Mel Designs

Ten Tips for Selling on Etsy- Part Two

Bird Ornaments from Wool Felt

Last week I reached another milestone on Etsy. I got my first wholesale order! Many of you may not be interested in selling wholesale on Etsy or selling handmade items on Etsy at all. But if you are like me, you know the value of promoting yourself and Etsy is a great place to do it.

Recently, I offered a few tips for selling on Etsy. Here are five more you may find helpful.

Ten Tips for Selling on Etsy-Part Two

 6. Use the power of Social Media to market your Etsy shop. By using marketing tactics that are engaging, you build a community around yourself and your business. You use online tools to form real, one-on-one relationships with people. Blogging, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest and YouTube are only a few of the social media tools available to help promote your Etsy shop. Savvy marketers know that its important to engage their market rather than advertise to it. Link your Facebook page, Twitter account, etc, to your blog and vice versa. Offer compelling content to your audience in an effort to build relationships with them.

Art Gift Tags

7. Find your niche. Attempting to stand out in a crowded market place like Etsy can be difficult. Develop a distinct style and brand that is different from what is already out there. What is it that you offer and how is it unique? Instead of creating something you think will sell, create for yourself and explore, experiment and have fun.

8. Use the Etsy Mini. If you blog and or have a website, set up the Etsy mini to show off your handmade creations. The Etsy mini is a customizable widget that allows you to post a block of Etsy item images onto your own Web pages. The Etsy Mini can show either items from your shop (for sellers) or your favorites (for everyone).Step by step instructions on how to set up an Etsy mini is available in the Etsy Sellers Handbook.

Wood Veneer Bird Ornament

9. Join a Team. Etsy teams are growing in popularity as social media explodes. Consider joining a team of likeminded Esty sellers who can offer support and encouragement. Teams can be local or virtual. The team I am on revolves around the theme of celebrations. We create treasuries featuring other team members shop items. Its a great way to offer help and get feedback from other Etsy sellers.

Red Ticking Stripe Snowman Pillow

10. Offer and Promote Custom Ordering. Half of my sales have come from people requesting custom orders. If I had to guess, I would bet that it's the same for other Etsy sellers. Increasingly, people are seeking to personalize their purchases on Etsy. If your items are easily customizable, promote this in your shop's policies. Also, mention it in the item description. Offer discounts when your customers are ordering in multiples.

If you are looking for some tips on setting up your Etsy shop and/or promoting it, I hope you found some good information here. Feel free to "convo" me, comment here or send me an email if you have any questions or comments.

Live Life Creatively,

 

Hand Dyed Gift Tags

Ten Tips for Selling on Etsy- Part One

Selling Wholesale on Etsy

Ten Tips For Selling on Etsy- Part One

 

Ticking Fabric Birds

 

I have one more sale to go before I get to celebrate 200 sales on Etsy! I set up my shop in 2008 but it wasn't until late 2010 before I began adding items and making sales. With the fierce competition of other etsy sellers, people have asked me how I have been able to create and grow a moderately successful shop. Here are five of the ten tips for selling on etsy I learned the hard way.

Ten Tips for Selling on Etsy- Part One

1. It's all about the Photography- High quality photographs are your best friend when it comes to selling on etsy. If possible, offer several photographs of the same item including a killer close up shot. To show the scale of an item, photograph it next to another common item such as a dime so the customer can get a sense of size.

2. Name for Success- When naming your listings, think like a customer. "It Takes A Village" to describe the item above may be a cute way to describe the item but it's not going to bring you many views and hence, sales. If the customer is looking for a bookmark made from burlap,they will likely search "Burlap Bookmark." You have enough characters in your listings to go a bit further. You could describe the items as "Burlap Bookmark Sewn Buttons." The same goes with tagging. You get 13 tags to describe your item-use them all.

3. Promotion. Promotion. Promotion- So you've got high quality tags, stellar names and tags, not to mention killer merchandise. Get out there and let everyone know about it. Blog about your shop, get it in print. Most of my sales come from items that are published in print magazines. Editors are very generous about promoting your blog and/or etsy shop if you are lucky enough to get an item published.

