CNY Etsy Team

Wonderful Wednesday: CNY Style!

2010-08-04T05:22:00.000-07:00

Hello! I have another wonderful CNY Etsy Team Member shop to feature today! Thanks for stopping by, enjoy the feature and leave a comment - we would love to hear from you!

Today's featured shop is:

Original's by Lauren

Cute as a Button Handmade Baby Quilt or Wall-hanging

Shop Owner's Name: Lauren Darby

Some of Lauren's Favorites:

*Food - Pasta with marinara sauce
*Color - Green
*Holiday - Christmas
*Item in his shop - Roller-coaster baby quilt
*CNY Etsy Team-member Shop - Luckalilliy Ceramics Studio

Hot Cowboy Potholders

A quick note from Lauren:

Hello!
I am a wife and mother of 2 grown children. I love to sewing and have been doing it since 6th grade. I have a dressmaking and alterations business, and etsy gives me a chance to make what I want. I worked for Hershey foods for 18 years in the field sales force until 6 years ago when they had a reorganization and I was given an early retirement (really early LOL). That freed me up to spend more time sewing and devote more time to my business. My main shop has quilts, potholders , aprons, and some sterling silver jewelry. My newer shop currently has children's clothing, but I am hoping to add women's clothing as well, if I can ever find the time to get it made.

Joel Dewberry Over-sized Lunch Bag in Green Floral

Visit Lauren Here:

Blog: http://www.originalsbylauren.blogspot.com/
Etsy Shop #1: http://www.originalsbylauren.etsy.com/
Etsy Shop #2: http://www.originalsbylaurentoo.etsy.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/laurenoriginals

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!

Stunning Saturday!!

2010-07-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hello! I hope you had a great week! Today I would like to STUN you with an amazing handbag from one of the CNY Etsy Team shops! I am debating if I need another green purse! (my favorite color) Enjoy!

Valerie Hobo Bag in Green Dot with Keylime Leather from Lilipad Creations

Tempting Thursday!

2010-07-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hello! Today I would like to showcase a few items from some CNY Etsy Team members! Enjoy and don't worry if you are tempted... you only live once!

1.) Carved Bowl in Aqua by Luckalilly
2.) Diamond Daze Quilt by Corr Creations
3.) Vintage Lime Green Lucite Bangles by EB Finds
4.) Oriental Collage 1 ACEO by Cris Creates

Have a great weekend! Come and visit our shops - we would love to "see" you!

Wonderful Wednesday: CNY Style!

2010-07-28T04:26:00.000-07:00

Hello! I am so sorry this blog has been neglected. I am going to try and post twice a week. Wednesday will always be WONDERFUL, with features of CNY Etsy Team Members! Thanks for stopping by, enjoy the feature and leave a comment - we would love to hear from you!

Today's featured shop is:

Dan's Wuud Werx and Collectibles

Vintage American Kitchen Scale

Shop Owner's Name: Dan Brown

Some of Dan's Favorites:

*Food - Beer Can Chicken and Clams on the Grill
*Color - Aquamarine
*Holiday - 4th of July!
*Item in his shop - My Squirrel Feeder
*CNY Etsy Team-member Shop - OriginalsbyLauren

Handmade Squirrel Feeder

A quick note from Dan:

Hello all!
I am a retired painter from a college institution that loves to dabble with woodworking. A husband and wife team that enjoys vintage treasures and handcrafted items. We love participating in our local craft-shows and flea markets. We are very family oriented with our 2 grandchildren keeping us going!

Vintage Bavaria Bone China

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!!

Wonderful Wednesday: CNY Style!

2010-04-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hello! Welcome to Wonderful Wednesday: CNY Style! Every Wednesday we will be featuring wonderful items, handmade by artisans in CNY!

Feel free to look around, comment and leave feedback! It is appreciated!

Handmade Roller Coaster Baby or Toddler Quilt by: OriginalsbyLauren

Sterling and Copper Stack Rings by: MintyFreshFusions

Natural Baby Boy Gift Set by: Ecoleeko

Vintage L E Smith Cobalt Blue Glass MT PLEASANT Handled Bowl by: ddb7

Kiwi, Lime and Coral Silk Kimono Scarf by: janetexcat

Have a wonderful day!

Valentines Day the Cruelty Free Way! Vegan Craft Sample Bags

2010-02-03T08:12:00.000-08:00

Valentines Day doesnt have to mean tons of processed sugars and dairy, it can mean compassion and love! This Valentine's Day you can order a Vegan Craft Sample bag for your love, and know that it is all vegan and all compassion!
Vegan Craft Samples receive samples of handmade items from Etsy shops around the world, puts them into reusable hand stenciled tote bags and sells them. Everything in these bags is vegan and cruelty free and 100% profits from each bag goes to a different sanctuary each time. Valentine's Day 2010 sample bag profits go to Pigs Peace Sanctuary
The bags come in 3 different sizes now, they used to only offer the regular sized bags, but now they offer small and large bags as well!

Small bags come with 8-10 samples and are $15

Regular bags come with 17-20 samples and are $25

Large bags come with 23-25 samples and are $35

The next round of bags after our Valentine's Day bags are our Earth Day bags, we are always looking for new handmade shops to contribute samples. When you contribute samples you promote a compassionate lifestyle, raise money for animals, and promote your craft! Please sign up under "get in the bag" on our website!

