Pulp Sushi

Green & White

It has been a hectic couple of days but I did manage to add two new items to the Etsy shop. First up, a pair of earrings loosely inspired by Ireland, Erin, which is another name for Ireland in case you did not know, it's based on the Irish word Eire.

Next is a totally bridal inspired piece, Purity Spring, although this is not strictly for a bride to wear just to make that clear.  :)

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Do anything fun this weekend? I was on the search for new rainboots as my current pair have cracks in each boot and water would seep in.  Am I the only one this happens to?  You know the kind I'm talking about...

I am now on my third pair and I hope they last a bit. As cute as they are, they are not the most comfortable to walk in but I guess I would rather put up with the discomfort than wet socks.

Anyway, tomorrow is the official start of Indie Business 3.0!  I have my workbook binder all nice and pretty. I'll share my weekend craft project with everyone tomorrow.

Helping The Hectic

I recently witness an Etsy team form right before my eyes. I was in the Business Forum, or Etsy Business Topics Team, whatever the heck it is now, and there was a very interesting thread about people who juggle their Etsy shops with a "regular" full-time job. It was interesting to see how many people shared their testimonials and how they manage to multi-task. For instance, I am not the only one that does most of my photographing & editing on the weekends and then try to post items throughout the week - mostly during the evenings, I also am not the only one that uses their work computer for Etsy business - mostly promoting (my job is ok with that).  Smartphones are also a godsend when you have longer commutes like I do and I can catch up on convos, emails, etc while riding the train on the way to work.

So, long story short, in this thread Christine from Teener1416 ended up starting the team Helping The Hectic - The Working/Student Crafter Team.  And it's not just limited to people with jobs, being a full-time student is a lot of work too so the group is open to them too. I jumped right on this.  It definitely  has that support group feel to it. I am constantly feeling like I can be more organized to the point where I might be slightly neurotic about it. Hopefully this group can help me get a grip. :)

New Flower Rings

New Big Rose Rings have been added in the last couple of days.  Now available in Silver, Plum and bright Red.  These rings are so fun!  Big enough to get noticed but not obnoxiously big to get caught on stuff.

Yesterday was a super good day for the Hudson Valley Etsy Team.  The team was featured in the Etsy Finds newsletter, right on top!

Don't get the Etsy Finds newsletter, click this link to view it (I hope it works, it's a crazy link).  I've joined a couple of teams but this team is special and dear to me because it's the only team where I can actually see the other members in person and it's really taking steam in the last year and I think 2011 is gonna be a great year for the group.  After the success of the Holiday show back in December - the teams first event, we're now working on a Spring show, hooray go team!

 

No More Ads & Blog Feature

I recently joined the Etsy Blog Team, WHY did it take me so long to join this team? I am just not on the ball with things sometimes. Anyway, better late than never.  The team is starting to feature members that have "great blogs" (their words, not mine) and I was the first to get featured!  You can check out the post here.  Blogging can be a very useful too in promoting your Etsy shop so this a good team to join if you're new to blogging or just looking to connect with other Etsy bloggers.

 

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Something occurred to me recently, I don't know if you noticed, but I removed my Project Wonderful ads.  I had it set up where I would approve every ad that placed a bid. After a while I got tired of looking at all the emails and the same people bidding over and over and over and for what? 2 cents?  I don't want to have that anymore.  I tried to have sponsors last year and my blog just isn't big enough for that and to be honest, I'm ok with that.   I love my blog and I love writing posts but I don't want to get to the point where it stops being fun because I feel like I have to post daily, multiple times in order to get hits.  I'm not trying to make money off of this blog. Friends? Connections? Sure!   So yeah, no more ads (sorry!) and I moved all of my links to a separate blog roll page

I love reading blogs and finding new blogs to read, shops to discover, pretty pictures, and overall peeks in to other people lives, I think it's fun!  So if you have a blog you'd like me to check out, leave a comment here and I promise I'll visit!

I finally made a blog button that anyone is welcome to use.

<a href="http://pulpsushi.typepad.com" _mce_href="http://pulpsushi.typepad.com" target="_blank"> <img src="http://pulpsushi.typepad.com/psbutton.jpg" _mce_src="http://pulpsushi.typepad.com/psbutton.jpg" border="0"/> </a>

New This Week

Hope everyone had a nice weekend! I am so thankful to have the extra day off today for President's Day.  It still doesn't stop the shop from getting new stuff added.  Today I added a new pair of earrings and yesterday was the Sky Rose necklace.   I'm working on getting more Big Rose rings added this week.

Saturday I visited the loveliest store! Simplicity in Poughkeepsie is a store that I learned about back at the Valentine's Day art show in Kingston.  The store is a eco-chic boutique of fashionable and affordable clothing, accessories and home goods, including vintage and new items, fair trade merchandise and underground labels.  And it is HUGE! It was like walking into a Pier 1 but with nice clothes and shoes.  I see myself spending a lot of time here.

