Yes, people SHOULD really think before posting in the forums. Okay, so I've probably been guilty of it too - thinking that what I was writing couldn't be turned on me, but it's happened anyways. But there's no way in hell I'm STARTING a thread with something that obviously is going to get some retaliation.

I also can't believe people think they can back peddle after they've said what they've said. For example... Now, this thread is closed for good reason, but it makes for a really good read!

PETITION to remove highly offensive religious items - Christians please help!

Okay so I realize that there are a lot of Christians on Etsy. That's obvious. I myself am Catholic, but I have a sense of humour about Catholicism. Do some listings offend me? Well, no, they don't. Do they repulse me a little? Yup. Would I ever buy those items? Of course not. I find humour in every aspect of my life, religion included. This particular thread dealt with a tshirt (which has now been sold!) and y'know what, I can kinda see the witty humour in it, but at the same time it's a little far, even for my tastes. Do I make fun of my religion? Yes, definitely - for example, Do you hear what I hear? And by the way, I had a TON of card ideas for other Catholic Christmas songs, but never got a chance to finish the designing (But don't worry kids, next year I'm going to have SO many more choices!! Hee hee!)

I believe there are certain subjects that shouldn't really be made fun of (i.e. abortion, rape, etcetera, etcetera) but there are others who find the humour in it, so go ahead and list it. I have the choice of not buying it, right? Exactly.


Basically, the first post by this person, went like this:

While Christmas shopping yesterday, looking for gifts related to "Christ" I came across this disgusting, and offensive imagery on Etsy. It brought me to tears to think that such an item would be permitted to be sold here.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33711490 
I believe that no matter what religion you are, you should be entitled to browse Etsy without having to view such perverse and disgusting merchandise. This item is highly offensive to devout Christians. I don't believe any religion should have to tolerate such sacrilege. 
Please band together in the hope that Etsy can be a place of respect and tolerance for all religious beliefs, and put an end to such offensive items being advertised here.

Right. So, the first few posts were all "Oh my gosh, that is disgusting and should be taken down, I reported it!" but then the others started flocking, like myself. Posts like "well how about you just don't LOOK at it?!" and "God is bigger than a t-shirt!" One thing I agreed with, was yes, the first picture should have been replaced with a "Mature audiences only" because my main thing is, there could be kids looking on this site. I don't care about the Christians seeing it, they're adults are they not? They can choose not to look at it. But my issues were, kids could see it.  So yes, I agreed that the first picture be replaced. But do I agree with censorship? GOD NO!

If everyone was allowed to report everything that they deemed as "offensive", Etsy would be empty. Maybe I'm offended by Christian items. Should I flag all those?! Like I noted, there are certain books I'm not interested in reading because of the content, but do I burn it? No. I just don't read it. I have a choice. Just like everyone else. Just because you don't agree with someone's sense of humour, tastes, or moral values, doesn't mean you're right.

There were other comments like "I'm sick and tired of being seen as intolerant just because I'm Christian!" Well, where do you think that stereotype came from in the first place? Because of things like this! Because you can't handle anyone making fun of your religion, or saying bad things about your religion, so you sit up on your pedestal and call all your other Christian people to band together and fight! Most wars are caused by religion. There's a reason for that. The Church TEACHES you that they are the only religion. That your religion is the RIGHT religion, and anyone worshiping another God will pretty much burn in hell. No WONDER so many Christians/Catholics are intolerant. Intolerance is beaten into them since baptism.


The funniest part of this whole thread, is when the OP basically states that she didn't bring religion into this, that it's solely about how offensive it is. Seriously? Did you not notice the TITLE of the forum you decided to post? If that's not bringing religion into it, then you need to tie me down and spit on my face, because I'm obviously not getting it.

Then of course, people started bashing eachother. (Well I'm never clicking on your shop, because your avatar offends me! - WHAT?!) Typical religious argument if you ask me. I loved one persons post of "No one should take the Lord's name in vain!" Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize he was everyone's Lord. Whoops. Maybe I was a little harsh when I responded: He's not everyones Lord! Maybe my Lord is Ronald McDonald! And I'll get all up in your ass if you use his name in vain!



I don't understand people, really I don't. And no, I'm not trying to offend any of you church goers out there. I love you all. But I think what the world needs is a lot more tolerance. A lot more "Thinking outside of the box". And one heck of a lot more understanding. There wouldn't be half as many arguments if everyone just sat back, took a deep breath, and let it go. Yes, there are people out there who don't share your beliefs. There are people out there that don't share your moral values. But who are you to control what people believe? What makes you better than anyone else? No one religion is better than the other. All that matters is, we believe in something. We believe in something that makes us a better person. And if every single one of us were the exact same, the world would be a pretty boring place, would it not?

