Crafting, Etsy, and Everything Else

$10 CHRISTMAS SUPER SALE on Scarves!

2009-12-09T05:02:00.000-08:00

This is my first Christmas on Etsy, and I wanted to try doing a really big blow-out sale, and in the process clear out some extra space for new inventory while hopefully earning a bit of cash to finish off my own Christmas shopping. So here it is, the $10 Christmas Super Sale on scarves!

Select scarves (over 30 of them total!!) have been marked down by 30% to 50% today (Wednesday) and tomorrow (Thursday) only! All scarves in this section are just $10 each! So take advantage of this excellent deal on some lovely Christmas gifts, either for friends, family, or your very own self!

Here are just a few of the scarves I have to offer for just $10 each as part of my Super Sale!

Fuschia Scalloped Skinny Scarf

Cool Camo Warm Winter Scarf

Sunshine on a Cloudy Day Scarf

Adorable Striped Maroon and Navy Blue Scarf

Soft Blue Winter Scarf

Strawberry and Cream Lacy Cotton Scarf

All these and more for just $10 each! This is my big blowout, so be sure to check it out here!

Eco-Friendly on Etsy

2009-11-11T17:15:00.000-08:00

I stumbled across this wonderful shop, thecraftpantry, while cruising the Etsy treasuries this morning. The below tote caught my eye, and, upon clicking on it, I found that it is made from recycled cotton, and is priced at just $20!

This classic tote is available with many different print options; cruise the shop and I'm sure you'll find something to fit anyone's taste. I've just included a few of my favorites here.

This "lovebird" design is just perfect!

And who doesn't like owls?

The Craft Pantry also has a variety of beautiful cards available, all printed on recycled paper.

Love the colors on these!

As always, I have linked the above photos to their corresponding product pages, so it's easy for you to just click through to their Etsy shop for a closer look. You'll also find gift tags (printed on recycled paper) lunch bags (made with recycled cotton) and many other lovely items in the shop. Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Something a bit more fun

2009-11-04T09:10:00.000-08:00

I love making scarves, cell phone cases, and other things to sell in my Etsy shop, but making gifts for people I know is even more fun. This week, I got to make a baby blanket for a good friend of mine who's expecting her first baby. It turned out really lovely, and so, so soft!

I had some yarn left over from the blanket, so I couldn't resist trying a hat and booties too. They're so adorable! I haven't made hats or booties since I was just a kid (I used to make them for my baby dolls) but I followed a pattern that I found online, and it was very easy. The photo doesn't do them justice (it was so dark and rainy yesterday it was hard to get a good shot) but all in all, I've very happy with the way these turned out. I hope my friend is too; now to mail them off to her!

Seaglass, Anyone?

2009-11-03T14:30:00.000-08:00

I've always loved seaglass, and I can literally spend hours looking through all the gorgeous seaglass jewelry on Etsy, without getting the least bit bored. That's how I came across today's featured shop, newsprout.

I admit it was difficult to narrow it down to featuring just one seaglass shop today (and I may have to remedy that with more seaglass posts in the future), but what really set this shop apart is that I wanted to favorite just about every item in the shop!

I love the simple beauty and elegance of these pieces. The glass itself is so beautiful, it pretty much stands on it's own, and I love that the artist allows it to do that.

These earrings catch the light so nicely.

In addition to seaglass, the artist sometimes uses vintage sea-smoothed pottery pieces, as in this bracelet.

I really like this style of two coordinating pieces of seaglass together as a pendant, and it's not something I've seen in any other shop.

Again, with the simple, elegant beauty!

These earrings are just gorgeous, and the excellent photography shows them off so nicely. As someone constantly struggling to produce presentable photos of my own products, I really appreciate good photography when I see it!

There are many, many more beautiful items in the newsprout shop (I didn't want this post to go on forever, so there were LOTS that I wanted to include but didn't). If you like what you've seen here, then be sure and go take a browse around for yourself. I've also linked each photo to its corresponding page in her Etsy shop, for your quick-click convenience.

Mini-Vacation

2009-10-30T14:38:00.000-07:00

I got to spend some time with my family this last week, which was nice. I had some time off work, and my mom, my brother, my sister-in-law, and my little nephew all flew in to hang out for a few days. I had never seen my nephew in person (he's only 8 months old).

