Check out this treasury I just finished, featuring all INCrowdteam artists!!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c804a15d98e6d9161e80636/girls-night-out
Posts Tagged ‘Etsy’
INCrowdteam INterview w/Michelle @ Hi Mamma!
12
Apr
Good morning guys and gals! I am pleased to introduce you to our very own Michelle from Hi Mamma! With a unique shop name, and a real passion for her craft, Michelle shares some of her favorite goodies with us…
Name: Michelle Vackar
City of residence: Carmel, Indiana
Shop name: Hi Mamma
INCrowdteam: I love the name of your shop! What made you decide on it?
Hi Mamma: Hi Mamma actually is what my older daughter, now 5 years old, would say walking around the house, pretending she was talking on the telephone, playing with her dolls or to me. I always thought it was kind of a catchy name. When I learned more about Etsy, I thought, that might be a good name for my shop! The products that are offered are all something that have been a part of their lives (as well as mine). Now that we are getting older, we are going to be expanding our product line. My logo represents my two daughters and me. Both of my girls love monkeys! I just thought it was appropriate for the logo to have all three of us as monkeys.
INCrowdteam: Tell me about items for sale at your Etsy shop.
Hi Mamma: I love to sew and one of my favorite things has been to make baby/toddler changing pad covers! There are so many fun prints, as well as beautiful solid fabrics that make cute covers. Currently all changing pad covers are made out of soft flannel. That way the covers are soft and warm to the baby/toddlers back. I also sew a fair bit of customer orders where people will email me to see if I have fabric of this type of theme they are wanting to do for their nursery. It has been so much fun to help another family create something special area for their little one. My younger daughter (who is 2 years old) has had fun with various print changing pad covers. We have one changing pad cover that has owls, lady bugs, birds, etc., on it and she will just talk about them as I change her diaper. She also loves to pick which changing pad cover she would like to have in her room each week. In addition to changing pad covers, I make cloth diaper wipes, have embroidered baby bibs, burp cloths, baby/toddler car strap covers for in the car/strollers and make pumpkin seat covers for babies staying warm in the fall/winter months.
INCrowdteam: What’s your real-world job?
Hi Mamma: Freelance marketing/public relations, logo embroidery for companies, and working to on Hi Mamma items. I work from home so that I can be home with my daughters. I have a little bit of crazy hours after the girls go to sleep but it is worth it to me! I also volunteer my time for Modern Handmade Child online magazine (www.modernhandmadechild.com), where I serve as their public relations manager for the magazine.
INCrowdteam: How did you learn your Etsy craft?
Hi Mamma: My mom. When we were growing up we would always do some type of craft, sew, etc. It was not until I had my oldest daughter that I totally fell in love with it.
INCrowdteam: What’s your muse, or what turns that little creative light inside you on?
Hi Mamma: My daughters will sometimes come up with some ideas, I will be like hmmm that might be a good idea. After I have thought about the idea, I think try to create my own pattern.
INCrowdteam: What are your five favorite shops on Etsy?
Hi Mamma:
- The Cocoon Wrap Mama (this is my sisters website)
- Gudonyatoo
- My Beautiful Girl
- Paper and String
- Rabbit Stop
INCrowdteam: Which three of your own items for sale are your favorite? Why do you like them so much?
Hi Mamma:
Lady Bug and Bumble Bee Changing Pad Cover
Lady Bug and Bumble Bee Changing Pad Cover from Hi Mamma
Lilly Pad and Frog Changing Pad Cover
Lilly Pad and Frog Changing Pad Cover from Hi Mamma
Whimsy Doodle Car Strap Covers for Car Seats, Strollers, and More
Whimsy Doodle Car Strap Cover from Hi Mamma
INCrowdteam: What’s the best compliment you’ve received from a buyer?
