Treasuries...

Etsy treasuries... For some, they are a coveted goal... others just don't care, or don't get it. I didn't quite get the importance of them even when it was clear I was becoming  addicted to creating them :)

But the more I research, the more I discover that the folks who aspire to be in treasuries are not egotistical artists who like to see their work in pretty collections... they are hard working business men and women, who take full advantage of every tool available to them. And when Etsy avails this free marketing tool that weilds such power when used skillfully and optimally... why not?

You see... the goal is not to "be" in a treasury. The goal is to be in a treasury that makes the front page of Etsy. We've all read the Etsy success stories. Seller after seller sharing their stories of hard work, quality of items, committment of time and energy... Oh... and if their item hits the front page..... they went from virtually unknown to getting thousands of clicks in their shops!

That's the power of a front page treasury. Folks go to Etsy dot com, and what's the first thing they see? A collection of items at the top of the page... A treasury. Etsy staff members choose treasuries that have some kind of "wow factor"... something that draws the shopper in to the "inner pages" of Etsy.

I chose the treasury below to make a point. This was the Front Page treasury this morning, July 26th, 2011. It's lovely. But it was the 3rd photo in the top row that hit home with me. Gorgeous, isn't it? It's almost dreamy... poetic... What's the seller offering? Five used forks. Yep. Five forks... not even half as pretty as some I've seen. Silver "plated" at that. Yet, the shop reached the front page of Etsy... a position many thousands of Etsy sellers would wish, hope, and pray for to get more exposure for their shops. Why is this seller's listing for 5 used, silver plated forks on the front page? Well... there could be a variety of reasons. But I can tell you one of them right off the bat. It goes back to my first comment about the listing.... Gorgeous.

At first glance, one thinks this is a listing for an artistic photograph. Then the potential buyer is already hooked and looks deeper to discover that it's the charming forks that are for sale. Now, we are drawn in. I wanted to see what other treasures were available. And sure enough, the shop is filled with beautiful images of items I didn't know I had to have just moments earlier. But now I do.

Photography is centrally important to the Etsy selling experience. There are tons of tutorials offered on Etsy's site, as well as all over the internet about photographing items for sale online. Every seller should study a few, and take time to put the skills into practice.

Now, there are other ways sellers work to heighten their potential to get their work/items to the Etsy front page. There are teams set up just for treasuries. And the more treasuries one is in, the more likely a shop owner is to get to the front page. But in the end, it's having good shots that will get items chosen for treasuries. And it's the eye catching treasuries chosen by the Etsy team for the front page.

I suppose that luck too, plays it's part. But from what I've seen, the "luckiest" Etsy sellers are the ones who put the most blood, sweat, and tears into their business. Taking the time to photograph your work/items well, and taking the time to take advantage of marketing tools can make a big difference.

None of us can list 3 items, sit back, and then wonder why we never make a sale. It's quality, consistency, and committment that bring Etsy sellers to the next level. So, let's grab those cameras and play a little!

'mi casa es su casa' by GRIGORATOS

stephmel $27.00	MikeHindmarsh $1800.00	thefoxandthesp... $16.00	lacklusterco $12.00
pilosale $20.00	sarapaloma $250.00	shavingkitsupp... $12.00	Raceytay $30.00
srajab1 $23.00	planetlovevint... $38.00	atstuart $36.00	knifeinthewate... $40.00
fillingham $40.00	ARTISANIEeurop... $9.00	BuiltINstudio $300.00	WilliamDohman $85.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Website Info

Life being what it is... My "Tips and Tricks Tuesday" post didn't get started until almost midnight on Tuesday. Thus, it's actually going to be posted on Wednesday, which is usually my "Work-A-Day Wednesday" post. Then I figured, what the heck... since it's my website I'm working on anyway, it all worked out in the end! Have I lost you yet? Well, stay with me. I'm excited to share some neato info with you :) If you want to skip my drama charm, you can just scroll down to see where the info on customizing the free website is!

Working on my website has been one of "those" exercises for me. Once again, it involved a little fear, a little letting go, and (thank God) a little leap of faith in something new.

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You see... when I opened my website, almost 4 years ago, my main focus was the world of Primitives. And one important factor in that online world is to create a warm atmosphere. Each primitive seller wants to reflect the same feeling for their customers that they would in a brick and mortar shop. Heck... if we could add an app that allowed for a scented candle aroma, we'd all have it!  Since I also design web graphics, I worked and re-worked my little site a few times until I finally had just the right look. But then...