So stop judging others, and concern yourself with YOU. Who cares what everyone else is doing, or listing, or making. If they're blatantly breaking the precious "Etsy Rules", fine, tag it, whatever you want to do. But don't think that just because you don't agree, you have a RIGHT to get shops closed down.

Unbelievable! Ya, so I have this list on excel of "People who I'll never buy from".. Anyone else have one of those? A lot of names from that thread went on that list :) Anyone who I personally find intolerant, rude, judgmental, and blatant rule breaking - like spamming the forums. The people who run in to my freakin' thread with all "Oh I'm having a sale this is it and here are all my listings!" Gee thanks. Don't respond to anything I'm writing, just post your own sales. Aren't you lovely. Based on the words from onna my fave tv show characters, "NO KAT FOR YOU!" Ya that's right. Not gonna get my business honey.


It's also funny how people tend to forget that everything you write in the forums is on the internet. Hmm.. Really? Why in the world would things I write in the forums show up on the INTERNET!? Gee, I dunno, maybe because the forums are kinda ON the internet?? People freak out! All these posts of "What?! Potential buyers can see that I just wrote about my lewd sex life in Etc?!?!?!" Idiots!

Another thing that makes me laugh? All the "Oh pity me, I'm not getting any sales" threads. One person even wrote "Can someone promote for me because people aren't seeing my shop". Hmm, okay, let me take time away from my own shops and do all your work for you. People who think they're going to open a shop and sell out without doing any leg work? Really need a reality check. I get SO angry when I read posts of these sob stories that start with "I've been on etsy for 2 weeks and haven't even made a sale!" Excuse me? 2 WEEKS!? Did you think you were magical!? Your products would be viewed before everyone elses and they're so magnificent that you'd sell out in the first week?! C'MON!! You want some tips on what you need to do? (and YES I realize I'm not a big seller, shut up!)

1. Have more items in your shop then just 8.
2. Don't have a shop announcement like this "Thanks for loking you live my stuff i don't wear it brand knew I love things that are new buy my stuf beter theen other peepoles"
 (Please please please if you're not familiar with either a) the english language, or b) spelling, have someone check over your listings for you.)
3. Have some information filled out! If you don't say a damn thing about your shipping policies or return policies, I'm never going to click on the "add to cart"
4. Get some freakin' feedback! Yes, YOU HAVE TO BUY SOMETHING to get feedback. Buy a bunch of little things here and there, let people know you're trustworthy by having feedback. (speaking of which, off to purchase something using my second shop... do dee do dee dooo..)
5. The description of the item, should actually DESCRIBE the item. Have your basic boring old "size, colour, blah blah blah" then go into a fun and memorable description. But please God, it's *really* not cute when you write 4 paragraphs about how your cat accidentally got out while you were listing this item, and about how you tried to catch him for 20 minutes and then after your huge spiel about your freakin cat say "anyways, what I was saying was, this item.." That's not funny. That's a freakin' waste of my time! Not to mention annoying.
6. Don't have the first picture that is a) not even close to the item for sale, or b) a picture you ripped out from a magazine (and then in the listing say "I'll make this exactly!" sure you will. Denise's designer shirt she made for Theo will show up at your door)
7. Speaking of pictures, if you can see that it's blurry, so can we! Not expecting professional photography here, but I'd like to be able to make out what it is.
8. Do some flippin' research. Read through the do's and don'ts, attend a virtual lab, read the forums (and please God search a freakin' topic before you post it for the 287th time!) Check out sites that help you with things like tagging, and what's getting viewed the most, like Craftweasel, Craftcult, Craftopolis and Etsy Tag Fractal.
9. Join a team! Make friends! I finally got onto a team - EtsyBloggers! I was so excited. Teams are a great way to get feedback on your items and shop, moral support when you're feeling disheartened, and just there for you in general. If you're not on a team, then make friends! Find people who post in the forums often with advice and who have been doing this a lot longer than you. Most people on etsy love helping out others, and your fellow sellers are the best at giving advice. Especially when it's on a topic you can't post in the forums i.e. specific transactions.
10. Don't get so concerned about what OTHERS are doing or selling. I fell into this trap when I first opened my shop (before I listed). I wanted to see what kinds of things sold on Etsy, so I was having a look around. I couldn't believe all the things that were selling! Really, photoshopping a picture to give you "Bella" twilight eyes?! Putting a sticker on a magnet? And people were buying this? But then my hubby reminded me of something. Was I mad because they're selling crap, or was I mad because they were SELLING? Concentrate on your product, and congratulate those that are selling theirs. Don't compare your shop or items with others, because you'll drive yourself crazy.
11. Promotion is the key. Don't sit on your ass and whine when you haven't done a damn thing to get your name out there. Again, you're not magical! Join up with some of these sites!
Blogger
Facebook
Twitter
My Craft Corner
CraftJuice
Find it Handmade
Craftgawker
Byhand.me
Yaami
Craftstylish
Vote Hand made

Search for all sites that allows you to enter your etsy site, and list away! Most are very easy to use, and have gotten lots of views! (oh look, I rhyme!) For a downlow on which sites I've used and liked, check out this Blog Post. But really, I'm no expert (so yes, you don't have to point out that I've only had 8 sales, thank you very much!) But atleast I'm doing all of these things. And it's starting to work! The person I run to for any advice is JewelryByTara, and thanks to her, a lot of my problems have been rectified, and I've learned so much about promoting. She just recently posted a blog about her Etsy Guide to selling, and you ALL need to check it out.

