It's The Holidays at Zur Designs

Happy Holidays Everyone!!

It's the Holiday Season at Zur Designs and not only to I get to create beautiful jewelry and often customize that jewelry to suit your own personal tastes, I also get to wrap them up all pretty for the holidays!!!

So are you stumped on gift ideas for the ladies in your life? Well, Zur Designs has some great gift ideas!!

How about a lovely coil bracelet? They go with anything from business to casual and are a great accent for all those holiday parties!


This coil bracelet is called Leather and Lace and features black tiger eye, pearls, jonquil swarovski crystals, bali spacers and bead caps and a great little charm dangling from one end! It goes with a sweater and jeans, a business suit and really accents a little black dress. A perfect gift idea for the lady on your list or it makes a nice holiday gift for YOU!!

Purchase Leather and Lace!

Or what about this Basic Black, Red, and White Coil Bracelet? Lots of glass beads in all three colors with a great little charm at the end. Perfect for that black business suit or looks great with a sweater and jeans! She'll want to wear this every day! Or you will if you are buying yourself a treat!

Purchase Basic Black Red and White Coil Bracelet Here!

How about a lovely wire wrapped ring? Wire is either sterling silver or 14K gold filled and can be made to order if the sizes listed are not right.


This large pink rhodochrosite stone is wire wrapped in sterling silver wire. It's a big, beautiful ring and is a size eight so it could be worn on the first or middle finger for many women...I can also custom order the exact size just for her!

Buy Large Rhodochrosite Wire Wrapped Ring Here!

Or what about this luscious azurite malachite sterling silver wire wrapped ring? This brilliant azurite malachite gemstone bead has vivid green and blue colors in it and is nestled in sterling silver wire with sterling silver beads on each side. This is a sweet little ring that looks really good on your hand. This ring is a size 6 but I can custom make one just for you! Treat yourself! You deserve this pretty little ring!





Buy Azurite Malachite Wire Wrapped Ring Here!








Or is a necklace is more your idea of a perfect gift, why don't you check out the sterling silver chain necklaces made with high quality sterling silver and semi precious stones and beautiful swarovski crystals and pearls.

Take, for instance, Little Lavender Coquette. This 24" chain necklace features a beautiful 17mm swarovski briolette pendant as it's focal point and a sterling silver and purple fan charm that is so sweet!

Purchase Little Lavender Coquette Here!

Another pretty necklace is Pink Sparkle Motion. This 25" necklace really does sparkle! The three types of swarovski crystals and sterling silver chain makes this piece feel like there's a ray of sunshine around her neck!

Purchase Pink Sparkle Motion Here!

Also, how about this little anklet? It will be a real hit for her stocking!

Purchase Bejeweled Anklet Here!

There are many other items in Zur Designs' Shop...so take a look today!

Most importantly, everyone have a safe and wonderful holiday...and BUY HANDMADE!!!

HAF Etsy Street Team Featured Shop For Today--Flying Cheese Toastie!

The HAF Etsty Street Team Featured Etsy Shop of the Day is Rachel Elliott Glassworks by flyingcheesetoastie!

All the item listed in her etsy shop are handmade by Rachel in her studio in Scotland! She uses a variety of different glass techniques to create unique designs and custom orders are always welcome.
To see examples of her sculptural art pieces, please visit here. Take a look at her Etsy Shop!

Etsy Buy Handmade FlyingCheeseToastie

Okay now comes the hard part...choosing a favorite among all of her gorgeous glass work! Drum roll please...I chose the Retticello Barrel Borosilicate Focal Bead. Isn't it a beauty?!
This bead is made from cobalt blue and clear borosilicate tubing that has been flameworked and fumed with 22ct gold and pure silver which creates the intricate pattern and colours on the surface.

It measures 45mm / 1&3/4inches long and 25mm / 1inch in diameter with a 3mm / 2/16inch hole. This bead is hollow so weighs 24g / 7/8oz.

Click on the links to learn more about the Handmade Artists Forum (HAF) or the HAF Etsy Street Team! Enjoy shopping at Flying Cheese Toastie's Shop!

My Definition of a Very Good Day!!

This is my definition of a very good day! When the postman brings this little package to my door! Don't you absolutely love ArtBeads' packaging? If I wasn't so frantic to look at the beads and other goodies inside, I'd be compelled to keep it wrapped for awhile...so I took a picture!!

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸❤¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸❤¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

HAF Etsy Street Team Featured Shop of The Day--Lanee's Crochet

Today's featured shop is Lanee's Crochet. A shop where you'll find awesome crocheted hair clips, cotton scrubbies and cloths, scarves, and more!

Check out her Etsy Shop for yourself!

Etsy Buy Handmade LaneesCrochet

Okay, now I need to pick a favorite...this is always hard for me but I am going with the Pink Rave Crocheted Handbag with Pin! So pretty! I love the colors and I love the design!

Click on the links to learn more about the Handmade Artists Forum (HAF) or the HAF Etsy Street Team! Enjoy shopping at Lanee's Crochet!

