Tuesday, September 2, 2008

One Day In The Life Of The Crafter

If you read this blog you know I blog about crafting. After all the title is "Etsy Rox!" and by now most know what Etsy is. It is the place for crafters to unite and offer their handmade goodness to the world!


Unless you read the "About Me" section then you probably are not aware that besides loving Etsy I am also one of the crafters offering handmade jewelry!


Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes? What it takes to go from "idea" to "for sale"? Well if you have I decided to write down the events of one day. I run two shops so my Etsy days may be just a tad busier than others. Now keep in mind I am unemployed (unfortunately) so my day on Etsy is probably also longer. (I need my Etsy peeps to keep my sanity)


Tuesday September 2nd 2008.


7:00am- WHY?! Why must the alarm go off! I want to sleep more more I say!

Time to get up. I walk dazed and confused yet somehow manage to make it to the restroom. Nothing a quick shower and minty fresh breath cannot fix! Time to get my little sister up and ready for school. (sigh) also time to deal with teenage attitude.

7:30 am- "You are going to be late!" "Hurry up!" "You will get detention!" "Get down here now!" those are the echos of the average school morning. For a small town we sure do have a lot of traffic so getting out the door by 7:30am is ideal yet rarely happens.


7:45 am Buckle up

Thats right it took 15 minutes to get her out the door. Time to drive by the High School. Have I mentioned how much I love the snobby looks and sneers I get from the High School kids? They really do make my mornings special. Just cross when the little man lights up and you wouldn't have to deal with me trying to pass the intersection when MY light is green.


8:00am Back Home

I sip a cup of coffee while I ponder the activities of the day. An hour of forum posting, creating and listing should do it!

The forums where the usual today, New sellers asking for help with sales, how to print shippping labels. The famous "I had a sale now what?" question. The Etsy Administration shold really make new sellers take some sort of tutorial before allowing them to sign up to sell. Kind of like the traffic school exam you have to take when you get a citation- errr not that I would know anything about that. (Note to self schedule traffic school for ticket due at the end of the month)


9:00 Am here I am sitting on my desk. Such sparklies surrounding me! Like usual I draw a blank for a few minutes before finally deciding which stones I will use today. I make a simple sapphire bracelet. Perfect for September! I move on to make simple earrings, I am striving to offer less complex designs so that I can offer lower pricing.


During this time I do have my laptop next to me. I have to keep up with the Etsy chat and forums after all right?


After a few creations I decide to go from creating to photographing.


12:00 pm. The sun is way too bright to take any pictures outdoors. Instead I head to my handy dandy light box. Turn on the bright lamp and position my pieces. I tweak the camera a bit for brightness, macro, no flash. Ok point and shoot.


12:30 pm. After a few dozen sets of pictures I head to the laptop. Time to upload. Like always the perfect picture escapes me. I spend 30 minutes attempting to salvage some of the pictures I have taken by adjusting the exposure, color,cropping and such. Out of the 60 pictures I had taken I deem 10 usable. Unfortunately those 10 pictures will not feel proud among the many awesome pictures on Etsy.

1:00pm - Post office time. I cannot delay any longer. I have to get myself to the Post Office. I grab my packages make a double check on Paypal vs Etsy addresses. Everything is in order. I head into my car and turn it on. 103 F! It is HOT!! I turn on my Air conditioner and allow the cool air to blow at my face. Time to drive.

1:10 pm- I arrived at the Post Office. Like always in this small town there is not a parking spot in front of the post office. I find a suitable parking spot and head inside.

1:20pm- Inside the post office. It is TUESDAY how can it be full I live in a city of 14,000 residents! How many can really have that much to ship? I won't complain too long however, my postal office is one of the few left where the clerks are actually polite.

1:35pm- (yes 15 minutes later) after 10 people who bought stamps, asked questions, asked more questions and the only other person who shipped a package, it is my turn. I feel so professional when I go to the Post Office. I say "I want to ship this first class with a DC (delivery confirmation) and insurance please" The nice clerk gives me the total and my receipt. I am out the door

1:40pm- Back at my car, oh no my stomach is grumbling. I guess it is time to stop for lunch. I drive to the nearest subway. A chicken breast sub and diet coke to go.

2:00 pm Back home. I head to the studio, time to stalk the Alchemy page. There are quite a few jewelry requests and a couple of bridal requests. I take the time to think hard of the perfect item for each of the alchemy requests. I send the convo's and impatiently wait. A stream of messages come in "We are sorry to inform you that your alchemy bid was declined".... yeah I received all No's

3:00 Time to pick up my little sister from school. Again I have to deal with the sneering teens who like to cross against the traffic laws. Why is it so hard for teenagers to understand that they should only cross when the little man on the light says its ok?

3:30pm - after school traffic is awful, I check the mail box. I have a package from an Etsy seller yay supplies! A few letters ah yes the bills too.

4:00pm- Not that it took me 30 mins from the mail box to my studio, I simply do not have anything written down for that time frame.... maybe I passed out?
I decide to create some more. I created this lovely piece here . Once again the picture taking fiasco begins which was described a few posts above therefore you need not the gritty details yet again.

5:00 pm- List an item for sale and ask for critique from my Etsy friends, as absentminded as I am I asked for a critique but posted no item link. They were giving critiques on my avatar which was ok because I have been meaning to ask for a critique of that also.

6:00 pm- Dinner time... subway again. I am a creature of habit Once again I have a chicken sandwhich and a diet coke.