Oh, and one more thing. Stop blaming Etsy for you not being an instant success, for you not getting views, or for you no longer getting lots of sales. You are fully responsible for how well or poorly your shop does. So stop bitching already and do something about it :) And don't forget, advertising locally helps your business too y'know! Just remember, it could take a year or more for your shop and product to get out there. While I would love to be one of those people whose products took off, I'm not planning on it. What I am planning for, is next year. Everything I'm doing right now, is researching and learning what works for me, and what doesn't.
And yes, we ALL get down every now and again (I just finally got outta onna those weeks), but the best thing to do, is take a break! Get yourself away from your crafts and the computer for a day or two if you can. Then when you've calmed down a bit, look at your shop and your crafts and re-evaluate everything. What's working, what's not, what haven't you tried? It'll do a world of wonder.

Alright, that's enough from me today. I have so much to do it's not even funny. Have a great Cyber Monday all you Etsy Peeps!

**Before I officially begin, I just wanted to thank you all for the kind words of encouragement! It meant the world to me :) Because of you, I'm getting back on track with my emotions (I'm no longer on that derailing rollercoaster!!) and I've even got a fire lit under my ass with my projects! I kinda stayed as far away from the computer yesterday as much as possible and just worked instead. I really can't thank you guys enough! Much love, Kat


I'm so excited to be doing today's feature! I've been following MiMi's Babies for a long while now on Facebook, and I'm in love with all the products. And jealous at the same time, I wish I had their talent!! I have such issues with crocheting flowers it's not even funny. All I can do is a simple daisy, but you can probably all tell that, since it's the only flower on any of my crochet projects lol. So sit back and relax this Friday (which all the Americans should be doing since they just had their Thanksgiving!! Hope it was a great one filled with family, friends and amazing food!) All pictures are linked directly to their listings on Etsy, so click away kids!


1. Let us know a bit about you!

MiMi's Babies is a team shop with me, Charissa, and my sweet mother in law, Debbie. We live in North Alabama and have both grown up in the area.


2. When did you start crafting? Do you do different crafts then just what you sell on etsy?

I started crocheting when I was 8 years old. To begin, I made bun covers for all my friends at ballet class. They were so much fun to make and I enjoyed crocheting around in circles. Knitting was something that I always wanted to learn how to do, and finally I got really determined and sat down and taught myself from videos on knittinghelp. I do sew some, but not much. Knitting and crocheting are very portable, so I tend to stick with those.

Debbie, my mother in law, began her sewing career in high school. Since she began sewing, she has learned how to make some amazing products, and even began monogramming and appliqueing. Her work is impeccable and locally she is known for her amazing talents! 


3. What was the sole purpose of opening your shop?

We opened our shop to have a venue to showcase what we can make, and have made. We wanted our customers to have an online storefront they could visit.


4. How did you decide on a shop name? 

All of my mother in law's grandkids call her MiMi. So far, she has four grandsons and loves every one of them to pieces. They will always be her babies, so we thought the name MiMi's Babies would be appropriate.
 

5. What is your favourite item to create and why?

My favourite item to create would probably be dishcloths. They are so addictive and I love the sense of accomplishment when I finish one. I also love that they are so useful. Everyone can use a dishcloth and hand knit dishcloths are amazing. My family requests them all the time.

Debbie loves to monogram and applique. Two of my favorite items that she makes is the Christmas ornament bib and the Christmas ornament onesie.
 

6. What venues do you use to promote your work? 

The online world has so much to offer and we enjoy using social media sites to promote our handmade items. Some of our favourites include the following:

Facebook
Twitter
Etsy D List Team

Twitter is one of my favourites because I love that I can chat with new people and then begin chatting with the people they know. I also enjoy that Facebook allows me to share pictures with people who know me. One of the hardest parts of having a craft business is getting the word out about what you make.



7. Where do you see yourself in 5 years concerning your crafting business?

Five years from now, I hope that we are well known in the online world for a quality handmade product at affordable prices. I also hope that we are able to be a blessing to those crafters trying to make it and sell their products online.
 