Hi Mamma: I participated in the Etsy Kids Baby Shower. The mom that I had was just about to have her fourth baby. I made her a baby changing pad cover. She shared with me what colors she was going to have in the nursery, the theme, etc. I emailed her some swatches to see if she liked any of them. She wrote me a really nice note after the birth of her little girl.
INCrowdteam: Where else can we find you on the Internet?
Hi Mamma: I have a blog called Hi Mamma Designs.
Are you an INCrowdteam member who’d like to be featured in this Q&A? Or maybe you know a member who’d be perfect for it? If so, contact me at ThePeachMartini!
Blog Interview – Julie @ Jane’s Apron!
17
Feb
Hello, blogland!
How was every one’s Valentine’s Day? Were there any sweet surprises this year? My sweetie and I were both fighting nasty colds over the weekend so we didn’t too much. I’m OK with that!
I’m completely thrown off schedule this week since Monday was President’s Day; I work at a company which follows the New York Stock Exchange, and since it was closed, we were closed. (Yeah! for a day off! Boo! to not remember what day it is!)
At any rate, I’d like to post the latest edition of the Blog Interviews – please give a warm welcome to Miss Julie from Jane’s Apron!
TPM – Tell us a little about yourself.
Julie @ Jane’s Apron – I’m a mom at home…trying to create and finding time where I can.
TPM – I’ve followed your blog for quite a while now and I really enjoy all your posts. Tell us a bit more about your blog – what you were expecting when you started out vs what it is today. What is your favorite topic to blog about? Do you have any tips for those readers who might be curious about starting their own blog?
Julie @ Jane’s Apron – I’m probably the last person you would expect to have a blog…I’m not all that interesting but have found that if I like something then there is SOMEBODY else out that likes it too. The best part of blogging and sharing is finding all of those “somebodies” like me.
TPM – Have you always been interested in creating? Do you have a favorite medium? What kinds of things inspire you to create? How do you mange to stay inspired and creating while juggling every day life?
Julie @ Jane’s Apron – Creating is a part of my everyday life…drawing, coloring, painting, sewing, whatever…I’ve been doing it all of my life. It truly is part of me. Of course, there are periods of high creativity followed by lows but it’s always something I come back to.
TPM – You have a shop on Etsy – are you pleased with how it has done since opening it? Do you have any advice for craft mavens thinking of opening a shop? What are your favorite Etsy features (Treasuries, Shop Local, Pounce, etc)?
Julie @ Jane’s Apron – I love etsy….probably more as a shopper than a seller. When I am fortunate to sell a few items, it usually gets put right back into another etsy shop. I love the etsy treasury and have been so excited to be found on it a couple of times. (Julie’s shop can be found here – http://www.etsy.com/shop/janesapron)
TPM – Share a few of your favorite websites, blogs, or Etsy shops with us.
Julie @ Jane’s Apron – I love blogs that are quite, serene, real, and fun or thoughtful to read. One of my favorite is OodlesAndOodles and a find a new favorites all the time.
TPM – I love to learn new techniques and crafts; if you could learn one new crafty skill, what would it be?
Julie @ Jane’s Apron - I always loved to paint and would like to try again…just have to make the time to do it.
TPM – Any closing thoughts – crafty or otherwise?
Julie @ Jane’s Apron – Always be yourself…crafty and otherwise!
TPM – Well, I can’t rightly close out this interview without asking a totally random “What if…” question! If you were stranded at the airport for 24 hours, what would you do to pass your time away?
Julie @ Jane’s Apron – Read…and occasionally people watch.
Ooh, people watching – I could spend hours doing that!
I want to thank Julie @ Jane’s Apron for humoring me and answering my silly questions. I hope you’ll check out her blog and leave a comment or two. Stop by soon for more interviews!
If you’d like to be interviewed for The Peach Martini’s blog, please contact Kim via email: thepeachmartini [at] gmail [dot] com!
