Festive Mestive

Today was a rather messy day, I spent most of it wrapping the presents I had already bought, making gift bags which one thoroughly enjoyed :)

I also started making my presents for my Secret Santa meal on Monday night!

Gift Bags :)

Tags :)

Such a small fraction of today's productivity, but the camera can not span far enough to encompass the mess I made hehe.

Featured Seller: Marmalady

This week I wanted to feature a fellow UK seller and I couldn't think of anyone better than the lovely Marmalady, whom I frequently talk to on a friday night :)

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself?
I am from the UK -- the Peak District of Derbyshire which is about halfway up the country as you look at a map.I am 56, married for 31 years, with 2 grown-up children. Neither are married yet so no grandchildren on the horizon for quite a while!

2. What made you start creating and selling yummy treats?
Baking / cooking. I have been cooking "forever". Growing up in a family of 4 kids, money was always short -- so Mum always made all our own bread, cakes , jam etc -- and we were all expected to help -- the boys as well as the girls. By the time I was 10 or 11 I could cook a sunday dinner for the family with very little help or supervision.
Selling my baking came about when I was at home with a toddler & baby. A friend was involved with a co-operative market stall selling cakes and so I joined too. At first I only made small quantities but as the kids grew and I had more time, the amounts I was able to make for sale grew too. I continued selling through this market untill a couple of years ago when it folded and I branched out into having my own stall at various Farmers Markets -- I am out at a Market most weeks. For several years now I have also been supplying a local shop with cakes & marmalades every few weeks. So my Etsy shop is just a continuation of what I am doing most days anyway and it is easy to fit in baking my Etsy orders along with my market / shop baking.
3. How do you promote your work?

On Etsy I am active in the forums. I also have flickr, facebook, (neglected) blog, twitter Off-line I give out contact & market details at all the markets I attend.

4. In ten years I'd like to be...

Retired! but probably still crafting for my other shop, Marmaladytoo.etsy.com

Check out some of her yummy items:

http://www.marmalady.etsy.com/

Order Restored

Today I had as near to normal non working day, something I have missed dearly these past few weeks.

I started on the custom toe socks, after spending a good 20 minuets possibly more winding each ball of wool.

Last night I remebered a book I have about an artist called Julie Arkell and while looking through it today I was slighlty envious of these photos:

Now that's a studio!

Toe Socks

First of all I would like to say sorry for the lack of activity on here this past couple of days, been very tired and been a bit of a difficult time.

However, I thought today I would create a mosaic from flickr images (as I had forgotten that thing existed, I forgot how much I love it too!) and the mosaic consists of toe socks.

The reason I have gone toe socks mad, is because I am currently embarking on a custom pair for a customer

Folksy :D

My find for today was a lovely site called Folksy. I had heard a lot about it but hadn't really investigated it until it was in a small article in a magazine right next to Etsy.
I LOVE IT, its great, it is basically UK Etsy, check out my shop on there, the prices are in £s :)

http://www.dingsinsainity.folksy.com/

Apologies for no post yesterday, was a difficult day, energy and time sapping!

A new piece ready to go in both my Etsy shop and my Folksy shop, have a sneak peak:

"Pingoid"

Christmas Tree Number Three

I know, I know second post of the day but after good wine, a lovely homemade made chinese meal and good coffee I thought today was such a nice day (despite an unshakable headache and the current circumstances) that I just had to post a normal entry as well as a Featured Seller post.

So after lunch I headed to the post office and the library for a few errands and then off to Staples to take a cable back and got refunded more than I thought (I bought it in a bundle I'm not a thief hehe) and I almost went out the house like this (I put my hat on and didn't realise it hadn't flopped haha):

Then once home we put up our final tree, a 6.5 foot white sparkly one for the dinning room. getting it down from the eves of the garage triggered lots of screaming and giggling as we eventually just had to bash at it with a broom and let it fall down.

It was then a rather marathon job to get the tree up and decorated:

Yes, I had to climb underneath the Christmas tree!

Here it is all finished:

It has the prettiest lights but they don't show up :(

Featured Seller: Mbell34

1. Tell us a bit about yourself name, location, affiliations, personal stuff...

Michelle Bell, Haverhill, MA, I have three children ages 17, 16 and 14 and have been married for nineteen years. I am an animal lover, especially dogs. I work full time and go to the gym everyday after work.

2. What first made you want to become an artist/designer?

I self taught myself to make jewelry a couple of years ago and have been hooked ever since! I was looking online to open a store when I came across Etsy. I opened my store for business this past June. I was making soap four years ago and stopped ( I cant remember why!) but have recently started again. Right now, the soaps are selling better than my jewelry!

3. Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.