8. Is there any other information you'd like to share with us?

Advice for newbie's - Don't get discouraged! If you have a great product with good pictures, get your name out there. Start a blog. Reach out to other sellers and ask for advice. Find Etsy teams that have active members to join. If you have questions, feel free to send us a convo, we would be happy to help you in any way that we can. 


9. Name a few of your favourite things!

Yarn, yarn, yarn and did I mention yarn? I also love the Scrabble Pendants at Story Bird Designs. They are so cute!

10. If you had a super power, what would it be and why?

Well, my middle son always tells me that he is a super hero and that his super power is running really fast. But for me, I think that my super power would be moving things with my mind. Then I could just think of the dishes getting into the dishwasher, the laundry folding itself, and the toys picking themselves up. Then I would sit down and crochet!


I hope you all enjoyed this Friday Feature!! I absolutely love everything that MiMi's Babies sell, and love seeing all their new creations. I highly suggest following them on Facebook, fanning their Twitter, and of course, checking out all the other work listed on MiMi's Babies on Etsy - you won't be disappointed! And of course, feel free to comment as all Etsians love feedback!

Okay so, apparently I can't get my point across well enough.

I was blasted in the forums recently by 2 people I don't care to name, because they took what I said all wrong. They judged me on my intentions, when all I wanted to say was "It would be nice, it's what I'd do, but that's me. And it's not necessary!" But then again, this is why I hate having heated discussions in places like forums, because sometimes what you write can be taken completely the wrong way. Hopefully it doesn't happen again with this blog!

I'm really hating the forums right now lol. And I really need to stay away from them.  I just want to rant, and to clarify for all my lovelies that I've featured so far. Maybe I wasn't clear enough in the forums, and don't in any way want to offend any of you that I've featured thus far. I was really tired last night when I wrote, so perhaps I just worded it wrong?? Maybe I said something I wasn't meaning to say?? So if any of you caught the forum, I really hope you weren't offended, because that wasn't my intention. And in my somewhat defense, if it did come off the wrong way, I've been *extremely* disheartened lately! Stupid little things are feeling like big things, I had a few REALLY rough days emotionally (and to think my emotional roller coaster was caused by taking my dog to see Santa!) and have wanted to just go out and get a real job so I can stop worrying about bills, how I'm going to afford Christmas presents, and just give up all together. Close up both shops, put all my crafts away, and continue living life being unhappy working for other people. So that's the way I've been feeling this past week especially. So if I did offend anyone, I didn't mean it, I promise, and I apologize profusely! I've been extremely down in the dumps. :) But, none of that is an excuse. I take full responsibility for anyone who was offended, and will deeply apologize.

So, why do I feature? Well, I started featuring because I was curious.

What makes you all tick? What inspires you? What crafts have you learned and loved, and what are your goals? Personally, I find a lot of inspiration in all of you. When I see the drive you have to do what you do, how much you've accomplished, how far you've come, it gives me hope, it gives me drive, it gives me confidence. Basically, I love to find out the person behind the craft. So I started with a feature, and loved it. Yes, it takes me a long time to do lol. Usually about 2 hours or so, sometimes longer depending on how many interruptions I have. I take tons of pics, often of my favourite things, from your etsy shops, and link them all to their listings, and now I've started making banners for each individual feature with a pic of your product with your shop names. I link all the promotional venues, I fan and follow each one you send, and I have a great time doing it.

Doing a feature really makes me look through your shops with a fine toothed comb, seeing things I may have missed otherwise. Doing a feature gives me insight on how much work you put into your craft, makes me appreciate what you do even more. I've even learned from all of you, met a lot of you through these features, became friends with some of you, and even opened my eyes to new possibilities.

Yes, my only stipulation is that you need to be a follower of my blog. And why is that? Because then I have a set number of people to choose from, can keep track of who I've chosen, and well, I think that's a pretty fair trade, no?

Is it great when a person I feature let's everyone know and helps direct traffic to my blog? Of course it is! Is it necessary? No, it's not. If what I wanted out of featuring all of you was more blog followers, first of all, I'd only ever feature people that have 200+ blog followers, been on etsy for a long time with hundreds of sales and I'd say "Now in order to feature you, I'm going to need you to promote it on twitter, facebook and write your own blog with a link back to mine!" Do I do that? Nope.

Yes, featuring people opens up the possibilities of getting more blog followers. Their followers could possibly become your followers. But what's the point of blog followers when they don't ever bother reading your blog? Okay, okay, okay, so I've promoted my blog in hopes of getting more followers, which could lead to readers, which in turn could bring me potential sales. So sue me. Isn't that what we all do?

What I had said in the forums, was it's sometimes disheartening when the person you've featured doesn't even acknowledge it. Yes, you've all thanked me when you've sent the questions back. A few of you even tweeted or blogged or facebooked that you've been featured by me. I thought that was great! The features are there to promote you, to show your work, not promote me, or show my work. So you telling people that I featured you, is first and foremost good for you. Yes, it could lead to followers of my blog,  which isn't a horrible thing! But my features are all about you.

