?

It's a (yet another) holiday weekend coming up here, May Day next Monday, meaning that my kids will have had a 4 day week for 3 weeks out of 4!

The shop of the month is a great choice this month Vanessa - I'm very impressed :-)

Have a good weekend everyone

[SheerTrashRoadshow]

If I ever bring up the possibility of renting a table at a bazaar again, I hope someone will send me off in a straight-jacket to have my head examined. What a complete waste of time and effort! I sold ONE item so just covered my table rent. It was dreary in the extreme; small, dark, blah!!! Hardly any buyers and the ones that did come appeared to want dollar store prices for handmade stuff. NOT!

[Former_Member]

Sorry to hear about your disapointing show Victoria! I haven't been having very good luck with shows this year myself. Don't give up though! It's all about finding the right market/venue to sell your goods and finding the right buyers :)

[Former_Member]

Hi all, Been busy starting to pack up my house...YIKES!! We are driving from GA to WA in about 7 weeks, so lots to do. My sale at 40% off ends at 8 am tomorrow if you know anyone who wants to get a good deal. If things don't sell by mid June, they will be packed away for at least 8 months, so trying to downsize...sound like a broken record, huh? Just never realized the extent of moving an inventory for the shop... More later, have to go run errands before the day gets too hot...already almost 90 degrees in GA..

[Former_Member]

KAthy, I have been watching you deal with this and wondering what would happen to my shop if Hubs and I have to move to California.

Just to refresh you, it is 50ish and raining hard here. Hope your family will love the Northwest when it is year round!

Going to try very hard to list today. My new craft bench has been calling with a sirens call and I need to plug my ears today. I have gotten tons done, but now I need to get back to Etsy.

UGH! haven't even had my coffee yet, had some muscle problems last night and took a muscle relaxer and now I feel like I am swimming through jelly.

Have a great one, everyone! I will check out shop of hte month when I get back from class with EK/

[COLDHAMCUDDLIES]

Sorry not to have been chatting recently, but just don't seem to have time what with one thing and another. Yesterday, I had some potential email problems,which do seem to have been resolved, but it took up valuable time that I would have preferred to have spent in places like here!

Tummy problems almost sorted but the after effects seem to be somewhat prolonged. Am definitely not yet firing on all pistons - which also accounts for the absence here.

Here's today's renewal -

https://www.etsy.com/listing/108763404/toy-long-legged-tigers-yellow-tiger?




I found that I had more due (tomorrow) than I'd realised or even taken photographs for. So, some - like my Glove Puppets - I've renewed without outdoor pictures. Need a hand model, I think, for that so that they will have to wait a bit. I've also deactivated those I can take pics for and intend to start on them tomorrow - weather permitting. We've been promised showers and sun, so will have take advantage of the latter as and when it coincides with what I'm doing elsewhere.

Have got some telephoning to day tomorrow to set up visits to potential new housing spots in Nottinghamshire - am due there 21-18/19 th May and it seems a good idea to combine the visit with looking around to see what gives. If I like any of them, I'll see if I can get my name down on their waiting lists, so that if a vacancy comes up I can snaffle it and move.

Only have to give a months' notice here, but the actually arrangements could take a bit longer since I'm moving almost halfway up the country. Even though the UK is a small island, it can take a helluva long time to get anywhere given the state of our roads (heavily over crowded!) and narrower than anything in the States - even the motorways!

Sorry you had that experience with the Craft Show Victoria. I find that people don't seem to start thinking of those in the UK until late summer/early autumn(Fall). So I tend to steer clear of them and then do two or three between September to Christmas. Seems to work for me that way.

Someone on one of my other teams - a Librarian when not Etsying - posted this link. It's all to do with preparing for craft shows, media marketing and the like

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1250044723

Folks here might also be interested. Have had a look see, and have ordered it - even though it will undoubtedly be for the US market, the social media marketing tips call to me, so roll on June when hopefully some of this lark will begin to make some sense.

Right off to try and draft a blog. It's over a week since I did a post - thanks to the bug. May be back with a link for that later.

[SheerTrashRoadshow]

Venting a bit, just for the fun of it:

http://sheertrashroadshow.blogspot.com/2014/05/grrrr.html

[Former_Member]

Isobel, that looks really interesting ~ will think on it, I like your slow and sure method of moving forward.

Victoria ~ too funny! Hope the week is better!!

Going to try and list tons today, so don't be surprised if I take up pages on the new and renewed!!

[COLDHAMCUDDLIES]

Latest post just published - a two parter about Coldham Koalas, old and new

http://coldhamcuddliescalling.blogspot.co.uk/

At least that's one thing off the "To Do List",which never seems to diminish!

Have a good rest of the day everyone.

