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It's a bonus shop update! With me having an extra day off from work yesterday due to the hurricane fix up the area is going through, it allowed me to post a couple more items to the shops after I posted here yesterday. Click images to take you to item listings on Etsy. Autumn is definitely on the brain. :)
END OF SUMMER SALE is still going on at the Etsy shop through Labor Day. Don't wait till the last minute, get 25% off your purchase and free shipping! Use coupon code SUMMER25
Survived Hurricane Irene! Actually it was more like Tropical Storm Irene. Actually it was just a whole lot of rain. I am very fortunate through, I got to just hang out at home all weekend. Didn't lose power or get flooded. Watched a lot of Dr Who and did computer stuff. I know there are others near by who may not have been so lucky. But because there was a lot of flooding, the trains are down and I got word late last night to not come to the office today so looks like I'm home one extra day!
I have a lot of stuff coming up in September so I also spent the weekend just getting it all together. More on that on a later date. =) I just wanted to share my newest item to the Etsy shop...
A new Red Flower Brooch this time including candy jade beads. The flower was hand painted. Can you believe it was originally a bright neon green? The last red brooch sold pretty quickly so I wanted to get another to the shop pronto!
END OF SUMMER SALE is still going on at the Etsy shop through Labor Day. Don't wait till the last minute, get 25% off your purchase and free shipping! Use coupon code SUMMER25
Hey who is that peeking over at After Nine To Five? Why that's me! Yesterday I was Ashley's "New Friend Friday" - go check it out if you haven't already.
I don't usually post on Saturdays but there's a Hurricane heading towards the North East and usually I don't care, it turns out to be nothing but this time everyone is making a huge dead. I still feel like where I live will be ok but I really hope it turns out to be just another storm and nothing more serious. My family still lives in NYC which is suppose to get hit worst than where I live further upstate. But we're all tough cookies, I know we're prepared in the event we have to stay home all weekend (which I wouldn't mind anyway as long as we have power). But if you're reading this and you're in Hurricane Irene's path - BE SAFE!!!
As August is winding down, starting today I am having an End Of Summer Sale at the Etsy shop. Take 25% off your order when you use coupon code SUMMER25 during check out and you'll also get FREE SHIPPING! That's right, I want to clean out my inventory for the Fall/Winter season. This sale will last through Labor Day weekend so jump on it!
So visit the Etsy shop take your time and look around (you have 90+ items to choose from) and don't forget your free gift when you purchase $40 or more!
Today is August 25th and I have a lot to celebrate today.
Ten years ago today I went on my first date with Mike. We hit it off so well online and over the phone that there was no awkwardness when we met in person. We were so cool! Concerts, tattoo conventions, horror conventions...This was before we turned into the grumpy old men from the Muppet Show which is what we are now. So yay Happy Anniversary Mike! We have a dinner date tonight and we both took off of work tomorrow.
Ten years ago my Aunt (Grandmother's sister) passed away which made me had to cut my first date with Mike short. She was suffering from Alzheimers for years and was pretty much a vegetable at this point. The end of her suffering was blessing and relief not only for her but also for my Mother and Grandmother. I'm certain she is in a better place now.
One year ago today was when I had open-heart surgery to fix my aneurysm. It was a very surreal experience that I sometimes still can't believe actually happened until I look in the mirror and see that oh so lovely scar on my chest. I was freaked out by it for a while but I'm over it and don't care who sees it or if they stare at it. I don't mind talking about it if anyone asks but I think people are afraid to.
Source: stylishcorrespondence.com via Marilyn on Pinterest
I wish I can tell you that I DO treat each day like it's my birthday. I get out of bed every morning with the sincerest intentions of doing so. Some days are more challenging than others. Overall I am thankful for my life and my health - even if I continues to experience some funky side effects since the surgery.
Coming out of this has changed my attitude especially when it came to Pulp Sushi. Before I was hesitant to consider it MY BUSINESS at the risk of coming across as a fool, screw that! I put a lot of work into this, you damn right is my business and I'm not ashamed to say it. *THANK YOU* to everyone who has supported the shop(s) and left feedback on my work, it is all always greatly appreciated. XOXO!
Ok everybody, get a napkin out because you'll be drooling over this week's tutorials which are all FOOD related, YUM!
Banana & White Chocolate Muffins! Can you think of anything more tasty right now? Brought to you from Duni's Studio in Germany - Klingt lecker!
Zucchini Pound Cake from I Am Baker with lots of yummy visuals
Breakfast Quinoa Recipe from Sunshine & Carousels which looks really refreshing and probably good any time of the day.
