Etsy Twitter Team Shop of the Week - In My Head Studios

34-year-old artist Vickie Porter, owner of InMyHeadStudios, has a passion for paper. "I love everything about paper-the way it feels, the sounds it makes, the colors and textures. It has dimension, and I try to use that in my work."



A self-professed perfectionist with an eye for detail, Vickie's exquisitely crafted pendants create miniature spaces that call to mind old letters, or the box of special treasures you had as a child.Says Vickie, " I have to make art like I have to breathe! I intentionally keep a messy desk so I can be inspired by the play of papers together. I have WAY more ideas for art than time to do it in!"Using scrabble tiles and upcycled vintage dominos as the base for her pendants allows Vickie to "create something new from something old" and the addition of beads, dangles and charms give the beautiful pieces texture and movement.

An avid Twitterite, Vickie uses her three Twitter accounts not only to "connect and form relationships with people. I talk to them, post useful links, and funny stuff" but also to "share my creative process so people get to know my craft as well as me. I strive to have people think of my work when they think of me."In addition to working fulltime as an artist in her home studio,

Vickie is also leader of the 175-member Etsy Twitter Team. "Running the team is truly a joy and a blessing to be part of! The members have created such a close community-I'm really proud of that." Recently, she made the decision to help start up and run the Facebook Fans of Etsy Street Team (FFEST) with several other women. "They are all very talented and I am really excited about this new venture!"InMyHeadStudios is happy to do custom pendants. "If you dream it, I can do it!" and ships jewelry all over the world. " I guarantee you will love wearing your pendant as much as I enjoyed creating it!"

On Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/inmyheadstudiosOn Etsy: http://inmyheadstudios.etsy.com/


SHOP OF THE WEEK SPECIAL:
15% off all orders (not including shipping).
Discount refunded via Paypal.

Etsy Twitter Team Shop of the Week - In My Head Studios

34-year-old artist Vickie Porter, owner of InMyHeadStudios, has a passion for paper. "I love everything about paper-the way it feels, the sounds it makes, the colors and textures. It has dimension, and I try to use that in my work."

A self-professed perfectionist with an eye for detail, Vickie's exquisitely crafted pendants create miniature spaces that call to mind old letters, or the box of special treasures you had as a child.

Says Vickie, " I have to make art like I have to breathe! I intentionally keep a messy desk so I can be inspired by the play of papers together. I have WAY more ideas for art than time to do it in!"

Using scrabble tiles and upcycled vintage dominos as the base for her pendants allows Vickie to "create something new from something old" and the addition of beads, dangles and charms give the beautiful pieces texture and movement.

An avid Twitterite, Vickie uses her three Twitter accounts not only to "connect and form relationships with people. I talk to them, post useful links, and funny stuff" but also to "share my creative process so people get to know my craft as well as me. I strive to have people think of my work when they think of me."

In addition to working fulltime as an artist in her home studio, Vickie is also leader of the 175-member Etsy Twitter Team. "Running the team is truly a joy and a blessing to be part of! The members have created such a close community-I'm really proud of that." Recently, she made the decision to help start up and run the Facebook Fans of Etsy Street Team (FFEST) with several other women. "They are all very talented and I am really excited about this new venture!"

InMyHeadStudios is happy to do custom pendants. "If you dream it, I can do it!" and ships jewelry all over the world. " I guarantee you will love wearing your pendant as much as I enjoyed creating it!"

On Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/inmyheadstudios
On Etsy: http://inmyheadstudios.etsy.com/

SHOP OF THE WEEK SPECIAL:
15% off all orders (not including shipping).
Discount refunded via Paypal.

Etsy Twitter Shop of the Week - Glitzy Events

Kimberley Williams, of Glitzy Events has one mission: to provide high quality products and personalized service to her clients. Whether working with brides-to-be, or those planning graduation, anniversary or other celebrations, Glitzy Events is a one-stop source for everything from gorgeous, fully customized invitations to products such as unity & memorial candles, place cards, menus, programs, etc.

Born out of Kimberley's frustrations while planning her own wedding, Glitzy Events is happy to design something unique for a customer. "We can take any design in our shop and customize it completely for our clients. If a client loves our work but wants something a little different we will work with them until we can come up with a design that they love. We don’t charge any additional design fees as we feel that this is part of the custom process." Located in New York, the shop currently ships to the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK and is always happy to provide shipping quotes for other International customers.