4. Provide Great Customer Service- Etsy now offers customer service stats that gives you information on everything from meeting processing times to providing your customers with shipment information. Be realistic about your turn around times. Respond promptly to "convos" which is Etsy speak for customer questions and special requests. Let your customers know when something has been shipped and give them the tracking number. If you have an unhappy buyer, bend over backwards to make sure the outcome doesn't leave you with negative feedback, which can hurt future sells.

5. Price for Success- The biggest mistake I see sellers make is over or under pricing. Not sure what your hand dyed and stamped ribbons should be priced? Do some research. Find similar items on Etsy and see what they are successfully being sold for. Note if your items are more or less detailed which could impact how competitive you should be. You don't want to price yourself out of the market but you also don't want to under value your merchandise.

Ready to get started? Check back soon and I will give you five more tips. The holiday selling season is already underway so you may want to be thinking about whether or not an Etsy shop is the right fit for your handmade items.

Live Life Creatively,

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Hand Dyed Gift Tags

Repurposed Tap Shoe Pendant Using the Crystyler Tool

Hand Dyed Gift Tags

 

Its getting to be that time of year when my Etsy shop gets busy, horray! It's will soon be gift giving season and I've noticed increased activity and orders already. Lots of artists who sell on Etsy know the value of unique packaging. Packaging should reflect your brand and the overall look and feel of your shop. I keep mine very simple. I use plain wax paper and hand dyed gift tags that can be purchased at any office supply store. The other day I took a couple of hours to refresh my supply of hand dyed gift tags so they will be ready and waiting as orders come in.

Materials for Hand Dyed Gift Tags:

Round Metal rimmed shipping tags

Rit Dye in Cocoa Brown

Beige or other light colored cardstock

Self adhesive cork sheet (12" x 12") from Recollections (Michael's stores)

Tiny alphabet stamps and ink

Hemp

Beacon Adhesives Zip Dry Paper Glue

Metal rimmed jewel brads

Self Adhesive gem stone rows

Scissors

Small glass bowl, measuring spoons, measuring cup, tongs, latex gloves, stirring spoon, tongs, paper towels

  To get started making your hand dyed gift tags, put on the latex gloves and create a dye bath using a small glass bowl, 2 tablespoons of Cocoa Brown dye and 1 cup hot water. If you want your tags to be lighter in color, use half as much dye.

Place the tags into the dye mixture and let them sit for about 5 minutes. Remove the tags with the tongs and let them sit on a layer of paper towels to dry. The drying process will take a couple of hours. Make sure you flip them over after an hour so they dry on both sides. Once the hand dyed tags are dry, you can embellish them with whatever you have in your stash. For this project I chose cork sheets and self adhesive gem stone rows.

Stamp sentiments on cardstock with ink and alphabet stamps. I like "merci" "for you" and "enjoy" as they seem to be perfect for most ocassions. Stamp assembly style and then cut out sentiments with the scissors.

Use the paper glue to adhere the sentiments to the tags.

Embellish the tags with the remainder of the supplies. It will be easy to create several tags in a couple of hours.

These tags, tied up with hemp, make my packaging special, yet simple.

If you sell on Etsy or any other online outlet that requires packaging, I would love to see how you package your wares! Share with me in the comments section.

Live Life Creatively,

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Repurposed Tap Shoe Pendant Using the Crystyler Tool

Recycled Wine Bottle Art

Halloween Door Decor

Stamped Bird with Eggs Shower or Wedding Favor

Are you looking for an easy to make favor perfect for an upcoming Spring Wedding, Bridal Shower, Baby shower or bridal luncheon? if you can stamp, you can create these adorable bird themed favors. The birds are simply stamped on top of the glassine bag, and the bag is filled with shredded kraft paper and candy coated eggs to resemble a bird sitting on a nest of eggs. The beauty of creating these is that candy coated or "jordan almonds" comes in a wide variety of colors so you can customize them to match your chosen colors. The materials are simple but if you would like to take the EASY ROUTE and order them from my etsy shop, they are available in multiples of 25 or 50. I also accept custom quantities so you can convo me with questions.

I ordered these 3" x 5" glassine bags in lots of 100 from etsy. The seller, Cre8tive Goddess, is one of my favorites and sends along a big bunch of shredded paper with your order.