Sometimes things don't go quite the way you plan and you think you're destined for one path but life has something else in store for you. Making this adjustment can be a little daunting. Amy Schubert from Lemons & Raspberry wants to help you with your first steps by offering her new online workshop Onward & Upward which she was kind enough to share a little more about here (and even offer you Pulp Sushi reader a registration discount - keep reading) :)
How did the idea of Onward & Upward come about?
Once, about a year ago, someone close to me made a crack about my ‘day job. Now, I’m definitely a sarcastic person and 99 times out of 100 I can totally take whatever I dish out. But this time was different. This time it hurt. Not just because it was true. This little jab from someone close to me hurt because it was something I had been thinking myself and was kind of ashamed of.
She was joking about how what I do for work doesn’t make a difference to anyone. Which is absolutely true … and exactly what I was thinking when I started working on this class material. We all have work we were put on this earth to do – and it’s time to really discover what that is and act on it. I’ve been brainstorming about Onward and Upward ever since then.
What is your professional background?
I have years and years of critical studies training (including a Masters degree in English), years and years of customer service work and years and years of editorial/PR/copywriting experience. I also have a background in performance, blogging and photography. So, pretty much you could say I'm well-rounded.
Where has this passion for helping others come from?
I grew up in a Christian family, and spent a lot of time as part of our local church. Between volunteering for child care, being involved in the high school group there and all the other extra church-related activities my family was involved in, I spent much of my youth learning the value of serving others.
Then in college I kind of fell into a customer service call center job. It turns out I have an aptitude for customer service and I’ve found I’m meant to help people.
What will someone take away from this workshop?
Ideally, someone would finish the workshop a little less lost, a little more self-confident and a little more fearless than when she started. Or more than “a little” … You can check out the workshop breakdown here.
Beyond just the workshop material, there are plans in place to really encourage connecting, interacting and building relationships with the other workshop attendees. By investing your efforts in the workshop, you should be able to walk away with a new online friend or 2 who understand you and can act as your cheerleader!
Was there a time in your life when you needed a O&U workshop yourself?
Um. Always. Still. This is a never-ending process which is why I am intentionally calling this a WORKSHOP rather than a class. Yes, we’ll learn specific productivity techniques, insight about ourselves, about how to figure out our true passion but mostly we’ll be working through the material together – and finding encouragement and accountability in others going through similar situations or struggles.
PULP SUSHI READER DISCOUNT: Good through Labor Day, enter discount code "SUSHI" for a $15 discount when you register
A little more about Amy & Lemon and Raspberry
I am a writer and a photographer offering tips and inspiration for small business owners and bloggers. I want etsy sellers to improve their product images, I want teachers to improve their sales copy, I want bloggers to grow their audience. Any thing I can do to help you achieve your dream with your blog or small creative business, I am happy to help you with.
At LandR she blog tips and inspiration for creative people – including photography resources, blogging resources, and photos of my messy workspace. I want to encourage everyone to do their best work and accomplish their goals. I believe everyone has big things to accomplish and I want to help them break out of their daily rut and do it! I really want to do GREAT WORK and help others do the same – I think that is the heart of my blog.
In case you missed the announcement over the weekend, a new vendor has been added to Pulp Sushi - H+J Star Creations from Rye, NY. Using exquisite and unique fabrics,these are great items for gifts or for yourself at very affordable prices. Really excited to have them on board.
Thanks for the nice comments left in my last post about my Glamour Ghoul necklace, I'm glad it's well received. :)
I did not want to wait to post on Monday - because I have another post schehduled then ;)
There's no way I can explain my thought process when I make an item. Sometimes an idea will hit me like a bolt of lightning, why didn't I think of this sooner???? The other night I was standing at my work table just staring at the mess, I do this a lot. I was looking at this light blue skull cameo wondering just what on earth am I going to do with this? *Cue the lightning* the phrase "Glamour Ghoul" popped in my head. I don't know if I had heard this term before or what but I thought "YES!!!!!!" and started scrounging for more blue and white goodies and ta-da!
Glamour Ghoul necklace is created! Put is simply, this necklace is Breakfast At Tiffany's meets Dawn Of The Dead. I know I am not the first person to bring skeleton and flowers together but hell, why not? I always say I wanted to bring my ecclectic tastes together and I think this shows it nicely. I'm really proud and excited about this piece. Hope you like it, or find it interesting. :)
I've been on an inspirational roll lately curating some fun treasuries, so here are two treasuries I made this week. I hope you'll check these items out.
Happy Friday! I hope you have something fun planned for this weekend!
I almost didn't have any tutorials to share with you this week, good thing I came across the following...