With a full service website as well as an Etsy location, Kim's always looking for ways to save time and has found Twitter to be very useful in reaching new clients.
"Twitterfeed.com has been an extremely helpful tool. As I list new items they are posted to my twitter account automatically within 30 minutes which then results in immediate views for my products. Using this tool saves me a lot of time and allows my products to be seen by hundreds of people almost instantly. This has helped me to connect with other professionals within and outside of my industry. These connections lead to referrals which lead to sales."

Glitzy Events is offering two specials this week: Become a Fan of their Facebook Page (http://facebook.com/GlitzyEvents), leave a comment on their Wall, and receive 5% off your full
invitation order
AND
Order 2 or more INVITATION samples and get free shipping...refund to be issued via Paypal.

Etsy Twitter Shop of the week - Rocki's Supplies

Deb "Rocki" Adams, of RockisSupplies.etsy.com, creates “handcrafted metalwork findings & jewelry in a variety of finishes using Sterling Silver, Fine Silver, 14k Gold Filled & now Copper”. Her signature pieces are Elfin Ear wires and they are stunning. “A couple years ago, when I was selling in my old Etsy shop, I made my own ear wires for my jewelry and started getting requests for my Signature Elfins. So, I started selling them in that shop and it took off from there.” What a nice way to get a start in selling handmade supplies!

When you look at Rocki’s Supplies shop for the first time it’s easy to assume the items are not handmade simply because they are so perfect! But her jewelry findings really are handmade!! It’s amazing! Including handmade findings in your handmade jewelry would definitely increase the value of your work as a whole. Plus you’re buying handmade for your supplies and everybody wins!

“My tag line pretty much sums it up that my findings are more than supplies, they are ‘Handcrafted Pieces of Art For Your Artistic Creations’ - I truly put my heart and soul into my work and although my days are quite long, I value the integrity of each piece I make and customer care is most important to me. I appreciate each customer and am thrilled when they share their creations with me - makes my heart happy!”

What inspires Rocki to create? “I have this inner fire that I never knew existed until several years ago - out of bad situations come good things. You know, ‘when life throws you lemons, make lemonade!’ I honestly eat, sleep, dream, and wear metal - including my mouth! Yep, braces. I have come up with new creations in the weirdest ways - from relaxing in my pool, looking at fixtures around my home, walking through hardware stores - you name it. Even my hubby gets into coming up with ideas! But, I must say that my customers inspire me tremendously! From brand new requests to tweaking some of my current work, I have made some very cool findings.”

Etsy Twitter Shop of the week - Silver Mountain Originals

Tammy Gross, of Tamdoll.etsy.com, also known as SILVER Mountain Originals, creates “an eclectic mix of unique fabric jewelry, the occasional art doll (and a couple of original sewing patterns for those), purses, totes and wallets – many of those 'upcycled' from repurposed fabrics.” She also has a few woven ribbons for sale that are quite unique.


“Everything I make comes from a creative burst of energy and is one-of-a-kind. If I’m inspired enough to make a handful of items that are similar, no two will ever really be the same. Sometimes I wish I could be more consistent, but that hasn’t happened yet and I’ve been creating art for 20 years. I love to try new things and experiment – not everything comes out as planned and it’s back to the drawing board until I get it right, which can sometimes mean weeks until I get things just the way I want them to be.

Why ‘Tamdoll’? In the 90’s, when I learned to sew, I started making fantasy art dolls - tamdoll.home.comcast.net – and did that for quite a while selling them in local boutiques. Beading dragon wings led me to experiment with beading and jewelry making, but my passion was with the fabric and soon enough, I figured out how to blend the two into fabric jewelry!”




What inspires you to create? “So many things inspire me to create - a color, a scrap of fabric, a funny story even - there isn’t anything that doesn’t inspire me, my brain never rests, and I can’t predict what I’ll come up with next. Seriously, sometimes it’s almost a disadvantage. I have scribbled ideas EVERYWHERE. My purse is filled with ideas written on scraps of paper along with the notepad that I always carry. My desk has piles of half-filled notebooks. Even when my mind is winding down, right before I fall asleep... I’ll see a color combination or shape in my mind and remember it for the next day. The problem begins when I start all these projects. I start so many, get inspired again and begin another before the first is finished. The excitement of something new keeps me going and going. And keeps my workroom a mess. This explains also, why my shop is updated with new, completed, items so sporadically!”


