Here is one of her adorable creations:
Crochet baby girl hat
Treasury:
"September"
This is a blog about creative fashion, art, interior, graphics, and handmade products. Zoica Matei and Susan Newberry share their tips, experiences, and invite you to join the conversation. There are DIY projects, pictures of handmade art, and links to shops.
Friday, September 5, 2014
Friday Finds September Gifts
Welcome to this week’s Friday Finds! The theme was “September Gifts” and we selected a lovely gray themed treasury curated by Svitlana from SvitlanaSky. Her treasury is called “September”. Svitlana is a very talented knitter who creates beautiful baby accessories.
Here is one of her adorable creations:
Crochet baby girl hat
We hope you have enjoyed this edition of Friday Finds. Next week’s treasury theme is “Fall Fashion”. If you have a treasury you would like to submit, just send me or Susan a link via Etsy convo by Thursday afternoon and we will take a look. Remember, if your treasury is featured, we will feature an item from your shop.
Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time…
Zoica
Here is one of her adorable creations:
Crochet baby girl hat
Monday, September 1, 2014
Artist Spotlight - Kauai Artist
Happy Monday! Welcome to another edition of Artist Spotlight. This week the spotlight is on Marionette from Kauaiartist. Marionette beautiful paintings feature tropical flowers, plantation cottages, Kauai landscapes, Hula, turtles, roosters and more. Here is one of her beautiful paintings:
Tell us a little about yourself and your creative business.
I am a full time artist living "the dream" on the beautiful, tropical island of Kauai in Hawaii. My art studio, Painting Paradise, is located on the island’s sunny west side. It is both my teaching location as well as the place where I create and produce my Etsy paintings and prints. I teach watercolors, acrylics, pastels, silk painting, encaustics, Chinese brush painting, and am now experimenting with alcohol inks on YUPO paper.
How did you get your start?
I am a Michigan native, but in 1992 I took my first vacation to the island of Kauai and knew I would move there some day to pursue my art career full time. I just fell in love with the colors of the islands. I started painting watercolors featuring such flowers as orchids, birds of paradise, and hibiscus from the reference photos I took while on vacation. I sold my first original painting at a local coffee shop and have been hooked ever since.
In 1999 I opened a small studio in Michigan where I was a weekend artist while I was still working at my day job in the chemistry field. I also took lots of art workshops and studied with my fellow artists in the community. In 2004, I finally quit my full time job and made the move to Hawaii after lots of planning and preparation.
In 2007 I opened up Painting Paradise to teach art and then started selling on Etsy in 2008 after a good friend encouraged me to join. It has all been a wonderful experience!
What has been your biggest successful moment so far?
I was contacted here on Etsy by a designer from Victoria's Secret to do a commission painting of a plantation cottage on the beach for their swimsuit collection featuring artists from Hawaii. I was so excited to ship that painting to their headquarters on Broadway! If it wasn't for Etsy, they probably never would have found me.
What challenges do you face selling online?
Selling online has been great! I have sold all over the world to people who have been to Kauai or who just love my art. It is a great venue and definitely gives me more exposure than if I just sold at my brick and mortar gallery. In fact, I often have people who are on vacation visit my art studio who first saw my work here on Etsy. The biggest challenge for me selling online is usually shipping the larger paintings. I have started using UPS to pack and ship the large ones and that seems to work very well.
What advice would you give someone just starting out on Etsy?
If you are just starting out on Etsy, then make it a goal to have at least 50 items in your shop. The more items you have, the more key words people will have to search and end up in your shop to buy something. I see shops all of the time with just a few items complaining that they aren't selling anything. I found that once I had over 200 items in my shop, my sales really started to take off.
If you look at the most successful shops here, you will see the connection between lots of choices and lots of sales. It just makes sense. If you go into a brick and mortar store and only see a few items, you would possibly think, "Are these guys serious?" But, when you go into a store and there are hundreds of items to choose from, you will do some shopping and probably leave the store with a purchase.
My other advice is to give great customer service and to do lots of marketing on social media. You have to tell people that you are selling something. It's just that simple. If they know about it...they will come!
Tell us a little about yourself and your creative business.