Some of my favorite from CNY Etsy Team

2009-10-04T07:53:00.001-07:00

Blue Cupcake Potholders Originals By Lauren

Husky Paper Cut Silhouette My Serenity Way

Turquoise Dichroic Fused Glass Pendant Minty Fresh Fusions

Touch Me Ladybug EcoLeeko

If you are looking for more items from the Cny Etsy team just search cnyetsyteam (written just like that as all one word) on Etsy.com

Mid September Update!

2009-09-20T13:42:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone!

I've updated the blog with our more recent additions to the group (look to the right under "MEMBERS") as well as added a few blogs. If I missed anything or if there is link trouble, just send me an email at luckalilly@yahoo.com.

If you would like to see some CNY photos from the August Clinton Arts and Music Festival, visit this post on team member Heather's Blog:

http://holisticallyheather.blogspot.com/2009/08/clinton-arts-and-music-festival-in.html

Happy Fall!!

Caroline

A Treasury of CNY Etsy Products

2009-09-12T18:53:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Today I would like to share some wonderful items lovingly handcrafted, by some of the talented artisans of the CNY Etsy Team.

Enjoy!

Sterling Silver Rectangular Pendant

Farewell summer sweets.

Medium Foundation mineral makeup set

Handcrafted Duratemp Wood Butterfly House

Feel free to peruse these shops and ask questions if needed. They will all be more than happy to help you out!

Feature Friday: Minty Fresh Fusions

2009-08-07T06:14:00.000-07:00

The Feature Friday series is back after a short hiatus! This week's featured artist is Jen from Minty Fresh Fusions. She is quite the experienced Etsian, and has owned a total of 7 shops!! She is celebrating two years of selling on Etsy this month! Right now she is focusing on fused glass, and she makes stunning work. Check out her interview for more!

First and foremost, what is it that you make/sell?

I make fused glass jewelry and housewares.

What do you most enjoy about your craft?

I think the thing I enjoy most is opening the kiln. There's a pretty commonly repeated phrase about it being like opening presents at Xmas, and it's so true. That and getting to know some of my customers and hearing they're happy, especially when working with people's custom fused photograph pieces.

How has your experience on Etsy been?

My experience on Etsy has been wonderful, I joined 2 years ago in July and started selling 2 years ago this month.

What would you like to see from the CNY Etsy Group in the future?

I think I'd like to see the group get together more informally, a few people for coffee of whatever comes up, but then again my 2 year old always keeps me from participating in much, so I don't know if I'd make it to do much. I had fun at the 4th of July show and look forward to more team shows, definitely!

Check out Jen's shop here:

Minty Fresh Fusions

4th of July Sale at Porter Studios Gallery

2009-07-17T04:43:00.001-07:00

I've finally gotten around to posting the pictures from the 4th of July sale at Porter Studios Gallery! The sale went really well; Jane was so generous to give us this opportunity!

Tangbaby's booth

My Serenity Way's Booth

Luckalilly Ceramics' Booth

Ecoleeko's Booth

Beaded Bird's Booth

Zosio's Booth

Sorry we don't have pictures of everyone's booths, but if anybody has any more you can send them to me and I'll post them here!!

Feature Friday: MGW Photography

2009-06-26T06:31:00.000-07:00

For this installment of the Feature Friday series of posts, I interviewed Michael from MGW Photography. He is located in Binghamton and takes awesome photos which he sells on Etsy as a hobby. I believe he is the only photographer on our team (sorry if I am mistaken and overlooked someone!). My mother was a photographer, so I've always had an interest in the medium and great respect for people who can conceive and execute a great photo. One of Michael's photos was recently selected to be printed in the Sony World Photography Awards Book for 2009 out of a pool of over 70,000 photographs! Pretty impressive. Read the interview to find out about more about Michael and his work:

First and foremost, what is it that you make/sell?
Fine Art Photography.

What do you most enjoy about your craft?
That no matter how much you know there is always more to learn. When I am not learning I get bored so photography has given me a opportunity to continue to learn.

How has your experience on Etsy been?
Etsy has been a great boost for my confidence. People had told me that they liked my photography when I first started taking picture but it wasnt until others started buying my stuff on etsy that I really started believing it. I now have an exhibit coming up in either Oct or Nov during Binghamtons First Friday Art Walk.

What would you like to see from the CNY Etsy Group in the future?
I would love to see the team grow and become more active. I am trying to spread the word the best I can when I meet people on etsy that live in the CNY area.

I had a really hard time choosing which photos to showcase for this feature, so make sure you check out MGW Photography's Etsy shop for more, as well as Michael's blog!!

Summer CNY Sales Events

2009-06-17T04:59:00.000-07:00

Our team has been busy preparing for our first ever team events! This summer, CNY Etsy Team members will be holding two local sales as a group.

The first is on July 4th during the Hamilton Farmers Market at Porter Studios and Fine Arts Gallery from 9am to 3pm. Thanks again, Jane for offering up your gallery to help make this happen!

The secondly, several of our members will be representing the CNY Etsy Team at the Clinton Arts and Music Festival in Clinton starting at 10am.

Also-thanks to Patti from Beaded Bird Designs who made up these neat-0 graphics for us to advertise with!

If your not participating in either of these events, we would still love you to come check it out, support the team and help us get the word out!

CNY June Events!