What are your Twitter tricks of the trade? "I joined Twitter to connect with other crafters – and for a while I tried to stick with just keeping things all ‘business’. But I just couldn’t. Connecting with the people that are behind the avatars is so much more rewarding than just announcing when I have a new item listed, or a new blog post – I certainly don’t want to follow someone impersonal like that! I love to chime in on interesting Twitter topics and tweet when I find something unique or useful that other creative people may enjoy. (Ok, when I’m up at 3am you may find a silly tweet or two.) It’s pretty satisfying to hear ‘Where do you find this stuff?’ – then you get known as a resource for creativity. Oh, and Twitter would be useless for me without TweetDeck. With following so many, I’m able to categorize my interests and see updates clearly.”

She shares many of her works-in-progress on her blog tamdoll.blogspot.com and at flickr.com/photos/tamdoll and invites everyone to stop by and say hello. Follow her at Twitter @tamdoll!

Special for the Week: Free domestic shipping on non-ribbon items. You will receive a PayPal refund for items not already specially marked as part of the sale. There are some items sprinkled about the shop that have SALE in the title and are specially priced through the springtime.

Shop of the Week delivers! Tamara Garvey

A sense of humor is something we all could use more of these days and this week’s Shop of the Week delivers! Tamara Garvey, of TamaraGarvey.etsy.com, has some really cute and beautiful illustrations. Her style is quirky and fun! For example, the drawing pictured above, "Burglars and Russian Nesting Dolls", actually made me laugh out loud.

“I draw fun, whimsical, pen-and-ink scenes, usually involving at least one animal and/or tree, as these are my favorite things to study and draw! I sell them as prints in different sizes, including ACEOs, as well as note card sets.

I'm really inspired by the classic pen-and-ink artists Edward Gorey and Aubrey Beardsley. My drawings are made with care in my cute home studio, usually with my dog snoozing on the floor nearby. I'm saving up for a large-format printer of my own so that I can have complete control over my prints (that sounds diabolical! mua ha ha), but in the meantime I have them done at a print shop nearby that does an awesome job. My prints have great color and are printed on nice quality card stock.

My drawings are inspired by my walk to work through Savannah, Georgia's squares, magazines, other artists/crafters on Etsy, color combinations of a stranger's outfit, tattoos, particularly cute dogs at the dog park...anything really!”




Tamara has a degree in Illustration from Savannah College of Art and Design and a B.S. in Biology from Mary Washington College. Her biology background comes through in her piece titled “Enchantment under the Sea” – it’s like looking into a microscope and seeing all sorts of neat little creatures swimming around in the pond water.

When asked about her Twittering: “It took me a while to get used to Twitter, but now I am really into it! I try hard to maintain a mix of promotional (whether self- or other-) tweets with replies or random thoughts, to keep a personal touch to things. I love keeping in touch with my Etsy team members, seeing what they're creating, and what's new with them. I have made some great connections with other artists and crafters especially. One girl in particular, a freelance illustrator, has pretty much become my mentor as I develop my own illustration career! I think it is amazing that a new site can have such an effect.”

She ships everywhere and all her illustrations are shipped wrapped in a waterproof cellophane sleeve, sandwiched between pieces of thick, non-bending cardboard.

Follow her on her blog and on Twitter!



Special for the Week: Put “EtsyTwitter” into the “Messages for the Seller” box and await a revised invoice with a 15% discount off any of her items! (If you forget, just send her a convo.)

Etsy Twitter Shop of the week - Rhodes Annals Designs

This week’s shop has extermely lovely handmade items. Claire Elizabeth Annals (her maiden name was Rhodes), of RhodesAnnalsDesigns.etsy.com, sells bags, hats, crochet purses, knitted scarves and cowls. She also sells some of her sister’s jewelry and vintage patterns.