This was the only shot I got of him sleeping. Turns out that the sound my camera makes when taking a photo is loud enough to wake up a baby.

He was a litte cranky when he first woke up.

But brightened up very quickly.

At only 8 months old, he's nearly as big as his dad. That's my brother Deva, btw, of "Cuteness with Puppies" fame.

The kid also doesn't mind being turned upside-down, which I think is a very admirable trait.

And one more shot of un-adulterated cuteness.

Cuteness with Puppies

2009-10-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

I came across these old photos on my little sister's Facebook page, and just had to share them.

My mom took these photos about 20 years ago, to put onto fliers to sell out Golden Retriever puppies. One lady calling about the puppies asked if she could buy the kids as well. My mom considered it, but ultimately said no.

My little sister hugging the big, fluffy puppy, with my little brother, Ryan, trying to get into the shot, as usual. Notice the plastic sword tied to his waist and the stick-weapon he's carrying. That was pretty much his everyday get-up.

More Pretty Jewelry

2009-10-19T10:15:00.000-07:00

For someone who doesn't really wear jewelry, I sure do blog about it a lot. Here are some more pretties I came across on Etsy.

These are from the Etsy shop SusansJewelryDesigns, and are not only beautiful, but appear to be very well made. They're also quite affordable; most of the items in Susan's shop are around $16, with some earrings priced as low as $11 a pair.

These would be lovely to add just a bit of sparkle to an outfit.

I think these Tuscan sun earrings would look especially nice on someone with dark hair. There is also a ring in Susan's shop with this same design here.

Striking, while still being simple and classy

These look good enough to eat!

As usual, I've really focused on earrings in this post, because in any jewelry shop those are what tends to most catch my eye, but Susan also many lovely handmade rings, necklaces, and bracelets. You can take a browse by clicking here.

Simple "What's in the Fridge" Pasta

2009-10-17T17:14:00.000-07:00

For me, cooking an actual meal is so rare, that when I do it, it's such an event that I have to blog about it. Today, it was this "what's in the fridge" pasta.

I boiled some pasta (they have this nice organic kind at Costco in yummy, chewy shapes) and thawed out a block of tofu that's been in my freezer since God knows when. Then I sauteed up the tofu with some fresh garlic, olive oil, and salt. For a change, I was careful not to burn the garlic or add too much salt. I had these 3 bell peppers (1 yellow, 1 orange, and 1 red) just withering away in my fridge (poor things) so I chopped those up and added them. Next, the remains of a bag of frozen spinach. When the peppers were almost done, I added the cooked pasta into the pot with the tofu and veggies, splashed in a bit more olive oil, stir-fried it all together for a bit, and voila, I have tasty, wholesome "real food" to eat for the next few days. It turned out super good!

The Ribbon Basket

2009-10-16T09:57:00.001-07:00

I don't know anything about ribbon, and have never really used it in anything I do, but these photos really caught my eye.

When I first stumbled into this shop, The Ribbon Basket, I thought for a minute that these were art prints, rather than just product photos of ribbon for sale. They're just so nicely photographed!

So, just thought I would share them... Like I said, I know nothing about ribbon, but the prices seem very reasonable, and the ribbon looks lovely. I came across this shop through linkreferal.com, by the way, which is a link exchange site that I think has been pretty useful for me. You can read my blog post about my thoughts on linkreferal.com here.

Winners!

2009-10-16T00:55:00.000-07:00

My Great Cell Phone Case Giveaway ended today, and the winner is.... drumroll... Mommy Kennedy! I'll be sending her the below cell phone case; the one she chose as her favorite.

Funny thing happened while I was getting the entries organized to randomly select the winner. A new message popped up in my inbox from Sadee at sadeeschillingstudio, saying I had just won her giveaway! I don't enter very many giveaways, but actually winning one really makes me want to participate in more! I got to choose any pendant from her store, and I chose this one:

Nice, right? I can't wait till it gets here! She's got lots more beauties in her shop, along with a variety of lovely art prints.