I used StazOn solvent ink in black and a simple bird and script stamp for the design on the front.

When working in multiples, don't stack the bags together or the ink will stick to the back of the bag. Solvent ink dries quick but takes a little longer to dry on glassine.

I did these particular favors for a baby shower for an etsy customer in Canada. She instructed me in the text she wanted to use including type font. She wanted a vintage feel so I used Baskerville Old Face.

I used a scalloped edged circle punch to punch each label out. I like this one from Marvy Uchida because it allows you to see where you are punching on the paper simply by turning the punch over.

The first step in assembling these labels is to cut out some corrugated cardboard circles. Corrugated cardboard is most likely sitting in or around your trash or recycling bin right now. I used the top part of a Pizza box.

Simply peel away the top part of the box to expose the corrugated layer and use scissors or a circle cutter to cut circles that measure approximately 1 1/2."

Ink the edges of the cardstock circles with brown ink and glue it to the top of the corrugated circle, centering.

To embellish the labels, I die cut some flowers from black wool felt. You will also need some ribbon or dyed fabric strips, seam binding, etc to decorate the top part of the label. I find that it is easiest to hand dyed torn strips of muslin with Rit Dye so that I can get the exact shade to match the candy color being used.

This hemp from Hemptique adds the final rustic touch to the labels.

Assembling the labels is by far the most time consuming effort of this project since you are most likely working in multiples of 25, 50, 100, etc. I even completed a 400 piece order for a wedding last Spring!

The final step is filling the bags with the shredded paper and candy and attaching the label. Fill the bag with five almonds and shredded paper. Fold over the bag and punch a hole for the label. Use the jeweled brad to attach the label and hold the bag closed.

I like to send the favors along to my customers in special packaging. I imagine that the recipient might save the box and use it hold special momentos of the special event, in this case a baby shower.

I usually save shoe boxes and other non-corrugated packages for just this purpose. I paint the box with several coats of paint and then dry brush in a contrasting color.

To coordinate with the theme of these favors, I stamped the bird on hand dyed ribbon.

 

Life Live Creatively,

 

Indigo Dyed Stuffed Door Hanger

Around the 15th century, in the days of Chaucer and courtly love, lovers began the tradition of exchanging small tokens of love in the form of flowers, candy and cards which eventually became to be know as "Valentines."

In the tradition of the month of love, the Designer Connection Blog Hop brings you "Handmade with Love" where I am sure you will find tons of inspiration for creating special love gifts.

Gauging by the purchases from my etsy shop, Valentine gifts are not only for exchanges by lovers but also for giving between family members and special friends. I had a customer recently who requested a custom order for her sister and mother as it was in their tradition to exchange gifts every February 14th in lieu of Christmas.

If you saw my post on creating this indigo dyed bird pillow, you were introduced to the cool concept of indigo dying using Jacquard Product's  Indigo Dying Kit.

I played with this product extensively last Fall and made some really cool projects. If you have not used this product before, here is a short list of helpful tips.

- The kit contains everything you will need to dye several yards of fabric, t-shirts, etc. The only needed items to gather are a 5 gallon bucket with a lid, a stirring stick (long, I used a 1" dowel), and a small plastic container.

- Weather permitting, I would highly recommend you use this product outdoors. Do not try using it in a bathrub or shower as you will end up with blue stains that are very hard to remove (do you know how In know this?)

- Plan to dye several items at once. You can store the leftover dye with the "flower" removed and placed into the small plastic container if you would like to store it and use it later.

- If you dont want to dye your own fabric, visit my etsy shop where you can purchase tie dyed indigo fabric by the 1/2 yard.

- Jenny at Craft Test Dummies did a great tutorial on step by step dying with this kit that you can check out before you get started.

I started with 6" sqaures of tie dyed indigo. For the door hanger, you need two, one for the back and one for the front.

I used Lite Steam a Seam by The Warm Company which is my favorite fusible webbing, and an iron to fuse it to burlap. I cut the burlap to a 4 1/2" square, peeled off the paper backing and fused it to the center off one of the squares with the iron.

To create the design, you will need some additional fabric elements. I fused some of the indigo dyed fabric scraps to a die cut heart. (Note: fuse if first then die cut it) You also need to fused muslin scrap and a scrap of red ticking fabric. Once you have fused the muslin, use a solvent ink pad to stamp a sentiment and heat set it with the iron.