I guess what I was trying to say was, it sometimes seems like it's not appreciated. Like some of you seem so excited to be featured, but once it's done, you don't respond. You don't make comments on your own feature, or you don't respond on facebook or twitter when I've told you your feature is done. I'm not in any way expecting anyone to throw a freakin' party here. But when I say "Hey! Your feature is ready! Check it out here and let me know what you think!" and get NO response to that what so ever? It hurts! I'll admit it! LOL. Most of you have done the "Thanks so much it looks great!" on twitter or facebook or via a comment on the blog. That's really all I want. Some sense that you've actually seen the feature, and appreciate that I've just spent hours on something just for you.

I don't expect anyone to promote their own feature, that's my job. I tweet it, facebook it, and whenever there's a "Show me what you blogged today!" post in the forums, I put it in. If someone out there that I've asked to feature *really* isn't all that excited about being featured? I won't be offended! lol. Just say, "No thanks! Your blog doesn't get much traffic anyways, so don't waste your time!" That statement would be true, really lol. Yes, I currently have over 100 followers, but how many of them read it? 2 comments on a blog post, and I'm dancing a jig! Cause then I know at least 2 people read it! I love comments and feedback! Good AND bad! So in doing a feature, I certainly in no way guarantee a gigantic response! But I love doing them.

What I said in the forums made someone comment that I have a skewed sense of promotion, and basically called my features "Spam". I was accused of only doing features for my own self promotion, and I was accused of being pissed at whoever I featured because they didn't scream it out to the world that I featured them. These two fellow etsians made me feel like complete shit, and okay, maybe it was deserved. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned it at all. Maybe I should have just kept my mouth shut, because I knew full well that the real reason behind me feeling bad about not much response, is because of how I feel about my piss poor sales. And even though I littered my post with "I'm not mad at ANY of my features" and "it just would be nice! It makes me feel appreciated for the work I've just done" and "It's not necessary whatsoever! If it was, I would put that as a stipulation of doing a feature on them!" wasn't clear enough.

So features, I am sorry. If you're pissed at me, fine, I deserve it. If you find me as horrible of a person like these 2 people did, go ahead and un-follow my blog, I completely understand. I fucked up. I should have left it alone, and not felt sorry for myself, and shouldn't have mentioned that I sometimes feel unappreciated. What I'm feeling is no one else's problems but my own.

I will continue doing features, and I hope to God that none of my features from this day on think they need to promote me or my blog. You want to thank me after the feature is done, perfect! That's all I really want. Do I expect you to promote it, no, of course not. I never have, and I never will.

Alright, let the hate mail ensue :)

Good morning to you all! Today's feature is The Framed Frog, a fantastic etsian whom I met on Twitter!! She has a lot of really great products, most of which are geared towards children. I highly recommend checking out her shop for some incredible merchandise for any kids in your life (and perhaps for yourself as well!) So sit back and relax this Tuesday morning and get to know the talented, the wonderful, The Framed Frog! All pictures are linked directly to their listings on Etsy.


1. Let us know a bit about you!

Well, my name is Jeanette Foster (Frogster to my students) and I am an Oregon transplant. I moved here five years ago with my husband from Massachusetts. I taught junior high and elementary school for a few years before I had my children, who make sure on a daily basis that my life is full of chaos and adventure. The Drama Queen is almost four, the Beast is two and a half, and the Spud is one.


2. When did you start crafting? Do you do different crafts then what you sell on Etsy?

I have been crafting for as long as I can remember. Every year, my parents got me craft kits and books, and I remember making homemade soap, candles, yarn dolls, clothes for my Barbie doll etc. My parents recognized my drawing talent and bought me many drawing books and art kits as well. I practiced all the time! Most of what I sell on Etsy is my paintings, but I still scrapbook and crochet and do crafts with my kids. (In my spare time, ha ha! Whatever that is!)


3. What was the sole purpose of opening your shop?

I had been painting custom nursery artwork for friends as baby shower gifts for years, and they kept telling me that I should make it a business and sell them. I finally followed through when a friend told me about Etsy. My husband also really encouraged me to do something that was separate from being a mom to three crazy little ones.


4. How did you decide on a shop name?

As I mentioned before, my students called me "Mrs. Frogster" because I am slightly obsessed with the adorable little creatures. I have frogs everywhere in my house, and it's probably no surprise that my kiddies' room is completely decorated in a frog pond theme! I wanted my name and logo to stand out and to be easily identified with me. I decided on "The Framed Frog" and drew my logo to match what I was envisioning in my head. In case you're wondering, we still have no idea who framed the frog!


