Etsy Finds - cindylouwho2

Cindy from cindylouwho2 is a member of my Alberta Street Team, and has been really helpful lately with a project that I've needed a bit of assistance on. :) So I thought I'd take a moment to share her beautiful jewelry creations with a wider audience!

We share a love of abalone, so this is one of my favourite pieces of hers.

(Click image to view item.)

These earrings are Cindy's bestseller. :)

And this bracelet is just plain gorgeous!

If you enjoyed this post, check out my other Etsy Finds by clicking the "etsy finds" tag just below this text. :)

Christmas Blog Giveaway!

I signed up to participate in a Christmas blog giveaway being run by TheTinyFig this holiday season. I donated a pair of earrings (center bottom, the green ones) which will go to one lucky contest participant. :) The giveaway opens tomorrow, so keep an eye out for more information on how to enter!

I'm on the Front Page!!!

Whoohooo!!! I just got a convo from the curator of a Treasury West that I'm in telling me that the Treasury made the front page of Etsy.com!!! :D

This gorgeous collection was created by floralia. Check out her amazing art prints! :)

Hushhh......

Mine are the Moonshine earrings at the bottom center.

Poll: Be Surprised or Know Upfront?

Would you rather know that you're getting a free gift with purchase, or be surprised when you open the package?

I have been including freebies in my packages and letting it be a surprise, because I think that surprises are fun. But I wonder if mentioning in my shop announcement and/listings that a free gift is included with every purchase might be a bit of an incentive to buy?

I have been sending out free earrings with jewelry purchases, but for the photos that have been bought I couldn't do earrings (I didn't want them to damage the pic in transit), so I included stickers in one (it was to decorate a kids' room, so the stickers were for the kids) and in the other, a bookmark. I was also thinking of branching out into cell phone charms.

So, which do you prefer? To be surprised, or to know up front?

Featured Artist - CelticKnot

The Etsy forums are a wonderful place to meet talented artists and kind, warm people. I met one such lovely person, Kristine, from CelticKnot a few months ago and have subsequently purchased a pair of her gorgeous earrings as well as two jars of her origami Lucky Stars. :)

Kristine is currently having a really great sale to raise money for a camera. She has tons of beautiful things ready to list in her shop once she's able to take photos of them. So be sure to stop by her little corner of Etsy to check it out. :)

I recently interviewed Kristine, here are my questions and her answers. (Click the photos to view the items.)

What first interested you in jewelry and origami, and how long have you been doing each?

I first became interested in making jewelry during the summer of 2007. My husband was in the Navy at that time and was away on a deployment for several months. I needed a way to pass the time and satisfy my creative side. I researched how to make earrings and dove straight into it. Since then I have been making earrings, bracelets, necklaces, keychains, bookmarks, wine glass charms, cell phone charms, and zipper pulls.

I have been interested in origami for many years, but I was an admirer rather than a creator. I absolutely love stars, so I was extremely excited when I discovered origami lucky stars. In the one month since I made my first star, I have made thousands and they are filling up every possible container in my apartment. They’re very addictive!

What is your favourite colour to work with?

I love to work with silver, blue, and emerald green. Rainbows are frequently seen in my shop.

What style of jewelry do you prefer to make over the others?

I love to make all styles of jewelry, but I would describe the majority of my jewelry as vibrant and fun. My favorite earrings to make are shooting stars and cherry blossoms, and my favorite necklace is my planetary necklace.

What type of jewelry do you, yourself, wear most often?

I wear my gorgeous engagement and wedding rings, a diamond star necklace given to me by my husband when we were dating, and a variety of my own earrings. I love to wear shooting star, Celtic knot, cherry blossom, and rainbow helix earrings. I have recently started making memory wire bracelets, and I have been proudly wearing them.

How did you first discover Etsy?

I was first introduced to Etsy by a friend several years ago. She recommended the site to my in-laws who had a candle business at the time.

What convinced you to sell on Etsy?

I fell in love with Etsy immediately and opened an account when I was encouraged by family, friends, and strangers.

Are you happy with how your shop is going?

At the moment, things are very slow because I no longer have a camera. I have a ton of beautiful earrings and bracelets and lovely lucky stars that I can’t wait to add to my shop. I am currently having a 30% off sale to help buy a camera.

How much time would you say you spend each day on your crafts?

I spend several hours a day on my crafts. I love to make earrings and lucky stars while watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy every evening. I also spend a lot of time in the forums talking to wonderful Etsians, helping to answer their questions, and promoting my shop. Chances are, if you see me in the forums, I’m typing and making lucky stars at the same time. Like I said, they’re addictive!

What advice do you have for new sellers?

My advice for new sellers is to believe in yourself and your crafts. Do not undersell your items; your time, creativity, materials, and talent are worth a lot! Good pictures are essential. Use all of your picture slots; they are very valuable. Photograph your items at different angles, and use size references, whether they are in the picture or described in units within the description. Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Get to know your fellow Etsians. Etsy is the nicest, friendliest, most creative and diverse community in the world. I love Etsy!