Little Lavender Coquette Necklace

Just listed this sweet little necklace in my Etsy Shop and called it Little Lavender Coquette because it just reminds me of some dainty little woman in one of the old French courts sitting there with her little purple fan!



You can purchase this lovely necklace for a gift at my Etsy Shop for someone special...even if it's YOU!!!

HAF Etsy Street Team Featured Shop of the Day--Feronia

Today's featured shop is Feronia and she has gorgeous, gorgeous jewelry designs!

Check out her shop on Etsy!

Etsy Buy Handmade Feronia

I searched for my favorite item for quite some time but this necklace called "Spa" continued to catch my eye! Isn't it just so simple, elegant, and beautiful?



Click on the links to learn more about the Handmade Artists Forum (HAF) or the HAF Etsy Street Team! Enjoy shopping at Feronia!

HAF Etsy Street Team Featured Shop Today Is dbVictoria!

Designs by Victoria is a wonderful shop where each piece is either personally handcrafted or embellished! She carries wire wrapped jewelry, embellished parasols, and other artful creations.

Check out this lovely shop!

Etsy Buy Handmade dbVictoria

I, as always, had a hard time picking out a favorite item...but I finally went with the Steampunk Green Garnet, Vesuvianite, and Brass Necklace...isn't it gorgeous?!
Click on the links to learn more about the Handmade Artists Forum (HAF) or the HAF Etsy Street Team! Enjoy shopping at Designs by Victoria!

HAF Etsy Street Team Featured Shop of The Day Is Celtic Crossing

Today's featured shop is Celtic Crossing. This gorgeous shop is filled with beautiful handcrafted jewelry using such mediums as wire and stone.

In Celtic Crossing's own words:

"This a labor of love and I hope that you will find something here that will catch your eye and you'll just have to have!

I have done gem cutting in the past, so working with gemstones is a joy for me and I do have a background for it. I am knowledgeable in properties of the stones so please feel free to ask me about a stone if you'd like to know more about it.

I am also a Reiki Master, and so with each piece of jewelry I make it is infused with positive energy before it leaves my hands and is sent onto you!

Enjoy your time browsing through my shop and please "heart" me, as I am putting up new things all the time"

Check out Celtic Crossing's wonderful Etsy Shop!

Etsy Buy Handmade CelticCrossing

I don't know which of these beautiful pieces I'd pick as a favorite....hmmmmm....I think I will go with Simple Love:

Simple and elegant! This would make a wonderful gift...even if it was for ME!!!


Click on the links to learn more about the Handmade Artists Forum (HAF) or the HAF Etsy Street Team! Enjoy shopping at Celtic Crossing!

HAF Etsy Street Team Member Jennuine Candles!

Our featured HAF Etsy Street Team Artist today is Jenn of Jennuine Candles specializing in 100% palm wax candles with a variety of choices...container candles, pillars, votives and tarts/melts.This business started as a hobby and a way to give gifts to friends and family...until her husband brought some candles to work and it all kind of spiraled from there!

Places you can find Jenniune Candles:

• Blog

Check you her lovely shop for yourself!

Etsy Buy Handmade JennuineCandles

I had a hard time picking a favorite because there are so many great things in this shop but I am going to go with:

Pear Spice 16 ounce Palm Wax Container Candle

My mouth is watering just talking about it! Pear Spice will jazz up your holidays with the aroma of juicy pears, warm brown sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, and a touch of cinnamon spice. A tantalizing holiday treat!

Click on the links to learn more about the Handmade Artists Forum (HAF) or the HAF Etsy Street Team! Enjoy shopping at Jennuine Candles!

Featuring Seedlings Jewelry

Check out my fellow HAF Etsy Street Team Member Sharon Paridiso, owner of Seedlings Jewelry! Her gorgeous jewelry is inspired and created from natural materials (including recycled materials where possible). 20% of your regular purchase goes to Heifer International (heifer.org).

Is your purchase for a gift? Just let them know and they are happy to include gift cards or special wrapping. They normally ship in recycled kraft paper gift boxes or a custom seed packet embedded with wildflower seeds (you can plant the seed packet).

You can find Seedlings Jewelry on:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Blog
  

And check out her beautiful etsy shop for yourself!

Etsy Buy Handmade SeedlingsJewelry

It's hard to pick a favorite item among all her beautiful things but I am going to go with this...

Sunny Day - amber and sterling silver filled (copper) wire bracelet

Click on the links to learn more about the Handmade Artists Forum (HAF) or the HAF Etsy Street Team! Enjoy browsing in Seedlings Jewelry!

The Friendship Pendant

I've been thinking a lot about a friend of mine that I don't see too often anymore but still talk to quite frequently. It's one of those friendships that no matter what our own personal circumstances and no matter how much time passes, we are the same when we get together and it's like no time has passed at all. And when we need one another for support or even just a kind face; we know that we can count on one another--no questions asked.

Those are the types of friendships I value...friends that are almost like family and will always have a very special place in my heart.