2009-06-04T18:34:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody! This week in lieu of the "Feature Friday" post, I'm continuing a new series of posts about the goings on of the CNY Etsy Team. Here goes!

Firstly, Lauren from Originals by Lauren has scored a treasury (above) and filled it with items from the CNY Etsy Team's shops! Be sure to click every picture and comment so maybe we can get to the front page!! Click here to go to the treasury! Thanks Lauren!

Oneida County master Gardeners 13th annual Herb and Flower Festival 2009

Saturday June 27, 2009 9 am to 3:30pm at the Parker Scripture Botanical Gardens Farm & Home Center(Co-Op Extension), 121 Second St, Oriskany NY

Plant Vendors~Workshops~Demonstrations~ Butterfly House~Food~Raffles

visit http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/oneida

Dan Brown from Dan's Wuud Werx and Collectibles will be a vendor during the Festival with Woodcraft Birdhouses, Butterfly Houses,Garden Items,etc. Stop by and say hi!

Myrhieah of TangBaby will be participating in the summer Indie Garage Sale, which will be held on Saturday, June 27th at 94 Genesee Street @ the Resonance Center.

The Westcott Art Trail Sale is June 6th and 7th at the Westcott Community Center in Syracuse. Over 50 local artists will be participating! Visit the site for more details!

(Belated) Feature Friday: Nicole's Homemade Treats

2009-05-31T18:58:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I totally spaced out this Friday, and I completely forgot to put up the Feature Friday post! I don't even have an excuse, I wasn't even super busy-I just plain forgot! My apologies to Nicole, who I had interviewed last week. Her shop is a bit different from most found on Etsy, because she makes things you can actually eat!! And my, do they look tasty! I think I might need to order something with dark chocolate soon! (Hey, it's organic, and dark chocolate is good for you, so they say...)

First and foremost, what is it that you make/sell?

Preservative free, all natural, homemade chocolates, candy and granola. I try to use mainly organic ingredients.

What do you most enjoy about your craft?

The smell of the chocolate when I am "creating" and the pleasure people get out of eating my product.

How has your experience on Etsy been?

Etsy has been a great venue - as with everything, it is not perfect, but what is! I am able to have a "website" to sell my
products and do not have to worry about site maintenance. I have met some wonderful people and purchased amazing items!!!

What would you like to see from the CNY Etsy Group in the future?

I think as a group we need to do more promotion, I wish more members participated in the forum and other venues.

Thanks so much Nicole, for the interview and for not even complaining when I forgot to put up the post!!!

Make sure to visit Nicole's shop to order a batch of delicious chocolate goodies, and check out her blog to learn more!!

June Events

2009-05-16T05:02:00.000-07:00

If anyone has any upcoming events, sales in your shop, treasuries, artsy things going on around town, ANYTHING of interest to our group, let me know via email at luckalilly@yahoo.com. (two l's at the end! I'll email you back to let you know I got it, if I don't email you, I probably didn't get yours.) I'm going to be putting another post together about these upcoming events.

Thanks!

-Caroline

Feature Friday: Originals By Lauren

2009-05-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

Finally another Feature Friday post! I know it's been a while, but I had a down internet connection, as well as some other things going on that prevented me from getting it done!

This week, I interviewed Lauren from Originals By Lauren. She sews beautiful quilts, aprons and more. Her shop is coming up on it's one year anniversary this month, and she has over one hundred sales to show for it! Congratulations, Lauren!

First and foremost, what is it that you make/sell?

I sew and make jewelry. My items are original designs, and I make everything I sell. My main focus is on quilts, aprons and potholders. I have a little bit of sterling silver and copper jewelry too, but I am primarily a seamstress.

What do you most enjoy about your craft?

I love to sew. I enjoy picking out fabrics, mixing prints, and coming up with new items. I have been sewing since 6th grade, and I still love to try new things.

How has your experience on Etsy been?

I joined etsy on May 1 of last year, but started listing items on May 23, so I am coming up on 1 year of sales. I looked around for a few weeks to see what sells and what doesn't. I originally was going to focus on jewelry and saw how saturated etsy was with jewelry and changed my focus, and it has worked out well. My sales started out slowly, and I dropped items that didn't sell and focused on the ones that did, and around the holidays things started to take off for me. I belong to 2 teams and really enjoy being on etsy. I have sold things as far away as Fiji and Australia, and as close as New Hartford.

What would you like to see from the CNY Etsy Group in the future?

I am so glad that our local team was formed. I loved meeting other etsy sellers in person, love the postcard, and look forward to going to some of the shows to meet more members. I no longer do craft shows, but still think I can get alot out of this group. I started a team thread and hope more members begin to stop by. It can be a great tool for bouncing ideas off each other and sharing successes. This is a great group and I think together we can enjoy alot of success.

To see more of Lauren's work, visit her Etsy Shop, and don't forget to check out her blog!

Also, Lauren can answer any other questions from the team in the "comments" section below!

Upcoming Events!

2009-04-24T04:31:00.000-07:00

Ok, ok, so instead of the usual "Feature Friday" post, I went ahead and did something a little different this week. I put together a list of upcoming events/shows/sales team members are participating in. I know everyone is super-busy promoting their shops around town, and so I thought if we had one place where they were all promoted it would be easier to get out and support each other!! I'm thinking this might become a monthly thing for the blog. *If you have an event coming up in May thats not listed here, just convo or email me, and I can add it! I put this list together somewhat last-minute, and I'm sure there are more things going on that I missed!*

Ok so here is the list!