A Treasure Trove of Beautiful, Unique, and Affordable Jewelry

2009-10-13T07:53:00.000-07:00

Now, I just spent all my recent Etsy earnings on a big box of new yarn, but if I hadn't then I would be sorely, sorely tempted to spend it all in this wonderful jewelry shop, nicholasandfelice. There are just so many gorgeous, unique pieces here, and each one is so very reasonably priced.

This is one of those shops where I had a really hard time choosing which photos to include in my post. There are just too many I wanted to include but couldn't, so be sure and check out their shop for lots more beautiful and original work.

I love what they do with metal! It must really take a lot of skill and artistry to bend it just right like that, with such a beautiful result. Most of their earrings are between $10 and $15 a pair, by the way, so in my opinion these are some really great deals.

These are some of my absolute favorites. I love beach glass, but being a bit of a nutty perfectionist, I've never actually purchased real beach glass, because the chunks are never perfectly symmetrical. I know, I know, it's part of the charm; it's uniquely shaped by years and decades of tumbling in the ocean. I appreciate that. But like I said, I'm a nut. Anyway, these "frosted glass" earrings and pendants are perfect for me; they have that beautiful, frosted beach glass look, in a smooth, symmetrical shape.

I also love the way the wire is wrapped around them, just around the edges, really showing them off, rather than caging them in.

Another example of gorgeous metal-working. Simple and elegant!

This is lovely; I've always loved marbles, the round smoothness, the small but dense weight, and the glowiness of them, but I never knew what to do with them once I got too old to play with them. This is a beautiful solution!

I just thought these earrings were so striking and sophisticated! I've included a lot of earrings in this post, as they are usually my favorites, but Nicholas and Felice also have a huge selection of beautiful pendants, shawl pins, and other ornaments. This was a really fun shop to browse through and I really enjoyed writing this post.

"Re-investing" my Etsy earnings

2009-10-13T03:43:00.000-07:00

I've had a small flurry of sales in my Etsy shop over the last few weeks (yay!). So, of course, I had to go yarn shopping. Online yarn shopping of course. I tell myself that I'm "re-investing" and of course this is true. How will I keep my store stocked if I don't have yarn to make new items, I ask? But really I just like all the pretty colors.

Somehow my order worked out so I got pretty much everything I wanted and left exactly 2 cents in my Paypal account. Two cents! That's good budgeting! So now I've got a nice big box of yarn on the way, and am trying to ignore the fact that I have nowhere to put it when it arrives.

I wish I could take photos like these

2009-10-09T20:42:00.001-07:00

I just love these photos from Your Willing Skin on Etsy. I really wish I knew how to take photos like these. But alas, I'll just have to be content with ogling them.

They just capture the golden light so beautifully. The photographer, Eadaoin, also has a lovely blog called City of Blackbirds, with many more gorgeous photos that you can see here.

Hand-painted Glass Magnets to Dress Up Your Fridge

2009-10-02T10:36:00.000-07:00

I found these beautiful hand-painted glass magnets in the Etsy shop SunnysWoodnGifts. Definitely a huge step up up from those magnetized business cards and other miscellaneous freebie magnets that are scattered all over my fridge.

The hand-painted image is actually behind the glass (instead of painted on the glass itself), so the magnet is smooth to touch and shiny.

Included in this post are some of my very favorites from Sunny's shop, but she has lots more, so be sure and check out her Etsy shop here.

Prices range from $7 for some of the single magnets, to $14 for some of the sets of 4. Sunny also has wooden key-chains and painted wooden magnets in her shop.

Love these blues!

And just had to include these as well; such great, earthy colors!

Pretty Handmade Earrings for Under $10!

2009-10-01T19:26:00.000-07:00

With the economy the way it is, I think we're all looking for deals, all the time. Me, I'm pretty much on a "necessities only" kind of budget, though I do cheat occasionally (ok, maybe more often than occasionally).

These are some very pretty earrings I came across in the Etsy shop jaimiebdesigns. All are on sale from $5 to $8 a pair, so you can add a little bit of color and sparkle and "newness" to your wardrobe without breaking the bank. Jaimie has lots more lovely items in her shop too; you can check it out here.

