Team Spotlight! Interview with Pineapple Sugar

MsAnomaly's interview with Pineapple Sugar:

1. When did you open your Etsy store and begin selling?
I opened my store in June 2008. I had been selling randomly to friends and acquaintances for a few years, but decided to take the Etsy (and online selling) plunge last summer.

2. How did you select your shop’s name?
I knew I wanted to convey a tropical, beachy feel with my shop name since my products are largely inspired by the sites and sounds of the beach. One day, Pineapple Sugar just hit me as the perfect name.

It’s also pretty cool because pineapples are traditionally a symbol of hospitality and were used in Colonial times as symbol to let guests know they were welcome. And we all know that sugar just makes everything a little sweeter. So, it just really sums up how I want buyers to feel in my shop and how I want them to view my products- as that little something extra that makes their outfit (and their day) a little brighter.

3. What do you create and sell in your Etsy shop?
Primarily jewelry. I focus on high-quality materials like gemstones, Czech glass, shells, wood, crystals and artisan lampwork. I love lampwork beads. I just can’t get enough of them! There are so many fabulous lampwork artists out there and I love showcasing their work in my designs. Someday, I’d like to learn how to lampwork myself, but for now I happily support these talented artisans.

Lately, I’ve been honing my photography and digital art skills and would really like to add more of those items to my shop. Of course, everything- jewelry, photography and art- must have some kind of beachy and/or tropical inspiration.

4. How did you become involved in your craft?
It seems like I always have been. As a kid, I was always doing something creative or artistic. I don’t even remember how old I was when I started peddling seed-beaded flower necklaces and bracelets, then I moved on to polymer clay jewelry. I sold that as well. I couldn’t have been older than 12, but my mom took a big display board that I had designed into her office and my jewelry sold like hotcakes to her co-workers. I was an entrepreneurial junior higher. I got out of the jewelry making habit for a while and found it again right after college. I stumbled across some beads and voila! I was hooked again.

I’ve always been into drawing and painting as well. Even as a child, I enjoyed fashion sketching and illustration, so it’s no surprise that I’m working toward a creative career in the fashion industry as well as designing jewelry.

5. Explain your favorite part of the creative process.
The concepting phase. I’m inspired by so many different things and I really enjoy concepting storyboards and sketching out my newest design ideas. I get struck by ideas constantly so I keep a notebook or sketchbook with me all the time so I can write down or sketch out an idea.

Right now, I’m in grad school for fashion merchandising and I’m really fine-tuning my collection creation and concepting skills. I’m having a blast creating my summer/resort ’09 jewelry collection.

6. Do you sell in another Etsy store or anywhere outside of Etsy? If so, where?
Yes, I do. I have an ArtFire shop for Pineapple Sugar and I also recently launched a second jewelry line called Jocelyn Grace. I sell that line on 1000 Markets. I am working on building websites for both of these lines so I can set up my own e-commerce.

7. So far, what project are you most proud of?
My Tropical Garden necklace- it combines gorgeous artisan lampwork beads with shells, Czech glass and Swarovski crystals with sterling silver chain and findings. It’s very big and bold, and perfect for spring. It was hard not to keep it for myself!

8. What advice can you give to someone who would like to learn your craft?
Never stop learning – both about business and marketing as well as new techniques for your craft. Keep up with current trends but stay true to your own style and interpret the trends for your unique line. You want people to be able to recognize your style immediately when they see a piece.

9. What motivated you to join the Etsy Beagle Street Team?
I have an adorable beagle named Lucy and a lab-mix named Stella. They are my furry children and definitely make my day brighter. Both of them were rescues- Stella from the humane league and Lucy from a family who could no longer care for her.

I am a big fan of Castaway Critters no-kill animal rescue in central PA. I recently launched my Puppy Love collection and twenty percent of the proceeds from each item that sells in that collection goes to Castaway Critters.

10. Any other places we might find you (Flickr, blog, MySpace, etc.)?
I am all over the web. Here are a few places you can find me:
Flickr
Pineapple Sugar on MySpace
Pineapple Sugar on Facebook
Blooming Wildflowers Blog
Twitter

Team Spotlight! Interview with CiaoHound

This week I am happy to introduce CiaoHound, Flash's favorite Etsy shop! He loves these dog treats! :0)

1. When did you open your Etsy store and begin selling?
I opened my Etsy store in July of last year and set up shop by the end of August.

2. How did you select your shop’s name?
For over a week, I thought about every possible word to describe food and dogs, then one day, I was sitting there, absentmindedly, watching Velvet inhale her dinner and thought "you are such a chow hound!" A lightbulb went off. I told my daughters and they groaned. So, I thought a little while longer and came up with a little twist on words: ciao instead of chow; they didn't hate it, so I took that as a good sign and went with that.