Cathy will have a table set up at the "Ted Moore Walk and Run" at MVCC on Saturday, May 2. She will be promoting her Lotus-Butterfly Project Items at this event, and the donations go to the Mohawk Valley Council on Alchohol and Addictions.
Lynn's paintings are being featured at the Oriskany Library through the month of May. The artist's reception on May 7. More info about the event on her blog.
I (Luckalilly) am going to be in a Pottery/Jewelry sale at "The Other Side" next to Domenico's Cafe on Genesee Street on Sunday, May 3 from 11 am to 5 pm. I am also participating in a Bridal Expo at Angela and Co. Hair Salon on Commercial Drive in New Hartford on the same day from Noon to 3 pm.
Nicole will be having a sale soon, so check back for more details!

Again, if anyone has any more upcoming events, be sure to let me know so I can post them here!!

Feature Friday: Ecoleeko

2009-04-17T15:00:00.000-07:00

This week, I thought that it was about time we got to know the person who is responsible for getting this whole group started! Therefore, this week's featured shop owner is Sue from Ecoleeko. She makes adorable eco-friendly little critters for kids! Check out her interview to learn more!

First and foremost, what is it that you make/sell?

I make colorful fun eco-friendly plush dolls, soft baby rattles and bath mitts. I use all natural fabrics like organic cotton blends and bamboo fleece and use all natural fillings, threads and yarns. I hand dye and print all the fabric with low impact fiber active dyes to get the bright colors. I make everything by hand and sell Ecoleeko through my website, my etsy site, through various retail stores across the U.S., Canada and soon at the Hamilton farmers market in Hamilton NY this summer starting in May! The market will be a first so I hope it goes well. I am in the process of making and designing the displays.

www.ecoleeko.com
www.ecoleeko.etsy.com

What do you most enjoy about your craft?

I love working with all natural materials, fabrics, designing fun stuff and love to sew, so it merges everything I love! Kids toys are fun and colorful to design and I enjoy researching new animals or insects and trying to come up with an interesting way to make them. I also love the freedom to come up with new designs, play with color combinations & research new natural or recycled materials whether it be for my items or for packaging and wrapping. It's really exciting developing a small business yourself.

How has your experience on Etsy been?

Etsy has been amazing. I started my own website, but also felt like Etsy could be a great venue to sell through as well. I find that it is a wonderful venue to network. I've been introduced to a lot of wholesale accounts, press and blog interest through Etsy, as well as meeting great people and other Etsians! It's a great way for anyone who wants to sell their handmade items to have their own shop and feel their way through.

What would you like to see from the CNY Etsy Group in the future?

I'm really happy to see how far we've come already! Postcards are getting printed and our first show coming up is pretty great. Also the volunteering that everyone is helping with shows that the team has some really great people who want the group to prosper, which is wonderful.
I hope in the future to see more shows or more group events. I want other members to feel free to organize an event for the team on their own if they have an idea they feel would be fun. I'd like to see events in various places, like shows in different towns. We'll see!

Thanks so much, Sue, for starting the CNY Etsy Team and being responsible for all the great things that our team is now doing as a result!

To see more of Sue's work, visit her Etsy Shop or her website, and don't forget to check out her blog!

As usual, Sue can answer any other questions from the team in the "comments" section below!

Feature Friday: Spongetta

2009-04-10T17:59:00.000-07:00

Its Friday already?? AND we had two sunny/ almost warm days in a row up here in Central New York? Lucky us! This week's feature is Spongetta, a shop comprised of two women who love to sew and quilt, Betsy and Sara. Together they have built an impressively successful shop with loads of sales all over the world-very inspirational!

First and foremost, what is it that you make/sell?
Spongetta is known for the ring purses and stockings predominantly, but Betsy and Sara are both quilters at heart. Sara employs more traditional techniques and fabrics. Two of her quilts are currently available in the store. Betsy has been side-tracked from a love of piecing unexpected textures and colors by the success of the bags. Most of the fabric for the purses has been found in the back of fabric stores, pulled out of trunks in the attic of various friends and family members or are repurposed clothing.

What do you most enjoy about your craft?
Designing something unexpected by substituting a nontraditional fabric or technique to make a piece that is unusual or one of kind.

How has your experience on Etsy been?
Etsy has been an amazing experience. I (Betsy) had been selling at local craft shows with family members and could not give my items away in Upstate New York. The Etsy store opened up an international marketplace and helped me to find an outlet in places I did not dream I could reach. Most of my sales are to Texas, California and Toronto. For someone living in such a rural area with limited resources, this has been astounding.

What would you like to see from the CNY Etsy Group in the future?
I look forward to more opportunities to meet in person with others who are making and selling their items. So much is gained when we all share in that creative energy.

To visit Spongetta's shop, click here.

If you have any additional questions for either of the lovely ladies, feel free to ask them in the comments section below (or just leave a note about how cool their stuff is!!)

Feature Friday: Beaded Bird

2009-04-03T16:39:00.000-07:00

This week's featured seller is actually a group of 3 talented ladies, known together as Beaded Bird Design. It was very interesting to hear about how they got started selling their beautiful jewelry on Etsy together - read on to learn more (ps-they have free shipping ALL THE TIME!)