I am a full time artist living "the dream" on the beautiful, tropical island of Kauai in Hawaii. My art studio, Painting Paradise, is located on the island’s sunny west side. It is both my teaching location as well as the place where I create and produce my Etsy paintings and prints. I teach watercolors, acrylics, pastels, silk painting, encaustics, Chinese brush painting, and am now experimenting with alcohol inks on YUPO paper.
How did you get your start?
I am a Michigan native, but in 1992 I took my first vacation to the island of Kauai and knew I would move there some day to pursue my art career full time. I just fell in love with the colors of the islands. I started painting watercolors featuring such flowers as orchids, birds of paradise, and hibiscus from the reference photos I took while on vacation. I sold my first original painting at a local coffee shop and have been hooked ever since.
In 1999 I opened a small studio in Michigan where I was a weekend artist while I was still working at my day job in the chemistry field. I also took lots of art workshops and studied with my fellow artists in the community. In 2004, I finally quit my full time job and made the move to Hawaii after lots of planning and preparation.
In 2007 I opened up Painting Paradise to teach art and then started selling on Etsy in 2008 after a good friend encouraged me to join. It has all been a wonderful experience!
Where do you get your inspiration?
The inspiration for my art comes from all around this breathtaking island of Kauai. Kauai is also known as the Garden Isle as it is a truly lush, tropical paradise. We are surrounded by the turquoise waters of the Pacific Ocean with it's amazing sea creatures. The mountains are emerald green and are home to the wettest spot on the Earth, Mount Wai'ale'ale. Tropical flowers bloom all year long. Need I say more?
The inspiration for my art comes from all around this breathtaking island of Kauai. Kauai is also known as the Garden Isle as it is a truly lush, tropical paradise. We are surrounded by the turquoise waters of the Pacific Ocean with it's amazing sea creatures. The mountains are emerald green and are home to the wettest spot on the Earth, Mount Wai'ale'ale. Tropical flowers bloom all year long. Need I say more?
What has been your biggest successful moment so far?
I was contacted here on Etsy by a designer from Victoria's Secret to do a commission painting of a plantation cottage on the beach for their swimsuit collection featuring artists from Hawaii. I was so excited to ship that painting to their headquarters on Broadway! If it wasn't for Etsy, they probably never would have found me.
What challenges do you face selling online?
Selling online has been great! I have sold all over the world to people who have been to Kauai or who just love my art. It is a great venue and definitely gives me more exposure than if I just sold at my brick and mortar gallery. In fact, I often have people who are on vacation visit my art studio who first saw my work here on Etsy. The biggest challenge for me selling online is usually shipping the larger paintings. I have started using UPS to pack and ship the large ones and that seems to work very well.
What advice would you give someone just starting out on Etsy?
If you are just starting out on Etsy, then make it a goal to have at least 50 items in your shop. The more items you have, the more key words people will have to search and end up in your shop to buy something. I see shops all of the time with just a few items complaining that they aren't selling anything. I found that once I had over 200 items in my shop, my sales really started to take off.
If you look at the most successful shops here, you will see the connection between lots of choices and lots of sales. It just makes sense. If you go into a brick and mortar store and only see a few items, you would possibly think, "Are these guys serious?" But, when you go into a store and there are hundreds of items to choose from, you will do some shopping and probably leave the store with a purchase.
My other advice is to give great customer service and to do lots of marketing on social media. You have to tell people that you are selling something. It's just that simple. If they know about it...they will come!
Want to see more of Marionette?
Thank you Marionette for sharing your story and your beautiful artwork with us.
Next week we'll select another Etsy artist to spotlight. If you are interested please contact Zoica or myself via Etsy convo.
Thanks for stopping by...
Until next time,
Friday, August 29, 2014
Friday Finds- Finally Autumn!
Welcome to this week’s Friday Finds! The theme was “Autumn Gold” and we selected a lovely fall themed treasury curated by Asta Kundelyte from Artbyasta. Her treasury is called “Finally autumn!”. Asta is a very talented artist who creates unique canvas paintings, ink and watercolor drawing, cat illustration and funny painting for children, and more.
