I was inspired by the children. Some friends of ours visited recently, and their daughters are nine and 13. They are into the friendship bracelets that I used to make...ahem...over 20 years ago. The oldest had 12 bracelets on one arm and 13 on the other, but she didn't know how to make them! She was relying on friends to make them for her. She saw my box of embroidery floss skeins and asked what I do with them. Well, I explained how embroidery works, and then I pulled out a friendship bracelet that I had begun a very long time ago and had never finished. I then used that start to refresh my memory of technique, and then I taught them both how to make a basic 1/2 chevron stripe bracelet.
I was so refreshed that I came home on Friday and made myself a bracelet and a necklace. I pulled out my stash of hemp twine and glass beads and have decided that, in addition to knitted items for Christmas, my younger recipients might also be sporting some handmade arm and neck embellishments.
This has been a hoard de-stash inspirational anecdote...
Our team has hit a wonderful stride lately, with a growing number of front page features. I found the other day that we can now add ElephantWalk to that distinguished list of Etsy Front Pagers. Her Miniature Snow White Necklace made it to the front page on February 27.
The Etsy Front Page Club. Congratulations, ElephantWalk on becoming an honorary member of the club!
Get the screenshot from CraftCult if you want to share it on your own blog or web page.
Now, the question for the group is: How do we convert front pages and an explosion of shop views into SALES? This economy is tough, tough, tough, and it is an even bigger struggle to convert views to sales than in the past. We will explore this further in the coming months. Meanwhile, good luck to all team members on a higher sales year in 2010.
It seems that CigarBoxBeads is also famous! Her Just Before Dawn 3 strand Copper and Gem Necklace was on the front page on March 2. Congratulations again to Marilyn! Really, you must share your secret for success. And your photography technique!
I think it is wonderful that we have member shops making it to the front page! Let it be known that our hoard stash is Front Page Worthy!
I've done a little more digging, and found at least one more member who has been on the front page recently...look for that post, coming soon!
Well, fellow craft supply hoarders, it seems it does pay to hold onto those items! Because, if you have enough vintage stash, you might be able to create a unique item that will wow the powers that be (AKA: the front page assimilators) on Etsy and land yourself right on the FRONT PAGE.
That is just what Marilyn of Such and Sort did yesterday with her Super Shabby Zipper Fabric Cuff. See it, right there in row 2? I ran across it by accident last night. I was closing down the computer for the night, and I just did a quick refresh of Etsy for the sake of inspirational dreams, and I was compelled to click on this zippery cuff. I didn't even realize it was a shop I knew until I was at the shop looking at the item. Then, I went (in my mind, of course) "Hoppin' Hoopleheads! That is suchandsort's item...and she is a member of the team!!"
Happily, I caught a screenshot, but I am using the shot from Craft Cult for purposes of this post. Congratulations, Marilyn! (now you can add this so very cool badge (above left) on your product page. There are a few styles from which to choose. Get the badge (here).
You can also view the screenshot and information on CraftCult in The Vault (here). If anybody else wants to share this screenshot and information on their blog, go to CraftCult and grab this widget.
(this is an edited cross-over post with my personal blog, but the topic fits the group)
...always invites my senses to explore and my mind to dream. I don't know if it is so with everybody, but those of us who are packrats (okay, hoarders)...nay, FANCIERS of things are drawn to aged goods like rats to the flute. The term "hoarder" is getting such bad press lately, and the focus has been on extreme cases of crisis hoarding, so I am going to call myself a Fancier of things instead!Yesterday, I ran across a box of old papers next to a box of old photographs in the "junk" store. I am always fascinated by old used postcards, old letters, old photos, and other items of a personal nature. In the same manner, I have enjoyed non-fiction personal narrative books, like Pepys' (pronounced Peeps) diary.In this box of papers, I found an envelope from The First National Bank of Ashland, Oregon containing a statement and several canceled checks. What fun to be afforded a glimpse into the world of 1936 personal finance. The study of history in itself was always frightfully dull to me, but artifacts showing a snapshot of the history of a person I can see in my mind make it ever more interesting. I always find it curious that items such as these make their way to public retail spaces.This person had more money in his bank account than I have at times had altogether in lean times. He had a wife (some of the checks are signed by "Mrs.". He had people in Colorado (the back of the canceled check above bears a Colorado stamp). Items that were also in the junk box included a letter from someone in Colorado, a marriage announcement in Oregon, and a high school report card. These ranged in time from 1919 to 1936.
