How Is It Coming Along?

You've got a little over a week left to finish your products up for the Color Palette Challenge! How's it going?

I'm sure by now you've settled in on a color palette...got your supplies...& figured out your designs. All that's left is to make your products & take some fabulous photos of them!

Below are some helpful links if you need some photography tips! Remember, this is what catches peoples attention so you want your photos to SHINE!

Handmadeology Photography Tips
MeaganVisser.com Photography Tips
Digital Photography School
Etsy Success Photography

Have you already started on your projects or are you finished yet?? 

Care to post some teaser photos on the EtsyMom Team Facebook Page.

Now don't give away what the item is! We're just looking for works in progress...fabrics...of course colors...& some sneaky, intriguing photos to get everyone hyped up. Make sure you post your photos to your own FB page & your blog too!

Last but not least...start preparing your FB posts, tweets, blog posts, & newsletters to let your fans, followers, customers & family know that you're participating in this event. Invite them to come to the blog during October 10-14 to vote on their favorite item!

Keep crafting & good luck!

Marvelous Mom - Katie of Adelle Rose

Tell us about yourself!
My name is Katie and I live in Louisville, Kentucky with my husband of eight years, Josh, and our two little girls. Our oldest, Miriam, is five and just started kindergarten. Our youngest, Leah Rose, just turned two. I've worked in customer service at a local bank for the past ten years.

What makes you unique?
I am admittedly a bit of a geek (I'm a ridiculously huge fan of Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings, two things that get me teased constantly at work!) who also loves fashion, clothes and accessorizing. I went to see the second-to-last-installment in the Harry Potter movie series wearing skinny jeans, ruby red high heels and a Hogwarts t-shirt. I try to keep my jewelry designs light and whimsical, too, and not take things too seriously.

What do you love about kids?
There is never a dull moment around my house. One of my favorite things to do is just sit and listen to my girls play together. Leah is now old enough to really play with Miriam -they are constantly playing pretend and they create their own little worlds. I like to listen in and hear how creative they are. They are also hilarious -Miriam will tell you she "doesn't care for pizza" while yesterday Leah said to me "you not Katie -you my mommy!" I love watching these two interesting little girls grow into themselves more and more everyday.

What are you currently doing besides your shop crafts?
Miriam and I craft together all the time. We make clothes for her dolls, soap and we've recently started "rhinestoning," a crafting pastime my sister introduced me to which is basically bedazzling anything that will sit still long enough (today I made myself a Halloween koozie). I also make headbands with feathers and sequins. On my ever-expanding lists of things to do is to take a bead weaving class and also learn how to knit. I've had knitting needles and yarn in my closet for almost two years but I'm determined to learn someday!

What is the link to your etsy shop?
www.etsy.com/shop/AdelleRose

What do you offer in your etsy shop?
I make jewelry, primarily earrings. I also make necklaces, bracelets, and the occasional ring. I do create wine charms, too, and soon I'll be offering embellished bobby pins. The vast majority of my jewelry is made with beads, although I also work with glass charms and I've recently discovered how much fun flower cabochons are.

Where do you create?
I work at my dining room table. I have two plastic bins full of my beading supplies that sit on a card table in the corner of my dining room. I dream of having my own actual studio someday but I love my dining room -it's the sunniest room in my house and my table is big enough for me to really spread everything out and work.

Where do you find your inspiration?
I've always been a girly girl. When I was little I loved playing dress up with my grandma's vintage jewelry. I still find inspiration in vintage designs -I love to wander in antique malls, inspecting vintage necklaces and brooches. I've recently started taking some of these necklaces apart and refashioning them into more modern necklaces as well as earrings.
I love looking at fashion magazines, too, although I've certainly cut back my subscriptions in recent years. I used to subscribe to about 10 different monthly magazines but now I only get a few. I still get lots of catalogs, though, and I like to sit down with them and see what's trendy and then try to create things that follow the trends but with my own unique interpretation.
I love to read and watch movies and some of my designs are inspired by my favorite characters from books and movies. I try not to be too literal in my interpretations, though, and keep things subtle.

How did you get started in your current line of business?
I started making jewelry when Leah was a baby -she took two naps a day and I hated to sit Miriam down in front of the TV every time she was asleep but it was hard to find quiet things to do during those times. So we started crafting together. Within six months, I was giving everyone I knew jewelry all the time and I finally decided to open an Etsy shop and see if I could make a little money.

How do you promote your business?
I mainly promote through my Facebook page, www.facebook.com/AdelleRose0609 and word of mouth through friends and family.

What is one of the most important lessons you've learned since starting your business?
You have to be patient and not expect everything to happen overnight. Also, try to connect with other people through teams and treasury making. Etsy is a great community, everyone I've encountered has been so kind -I love it!

What advice would you give someone just starting out?
I'd reference that patience again! Get your name out there, join teams, start a Facebook page and don't get discouraged if you aren't selling 10 items a day. Have fun and enjoy what you're doing.

