Featured Etsy Artist: Timothy Adam Designs

Featured Etsy Artist: Timothy Adam Designs

*Bliss Notes: Anyone who spends any time in the forums knows who Timothy Adam is. Not only is he a very gifted artist but he is also an incredible help to fellow Etsians. Who else actually gets "called out" in the forums? Do a search for his name and he pops up everywhere! His tremendous success is well deserved and I am honored to be able to feature him on my blog.

1. What is your shop name and what do you sell?

Timothy Adam Designs: Modern Metal jewelry, furniture, and art

2. What is your shop URL?

shop
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5074716

main website:
http://timothyadamdesigns.com/

3. What is your blog URL?

blog:
http://timothyadamdesigns.blogspot.com/

4. When did you start selling on Etsy?

I started selling on etsy in march of 2007

5. What is your favorite thing about Etsy?

I love the Etsy community, and the fact that anyone can build a business from the ground up!

6. What is your favorite thing about what you sell?

MY favorite thing about what i sell is the fact that there is no one else out there that is doing what i am doing....

7. What is your favorite item in your own shop and why?

My les paul coffee table is my favorite. Not only do i love playing guitar, but this table sold to Barneys NYC right on Etsy in the spring of 07.

8. What teams do you belong to?

I am not on any street teams

9. What is the most fun thing you do to promote your shop?

I have a load of fun writing articles for my blog that help the etsy community.. this in turn helps promote my Etsy shop!

10. What are some of your favorite finds by other sellers on Etsy?

I love browsing Etsy for cool finds.. i feature sellers all the time on my main blog and this new project of mine>> http://blufuse.com/

11. What do you do in your spare time?

spare time? ok i do have some spare time here and there, and i love playing volley ball, going to movies with my wife and playing Frisbee with my dog.

12. What blogs do you follow?

Oh i follow tons of blogs.... but i love any blog that has to do with modern design like modish and design milk

Featured Etsy Shop: Alloverart

Featured Etsy Shop: Alloverart

1. What is your shop name and what do you sell? My shop name is Allover Art. I create one-of-a-kind hand-painted resin pendant necklaces, original oil paintings, pet portraits, fine art reproductions of my work, note card and envelope sets, and more.

2. What is your shop URL? http://www.alloverart.etsy.com/

3. What is your blog URL? http://www.alloverart-nc.blogspot.com/

4. When did you start selling on Etsy? I signed up to sell on August 26th, 2008, and listed my first item at the beginning of September. I got my first sale (and did a happy dance) after three weeks when a wonderful fellow Etsian included me in a Treasury of shops who hadn't made a sale yet.

5. What is your favorite thing about Etsy? My favorite thing is being able to converse and bounce ideas off other like-minded and talented artists and artisans. I really enjoy the forums, and learning about other people's experiences.

6. What is your favorite thing about what you sell? My absolute favorite thing is the positive feedback. I love the gracious emails and smiles on the faces of my clients. My greatest satisfaction with what I do is when I deliver my oil paint pet portraits. My clients are always so happy and satisfied that it brings me great joy.

7. What is your favorite item in your own shop and why? My favorite item is the Custom 11x14 Pet Portrait Oil Painting. I really enjoy the process from when the client gives me a photo to work from, to the big smile on his or her face when I am finished. (I actually blogged about the process: http://alloverart-nc.blogspot.com/2008/11/step-by-step-journey-through-creation.html)

8. What teams do you belong to? I'm a proud member of the NCTriangle Team. We are a local team in the Triangle area of North Carolina.

9. What is the most fun thing you do to promote your shop? Blogging! I really enjoy posting about anything from my creative processes, to my favorite Etsy sellers, to an interview with our dog Kasey.

10. What are some of your favorite finds by other sellers on Etsy? I'm a big fan of Christy's Critters (http://www.cbarjcrafts.etsy.com/) and her pet ornaments. I commissioned one from her for my husband. I LOVE it! I also love Decorate the Diva's shop (http://www.decoratethediva.etsy.com/). I love her Diva Wooden Earrings. Scrapping Innovations (http://www.scrappinginnovations.etsy.com/) is another of my favorites. She made a fantastic custom magnetic poetry kit for a gift for my sister's birthday. She absolutely loved it.

11. What do you do in your spare time? Spare time? What's that? :) My husband and I enjoy taking our dog Kasey to the dog park and on hikes around the large lake near our house. We were both college athletes and enjoy being active.

12. What blogs do you follow? I follow A LOT of blogs. They are all listed on the sidebar of my blog. A few that I check more often are http://christys-critters.blogspot.com/, http://nctriangle.blogspot.com/, http://sunnydayhappyface.blogspot.com/, and http://evokenc.com/index.php/blog.