Peel off the paper backing from the stamped sentiment, fuse it to the center of the red ticking scrap and sew the edges with a sewing machine and thread. You can use a backstitch for this step if you would prefer as an option.

Use your sewing machine and thread to sew a tight zig zag stitch around the edges of the burlap. It will resemble machine applique. I used a straight stitch to stitch the heart to the burlap and a straight stitch to stitch the stamped label to the heart.

Next, turn two 6" indigo dyed squares right sides in and sew them together on the left, top and right sides, using a 1/2" seam allowance. Leave the bottom open for turning and stuffing.

Use an iron to steam the seams open and turn the door hanger right sides out. Tear two 2" strips from one of the 6" indigo dyed squares and use your sewing machine to sew knife pleats along the center. Join the two together with the center stitch to make the strip longer.

Turn the door hanger right side out, stuff with polyfil by Fairfield (my favorite since its high quality, soft and so easy to work with). Sew the bottom shut and sew the ruffled strip to the bottom of the door hanger. (you may need to trim excess from the strip with scissors)

Notice the addition of these pretty flower centers by Prima from the Dynasty Collection (Ivory) which are still available from Scrapbook.com.

I opted for a wire hanger which I attached by punching holes with my heavy duty hole punch.

These indigo dyed door hangers can be a wonderful addition to any home. Perfect as a little Valentines Day gift, they can be incorporated into a home with Americana decor as well.

Live Life Creatively,

Amore Embellished Altoid Tin and Tags

"Amore" (Italian) translates to "love" in the English language. Remember the old song "when the moon hits the sky like a big pizza pie thats 'Amore?' The Italians celebrate love with no other and it was with this mind that I was inspired to create some super versatile tags that can be used to adorn anything from jewelry, home decor or as fun wedding or valentines favors, tucked inside this embellished altoid tin.

These tags also make gorgeous bag ties for favors perfect for Valentines Day Favors, Wedding Favors, Bridal Showers, etc. Just change the color of the ribbon to match your color scheme.

I have been saving altoids tins for several months ago but I was still surprised to clean out my recycled stash and discover I had 15 of these babies!! I must be eating them like crazy...

I knew that I wanted to paint the tin as I was aiming for a shabby, distressed look so I thought it would be easiest if I covered the tin with cardstock first and then painted it. So I took a pencil and make templates by tracing the tin twice (to cover the top and bottom).

I cut out the templates and used Zip Dry Paper Glue by Beacon Adhesives to glue the pieces to the tin.

I measured the sides of the tin and used a paper trimmer to cut strips about 1/4" thinner than the actual measurements.This ensures that the cardstock does not hang off the edges of the tin.

Adhere with strips around the tin with the paper glue and use rubber bands to hold in place while drying, although the glue will set up very fast.

Now its time to paint. I used Lamp Black Americana Acrylics by DecoArt to cover the tin on the outside. I also cut a 1" x 3" cardstock strip, scored it 1/2" from each edge and painted it as well. Additionally, I painted a doll pin stand (stay posted for how I used this) and about eight wood heart tags. These tags can be purchased from several online sources. Just search for "unfinished wood heart tags."

 

painted and scored cardstock strip

You may be asking yourself why I painted cardstock when I could have simply used black cardstock. I find that for items that will be handled frequently, adding paint and gesso layers makes them a lot more durable.

After I had a front coat on the wood hearts, I used a candle to rub wax heavily across the surface.

Next, I painted the hearts, front and back, with two coats with Americana Acrylics in Antique White by DecoArt. I also dry brushed the box using this paint as well as the doll pin holder.

Note that the doll pin stand, or holder (purchased at any craft supply store in the unfinished wood supplies) has been glued to a stamped cardstock strip and a sprarkly bead placed in the hole of the bead. I used Beacon's Gem Tac to glue these components together.

This embellishment, along with some pink hand dyed ribbon were glued to the top of the tin using Fabri-Tac by Beacon Adhesives.

  I also added some tiny self adhesive stones for extra sprarkle.