As I was thinking about all this I realized that there should be a special piece of jewelry to commemorate this type of friendship. Hence, the Friendship Pendant was born. I incorporated a special Celtic knot into the design because to me, the Celtic knot symbolizes the timeless nature of the human spirit, of love, and of life itself.

I used a square rhyolite bead as the focal piece because the black and gray and blue of that gorgeous stone reminds me of a clear night sky the color of midnight blue that only reinforces the feeling that some things last for an eternity. The squatty little blue swarovski crystal perched on a bali spacer on top of the stone just draws out the blue even more. Then I placed the pendant on a 25" sterling silver chain with a toggle clasp.

The Friendship Pendant can be purchased at my Etsy Shop. Perhaps you have a friend that would appreciate this timeless piece to symbolize a friendship that lasts forever!

Zur Designs Pre-Holiday News

So it's been a busy time at Zur Designs...getting ready for the holidays, doing up some custom orders, and slowly but surely doing an overhaul to my Etsy shop. As you might have noticed, I have a new banner on this blog with a matching avatar thanks to a very talented handmade artisan friend of mine Nicola Viau otherwise known as Ambient Girl Designs. I haven't completed my shop makeover yet but you have to check out the new banner...it's so pretty! I have begun to make a rather lengthy list of how many places my avatar needs to be changed!! Phew!!

So I am part of the wonderful group of Etsy artisans that have come together to offer incredible savings during American Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend! Some hardworking Etsians have put together an incredible blog that is categorized and alphabetized to make shopping a breeze and Indie Smiles has pitched in by offering all participants directory listings. Then there is a dedicated Facebook page for this event!

Come join us as we celebrate the handmade movement by offering you quality hand-crafted items perfect for the holiday season!!

Oh and as for my sale? I am offering the following specials:

• FREE SHIPPING worldwide for the duration of the sale
• 10% off any of my sterling silver chain necklaces for the duration of the sale
• FOR CYBER MONDAY ONLY: BOGO--buy one coil bracelet and get the second coil bracelet for half price

For the necklaces, I was going to do the refund through PayPal but since it's for the duration of the sale, I think I will adjust the prices to make it more convenient. The coil bracelets for Monday I'll refund the difference through Etsy because that's kind of a random choice for buyers. The shipping will be all set to FREE.

This Saturday, November 28th, I am going to be part of the Everlastings 13th Annual Holiday Open House and Sale in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Everlastings is a handmade business started by two of my sisters Jude and Cath that features one-of-a-kind silk and dried flower arrangements and other home decor and gift items such as candles, handmade pot potpourri and much, much more. My sister Cath passed away in 1998 but Jude carries on with Everlastings and each year this holiday sale is held in honor of our beloved sister. My sister Pat will be selling her original photographs of New England and the Berkshires as well as photo cards, bookmarks, and other affordable art products. I will be presenting my handmade jewelry. Afterward we will be celebrating a landmark birthday for my sister Jude...I can't tell you how old she'll be because she would be very mad at me!!!

Original Photography by Patricia Hall Pellegrino

Floral Wreath by Judith Hall Votolato

I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Add a caption

Come join us as we celebrate the handmade movement by offering you quality hand-crafted items for you and yours.

Secret Garden Necklace

When I was a little girl we had this wonderful backyard that overlooked a pond and had lots of trees to climb, a large vegetable garden, lots of flowers, and a stone fireplace where the family had cookouts all summer long. My dad put in a swimming pool so he could keep track of all of us and so we had a tall fence all away around the perimeter of the yard.

I thought of it as a wonderland and called it my secret garden. I would open the gate and it just seemed magical inside; like there was a whole new world beyond that fence!

This is what I was thinking of when I created this 25" long necklace. I love the pretty pendant of flowers in pink and black, and I added sterling silver chain, swarovski pearls, and charms containing small pearls, crystals and beads of Czech glass...and I couldn't forget the key to open the gate and enjoy the magic within!

The Secret Garden Necklace is for sale in my Etsy Shop! I am offering FREE SHIPPING on all items in my shop!

Let's Talk About Facebook

According to recent statistics, there are more than 200 million active users on Facebook, half of which log on to Facebook every day. An average user has approximately 120 friends and more than 4 million users become fans of pages every day! Rather staggering numbers! I know what you are saying...I said the same thing a few years ago...how does knowing that my friend Jason has joined the group "I Love Bacon" help me market my indie handmade business? The answer of course is setting up a Facebook Fan Page and then utilizing that page in conjunction with your personal Facebook page to connect with your customers, and form a solid community with other handmade artisans.

I decided to use Facebook for my business to accomplish the following goals:

1. Gain exposure to people who are searching for my products
2. Connect and engage with current and potential customers
3. Create a community around my business
4. Ultimately be able to promote other content that I create whether it be my blog, tutorials, webinars, etc

Some of the great features built in to Facebook are you can use third party applications to launch your Etsy mini or Artfire Kiosk on your fan page for instance. You can post all the links where fans can find you on Twitter, your personal blog, and at your Etsy shop. You can post topics to your own personal Discussion Board that will help link users together. Topics can include: share your Etsy Shop link, do you have a Twitter channel, do you have a blog...this can generate a value to your fan page for the readers within the handmade community and help them further their efforts to receive more traffic to their online selling site.

