New Listing! Holiday Packaged Mayo 16 oz Jar

Check out one of my new listings! I will be feverishly adding items on Wednesday and Thursday in time for Black Friday and managed to get one up this morning for my new Holiday Gift Wrapped 16 oz Mayo Jar with Star Candle Capper. Keep an eye on the Gift Items section in my Etsy shop for more goodies over the next couple of days!

http://blisscandles.etsy.com

-Suzanne

Etsy West Michigan Gift Guide

Check out this great gift guide from one of my teams! Search "etsywmi team" for these great goodies. Here's the link to the guide: http://etsywestmichigan.blogspot.com/2008/11/gift-guide.html

-Suzanne

Featured Etsy Shop: Michele's Essentials

Featured Etsy Shop: Michele's Essentials

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

My shop name is:

Michele's Essentials

I make and sell, candles and bath products

2. What is your shop URL?

http://www.michelesessentials.etsy.com/

3. What is your blog URL?

http://www.michelesessentials.blogspot.com/

4. When did you start selling on Etsy?

I actually started selling on Etsy back in April of 2007 in my other shop called 'Earth's Essence LLC' and most recently opened 'Michele's Essentials'

5. What is your favorite thing about Etsy?

The people, they are so nice here on Etsy, they are very helpful, kind and very easy to work with! I have truly loved my time here on Etsy so far, even the slow times are good times, I have made a lot of true friends on here who have helped to inspire me through the really tough times.

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

Meeting new people then hearing how much they like my product. It still sends chills down my spine when someone tells me they love my products. It give me such a boost and a good feeling deep down inside. It is truly my motivation to continue to create!

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

I'd say it is my 'Balancing Toner' because I wanted to create something for my sensitive skin that was alcohol free. Most all toners contain large amounts of alcohol in them, and WHY? There is truly no need to use such a harsh chemical on your skin. Sometimes the more natural you are the better you are!

8. What teams do you belong to?

I belong to:
Etsy's Military Brats Street Team
and
Pagans of Etsy Street Team
Both of which I am pretty active in on a daily basis, I have meet some very special people through my teams too.

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

Networking! I love to meet others, I like to meet other sellers because I really like to see what else people are creating, so far I have met so many people I don't even go and buy things at the local stores no more, why should I when I know I can purchase a high quality product directly from a wonderful person, rather than from a store where it's been mass produced.

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

hmmm, This is a tough one, what others make is always blowing my mind! So far I think my favorite is not a single one thing but a whole, and that would be some of the sculptors the people who make the miniature items for the doll houses, those teeny tiny cakes, and pies and the likes, those people blow my mind.... I can sculpt but some of what these people are making is just insanely small!

11. What do you do in your spare time?

I read and study, to further my education, my dad once told me, 'the day you stop learning is the day you die!' well I like to continue to learn, and better myself and my product for my customers, I feel it is my duty to offer them the most current and up to date information about their skin care that I possibly can give them. I am currently studying for the next faze on my journey, to become a licensed Aesthetician, so someday I can open my own Spa!

12. What blogs do you follow?

Barefoot Mommies, I am currently working with them on some promo things, I am giving away a $25 Gift Certificate, and next month I will be offering a huge give away for a chance to receive one of everything from my shop!

13. Do you have anything else you would like to share?

Uuummmmm, Only that I hope I have not bored you to death here and that if there is ever anything I can help any of you with, be it skin care a kind of soap you'd like specially made for you bath salts, you name it, please do not hesitate to stop in and ask! I am very convo friendly and I am always looking to challenge myself, my knowledge and my skills, on a daily basis!

Etsy Bloggers Blog Carnival Post

What are you working on?

I am very excited about my new gift boxed items. I found these adorable boxes featuring an array of holiday colors. What could be easier for my customers than ordering the item already boxed and shipped right to the recipient?!