“Each item is 'lovingly' handmade, by that I mean that I enjoy making them and like to imagine how they will be used by their new owner. When I made the wisp scarf, I couldn't shake the feeling that it should be used as a light shawl at a wedding. I am always on the look out for new ideas, and if I wouldn't use an item, it doesn't go into my shop. I use the best materials I can source, and I am always on the look out for unusual yarn and fabric patterns.”


Her family inspires her to create. “There have been many things over the past where one or another member of my family has said 'you could sell that'. The hats came from my mum giving me a metre of fleece fabric one day as my son had outgrown his hat and she, rightly, reckoned I could make one myself. The 'hug a hottie' came from a special request from my sister for a knitted hot water bottle cover. The flower hair clips came from a childhood memory of hair grips and bun covers that my mum used to crochet for me when I was a little girl, and the pouches came from a necessity to be able to find things in my voluminous handbag (which I made because I couldn't find anything big enough in the shops).”

Rhodes Annals Designs is located in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, UK, and ships internationally. She is more than happy to make custom items just for you.

About her Twitter habits: “I like to engage in conversation with others over Twitter - I do a fair amount of link posting but hope that I balance that out with friendly banter and sometimes even advice. I know personally that I am more likely to purchase from someone that I felt I had 'bonded' with on Twitter or in the Etsy forums - and I have purchased many, many items that way. I love the immediacy of Twitter - you can post a link to your latest item and then sit and watch the view count mount up. I think that there are lots of very courteous people on Twitter who click on every link and I am thankful to them.”

You can read about her projects on her blog at Claire's Stitching Adventures. Find her on Twitter @RhodesAnnals. Become a fan of her Facebook page.

Special for the Week: Put “Twitter Rocks” into the “Messages for the Seller” box and await a revised invoice with a 10% discount off the item price.

Etsy Twitter Shop of the week - Jaybird Designs

Jennifer Cirka, of Jaybird Designs, makes unique crocheted clothing and accessories for babies, children and women. Her designs are wonderful. The photos of her work are luscious, and you can really tell her work is of high quality.

“I am very eclectic in what I make and sell. My main love is crochet!! I specialize in unique crocheted clothing and accessories. But my best sellers are my original crochet patterns!! The new love of my life, Cash the Greyhound, has stirred my creative juices again and I have started adding pet items to my shop. I currently have decorative dog tag collars, but plan to include crocheted sweaters, leashes, and maybe even homemade gourmet dog treats.

I am a professional crochet designer with designs published in major crochet magazines such as Crochet World and Crochet Today! I even have a booklet published with Leisure Arts called "Top-sy Turvy." You can be assured that you are working with a professional, and all my items are of excellent quality and workmanship.”

Jennifer offers $5.00 flat rate shipping (even when you order more than one item) to the entire world. U.S. shoppers, please contact her before checkout if you'd prefer $3.00 First Class instead of $5.00 for Priority shipping.

Special Deal for the Week: Free shipping if you mention "TWITTER Team Rocks" in the comments at check out. She will refund your shipping cost!!

Etsy Twitter Shop of the week - Renee Suich

Renee Suich, of ReneeSuich.etsy.com, makes the most fascinating lampwork beads. Her work is so beautiful that I’m tempted to start making lampwork beads myself! It looks fun!

From Renee: “Every bead is a miniature work of art. The process from planning a design, to color combinations, to actually melting the glass, each step is enjoyable and always a new challenge. I use my beads to make and sell jewelry, key chains, and Skeleton Key Beads.

The Skeleton Key Beads are my best seller and my biggest challenge. Many of these are made and don’t get listed. Sometimes the prettiest bead gets stuck on the key shaft and won’t slide & spin. The bead is broken and I start over.

The Key Chains are made from beads that have gone a little too funky. It’s easy for me to get lost in the torch, melting glass, the bead keeps getting bigger…”


Every bead is a one-of-a-kind piece. They have been kiln annealed and properly cleaned. The construction is sturdy. The jewelry pieces are comfortable. Every order is very personal, and she usually ships within 24 hours. She will ship internationally and recently lowered her shipping cost to Canada.

Special for week of March 23 - 29, FREE SHIPPING to U.S. & Canada – Send her an Etsy conversation about your desired item, and she will delete the shipping charges prior to your purchase.