Paint Swatch Bookmarks from the weekly "Lovely DIY Designs" feature at {just.lovely.things} - how lovely is this? Would make a nice freebie gift don't it?
Here's a neat tutorial on How to do a Fishtail Braid from The Handmade Blog. It's really pretty and I wish I had more hair so I can do this myself but it's pretty curly and thin and crazy. I tried it over the weekend while it was still wet and I gave up after 30 seconds.
Here is a great idea to make your own Wrapping Paper courtesy of Elise from Elise Joy
It's no secret that I love Paper Sparrow, both Andrea's blog and Etsy shop so my day was completely made yesterday when I received a little package from her.
I have been eyeing this print to hang on my little Inspiration Wall for a while now. It's a message I like to be reminded of. You can have your own print which she sells in her shop.
Some other goodies were thrown in the mix, a postcard also featuring her art, cute Kawaii stationery (alpacas!) and old European stamps. Love it all! Thank you Andrea!!! If you guys don't follow her blog, head on over and enjoy!
Before I start, I wanted to thank those who read and commented on yesterday's post. I'm glad I can be of some help.
New on Etsy are some bracelets, I just don't have enough bracelets to offer.
New vendor has been added to Pulp Sushi, fellow Jewelry maker Paige Ronchetti from Little White Chapel. Bringing some Old Hollywood glamour to the shop, she specializes in wedding jewelry for brides and bridal party. You can also follow her blog Final Clothes-Out Don't worry, there are more items from Paige to come, hopefully they will be added tonight.
I had such a fun weekend, and so glad I took off on Friday, it was a gorgeous day and I have the sunburn to prove it. Don't worry, in a few days this sunburn is gonna look awesome. :)
I would like to say that I am in no way an expert on selling on Etsy. I do not sell items on a daily basis but I've become pretty fantatical when it comes to statistics and SEOs and one of the few sellers that actually enjoys the Business aspect of the craft business so I wanted to share my thoughts on the recent changes on Etsy.
I have spent a good part of last week re-tagging all of my Etsy items. I admit I am not always on top of things on Etsy when they make their changes. For the most part, I have accepted and welcome their changes. Anything to make the website better for everyone. I've always accepted that only I am responsible for bringing visitors to my shop and to never anticipate's Etsy's god-awful search to do it for me. On August 9th Etsy announced that they are switching their default search to sort by relevancy and of course everyone went nuts. I kind of went nuts too because I saw my Shop Stats plummet like the Stock Market. The thread on Etsy is way too long for me read it all. From my understanding, you benefit by using tags in your item name and not be so all over the place in your regular tags. Here's an example from my shop:
The tags I had for this item were: white, eggshell blue, peach cream, hvny team, cic team, indiejteam, vintage inspired, romantic, pretty, granny chic, retro secretary, women
Under the new search guidelines, most of these tags are just fluff. No one does a search for "Ophelia's Flowers eggshell blue necklace". You have to get in the mind of the person doing the search, what would YOU enter to look for a necklace like this? How about "vintage inspired flower necklace"? it seems kind of broad but in the days since changing my tags, I've seen a difference in my shop stats and actually have been seeing MORE views so maybe they're on to something. Also with the addition of the Recipient, Occassion and Styles fields also clears up some tag space. So here is my update listing.
New tags are hvny team, indiejteam, vintage inspired, romantic, granny chic, big white flower, flower necklace, shabby chic, large chrysanthemum, colorful flowers, whimsical jewelry, orange flower, eggshell blue flower
I kept some team tags because I would still like to be included in team treasuries. I'm not going to keep searching for my items on Etsy because chances are I'll never see them and I'll drive myself crazy. Again I am not speaking on behalf of Etsy saying this is what they would like their sellers to do going forward, but I am hoping this is correct because it is the only way I can make sense of it.
Friday! And what makes this Friday even more pleasant is that I'm HOME! I took a Summer Day so no trip down to the city today, woohoo!
My Big Green Rose Ring has been getting some treasury love lately
This ring was on Etsy's front page earlier this year. It has a ton of hearts but it is still available. A little background story about this ring and all of my Big Rose rings, they are all made by my boyfriend Mike. He uses liquid plastic which he cast in a mold and then he'll hand paint them whatever color I request - because his art desk has just about every color you can imagine. He paints, seals it and when ready, I attach them to a ring base. So it's still handmade but mostly by him. If you would like a Big Rose Ring in a particular color you don't see listed please let me know, there's a good chance I can make it happen for you. :)
It is time for me to showcase another vendor at Pulp Sushi. I would like to share the lovely Kathy Preston with you all. Currently, you can find the following of Kathy's strong, sturdy canvas totes in the shop
Vintage Camera Tote Bag With Fringe
Vintage Applique Sewing Machine Tote Bag
I became aquainted with Kathy through the Hudson Valley Etsy Team. She helps me out with the team blog by posting the team whereabouts every week. I really like her style, humor and love her work ethic. I'm so happy to be working with her. She also makes baby onesies, bibs, toys, tshirts and more for her shop Gnorasaurus. Since last time I shared a picture of me and Molly Shoelace together at a craft show...