13. Do you have anything else you would like to share? I am very grateful that I am able to do what I love full time. I have a very supportive husband who puts up with my work taking over the entire house, and an exceptional rescue dog who has provided me with countless amounts of inspiration. Here's a big thank you to my wonderful family! :)

Featured Etsy Artist: Lauren Alexander

Featured Etsy Artist: Lauren Alexander

1. What is your shop name and what do you sell?
My shop is LaurenAlexander and I sell my original paintings, prints, and more!

2. What is your shop URL?
http://laurenalexander.etsy.com/

3. What is your blog URL?
http://laurenalexanderart.blogspot.com/

4. When did you start selling on Etsy?
I joined Etsy in May 2006 and sold my first painting that October. I didn't become serious about selling until January 2008.

5. What is your favorite thing about Etsy?
I love the spirit of Etsy. I love that we are a community of handmade business people, creating with our own unique ideas, running our shops with integrity and personality.

6. What is your favorite thing about what you sell?
My favorite thing about what I sell is that painting comes very naturally to me; I seem to have an endless supply of ideas, colors, and designs. Painting small allows me the ease of selling at affordable prices too, which keeps me in business!

7. What is your favorite item in your own shop and why?
Oh, that's a tough one! I have so many favorites. Right now, I am in LOVE with my new calendars. Here is the link: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16808803

8. What teams do you belong to?
I am a member of Etsy's Watercolor Works

9. What is the most fun thing you do to promote your shop?
I love to put surprises in my packages. So if someone is kind enough to shop in my store, I like to reward them with more Lauren Alexander goodies, like stickers or something. I've had really positive feedback about that.

10. What are some of your favorite finds by other sellers on Etsy?
There are soooo many! I can't even look at all the great jewelry artists. And then there are the great candle, soap, and clothing makers! If I could I'd buy from every person in my favorites.

11. What do you do in your spare time?
What is "spare time"? Just kidding! I love music. I like to go see live music, make my one mixes on cds, and generally just dream about joining a band and travelling everywhere.

12. What blogs do you follow?
I like to read the blogs of the people that read my blog! I like developing friendships and trusting relationships with other sellers on Etsy.

13. Do you have anything else you would like to share? I would just want to share that I happy and humbled to have been fortunate enough to create things people want to own! I think I'm a generally happy and helpful person and when you are running your own business you have to enjoy making people happy, not just yourself.

Featured Etsy Shop: Auryndesing

Featured Etsy Shop: Auryndesign

1. What is your shop name and what do you sell?
auryndesign - Zen you can Wear. My jewelry designs are made with love using Japanese chiyogami and kawaii papers, as well as prints of my own original digital kawaii artwork, Sumi-e ink paintings, and Shodo calligraphy.

2. What is your shop URL?
http://auryndesign.etsy.com/

3. What is your blog URL?
http://auryndesign.blogspot.com/

4. When did you start selling on Etsy?
August 1, 2007

5. What is your favorite thing about Etsy?
I love the variety of beautiful products available in a wide range of price points.

6. What is your favorite thing about what you sell?
My products are unique in style - I love knowing that my prints are my own artwork. When people compliment me, they get to know I made the jewelry and the art both in many cases.


7. What is your favorite item in your own shop and why?
Pewee my sumi-e bird pendant. He was one of my very first items and first print piece. I have a very sentimental attachment to that little painting and bird.

8. What teams do you belong to?
Etsymoms, EtsyIowa, and EtsyJA (Japanamaniacs)

9. What is the most fun thing you do to promote your shop?
Blogging - I'm new at it but I've found that writing can be fun.

10. What are some of your favorite finds by other sellers on Etsy?
I love Daisycakessoap's lip balms and perfume pots, Komodokat's little kawaii charms, Peachcult's belts, Maybeads lampwork animal beads...to name just a few.

11. What do you do in your spare time?
Spare time? A dream! No, honestly, my spare time is spent with my husband and two little girls - mostly being outside.

12. What blogs do you follow?
Cuteable, Sweet Figments, Tizzalicious, Craftrevolution, Tokidoki blog. I'm really just getting started in the blogging world!

13. Do you have anything else you would like to share?
I'd just like to say thank you for the interview! It was fun :)

Featured Etsy Shop: kittyd

Featured Etsy Shop: kittyd

1. What is your shop name and what do you sell? My shop name is Kittyd, kept it simple-just my nickname and middle initial. If I had it to do over again I would mention jewelry in the title since I sell handcrafted jewelry.