What are some of your favorite online shops, both etsy and non-etsy?
It's really hard to pick my favorite Etsy shops because there are so many great ones out there! I especially love Girl 216 Designs, Zias Cottage Industry, em and sprout, and lkfarnsworth. Off Etsy, I am a hopeless Target junkie and I can find just about anything I need on Amazon.

Time's Up!

Time's up! Friday was the deadline to enter your shop into the EtsyMom Fall event - The Color Palette Challenge. 

So participating shops...listen up, because here's the recap on what you need to do!

1. You've got until October 5th to make items that will go into your shop using one of the color palettes shown in the event kickoff post. Click here if you need to see them again. You can enter two items into the challenge.
2. Once your items are made & photographed, you're going to list them in your shop as a DRAFT listing. Be sure your first photo rocks since that's what people are going to see in the treasuries.
3. You'll then make your listings live on October 5th!!! Remember to tag your listing with"EMCPC" in order for your entries to count!

That's it! Simple! Your job is done! Well almost...there's that promoting thing.

Remember that there will be a first, second, & third place winner chosen from all of the entries. Winners are chosen based on how many votes their listing receives so it's your job to hype this event up to all of your fans & followers. You want them to come & vote for you right??

Well, yes...sort of. We want them to come & vote based on the items. This isn't a popularity contest so please, when your asking people to come vote, don't ask them to specifically come & vote for your item...ask them to come & vote in the challenge you're participating in. Let's work hard on making our products great for the event. May the best woman win!

So here's the FINAL list of participating shops that have signed up for the event. 47 in all! Way to go!

Tamsy Trends

Rae Studios

Sahndamarie

Fahionably Me Bowtique

mimmi For Girls

My Artsy Baby

Modern Typography

Jmasciandaro

Twirl Away

Custom Memory Books

Little Tadpole Designs

Stitchin' Netka

Petite Tuques

The Scarlet Scintilla

2 Sprouts Stitchery

Creative Art by Me

Siklo's Photo

Little Sugar Tops

Little Pearl Quilts

This-N-That Handmade Accessories

Cinnamon Spice Papercrafts

The Handprint Lady

For My Sweet Daughter

Sokava Designs

Baby Swank

MiaBoo

Cobbled Stone

My Lovebug Baby

SugarLabs E-Boutique

My Pretty Skincare

Sarahjhanifan

Christie Creations

New England Quilter

Bison Girl

Handmade Whimzy

Sarahndipities

Altered by Jenn

Handmaiden Canada

Happy Tree Press

MegOri Girls Boutique

Leah's Little Bowtique

Bumble Britches Boutique

Favor Creative

Erika K Designs

Adrian's Closet

Rosewill Arts

Butterfly Genes

A La Apron

Next up, let me go ahead & thank all the shops that volunteered to sponsor this event! 20 total! Woo-hoo! You all are SOOOO generous! There's a ton of sweet stuff here for the winners of this event to choose from! So below are the listings from the sponsor shops that the winners will have their choice of. 

Rhoda Design Studio - your choice: Original Clip Art

Loud Waterfall Photography - your choice: Any Item

Cobbled Stone - your choice: Gemstone Earrings

SugarLabs E-Boutique - your choice: Any Item

My Pretty Skincare - your choice: Any Item

Bison Girl - your choice: Bison Booties

One Fine Day Courture - your choice: Any Item

Leah's Little Bowtique - your choice: Fall Accessory

Sketchbook Floral Wristlet SahndaMarie $35.00	Wall Art - Song Bird (tan, p... RedLetterInk $20.00	Fondant Pumpkin Cupcake Topp... LittleSugarTop... $15.00
Green and Pink Floral Twirl ... SassafrasSaige $8.00	HALLOWEEN Decor Party-Wood B... MiaBooo $14.00	Lime Slice - Elegant Crochet... shopannavirgin... $18.00
Baby Bib Cupcakes-12 items G... christiecreati... $28.00	Owl nursery canvas 11x14 Mad... myartsybaby $30.00	Crochet Boho Headband / Head... sarahndipities $15.00
Eco-Friendy Herbs in a Box J... favorcreative $42.00	Dinosaur Cocoa butter Soap P... ImaginaryBee $1.10	Mini Bath Bombs - Bath Fizzi... babyswank $4.50

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Looks good, eh?? Are you ready? Are you excited? Alright, get to creating & promoting & good luck everyone!

Any questions? Leave them in the comments below or on the team FB page & we'll get them answered!

Etsy Moms gift guide monthly - Welcome, fall!