Speaking of great deals, I'm having a fun giveaway on handmade cell phone cases. It's super-easy to enter, and the winner gets to choose any cell phone case they want from my Etsy shop to be shipped to them, free-of-charge, anywhere in the world. Scroll down, or click here for more info and to enter.

Great Cell Phone Case Giveaway!

2009-09-29T04:07:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been making cell phone cases like crazy lately. So, just for fun, and to get the word out about these cases (I haven't seen any quite like them anywhere, and I get excellent reviews from people who have purchased them) I am offering a unique, easy-to-enter, and super-fun giveaway.

You get to pick your own prize! You can choose any cell phone case from my shop!

To Enter:

Visit my shop at http://donidodesigns.etsy.com. Find your favorite cell phone case. Come back here and leave a comment on this post, telling me which one is your favorite, with a link to that case in my shop.

Be sure to choose carefully, because the one you pick as your favorite will be the one I will send you if you win!

That's it! Super-easy entry! For extra entries (more chances to win) see below.

Please note that this giveaway only applies to cell phone cases... not the other items in my shop like baby blankets, scarves, or purses.

Extra Entries:

Want more chances to win? Do one or more of the following and drastically increase your chances! If you want, you can do them all for a total of 11 extra entries!

a) Tweet your favorite cell phone case (with a link to the cell phone case in my shop) and be sure to mention @DonidoDesigns in your tweet. Leave a comment here to let me know you did it. (worth 2 extra entries!)

b) Tweet about this giveaway with a link to this blog post. Again, be sure to mention @DonidoDesigns in your tweet and leave a comment here to let me know you did it. (worth 2 extra entries!)

c) Blog about your favorite cell phone case (with a link to the cell phone case in my shop) and leave a comment here with a link to your blog post. (worth 3 extra entries!)

d) Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment here with a link to your blog post. (worth 3 extra entries!)

e) Become a follower of this blog. Leave a comment to let me know that you did. If you are already a follower, also leave a comment letting me know that. (1 extra entry!)

This giveaway will run until 10pm, EST, October 15. At that point, I will randomly select a winner. The winning name will be posted on this blog, and I will also contact the winner directly. Your chosen cell phone case will be shipped to you, free of charge, anywhere in the world (anywhere that has postal service, that is)! Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you!

My Pocket Pally

2009-09-29T03:52:00.001-07:00

This adorable little guy arrived in my mailbox the other day! A few weeks ago, as part of my very first blog post, I did a feature on the Zootla Pocket Pallies on Etsy.

Deb, the artist behind the Zootla Pocket Pallies, was so sweet as to send me this little cutie as a gift. This was definitely not the result I I was expecting from my little blog post, but I gratefully accepted, and sent Deb one of the crocheted cell phone cases from my Etsy shop in return.

The above, somewhat blurry, photo shows my new little Pally in his new home. He looks pretty happy, right? He's even cuter in person, and soft and cuddly too! You can check out Deb's shop here to see more of these sweet little Pocket Pallies in pretty much every color of the rainbow.

Bought these gorgeous handmade earrings for $5!

2009-09-28T00:49:00.001-07:00

I rarely buy things on Etsy. Not because I don't want to. Far from it! Mostly because there are just so many things I'd like to buy, I can never narrow it down to actually making a purchase.

So last week, when I was taking a look through the beFreedesigns shop, I had no intention of actually buying anything. Again, not because I didn't want to. I had hearted a number of items in the shop before and was coming back to pick some out for a blog feature. But, lo and behold, one of the sets that I had hearted had been put on sale... on sale for only $5! I couldn't resist!

The earrings arrived yesterday, and I just love them! I actually bought them with my sister-in-law in mind, because she has these beautiful bright blue eyes, and I do not. But when I saw them I just had to try them on, and you can't give away earrings once they've been worn, right? Like, it's some kind of rule, right?

These earrings are actually much prettier in person... for some reason neither my photos or the shop listing photos really do them justice. I especially love the way they swing; and that the inside stone swings completely independently from the outer hoop, which also swings nicely from the hook. So all in all, very swingy! This was an unbelievable deal and one that I am very happy with.

Here are a few more of my very favorite items from the beFreedesign shop. Be sure and check out the actual shop; there are lots more beauties, at excellent prices too!