You can visit her shop here.
Here is one of Asta’s cat creations:
We hope you have enjoyed this edition of Friday Finds. Next week’s treasury theme is “September gifts”. If you have a treasury you would like to submit, just send me or Susan a link via Etsy convo by Thursday afternoon and we will take a look. Remember, if your treasury is featured, we will feature an item from your shop.
Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time…
Zoica
You can visit her shop here.
Finally-Autumn by Asta from artbyasta:
Monday, August 25, 2014
Artist Spotlight - Paper Wood Vintage
Happy Monday! Welcome to another edition of Artist Spotlight. This week the spotlight is on Kristy from Paper Wood Vintage. Paper Wood Vintage carries an eclectic assortment of vintage and handmade items. Here is one of Kristy's items:
Tell us a little about yourself and your creative business.
I am a Christian mom of five. Two of our children are nephews we adopted. I have been a collector of vintage since I was a very young child. I started out collecting vintage stamps, coins and beads to having small collections of everything from vases to matches, old ashtrays, salt and pepper shakers, planters, and quirky items like Mr. Potato Heads.
How did you get your start?
My husband and I started selling vintage & handmade items locally and on Etsy to bring in extra income. We had a baby on the way and our 2 nephews came to live with us right before she was born. Since I had been a collector for so long and came from a long line of antique dealers and collectors, this was the natural thing for me to do. So, I quit my job to stay home with the kiddos and then opened the shop in 2010.
Where do you get your inspiration?
When we first opened the shop we focused more on handmade items. But, 1 1/2 years later trying to keep the shop full of handmade goodies with him a full time job and us having 5 children, it got to be too much. So after close to 2 years, I revamped the shop and focused mostly on vintage. Handmade items are/were stationery, matted prints and cigar box guitars. Our inspiration for the cards and prints came from vintage items that I had collected over the years.
The guitars was something my husband wanted to try to make just to see if he could. :) He has played guitar since a young age and has always had an appreciation for the old Delta blues guitar players, especially the ones who would make guitars from found objects. Unfortunately, because of his full time job, he doesn't have as much time to make these.
What has been your biggest successful moment so far?
My biggest success to me has been actually making money doing something I love. I hope that doesn't sound cliche'. I mean, I'm not rolling in the dough here, but I'm able to contribute a decent enough amount of money where it makes a difference each month.... even if it's a small amount... I figure when the kids get older I can focus more on the shop, but right now, I can do what I love, bring cash into our household and be here for our children.
One of my biggest challenges is not getting lost in a sea of online sellers. I'm always trying to think of ways to stand out... always trying to improve my photos, descriptions... keeping things looking fresh. Now, I may not always meet these challenges, but I think if you're constantly trying to improve yourself that is a good thing! Another challenge for me is time and time management. I try to stay focused, but some days it's really hard. I try not to get sidetracked while online! We have an active Facebook page with almost 5,600 followers and sometimes with Facebook you lose track of time easily. :) But I also sometimes have a hard time finding time for everything...Etsy sometimes gets put on the back burner between the kiddos, my husband, the house, church, bills, cooking dinner, and all the other things that comes with being a mom and wife.
What advice would you give someone just starting out on Etsy?
My advice for someone just starting out on Etsy.... do your homework. Find out what sells, find out how to take great photos. Find a good support system. Etsy has LOTS of great people via teams. There is a really good sense of community here. I have met so many helpful people... so many knowledgeable people willing to give advice. Get some constructive criticism. Always be looking at new ways to keep your shop up to date, to keep items/your shop looking fresh. Change things up a bit from time to time. Never be afraid to ask for help/advice. I think it's important to be a supporter of other shops and /or businesses as well. Be a giver, you will always get a good return. :)
Thank you Kristy for sharing your story with us.
Want to see more of Paper Wood Vintage. Follow Kristy on Facebook.
Next week we'll select another Etsy artist to spotlight. If you are interested please contact Zoica or myself via Etsy convo.
Tell us a little about yourself and your creative business.