[Former_Member]

Well, for once I have a good start on my day and I am ready to go 30 minutes early! yay!
Thought I would drop in and share this treasury someone put me in, adorable!
https://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTI2MjkxNTJ8MjcyMzU4NjUyOQ/little-red-riding-hood?campaign_label=convo...

[COLDHAMCUDDLIES]

Thanks for highlighting that Treasury,Judy! Have visited, faved, followed etc.

A bit late again, today, but spent the afternoon/evening connecting with my partner for the Etsy SEO School that is being run for international Etsy Shops. My partner lives in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire - East Midlands for the benefit of you non-UK types, and I'm in Wiltshire, which is S.W. Britain, so almost half the British Isles between us! We're connecting via Google+ as she doesn't have Skype, nor a camera for her "steam driven" computer (her description!). Am hoping that a month long course will end up with me know something more about the mysteries of SEO, relevancy, etc. et al.
Know what little I've done so far alarms me that I've managed to make as many sales as I have over the 4 years I've been on Etsy!

Am getting bit weary, as it's approaching my bed time - AGAIN. So, here's today's renewal (have already posted it on the renewal thread, but can't see any harm in repeating myself! Correct me, please, if I'm wrong!)

https://www.etsy.com/listing/116285186/toy-green-stuffed-frog-handsome

[Former_Member]

Isobel, I adore seeing your critters on the thread!

There has been a lot of talk about SEO on my other team as well, and someone brought up how important it was to present a professional appearance with correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization and grammar.
I write that way, for the most part, anyway, but when it was discussed I realized that if I saw a listing where it wasn't correctly capitalized or punctuated I think I would avoid it.

There are so many things to consider here on Etsy as to how to improve your shop. If you find out any great tips, please pass them along!

[Former_Member]

Hi all, Going under the knife this afternoon for my second wrist, so thought I'd renew and write a quick note as they are doing my right hand today. I don't know how I am going to do my school work, but just keep trying...Think I found my first internship in Seattle yesterday..YEAH!! Now to finish packing. It's a pain I have so many things to do, and now will be in a cast for 2 weeks...Oh well, gotta run, couple things to do before I have to leave. More later when I can type again.... :) Kathy

[Former_Member]

Kathy, my prayers for a quick healing!!

YAY for the internship!

[COLDHAMCUDDLIES]

Good luck, Kathy! What a dilemma to be in: needing the treatment, but facing a move to pastures new. To have it done in situ, or later in the new place, or even one in situ and the other later. Just don't be tempted to do too much in the packing and heaving line once the new cast comes off!!

Daughter successfully moved house at the week-end, and is now in the throes of settling themselves and their goods in. It's at the -"almost done, but where on earth could that...... piece be?" stage! Her telephone has been connected, and when I last spoke the poor girl was going spare trying to find where the "safe place" the password for the broadband hub had been put!!!!! She's under pressure (self-inflicted I hasten to add) because not unnaturally she wants everything to be in place by the time she comes to pick me up on May 21!!!

Got to go and do today's renewal, but have just done a treasury for another team. Perhaps folks, if they've got the time, could give it some love? Thanks.

https://www.etsy.com/treasury/OTAyNDU3MnwyNzIzNTk4MzUx/a-symphony-in-greens-celebrating-shops

Hope to be back later with today's renewal.

[COLDHAMCUDDLIES]

As promised (or threatened?) -

Two for the price one Renewals today - seemed a bit silly to separate these two.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/95652141/toy-stuffed-daddy-hedgehog-brown-plush?
https://www.etsy.com/listing/95653310/toy-stuffed-mommy-hedgehog-brown-plush?

[Former_Member]

They are so cute, Isobel!!

Dealing with my crazy neighbor again, this time it is legal as she is filing a non harassment order against me. She says right in the paperwork that she can't see me when I am in the house terrorizing her by moving things and spraying poisons and stealing her clothes etc, but she knows I am there and that it is me. I am beyond tired of it all. I have to fight it or it is on my record forever, but I really don't want to, I don't want to see her, talk to her, hear her voice, step on her property or know that she is talking to others.
i would love to let it just go and ignore her and it, but it would only hurt me if I did.
She is so scared and lonely, I wish I could make her life better, but I can't and she is so obsessed with me that she can't see anything I do as anything but evil and against her.
Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I live the next two weeks and then go to the hearing.
I am afraid i will lose my cool, and I don't want to do anything that would harm my testimony and reputation. Been reading the Psalms, the ones where King Saul was chasing David and he asks for protection. That is how I feel, and honestly - I know it is how she feels as well. She thinks I do nothing but seek to harm her... how sad is that?

UGH!

[Former_Member]

New blog post I featured a handful of you http://vintagetoyfun.blogspot.com/2014/05/my-favorite-etsy-stores.html