Now back to the hearts and this is the fun part. Use a sanding block to sand the waxed surface lighly to reveal a distressed finish. Areas where the wax was applied will "peel" away easily. Use a scriot stamp and chalk ink to stamp the surface of the hearts for a very subtle stamped background. Use alphabet stamps or stickers to spell out "Amore."

Make another template for the tin by tracing the tin bottom to the wrong side of patterned papers of your choice. I used some simple black with white dots. Glue the divider strip slightly off center in the tin, adhering the scored sides to the tin to keep in place. This will keep your tags and ribbon hangers tidy inside the embellished altoid tin.

I embellished this recycled tin can with one of the tags and some washi tape for a pretty art supplies organizer.

These tags also make gorgeous bag ties for favors perfect for Valentines Day Favors, Wedding Favors, Bridal Showers, etc. Just change the color of the ribbon to match your color scheme.

My brain has been on overdrive thinking all of all the art kits I can create with these tins. Stay tuned as I show you next how to create super easy postcard charms tucked inside this quilted embellished altoid tin! To get a head start, see my previous post on how to make these charms.

Live Life Creatively,

 

Melony

Die Cut Foam Board Painted and Stamped Bird Ornament

Can you believe the most merry day of the year is approaching us faster than we can say "ho ho ho?" I still have some bare spots on my nature themed tree that could still use some ornaments. At this late point in the game, I still have the spirit and desire to create but not necessarily the time to spend an entire day searching in stores and online for the perfect materials.

I created these die cut foam board stamped and painted birds for my etsy shop sometime back and the response has been terrific!

 

If you happened to catch my post on these fun, easy, die cut foam bird ornaments covered with veneer sheets you have discovered how easy it is to turn out a quick "wood" ornament using a Sizzix BigShot Pro die cut machine, the "Beautiful Bird" die cut by Brenda Pinnick for Sizzix, foam board from Elmers and finally real wood sheets from creative imaginations. I promised you three ideas for using the same die to create beautiful ornaments and here I deliver. Be sure to catch my post on the Crafts and Things Blog tomorrow for some fun ornaments made from ticking fabric.

Ok. So back to the painted and stamped version. First you will need your bigshot pro to cut out your ornaments from Elmers foam core board. The Sizzix BigShot Pro is perfect for this as it cuts heavy duty materials very easily.

So by using the die cut machine with the foam core, you get nice, even smooth edges. No need to sand. The die cut comes with a wing shape, but I am partial to teardrops. So I elected to trace 3" teardrops onto foam core and cut out with an X-acto knife.

You will need to sand the edges with a nail file (emory board) or a smaller paper sander made especially for paper crafting projects.

For the paints, I chose Lamp Black, Snow White and Antique White by DecoArt.

I painted the wing shape one coat of black since I knew I would be covering with one or two shades of white to create a distressed effect.

  I aso painted the back of each foam core bird shape ornament black.

Once the wing is dry to the touch, use a candle stick to randomly rub the surface.

Paint the wing two coats of white and then sand gently to remove areas where the candle wax was applied.

Paint the front of the foam core bird shape Antique White.

Use an ornate foam stamp and the white acrylic paint to stamp the surface randomly.

For a layered stamp look, I used StazOn ink in black and a script stamps to completely cover the bird.

I painted the beak black and added a small black dot for the eye. I slightly inked the edges of the bird to give it an aged look. Add a floral embellishment, stamp a sentiment on the wing, glue pieces together and your die cut painted and stamped bird ornament is complete! 

I bears mentioned that I hand dyed muslin using Rit Dye in Apple Green and purchased the silk flowers from Scrapbook.com. 

The flowers are from the Tasha collection and the tones are "midnight."

Just think of how many wonderful, lightweight but sturdy birds you can get from one sheet of foam board!

Although I used my Sizzix BigShot pro machine, I tried cutting the foam core with my smaller, standard BigShot and it worked too. Scrapbook.com carries this machine as well as a similar bird die cut that would work well for this project.

I hope you enjoyed seeing how easy it is to create with die cuts and foam board. Dont forget to jump over to the Crafts n Things blog to see my post on the the ticking fabric birds! And also check out these birds featured in my etsy shop.

