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.

Socks for Diabetics - Now in Stock

Socks for diabetics need to be made in one piece without seams. Seams can form ridges which may irritate feet and cause sores or blisters to form. The fabric needs to be breathable and draw moisture away from the skin.

These socks are made in one piece without seams and have been knitted in a spiral pattern as can be seen in the photo. The socks are made from a blend of fibres and are breathable with a slight elasticity for added comfort should feet swell. The yarn blend also serves to draw moisture away from the foot.

The socks were shown to my diabetic educator who thought they were just the thing.

This pair is made from an ombre yarn with shades ranging from a pale silvery grey to a dark charcoal. The yarn is a blend of cotton, wool, nylon and elastic fibres.

Diabetic socks on Etsy

Want More Traffic to Your Handmade Shop?

Do you have a handmade shop on Etsy or Artfire? Would you like to have more visitors to your shop? I'd like to help if you'll let me.

I write a weekly post on my new blog, The Handicrafter. The post is my top 10 craft picks of the week. The first week I ran the column 3 items on the list sold.

I'd love to feature one of the items from your shop and help spread the word for you.

How does this work? Very simply. To enter the draw for next week's column just leave a comment on this week's column about any one of the 10 items on the list. That's it. Too easy!

Remember it is a weekly draw so check back each week and re-enter.

The link to this week's current column is

The Handicrafter

Top 10 picks for this week are now online on the Handicrafter, my new blog. To view this week's picks please follow this link: http://handicrafter.today.com/2008/12/25/the-magickal-ewes-top-10-hand-crafted-picks-for-december-26-2008/

This week's picks are all crochet and all come from Etsy shops. There are some wildly unique items in this week's line-up.

Make it a Green Christmas

As more and more people are becoming environmentally conscious, many families will be looking forward to a “green” holiday. Now, this doesn’t refer to how much snow is on the ground, it refers to how environmentally friendly your holiday is. The following are some tips on how to have a green holiday:

Use LED Lights:

If you like to decorate with lights, consider switching to LED lights. These lights use less energy and will save you money, too!

Buy Rechargeable Batteries:

If you have children, there will most likely be quite a few presents under your tree that require batteries. Rechargeable batteries are a “green” choice because you can use them several times before they lose their effectiveness. Again, this is a cost that can be offset by the fact that you will be spending less over the long run.

Reuse Old Cards:

Do you still have some Christmas cards from last year in storage? Put them to good use by cutting out the picture part and using them as gift tags for this year’s gifts. You can also use them as scrapbook embellishments and in craft projects with the kids.

Serve Local Food:

If possible, create a holiday dinner from food that is found locally to you. This is a “green” choice because the food you are eating doesn’t have to be transported over a long distance, which saves on gas and other transportation costs. Plus, your food will be fresh and you’ll be supporting your local economy.

Make Your Own Gift Wrap: Instead of buying gift wrap from the store, make your own by using the newspapers and magazines you have laying around the house.

Give Handmade Gifts:

Handmade items contain much less packaging than mass manufactured items. This means that there will be less waste going to the landfills! If you do not have the skills or the time to make the gifts yourself, you can buy handmade items at local craft fairs and through online marketplaces such as http://www.etsy.com/

Crafty Home Business Ideas

If you are blessed with crafting talents, you are in luck. Selling crafts, either online or at craft fairs, is a wonderful way to bring in extra cash.

Online Sales

Selling crafts online is much easier than most people think. As long as you have an inventory of completed items that are easy to ship, you can start selling your items online without much difficulty. An easy way to get started is by creating an online craft store through http://www.etsy.com/. Etsy is an online craft site that is very easy for sellers to use. Signing up for the site and setting up your store is free. The site charges a small listing fee and a 3.5% fee on each item sold.

While Etsy is an easy way to get started, you should eventually purchase your own domain (website address) and set up your own website or blog. A very affordable e-commerce solution is Shop Kit Plus (http://www.shopkitplus.com/).

Craft Fairs

Local craft fairs are another wonderful way to sell your crafts. Many areas have several of these, especially around the holiday season. Here you can set up a booth or table and the shoppers will come to you.

There is usually a fee for space or a table, but these are generally minimal. Check with the local chamber of commerce, churches or civic organizations to find out if there are events scheduled locally at which you can purchase a table.

Other Local Ideas

Another way to sell your items locally is take a cue from the direct sales industry and have a home party! Invite your friends and family over, and encourage them to bring a guest.