My pictures do not do this place justice. I had to tell the owner Megan how beautiful I thought the store was. I must must must go back there soon. She is expecting more dresses to come in for the Spring. :)

Etsy Photo Shoot

You might have seen it on Etsy recently, but Inc. Magazine was looking for Etsy sellers to feature in an upcoming piece about the website. The photoshoots were held last Friday. When I first heard about it, I thought "Why not?" and told them I  would be there at 9 am sharp. I should take advantage of any free publicity I could get and being in New York and so close to Etsy headquarters is a benefit.

The loft space looked like I stepped into an Anthropologie catalog. I loved it! I had to experiment with my new toy some more and sneak some pictures.

A huge space with gorgeous rustic looking furniture everywhere. Can I move in? But none of it was part of the actual shoot. I got there a little before 9:00 and there was one other person ahead of me.  Basically, I just had a series of headshots taken. I was modeling a pair of my earrings and one of my necklaces.  Thankfully the photographer was SO nice.  I usually don't like how I look in photos which is why you don't see too many pictures of myself posted here but he showed me a couple of shots he took and I was quite pleased with how I looked.  I was so worried that I was going to look like a Cro-Mag.

Ultimately, we'll see what ends up getting used (if any at all). I wonder how many Etsy sellers showed up for this? I guess I will have to wait until April to see!

Happy Friday and have a nice weekend!

Ask And Ye Shall Receive

Let's get right to it!   The winner of these cute Chrysanthemum Stud Earrings is

 
 
Congratulations!  I will send you an email to get your shipping information. Thank you EVERYONE who entered!  That was fun,  I will definitely do more.  :)

Valentine's Day came and went and I didn't say much about it.  But I was *very* shocked when my boyfriend surprised me with a necklace from Pretty Things By Meg

Totally not planned that I happen to be wearing this color top on Valentine's Day.  I had to get a photo of me modeling this right then and there. It's even more  lovely in person.

 

Fairytale Sunday

Another necklace I added this past weekend is Fairytale Sunday this time using Yellow shell pearls.  Click on the image to see the item not tricked out on my iPhone. I'm sorry I'm addicted the Instagram filters!!!

The Crafting In Color Etsy Team is another team I am a member of, and they have moved their blog to Tumblr which is great since it's such a visual team.   Definitely worth checking out, I'll give you a sneak peak of the great items and talent you will find there.

 

Cherries After Midnight

Happy Valentine's Day! Hope your day is filled with warm fuzzies and yummy chocolate.  The shade of red in my latest necklace (Cherries After Midnight) reminds me of chocolate covered cherries. This is the first time I am using Shell Pearl Beads in an item. A little bigger and heavier than the Jade beads but still just as pretty.

Valentine's Day is actually not that big of a deal for me and my boyfriend.  Sure we exchange cards and go out to dinner but we don't go crazy with the gift-giving.  That's what Birthdays and Christmas is for.   We did have a fantastic weekend though.  We went to Cornell Street Studios in Kingston, NY with some friends for the opening of the art show Romance In Art & Music.  Along with me already selling my jewelry there, my boyfriend had two paintings included in the show.

I took some more snapshots, it was a very nice time with a huge turnout.  I love that Pulp Sushi is affiliated with this gallery, everything was so well put together.

I love going to art galleries, especially when there's an opening.  It's even more exciting when I discover new artists to follow.   This particular show will go on for a month before they set up for their next exhibit - which I'm working on more pieces for that too.  I'm very glad that Renee, the curator, found me on Etsy back on October.  Sometimes you just don't know when a great opportunity comes knocking.

Speaking of an opportunity, today is the last day to enter to win a pair of Chrysanthemum Earrings!  Get in on that!  Winner will be annouced this Wednesday.

Snow Birds

It's been a couple of months since I put together a Flickr Favorites, and I can't seem to get this snow out of my head. There has been a storm coming through every week since the day after Christmas.

1. lil bird 247/365, 2. Winter Blues, 3. winter bird, song sparrow, 4. Birds in Snow, 5. Snow Birds, 6. My Winter Bird Garden with Snow ~ Worcestershire January 2010, 7. Female Cardinal in the Snow, 8. Snow Bird, 9. Winter Has Arrived... YAY!

The cardinals are my favorite.   Snow is very pretty when it's falling, it's so quiet and peaceful but after a couple of days as it gets dirty and turns to slush, bleech!

I was one of the Crazies that jumped at Verizon's offer to pre-order the iPhone last week. Well needless to say, I can't keep my hands off of it and the Instagram app is extra awesome. Do you like my tiny Buddha? He along with another version of him keeps me company at the office during the day. Do you like the way this image looks? This app lets you filter your images to look weathered and older. It adds more charm and character to any image. Like this picture I took last night outside my parents window. Reminds me of 1970s New York.

**Don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY!!**

Earrings Giveaway!!