First things first...they way Facebook is set up, everything evolves around an individual Facebook profile. The profile represents the individual and is held under your individual name. Around this profile, you can create a Facebook Fan Page to represent your business. Here are some resources that help you set up your Facebook Profile:

• All Facebook
• VideoJug
• Squiddo
  

Some resources to help you set up your Facebook Fan Page:

• Socialbees
• Rants and Raves of a New Age Chick
• Etsy Storque

Okay, your profile and fan page is all set up...now what? Well, for your personal profile...go out and get some friends! Here's a few tips on how to go about it:

• Start with your center of influence--your friends, family, colleagues
• Join some groups on Facebook and make friend requests of members who share same interests--Etsy groups for instance are a great way to connect with fellow artisans and buyers too!
• Once you begin to get friend confirmations Facebook with send you an email that the person has confirmed you as a friend and will give a list of some of the friends they have that you might be interested in. That has a snowballing affect and you end up with a nice group of targeted friends within your interest group.

Now you need to get followers for your fan page! A nifty way to start is to invite all of your friends and family to become a fan. There is a quick and easy way to make this request right on the fan page on the far left; there's a link that's called "Suggest to Friends" that will pull up a list of all your profile friends and send invitations to become a fan of your fan page. This is a wonderful way to start getting fans to your page. Other ways include:

• Join a thread (or start one) in Etsy forums requesting Facebook Fans
• Join one of the groups within Facebook such as "Etsy" and post to the Discussion Page all topics concerning Facebook Fan Pages
• Tweet about your Fan Page on Twitter
• Post it on you blog--encourage people to join using a giveaway or some special incentive for Facebook Fans
• Put a Facebook Fan Page Badge on your blog--readers can quickly get to your fan page and become a fan in a few easy steps
  

Once you have established your fan page, you owe it to yourself to begin using the wonderful analytics option that you can access right from your page called Insights. As we all know, a key component to any marketing activity is measuring and analyzing the results of your efforts. Utilizing Facebook Insights as well as Google Analytics for measurements outside your page, here are a few metrics to consider:

• Reach--total number of fans, group members, or friends
• Engagement--the level of engagement and number of conversations with potential and current customers and fans. Insights, lets you track valuable metrics such as page views, wall posts, discussion threads, and photo views.
• Impact on Sales Funnel--the number of visitors from Facebook to your website that convert into customers and sales. Use a marketing analytics program such as Google Analytics to track the impact on your sales directly related to your Facebook Fan Page.

You can also use Facebook Insights to monitor the demographics of your fans and use this to tailor both your fan page content and your business products themselves to suit your target market.

Facebook is a tool for connecting people with those around them. And, as with any social media tool, handmade indie business owners have an opportunity to use Facebook to expand their online footprint and engage with customers directly. The end result is increased traffic to their online selling venue and ultimately increased sales. More than that, it can promote the feeling of collaboration and community which is such a vital part of the handmade industry itself!

So my Facebook Fan Page is here...how about yours? Post yours in the comments following this entry and I'll be sure to become your next fan!

And The Winner of Lunarbelle's Giveaway Is...

Steffi Snape! Congratulations Steffie! You should check out her blog called Mizz Snape Lives For A Day! It's really a great one with giveaways and some wonderful insights into this young writer's world!

I would like to thank Lunarbelle for participating as this week's Feature Etsy Artisan and thanks to all that took a peek and participated! Hope you enjoyed the feature!

Happy Halloween!! Featured Prdouct for the Day!

I know, I know, to commemorate Halloween I should feature something orange and black...but instead I am offering 20% off this lovely pink crystals and pearls coil bracelet for today only!! Use the code BLG1031 when ordering and the 20% discount will be refunded to you through PayPal.

This sparkling and sweet 6 ring coil bracelet is made with smaller beads such as crystals, pearls, coral, and interesting spacers, this bracelet is both delicate and solid and would make the perfect Christmas gift for your special girl...or even for yourself!!!

Pink goes with everything from black to white and many colors in between and this little bracelet is a wonderful accessory for work attire, casual attire, or that little black dress! Check it out at my Etsy Shop and remember, Zur Designs offers free shipping which makes this even more of a bargain!

This Week's Featured Etsy Shop is: Lunarbelle and She's Having A GIVEAWAY!!!!

This week's featured Etsy Shop is Lunarbelle! Her shop and her designs are just beautiful!

She is located in Australia and loves making jewelry. She almost feel like beads have taken over her life! When you start dreaming about them then you know it is a passion! Many of us know what that's like!!

The name Lunarbelle was derived from: Lunar because her sign is Cancer and Belle is her daughter's nickname.

She started making jewelry about five years ago and has been plying family and friends with her creations! She also sells pieces at a local gift shop and on ebay in Australia.