Etsy Twitter Team Shop of the Week - Jewel Craft Designs

Sharlyn Lauby, of Jewel Craft Designs, creates jewelry – necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. She particularly enjoys working with crystals. Her designs are very unique and incorporate different mediums in each piece.

From Sharlyn’s profile on Etsy: “Sharlyn Lauby has been involved in the art world for over 20 years. She began her craft as a commercial artist, producing limited-edition serigraphs, etchings, and paper sculptures. The work was a lot of fun but incredibly messy (‘I always smelled like paint thinner!’)

Already recognized as a human resources expert, Sharlyn started Jewel Craft Designs to combine her love of art with her entrepreneurial spirit.

Sharlyn is a self-taught jewelry maker. Working out of her home studio, Sharlyn’s jewelry making is all about having fun and making other people happy with her works. Her jewelry and gifts are designed for everyday wear and enjoyment.”

I am into using many different media in my own work so Jewel Craft Designs’ work speaks to me. It’s not easy to pull the varied elements together all the time and Sharlyn does it quite well.

Check out her shop! What speaks to you?

She writes about Human Resources on her blog: The HR Bartender.

Etsy Twitter Team Shop of the Week - Emmakat

As I sit down to write the Shop of the Week article this week (admittedly a bit late), I’m again struck by how diverse our team members are. I love getting to know our teammates!

Emma Kate Nolan, from Emmakat.etsy.com, is this week’s Shop of the Week. Emma has a background in Architecture and you can see that style come through in her work with beaded jewelry and paper goods. About this she says, “I think you will see the influence of my education in architecture in most of my items, I'm drawn to simple and bold patterns and forms. I like to think up unusual ways of putting things together. I suppose this ends up meaning I'm drawn to asymmetry, circles and black!

I've been making beaded jewelry since elementary school, but I think you'd see a pretty big difference in what I did before architecture school and after, both in style and craftsmanship. I'm also a member of Cruelty Free Etsy and I avoid animal products in my work. Pendants are strung on waxed cotton cord, and I don't work with pearls or shells, for example. I've been a vegetarian for 7 or 8 years now, and avoiding animal products comes pretty naturally at this point.

I'm not really happy unless I'm making something! I try to keep a sketchbook around for ideas. I tend to have more ideas than I have time to create. They're not always great ideas, as I find out sometimes when I try to make them, but it's so satisfying when something works out like you envisioned.”


About Twitter: “I just try to have fun with it. It's nice to see a bump in views when you promote something on Twitter, but I mainly try to enjoy it as an outlet for some random thoughts and for reading other people's tweets. Right now I need to spend some time organizing my TweetDeck better. It's a neat tool, but I haven't had time to take full advantage of it yet. It's actually been a few days since I've had time to mess with Twitter! But I think that's natural, some times you have more time for this sort of thing.” Follow Emma at Twitter! She is blogging here.

Etsy Twitter Team Shop of the Week - Angel Kisses Jewelry

Angel Kisses Jewelry is a collective of related artists. Michelle Aguilar, her mother Sherry Hadley, and sister Annette Crews create one of kind jewelry pieces using semi-precious stones, glass beads and their own handmade polymer clay beads and pendants. Many of their creations are available as full sets of matching earrings, necklaces, and bracelets. They really do make unique pieces any woman would be glad to wear around town.


“Each of our pieces is unique. We spend a lot of time selecting the best available materials to ensure our final pieces are unlike anything else. The art of jewelry design is a form of self-expression. We each bring ourselves into our designs and continually strive to learn and perfect new techniques and materials. This broadens our available selection to our customers.

We love to create and inspiration can strike at the funniest times. Sometimes we are inspired by fashion or art, and other times it's like a mental getaway in your head while you type an email at work. We have each had our own arts and crafts we have been helplessly addicted to throughout the years. I think the inspiration and draw for our jewelry is that we sit down with a pile of beads or a clump of clay and we have a gorgeous piece that we can instantly wear out the door when we are finished. It's like instant gratification for crafters.”

Etsy Twitter Team Featured Shop of the Week -Maine Lee Crochet

The Etsy Twitter Team's mission is to bring Etsy sellers who use Twitter together to become the authority on Twitter for all things handmade.

Ginny, from Maine Lee Crochet, has been in business on Etsy since March 2008. She makes gorgeous all crochet or knit items like hats, socks, scarves, dishcloths, and towels with crochet tops . Everything is handmade by her and ready to ship.

