Below is a post I found on the Etsy Success team discussion board. This is great advice that I never new about until reading this.
HeartstringsByJanice says
-Follow the trends
-Try to keep a cohesive theme even with following the trends. For instance, if you are doing woodland creatures, pick a color or two to go along with it and follow those colors.
-Try to keep the backgrounds of your photos that you choose all the same color. Skye's is a good example of this. Almost all of her images have a light grey colored background. It makes the treasury flow.
-Have a variation of items. This is what I tell a lot of people. The front page is a SNAPSHOT of what Etsy has to offer. Try to incorporate something from every category if you can. For example Skye's treasury has clothing, shoes, purses, jewelry, glasses. The more variation of items, the better chance of the FP.
-Choose the absolute best images you can find that fits the theme.
-Use trending tags if they fit your treasury. VERY important. TRENDING tags are what is trending RIGHT NOW. Use them to your advantage.
-If you are doing a team treasury be sure to use 'etsyteam' as one of the treasury tags. That's how Etsy finds team treasuries.
-When you have completed the treasury, look at the top three rows. Do they 'pop'? Does it say 'I want to shop here!'? Think about it from an outsider's point of view. Not everyone who comes to Etsy has been here before.
-Be sure that your bottom row still fits with the rest of the treasury. I've seen a lot of treasuries that have the last row just thrown together. If something sells, those replace the items that have sold. They need to fit, too.
-Fill up ALL 16 slots. VERY important. Etsy won't put a treasury on that won't fill the FP.
-Right now - Etsy is looking for light colors, pale neutrals, and spring colors. Watch the FP for ideas that way you know what Etsy is putting on the FP.
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Realize that everything that is about the FP is random. Hotness levels and first page and all that jazz, although helpful at times, doesn't make the FP. All we, as creators of treasuries, can do is just do our best and hope it makes it. It's an amazing feeling when you DO have a treasury on the front page. It's a feeling of accomplishment. =)
Good Luck and keep making them. You will get better every time you make one!
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Here is the link to the merchandising desk for this months requirements.
http://www.etsy.com/storque/seller-handbook/from-etsys-merchandising-desk-marching-into-spring-12119...