'Welcome, fall!' by LAccentNou

by EtsyMoms

Autumn tree print NewCreatioNZ $25.00	Baby, toddler, girls sk... twirlaway $18.00	Pleated Handbag-Oxford ... jpulliam30 $35.00	Orange Earrings, Crysta... TheHappyPapaya $10.00
Play Food Set - Handmad... littlepearlqui... $32.00	Wood Button Earrings by... TNTees $5.50	Fall Autumn Welcome Bar... CountryChicCot... $21.00	knit baby hat and photo... baruchslullaby $24.00
Handmade Soap 3 pack - ... LifeSoapSimple $15.00	Baby Shower Gift Set: G... peacebabybatik... $27.00	Pumpkin Place Card/Phot... melaniescrafts $6.00	Peanut Butter and Brown... KEcookies $8.99
White Cosmos Flower on ... suchprettycolo... $15.00	New Orange and Yellow F... SugarFlower $4.00	Fall Harvest Hope Wreat... Cr8something $15.00	Tree in Orange Field-Or... jenoconnell $20.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

The Deadline Approaches - Are You In

Time is ticking! Only one week left to sign your shop up for the new team event - The Color Palette Challenge. If you missed the intro post on the event, either scroll down to the post below this one or click here to read all about the challenge.

If you've signed up to participate, be sure to let your FB fans & Twitter followers know about the challenge. You want them to get excited about what you're making & come vote for you, right?? Also be sure to write a blog post about the event & link to it on the EtsyMom FB page so we can see what you're up to with your projects...be sure to use some of the graphics we provided for the event.

So here's the list of participating shops that have signed up so far. If you thought you signed up, but you're not on this list, go sign up again. You can do that here.

Tamsy Trends

Rae Studios

Sahndamarie

Fahionably Me Bowtique

mimmi For Girls

My Artsy Baby

Modern Typography

Jmasciandaro

Twirl Away

Custom Memory Books

Little Tadpole Designs

Stitchin' Netka

Petite Tuques

The Scarlet Scintilla

2 Sprouts Stitchery

Creative Art by Me

Siklo's Photo

Little Sugar Tops

Little Pearl Quilts

This-N-That Handmade Accessories

Cinnamon Spice Papercrafts

The Handprint Lady

For My Sweet Daughter

Sokava Designs

Baby Swank

We're still looking for more sponsors for this event. We already have some great, very generous, sponsored items. Again, just because you sponsor the event doesn't mean that you'll have to donate an item from your shop. You'll only donate if a winner chooses your item. To sign up to be a sponsor, click here.

Sponsor shops will also be promoted on the EtsyMom FB & Twitter pages as well as on the blog so it's a little extra exposure too!

Okay, all set? Any questions? Leave them in the comments below or on the team FB page & we'll get them answered!

Who Else Wants To Win Free Stuff By Doing What You Already Do

I don't know many people who wouldn't like the opportunity to win some free stuff by practically doing nothing out of the ordinary. I know I would!

So are you curious now? Wanna know what I'm talking about?

Well here's the deal.

The EtsyMom Team has a new event coming up up in October that's just for you. You don't have to do anything you don't already do & you're going to have the chance to win free stuff.

Are you ready?

Yep! That's right! We're hosting a color palette challenge for all you EtsyMom Team members & it's going to be a blast!

Before I tell you about the challenge...

Let me tell you why you should participate.

1. It's going to benefit your business
2. You're going to make money
3. You going to be featured in some treasuries
4. You're going to be blogged about, Tweeted about, & Facebooked about
5. You're going to get increased exposure
6. You could win some really cool free stuff

Does that sound good? 

Are you ready to know what you need to do?

1. You're going to sign up by clicking here & filling out this form. - You've got until September 16th to register your shop.
2. Once you're registered, you've got until October 5th to make items that will go into your shop using one of the color palettes below per item. You can enter two items into the challenge. The color palettes are based off of Pantone's Fashion Color Report for 2011 so your items will be using trendy colors!
3. Once your items are made & photographed, you're going to list them for sale in your shop, but DON'T make the listing live until October 5th!!! You'll need to tag your listing with "EMCPC" in order for your entries to count & remember...you want that first photo to rock since that's what people are going to see in the treasuries.
4. Treasuries of all participating shop's items will be made & posted to the blog on October 10th.
5. Voting will run from October 10th to October 14th. Anyone can vote, so spread the word!
6. There will be a 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place winner based on the number of votes each item receives. Ties will be decided via random.org. Winners will be announced on the blog on October 17th.
7. If you are a winner, you'll have your choice of a free item from one of our sponsor shops. 1st place chooses first, then 2nd, then 3rd.

CP #1

CP #3

CP #2

So what do you think?

Sound fun?

Have questions? We've got answers! Ask away in the comments below.

If you want to be one of the many sponsors for this event, click here & fill out the form to sign up.

It's totally up to you as far as what you want to give away in the chance that a winner picks your shop.

Again, you only have to donate an item if the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place winner picks you.

Lastly...

We want this event to be great, awesome, superb!

But we can't do that without you. So whether you decide to participate, be a sponsor (or do both, or do neither), we could still use your help promoting this event.

So grab any or all of the graphics below & post them to your websites & blogs.

Tweet about this event or link to it on Facebook. Chat it up on Etsy!

We sure would appreciate it!

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