Essence of Seas Earrings... just $15!

A Night in Bombay Earrings... only $10, and free shipping too!

Thanks for reading!

Being My Own Model

2009-09-27T00:25:00.000-07:00

With cold weather and Christmas just around the corner, I finally decided it's time to get serious about photographing and listing all the scarves I've been making all year long (yes, I make scarves year round). Since I don't have a model or a dressmaker's dummy, I've tried photographing them lots of different ways (on tables, on trees, etc), but often they just look like something unidentifiable, or, in many cases, like a colorful roll of toilet-paper. Which is interesting, but not exactly what I was going for. Observe; my tree-model and toilet-paper roll pose:

So I finally decided it was time to bite the bullet and be my own model. My sister happens to be a really good photographer (unlike me) with a kind of fancy camera (also unlike me). So the other day, when the lighting seemed just right, we went out to the yard to take some photos.

I put on what I deemed a nice, but un-distracting top, surprisingly free from the bleach spots, stains, and holes that adorn so many of my tops, and what I thought were my nicest jeans. After seeing said jeans in photos, I think maybe I need some new jeans. Luckily, my top half was really all that was needed for most of the photos.

So then we got down to it, and just "standing" is actually a lot harder than I thought it would be. Because you have to stand without looking strange, or awkward, or like you're missing a limb... all these things. And my sister the whole time giving me helpful tips, like "you look really weird when you do that" and "get rid of that hand." Get rid of it?

Amazingly, a lot of the photos turned out pretty decent (after some photoshop magic to remove some "skin imperfections" that my sister's fancy camera picked up in superb and unforgiving detail).

By the way, did you know you can edit your photos for free on Photoshop. com? I just discovered this little miracle. I know there are a lot of free editing programs out there (I usually use Picasa) but none of the ones I've used so far have the touch-up tool that I found so helpful in evening out my skin tone. It was actually really therapeutic. Zap, zap, zap, zap! I wish smooth, clear skin were so easy in real life!

Mealy Monsters

2009-09-26T14:41:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, while I crochet or work on some other project, I like to watch Flickr slideshows. I do a search for a particular term, depending on my mood (landscape, nature, crochet, crafts, etc) and then turn the results on slideshow. Put on some music, pick up my crochet, and I'm entertained.

That's how I came across these beauties. I had to learn more about them, so I followed the links to the MealyMonster shop on Etsy. These hand-sculpted art dolls are just so unique and funny, and strangely cute as well; I just love their expressions! The artist also writes short, humorous stories about each creature in her descriptions; something I always appreciate.

Here are a few of my favorites, but be sure and check out her shop for more!

Marvin and his Jack 'o Lantern:

Marvin has a pumpkin friend, lately his friend had gotten a little rotten and his attitude, well let's just say, not so good.

Ace and his Dog:

Ace found a dog
he had been looking for a snack
would go good with a side of frog
and maybe a six pack

Poor puppy! I guess even monsters have to eat though... Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Felt Sew Good

2009-09-24T12:13:00.000-07:00

When I stumbled across this lovely shop a few weeks ago, I probably spent 20 or 30 minutes Skyping links back and forth with my sister (we do this a lot) saying things like "oh, look at this one" and "ooh, I want this, too" and "and this one" and "Christmas is only 3 months away..." I admit that I tend to be partial to felt (you may notice this in my past and future posts) but even in the world of felted goodness, these beautiful items stand out!

Now that the time has come to write this blog post, I'm finding it difficult to choose which items to include. I love so many of them! So I've chosen just a few of my favorites from this shop, just because I don't want this post to go on forever (I really could go on practically forever, but I won't. I do have a few other things to do today). If you like what you see here then I really encourage you to check out the Felt Sew Good shop and take a little browse around.

Cheryl, the artist behind Felt Sew Good, uses mostly upcylced wool sweaters for her craft, so her products are not only beautiful, but are eco-friendly as well. Wool sweaters are felted, then cut apart and sewn into soft, durable accents for yourself and your home.

I just love the look of quality to her products, the patterns and color combinations that she chooses, and the soft, luxuriously comforting texture.

I can just imagine my little nephew with this stegosaurus! I think they would be instant best friends.