5. What is your favourite item to create and why?

Almost all my work is custom - and I love being able to create exactly what a customer wants and can't find anywhere else. Besides painting, I do enjoy creating my custom French memo boards. It's fun to blend colours and patterns and work with a different medium - fabric.


6. What venues to you use to promote your work?

I am learning to promote, promote, promote! I have two blogs: JFrogster and ScrappyFrog. I have somewhat fallen off the bandwagon with the second blog since it's the one I feature how-to's for crafts, and I just don't have the time to make all those crafts anymore. I have a Facebook Fan Page "The Framed Frog", and of course, I Tweet under "ScrappyFrog". I love blogging, but so far twittering has been the most beneficial to my shop. I just opened my facebook fan page, so we'll have to see how it goes. Please join up and become a Froggy Fan for Framed Frog news and exclusive deals!


7. Where do you see yourself in 5 years concerning your business?

When I first started The Framed Frog, I treated it as a hobby. When it took me almost two months to get a sale, I seriously considered giving up on the whole venture. Then sales started to really take off over the summer, and I began to expand locally as well. I am planning on making The Framed Frog a serious source of revenue for our family. I read books and research information on making small businesses successful, and my husband is becoming more involved in the shop as well. I need his nerdy skills to do the business side that I don't enjoy doing myself! I hope that in five years, I will be making a sale or more a day. I will have more time then to devote to the business because all my little darlings will be in school.


8. Is there any other information you'd like to share with us?

My advice for newbies is to keep at it! Just because you don't immediately see sales from twitter or blogging doesn't mean that they won't result in EVENTUAL sales. Also, customer service is key! I wrap my items in pretty paper and tie them with ribbon and give my customers a promo code to get a discount off their next order. It has brought me many repeat customers!


The Framed Frog is excited to participate in the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale on etsy this year! Almost all of the items in my shop will be discounted or have free shipping on those days! (And if you become a Froggy Fan on Facebook, you will get a special promote code to use on those days for extra discounts!)


9. Name a few of your favourite things!

I already mentioned my love for all things froggy! (I just counted and we have 20 different ornaments to put on our Christmas tree that are froggy!) I also love cake decorating, playing basketball and soccer, and being silly with my kids. I do enjoy reading, but have little time for it anymore: so most of my reading is saved for my Bible and my favourite blogs. Weird fact - I also occasionally play the accordion.


10. If you had a super power, what would it be and why?

My super power would be the ability to clean my house in an instant! I am so not domestic, and have trouble fitting in the bathroom cleaning and laundry in between my shop responsibilities, and my kids. If I never obtain that superpower, I will hope for the next best thing - enough income from The Framed Frog to hire a housecleaner!

Alright everyone, I really hope you enjoyed getting to know Jeanette! I'm very excited that I've met her, and been able to do this feature, as I love getting to know the person behind the craft! Make sure you visit The Framed Frog on Etsy for some amazing and cute products! And of course, follow on Twitter, her Blogs "The Framed Frog" and "ScrappyFrog", and of course fan her Facebook for exclusive deals!

Feel free to comment on this feature - all etsians love feedback!!

Have a great Tuesday everyone! Happy sales!

Good morning everyone!

Well, as per usual I took the weekend off from blogging. Getting ready for Christmas and all (since we're in the poor house I'm making as many gifts as I can) and since it's my first time making a few of these items, I've had to start over on a couple hehe. But that's why I love crochet! Easy to take apart, and since it doesn't take me that long to crochet, it's not so upsetting when I do have to take it apart.


I'd love to post pics of what I'm doing, but alas, then people will see what they're getting for Christmas! I will post them right after Christmas though, very exciting! One thing is giving me problems though. Has anyone ever used the invisible thread??? I thought it would be a good idea, but it's SO hard to work with! (Not on sewing machine... I really need to get supplies so I can sew soon, I have all these ideas for things to make, but alas, no fabric, no needles, no thread.. oy!)

In an update about the magazine article, it's been submitted and the magazine is at the printers! I should have a copy soon and I'm very excited about it. It's a new Canadian magazine for young girls, and they needed a crafting section. And it's actually called "Kat's Craft Corner"!! I'll post pics as soon as it's out. Again, very exciting!!

