Monday Meetup 3 - Creativity Happens!

Ready for Week 3 of my Blog Spot Lights? Today i want you to meet a very very dear and special Etsy Friend, Creativity Happens.  She is a jewel of a person! And wait til you see what she makes! I just adore her shop!!! 

She  makes hand painted ceramics for parties, home goods or just for fun! Modern Contemporary décor for your home. They are all hand painted in their Charleston, SC studio.

 "It has been a hobby for many many years and giving as gifts. One day I just kept painting and painting and making... WOW!!! I don't know this many people to give gifts to, what am I going to do with all this stuff! So, the selling began."

 

 She  found Etsy, and a few great people on there that took her under their wing and showed her the ropes. "It's been fun!" 

 

 ♥  Her Favorite thing to make? 

"I love my owls, all of them! Each one has a personality and they all make me smile. Let's face it, we have to love what we do!" 

 ♥  Her fave things to create with?  

" Bisque, Glaze & Crystals are my favorite materials... sometimes I even use a paint brush! "

♥  When i asked her what celeb she'd love to buy from her.... 

 "I think Vanna White should demo some of my bowls! I can just see her doing it for some reason! "  (ed:  me too!! ) 

 "Martha Stewart would be amazing with my yarn bowls! "  (ed: i sooo agree! )

 "Although,  Julia Roberts wood be so cool drinking from my travel tumbler" 

 "Wait.... OMG... how could I forget, Gerard Butler, he definately needs one of these: "

Some fun facts about Creativity:
Her Fave color?  - Too many colors to choose from! But partial to greens.
Her fave tv show? - Criminal Minds
Her  fave music/song/band ?  - Adel
Her fave quote/saying?  -  "Life isn't about finding yourself, it's about CREATING yourself! "
Her  fave snack ?   -  Pretzels and cheddar cheese chunks
Her quilty pleasure?  - " I plead the 5th muahahahahahaha"

You Can find Creativity on Etsy at http://CreativityHappens.etsy.com  and on Facebook under Creativity Happens . 

Winners!!!

Voting has ended and the winners have been declared for the Handmade Halloween Candy Challenge!

We had amazingly creative entries this year! I have to say, this was a tougher challenge than i would have thought! Who knew, creating with candy would truly be a challenge! lol

But I loved all diverse entries! Everyone rocked and did a great job!

A few stats!

There were 11 entries!

We had over  195 votes!

With over 340 blog views. 
Lots of people participated and i thank you all!

Ok on to the Winners!!!

For Most Creative/Inventive: the runner up winner is: 

Candy Zombie Lady by BNWCraft !! with 28% of the vote!

1st Place goes to Spaulding the Candy Owl by TheCozyLoft with a whipping 39% of the vote! Congrats Cozy!!! 

For The Category: Most Likely to be Eaten before this Contest Ends:

Runner up is:   

Christina's Jack-O-Lantern Cake with 29% of the vote

But, The winner is  

Kellie's Amazing Jelly Bean Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake with 36% of the vote! Congrats! and we have to ask - has it been devoured yet?  who am i kidding, of course it has! yummm!

For the final category, Mostest Halloweeniest....

It was a tie!!!! 

 

BNW's Candy Zombie Lady and Michellesthisandthat Chocolate Haunted House both tied with a 32% vote! way to go!!! 

And! Our last final winner, goes to Erica of Caustic Threads, for being our random voter winner! Congrats Erica!!! 

 

Congrats to everyone! You all did a fantastic job!!!  

and stay tuned... because you never know when we might do another Contest! (any thoughts??? post below!)

Dont Forget to Vote!!!

Only a Few Days Left to Cast your Vote!

There are 3 polls to the left! Be sure to vote in all 3! You can only vote once, but you can vote for more than one entry!! 

Here's another peek at the awesome entries and the prizes!

Don't forget to comment! One lucky voter will win a prize too! 

And don't forget to join us on Facebook Here

and on Etsy Here!

Other Venues

So have any of you been reaching out to other venues like i have lately? I don't know what's going on with Etsy, or really the lack of what's going on with Etsy, but its been so dead for me lately. Well, longer than lately. Usually the summer is slow - it was last summer, but it wasnt anything close to being this slow! And I've been trying to network really hard off Etsy, doing everything i can think of! But nadda! I was beginning to think my items really sucked. But the thing i was noticing was that nothing was getting views. Would be listed for days and not one view. How is that possible? Remember the days of listing a new item and getting like 30 hits in a couple of hours? What happened to that?

I can't help but really think all the search changes and SEO changes made in the last 6-8 months has truly affected traffic to all our shops. You'd be in denial if you don't think so.

So i started branching out. I listed some of my new hats on MadeitMyself.com 2 nights ago, within 5 minutes of listing a hat it sold! I was so excited! I thought, ok! My stuff doesnt suck! So i listed more! And i didn't really promote the listings, i didn't really promote anything, and they got views, and not just one or two, but like 20-30 within a day. Not huge numbers, but compared to what i was getting on Etsy, pretty big difference!


So today i spent a good amount of time listing on Artfire Byhand.me too. I know a lot of you have tried them - i just never got around to it, thought maybe it wouldnt help. But again, i'm getting tons of views already! It's kind of a nice feeling to see something! Ya know?