First and foremost, what is it that you make/sell?

Actually there are three of us in Beaded Bird Design LLC, Barbara, Tara and me, Patti. I had two close friends who both created beautiful and well-made jewelry. One of them approached me about the idea of going into business mostly so she could start to pay for her hobby. I thought about the other friend and well, as they say, the rest is history.

So to answer your question, we make one-of-a-kind jewelry, no two pieces are ever exactly alike. Tara is a graphic designer and makes jewelry from found objects, keys, old baby pajama buttons and stuff like that. She works with mostly darkened chains such as Vintage brass or antiqued sterling and natural stones such as amazonite and jade. Barbara uses her attention to detail as an RN and applies it to metal work. She weaves chain maille, hand-forges sterling, hammers copper, solders her own chain designs and is at times concerned she might burn her house down!

I will eventually also design jewelry, but for now I am busy doing the photography for our site, the marketing and book work.

What do you most enjoy about your craft?

All of us love the creative outlet. Tara loves the design aspect of jewelry making. She would love to set up ideas and have the Assembly Fairy appear and “poof” - done! Barbara loves the nuts and bolts of assembling her elegant and modernistic designs. Give her a tiny hammer and a piece of metal and she is in her element. I enjoy coming up with the names for the pieces of jewelry and trying to write an engaging story about each piece.

How has your experience on Etsy been?

It has been surprising. We intended to have our own web site, but etsy has made it so easy to sell through their site that we have focused our energies there. We have made some sales, which we are happy with since we mainly want to sell in craft shows and to friends. So overall we are thrilled. It is easy to use and fun!

What would you like to see from the CNY Etsy Group in the future?

We loved getting together and meeting the other local artisans. We would like to be involved in more face to face interactions and are also looking forward to the craft show season and working together to promote the hand-made lifestyle.

To see more of Beaded Bird Designs jewelry, visit their Etsy shop!

If you have any more questions for the girls, just ask them here on the blog in a comment!

Feature Friday: Natural Earth Jewelry

2009-03-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

This week's featured seller Diana from Natural Earth Jewelry. I was impressed by her many years of experience in her craft (25!) and her generous ongoing sales (check out her shop announcement for more info!) Read on to learn more about Diana and her shop!

First and foremost, what is it that you make/sell?

My name is Diana Parker and I make jewelry from mostly natural materials such as gemstones, shells, wood, bone, horn, and more. I've even used beads made of grass! I started out making jewelry over 25 years ago, and have progressed from making simple strings of beads to more complicated pieces, all of which are one of a kind. The bulk of my pieces are fairly uniform in color and style with bright colors and patterns, but lately I've found myself changing to more radical designs, kind of like "elegance meets bodacious". Each piece is taking me in a new direction right now, and I'm excited to watch them transform into wearable art.

What do you most enjoy about your craft?

I enjoy the spontaneity of it! Rarely will I sit down with an idea of what I'd like to make, and it never turns out as expected. As each bead or component is added, the jewelry really takes on a life of it's own and seems to tell ME what it should look like. I've learned to listen and watch very closely!

How has your experience on Etsy been?

Etsy has been a real turning point in my life. Never before has a website caused me to visit it over and over every day. Even if I wasn't a seller, I'd be on Etsy browsing constantly. There's always something new to see, always someone to inspire me, always new friends to meet. I sold for years on ebay, and besides meeting a few wonderful people, the experience left me with a strong desire to get my jewelry off of there and into a new community that focused on creativity and art rather than profit and loss.

What would you like to see from the CNY Etsy Group in the future?

I'd like to see more cross promotion. Maybe we could all send business cards, advertising posters, free samples or the like to one of us every 3-6 months, and that person will make up "care packages" with everyone else's promos. Each of us would enclose shipping and packaging expenses, and in return we'd each get a package shipped to us made up of promos for everyone else on the team who wishes to participate. We would distribute the materials on bulletin boards, craft shows, anywhere that would allow us to post advertising. Each of us would get a lot of advertising in areas we wouldn't normally be exposed to, all for the price of shipping and packaging costs.

Thank you for this opportunity to show you what Natural Earth Jewelry is all about!

To see more of Diana's work, visit her shop!

She also has 2 other Etsy shops that she sells in as well:

http://www.dianaparkerart.etsy.com

http://www.5DollarEarrings.etsy.com

If you have any more questions for Diana, ask them in the comments section, and she will answer them for you!

March Forum Thread

2009-03-19T17:35:00.000-07:00

Check out the March CNYEtsy Team thread in the Etsy Forums!

Share your thoughts!
Make new local contacts!
Keep up to date on team events!
Ask questions and get critiques!
Share a new item, or promote your shop's special sale!
See what's going on in other members' shops!

Thanks to Lauren from Originals by Lauren for setting the thread up for us!

Virtual Labs Session!

2009-03-16T04:54:00.000-07:00

The first CNY Etsy Team's Virtual lab session is scheduled for tomorrow, March 17 at 7 pm!

You can visit the virtual labs here.

Come by and check it out if your available!

Feature Friday: Dirty Ass Soaps

2009-03-13T12:48:00.000-07:00

For this week's Feature Friday I talked to Alison from Dirty Ass Soaps. Her sushi soaps are what originally caught my eye, and I soon discovered that she creates all sorts of soaps that look and smell like real food! Her unique product line adds a good dose of originality to the CNY Etsy Team's wide variety of talented artisans. Read on to find out more about Alison's unusual soap making philosophy!