She found Etsy and thought it would be a wonderful place to list some of her work. She is a proud member of the DUST Team on Etsy, a group of Australian Artists, Crafts people and Artisans who support Etsy and wish to promote independent Handcrafted Goods here in Australia and
worldwide.

Take a look at her wonderful shop for yourself!

Etsy Buy Handmade Lunarbelle

Here are some places to find Lunarbelle:

• Blog
• Twitter
  

To commemorate being the Featured Etsy Shop this week, Lunarbelle is having a GIVEAWAY!!! In addition, for this week only she is offering a 15% discount on all items in her shop to all my blog readers!


Take a chance at winning this lovely pair of dainty crystal cathedral bead earrings.
The beads used are a cathedral cut and are lined with copper which gives them a lovely pink/purple glow. A little gold plated bead cap sits on the bottom and a little gold plated heishi bead sits on the top. The earring hooks are gold plated and are an elongated shape which is flattened at the front. The drops measure 15mm from the bottom of the hook.

Okay here's how it works:

1. Go to Lunarbelle's shop and choose an item you love and leave a comment at the end of this post about your choice
2. Follow Lunarbelle's Blog

Completing those two basic tasks will earn you one chance into the giveaway!

Extra Credit

1. Follow this blog--Zur Designs
2. Follow Lunarbelle on Twitter
3. Follow Zur Designs on Twitter
4. Become a fan on Zur Designs Facebook Fan Page

On Monday, November 2nd I will tally it all up, run it through the random drawing software and announce the winner!

Oh, and if you would like to promote your blog, Facebook page, etc...mention it in your comments!

Thanks everyone and good luck!!!

And The Winner of Featured Etsy Artisan Crystal Pearl's Giveaway Is...

Natalie Jean of Suitcase Art on Etsy! Suitcase Art is about providing what you need for any vintage inspired home or craft projects. Specializing in pyrex and fireking kitchenwares, home decor, and tschokies for every other room in your house.

Natalie Jean is a photographer and you can learn more about her tremendous talent on her blog, her website, and her Twitter Channel.

Congratulations Natalie Jean!

Crystal Pearl and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who entered this giveaway! And as you can see...the next featured
Etsy Artisan is up and running--Lunarbelle! And she is offering a giveaway and a discount to all my blog readers!

My Very First Featured Etsy Shop is: Crystal Pearl! And There's A GIVEAWAY!!!

Crystal Pearl offers beaded t-shirts, tanks and lingerie, plus beautiful vintage and antique jewelry, including gold and silver, brooches, necklaces, rings, earrings, bracelets, etc.

The shop's proprietor comes from a family well-versed in the art of needlecraft. As a child, her mother made a lot of the clothing for the family, her aunt worked in the center of London as a seamstress, and she herself, from a very young age, designed her own doll clothing, studied needlework and continues to make clothing for herself today!

Crystal Pearl offers high quality vintage jewelry and unique upcycled and hand embellished items of clothing using a variety of materials such as faux jet, amberite, metallic buttons, acrylic buttons, ribbon, synthetic fur, and 80 year old glass Chinese trade beads specially imported from Thailand!

Take a look at some of the offerings in Crystal Pearl's Etsy Shop!!

You can also follow Crystal Pearl on:

• Facebook
• Twitter
  
• Flickr
• Burdastyle
• USTrendy
• Blog

Etsy Buy Handmade CrystalPearl

As featured artisan of the week, Crystal Pearl would like to offer a special giveaway, her amberite whirlygig pendant, to all my blog readers. To the lucky winner of this week's drawing, Crystal Pearl is offering this beautiful handmade silver and amberite pendant on a colored plaited leather thong. Various thong colors available (please specify if you have a color preference and she will try to accommodate.) Great for clubbing!


Here's how it works:

1. Become a follower of this blog--Zur Designs
2. Become a follower of Crystal Pearl's blog

Those two steps will win you one chance at the amberite whirlygig pendant.

For extra credit (for all you over-achievers out there!) each one of the following activities will earn you one extra chance in the prize drawing:

• Become a fan of Crystal Pearl on Facebook
• Become a fan of Zur Designs on Facebook
• Follow Crystal Pearl on Twitter
• Follow Zur Designs on Twitter
• Become one of Crystal Pearl's contacts on Flickr
• Become one of Crystal Pearl's contacts on Burdastyle

Leave a comment at the end of this post telling me that you have completed the two basic steps and what extra credit steps you took and on Monday, October 26th I will tally it all up and announce the winner! Also, if you'd like to mention your blog or other sites...feel free and I will follow you back!

Also, if you have an Etsy shop and would like to be a featured artisan on my blog, leave a comment after this post with your shop link and I will convo you!

Thanks in advance and Good Luck Everyone!!!

Something New!!! Featured Etsy Shop!!!

Beginning Monday, October 19th, I will be starting something new! I am going to be featuring a different Etsy Shop every week. There is so much talent and so many great gift ideas on Etsy...I just wanted to take the opportunity to showcase some great shops and let you see for yourself! Enjoy!

