Saturday 19 April 2014

Saturday Spotlight #2

Hello and happy Easter everyone! :)
It is Saturday again and time for another "Saturday Spotlight" post. This week I will be again featuring three amazing shops from Etsy. The shop owners were kind enough to answer a few questions about their Etsy story to help us get to know them better.

First off we have Jayde from ArtbyJayde..


Tell us a little about yourself.
I am 19 years old, and I live in Florida. I am a full time student majoring in Studio Art. I love to learn, paint, draw, and just create things in general. Outside of my art, I enjoy listening to music and finding cool things in thrift stores and antique shops. I want to live my life in happiness doing the things I love most.

How did you learn your craft?
I wouldn't exactly say I'm self taught, but I started drawing since I was 6 years old and I haven't stopped since. Art classes in school have given me additional tips and definitely improved my skills and background knowledge in art, but for the most part I have taught my self through repetition and practice.

When did you start selling your craft and what inspired to open your shop?
I started selling my art my junior year in high school when I was 17. I noticed people taking a lot of interest in my work, which was really surprising because I was so young! A lot of my friends were asking me to do custom orders for them. One of my friends then referred me to Etsy to sell my work. I was unsure about selling online, but I tried it and I have gotten a lot of online exposure through Etsy. I haven't had that many sales, but I definitely don't regret opening my shop. It will grow in time, I know it!

Next we have Michelle Chan..


When did you start selling your craft and what inspired to open your shop?

I started Misala Handmade back in 2010, when me and my husband went to live in Dubai for his job. I started crafting out of frustration with my life in a foreign city and did it as a hobby to ease myself up. Seeing my work, my hubby encouraged me to open a shop to sell my creations online and over the years it became our lifelong ambition. We moved to Taipei last year so we could devote ourselves into the business with our full passion.

Where would you like to see your shop in 5 years?
We hope to build a sustainable business model in which everyone can be rightly rewarded for doing what they have a passion in. It doesn't need to be very big, and we hope to hit the sweet spot in balancing between keeping our handmade, personal touch in our petite little beauties and economies of scale. We also hope that our workshop in Taipei could become a little-known, secret treasure for international travelers happening to visit this part of the world.

What are your top 3 success tips for selling on Etsy?
I would say persistence, persistence and persistence :) Have passion in what you do, believe in yourself and do not give up easily. Selling anything online is not easy, building a crafty business is even harder. So don't be discouraged by one, or a series of failures. Keep on improving every detail of your craft, as well as every detail on your shop's business aspects. Think as a potential buyer and get advice on the forums. Persist towards fruitful success!

And last but not least we have Susie from GinnyPenny..


Tell us about your creative process.
I have a note book I take with me everywhere. I sketch ideas (even though drawing is not my talent). My husband and daughter always have great ideas too. I have no lack of ideas. It's hard to find the time to make new designs for my shop. Some of my cutest creations have been custom requests though. I have made bride and groom robots with the couples wedding date embroidered right on the robots and baby robots with diapers and pacifiers that match nursery colors. I love hearing my customer's ideas.

What are your top 3 success tips for selling on Etsy?
First, check your shipping costs really well. I hear stories all the time where Etsy sellers take their sold items to the post office and are surprised by the amount it costs. This can eat into your profits in a major way. Weigh your item with a box and packing material and calculate the shipping on usps.com before you list your item. I just use a cheap kitchen scale and round up the ounces.
Next, invest in quality supplies. Buy the best you can. I started out with cheap scissors and had to replace them quickly. I invested in some I could sharpen. I wish I had done that first. I always did buy the best fabrics and felt I could. It makes a difference.
My last piece of advice is to not stress about making your photographs fancy. Good, well lit images with simple backgrounds show off your product the best.

What is your favorite thing about selling on Etsy?
I love Etsy. I love how easy it is to set up a shop get your creations out there. They have all sorts of tools and educational posts and videos. I love the community and the type of people Etsy attracts. My customers are wonderful. I love shopping on Etsy too. I love finding gifts that you can't find at the mall. it is fun to know who I am buying from and to build relationships. It's a great platform for artists.


I thoroughly enjoyed reading their stories and I hope that you all enjoyed learning a bit more about these amazing artists as well. I look forward to putting the spotlight on a few more shops next week. If you would like your shop to be featured you can send me a message on Etsy here PinkDiamondDesign.

Have a great weekend!

XoXo,
PinkDiamondGirl

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