2. What is your shop URL? http://www.kittyd.etsy.com/

3. When did you start selling on Etsy? Feb 18, 2006

4. What is your favorite thing about Etsy?
I love the low listing price, and the variety of handcrafted items-I've found so many things to drool over-and buy them when I can!

5. What is your favorite thing about what you sell?
I love wearing jewelry-and I love for my jewelry not to look like anyone else's...

6. What is your favorite item in your own shop and why?
My new purple polymer dragon pendant-because I just made it-my favorites tend to change.

7. What teams do you belong to?
BBEST (Booomers and Beyond Etsy Street Team)

8. What is the most fun thing you do to promote your shop?
I volunteer 1/2 day a month at my local art gallery where I also have some jewelry displayed, I mention my shop to anyone who is interested in seeing more of my jewelry.

9. What are some of your favorite finds by other sellers on Etsy?
Since I love jewelry, some of my favorite finds are unique jewelry pieces, oh yes, and bags! Can't have too many bags! Oh yeah, and body butter! Coupla of my favorites here:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14529410
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14834316

10. What do you do in your spare time?
Spare time? What's that? Kidding aside, I love to read sf/fantasy novels. And, I harass my two children-16 yr old boy and 21 year old girl-the lights of my life. :)

11. Do you have anything else you would like to share?I really enjoy the creative process, and have encouraged others to open shops on etsy. It's one of the most economical ways to exhibit your wares.

Featured Etsy Shop: newleafdesigns

Featured Etsy Artist: newleafdesigns

Check out this great Etsy West Michigan artist! Search “etsywmi” for more great finds from the beautiful state of Michigan.

1. What is your shop name and what do you sell? My store name is "newleafdesigns", I sell handcrafted jewelry and my photographs.

2. What is your shop URL? The url is http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5335690

3. When did you start selling on Etsy? I've been store on etsy since November 2007.

4. My favorite thing about etsy is the support from any number of different venues and now especially from our "Etsy West Michigan Team."

5. What is your favorite thing about Etsy? My favorite thing about what I sell is that my jewelry is made from a number of beautiful natural materials that I have always loved. I absolutely love stones and I get to work with them and do my best to bring out the beauty of all the different parts I use in a piece of jewelry that is at least as beautiful as the sum of it's parts.

6. What is your favorite thing about what you sell? Oh, my favorite piece?...Like children , can you really have a favorite?

7. What is your favorite item in your own shop and why? ..."Patricia" is FABULOUS, has a gorgeous pendant, awesome clasp and she is really unique. I love the Carnelian, Pearl and Garnet combination.

8. What teams do you belong to? I am on only one team now, Etsy West Michigan.

9. What is the most fun thing you do to promote your shop? If shopping Etsy is promoting the shop, that is definitely the most fun thing I do!! I am on Flickr, although that is officially not supposed to be promotion...


10.What are some of your favorite finds by other sellers on Etsy? There are wonderful suppliers - one of the many is irismishly, a fabulous clay artist, and there are way too many talented people to choose a favorite. nonakednecks is another artist that rocks, I bought a ring I wear every day from her. Fantastic, I love it!

11.What do you do in your spare time? My spare time...is online when I'm supposed to be making jewelry! Seriously, with a full time job, a house, a yard, my etsy shop and having pieces in an art gallery, I work in my art room in my "spare" time.

12.Do you have anything else you would like to share? Yes, I am going to be a Grandma very early next year and we're getting a wedding together for this month! Spare time?...

Featured Etsy Shop: Raid My Stash

Featured Etsy Shops: Raid My Stash & ClawTreeDesign

This blog features another wonderful Etsy West Michigan artist who has two shops. Check out her shops and don't forget to search "etsywmi team" for more great Michigan finds!