If you enjoyed this post, check out the Artist Feature I did on jessijewels. :)

My Hard Work Paid Off....

I discussed in one of my earlier blog posts titled "Don't Put All Your Eggs in One Basket " that I was creating jewelry to sell to a local bookstore who likes to showcase items by local artists. They bought a batch from me back in May, and were ready for more, so I worked nearly steadily through the whole month of July and into August creating a much larger order.

The tagging and labeling of the pieces actually took longer than creating them, I think! But I finally got it all done and had quite a bit to show for my hard work. :)

The most I made of any one thing was earrings, since they sold quite quickly at the bookstore last time. Here's a few photos of the different earrings laid out on the earring cards I worked so hard on:





This is a shot of them altogether so you can get an idea of how many there were:

A sampling of bracelets:

And all of them together.

A sampling of necklaces (I love the cherry and rose quartz one on the left, but they didn't buy that one):
And all of the necklaces together.


Although the bookstore didn't buy everything, they probably purchased about 3/5 of everything I had created. After my hard work with labeling and tagging, I couldn't bear to remove the tags and photograph the remaining items for my Etsy shop, so I've been finding other ways to use them.

Yesterday I packaged up 4 pairs of earrings, 3 necklaces and 2 bracelets to donate as prizes to a hand mowing competition in Nova Scotia. Sponsors of the competition will get a mention in the cross-country magazine Rural Delivery, which should provide some good exposure for my little Etsy shop. :)

The rest my dad will take down south with him to the town we used to live in to see if the health food store, which sells jewelry, might be interested in me as a supplier.

And when it comes to new items for my Etsy shop, I guess I'll just have to dive back into my bead supply and come up with some new designs. Oh, the humanity. ;)

Wow! I'm in two more fabulous Treasuries!

The wonderfully talented Debashri has a knack for Treasuries! And this one may be her best yet!

A big thanks to Deb for including my Setting Sunflower earrings. :)

Meandering through ETSY



And one of my sister, Natashia's, photos is featured in a truly stunning ladybug Treasury assembled by Kalos. Check out her shop for some really gorgeous jewelry. :)

Thank you, Kalos, for including our Ladybug on Rosebush photo!

Lucky Lady

An Earring Whirlwind!

Earrings are my favourite type of jewelry to make. I love wire wrapping bracelets and necklaces, which can be very meditative and soothing, but earrings are hands down my favourite items. Something about how small they are, and making two pieces that match each other perfectly appeals to me.

I recently ran out of sterling silver earwires and had a forced break from creating earrings. I had placed a large silver order and thought I'd included earwires, but when I ran out of my old stash and checked the new stash I discovered that I'd made a mistake and forgotten to add earwires to the order. I immediately placed a new order, but unfortunately bubble envelopes from the States are taking about 2 weeks to get to Canada, so I was unable to make new earrings for that period of time.

Thus, when my order arrived with 100 shiny new sterling earwires, I got straight to work bring to life designs that had been percolating in my mind. Two days later I had six new pairs of earrings, which I photographed in one afternoon and listed over two days. I'm very proud of this batch and can't wait for them to find loving homes. :D

More good Treasury news!

Last night I made it to the front page of Etsy!!! The Treasury that I posted about earlier yesterday created by the fabulously talented BeadNestDesigns was chosen by admin to grace the front page! Views in my shop skyrocketed by over 500! About 250 of those directly to our King of the Castle photo, and the rest spread out through our shop. :) It was so exciting!

A truly gorgeous group of items to be included in. So a big thank you to BeadNestDesigns for making one of my Etsy dreams come true!



And as if two Treasuries and a front page slot weren't enough, the incredibly talented Debashri has also featured me in a Treasury! Mine are the Green Leaf earrings in the middle. :)

Debashri's Picks for my friends



Debashri makes the most amazing clay flowers. They look so incredibly delicate and paper thin, you would never know that they're fake, let alone made of clay! Check out her shop for flower arrangements that will last you for years to come. :)

And just when you thought that I couldn't be in any more Treasuries.....

I get by with a little help...

Selected by my very good Etsy friend, jessijewels, who has some amazing jewels of her own. Mine is the Triple Cherry Swirl necklace at the bottom center. :)



Check out Jessi's shop for some incredibly creative, unique and beautiful pieces of jewelry, as well as her handcrafted cards which are better than anything you'll find in the drugstore.

I'm in 2 Treasuries!

In everyone's life....
Selected by sosorosey, whom I met in the Etsy forums. Mine are the Lemon Drop earrings near the center. :)



Out on a LIMB!! Save me save me!
Selected by BeadNestDesigns, who has an amazing talent for Treasuries. Mine is the King of the Castle cat photo at the bottom left hand corner. :)


A Treasury is a "way to shop" on Etsy. They are collections of items by Etsy artists and can be created by anyone with an Etsy account and enough patience to wait for a spot to open up. They're a great way to get your items seen by more people, and I'm so happy to have been featured in 2!

Be sure to check out both of these lovely ladies' shops! BeadNestDesigns has some really gorgeous jewelry, and sosorosey does amazingly talented things with crochet. :)