Tips On Making An Etsy Treasury

An Etsy Treasury is a curated collection of Etsy items chosen by Etsy users. Each of these collections are posted on the Etsy Treasury page for a limited amount of time for buyers and sellers to look through.

Anyone with an Etsy account can create a treasury and they can choose anyone from the many Etsy shops available within the Etsy Universe to be a part of that treasury.

Usually these treasuries are themed by color or idea or concept. All the treasuries I have looked at are quite lovely. To your left is an example of an Etsy Treasury.

There are actually two treasury types of Etsy Treasuries: the traditional treasury and Etsy Treasury West. This gives you two opportunities to either put together a treasury or be chosen to be in one.

I ran across some resources that may prove helpful:

• Rachel Lucie, Jewellry Designs posted a wonderful how-to on her blog. I picked this information up in one of the forums of Indiepublic and wow it was quite a find. Take a look for yourself! Don't forget to view the comments on this post because there is useful information there too! One commenter mentions the Storque Article on Treasuries as a good resource.
• Here's a Treasury Tutorial from the Etsy Forums by Fishstikks that gave a lot of good information
  
• I also found this blog post by Owl on the Sill that was very informative.
• And once you make your first treasury, you will want to take a look at this post by Jessica Poundstone. I found this on Associated Content (AC) under Lifestyle, Crafts and Hobbies.
• And I love this article on why we make Treasuries by Etsy shop owner saltandpaper!
  

Hope these help!

Timothy Adam Webinar On Driving Traffic to Your Etsy Shop

So Tuesday night, October 13th at 9PM EDT, I attended Timothy Adam's webinar that covered topics involving driving more traffic to your Etsy shop (although it could apply to any online selling site). The material was awesome! Tim and his colleague Andy Drish began with the premise that there were over 1.5 million items listed on Etsy per month. Given that staggering number, it is necessary to develop new marketing strategies to drive traffic to your Etsy Shop. That is not to say that the tried-and-true strategies are no longer effective such as renewing items in your Etsy shop every day; this is just no longer enough to get seen due to the proliferation of items available for sale. As a matter of fact, Tim stated that renewing certain or all of your items (depending on the amount of items you have in your shop) gives buyers the impression of a fresh shop that is open for business each and every day.

In addition to the renew strategy, Tim also mentioned what we all know is important--the photos of our products. Without buyers being able to feel or touch our products, we have five pictures to convince them that this is the item they want to buy. I know for myself, I have a bunch of photos that need replacing because they don't show how beautiful the item really is!

Pricing was also discussed and Tim pointed us in the direction of the Etsy calculator tool that helps you determine the right pricing for your items. Andy explained the phrase "price framing" to us which simply put means that people like to regress to the mean when purchasing products. This bit of psychology can be very helpful for those of us who struggle with pricing!

Offline marketing efforts were also mentioned such as art shows, fairs, and utilizing business cards to get the word out there about your online selling shop.

But the meat of the webinar was about tapping into social networking sites and blogging as an effective means to not only develop a customer base but to create a community-based network within the handmade industry. Some of the highlights of information and advice he gave to us included:

• Use your blog as your home base and then send out to Facebook and Twitter sending them back to your blog in order to enhance the amount of traffic to your selling site
• Facebook is the fasting growing viral network out there and has the ability to show your network not only text but pictures to promote your work and the work of fellow artisans
  
• Utilize the Facebook Fan Page Insights to track your demographic information and see exactly where your fans are coming from
• Go out and find followers on Twitter by using directories like We Follow or follow who follows Tim on his Twitter channels so that you have a base of people who are truly interested in your industry and work
• Sign up for HootSuite which is an application that helps you manage your Twitter channels and actually has the capability of scheduling tweets for later so you can have steady timed tweets even if you are not able to be at your desk to tweet them!

The remaining part of the webinar was devoted to one of Tim's latest projects: Handmadeology University (HMU). This is a subscription based site that gives you all the benefits of Tim's knowledge and expertise plus the feeling of community amongst all other members of HMU. Here are some of the benefits you receive by being a part of HMU:

• Valuable ebooks about Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, Time Management, and Google Analytics
• 8 hours of recorded personal coaching calls
• Fabulous forums
• Tim's Product Launch Formula regarding building a solid email list
• A free webinar per month
  

And much, much more! Contact Tim Adam at one of his many places on the web for more information on how to become a member!
Here's an earlier post about resources for marketing and promoting your indie artisan business, in case you missed it!

What Is StumbleUpon And How Can It Enhance My Web-Based Business?

I must confess, I "stumbled upon" StumbleUpon a few months ago, installed the toolbar that allows you to be shown a certain website and you can either choose the "thumbs up" if you like it, or choose the "thumbs down" if you do not. It was fun...it allowed me to see content that matched my interests and I saw sites that I ordinarily would never have run across. But, I never equated it to my business and never really though of using it as part of my overall marketing strategy.