Live Life Creatively,

 

Die Cut Foam Board Veneer Bird Ornaments

True to my fascination with everything avian, my Christmas tree contains everybird birds and inspired by birds. The idea came when I was out walking my dog and noticed the vast abundance of Georgia pinecones littering the ground. What could I do with these? If I used them inside, how was I to extract the little creatures living inside them?

I absolutely adore this "beautiful bird" applique die cut created for Sizzix by Brenda Pinnick. In my next three (errrr- long overdue) blog posts I am going to show you how to create three different ornaments with this die cut using unconventional materials to create stunning tree, mantel or package decorations.

This version all starts with simple to find, good old foam board. Foam board can intimade many of us because it usually requires using a craft knife to cut and that can take some practice. The best advice I can give you when cutting foam board (I prefer Elmer's because it comes in a variety of thicknesses, is high quality and can be purchased with grids on one side) is to utilize the "three cut rule." That is, trace your shape, use one pass of your X Acto knife to score exactly (or as close as you can) on the traced line, make a deeper second pass and finally score deeper to cut completely through. Don't try and cut all the way through with one cut, this doesn't yield smooth edged results.

As shown in the photo above, cut the foam board down to managable pieces. Cut some to match the size of the bird image on the die and some to use for the wings.

 
The good news is that, if you elect to use the shape of wing I did, you only need to trace a large teardrop shape onto the foam board and cut them out with the X ACTO knife. Have handy a sanding block or nail file to smooth any jagged edges.

  There is a wing shape included in the die cut that you can use if you wish but I have to admit I am partial to teardrop shaped wings.

The easier part of this project involves using the Sizzix BigShot pro to cut the bird shapes from the foam board. The BigShot Pro is a heavy duty die cut machine that cuts thick materials such as foam board.

It makes cutting these foam board bird shapes so easy!

Now its time to cover the shapes with the real wood veneer available from creative imaginations. The Real Wood Veneer product comes in 12" x 24" Real Wood Thin Cherry. It is ideal for cardmaking,mixed media, veneering, paper crafting, custom embellishments, and wood modeling.
It is compatible with most cutting dies.

You will need to use the wing template and an ink pen to trace the shape and an die cut machine to cut the real wood. For this smaller duty project, I went back to my lighter duty Big Shot machine and found that I could cut four sheets at once.

Once the sheets are cut, you can glue them to the foam core shapes to cover.

Use stamped sentiments for the wing and StazOn ink. I used brown chalk ink to smooth the edges of the foam core and to create the brown beak.

And to coordinate with the pine cones I spray painted (which made those little creatures promptly vacate) I added a small pinecone dusted with snow paint and a little bit of holly spray.

These ornaments are the perfect addition to any nature themed tree and can be make fairly quickly and easily in multiples. If you find your self lacking the time and materials to make these, visit my etsy shop for a great deal on these.

I hope I inspired you to try and make your own ornaments from simple foam board. What other dies do you own you could use to create special creations? Don't forget to check back here to see more ununual ideas using this wonderful die.

Live Life Creatively,

 

Dyed Bird Tags

I adore my Caged Bird Die cut by Sizzix. I can't seem to get enough of using it. Dark Brown dye from Rit Dye combined with printed summery blue and citrene fabric makes a striking combination.

I purchased some simple shipping tags from my local office supply store. I created a dye bath using a couple of tablespoons of Dark Brown with 1 cup hot water in a plastic container and soaked the tags in it for about 20 minutes.

I love combining paper and fabric. I used my caged bird die cut from Sizzix and my Sizzix BigShot die cutting machine to get these fun birds out of fabric. I stamped sentiments using some simple rubber stamped onto fused fabric.

When the tags were dry, I positioned the fabrics onto the tags.

And used my sewing machine to secure the pieces in place.

Pretty embellishments and some dyed muslin add a pleasing finishing touch to these Dyed Bird Tags. 

Live Life Creatively,

Art Inspiration Gifts

Check into the Sizzix Blog today to see how Sizzix dies inspired me to create these fab littlot e boxes brimming with goodies such as die cuts in a bird theme. The step by step tutorial shows how I used matboard and the BigShot Pro to create these fun gifts you can give to an artsy friend as inspiration for making cards, scrapbook pages and other fun projects. See you at the Sizzix blog!

Live Life Creatively,