Etsy Artist Blog Interview – Debra @ gilstrapdesigns
22
Jan
I am very excited to introduce what I hope is the first in a long-running series of interviews with various Etsians, bloggers, and other folks I find interesting 
Today I’d like to introduce you to Debra from gilstrapdesigns; I discovered this gem of an Etsy shop as I was “window” shopping for my birthday wish list – you might remember the awesome teacup wall décor I posted. She was kind enough to sit down and answer some questions for me!
So, let’s get started!
TPM – Hi Debra! Thanks so much for participating in my blog interview – I really appreciate it!
Debra @ gilstrapdesigns – Hi Kim!
TPM – Tell us a little about yourself.
Debra @ gilstrapdesigns – My name is Debra Gilstrap and I live in Dallas, Texas. I’ve been married for 31 years to my best friend, Don; we have two adult children – Brandi she’s 30 year old, and Brandon (deceased) this past September was 29 yrs old. We have two grandsons Dorian, Brandi’s son, he’s 3 years old and Tyrin, Brandon’s son, and he’s 9 years old.
TPM – Have you always been interested in creating? Do you have a favorite medium? What kinds of things inspire you to create? How do you mange to stay inspired and creating while juggling every day life? (lots of questions, I know…)
Debra @ gilstrapdesigns – My husband Don and I are both mixed media artists, jewelry designers, and home decor designers.
I’ve always wanted to create I just didn’t exactly know what. My mother is a landscape artist and my father was a jazz musician. I can’t draw so I had a hard time figuring out just what I wanted to do but I’ve always loved art and creating. I decided to express myself through mix media art collages, assemblage, and creating and designing jewelry.
Now that I’ve opened up to my creative side I see everything different I look at everything different now whether it’s trees, flowers, I love to ride and look at buildings, especially old buildings, the colors and the structure – that’s all so inspiring to me.
I was laid off from my full time job this past September; that just opened up the gate for me to be able to do what I love doing all day, everyday. I’m more relaxed now, not as stressed out, and it shows in my creations. It’s what we do everyday and it is so much fun – and it’s just us; the kids have been grown for many years so it’s been a lot easier for me because I don’t have young or teen age children.
TPM – You have a shop on Etsy – are you pleased with how it has done since opening it? What are your favorite Etsy features (Treasuries, Shop Local, Pounce, etc)?
Debra @ gilstrapdesigns – I remember I loved ETSY from the first time I stumbled up on it; I was looking at artwork and the wonderful artisans here. I loved the website in itself so when we decided to do something, I knew ETSY was the place for us. Everything that I’ve learned about having a shop and online I’ve learned through my ETSY community: the forums, blogs, Storque articles, etc.
Our sales have really picked up this last year and we are so grateful and thankful, even when it’s been really, really slow for us, we are always excited to look at our shop! Every time I open it up and say “WOW! I still can’t believe we did all of this – this is us!”
My favorite Etsy features are “Shop Local” and “Rearrange Your Shop.” I also love the forums; everyone is so encouraging and helpful – there is a wealth of knowledge there.
TPM – Do you have any advice for craft mavens thinking of opening a shop?
Debra @ gilstrapdesigns – My advice to anyone wanting to have an online shop is to try ETSY; it’s free to set-up, and it’s not expensive to list items. You have soooo much help through the community.
TPM – Do you have a blog? If so, tell us a bit about it. And while you’re at it, do you have any favorite website, shops, blogs, etc?
Debra @ gilstrapdesigns – I don’t have a blog but I love to read and comment on other peoples blogs I have my regular favorites.
Favorite blogs:
The Peach Martini (TPM – oh shucks, now you’re making me blush!)
Favorite ETSY shops:
Age Before Beauty – Heirloom jewelry made from vintage heirlooms
tallistreasures – Photography, Graphic Design, and Jewelry
ThePeachMartini (TPM – Again with the blushing!)
TPM – I love to learn new techniques and crafts; if you could learn one new crafty skill, what would it be?