StumbleUpon is a social website which allows its users a new way to experience the Internet. Instead of searching for specific items on search engines like Google, StumbleUpon users only have to tag specific personal or professional interests and then ‘channel surf’ the web by simply clicking on a button on StumbleUpon tool bar.

Enhancing Your Online Business

The first step, after signing up for StumbleUpon is to check to see if your website/blog/selling site is already listed. You can do this by going to this page.

If your website is not listed, you can start using your newly installed toolbar to tag and review it by clicking on the blue thumbs up symbol which has “I like it!” next to it.

This will open a pop-up panel which allows you to categorize your website, write a short description and tag with specific keywords. Following which, your website will be included in Stumble Upon’s database and will show up when other users with interests similar to your tags use the Stumble Upon toolbar to surf the internet.

Here are a list of benefits from using StumbleUpon as part of your social networking strategy:

• Traffic from StumbleUpon ordinarily has the lowest bounce rate. The bounce rate tells you how many users instantly ran away after landing on your site. Latest data indicates that traffic received from StumbleUpon has about a 30% bounce rate which is rather extraordinary. Even very targeted Google traffic typically yields a bounce rate of between 70-80%.
• Tying into the low bounce rate, StumbleUpon users tend to have a large page view rate--averaging two pages per visit.
  
• Because each StumbleUpon user chooses categories based on their own interests, you will be receiving approximately 95% new visitors to your site that are interested in your products
• Each time one of the almost 8.5 million StumbleUpon users likes your blog post or your site, you get a new burst of traffic. That tends to create a rather steady flow of traffic when you are looking at almost 8.5 million users.
• StumbleUpon users tend to be a bit more polite than some of the other social networking voting sites. Therefore, there is usually no biting comments that can impact the opinion of other visitors to your site.
• StumbleUpon's almost 8.5 million users are from all parts of the world therefore giving your site international traffic.

How To Optimize StumbleUpon to Drive Traffic to Your Site

Naturally, once you have these deluxe visitors, you want to do what you can to keep them. Here are a few things you can do in order to keep the stumblers coming back to your site:

• Provide good content--try only to stumble the best content on your site
• Offer email subscriptions--having various options to view your site can help attract all different kinds of visitors and keep them involved
• Hold a giveaway--everyone loves free stuff! This will keep your visitors coming back more frequently
• Make StumbleUpon users feel welcome--if you notice in your analytics that many of your visitors were stumblers, welcome them to your site. Remember to post your richest content after you have been heavily stumbled to attract them to come back and stay on as a loyal follower
  

How Many StumbleUpon Visits Are We Talking About?

One can expect anywhere from 100 to 10,000 visitors from StumbleUpon every day and these are completely unique visitors! One of my fellow Etsians reported that her Etsy site was stumbled and she received 600 views to her shop in one day that ultimately culminated in sales if I recall. She didn't even know who had stumbled her and was anxious to find out so she could thank that person!!

Of course the number of users is going to depend on a lot of factors. Some of these factors are:

• The number of thumbs up you received from these stumblers
• The number of users in your StumbleUpon network
• Number of StumbleUpon friends
• Number of profie reviews you have which tends to make the user more credible

If you have a user stumble upon your site that has a large number of friends in their network and is known as an authority, you can expect to see the higher end of StumbleUpon visits each and every day.

So it appears that you need to have other Stumble friends and create a rich well rounded profie of stumbles; broad within your categories and take the time to review the sites you stumble upon...you can begin to generate a large volume of traffic to your site that will be a rich mix of people who are genuinely interested in the content you write and/or the products you sell. Did you sign up to StumbleUpon yet?

Optimizing Twitter As A Marketing Tool

I really enjoy using Twitter to market my indie business. I've developed some nice contacts within the handmade industry that promotes a sense of community. What I've learned is that you can develop a following if you put a little personal in with your promotion, be respectful by not constantly inundating people with with rapid fire tweets; but using Twitter to keep followers informed of items in your shop, giveaways, and features or resources from other shops within the industry.

Like many people who join Twitter, I followed everyone and happily tweeted for awhile and then began to see the significant impact Twitter had on the number of views to my shop and the number of contacts made within my industry. I became compelled to find out what tools were available to track the impact this and enhance my overall use of this fabulous micro blogging tool. The simplicity of Twitter warrants the use of some third party applications in order to maximize your Twitter space and experience...so I went off to check in with reliable experts about what types of tools and auxiliary sites were available to "pimp" my Twitter ride.

Well I soon found that there are thousands of amazing tools and sites out there related to Twitter!

Here is a small sampling of some useful applications and sites for Twitter:

• TinyURL--with only 140 maximum for each Tweet; shortening some of the lengthy URLs comes in very handy. I have TinyURL right on my toolbar so that it's at my fingertips when I am ready to tweet. This one is probably a no-brainer for most Twitterers but certainly a must have for those just getting started in the world of tweets.
• Twitterfeed--have feed from your Etsy Shop (or other selling venue) and your blog linked through Twitterfeed. This way whenever you post a new item to Etsy, it is posted directly to Twitter and every time you make a blog post, that goes directly to Twitter as well. This saves a great deal of time.
  
