Entries by tag: etsy
Hello! I unblogged for too long, so I'll have to split the excess thoughts + images into two (or more!) blogs to make them all more manageable. Here goes...
The shoes I blogged about last made it into the Teen Gift Guide on Etsy and got their 10 minutes of fame on the front page. I'm very grateful for the exposure and excited about all of the new hearts they have collected!
The shoes I blogged about last made it into the Teen Gift Guide on Etsy and got their 10 minutes of fame on the front page. I'm very grateful for the exposure and excited about all of the new hearts they have collected!
(Pictured Above: My shoes on the front page!)
I'm not just crazy about shoes, I've also developed an adoration of chickens this year. They are so beautiful, and my son loves to chase them when he gets the chance. At Kitchen Kettle Village where the LYS I work for is located, there's a little flock of sheep that mosey around with chickens. They inspired a new illustration.
This past Saturday we went to the Bloomsburg Fair, and I got to see many beautiful hens and roosters! They all are beautiful in their own way. I especially love the black and white ones that look very French.
(Pictured Above: My favorite kind of chicken)
(Pictured Above: Love that pretty auburn red)
(Pictured Above: Funky bell bottom feathers)
Okay, well so much more to share. I'll post again tomorrow.
In the meantime please visit my etsy shop, I've been keeping it well stocked with lots of very knit-able yarns!
Keep it Knitty!
Rachel-Marie
Hello Everyone! I hope you're all well! I'm so excited because I finished the Lancaster Yarn Shop newsletter, and set up their internet shop. I hope you all like it. Click here to see the whole newsletter, I'm really happy with how it turned out.
On Thursday night I stopped by the yarn shop to photograph the Shi Bui yarn for the online shop. I had a delightful time at the weekly Thursday night knit night, visiting with all of my friends.
Friday morning I took Octavian to his last "Little Friends" meeting at the co-op school. The instructor, Barbara Freiberg, is so talented. She makes dozens (maybe hundreds!) of little handmade toys. She has sheep on her farm, and is just full of earthy handmade goodness. Her "guided play" sessions are really special, I highly recommend her toddler classes! Thank you so much for having us Barbara! If you are interested in attending Little Farm Hands at Barbara's Farm please e mail her
I took some pictures of my shrug progress, which I have been tweeting about. (I got a lot done during First Friday) I am pretty sure it's too small for me, it will be a perfect gift for my precious step daughter Zoey. Maybe I'll get to knit on it at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival tomorrow!
(Pictured Above: Shrug WIP)
Friday night I worked at the Gallery Row shop during First Friday. Eric did a great job spinning and entertaining everyone! He looked so cute in those chucks and suspenders. I was really excited to sell Laila's crazy Dinosaur tie! woot! =)
Today, Saturday, I got to sit in on the Summit of Awesome Virtual Lab (hosted by Etsy) with my date, Laila. Such a great opportunity, I saw tinaseamonster! Danielle did a spectacular job as usual. Thanks Danielle for all your hard virtual labs work!
To top this long weekend off I went to my friend Bethany's opening. I'm so happy for her, her space, "Hatch" is gorgeous! She's teaching classes and bringing indie handmade goods into suburban life. I came home with a tote, notepad, and book. If you can, please go visit her fresh studio space and pick up some inspiration. Congrats Bethany! Well deserved!
On Thursday night I stopped by the yarn shop to photograph the Shi Bui yarn for the online shop. I had a delightful time at the weekly Thursday night knit night, visiting with all of my friends.
(Above Slideshow: Thursday 4/30/09 LYS Knit Night)
Friday morning I took Octavian to his last "Little Friends" meeting at the co-op school. The instructor, Barbara Freiberg, is so talented. She makes dozens (maybe hundreds!) of little handmade toys. She has sheep on her farm, and is just full of earthy handmade goodness. Her "guided play" sessions are really special, I highly recommend her toddler classes! Thank you so much for having us Barbara! If you are interested in attending Little Farm Hands at Barbara's Farm please e mail her
(Above Slideshow: Mister Oc @ Little Friends)
I took some pictures of my shrug progress, which I have been tweeting about. (I got a lot done during First Friday) I am pretty sure it's too small for me, it will be a perfect gift for my precious step daughter Zoey. Maybe I'll get to knit on it at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival tomorrow!