Debra @ gilstrapdesigns – I would like to learn to screen print.
TPM – Well, I can’t rightly close out this interview without asking a totally random question…If you had to give up one craft/art addiction for a year, what would it be? I know, I know – it’s too painful to even think about!
Debra @ gilstrapdesigns – If I had to give up one of my crafts for a year it would be…oh this is hard…I’m sorry I can’t do it! NONE OF THEM – I just can’t give any of them up!
Don’t worry, Debra – I couldn’t give up any of my crafts either! They are too much a part of me!
I want to thank Debra @ gilstrapdesigns for humoring me and answering my silly questions. I hope you’ll check out her fabulous shop, and stop by soon for more interviews!
If you’d like to be interviewed for The Peach Martini’s blog, please contact Kim via email: thepeachmartini [at] gmail [dot] com!
Happy Birthday to me!
30
Dec
Ok, not really…well, not yet any way…Friday is my birthday! I thought that it might be nice to put together a list of gift ideas, suitable for any occasion; I’ll be turning 28, so I guess this list would be good for any girl in their 20’s or even 30’s I imagine, and for any one who likes fun, funky, and functional items…
Pink Flowery Girly Ring – The Brass Hussy
Lucite Flower and Vintage Button Ring - The Brass Hussy
Pink Owl Note Cards – Keepsake Couture
Set of 8 Pink Owl Notecards - Keepsake Couture
$25 Gift Certificate – Felt Sew Good
$25 Gift Certificate from Felt Sew Good
All Season Anthro Little Irish sage Tam – Annie’s Wearable Art
All Season Irish Sage Tam from Annie's Wearable Art
Brown Stripes Wallet – Robins Flight
Brown Stripes Wallet from RobinsFlight
Love is The Answer Butterfly Origami Earrings – Funny Sky
Love is The Answer Butterfly Origami Earrings from Funny Sky
Blue Vintage Teacup Wall Art – Gilstrapdesigns
Vintage Blue Teacup Wall Art from Gilstrapdesigns
Starlight Stained Glass Pendant – Gathering Stars
Starlight Stained Glass Pendant
Odette Owl the Pink and Lime Awake/Asleep Owl – Hello Dollies
Odette Owl - Hello Dollies
Goat’s Milk Soap, Peppermint & Jojoba – BonMots Papeterie
Peppermint & Jojoba Goat's Milk Soap - BonMots
Signed Fine Art Giclee Print – BelliUccelli
Signed Fine Art Print - BelliUccelli
Brown & Turquoise Crochet Slippers – cari4jc1
Brown & Turquoise Crochet Slippers - cari4jc1
New Listings Just in Time for the Holidays!
13
Nov
I just added these to my Etsy shop! They were so much fun to make, and I definitely plan on making more of them!
Evergreen Holiday Gift Tags
Happy Homemade Christmas Gift Tags
Christmas Traditions Holiday Gift Tags
Stay tuned for more!
I’ve Been Featured in an Etsy Treasury!
15
Oct
NorthernGirlJewelry was kind enough to feature my work in a treasury today!
You can view the items in detail here: Morning Frost Treasury
"Docile Hope" was featured in a treasury!
Things I Love – Autumn Colors (Part 1)
09
Aug
It’s a sweltering 95 degrees outside today, with a heat index of over 100. As I’m sitting on the leather sofa in our living room, periodically lifting my legs to peel them from the leather, I’m longing for those crisp, cool autumn days. You know the kind – when there is a gentle breeze and you catch the scent of leaves through your kitchen window; when you can sip a chai latte and not be overcome with the heat inside and out. Pretty much the perfect day.
So, in my wistfulness for those days (which aren’t too far off, I hope!) I thought – hey! this would make for a nice post. And since I’ve been slacking off on the new posts, here I am.
Pumpkin Pie scented anything…
From Mountain Mama Chic's shop on Etsy...