From these items, I can construct a life and a past and a future and all manner of life events for this person. My dormant writer's mind is intrigued. Writing a fictional account of the life of this "character" would take me to an in-depth exploration of the history of 1900 through 1940 that would, in that context, be anything but dull. History teachers take heed: You could have had me if you had only produced a letter, a locket, a ribbon-tied stack of recipes...
Do I need these items in my home? No! But, I am not a crisis hoarder (though I do struggle with crafting clutter), and I see a possible crafting potential in these items. What is your collecting weakness? Are you drawn to items such as these as well?
I don't know about you, but I have all manner of mess here at Deer Palace this time of year. I have ALL my yarn out in the living room behind the recliner chair for ease of access as I knit, knit, knit my fingers away. At least it is sorted into bins and totes. Wool in one, wool blends in another, acrylics in another, cottons in another...
I have stacks of fabric on the floor behind my sewing chair. My sewing table and chair are permanently set for the season in the space between the living room and dining room. Great for warmth and easy to keep ongoing projects handy. Notions, thread, scraps, zippers, scissors, measuring devices, display board, needles, tailor's chalk, pattern and idea books, and elastic all jockey for space on my table and the surrounding floor space.
The ironing board blocks the laundry room doorway. The iron blocks the door to the washer. Rubber boots for going outdoors block the door of the dryer. A stack of books on the side table blocks the light from the lamp. The exercise trampoline on the rug in the middle of the living room floor blocks the straight path to the front door. My daughter has a similar problem on her craft and play table:But, all of this is necessary for me to function in this season, in this cold, in this holiday time of year. I use the exercise trampoline 3x daily for 20 minutes each time. I bounce my way to increased circulation as I watch television. I am considering knitting while I bounce and watch television. I walk by the sewing machine and stop to sew a few stitches. I iron the fabric I am about to sew. I knit every time I sit down in a living room chair.
I am guessing there are others of you out there with the same crazy chaos happening at your house.
The anxiety will ensue right about February when it is time to clean it all up and find places for it all to go again.
Here is what I want to know: what did people use to get organized before the advent of The Plastic Bin? Wood? Cardboard? Bookshelves? Other shelving?
I have too many items for the size of my home. Of course. That is the entire reason for this group/Etsy team in the first place. My problem with plastic bins is that they do not leave my items accessible to use. So, I keep a lot of items out for easy use, and that creates clutter.
Also, if the bins are stacked on top of each other, their lids eventually bow inward, and they no longer fit correctly. They also allow the bins on top to lean over time. Plastic bins are created in planned obsolescence, so break down over time and then clog up landfills.
Why do I use them? I do not have a lot of extra money to purchase shelving, and I don't have the room to put shelving if I had some. Plastic bins are cheaper in the short run. Cloth bins are too expensive and don't have lids. But I bet Martha would suggest Metro Shelvingwith cloth bins stacked on the shelves. Wouldn't that be nice?
Today, check out this blog post by Beck and Call Girl. Here is an excerpt to pique your interest...
"We all use them for storage & organization. The question is, do they really work or are they a myth? What am I talking about? Plastic storage bins, of course!
I use them, but I don't really feel organized. In some aspects, I know they help me, but in other aspects, I feel like it's out of sight, out of mind." (read more...)
You simply MUST visit the post to see the wonderful photos of stash, stash, stash! Those colorful "stramers" are absolute eye candy. Makes me want to hang swatches from clothespins as wall art.
I was inspired by the children. Some friends of ours visited recently, and their daughters are nine and 13. They are into the friendship bracelets that I used to make...ahem...over 20 years ago. The oldest had 12 bracelets on one arm and 13 on the other, but she didn't know how to make them! She was relying on friends to make them for her. She saw my box of embroidery floss skeins and asked what I do with them.
Well, I explained how embroidery works, and then I pulled out a friendship bracelet that I had begun a very long time ago and had never finished. I then used that start to refresh my memory of technique, and then I taught them both how to make a basic 1/2 chevron stripe bracelet.
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