This bunny is actually made from upcycled cashmere sweaters. Cashmere! I can only imagine the soft, bunny-like silkiness.

And here are a few more bags that I just had to include.

You'll also find felt brooches and pillows in Cheryl's shop, along with lots more beautiful bags and toys. All of the above photos link directly to her corresponding shop pages, for quick-click convenience. Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

Cell Phone Cases, Cell Phone Cases, and More Cell Phone Cases!

2009-09-23T23:11:00.000-07:00

I've been making a lot of cell phone cases lately. It recently dawned on me that I could save a lot of time by making multiple copies of the same item and simply relisting it when it sold, rather than making single items and having to take individual photos of each item, list each one individually, write a description... it was just taking way too much time, especially considering the amount of time it takes to make the items themselves.

These are also super fun to make! I love making scarves and baby blankets, but these are great because they're so small and quick, and don't use a lot of materials, which means I can get as creative as I want with them without worrying that I'm going to run out of a particular color without finishing the project, or them taking days to complete. So I'm having a lot of fun with this and will probably have a giveaway on these very soon.

Yesterday I had a cell phone case photoshoot and you here are some of the results. You can see more on my Flickr page here. I also listed a bunch of new little cuties in my Etsy shop, h ere.

Art From the Heart

2009-09-23T04:39:00.000-07:00

I came across these gorgeous hand-painted tiles on Etsy the other day, and absolutely love them! So sweet and almost old-fashioned. Just beautiful!

You can find this, and other beauties, at ArtFromTheHeartBySue. Sue not only has an Etsy shop, but is also a very talented muralist, and you can see some of her lovely work here.

Increasing Traffic to Your Site with Linkreferral.com

2009-09-22T12:22:00.001-07:00

If you haven't heard of linkreferral.com yet, you might want to check it out. I have been using it for a few weeks now, and, according to my Google Ananlytics, it is definitely sending traffic my way. Whether that traffic actually translates to sales, I don't know, but I figure increased exposure is always a good thing. Oh, and did I mention that it's free?

The way it works is this. You set up an account, and list your shop. This alone can help you get a little bit of traffic, because it puts you in their listings. In order to move up the listings (improve your ranking and therefore get more traffic) you have to visit the sites of other members, leave reviews, mark favorites, and participate in forums. The more of this you do, the higher you move up in the rankings. The higher your are in the rankings, the more views you are likely to get from other members. And, of course, the other members are trying to do the same thing, so they visit your site, leave reviews on it, etc.

Now, some will say that these other members are only visiting your site because they have to, in order to improve their ranking and get people to visit their site. Of course this is true. This is exactly what I do. But at the same time, I always take some time and look at the sites I visit, especially if they are Etsy shops. I have found many new favorites this way, and hearted or bookmarked them to visit again and possibly buy from or feature on this blog. There is a search option when looking for sites to visit, and I usually type "Etsy" in mine so that the sites that come up are mostly Etsy shops, with a few Etsy-related blogs thrown in there was well.

Also, in terms of views translating to sales, let me as you this: how many times have you gone to the store and purchased items that you had never intended to, just because they happened to be there, in your eye-line? It's the whole reason that stores put candy bars in the checkout aisle. So that is what linkrefferal.com tries to do; put your site in other people's eye-line. And who knows; they might see something they love and make a purchase. Or show your site to a friend. Or blog about your site. You just never know who's going to come across your site and like what they see, or what that could develop into.

Like I said, I don't know if these views will ever translate to sales. But if I spend 15-20 minutes a day visiting other members' sites and writing reviews, I get anywhere from 20-30 visits in return. To me, it has seemed worthwhile so far, so I just wanted to pass on the information and you can decide whether it is worthwhile to you.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Now, just to be funny, and to see if it works, I'll put some of my favorite items from my shop in your eye-line, and see what happens...

Yay! Made a Sale!

2009-09-21T23:18:00.000-07:00

Well, after what seemed to me like a pretty long dry spell with no sales, I finally made my 13th and 14th Etsy sales. Two baby blankets to the same person! I'm very happy about that! Just packaging them up now and then off to the post office.

These are the blankies that I sold: