Treasuries!

In a thread in the forums on Etsy tonight, someone explained that you could go to "Treasury" and put your name in the search box to see if you'd been listed in any Treasuries.  Since I hadn't heard that I'd been put in any, I decided to search.  And I was tickled to see that in the last few weeks my glass had been put in 2 different treasuries! Yay! The first is for the "Handmade Artist Forum Twitter Ring".  This is a team I belong to, and we've formed a twitter ring to tweet about other Handmade Artist's shops and such.  The curator of this treasury put my Stained Glass Mosaic Birdhouse feeder in this one.  I love making Glass Kreationz for Home and Garden, so this is one of my favorite items.  If you're looking for something for a friend or family member that loves gardening and feeding the birds, this is just the ticket for you.
The second Treasury is "Poinsettia" and the curator put my Stained Glass Poinsettia panel in it.  If you love Poinsettia's, the color red, or Stained Glass, this panel is for you.  It would look great adorning your wall or window.

If you're looking for something else for your Home or Garden, be sure to check out my shop, KayzKreationz.  I also do some beading and wire work and have some jewelry, pendants listed.  Thanks again to those that included my glass in their treasuries.

Support Handmade

There's a movement going on Etsy right now to help support Handmade/Handcrafted items. It's called 30on30. It's very simple. To help support handmade items and artists you simply spend $30.00 on November 30th. (Or whatever you can). It's a great way to help support these artists or even your local economy instead of the big box stores like Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target and others. Plus you get something really unique for yourself or as a gift for someone else. And usually these items last much longer than anything you'd buy in the stores and often become things handed down from generation to generation. Plus it gives you or your recipient a special joy knowing it was handmade/handcrafted and you picked it out or had it customized just the way you wanted. If you're interested in helping support your handmade community, whether local or worldwide, search for "30on30" on Etsy and see what wonderful things you come up with. For instance, I make Stained Glass, Mosaics and Fused Glass items for your home and garden. You won't find anything like this Birdfeeder in your local Wal-Mart. Or this great little Romantic Blue Plate in Pier One or BedBathandBeyond. So check out my shop: KayzKreationz or the many other great handmade items on Etsy now or this Monday and help support Handmade/Handcrafted with 30on30.

Crochet, Handcrafted Apparel and Accessories-Great Texas Etsy shops-Lavenderlizard

I'm a member of Etsy Texas Crafters and whenever I'm posting or just reading in our Etsy threads, I always see Lavenderlizard there helping promote other great Etsy shops. I've checked her shop several times and she has the cutest crocheted, handcrafted accessories and apparel, so I decided to ask her for an interview. The picture here is just one of her great items you might want to check out, along with the 2 items in my Web ring box on the right. I hope you enjoy this interview and her great Texas Shop.

1. When and Why did you start crafting?

I learned to crochet, cross-stitch and embroider when I was about 7 or 8. My mom taught me how to crochet, she also tried to teach me how to knit, but I'm just not coordinated enough to work with 2 needles.

2. What do you enjoy most about your crafting?

I really enjoy making practical and beautiful items. My great-grandmother and great-aunt both also crocheted, so I like that I have that connection to them.

3. How did you find out about Etsy and why did you start selling there?

I heard about Etsy on a website for moms. I checked into it and decided to jump right in.

4. What is the hardest thing to do for your shop or you dislike most about selling online?

The hardest thing for me is the time it takes to take decent photographs, crop them, upload them to Etsy, write an engaging description, etc. So the "listing" of an item takes nearly as much time as creating the item in the first place (not really, though-I tend to exaggerate).

5. Do you rely on Etsy to help pay bills or is it mainly for fun & extra spending money?

I would love to be able to rely on Etsy for full-time income. However, right now I'm basically reinvesting Etsy income into more yarn and supplies.

6. Have you tried or do you sell in offline shops? Do you enjoy that more or less than Etsy & why?

I don't sell offline right now, except to friends and family who request special items. So far, I have managed to avoid craft shows, because I find it difficult to "market" myself in person.

7. Where else can you be found online?

I have a blog (http://lavenderlizard.blogspot.com/), and I twitter (http://twitter.com/lavenderlizard). I also have a Facebook account (Elizabeth Kalka) and a Dwanda shop (http://lavenderlizard.dwanda.com/), neither of which I spend much time on.

I hope you've enjoyed this interview as much as I've enjoyed talking with her and finding out more about her craft. And be sure to check out Lavenderlizard on Etsy.