First and foremost, what is it that you make/sell?

My name is Alison Kowalsky, and I make vegan soap with a twist. I prefer my shapes and scents to mimic real life food and toys. When I first started out, I was making the typical bar soap that most people think of when they hear "hand made soap". It wasn't that exciting for me, so I came up with an original idea on how to make a soap cupcake. Soon after, I got a dare from one of my friends to make a soap cheeseburger. After I accomplished that, my brain started creating all these ideas on how to make really fun soap. Now I have a lineup of over 40! sets of soap, some of which I don't even have on Etsy yet!

What do you most enjoy about your craft?

I enjoy the creativity of making soap. I look at something and try to form it into soap with my mind. When I first started out, I used prefab molds but now I try to make my own and make a lot of my soaps moldless. This is tough to do because the soap is hot and in liquid form. I do enjoy challenges as well. When someone says: I bet you can't make _____ into soap, I love proving them wrong. This happened with many things, it started with the cheeseburger and evolved into a sushi set! One thing I am working on producing more of is cake slices which are realistically textured. The ones I make right now take a long time because they aren't made from a mold.

How has your experience on Etsy been?

My experience on Etsy has been incredible! In the short time that I've lived in Boston, I've made around 300 sales. I made it a point to be successful with this because I enjoy what I do. I also don't see anyone else on Etsy going to the extremes like I do, where they've made their entire soap lineup just food and/or toys. I consider Dirty Ass Soaps to be unique and one of the more memorable shops online. No one can ever forget a name like "Dirty Ass Soaps" or a Bacon Cheeseburger made from just soap, that's for sure!

What would you like to see from the CNY Etsy Group in the future?

I love the fact that CNY Etsy is a group that's made up of members from my home town. I would love to have the team participate in some of the upcoming Indie Garage Sales. The IGS was started 3 years ago and went from a small craft show with 4 or 5 vendors to a huge event that is currently hosting 20+ vendors. Even though I currently don't live in CNY because of school, I do my best to organize and run these shows 4-5 times per year with a small group of dedicated and hardworking friends.

To see more of Alison's funky soaps, click to visit her Etsy shop or her wesite.

If you have any additional questions for Alison, leave a comment below and she will answer it for you!

We have a winner!

2009-03-10T16:08:00.001-07:00

After several voting sessions, we have narrowed down the many worthy submissions to a single banner design! The winner is "Banner B," and can be seen above! Thank you to everyone who submitted a design and congratulations to Myrieah of Tangbaby on designing the winner (ps, she's also the featured seller this week on the blog)!

Sue of Ecoleeko is working on an avatar based on the design right now, which will be available soon.

Feature Friday: Tangbaby

2009-03-06T06:28:00.000-08:00

For this week's installment of Feature Friday, I spoke with Myrhieah of Tangbaby. Her shop is comprised of a wide variety of interesting objects, including felt food and fake cake,unique cards and pretty buttons. Read on to find out more!

First and foremost, what is it that you make/sell?

I make whatever comes to my mind that can be fashioned in my own style in a reasonable amount of time. My initial motivation to sell on Etsy began with local demand for my strange faux-cake boxes, it was weird and something people never saw, and since I

am always up for creative challenges, I decided to see if I could also find a way to sell them online. Then, I quickly realized the problem with trying to sell something that no one ever searches for, I decided that I needed to diversify my shop. It took me a few months to get into the creative problem solving loop, but now, left and right, I’ve been taking inspiration from what things I use or could use while playing with and teaching my toddlers.

What do you most enjoy about your craft?

Having a background in conceptual art, I admit I have a hard time relating to the word “craft.” I just think of things and make them and I enjoy doing that. I like to play around with ideas, and although some of the things I make are odd or less than practical, I hope they can add a little cheer to whoever might view my listings.

How has your experience on Etsy been?

My experience has been very limited, but I’ve gotten to meet some great sellers through wonderful transactions and forum discussions and I’ve been able to get some things I’ve worked on out there to a few different people. It’s exciting for me to make things, even if they are rather small, and send them over oceans or across counties to waiting hands.

What would you like to see from the CNY Etsy Group in the future?

Since we are a regional group, I would love to experience some physical shows and possibly meet with others where we share with one another about the things we do.

If you have any additional questions you would like to ask Myrieah, post them in the "comments" section below, and she will answer them!

To see more of Myrieah's work, visit her shop: Tangbaby

She also has a blog: the Tangbaby

Banner Finalists!!

2009-03-03T18:50:00.000-08:00

The votes are in, and the finalists have been posted!

See which banners made it over at the discussion on the Ning Site!

Then, vote for your favorite via this Google Document!

You can vote until Monday, March 9, 2009.

Good luck and congrats to the finalists!

Feature Friday: Luckalilly Ceramics

2009-02-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday everyone! Today I am introducing a new regular feature for the blog: every week I will interview a different member of our group, and post it here along with some pictures and a link to their shop. To get the ball rolling and to set up the format, I thought I would start by introducing myself.

First and foremost, what is it that you make/sell?

I make and sell a line of funky, handmade functional ceramics that I hope will be used to brighten someone's day, even if it is in a very small way!