1 and 2 - I have two Etsy shops. The first is RaidMyStash.etsy.com
- a little supply shop where I sell small quantities of beads for those who want to try something new without a large investment. My other store is ClawTreeDesign.Etsy.com. Here I sell handmade jewelry in different styles as well as fiber art scarves and handbags.
3 - I started selling on Etsy this summer, and am actually still stocking the ClawTreeDesign store and plan to "launch" it this fall.
I'm still figuring out how to do that.
4 - My favorite thing about Etsy is the creativity of the community.
I can just browse for hours, amazed at the work that I see.
5 - I love that I sell items that are actually used and worn and enjoyed by people. I love to hear someone tell me how much they still like a piece of jewelry years after they bought it.
6. - Currently the favorite item in my shop would be either the shell bracelet with seed beads and pearls "I found Another Shell" or the highly textured nuno felted handbag " Look At Me Now". Both were so much fun to make, both are unique and beautiful in their own way.
7. – I belong to the West Michigan Etsy team. I am new to Etsy and therefore new to this team, but I have enjoyed meeting members of the team and am impressed by how congenial and supportive they are.
8. – I haven't yet promoted my shop, but I will do so this fall. I appreciate suggestions… I did participate in Etsy day at the Fulton Street Artisans Market, and that was fun.
9. I have a list of favorite items that grows daily. I lately have been looking at nature photography, ceramics, and some copper metal
work jewelry. All things that I do not make, but love to have…
10. My art is my spare time lately. I love to read, to hang out at the lake with the kids. I enjoy knitting and crochet, I like to walk and in the winter I ski when I can.
11. The only other thing I could share is the inspiration for the name of my shop – Claw Tree Design. A claw tree – as I call it - is a tree that for some reason has roots exposed that appear to be reaching for or clinging to the ground. I see these trees as a metaphor. They all started out as seedlings in a place that should have given them the nutrients to grow, but for some reason the ground underneath them changed, shifted, eroded, went away. Some trees then just die, but the claw tree extends its roots as far as they need to go in order to hang on to what it needs to stay alive and growing.

Life can be like this. We start out with certain expectations and
plans. Sometimes, our plans don't work, our hopes are not fulfilled, things change, shift, erode, disappoint. We can then be like the claw tree and reach out to cling to what we need and what we know is good.

My avatar is a sketch I made years ago when learning how to draw. A claw tree was a difficult subject given my lack of experience but it turned out well. That was the first time I thought that I may just be able to create. It gave me the encouragement to continue drawing and eventually to pursue my creative urges into different mediums. Creating beautiful things is one of my roots.

Featured Etsy Shop: Cottonseed

Featured Etsy Shop: Cottonseed

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Check out this great Etsy West Michigan artist! Search “etsywmi” for more great finds from the beautiful state of Michigan.

1. What is your shop name and what do you sell? Cotton Seed - I sell wearable treasures and gifts, pretty packaging, and jewelry findings.
2. What is your shop URL? http://www.cottonseed.etsy.com/
3. When did you start selling on Etsy? July 2008.
4. What is your favorite thing about Etsy? My favorite thing about etsy is the friendly, helpful, community of people. And the very high level of integrity in workmanship and business ethics. Etsy allows people like myself to share with the world what I love to do and am all about.
5. What is your favorite thing about what you sell? My favorite aspect about what I sell is the shear creativity to make a one of a kind wearable treasure, and know that someone will take it home and love and enjoy it!
6. What is your favorite item in your own shop and why? My favorite item in my shop is my vintage silver spoon bracelets. The idea of taking something old and well used and loved and giving it a new beautiful purpose gives me great joy. I get compliments every time I wear mine!
7. What teams do you belong to? I belong to ETSYWMI (etsy west michigan) - - ETSYWWWG (etsy wild wise witty grandmamas)
8. What is the most fun thing you do to promote your shop? Talk TALK tAlk taLk talK !!! net work on line.

9. What are some of your favorite finds by other sellers on Etsy? Banners, clothes, jewelry, soap.
10. What do you do in your spare time? I am a grandmama, I love to garden, ride my bicycle, walk with my husband, be with my family, read, my church, make quilts for the red cross, mend clothes for the seniors in our town, and talk!
11. Do you have anything else you would like to share? Thanks so much Suzanne, for this opportunity to share. Being an older person, not schooled on computes from day one, I have learned so much about this world of technology. And every day I find people who are so helpful, knowledgeable, caring, sharing and funny! all on the internet, mostly on etsy. I wish all of you in your business endeavors "all the best".

Racermann's Handmade Creations

Featured Etsy Shop: Racermann's Handmade Creations

One of the wonderful teams I am a member of is Etsy West Michigan. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be featuring these fantastic crafters and artists. Want to find more great finds from Etsy West Michigan? Search "etsywmi team" and you will find a wonderful array of items for yourself and the upcoming gift giving season!

Racermann's makes beautiful pendants, earrings, necklaces, charms, and miscellaneous craft items. Here is what they had to say about their shop:

1. What is your shop name and what do you sell? Racermann's Creations

2. What is your shop URL? http://racermann.etsy.com

3. When did you start selling on Etsy? July of 2007

4. What is your favorite thing about Etsy? Looking at all the talent from around the world

5. What is your favorite thing about what you sell? Making things with my hands.

6. What is your favorite item in your own shop and why? Sunset on mars Pendant, 1st item I made

7. What teams do you belong to? etsywmi (Etsy West Michigan)

8. What is the most fun thing you do to promote your shop? Chat with people

9. What are some of your favorite finds by other sellers on Etsy? Butt Freckles

10. What do you do in your spare time? I work on crafts, Estate Sales