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

Friday Top 10 on the Handicrafter (1.23.06)

Fridays Top 10 Picks on the Handicrafter have been posted. Go take a look now - http://handicrafter.today.com/2009/01/23/54/.

There are several extremely unique and beautiful items this week. For example, there is a knitting pattern for a dissected rat including all the innards (sold) that would be perfect for a little boy's room. Just perfect for Valentine's Day is the bracelet of hearts made from a pepsi can! Oh so cute is the crochet pattern for the wee fairy doll. All of these among others.

Such beautiful work abounds online so go browse. Gather ye gift ideas while ye may.

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.

I love chocolate

Xocai products are produced with unprocessed, non-alkalized, non-lecithinized cacao powder, combined with the Acai berry and blueberries. The combination of these ingredients, in their natural state, provide a product that is packed full of the most powerful antioxidants! Chocolate products on store shelves use processed cocoa powder and sugars, along with bad fats, fillers, waxes, preservatives, and they contain a high amount of calories!

Advertising

I am now offering advertising on my blog to artists and handicrafters. Ads will run in 1 month intervals. The ad size will be between 125 and 220 pixels wide x 125 high. Taller ads are available. The price per month is based on banners 125 pixels high and are prorated from there.

Ads begin at $5.00/month.

My page views and visitors are increasing exponentially every day rising by between 159 to 259%.

If you are interested in advertising on this site please contact me.

Cool Lunch Ideas

Are your kids sick of eating the same old sandwiches for lunch? Here are some ideas for cool lunches your kids will love:

Fruit And Waffle Brunch

When it comes to lunch, think outside the box and pack your child a brunch instead. Simply heat some frozen waffles, cut into strips, and place into a container. If your child likes maple syrup, place that into a separate small container to avoid getting the waffles soggy.

Then, slice up your child’s favorite fruit (may have to put some lemon juice on top to avoid browning). Need a fun dip idea? Peanut butter makes a great dip for many types of fruit and is packed with protein.

Party Platter Kids

Mini love to eat snacks, so why not create a healthy lunch that looks like a big snack? To assemble, cube turkey or ham from the deli, slice up some cheese and don’t forget to add some mulit-grain crackers. Add in some baby carrots along with some celery and bell pepper slices and you have a great lunch!

Not Your Average Sandwich

Instead of using bread, make your child’s sandwich with a bagel. All you need to is spread each side with cream cheese and top with your favorite lunch meat. Add some veggies for extra credit.

Wrapped In Style

Why settle for a standard sandwich when you can wrap it in style? Your choices are limitless, as any sandwich can be turned into a wrap. For starters, here’s a quick and easy BLT wrap:

Spread some cream cheese on a whole wheat flour tortilla. Top with some sliced tomatoes, mixed salad greens, cooked and crumbled bacon, and some low fat ranch salad dressing. Roll the tortilla up tightly. To keep the wrap fresh, place some frozen juice boxes in a sealed plastic bag in the lunch box.

Quote of the Day

"A subject that is
beautiful in itself gives no suggestion to the artist.
It lacks imperfection."

- Oscar Wilde


"Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you
have one"

- Stella Adler

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

Quote of the Day

When one takes a broad survey of the country, he will find that the most useful and influential people in it are those who take the deepest interest in institutions that exist for the purpose of making the world better.

Booker T. Washington
(1856-1915)

Quote of the Day provided by The Free Library

Scrapping the Holidays

By the time the holidays are over, you may be feeling pretty overwhelmed… with pictures! Scrapbooking all of those memories may feel like a daunting task, but it can be done.

If you have a lot of photos to scrapbook, the easiest way to get them done quickly is by using clean and simple layouts. Instead of adding lots of embellishments and complicated side projects, let your photos speak for themselves.

To give your album a cohesive look, use a few main colors throughout each layout. This can also save you money. Simply buy a pack of cardstock for the background on each page, and then a few sheets of holiday themed paper and use it as accents and borders on your layouts.

Using simple fonts and titles will also save you time. You can create them on your computer and then print them. If you use one 12x12 piece of paper to make several titles, you will again be saving lots of money!

Another option is to buy premade kits. These can be found online as well as in your local scrapbook store. These usually contain several pieces of coordinating paper and embellishments. All you need to do is add your pictures and you’ll have several layouts completed.

Be sure to save wrapping paper, gift tags, cards from family and friends, as well as any other keepsake items, such as ticket stubs, your child’s letter to santa, the recipe for the cookies you made, etc. These items make easy embellishments and help tell the story of your holiday season.