Yes you read that right! I'm giving away a pair of Chrysanthemum stud earrings!!! They come in a gloss shade of pink/violet mix.   The Chrysanthemum studs are some of my most popular items and I love wearing them myself.   They're a great size that can compliment any outfit.

How do I win these cuties?  It's simple!  Just leave a comment in this post to be eligible.  You get extra entries for tweeting, including it in a blog post, or sharing on your Facebook and leaving a comment here letting me know.  This contest is open to everyone (US & International) and you have until Monday, February 14, 2011 (Valentine's Day) to enter.  I will annouce the winner next Wednesday - who will be notified by email so *please* make sure to leave a reachable email in your comment.

Overlay from Pugly Pixel

Look Ma, I'm Learning!

So there's still a couple of weeks before the Indie Business Workshop begins but I am already so happy I signed up.  Right now everyone is just introducing themselves and I'm enjoying checking out everyone's web pages. My classmates stem from all over the globe with such diverse backgrounds but we all share the goal of running a successful independent business. I discovered some new blogs and Etsy shops to follow too which is always nice.

My knitting is starting to come along nicely.  I am working on my third scarf, this time using TWO colors (*gasp*)...

That's actually the "back" of the scarf - if that makes any sense. I love that I am finally finally finally learning how to knit after talking about it for years and procrastinating. I might go through that box of yarn quicker than I thought.

I think the next thing I will try to do is doing the Purl and Knit stitch on the same item. And to think this is all through learning on You Tube and a quickie tutorial from some team mates.

PS: Come back tomorrow for a Giveaway!

Flowers Flowers Everywhere!

Meet one of my latest necklaces - The Blushing Flower Girl. It's in the spirit of Valentine's Day next week but really, this can be worn any time.  If these colors seem too girly for you, I have a similar item also available, Girl In The Garden that just invokes Summer!  There's also lots of color in the new Rainbow Flower Bouquet necklace. Maybe I'm just getting tired of looking out my window and just seeing WHITE!  Spring is coming soon, I just have to keep telling myself that.

Stay tuned as I will be annoucing a GIVEAWAY midweek (hint: more flowers).  Have a wonderful week!

My Dream Job

Dealing with my daily commute especially this winter has made me think more about my Dream Job. My dream is to become my own boss and not have to rely on a 40+ hour office job to get by. I want to do more than just "get by", I want to LIVE! To wake up each morning and embracing the day instead of dragging myself along. I picture myself with my own cute little storefront selling quality handmade accessories and original art. I will glady accept the long hours that being my own boss entails.  Yeah, I've been thinking about this more during my long train ride down to Manhattan.

When I was laid off in 2008, I thought it was my opportunity to take a crack at it.  Unfortunately, the economy went kerplunk and my Etsy shop was not bringing in enough to support me solely. I had to find another full-time job which took a year longer than I would have liked. Fast-forward to 2010 and I'm working, sales didn't start picking up until November. So far 2011 is starting off better than this time last year but I can't quit my day job yet. It always comes down to Savings and some medical bills are still in the way.

Of course this can't happen over night. The thought of what to work on first overwhelms me. I've taken a couple of steps already like downloading the workbook Shop Makeover: Writing a Business Plan and following Tricia McKellar's blog, Wonder Thinking. Another step is taking this course...

I remember when this course first started and thought it was a great idea but I wasn't ready to commit. This is the third one they're offering and the testimonials I've read sound very promising. So I'm all signed up and I'll keep you updated on how this goes.  

Here's another great blog post to check out from Crafting an MBA: Four Things You Should do Before Turning Your Passion into Your Full Time Job, happy planning!

Adventures in Craft Swapping

I hosted the Hudson Valley Etsy Team this past Saturday at my place for our monthly team meeting. It was so much fun! It was a huge turnout, Eric from Etsy was even in attendance to tell us more about the new Etsy office opening in Hudson, NY.  Oh you didn't know about that? (Make sure you watch the video clip, it's great!) 

We also did a Craft Supply Swap which allowed us to get rid of supplies we may not need and grab some new items for free. After everyone took what they wanted (which was quite a bit), I was still left over with a lot of supplies like this ENTIRE box of yarn...

...which is great because I am learning how to knit. It hasn't been going too well so I had a couple of team members show me some tricks.  One showed me the Purl stitch and *ding!* something clicked.   The following day I watched a couple of tutorial videos on YouTube and I got started

 
It may not look very neat but I think I'm definitely getting the hang of it.  I'm now working on a white scarf for myself. New York is being hit by another Winter Storm for the next couple of days so I will be crashing at my parents place in Manhattan and I made sure to bring plenty of yarn with me. :)

Other things left over was a bag full of fabric swatches.  I may try to make some jewelry pieces with them, inspired by my Texture Jewelry post from the other day.  I have the idea in my head, execution is sometimes the problem I face.  You may (or may not) see some of them posted here.