(Pictured Above: Shrug WIP)
(Pictured Above: Shrug WIP)
Friday night I worked at the Gallery Row shop during First Friday. Eric did a great job spinning and entertaining everyone! He looked so cute in those chucks and suspenders. I was really excited to sell Laila's crazy Dinosaur tie! woot! =)
(Above Slideshow: Various Photos from First Friday @ LYS)
Today, Saturday, I got to sit in on the Summit of Awesome Virtual Lab (hosted by Etsy) with my date, Laila. Such a great opportunity, I saw tinaseamonster! Danielle did a spectacular job as usual. Thanks Danielle for all your hard virtual labs work!
(Pictured Above: Laila and I sitting together in the Virtual Labs)
To top this long weekend off I went to my friend Bethany's opening. I'm so happy for her, her space, "Hatch" is gorgeous! She's teaching classes and bringing indie handmade goods into suburban life. I came home with a tote, notepad, and book. If you can, please go visit her fresh studio space and pick up some inspiration. Congrats Bethany! Well deserved!
(Above Slideshow: The opening of "Hatch)
Tomorrow is the Maryland Sheep + Wool Festival! I hope I see some of you there!
Love,
Rachel-Marie
Tomorrow is the Maryland Sheep + Wool Festival! I hope I see some of you there!
Love,
Rachel-Marie
Hello!
Well today I meandered around the house with Mister Oc. He's still sick, but we managed a bit of happy playtime between groans. While following my little one up and down the stairs, I was listening to a new podcast (well, new for me). Marketing Over Coffee was an entertaining, inspiring listen. The two hosts, John Wall and Christopher Penn, have cheerful boy next door voices. They have interesting takes on the marketing world. I'm immersed in social marketing for my own yarn and personal self, but also for my daily interaction with the Lancaster Yarn Shop + Urban Fauna Studio.
(Pictured Above: the Marketing Over Coffee banner)
You may also be interested in the social marketing scene and not even know it! It's all about forming relationships and networking vs. "sell sell sell". So if you feel a little guilty about checking your myspace a little too often, don't. It's the hot new thing, it's productive, go with it! I feel it's important to stay on top of the trendy new social networking websites, no matter how many pop up. It doesn't hurt and it keeps you in the online "game", whatever your industry is (although I suspect it might just be yarn!) .
So whatever you're into, yarn, crafts, books, music... these guys are worth the listen! I'll share some of my favorite information I obtained from my first listen. These guys are not moleskine users, which makes sense because they are so techy. They are very creative, they sketch, and come up with ideas just like us indie artists. They transfer those ideas into searchable things like Evernote, Skitch, and Mindjet. My inner geek is going wild upon browsing those fresh websites. I hope yours does too!
I also learned about Google AdWords: Keywords which you can use to find out what time of year certain keywords are most popular. That should certainly help with tagging various internet items (etsy, flickr, blogs...) and it will also give you ideas for real related words that are often searched. LOTS of data there to play with. "yellow yarn" even came up, so I guess that is a popular color of yarn right now! (You're welcome for the hot tip! haha)
(Pictured Above: A screen shot of Google AdWords: Keywords, where there is more hidden data)
Wow, that was a lot useful, nerd information! But that's not all, I had the pleasure of jamming my head full of even more inspiring ideas. At this point in my night (8PM eastern) I put Occy in front of Yo Gabba Gabba (the new Jack Black one) with some jam on bread. I hoped I could have an hour in the virtual labs. I did, and it was awesome.
I attended Etsy Virtual Labs: Indie Biz Chat Inspiring Creativity (Classroom) 8PM: hosted by Pikaland (Amy), and etsy admin Daniellexo (Danielle) Amy also has an etsy shop.
(Video Above: Octavian's entertainment while I was in the virtual labs)
I attended Etsy Virtual Labs: Indie Biz Chat Inspiring Creativity (Classroom) 8PM: hosted by Pikaland (Amy), and etsy admin Daniellexo (Danielle) Amy also has an etsy shop.