3. What do you create and sell in your Etsy shop?
My main items are dog treats and kibble toppers. I also try to elaborate on allergen-free treats for dogs with special dietary needs.

4. How did you become involved in your craft?
My oldest daughter was an avid Etsy shopper and she told my youngest daughter, who then opened a shop on Etsy. During the summer break, she wanted everyone in the family to make a craft for her to add to her store, so I started researching hobbies. One book lead to another until I stumbled on a book for dog items. I was very excited about trying to bake treats and Velvet just loved them! She sat in front of the refrigerator for hours; it really just warmed my heart. Then, I got to thinking that Velvet wasn't the best judge of food because she'll eat anything, organic or not, so I baked some for my boss' dog and for my dad's. Neither dog cared anything for food. They barely eat their meals. After adding some of my kibble toppers (Crumbrulee), both dogs picked out my food and ate that first, then proceeded to eat their regular food. I felt that was a true testiment and went "public" with my treats. I love doing this and I love the stories I receive from my customers.

5. Explain your favorite part of the creative process.
I just love when a food idea comes to me out of the blue. One customer was saying that her dog can only eat carbs and meats - no grains. That night we had turkey and mashed potatoes and I was playing with my food and mushed the two together and thought of the potato cakes. Things like that - coming up with unique items keeps it fun.

6. Do you sell in another Etsy store or anywhere outside of Etsy? If so, where?
I help run PetsJubilee on Etsy and have a blast with that, as well. We all work very hard to get our shop names out there and our customers love the sample boxes! We're coming together as a team which is very rewarding.

7. So far, what project are you most proud of?
I think these are my favorite:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18574916
They're 'cute' and I like the "Carob Cake" instead of 'carrot cake' play on words.

8. What advice can you give to someone who would like to learn your craft?Research, research, research! For every food item that you find that dogs can or cannot have, verify it with multiple sources! I see many shops selling treats with "inappropriate" ingredients. The shop owners clearly do not do the background research necessary before starting something like this.

9. What motivated you to join the Etsy Beagle Street Team?
When I signed up with Etsy, I looked for teams centered around animals, and when I saw this team, I just knew it was perfect because, I have a beagle! Velvet is the most unusual dog I have ever had. She doesn't like to be petted, hugged, kissed on; we can only play with her when its her idea. She thinks, lives, breathes food 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is the only thing she cares about, but I love her to pieces, and once in a great while, she decides to snuggle up to me while I watch tv, and it is perfect. As much as I joke around about her, she really is a good dog.

10. Any other places we might find you (Flickr, blog, MySpace, etc.)?
I try to be everywhere:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ciaohound/
http://www.ciao-hound.blogspot.com (I'm going to try to devote more attention to this in the future)
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?id=1530937381&ref=profile
http://twitter.com/ciaohoundhttp://home.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user&Mytoken=1237513361312http://www.craftjuice.com/ciaohound

Etsy Beagles blog receives Sisterhood Award! !

The Etsy Beagles team blog has received the sisterhood award from Fox's Bunny for our post with the donations links for Zachary's Fund. We are truly honored, and would like to thank Fox's Bunny for nominating us. You can read the details about this award on Fox's Bunny's blog:
http://foxandbunny.blogspot.com/2009/03/my-new-award.html
and this is a link to her Etsy store:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20180329

The team would like to continue to pass the award along to other blogs. Team members can post their nominations by leaving a comment on this post. Thank-you again, everyone, for letting the Beagles team sponsor the list to help the Zachary Fund! :)

Team Spotlight! Interview with fatbasset

MsAnomaly's interview with fatbasset

1. When did you open your Etsy store and begin selling?

I opened my shop on December 27, 2008.

2. How did you select your shop’s name?

I picked the shop name because of my big-boned basset hound, Francisco.

3. What do you create and sell in your Etsy shop?

I sell a wide variety of items. Right now, I focus on drawing ACEOs (art cards), making paper bead jewelry, and decorative envelopes for Weight Watcher Pocket Guides. My interests are varied, while I figure out what makes me happy as an artist.

4. How did you become involved in your craft?

I have always enjoyed creating art. Unfortunately, I spent many years struggling to be perfect or create in ways that I thought other people expected me to. (especially when I let my soul get kicked around in art school). This past winter, though, I had a moment when I was teaching children's art classes after school. I was making all kinds of mistakes when drawing in front of the kids, and we were still having a blast. And I thought, BLEEP it! I'm going to create how I want to create. And I have been much happier and more prolific as an artist since.