Here's me and Kathy kickin' it at the end of the day this past weekend at our craft show in Kingston. We also had our tables set up next to each other (directly behind us).
Looking for something to do this weekend? Maybe these will keep you busy!
Another super tutorial from Julie Ann. This time it's making a business card display using an Altoids tin. I totally want to do this for the upcoming holiday shows. Anyone have a spare tin? I don't like Altoids personally. :)
I squealed like a piglet when Andrea shared how to make a Spool Necklace on Paper Sparrow, so lovely! And not to be a cheat but....
Andrea also posted a DIY Patten Girl Necklace, are you serious?? Paper Sparrow is such a wonderful blog to read. I hope to own some of her art one day. She will be moving to New York soon so maybe I will bump in to her? :)
This showed up in my Inbox this morning from Photojojo - Turn Old CD Cases into Wondrous Spinning Photo Carousels shut up! That is so cool! I had to throw this in here real quick.
Happy Monday everyone! I needed an extra day to rest after this weekend. The craft show this past Saturday was fun, I spent the day with members of the Hudson Valley Team indoors in an air conditioned room taking advantange of the comfy oversize couch-ottoman thingie at the center of our selling space. It was the first time this show was held so for that I consider it a huge success. Great vendors, live music, activities for kids - a jammed packed day. For my business, it was just kinda meh, a little slow on sales.
If I didn't have 13 hour days during the week, maybe I wouldn't mind doing craft shows on the weekend for very little money. Weekends are the only time I really get to create, photograph, edit and update my shops. This is why I decided earlier this year to no longer do markets, festivals and other small shows, it's just not worth it if I'm barely breaking even at the end of the day. I will still make some exceptions of course. Again, I was happy to spend the day with members of the Hudson Valley team Kathy, Jenny, Karen, Shannon & Jerri and that I would do again.
It was great having my table set up next to my boyfriend too who was selling his mini-canvas art which were really well received. I am also excited to report that a few of them have been added to Pulp Sushi!
Everyone loves the sizes of the canvases which is barely over three inches. Perfect for your desk, workspace or book shelf.
Lastly on the Etsy front, some items that were previously removed have been added back to the shop yesterday.
I am so excited! Just yesterday I was featured not once but TWICE!
First, I was included in a post about Etsy Bloggers on Blog Local
Next, my own blog host selected me as Featured Blogger
So to further confirm the title of yesterday's blog post - it DID kick ass! And today will too, because it's FRIDAY!
Being that it's Friday, it's been a couple of weeks since I shared some Etsy treasuries I was lucky to be included in:
I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow working the Craft Fair at Cornell St Studios in Kingston, NY. I will be selling side by side with my boyfriend who will have some of his art on sale. Whatever comes home with us may become available at Pulp Sushi very soon! I'm also anxious to share a new vendor at Pulp Sushi hopefully next week too. :) Have a lovely weekend everyone!
The first status update I wrote on my Facebook yesterday was "Today is gonna kick ass!!" Did it? Well yesterday didn't suck. No one got hurt so it was a good day right? I'm trying to approach each day with a new attitude. This week's 7 Day Challenge is to Think Positive - it's a lot harder than it sounds! It is so easy for me to be negative and defend it as being "realistic". So enough of that, today is gonna kick ass too! Speaking of Facebook, as trivial as it may seem sometimes it can lift my spirits. I have certain friends who no matter what, start their day posting something positive and encouraging for everyone to read which is a nice way to start the day.
Source: gussysews.com via Lauren on Pinterest
What made yesterday also nice was reading Elsie's post. One reason why she's one of my favorite blogs to read is because I have enjoyed following her journey rebranding and opening her new Red Velvet shop. I recently also started following Oh So Lovely who just landed on some new retail space. I hope I will get to know what that feels like one day.
For a couple of years I felt like I had TOO many ideas of things I wanted to do and do them all at once because time is short! In the last year my focus has gotten better and after opening the new shop I feel like I am heading in the right direction. A direction with no short cuts. It will take some time to travel it but I am starting to feel in my gut that this is the way to go. :)