In other news, took Kermit to see Santa yesterday HA! Oh ya, hilarious. I'll post his Christmas pic one day, although he's going on our Christmas cards, and again, don't want to spoil the surprise yet :)


At the end of last week I was feverishly making cards to list, and I successfully did so. (Finally!!). I have one set up there that is completely customizable. It's the set of 7 - one of each of my cards. Now I realize that not everyone wants to send out a "Merry Kiss My Ass" or a "Let it Blow", so obviously you can choose whichever images you want. Plus, you can choose the main colours of the background paper (to be all green, all red, or a mix of a few colours, what have you) Since Christmas paper is currently in short supply, I can't guarentee that I can use the *exact* same paper for every card, but I can atleast do the same main colour. (But if you get your orders in quick, I can do it!) You also have a choice of white or ivory cardstock. If you want to *really* customize, I can do the red or green cardstock in a large size card, but that will be a little extra. As for quantity - you're not set at 7 :) You can do any quantity and I'll do a custom listing for you. The more you buy, the less you pay per card. Plus, in some of the card listings, I've done a stamp on the inside of the card saying "Merry Christmas". This can be added to your cards if you like as well (for a very small fee.)


And as a friendly reminder, if you previously entered my card giveaway, and didn't win (or if you did win and wanted more - don't want to exclude you MiMi's Babies!!) you get 10% off of your card order. AND if you're a facebook fan, you automatically get 10% off anything from either of my shops. SO... If you're a facebook fan, AND didn't win my giveaway, you get 20% off your card order!! How great is that?!

Man, I should just be waking up right now lol. Hubby hadda work at 4am today, so it was outta bed before 3am. Good times kids, good times. Although I'm surprisingly awake right now.


My question is... I've gotten a couple of orders for my cards back in October and beginning of November. But now that it's getting closer to December, should I put a date on the announcement when cards should be ordered by? I want my customers to be able to have time to mail them out, but with shipping being kinda slow into the states, I'm worried that people won't order them in time. So, do I put a date of when they should be ordered by? I don't want to "Guarentee" anything - shipping's not reliable enough for that and I don't want to get burned. But I don't want to automatically raise the price of shipping to cover express post, because that's really expensive! Should I just leave that up to the customer, and let them figure it out? lol. As a seller of Christmas cards, or even a buyer of Christmas cards, what would you suggest??? I don't want to sound "pushy" in my announcement, but then again, I don't wanna get bad feedback from those non-understanding buyers who think it's up to ME to get them their cards in time, y'know??

Okay, off I go. Gonna see if anyone answered me yet in the forums *snort*. Ya right!

Have a great day everyone!

As a brand spanking new EtsyBlogger (still so excited to be one!) I'm managing pretty well with figuring out all the requirements!! I finished my blog feature for Novembers Feature (which you can check out if you missed it! EB November Feature - TheFabMissB) and now I'm writing the Blog Carnival! For you not in the "know" (and I'm still not all the way in there yet! hee hee) A Blog Carnival pretty much runs like this: One Etsy Blogger hosts a "Blog Carnival" and comes up with 2 questions. All the rest of us EtsyBloggers choose one of those questions and blogs about it! Then enters the info into the "Blog Carnival" webhost thingy which I hope I can figure out, cause it'll be my first time tonight! Then the host will post (HA!) all the blog links to make for some awesome reading! This happens every 2 weeks, but it's only required to participate once a month. Since I completely missed the first one lol, I'm doing the second one, and my procrastinating self hadda go and leave it 'til the last day. Is that a shock to anyone? 'Cause it ain't one to me :)

This months Blog Carnival host is MysticWind! She has an awesome blog - I've been a follower for awhile now! The question I chose to write about is:

The Holiday season will soon be here. What's your favourite holiday movie or special? Why?

Now this is one tough question, because I love so many. Plus my fam is a little odd I think, because as a kid, we'd all cuddle up on Christmas day after opening all the presents and watch "Rocky Horror Picture Show".

I absolutely adore the old Christmas movies because they all had "morals" about how you should be nicer to people and my faves out of those are:


A Christmas Carol (the one with Alastair Sim!!! circa 1951) and of course the NOT coloured version. I hate when they colour old movies :) The main reason I love this one though, is because it's my mom's favourite movie and it's one the 2 of us will watch together every year.


It happened on 5th Avenue circa 1947. I was just recently introduced to this movie and I adored it! (It stares Alan Hale Jr... the skipper on Gilligan's Island!) My hubby, who's a nut for old black and white movies, almost pooped himself when he found this one for sale at Cinema 1. He's been looking for it for years as it's his favourite Christmas movie! At first I wasn't sure how it was a Christmas movie, because it's about a hobo who moves into a mansion whilst the family that owns it is away for the Christmas Holidays lol.


And of course, It's a Wonderful Life... That's a popular one! No explaining needed there. Although it does make me cry each and every time.


The movie I *have* to watch every year, and get upset when I don't, is The Christmas Story. My favourite ever part in it? Randy eating potatoes.


And my new favourite Christmas movie that I can watch any time of the year, is Elf. I can't help myself, I'm a little obsessed with Will Ferrell! It was the first Christmas movie in a looong time that I loved. And I have such a girl crush on Zooey Deschanel lol.


