Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Vote for your Favorite Banner!






I am having a banner contest! To the right of my page you can vote for your favorite banner! Polls open tonight and close in a week, so hurry! There are smaller versions of the banners with their letters to vote A or B.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

HALLOWEEN SALE


Free Shipping on all my Halloween items!


Aglimpseofreality.etsy.com

BANNER CONTEST

Hey guys, I need a few more entries before we can start voting so hurry, hurry!


Want to win a free sterling silver, personalized bracelet or necklace?! Of course you do! I am looking for a great banner for my shop aglimpseofreality.etsy.com! All designs must be original! Send your entries to my E-mail Aglimpseofreality@hotmail.com, and I'll pick my 3 favorites and post them on my blog for everyone to vote! The winner will receive their choice of a personalized bracelet or necklace in real sterling silver! Good luck to all!

~Heather~

Friday, September 25, 2009

Words of wisdom


I juggle a lot of resposibilities, including being a mom to my sweet little 3 year old, Elizabeth. With everything stressing me out, my daughter looks up at me out of no where and starts singing, "Keep trying, don't give up, never give up." Inspiration from my 3 year old. :o) Something to smile about!

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Strength


October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month: spread the word!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Create a Banner Contest



Want to win a free sterling silver, personalized bracelet or necklace?! Of course you do! I am looking for a great banner for my shop aglimpseofreality.etsy.com! All designs must be original! Send your entries to my E-mail Aglimpseofreality@hotmail.com, and I'll pick my 3 favorites and post them on my blog for everyone to vote! The winner will receive their choice of a personalized bracelet or necklace in real sterling silver! Good luck to all!

~Heather~

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Etsy Newbie Tutorial


Etsy can be a scary, intimidating envirmonment when you first start out. The best thing to do is just stick to the plan. You're here for a reason: to sell your handmade items! No one is going to stop you!


Profile and Shop Info
First things first, fill out all your information! People want to know who they are buying from. Choosing an avatar that catches the eye is very important! It brings in more views when you're in a chat. Make your shop your own personal brand. You're selling your style. Spice it up with a banner, and make sure you're prepared for sales! Have Address Labels and "Thank You" cards ready with your shop name. Can't afford these tools? Make your own, it's so easy!


The Lingo

Know your etsy vocabulary! The first time you go in a chat you're going to be confused! It's inevitable!

FS = Featured Seller: The FS chat room is where people take turns being the featured seller, usually 5 minutes per seller. The first person to buy from the featured seller becomes the next featured seller. If there happen to be no sales made then the current FS will choose the next one.

TY = Thank You

YW = You're Welcome

TYVM = Thank you very much!

YVW = You're very welcome!


Chat Rooms

If you scroll down to the bottom of the chat room there are instructions on how to make your avatar spin and other things, but there is more to it than shown. If you want to write someone's name without typing it all out then type the first few letters and push the right arrow! Surprise!

Posting other's items is a big part of chats. It is sometimes frowned upon if you list your own. To list an item just click on a shop, find something that strikes your fancy and click it, then scroll down till you find the item number, copy and paste it in the picture box on the chat.


Friends

Make good friends! Etsy is full of incredibly nice people who are always willing to listen and help! Never be afraid to ask questions, there is always someone willing and waiting to answer! Making friends expands the number of people looking at your shop!


Pictures

Use natural lighting for your item pictures! The quality of your pictures is crucial to you views and sales! You are now a photographer!! Get used to using colorful backgrounds for items; the best background is scrapbook paper.
Never post something you wouldn't buy yourself. Your shop deserves the best. Try and post items everyday, it keeps you fresh on the searches which will get you a good flow of views.


Tags

USE ALL 14 OF YOUR TAGS WHEN POSTING AN ITEM! Doing this puts you in more searches which means more people are viewing your items. Running out of adjectives? Make sure you're using colors, shapes, and materials.


Facebook

Start a Facebook for your shop! This is the best way to seriously spread the word. Invite your friends to invite their friends, it's never ending!


Blog

Got something to say? Start a blog! It is a great way for your customers to get to know you, and it brings attention to your shop. You can run features and contests to lure people in, and then they spread the word.


I hope this has been useful to Etsy newcomers, and maybe even a little inciteful for those not so new to the online business communtiy. Post your feedback if you have anything to ask or add! Thanks for reading!

Labor Day Sale

LABOR DAY WEEKEND SALE IN BOTH OF MY ETSY SHOPS! 10% OFF EVERYTHING IN BOTH SHOPS! SALE ENDS MONDAY SO HURRY!!

Aglimpseofreality.etsy.com

TheCrafttrunk.etsy.com

Friday, September 4, 2009

The Craft Trunk


As you may already know, I run a craft supply shop on Etsy.com. I would love to do a feature for my current customers and hopefully future buyers! I want to see the items that have been made using the supplies I have sold. Send in your stuff and I'll add it to the special feature I am working on! Thanks!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

My Etsy!

Hello! I just wanted to share my Etsy shops with you! Also, I will be writing a Halloween feature soon so send me any Spooky items you may want featured here on my blog! I hope you enjoy my shops!!


Etsy
Buy Handmade
Aglimpseofreality



Etsy
Buy Handmade
TheCraftTrunk