This soap, from Mountain Mama Chic’s shop on Etsy looks delightful! I can smell it already – that spicy-sweet combination of pumpkin and allspice. I just might have to buy this one!
Warm candle light (even better if it comes with a Pumpkin or Spice scented candle!)
From TwilightSpell's shop on Etsy...
As if sipping that chai latte weren’t cozy enough, TwilightSpells on Etsy created this awesome soy candle by using an old tea cup from a charity shop! I love the way the warm light glows through the brown and golden decoration on the cup – so inviting! (and after reading through her list of scents available I think the Banana Nut Bread would be heavenly!)
Autumn crafts…
From TessaAnn's shop on Etsy...
These buttons are handmade by TessaAnn; she chose lovely colors to represent autumn in all it’s glory! These buttons are so inspiring to me! I can see them being sewn to a wonderful knit scarf, or adorning a set of handmade cards to send off to family and friends!
Jewelry
From The Brass Hussy's shop on Etsy...
Ok, did you really think I’d leave jewelry out? These earrings created by The Brass Hussy would serve more than just the autumn season, but that golden color just reminds me of falling leaves on a crisp day.
Scarves!!
From Angie's Others shop on Etsy...
I am a scarf junkie. I have several and want more…including this one. I love the colors that were used in this creation from AngiesOthers on Etsy. Very pretty tones, and will go with many autumn outfits.
Artwork
From AzureDandelion's shop on Etsy...
Just because nature’s artwork is on the outside doesn’t mean it can’t be inside too! This lovely painting created by AzureDandelion on Etsy is just screaming to be on my wall! I love the fiery oranges toned down by the subtle reds and yellows in the background, and the dark starkness of the trunk and branches is a nice contrast against the bright colors.
That’s all for now…be sure to check all these wonderful shops for more goodies! Stay tuned for the next “Things I Love” series – who knows what that might consist of!
INdubitably Sophisticated
22
Feb
Check out this lovely treasury that InALather created and was so kind to include my “Docile Hope” print!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=44316
Things I Love: Brooches and Pins
28
Dec
It’s common knowledge that I’m a retro junkie – I love all things 40’s and 50’s and have been known to dress the part on occasion. I don’t like to fork out a lot of dough for some things like other vintage lovers do – I just don’t have the opportunities to dress vintage or incorporate it into everyday life in a big way. Enter the brooch. I feel every woman should own at least one – vintage or not. It spruces up even the blandest of outfits, and can really add that finishing touch when needed. It can dress up jeans and a cute sweater, or top off that classic black dress for an evening on the town.
Here are a few that I dig currently listed on Etsy…(click shop name to view listing)
This little lovely looks to be as silver-tone base, and is mentioned as such in the listing. It’s a very nice design, not too flowery, but has enough softness to it to add a touch of femininity to any outfit. It would probably look best with a nice sweater set and jeans, or a crisp sundress.
This is one of my favorites – I love the pink stones and the starburst pattern. I could see this with a lovely gray wool skirt and gray sweater set, or even pinned on a pretty black scarf.
Another great pin that could add some girly charm to a pair of blue jeans and a nice blazer, or a pretty cardigan – perhaps a nice aqua or tan color.
Not as vintage looking as the others, it adds a nice touch to almost any casual outfit. I like the hints of bright color among the black – a nice boost for a drab winter day!
A must-have for any vintage-loving gal! The listing dates these to the 40’s which could be very accurate. And who can resist the charm of little swallows?! I’d pair these with jeans and a cute cardi (red or pink, maybe), or a brown skirt (knee length or longer) calf-high brown boots, and a cute cardi or blouse.
This lovely pin is perfect for those dressier occasions – the gold tone base really adds a touch of class and there are pearls and topaz-colored stones throughout to add sparkle. Use it to fasten your black or ivory scarf, or perhaps a black or deep jewel-colored beret if you’re a hat gal.
ss="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Do you have a favorite accessory that you just can’t get enough of?