(Pictured Above: Pikaland's blog banner)
Amy had a wealth of information to share and a positive additude. She encourages you to keep an open mind while maintaining a focus. For example, the color red could be your focus for the day. You could discover red cars on the way to work, unusual shades of red brick at the cafe during lunch, smooth red apples in a magazine advertisement... and so on.
So you have inspiration for the color red, you could also pull inspiration from trends. No, don't draw a red moustache, or whatever seems hot at the time. Amy wants you to think of trends in a different way. What makes the moustache so catchy? Is it because it's silly or quirky? Are beards just as alluring? Would a series on sideburns work for you? There you have it, red sideburns. You're welcome. haha
"Bang it's a hit," says Amy.
Well, sort of. Amy was actually referring to the process and how she is anti eraser. She explained how instead of erasing she lets her mistakes show through and restarts, making a more refined thought out finished product. So it may not become a hit until you try it a few times, change your marketing angle, and glow with enthusiasm.
So you have inspiration for the color red, you could also pull inspiration from trends. No, don't draw a red moustache, or whatever seems hot at the time. Amy wants you to think of trends in a different way. What makes the moustache so catchy? Is it because it's silly or quirky? Are beards just as alluring? Would a series on sideburns work for you? There you have it, red sideburns. You're welcome. haha
"Bang it's a hit," says Amy.
Well, sort of. Amy was actually referring to the process and how she is anti eraser. She explained how instead of erasing she lets her mistakes show through and restarts, making a more refined thought out finished product. So it may not become a hit until you try it a few times, change your marketing angle, and glow with enthusiasm.
"The more excited you are about your work the more excited others will be," Danielle chimed in. Add the right price into the mix and your red sideburn piece can create a following, which will save you when battling copcats.
A very hot topic in the lab was copying. In a nutshell, Amy believes that you should contact the copier and let them know what they are doing is wrong. But at the same time do not dwell. Move onto better things, put a new twist on the copied item to make it yours again. Keep pushing yourself to stay one step ahead and enjoy the process.
If your prices are right you will develop a following separate from the copier's following. A demographic that has good taste and can sense your originality. The more thrifty priced copies will sell to another crowd entirely, one not so attentive to your arty outlook. "So you don't need to concern yourself with that." says Amy.
(Pictured Above: A screenshot during the copycat topic)
Another attendee caught my attention saying, "The energy shows through work that comes from a unique mind, not through copying," Heidi Burton.
That point of view that Amy brought up really stuck with me. What a positive way to look at the ownership of ideas. I admire Amy for knowing where to put her energy.
Some of the websites mentioned in the virtual lab that are worth checking out and adding to your creative mix are:
New York Times (For noticing current trends)
FFFound (for online image collecting? Thanks swingdemon for the link)
Stylehive (Danielle's pick for noticing trends)
Trendwatching (Again, trends)
Juxtapoz (An attendee's favorite magazine for inspiration)
Modish (One of the many blogs mentioned)
(Pictured Above: A lovely end to a wonderful session. Notice all of the hearts around Amy given by attendees!)
After the lab I managed to ask Amy what she likes to crochet with. She said that she likes natural fibers, cotton, and banana fiber! She went on to describe her handspun skeins she bought in japan in natural colors. "Cotton is easy to work with," said Amy.
Well, I hope you enjoy my little reviews tonight! Mister Oc needs carried up to bed. He's asleep on the other end of the couch, precious.
Keep it Knitty,
Rachel-Marie
Rachel-Marie
Hello!
I hope you're all doing well! I'm pretty good! I just got rid of a migraine which was life's way of forcing me to relax and well, just not move at all. Lay on the couch, drink hot tea, and watch Comedy Central. My head has thawed out but I'm not going to attempt any real work until tomorrow night.
I am pretty excited about my new set of Procion dyes for cellulose fibers. I was intimidated at first but after getting advice from my friend Laila I got the courage to give it a go. It went really well, and I am thrilled to add bamboo fiber to my artist's palette. I think it's a luxurious, dressy fiber. It's also vegan! I already have a cart full of yarn in my yarn.com shopping cart (including some thick-thin organic cotton!), and a few cones in "watching" mode on Ebay.