6:30 pm back home- Eat my sandwhich.... you do not want details of this do you? its not pretty.

7:00 pm Stalking the Etsy Alchemy page again. I have now been declined 5 times today. I cannot express enough how great that makes me feel. I do however, appreciate a note from the seller telling me they went with someone else, I appreciate they take the time to personally let me know they looked at my bid.

8:00 pm Still stalking the forums and the Etsy Alchemy page.... wait whats this? Jewelry sets for bridesmaid requests?! Ok this one I MUST get. I have the perfect item! I have sent my bid now it is time to wait.

8:30 pm- I am messaging back and forth with the seller she seems very interested I am feeling really good about this one.

9:00 pm - "Congratulations Princessbride..." That is RIGHT! I got the alchemy request. Excuse me while I do a happy dance ................................ A few twirls and skips later I am back. I am stoked I love doing bridal jewelry and bridesmaid jewelry! Its like having a fashion show that lasts all evening long. You know the bride and bridesmaids will be asked where they got their jewelry. At least I hope so.

10:00 pm I sit down to review my notes that I made of my day. I proposed myself I would write it all down so that I could then sit and write this web diary. It seemed like an uneventful day to me and although the events of the day were short of exciting I did accomplish a lot today.

10:35 pm I am now tired. I just finished typing this up and I will be posting it in the morning. I am now writing out these last words and will be washing up for bed.

Goodnight World in the morning I get to repeat this process again!


Friday, August 29, 2008

LABOR DAY WEEKEND SALES!

So we all know the huge department stores are advertising their big labor day weekend sales.
My readers, this weekend I invite you to support the handmade movement and shop online.
Etsy is the place to buy and sell all things I will be watching the promos section all day long and I will post what in my opinion are the best deals on Etsy.

Some are already thinking Christmas gifts, with all the great discounts or free gifts with purchase why don't you start your gift list on Etsy?

Hurry because these spectacular sales end soon!

As I come across more I will post,
to go to these shops simply click on the banner.


The Point is also having a BOGO sale, Buy one get the second item free!



Natasha Designs is offering 50% OFF everything in her shop today Only August 28th


Alesi is having a BOGO sale, buy one get one for ONLY $5.00 how great is that?


AmanoCrafts has reduced prices on everything!


Red Panda is having quite the sale, 20% off your entire purchase plus a bonus BOGO. Thats right she is offering 50% off your second item on top of your 20% discount.



IMOTIME is having all clocks 50% off until August 31st. Make sure you are on time get your clocks now!


SalutationCreation what a cute name! Only today August 29th BOGO thats right buy one get one free!


Shades Jewelry is having a spectacularl sale. Get this, spend $25.00 and she will refund 50% of your entire purchase!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Product Reviews -BANNERAMA!

I just have to say WOW
I posted an alchemy request you can see it by clicking here

I had an old banner I made myself not great quality I know, you can view it on the request. Although I stated I was flexible on price I was Not ready to pay 3-7 times more than what I had stated. Finally I found an awesome seller who re-did my entire banner for my bridal shop. I love the end result.

She was very friendly, I think I was a bit difficult as I sent it back for revision a few times. She never once complained, she gladly obliged to my sometimes ridiculous requests. I am a happy customer and a happy owner of this banner now.



Thank you LovesAttendant
You Rock!

The Little Black Box


Up until a month ago I was oblivious to what this was. Recently they have been getting quite a bit of attention from the Etsy Forums , so I decided to give it a try.

I just purchased the August Box, to see a list of what could be included click here
I am very excited about receiving it and I am slightly skeptical. I participated on a few Etsy give aways where you send items to a seller, then they collect items from a few more sellers. They send you an invoice to pay for shipping and then you get your items. The first package was not useful to me at all, it was full of promos and not really something I could keep. The second time I participated I received nothing, the seller said my package arrived late yet they didn't return it.

I am hopeful that because this is an off Etsy, independent website that it will be different. I have just purchased the august box it cost $23.00 I will let you know what i get and I will post photos as well.

In addition to purchasing I have sent Kim an email as I am interested in participating. I will send 20 items so if you are a fan of Alesi Jewelry stay tuned and I will let you know what box I will be in.

For more information on The Little Black Box visit their website http://thelittleblackbox.com

Happy day!

Introduction to Etsy Rox

Welcome to Etsy Rox!
A place for Etsians to come and chat, promote and much more. At Etsy Rox you will be able to:

  • Promote your Etsy Shop - Banner slots and avatars will be available for purchase once I get many readers so that they become worth your buck!
  • Read about featured sellers, get to know the person behind the craft!
  • See the latest announcements made on Etsy with clear explanations
  • Promote sales
  • Participate in contests
  • Create contests! (must email me with details and approval I will post for you)
  • Promote others!
  • Comment on all posts!
I hope you enjoy your blog as much as I will enjoy blogging on it!

About Me

CALIFORNIA!, United States
My name is Isela I have been with Etsy for one full year and I love it! I have had quite a bit of success selling there and I just opened a second shop! If you want to view my shops they are http://alesi.etsy.com and http://princessbride.etsy.com I love the community and I enjoy the interaction. I wanted to create a blog all about Etsy and the ins and outs, there are many sites out there that discredit Etsy that post private issues and make the site look bad, then the administrators of these sites pose a different attitude on Etsy not cool! I will stick to the facts when posting but I will never defame any seller, admin or Etsy. I might as well have called my blog Etsy Haven! ^_^