On the day of the party, create a nice display of your items. Let your guests touch and feel your items. If you do not have enough supply on hand, simply take orders for your items and deliver the item when it’s completed. Encourage your guests to have their own home party for your items by giving a special discount to your future hostesses.

If you are a crafty person, who enjoys crafting as a hobby, you can turn your favorite pastime into a moneymaking venture. Many people do not have these talents and will be more than happy to pay for your handmade items.

A work in progress - A tutorial - Etsy Bloggers Team Carnival

I like to begin by scanning a photo(s) of my chosen subject into the computer and uploading into a software program called Paint-It. If I am making a composite drawing I will most likely try different combinations in the Paint-It program as it is both easier and faster than making several different sketches.

If I am working from a live model, then I will make several quick sketches and then scan those into Paint-It. It is fairly simple to move things about.

Once I have decided on the composition I will then begin the drawing. At this stage I concentrate on making an outline of the main elements of the drawing. The details will come later. It is important to get the outline drawing as exact as possible. This is the foundation for everything else to come.

I like to rough in the eyes and nose first. If these features are not 'right' the whole drawing is 'bin' material. It also makes me feel not so alone!

Etsians on Review - Invoke Photography

This is the second in my series Etsians on Review. I would like to introduce you to Invoke Photography. Invoke Photography is the shop belonging to one of Southhampton Creations' two daughters.

Born and raised in Cambridge, Ontario, Invoke graduated from the University of Guelph. Travelling to Japan she learned to express her thoughts and feelings through the lens.

Her first exhibition, Japanese Soul, premiered in Tokyo in 2001 to rave reviews. It embodied the traditions of spiritualism and the aesthetic that is Japanese. The exhibit has shown in Toronto, Windsor, Cambridge, Ontario and Vancouver, B.C.

She has won a number of awards including, first prize in the Leamington Art Center's Anything's Possible photo contest and the Editor's Choice Award from The International Society of Photographers. Two of her photographs were chosen to be published in a book called "Endless Journeys".

Of her work, this is what she has to say,

Life stands still when I look through my lens; it is a form of meditation for me. Photography is my way of celebrating the beauty I see in the world and allows me to capture it moment by moment. I feel that my images speak where words fail me. I take pictures that move and inspire me… I hope they invoke as deep a response in my viewers as they did in me when I captured them.

Her work does indeed invoke a deep response in the viewer. I find many of her photos stir within me a sense of peace, of stillness of the calm beauty that surrounds us. As a Reiki master, I meditate daily. Any of these images could serve as a place to go when I go within to seek the healing pool of calm that is the centre of this universe.

Do please visit Invoke Photography on Etsy. You will not be disappointed.

Visit Invoke Photography  on Etsy

Etsy Buy Handmade InvokePhotography

Etsians on Review - Southampton Creations

This is the first of my reviews of artists and artisans on Etsy. For those of you not familiar with Etsy, it is an online venue where artists, crafts people form a virtual marketplace for shoppers interested in purchasing hand made work.

I'd like to introduce to you Southampton Creations. Southampton Creations is operated by a delightfully  charismatic lady named Patricia.

Pat is a retired grandmother living in a small town on the shores of Lake Huron in Canada. Pat is adept at crochet - hats, ponchos, sweaters and mittens. She also makes bib clips for children and adults. What an amazingly practical idea! They are the perfect item to have handy for those spaghetti dinners. Bright and cheerful ribbons and clips that are just the thing to help hold that napkin in place at the dinner table or for someone in the hospital or nursing home. At $2.99 each, you can afford to outfit the whole family!

Here is a link:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10483937

You can find unique and interesting gift card sets in her shop. If you are looking for something to please the most difficult person on your list, I'm sure you can find something here. Pat's gift card sets always have a little something extra. For instance one of the current gift sets listed is a Japanese Tea Set. The set includes a beautiful photo greeting card (blank inside) with envelope, a packet of loose tea (the packet acts as the tea bag so no worries about loose tea leaves floating around in the pot), a card with instructions for making a perfect pot of Japanese tea and a gift card. Plus you get a sticker in the shape of a kimono (fabric sticker) to seal your gift.

Here is the link to the item:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10229109

Pat has two talented daughters, each of whom has their own Etsy shop. I'll be reviewing their shop in this blog later on.

To visit Southampton Creations simply click the link to the right of this blog or copy and paste the following link:

SouthamptonCreations.Etsy.com

Have a wonderful day! And remember, BUY HANDMADE.

Etsy Buy Handmade SouthamptonCreations

Shop Opens on Etsy

Impawsible to Resist, a cornecopia of treasures opened on Etsy in February 2008.