What do you most enjoy about your craft?

The part I enjoy the most is selecting different patterns to fit the different shapes of my pottery, and seeing how these two elements of the design process interact with one another. I also enjoy thinking about how people will use the products I make. For example, when I make a simple tumbler, I think of all the different ways it could be used: one person might love to drink their morning orange juice out of it, and another may keep it by their bathroom sink to use with mouthwash, and still another may use it on their desk at work as a pencil holder. All these possibilities excite me!

How has your experience on Etsy been?

My experience on Etsy has been good so far. I think Etsy has given me a good, inexpensive platform to sell my goods and has allowed me to reach a lot of customers who are interested in my work that I would have otherwise not been able to reach. I wish

my sales were picking up a bit more (who doesn't??) but I am going to look into some different advertising options that I have not yet explored, and maybe that will help!

What would you like to see from the CNY Etsy Group in the future?

I would love to do some local shows and sales with the group, because I think that we could all use some more local exposure!

To see more of Caroline's work:

Luckalilly Etsy Shop

Luckalilly's Photostream on Flickr

Banner Vote Update!!

2009-02-22T11:58:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone!

We have added six new banner submissions for your review, pictures have been posted both in the original post here on the blog and in larger form to the album on the Ning site.

Please vote again by clicking here.

(Even if your vote for top three is not affected by the new submissions, please vote again! Only votes from the new questionnaire will be tallied.)

This new voting session will last until Monday March 2nd.

Thanks again and sorry for the mix-up!!

CNY Etsy Team Treasury!

2009-02-21T14:40:00.000-08:00

Lauren from Originals by Lauren scored a treasury and was kind enough to share the exposure with the team! Check out the rest of the treasury here : http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=44124

If anyone else gets a treasury we can feature it here on the blog, just email me (luckalilly@yahoo.com) the link and I'll get it posted!

Extra Banner Submission!

2009-02-21T13:25:00.001-08:00

One member had sent in a submission, but because of an email mix-up, I didn't receive it until after the deadline. If you haven't voted yet, consider this design as well! A larger photo has also been added to the Ning site album.

Banner H

Banner update

2009-02-19T08:12:00.000-08:00

Bigger pictures have been posted to an album on Ning :

http://cnyetsy.ning.com/photo/albums/banner-submissions

Check them out and VOTE!!!

-Caroline

Banner Designs!

2009-02-18T16:56:00.000-08:00

***UPDATE***

THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED TO INCLUDE 6 MORE SUBMISSIONS.

PLEASE VOTE VIA THIS NEW GOOGLE DOCUMENT (EVEN IF YOU HAVE ALREADY VOTED AND THE NEW SUBMISSIONS DO NOT AFFECT YOUR CHOICE FOR TOP 3)

click here to go to the new voting form: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=cFZoaE81a0dVbV9zMFo3V2JnWGNBTlE6MA

Sorry for the confusion, but we wanted everyone to have a fair chance!

Ok everyone, it's time to vote on a design for our banner! Take a look at the submissions below, and then click HERE to vote for your top three! (We are voting via a Google Doc that Sue set up for us, that way the voting is anonymous.) Voting will be open until Sunday night. The top three designs will make it into the "finals" next week for a second round of voting.

A couple of things to remember when voting:

Fonts and text can be changed! We will most likely have another vote on this once the winner is chosen. So- don't base your choice on these factors alone!
We will be basing designs for avatars and widgets on the winning design as well.
Voting is anonymous via the Google Doc in the link above.
Voting ends on Sunday, February 22.

Thanks so much to everyone who submitted their designs!

Banner A

Banner B

Banner C

Banner D

Banner E

Banner F

Banner G

Banner H

Banner I

Banner J

Banner K

Banner L

Banner M

Questionaire Results!

2009-02-16T05:34:00.001-08:00

Sue has kindly tallied the results from the questionaire that was sent out after our first meeting.

Thank You to the 22 members who took time to fill out the questionaire!
Below are the posted totals..

Info Sessions

How to use Treasuries 8 (38%) - 3rd session
Shop design, setup & critiques 15 (71%) - 2nd session
Using Google Analytics 10 (48%) - 3rd session
How to take Great Pictures 14 (67%) - 2nd session
Learning to Blog, Twitter, Facebook 11 (52%) - 4th session
Creating Great Shop Promos 17 (81%) - 1st session
Best Etsy Selling Tips 16 (76%) - 1st session

Join in the Show???

Yes, I'd love too! 16 (76%) - Most of us, so that's great!
I'm not sure 4 (19%)
No, I'd rather not 1 (5%)

Have Team tags??

Yes, definitely! 14 (67%) - looks like cnyetsyteam
I don't know what that means 7 (33%)

For those of you who aren't familiar with 'team tags', when you post an item on Etsy, you chose 14 'tags' to describe the places you want your piece to go, IE- children, plush, animal, blue, etc. or jewelry, silver, gold, ruby, etc...A team tag is using one of those spaces, and typing in your team name, ours is cnyetsyteam. That way, when someone makes a treasury, or wants to search our teams work, they will come up to be selected or looked at.

Best Place to host the group

Would Like to stay at Ning, I'm already set up 4 (19%)
Prefer Google Groups 1 (5%)
Like Flickr the Best 0 (0%)
Prefer to use Etsy Team Threads 3 (14%)
Don't have a preference 16 (76%)

- Most don't have a preference so, maybe we will stay with ning, the blog and if someone would like to manage a weekly etsy thread for our group, that would be fine too..