5. Explain your favorite part of the creative process.

I love dreaming of ideas. I carry a tiny sketchbook in my purse at all times, and I jot down anything interesting when it occurs to me.

6. Do you sell in another Etsy store or anywhere outside of Etsy? If so, where?

I also sell on eBay. When I am on eBay, though, I miss the community and feedback of Etsy.

7. So far, what project are you most proud of?

Right now, I am most proud of my penguin art card set:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21461509.

I like the colors, and how each ACEO can also stand alone on its own merits. I also love how my penguins look; realistic, but drawn from my own point of view.

8. What advice can you give to someone who would like to learn your craft?

Don't be afraid to make mistakes! If you have an idea, sketch it 20 times, 20 different ways. I have an enormous sketchbook for this purpose, where I lay something out all over the page, then compare which direction I like best.

9. What motivated you to join the Etsy Beagle Street Team?
When I joined Etsy, I looked at teams to join. When I saw a group devoted to beagles and other dogs, I had to join! I have a 5 year old beagle mix named Buckley from the APL. I also have Francisco, a 4 1/2 year old basset hound who was rescued from a family who didn't want him anymore. My husband and I can't imagine our lives without them. I was never allowed to have dogs growing up, and I am grateful everyday for the enormous happiness we give each other (even when Francisco eats a hole out of the bathroom rug or Buckley runs off with one of my socks). There is a image of my dogs at the top of this interview.

10. Any other places we might find you (Flickr, blog, MySpace, etc.)?

I am on Flickr. I am also on Facebook, under Cathy Secaur. No blog yet; if only there were more hours in the day!

Team Spotlight! Interview with FrumsGlassMenagerie

MsAnomaly's interview with FrumsGlassMenagerie

1. When did you open your Etsy store and begin selling?

January 2006

2. How did you select your shop’s name?
Frums is a nickname, given to me by my husband about 20 + years ago. It is derived from my maiden name. Glass Menagerie is what I have tried to make available in my shop. It is a collection of glass animals.

3. What do you create and sell in your Etsy shop?
Primarily, fused glass pendants.

4. How did you become involved in your craft?
I had a pretty shaped olive oil bottle given to me. I used craft store etching crème to decorate it. I donated that first bottle to my favorite dog rescue group. I upgraded to sandblasting my designs, I took a stained glass course, I bought a kiln, and have been experimenting ever since. I like to point out that the first 35 years I dabbled in fiber arts. I have enjoyed weaving, sewing, quilting, silk painting, anything that allowed me to enjoy the porous, rich texture and color of fibers. The glossy, non porous medium of glass is probably going to keep me creating for the next 35 years. At least, that’s my plan.

5. Explain your favorite part of the creative process.
I love the moment I open the kiln and see how what happened inside there. Unexpected things can happen, both good and bad. I find that part of fusing the most exciting part. In painting on glass, I love the way the chalky looking, powdered glass I apply, once inside the kiln, melts to be a glossy part of the glass.

6. Do you sell in another Etsy store or anywhere outside of Etsy? If so, where?
I have sold in local brick and mortar shops, artisan consignment and pet supply and bakery type of shops. I have a studio on Artfire.com, plus, Frums Glass is my user name on Ebay. I try to maintain a blog that speaks to what’s new in the kiln, in my shops, my own pets, and my current animal rescue fundraising projects. http://frumsglassmenagerie.blogspot.com/

7. So far, what project are you most proud of?
I think one of my favorite pieces was a nightlight I painted for an Etsy team challenge. It was my first larger glass painting. I was proud that it sold very quickly after listing, with 100% donation to my dog’s rescue organization. The theme of the challenge was “imperfect dogs.” I painted my own dog, who had recently been adopted. She was in a neglected situation, with 9 other dogs. Her tongue hangs out as she has no teeth, her tongue is missing edges, her front leg joints are enlarged likely from an injury, her fur badly stained from her terrible living conditions. She is perfect to us.


8. What advice can you give to someone who would like to learn your craft?
Learn the basics of working with glass and the safety concerns. After that, jump in and experiment. Have fun!

9. What motivated you to join the Etsy Beagle Street Team? At that time, I would check the forums often. I was especially interested in posts about cats and dogs. I clicked on a post about beagles and found a very nice group of people. I’ve been hanging around the beagle team ever since. My first dog was a beagle. Today I own 4 Italian greyhounds. I adopted most of them as middle aged dogs through rescue. I financially support local pet rescue organizations, all Italian greyhound and greyhound rescue groups.

10. Any other places we might find you (Flickr, blog, MySpace, etc.)?

http://FrumsGlassMenagerie.artfire.com

http://frumsglassmenagerie.blogspot.com/