I am pretty excited about my new set of Procion dyes for cellulose fibers. I was intimidated at first but after getting advice from my friend Laila I got the courage to give it a go. It went really well, and I am thrilled to add bamboo fiber to my artist's palette. I think it's a luxurious, dressy fiber. It's also vegan! I already have a cart full of yarn in my yarn.com shopping cart (including some thick-thin organic cotton!), and a few cones in "watching" mode on Ebay.
(Pictured Above: My first attempt at dyeing bamboo, I'm addicted)
The colorway is "Bubble Mint Gum", it's fingering weight, 100% bamboo, about 300 yards/2.8 oz per skein, 2 skeins available.
Recently, I just converted my newsletter from GoogleGroups to Mailchimp! I'm thrilled with the switch. Totally technicolor, and I get to see lots of stats on my newsletter audience. It's a lot easier to sign up, and I think I will be more motivated with my business overall now that I have this great new outlet!
(Pictured Above: My new newsletter banner)
You can subscribe right here.
(Pictured Above: Zoey's cat house available in her Etsy shop)
I've been blogging for LYS and working on this and that for them as usual. Please go ahead and follow that blog, I'd really appreciate it! Urban Fauna Studio invited me to be a blog editor for them, which I am just thrilled about! I'll be interviewing consignors and doing book reviews. (totally dreamy job!) SpunMonkey, I can't wait to feature you! (Along with everyone else, I'll be in touch soon!) Jamie is going to redesign the blog and give it a special space on the website, I'm totally stoked to be apart of it.
My husband is really excited for us and is helping me learn new programs and come up with new ideas. I believe we have a lot of potential and there is so much information out there, it won't be hard to continue my education in the areas I'm getting more into (marketing, blogging, web design). I wish I could go to this. But it's during the Sheep and Wool Festival. Gwen Bell told me about an interesting Indie Biz Chicks teleconference in May I shall be investigating. I'm focusing more on attending more Etsy Virtual Labs, they seem to host a lot of interesting players in my line of work (not sure exactly what that is lately). For instance, on April 14th @ 8PM in the "Classroom" Amy of Pikaland gives tips on fueling creativity, trends, and the marketplace. I want to subscribe to Artful Blogging. and I've been downloading TONS of podcasts related to photography, marketing, blogging, and creativity in general.
My husband is really excited for us and is helping me learn new programs and come up with new ideas. I believe we have a lot of potential and there is so much information out there, it won't be hard to continue my education in the areas I'm getting more into (marketing, blogging, web design). I wish I could go to this. But it's during the Sheep and Wool Festival. Gwen Bell told me about an interesting Indie Biz Chicks teleconference in May I shall be investigating. I'm focusing more on attending more Etsy Virtual Labs, they seem to host a lot of interesting players in my line of work (not sure exactly what that is lately). For instance, on April 14th @ 8PM in the "Classroom" Amy of Pikaland gives tips on fueling creativity, trends, and the marketplace. I want to subscribe to Artful Blogging. and I've been downloading TONS of podcasts related to photography, marketing, blogging, and creativity in general.
One of my best friends Maggie French had a birthday.
Happy Birthday, Sugie, we love you!
(Pictured Above: Maggie French on her Birthday with her adorable cupcakes)
Jerome and I enjoyed the party, it was great to socialize with our friends together. The kids had a great time too, of course.
(Pictured Above: Maggie's Max, and Our Occy @ the kids table)
(Pictured Above: Maggie French on her Birthday with her adorable cupcakes)
Jerome and I enjoyed the party, it was great to socialize with our friends together. The kids had a great time too, of course.
(Pictured Above: Maggie's Max, and Our Occy @ the kids table)
Well, I have a lot to keep me busy and inspired as usual! I hope you do too!
Keep it Knitty,
Rachel-Marie
Keep it Knitty,
Rachel-Marie
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- www.etsy.com/shop/HomegrownHandmadeRM
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