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Well... a few things happened. Because of ebay's change in policy, I virtually stopped selling my templates, which were the largest part of my business. Then I discovered I was expecting a baby. My age and illness made for a difficult 9 months, so I took that time off. Most of you know the tale of the last year, so I won't bore you to tears, but I've been more than a little busy caring full time for my baby, and my grand-baby who is 2 months his junior. Why, "yes" my gray hairs have been filling in a little faster. Thanks for asking. Nothing a little Loreal "Warm Maple Brown" can't take care of ;)
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During this crazy wonderful time, my focus has shifted. While I still love primitives and intend to continue making the time-worn items I love... I have really fallen in love with sketching and painting again. And I am continuing to fall more and more in love with digital photography, and the layered art of it all.

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Ok... time to shorten this 'long story'. I love graphics. I am a graphics NUT, in fact. But... I find that when one is selling art, a solid background makes more sense for a presentation. I don't want my art to compete for attention among the checks, stripes, and florals, you know? I went "white" with my blog a while back. I may mix things up by doing black now and again, but I really like the white for now. I wanted my website to reflect my new focus as well.

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So, easy/peasy, right? Well, for most well-adjusted folks maybe. But not Linda Pinda. Nope. You see... 4 years ago, when I opened my website, I chose a free host. At the time, it was Freewebs dot com. One can operate the free site which contains ads. Or... for the low fee of  $19.95/year, you can register a domain name, and POOF, no more ads! (I think for an even lower fee, the ads can be removed, but who doesn't want their own domain name, right?). I really loved the site, but the template choices... though many... didn't quite fit the specialized/unique look I wanted. Because my focus is much more on graphics then on the technical knowledge of HTML and CSS, it took me forever... but I did it! I took a basic template choice and chopped the heck out of it, until it "fit" me.
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Along came a change. Freewebs dot com became Webs dot com. Don't you know... these folks had some new fangled ideas. ugh... When I went in to modify my site, the editing was all changed. AND... the ability to work on the CSS in the way that I had is no longer available. Mind you... there is an entire CSS template, but one has to have a much better grip on the tech side of things then I do to use it. I had the option to choose a new template. But it was clear that there would be no going back. I would lose everything I had personalized. So... there my site sat for a LLLLOOOONNNNGGGG time. I was afraid to lose the unique look I had. A look I wanted to change. (I told you.... to a well-adjusted person, this would have been a much simpler task).
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Well... this past week, the "obvious" finally hit me like a ton of bricks. What sense does it make to hold onto something for fear that I'll lose it, if it's not even what I want anymore??? I guess it was just letting go that was hard. It had been quite an accomplishment for me, and remembering those long nights just made it too difficult to "delete" so quickly. But alas... moving forward is ALWAYS better than looking back. I did it. With one click, my CSS was gone, and I was faced with the possibilities of disappointment and confusion.

But, guess what? It took me only a few moments to realize that the changes Webs.com made were wonderful! In just a few clicks, and a little trial and error, I found the perfect template for my banner and the layout I wanted! Now, the site's CSS is much more like what blogger uses in it's design page. You just click on the section you want to change and can preview it all there. You can upload ANY background, and use any banner. Depending on the template, you may have to play around a lot to get the banner to fit just right. But the one I chose has a huge header, so I can't image not being able to customize this a million different ways.

Below is the template I chose. It's called "Colourise". It's available in a few color combos. I chose black. Then I went into CSS, and added my banner, changed the background colors, fonts and font colors, and added a sidebar.

And now... It looks like this:

 

I still have a lot to add to it, obviously. But let me tell ya'... Webs.com sure has made it easy to add everything you could want. From the sidebar customization, to the store/selling pages, the form element pages, the links page (AMAZING!!!), photo gallery pages, and even an Etsy Store page!!! Wowza... I am so sorry I didn't dig in sooner. It's so easy to use. One other thing offered on the site is "membership". Thus, it can be used as a group/social network/workshop type site. The membership info will show up on the sidebar, but all you have to do is "uncheck" the box for the homepage, and other pages, and it will "disappear" :) But I'm glad to know it's available if I should ever decide to give any tutorials, etc.