I mostly use silver plated and gold plated metal for my jewelry to keep prices down for my customers, but of course, if my customer wants sterling I will get it for them. I love working with lampwork beads, glass beads, pearls and swarovski crystals. I mostly make my jewelry and soap on weekends in my sunroom because the lighting is perfect and all my supplies are out there.

4. How do you promote your work?

I promote my work on Etsy, of course, which is http://www.mbell34.etsy.com/ in my store, on the forums and in the chatrooms, I have a blog http://www.mbell34etsy.blogspot.com/, I just signed up on Artfire http://beadlover08.artfire.com/, I have my photos on flickr, and I have ads on Project Wonderful.

5. What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?

Advice I would give new etsians is to be patient. Sales don't happen right away. You need to promote, promote and promote. Also, get some business cards and give them to everyone you know. Relist or list items everyday on Etsy. Make sure your photos are clear and take many photos!

Last of Pillows and Presents

Apologies for the the lack of imagination with the title. I am so sleep deprived today that my writting skills are suffering.

I was up until 2am last night/this morning finishing off the third and last pillow ready for the last shipping date ready for Christmas.
Here is it:

Can't really see the detail, but worth staying up and finishing I think :)

Not much else to say as I am falling asleep apart from given these past 3 weeks have been the busiest of my life its no wonder my desk looks like this:

Oh Lawdddy!

Wine Cups

They are everywhere in my house right now. I have a habbit of finishing a chocolate that comes in a wrapper (christmas tins of chocolates) and turning the wrapper into a wine glass, it was something my Grandma showed me as a child and it stuck. This year I want to use them in something more constructive than mess so am growing an everlasting collection of sweety wrapper Wine Cups.

Also I finished this pillow:

On it's way to it's new home tomorrow, ready for Christmas :)

Pillows and Presents

Today has been a nice day.
Have been sewing this morning and made a trip to town to go to the doctors and get some supplies and when I returned home I had a parcel waiting for me, which I always love.
When I opened it, it was my lovely jewellery box from SkySongCreations on Etsy (http://www.skysongcreations.etsy.com/)

Today I finished one the the pillows I have been working on as a custom order, check it out:

:)

Christmas Decorations

Today we put up the Christmas tree and decorated the house:

And I went a bit overboard with trashy decorations upstairs, hehe:

New Throne

Another short one today I'm afraid as I've been at work although, which was pleasant believe it or not, but I shall I leave you with a picture of the cat on his new throne:

:)

Featured Seller: Auntifranni

1. Tell us a bit about yourself name, location, affiliations, personal stuff.

Hi, I am Fran from sunny Spring Hill Florida. I have been married to Rob for 26 years and we have 2 grown kids Robert 24 and Nicole 20. Oh yeah dont forget Rocket our oversized Pomeranian of 9 years. I help run the Etsy Florida Street Team as well as the medical support group for Primary Immune Deficiencies.

2. What first made you want to become an artist/designer?

I got into embroidery by accident. I was looking for a new machine to do my quilting on and talked to a friend of mine asking her what she thought of her Brother machine. She said I love it but have no time to use it. You want to buy it from me. She handed over her embroidery machine with all the thread and memory cards that she had and a new love was born. 6 years later I have made 2 baby quilts and probably hundreds if not near thousands of embroidered items.

3. How do you promote your work?

I dont work hard at promoting my work.

I make sure to list/relist daily. Twitter has been an effective tool. Remember when using twitter you go outside the Etsy and Artfire networks. You want outsiders to see your work not just the people that know about Etsy/Artfire.

4. In 10 years I would like to be...

hugging and smooshing grandkids and embroidering items for them.

Check out her lovely work at: http://www.auntifranni.etsy.com/

and http://www.auntifranni.artfire.com/

Here's a taster:

Interview on Blogasaurus

Not much to say today as have been sewing all day but my interview is on Blogasaurus today, check it out:

http://blog.glamasaurus.com/2008/12/03/emma-of-dingsinsanity/

And I also was inundated with post/parcels today:

:)

City Life

Today was a strange day, I was at work and then ventured out into the city.

All over the city there was a depressing cloud that could not be shook off my Christmas music.

I did head for the big post office, which in itself is strange as it's sooooo big compared to my usual small town post office.

Also the que was out of the door so I gave up.

On my way to the bus I did manage to pick up another Christmas present though.

Throughout the whole affair only one thing kept me happy:

Starbucks Caramal Macchiato :)

On The First Day of Christmas...

... The Courier brought for me, one great big parcel:
(you have to sing that in the tune, it fits lol)

It sat for three hours there in the middle of the room for 3 hours until Mum got home (it was a joint parcel).

Once she got home, opening commenced:

Of course Pip, the box fiend, had to come and investigate!

Happy Advent Everyone :)