More Great Ideas members had are-

Use cnyetsyteam as team tag for treasuries, etc.
Willing to set up a field trip or exploration of places and spaces
Occasional groups meetings at the etsy virtual labs (shop critiques in the virtual labs).
Some sort of criteria to maintain membership in the group
Using Swap-Bot
Having Area captains to find ops and events in specific areas, IE Utica/New Hartford, Norwich, Syracuse, etc.
Monthly workshops to learn another's craft

7 people marked they are willing to design a banner idea/s. I will email you directly, and remind you of the deadlines, etc. Thank you all for offering your time!!

Thanks again for everyone's participation in this. I will look over who wants to help with the Etsy workshops, email them and start to plan accordingly! I will also update you all on info about our Upcoming first show & sale in the spring!!

Thanks!
Sue from Ecoleeko

Valentine's Day CNY Etsy Love

2009-02-14T10:00:00.000-08:00

Today, in honor of the festival of love, I thought I would put together some Valentine's appropriate items from members of our group...Sort of like our own localized version of "Etsy Finds!"

So here goes:

Hand Painted Necklace Jewelry Rack

Hung Up on You Creations

Whipped Soap Loaf

Lilic Hill Soap

Steampunk Adjustable rose ring

Tillson's Treasures

WHO HEARTS YOU pincushion

New York Vintage Vanity

Vintage Brooch and Earring Set. Red Hot

EBFinds

I hope everyone has a wonderful and love-filled Valentine's Day!

Banner Submissions Guidelines!

2009-02-11T18:49:00.000-08:00

Sue from Ecoleeko recently posted some guidelines for the Banner submissions on the Ning site, and I thought I would post them here as well for all to see!

General Guidelines

Dimensions: 750 pixels long x 150/100 pixels wide
Save as 72 DPI for web
Save on copy in jpg format, and keep a layered copy if possible
Layered copies are very helpful in the event that we end up wanting to change the font and text. Also, avatars, widgets, ect will be designed off of the original as well.
Email submissions to luckalilly@yahoo.com by Feb 17th
Banner submissions will then be posted here on the blog for voting!

See Sue's original post on the Ning site here!

Thanks everyone, I can't wait to see your submissions!

Banner and Button Submissions

2009-02-09T19:15:00.000-08:00

As noted before, we will be holding a vote for the CNY Etsy Team Blog banner and button (aka avatar) design.

Anyone who is interested is encouraged to submit designs to Caroline at luckalilly@yahoo.com by February 17th.

Voting will be held here on the blog after that, and the blog will be updated shortly thereafter!

Pictures of the First Meeting!

2009-02-09T18:49:00.001-08:00

So...for those of you who couldn't make it out to Porter Studios Gallery in Hamilton for the first meeting this past Sunday, I have some pictures to share!

Above are some tasty "Etsy" brownies courtesy of Sue, from Ecoleeko, as well as the rest of the munchie spread (it was all positively delicious!)

The last photo is a group shot of all those in attendance, excluding Sue because she was taking the photo!

In the photo:

Jane - Janetexcat

Cathy - Myserenityway

Lauren - Originals By Lauren

Cris - Cris Creates

Myrhieah - Tangbaby

Caroline and Emily - Luckalilly

Patty, Barbara, and Tara - Beaded Bird

Andrea and Arthur - Ashlar

Overall, it was a very enjoyable and productive meeting! Jane ended up snagging a Treasury while we were all there, you can view it here! In the future, if anyone from the team gets a Treasury, I would be happy to post a link to it here on the blog, just convo me the link!

First CNY Etsy Team Meeting at Porter Studios Gallery

2009-02-08T21:46:00.000-08:00

The first team meeting was a hit! As you all know from the email Sue from Ecoleeko sent out, there was great food and great discussion!

Among the things discussed were the creation of this blog, where you can find info about all the upcoming promotions and events we hope to be doing in the near future, as well as a weekly artist feature. If anyone has any other ideas about what they would like to see from this blog, comment here or send me a convo via Etsy. (By the way, this is Caroline from Luckalilly Ceramics speaking-I volunteered to set up/manage the blog!)

So far, I have set up a list of the members of our group and links to each shop (look to the right). If you see anything you would like different about the wording/spelling on your link, just let me know and I'll change it for you. I also set up a slideshow of photos streaming from the Ning site, so if you would like to see some of your products showcased here on the blog, then upload pictures of them here.

As Sue mentioned in the email, we will be holding a vote for the banner/button design for the blog as well as the team in general. I think there was a general consensus that it would be a good idea to "brand" these images so they will be recognizable to others as well as ourselves. If you would like to design a banner or a button or both, you can go ahead and send me the image(s) via email at luckalilly@yahoo.com. We can then hold a vote right here on the blog to determine a winner.

Again, any ideas and input concerning the blog are welcomed; post a comment here or just drop me a note!

If you would like to subscribe to this blog (this means you can receive updates via homepages like Google and Yahoo when there is a new post or comment) just click the buttons at the top of the page that say "Subscribe to this blog!"

It's getting pretty late, so I think I better sound off here. I'm so excited about this group, I think it's going to be a great way to network and promote for all of us!