Ginny says about her handicrafts, “My product is high quality and made with my heart. I love what I do and I hope it shows in my items. If I don't like the way something turns out it doesn't get listed for sale. My ‘oops’ products stay at my house for my own use.”

Ginny promotes her shop in a number of different ways. She says, ”I use MySpace, word of mouth, I leave business cards where ever I can. I use the forums a lot. I also visit the chat rooms on Etsy and talk about my items, the way they are made, and the material used.”

She ships internationally! Stop by her shop for some good crocheted love!

Etsy Twitter Team Featured Shop of the Week

Shop of The Week: Tinker and Po

Lisa Gergets, of Tinker and Po, creates the most wonderfully warm fingerless gloves/arm warmers and accessories that are made from felted and repurposed merino wool, angora, cashmere or lamb’s wool sweaters. She selects source materials for her fingerless gloves from used sweaters, which present endless possibilities in color, pattern and texture. Tinker and Po has been selling on Etsy since July of 2008.

“Every item I sell is meticulously handcrafted, is 100% repurposed, and 10% of every purchase is donated to autism research,” says Lisa about her work.


She uses Twitter effectively as a marketing tool. “I Twitter each new listing in my Etsy shop, any publicity or blog posting the shop receives, and engage in general ‘shop’ talk with other Etsy sellers on Twitter. I am also not hesitant to Twitter about an Etsy product that I enjoy, since in business, as in life, what goes around, comes around. I have definitely seen an upswing in my Etsy traffic since using Twitter.”

Valentine’s Day shipping deadlines: Domestic – February 10th; International - by arrangement, as normal shipping deadlines have already passed. Tinker and Po offers expedited and overnight shipping on all orders.

Etsy Twitter Team Featured Shop of the W eek Paw and Claw Designs

Die, Die, My Darling - Scarab Scarlet

Nichole Jeske of Paw and Claw Designs.etsy.com creates a mix of many different types of jewellery from traditional earrings to fun, geeky necklaces for “one-of-a-kind people with one-of-a-kind taste”. Her shop Paw and Claw Designs is filled with necklaces made from 20-sided dice, stamped sheet metal earrings, wire and beaded pendants, and earrings.

There is something for everyone can in her shop which has been open on Etsy since October of 2006. Paw and Claw Designs offers free worldwide shipping on all her items.

When asked where she gets her inspiration from Nichole said, “I'm most often inspired more by the materials than anything. I'll see a beautiful die, or notice a random bend in some scrap wire, and just run with it. I'm a bit of a ‘geek’ and I love to incorporate that into my work. Little elements, 20-sided dice, and other obscure pop culture references make me happy. Since making jewellery makes me happy, too, it was only natural to me to mix the two.”

“When you buy something I made, you are essentially buying a part of me. I would never sell something I was not 100% in love with. If I wouldn't present it as a heartfelt gift to my best friends, you won't see it in my shop. I pour my heart into every piece, and I think it shows in each and every item.”

Nichole was asked how she makes Twitter work for her and her shop and she replied: “I'm a HUGE fan of TwitterFeed. I have it set up to automatically tweet when I list an item in my Etsy shops, upload a new image to flickr, and post a new blog post on either of my blogs. Basically anything I can RSS gets put onto TwitterFeed. This frees me up to tweet about ME. The ‘promoting’ is automatic.”“On Twitter, everything has ‘been done’. I worry less about getting people to look at my shop and more about making friends.”

When asked how Nichole promotes her shop, she pointed to an Etsy forum thread where she outlines her daily, weekly, and monthly promotional plans. If you need some promo ideas, read this thread for some great information.

Paw and Claw Designs’ Special for this week:

Use the coupon code "Twitter” in "Notes to Seller" for an upgrade to free gift wrapping with every order.

Order and shipping deadlines for Valentine’s Day:

Domestic - February 6th;

International - January 31st

Etsy Twitter Team Featured Shop of the Week

Each Monday a different shopkeeper from the Etsy Twitter Team will be selected as the "shop of the week". This week's featured shop is none other than Flying Zoo Toys.

Please visit The Handicrafter Featured Shop of the Week to read more.