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I've always been happy with the site, and customer service and support has been wonderful. I've paid the $20.00/month for a primitive site through one of the DIY prim site builders, and I found it to be so much more difficult to navigate. For the same price FOR A YEAR, Webs.com is really keeping me a happy camper. Someone once warned me that a downside to free web hosts is the possibility of them closing down. I suppose that's true. But in the four years I've been with this host, I've seen two of those $20.00/month sites close and have had friends scramble to find a new host and set up a new site. I guess there are no guarantees. But if you do a little research, I think you'll see that Webs.com is growing a respected reputation and is offering an amazing product for the money.

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There are other ways to stretch your dollar, and still have a nice site. When I discovered a couple of years ago that some of the group merchant sites were actually created using blogger, I did a lot of online digging, and found great resources to figure out how to make a static homepage, and create buttons to link to the other pages, etc. Here's a link to a sample site I created using blogger. Of course, it does not have a unique domain name attached to it because it's just a sample. But it shows that you can indeed have a lovely little site without breaking the bank. Sample Blogger . There's a lot more you can add to it, but this shows the basics of the static page, and how to use the "labels" to create the link pages for buttons. Once all your buttons are created, you just remove the "labels" element and the buttons do the work instead of the text.

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***I am in no way affiliated with webs.com and have not been paid for this post, or even asked to write it. I am just a very satisfied customer sharing what I hope someone else may find to be valuable information :)

  PS... Aww... come on... did you really think you would escape without one picture of my kids? LOL!Thought you'd get a kick out of a kid who actually reads the birthday cards :)

Blog-spiration!

I was visiting the wonderful Miss Mustard Seeds blog last night, when I came across the comment of another blogger, regarding the use of vintage sheet music. She commented that she is going to try re-doing a ceiling using Miss Mustard Seeds technique.

(source)

It hit me...

My  quaint, turn of the century (last one... not this one... LOL) house has some wonderful features. The moment I walked through the kitchen door 9 years ago, the old pressed tin ceilings won me over. But, those ceilings are only in the kitchen and the dining room. I love the character and interest they provide. But... my dining room and "future" family room are open to each other, and the ceiling in the family room is... well... right now, it's just old peeling paint begging to be transformed.

Upon reading that bloggers comment... I knew that the sheet music technique would turn the adjoining ceiling into something special, which wouldn't compete with the tin ceiling of the neighboring dining room, but compliment it.

I've got a stash of antique music books in the basement. But I also have access to tons of old hymnals. I think that's the way I want to go. Music is such a big part of our family's life together. I think this is going to be great! Rather than going with the straight lines and "neatness" of Miss Mustard Seeds technique, I will go more the Mixed Media Art method of torn edges and overlapping with a rubbed antique finish, etc.  I think I'll forego any glitter this time... LOL. But I'm sure there will be some related artwork for the walls, and all glitter bets are off :-D

I've got some ideas swirling in my head, and can't wait to actually "get to it". I'd love to have that room finished before the holidays, so wish me luck!!!

I love that when I tell hubby I want to adhere music to the ceiling, he doesn't even bat an eye... LOL! 26 years sure has a way of easing a fellow into things ;)

Thank you Miss Mustard Seed, and the wonderful commentors who share their inspirations as well!!!

Free Kindle App Downloads

Best Tip of the week is either going to make you love me or laugh your head off at the fact that someone who is living in the technology "dark ages" has any tech tips at all :D

 

But... I am one excited gal right now!!!

 

I've been wanting to take one of the online courses from Kelly Rae Roberts, but timing and resources keep escaping me. So, I figured the change of season and cold Autumn nights was the perfect timing to at least purchase her book, "Taking Flight". I was thrilled to find it on Amazon.com. But.... then..... I could hardly believe my eyes!!! When I went to purchase the book, I noticed it was available in minutes through Kindle. Well... I don't have a kindle. WELL... Miss Pinda, hold on to your hat.... you can download FREE Kindle applications onto a variety of technological wonders... including... your very own PC!!!

 

 

 

 

I'm telling you... In less than 2 minutes. Seriously 2 minutes.... I had the kindle app downloaded to my PC and had "Taking Flight" purchased and downloaded as well.

 

Now... if you're like me, you might be saying "well... I like the feel of the old book between my fingers as I read". Yep. me too. And I can't imagine any electronic device ever taking the place of my book collection. But... this particular type of book is something I like to have on hand and available with the click of the mouse for ongoing information. I like to keep my art, business, and mentoring info right beside where I work and keep in contact with the art community. So, my laptop is the perfect "bookshelf" for work related info and inspiration.