I am also anxiously awaiting my Candy Cane fragrance oil so I can do layered Premium 16 oz Jars (Red, White, Red). How fun will those be?

Oh, and I also have new fragrances! I had a customer request for a duplicate of the HB Firewood fragrance and I found it. It actually really smells like a fireplace! Plus I found another one that smells like a campfire - Crackling Campfire. Also added this week is the ever popular duplicate, Apple Jack and Peel!

-Suzanne

Featured Etsy Shop: Have It Confections

Featured Etsy Shop: Have It Confections

1. What is your shop name and what do you sell? Have It Confections is our name and homemade, old-fashioned caramels are our game.

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

3. What is your blog URL? I don't have one. What with being a mom to a four year old, being a full time student and running Have It, I don't have time to blog just yet. I do hope to in the future though.

4. When did you start selling on Etsy? On September 2nd 2008

5. What is your favorite thing about Etsy? I love the amazing things that you find. I also love the camaraderie. It is just such a great pace to be. There is always someone ready to help you out when you have a question. There is always the perfect gift for yourself or someone else. It is just a great place to be and an amazing place to sell your wares.

6. What is your favorite thing about what you sell? That we make gourmet candy that uses the very best ingredients, that are often local and organic. Ad that we're still able to sell it for a very affordable price. Also, I'm not just saying this because it's my business, but our caramels are beyond amazing. I can't stop eating them. Oh well occupational hazard I guess.

7. What is your favorite item in your own shop and why? My favorite right now is the Belgian Dark Chocolate caramel. It tastes like little chewy brownies. They are amazing.

8. What teams do you belong to? I belong to EEAT, Etsy's Edible Arts Team. It is great to be in a group with other such talented food artists.

9. What is the most fun thing you do to promote your shop? We send out samples randomly. If I see that some one is having a bad day (in the Etsy forums) I may convo them and ask if they'd like some caramels. I don's want anything in return, it just makes me happy to make others happy. I also swap samples with other sellers and we send out each others samples in our packages.

10. What are some of your favorite finds by other sellers on Etsy? Oh geez, we could be here for a while. I am a B&B fanatic, my favorite sellers are BathLife, BeSemNaturalScents, Savor and Haunt. There soaps are good enough to eat. I also really like the jewlery I buy, cricketapollo, easternsky, blake, polarity, and sophiesbeads makes the most amazing little book charms, if you send her book covers she'll custom make them for you. They're amazing. sewsewsuckyourtoe makes adorable little felt acorns and mushrooms with gnomes in them. kmknits, make the most amazing fingerless gloves to order and Euniceneedlecraft has brilliant cloche hats. I have had the best lick on Etsy. I love each and every purchase I have made so far. Also, bdoodlez makes these gifttags that are like no other. I didn't even buy them to put on gifts, I bought them because they were awesome and I the christmas ones are going on my tree.

11. What do you do in your spare time? I study and spend time with my daughter. I'm a full time student. I'm getting my degree in Art History which is my passion. I get a thrill from renaissance art that I get from nothing else. My daughter and I have such a great time together. SHe is very lucky her mom is a big kid. We make up games, like the mystery hunt. I hide things around the house. I tell her a story about why the toys have gone missing. I give her my magnifying glass and she goes to find everything. It keeps her busy and she loves it.

12. What blogs do you follow? I like ohsolovely, and I think you just sold me on following your's

13. Do you have anything else you would like to share? I just wanted to say that I appreciate you featuring us, Suzanne. We appreciate it so much. My husband and I work really hard, and have for the past four years, to bring the freshest, most heavenly caramels to everyone. Whether they have a lot of extra money or not that much. We will always try to accomadate any request, we may not always be able too, but I try very hard to make every customer feel like my one and only. We love what we do and it comes through in our product. We try to be new and innovative with our flavors and we try never to go more than a month without a new flavor option. We hope you come by and take a look. You'll be happy you did. Remember at Have It Confections, one bite and you'll be hooked.