• Twitter Background applications--there are many of these to choose from! Some offer free backgrounds; others cost a nominal amount if you want to customize the background with photos and information about where else your followers can find you on the Internet. I've had good luck with MyTweetSpace but do a search and choose for yourself!
• TweetStats--tracks your Tweets per hour and per month and presents it in graph form. Additionally, the site gives you the ability to view your Tweet Cloud which shows you all the tags you have used. Good stuff!
• Twitter Grader--uses a special algorithm to rate the power of your twitter profile. It looks at a variety of factors including the number of followers, power of those followers and the level to which you are engaging the community. It takes just a few seconds to generate your free report.
• TwitterCounter--tracks the stats of over four million users and helps predict your projected users based on your Twitter statistics. You can also put a remote counter on your website or blog.
• iFollowBack--sign up at this sight and join groups that are closely related to your market or area of interest. You agree to follow back all users that follow you and it is simple to do this right on the site. This is the planful way to build a follower base and establish yourself within a community.
• TwitPic--share pictures on Twitter. You can post pictures to TwitPic from your phone, the TwitPic homepage or your Twitter account. I just signed up for this one to check it out.

And the list goes on! Here are some other resources I ran across that might help you optimize Twitter, whatever your goal might be:

• Timothy Adam--his Timothy Adam Design blog has quite a few informative articles on Twitter and how he has optimized the use of it to market and brand his business.
• Check out the information on The Crafted Webmaster and download her Twitter Newbie's Guide if you are just getting started with Twitter.
• Check out Mashable--The Social Media Guide for lots of good articles and information about getting the most out of Twitter.
• Here's an article from Smashing Magazine that lists "The 99 Essential Twitter Tools and Applications"

And don't forget to Tweet any good information you find!

And The Winner of the Zur Designs Giveaway Is...

First of all, I would like to thank all the people who entered my
very first giveaway! Thank you all for following my blog!

So I used one of those random number generators to make it
fair to all the participants. I matched the number against the followers list to determine the winner. It was really cool!

And the winner is...

Congratulations Kim and thank you for following my blog!

Check out Kim's blog, and visit her Etsy Shop, her ArtFire shop, and find her
on Zibbet. You can follow VA Beach Quilter on Twitter and check out
her Facebook Fan Page.

Again, thanks to everyone who participated!

FINAL DAY OF ZUR DESIGNS GIVEAWAY!!!

Zur Designs is having a GIVEAWAY!!! Today's the LAST DAY!!!

All those who sign up to follow my blog TODAY will be entered into a sweepstakes to win my Emerald Isle earrings! They make a great gift to start your holiday shopping or a great treat just for you!!



These earrings are made with bali headpins, potato pearls, swarovski crystals, natural green stones, bali spacers, and sterling silver fish hooks. They are elegant enough for dressing up but you'll want to wear them every day!
So here's how it works:

* Just click the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog
* Your name will be automatically entered into the drawing for "Emerald Isle Earrings"
* I will announce the winner on this blog on October 8th!!


Oh, and if you'd like me to follow your blog...leave a comment on my blog!

Thanks everyone in advance and GOOD LUCK!!

Fall Foliage Designs

Yes, the leaves are changing here in the Berkshires and the landscape hues have inspired me to create some special fall pieces!

Like this Fall Foliage Coil Bracelet made with ryolite, yellow rounds and orange bicone swarovski crystals, dreamcicle adventurine, ukanite rounds, a variety of natural stones, bali spacers and bead caps. Can't you picture wearing it for Thanksgiving? Or any of the fall parties coming up over the next few weeks?

I also designed a pretty ryolite ring wrapped in 14K gold filled wire with a pearl and a little natural stone surrounding the ryolite oval.
All the fall colors are represented in this sweet little ring!

Then I went wild with a variety of natural stones and made The Natural, a chunky coil bracelet. The large focal beads are grossularite and I used every shape and size of natural stones, bloodstone, and honey jade in between! Plus some bali spacers in two shapes. It's chunky, it's colorful, and it's great for fall!

Still working on a few more designs for this collection...so off I go to my studio to create some more! Stay tuned!

Zur Designs Giveaway Starts Today!!!!

Beginning today, October 1st (do you believe it's October?) and running through October 7th, Zur Designs will be running a giveaway! All those who sign up to follow my blog between these dates will be entered into a sweepstakes to win my Emerald Isle earrings! They make a great gift to start your holiday shopping or a great treat just for you!!



These earrings are made with bali headpins, potato pearls, swarovski crystals, natural green stones, bali spacers, and sterling silver fish hooks. They are elegant enough for dressing up but you'll want to wear them every day!
So here's how it works:

* Just click the "Follow" button on the right hand side of my blog
* Your name will be automatically entered into the drawing for "Emerald Isle Earrings"
* I will announce the winner on this blog on October 8th!!


Oh, and if you'd like me to follow your blog...leave a comment on my blog!

Thanks everyone in advance and GOOD LUCK!!