I am a Christian mom of five. Two of our children are nephews we adopted. I have been a collector of vintage since I was a very young child. I started out collecting vintage stamps, coins and beads to having small collections of everything from vases to matches, old ashtrays, salt and pepper shakers, planters, and quirky items like Mr. Potato Heads.
How did you get your start?
My husband and I started selling vintage & handmade items locally and on Etsy to bring in extra income. We had a baby on the way and our 2 nephews came to live with us right before she was born. Since I had been a collector for so long and came from a long line of antique dealers and collectors, this was the natural thing for me to do. So, I quit my job to stay home with the kiddos and then opened the shop in 2010.
Where do you get your inspiration?
When we first opened the shop we focused more on handmade items. But, 1 1/2 years later trying to keep the shop full of handmade goodies with him a full time job and us having 5 children, it got to be too much. So after close to 2 years, I revamped the shop and focused mostly on vintage. Handmade items are/were stationery, matted prints and cigar box guitars. Our inspiration for the cards and prints came from vintage items that I had collected over the years.
The guitars was something my husband wanted to try to make just to see if he could. :) He has played guitar since a young age and has always had an appreciation for the old Delta blues guitar players, especially the ones who would make guitars from found objects. Unfortunately, because of his full time job, he doesn't have as much time to make these.
What has been your biggest successful moment so far?
My biggest success to me has been actually making money doing something I love. I hope that doesn't sound cliche'. I mean, I'm not rolling in the dough here, but I'm able to contribute a decent enough amount of money where it makes a difference each month.... even if it's a small amount... I figure when the kids get older I can focus more on the shop, but right now, I can do what I love, bring cash into our household and be here for our children.
What challenges do you face selling online?
One of my biggest challenges is not getting lost in a sea of online sellers. I'm always trying to think of ways to stand out... always trying to improve my photos, descriptions... keeping things looking fresh. Now, I may not always meet these challenges, but I think if you're constantly trying to improve yourself that is a good thing! Another challenge for me is time and time management. I try to stay focused, but some days it's really hard. I try not to get sidetracked while online! We have an active Facebook page with almost 5,600 followers and sometimes with Facebook you lose track of time easily. :) But I also sometimes have a hard time finding time for everything...Etsy sometimes gets put on the back burner between the kiddos, my husband, the house, church, bills, cooking dinner, and all the other things that comes with being a mom and wife.
What advice would you give someone just starting out on Etsy?
My advice for someone just starting out on Etsy.... do your homework. Find out what sells, find out how to take great photos. Find a good support system. Etsy has LOTS of great people via teams. There is a really good sense of community here. I have met so many helpful people... so many knowledgeable people willing to give advice. Get some constructive criticism. Always be looking at new ways to keep your shop up to date, to keep items/your shop looking fresh. Change things up a bit from time to time. Never be afraid to ask for help/advice. I think it's important to be a supporter of other shops and /or businesses as well. Be a giver, you will always get a good return. :)
Thank you Kristy for sharing your story with us.
Want to see more of Paper Wood Vintage. Follow Kristy on Facebook.
Next week we'll select another Etsy artist to spotlight. If you are interested please contact Zoica or myself via Etsy convo.
Thanks for stopping by...
Until next time,
Friday, August 22, 2014
Remembrance of Summer: Ice Cream
Welcome to this week’s Friday Finds! The theme was “ We Love Ice cream” and we selected a lovely pastel themed treasury curated by Yaroslav and Natalka Pavlysh from ReComputing. Their treasury is called Ice-Cream and is a soft remembrance of the summer passing…
Yaroslav and Natalka make amazing Jewelry and accessories with real circuit boards, motherboards, memory cards, processors, CPU etc. You do not need to be a geek to wear some of their designs…
Here are couple of their pieces to stir your interest:
We hope you have enjoyed this edition of Friday Finds. Next week’s treasury theme is “Autumn Gold”. If you have a treasury you would like to submit, just send me or Susan a link via Etsy convo by Thursday afternoon and we will take a look. Remember, if your treasury is featured, we will feature an item from your shop.
Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time…
Zoica
Yaroslav and Natalka make amazing Jewelry and accessories with real circuit boards, motherboards, memory cards, processors, CPU etc. You do not need to be a geek to wear some of their designs…
Here are couple of their pieces to stir your interest:
Monday, August 18, 2014
Artist Spotlight - Coco and James
Welcome to this week's edition of Artist Spotlight. This week our spotlight is on Etsy artists Coco and James. Here are some of Coco & James wonderful prints.
Tell us a little about yourself and your creative business.
Coco & James was created after our daughter, Kate, was born. We couldn't find the right wall prints for her nursery, so we decided to design them ourselves. Voila, a business is born! My husband and I design the prints together, always looking for inspiration all around us for new ideas. He's the really pro in graphic design, so I leave the technical aspects to him but I'm very opinionated about our designs and our approach to nursery art. My husband also works a full-time job in business strategy and I work part-time as a family nurse practitioner. We are busy!
Where do you get your inspiration?
We love taking colors from nature and turning up the volume. We also take inspiration from media, movies, books . . . we love art, culture, cinema, theater, so all of that plays into our designs. Inspiration is everywhere, and we often complain that we have too many ideas and not enough time!
What has been your biggest successful moment so far?
Our biggest success so far was hitting the milestone of selling at least one print per day. That was a big moment for our little shop, and now it's really taking off!
What challenges do you face selling online?
Selling online can be challenging because people can't meet you, see your passion for your work, or see how eager we are to share our work with others! We love doing custom work and designs to give someone just the right, special thing for their home. We try hard to express our personalities online, but this can be difficult.
What advice would you give someone just starting out on Etsy?
Tell us a little about yourself and your creative business.
Coco & James was created after our daughter, Kate, was born. We couldn't find the right wall prints for her nursery, so we decided to design them ourselves. Voila, a business is born! My husband and I design the prints together, always looking for inspiration all around us for new ideas. He's the really pro in graphic design, so I leave the technical aspects to him but I'm very opinionated about our designs and our approach to nursery art. My husband also works a full-time job in business strategy and I work part-time as a family nurse practitioner. We are busy!
Where do you get your inspiration?
We love taking colors from nature and turning up the volume. We also take inspiration from media, movies, books . . . we love art, culture, cinema, theater, so all of that plays into our designs. Inspiration is everywhere, and we often complain that we have too many ideas and not enough time!
What has been your biggest successful moment so far?
Our biggest success so far was hitting the milestone of selling at least one print per day. That was a big moment for our little shop, and now it's really taking off!
What challenges do you face selling online?
Selling online can be challenging because people can't meet you, see your passion for your work, or see how eager we are to share our work with others! We love doing custom work and designs to give someone just the right, special thing for their home. We try hard to express our personalities online, but this can be difficult.
What advice would you give someone just starting out on Etsy?
For someone just starting Etsy, I would say you need to understand some basics about SEO (search engine optimization), as well as being prepared to spend a lot of time working on your business. Join Etsy teams, and be involved in the Etsy community. It's time consuming, but hugely rewarding!
Thanks Jennifer for sharing your story and your beautiful nursery prints with us. Want to see more of Coco and James?
Next week we'll select another Etsy artist to spotlight. If you are interested please contact Zoica or myself via Etsy convo.
Thanks for stopping by...
Until next time,
Friday, August 15, 2014
Friday Finds- End of Summer
Welcome to this week’s Friday Finds! The theme was “End of Summer” and we selected a treasury curated by Stephani G Miller from TiStephani. Her treasury is called “Keeping Summer” and she has compiled some ways to keep memories of summer alive and fresh in your mind, heart and home.
Stephani makes crochet, knit and fabric accessories that are unique, fresh and fun.
Here is one of her handmade designs:
We hope you have enjoyed this edition of Friday Finds. Since we are close to end of summer, but not ready to let go to all fun that comes with it, nest week’s treasury is called “ We Love Ice Cream”. If you have a treasury you would like to submit, just send me or Susan a link via Etsy convo by Thursday afternoon and we will take a look. Remember, if your treasury is featured, we will feature an item from your shop.
Thanks for stopping by!
Until next time…
Zoica
Stephani makes crochet, knit and fabric accessories that are unique, fresh and fun.
Here is one of her handmade designs:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)