Oy, see, I could keep going! I can't possibly choose a favourite. How could I finish this post and not mention my fave as a kid?? All those ones with Rudolph and Burl Ives and The year without Santa Clause, and Heat Meiser looks exactly like my crazy uncle John out in Nova Scotia!

(Okay, so I apologize for this picture of Burl Ives, I didn't want to see him like this either. But when I did a search for the Burl Ives snowman, this is what I got.) 

Even though I wasn't very good at choosing *a* Holiday movie favourite, I hope this post was coherent enough for the "Blog Carnival" lol.

Okay, now I'm running off to watch Elf... You smell like beef and cheese!!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Good morning everyone, and happy Friday!!! I'm pleased to announce that I have an incredible feature for you today, Theresa from FaerieMoonCreations. Theresa was one of the first members on MyCraftCorner that I met, and she is just so sweet! I highly suggest getting to know this lovely lady, you won't be disappointed! So sit back and relax this wonderful Friday morning, and get to know all about the woman behind FaerieMoonCreations! All pictures are linked directly to their listings on Etsy, or her blog!



My name is Theresa, and I live in Connecticut with my husband Chuck, our two Keeshonds: Willow and Neo, and out cat: Jazzy. I have a Bachelors Degree in Journalism and Fine Arts. I started Faerie Moon Creations last August on etsy, and I've been working hard to let folds know that I'm here! My shop offers functional art that is affordable, and has a broad appeal that stays aligned with my theme of nature, whimsy and fantasy.


2. When did you start crafting? Do you do different crafts than just what you sell on etsy?

I've been dabbling in crafts for a very long time! I remember participating in craft shows in elementary and middle school, where I had woven throws and wire animals on display. My parents still have my handmade crafts hanging on the walls of their home that I made when I was in 7th grade! We had a terrific craft store in the town where I grew up, so I was constantly picking up latch hook kits, painted ornament kits, really anything I could get my hands on. In addition to the crafted items I currently offer on etsy, I make soy candles, rolled beeswax candles, cards (which I would love to do more of!) and decorative painting. My husband and I just made our first nature wreath together! You can read about our adventure here: "Wreath Rambling" We definitely plan on creating more of those!



Recently, I've been yearning for something more in my life. I wanted to go back to my fist love - creating- and share that love with others. I stepped down from my full-time position at work so I could dedicate more quality time to my family, and to my craft, and I've been so much happier! Family and friends have been urging me for years to sell my handiwork, but I just never found the time or the courage to do so. I was so excited when I made my first sale. And I get excited with each and every sale - I really want people to be happy with anything they purchase from me. I aim to please! I'm always open to custom orders, so if there's something you'd like that's not in my shop - just let me know!



I love folk tales, faerie tales, mythology, Arthurian legends. I wanted a name that would reflect my interests and also be whimsical and fun. Hence, FaerieMoonCreations was born! My husband designs my logos, banners, avatars... he did a really nice job in capturing the spirit of my shop!



I think that I most enjoy creating knit items! I'm fascinated with the notion that just a ball of yarn and a pair of knitting needles can create such lovely things. I love watching the construction of a knit piece take shape bit by bit as you work on it. Socks in particular, are especially fun for me to create. I'm always overjoyed when I knit them!



I use Twitter, Facebook, and my Blog. I think the venues that have worked best so far are my blog and Twitter, although my Facebook page has been picking up more lately. I am also a member of several social networking sites, My Craft Corner, Do you Etsy and Cafe Handmade. They are truly valuable resources! I've made so many good friends through these networks and through my blog. There are a lot of talented artisans out there in cyberspace! :)



I hope that I can become successful enough to maintain FaerieMoonCreations full-time. I really love what I'm doing, and I want to be able to continue to share that love with others! I would definitely like to expand the types of items I offer. I'm thinking of including knit cowls, knit wrist warmers, and hopefully cards or postcards featuring my photography.



I am currently hosting a giveaway on my blog, "November Chill Giveaway"! There's still plenty of time to enter, and there's multiple chances for you to win! I hope you stop by! There's also a special coupon on my blog for you to use at my etsy store this holiday season. Happy shopping!

(Blog Coupon)


Nature, animals, hiking, sightseeing, books, movies, photography, music, cooking, baking, knitting, crafting, painting, poetry, blogging, making new friends, Japanese food, Indian food, Diet Coke, coffee and chocolate.



Wow - that is actually a pretty tough question! There are just so many cool ones to choose from. Perhaps, I'd be indestructible like Claire on "Heroes". Then I could save the world!


There you have it kids! I hope you all truly enjoyed this feature, I know I did! Make sure you head on over to her blog, twitter, facebook, etsy, mycraftcorner, whatever else you can find, and get to know her even more. She's incredibly friendly, helpful, and as I've already mentioned, so sweet!!

Happy Friday everyone!! And feel free to comment - all artisans love feedback! :)