What i also noticed, and liked, is you actually are on the front page when you list. And, not just a tiny tiny square at the very bottom - but front and square center! You are truly seen. Yes they are smaller sites, but they also advertise all over! So i can't help but think they may be better avenues.


So tell me, what sites are you venturing into? What venues other than Etsy have you had any success with? I know there are tons of others. But i don't want to spread myself too thin.


And, don't get me wrong, I love Etsy! I love the people i have met on Etsy, I love all the cool features. But somewhere over time, seems things have gotten off track there. It's just nice to know that there are other sites welcoming us in!

A Handmade Wedding?

I wonder if its possible to have a totally handmade wedding? So i started looking around on Etsy, and i do believe it is possible! I was amazed to find everything from Wedding Gowns, veils, garters, wedding bands, bouquets, cake toppers, even cakes!


I loved this dress! (By Littleredsparrow)

Ok this one too, by Kalypsochick! lol isn't it cool?? traditional in a sense, but with a bit of flair!

So then i saw the treasury was opening (yes i have been sooo addicted to getting one lately!) so i thought why not do a treasury on an Etsy Wedding!

So Click Here to see it! if i do say so myself, i think it turned out pretty cool!

Now all i need is the guy! lol

Breast Cancer Challenge - Taking a Peek Part 3

The entries for our Breast Cancer Awareness Challenge (aka Boob Contest) are coming in Fast! The deadline isn't until the 20th, but already people are listing theirs like crazy! we have also already made $85 to go towards the Susan G Komen Foundation!! Here are just a few other entries for your viewing pleasure!

Indulgentcreations made this awesome Awareness Vegan Soap ($6)


This so pretty pink rose pendant was made by Liquidsabre ($18)

Lindesigns made these awesome Mystic Crystal Rock and hot Pink Earrings ($26)

This Booby Keychain ($10) was made by liberation!


And you can't go wrong with a matching Nipple Scarf ($18.95) and Boobie Hat ($12.95) from Mostfavoriteaunt!



And, lastly Thegivingtree made this adorable aromatherapy Bear! ($15)


Entries for our Challenge are still coming in fast! We Have over 60 shops entered so far! But, its still not to late to enter if you are interested! Come Check us out Here! Where you can see all the entries, prepare to cast your vote on the 20th, and even buy one of these awesome entries! Remember 100% of all proceeds will be donated to the Susan G Komen Foundation!

New Daisy Line

So seeing as soon spring will be here, i have come to realize that people will just not want to buy scarves and hats so much anymore. Even though i love to knit them, i just know i had to find some other outlet and avenue to sell. So here's where my love of daisies and fabric come in! Messing around one day i made this darling new clutch.

Then i started thinking that i could make really cute sets, with matching card holders that would easily slip inside, that could be used as well card holders, or stash your cash in, or even cell phones in.

So lately thats what i have been focusing more on. Especially since i finally found a bunch of daisies in all kinds of colors! oh man, good thing i am selling or i would be sooo broke! lol What can i say, i love fabrics, and i love daisies! Almost as much as i love yarn and buttons! lol No matter how much i already have, i still want more! (please tell me, its not just me!) lol

So this past week i have created two more sets . My Polka Dot Daisy Clutch set . I think its a really fun fabric. I mean who doesnt like polka dots! In greens and pinks and white, and adorned with cute pink daisies. I have never been a huge fan of the clutch til recently. I guess i dont like having to lug big bags around, when all i need is something to stash my keys, cell phone and wallet in. And this is perfect for that.

But i have to admit, so far my favorite one i have made to date, is my oriental themed one. At least i think it looks oriental to me. Called the Cherry Blossom Daisy Clutch Set. And this one i kind of turned into a wristlet, by attaching white ribbon loop to one end, that is easily wearable and carryable! It's such a cute fabric, and i have so much left over too, i have yet to decide what to do with. But dont you just love these big daisies?? Ok maybe it's just me! lol

I am really hoping to make more and that it really takes off. They are so fun to make, and i think turn out pretty cute too. And like i said before, now that spring will be near, i am trying out new things to make, and different creative ways to keep my shop going.

Welcome!

Well this is my first ever blog, I admit I am sooo new to this whole blogging thing. But, I thought I would give it a shot. I will mostly be talking about and showcasing many of the wonderfully talented etsians I have met and come across since joining back in September. I will of course show my new and upcoming items as well!

In some ways i still feel very new to Etsy, but in others, its quite like home! So many wonderfully friendly people I have met and become friends with, it's almost like a little etsy family. Lol well ok, not "little" lol as there are hundreds of thousands of us on there! But, you get the idea!

I hope if you haven't heard of Etsy by now, you will check it out - http://etsy.com . It's a place for all things handmade and vintage. It's still considered somewhat new company I think, only being a little over 2 years old. But, I think it's a name that will soon be well known world wide and i am excited to be a part of it!

Please feel free to check out my little shop on there http://missknits.etsy.com I am constantly updating my shop, adding new items daily! I am also in the forums or in chat often, so if you see me, please say hi! Thanks again for reading my little blog! I am still getting it up and running but do come back often! You never know what treasures you might discover!