 

Ok... I'm sure a good few of you are giggling at my infantile knowledge of such technological offerings. But I hope for the one or two of you, who, like me, are not on the forefront of gadgetry use, will enjoy this newfound information useful, and enjoyeable as well :D

 

FREE Kindle Application Downloads

 From Amazon.com

 

While I'm On The Subject...

Of sharing tips, tricks, and other tidbits I've discovered in all my web surfing adventures...

 

And while we're all discussing website traffic over at Creating The Hive...

 

I thought I'd share a link to one of the BEST posts I've ever read about increasing web traffic written specifically with artisans in mind. This woman is a goldmine of information and is one of the most generous people I've encountered on the internet. Not only is there an amazing amount of business information on her site... but check out her paper mache projects and recipes as well... amazing doesn't begin to cover it!

 

Artists: How To Improve Your Web Traffic

by: Jonni Good

 

Be sure to leave Jonni some "Comment Love" while you're there =D

   

Blog Tips

I so appreciate all the folks who take the time to share the little discoveries they've made to improve their blogs and websites with the rest of us. Some of them are professional designers, and others are "learn as they go", like me =D

It is easy to get into the trap of being "guarded" about sharing. I've gotten so many questions over the years, and at times I want to say "I scoured the internet for hours, days, months... to find this information. It takes soooo much time and energy. The information is out there if you just put the effort into finding it. So go search like I did".

But... then again... If it weren't for the generosity of those who shared what they knew in the first place, I never would have found it no matter how much I searched, huh? AND I have always been all the more thankful for my online friends who have shared links to tech sites with HTML and other helpful information that took hours off of those searches.

So, I'd like to share some of the helpful tips I've discovered along the way, as well. Few of these were my own technical discoveries. I'll always share the links to the amazing folks who help us all make our web "homes" a little nicer.

Not all of the tips and tricks will be technical. Some may be related to house and home, art, or other business aspects.

Today I'd like to share a very simple solution to a problem I see A LOT of in the blog world these days. It seems to be more prevelent since the new template designer came out. Why they don't automatically center the header, I don't understand. But have you noticed that most of the headers are off to the left? Mine was. My original solution was to make my banner so huge that even all the way to the left, it was still centered... LOL.

Then... I found this link:

http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=0f4c693385d18130&hl=en

Where it says to add this code: #Header1 {width:800px;margin:0 auto} I did, and had to tweak it a bit. Mine is set at 900px now, and is centered pretty well.

Another blog "problem" I see a lot of... Folks who I know want a very professional look for their site, and go to a lot of effort to buy or create gorgeous graphics and headers, only to be stuck with the border outline on their headers that just "break up" the overall look... or don't even stretch with the header, thus resulting in a bit of a mixmatch look.

My "fly by the seat of my pants" solution was to go into the fonts and colors section of the design page and change the border color to the closest possible color of my background. It didn't always work well. The only time it "really" works is if your background is black, and you change the border color to black... or... if your background color is white, and you change the border color to white.

BUT... Halleluia! I found this link:

http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/blog-secrets/180-how-to-remove-border-lines-behind-header.html

Ahhh... Now, that's better!!!

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I do have to ask that you don't take up your time, or mine addressing any technical questions here. I AM NOT an expert in this area, and it is all trial and error in the wee hours of the morning. I would suggest that everyone open a "test" blog as well as their actual blog, so that all the trial and error occurs on a test blog rather than your actual blog. Just set the test blog to private so that folks don't see all your follies... LOL.

For folks who have NO knowlege of HTML or CSS at all, I would suggest using one of the many blogger templates which perfectly match your taste, so that you don't have to alter anything. OR... there are many designers online who will create the perfect blog template to fit your artistic expression.

But if you like to personalize and "fiddle" there are so many resources to help if you just google whatever you're looking for... "how to add fancy fonts", "how to add a new background", etc. etc. etc.

And I will keep sharing what I find right here :)

"Happy Blogging"

*Note: Both of the tips I shared today are for blogger blogs. There are many tip sites out there for typepad and others. Believe me... I know. Can't tell you how many times I've searched for help, and can only find info for typepad. For instance.... "Does anyone out there know how to add the feature where you can respond directly to a specific comment post on blogger?" I can only find that info for typepad. ~but I'm still searching ;)