Sunday 15 November 2009

Weekend Round-Up

Members of the Etsy UK thread are running special promotions for individual members in the run up to Christmas. The lovely IslayBower has kindly volunteered to co-ordinate this mammoth task and is doing a fantastic job of keeping everyone up to date. The second half of last week was my turn to be in the spotlight. Members very kindly promoted me in various ways. QuercusSilver started a thread in the Promotions forum, other people tweeted my shop or selected items, some included my jewellery in their Treasuries, and BigBlueBed featured me in her blog, as did Angela Callanan in her Preciouslittlebirdy blog.

I was even asked to take part in an interview for Etsy member SnowdropAndDaisies blog. Snowdrops sent me a list of questions and I provided the answers which she turned into a lovely interview accompanied by a selection of jewellery photos from my shop. I think it fair to say she was a little surprised at my response, but very kindly took it in the humorous spirit intended. If you have time to spare, you can read it here. But you'd better make a nice cup of tea first... oh and a slice of cake... I do go on a bit!

It's been a lovely few days that's resulted in many views and hearts, and I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who took part. Apologies if I've missed anyone!

In other news, here are a few new pieces I've recently made.

Clementine Necklace:


Olivia Bracelet:


Honour Bracelet:

Tuesday 10 November 2009

What's In Your Trolley?

Grabbing my Tesco trolley the other day, I happened upon a discarded till receipt the previous shopper had left behind. Picking it up, I popped it in my pocket; not because of an absence of bins, there were plenty of those, but because I'm nosy and wanted to read it over a cup of tea. I know, it's a bit sad, but you'd be surprised what you can learn from a shopping list. And yes, I know, wanting to learn anything at all about a total stranger is even sadder! But don't forget, I am nosy! Think of it as people watching from the comfort of my armchair.

So, back home, I unpack my shopping, pop the kettle on, slice the cake and settle down to inspect the shopping habits of my anonymous shopper.

Top of the list we have peach slices... oh wait a minute, they appear again a bit further down! Obviously likes fruit, particularly the kind that comes in tins!

When I was a child my nan used to serve tinned peaches with sterilised cream... also from a tin. The cream was thick, tasted of metal and separated slightly when dolloped on top of the syrupy juices. In the centre of the table sat a plate of bread and butter for dipping. Sounds disgusting, and it was!

But back to my shopper... there's more fruit with mandarins, plums, grapes and gooseberries. So I figure my anonymous shopper's preference for soft fruit indicates a problem biting into firm flesh... clearly not a vampire then! My suspicions are further aroused a little way down the list with the word Fixodent! Aha, thought so!

So, why do I think my shopper is female... well she likes baking; Stork margarine, bramley apples, treacle... unless the treacle is to keep her regular, hence the moist toilet tissues and quilted toilet tissues.

Moving on...

My shopper clearly likes to eat a well balanced diet; museli for breakfast with extra hazelnuts sprinkled on top... got to keep those bowels regular! Crumbed ham salad for lunch with baby plum tomatoes, little gem lettuce, radishes, red pepper and salad onions. Hold on a bit... red peppers! That's a bit exotic isn't it!! Afternoon tea... or rather percolated coffee...with a mince pie and dinner of Branston beans on toast (white sliced bread) or maybe broad beans, frozen peas and something from the freezer?

The trolley had been left next to the disabled parking bays, so I reckon she's got walking difficulties, probably on account of her arthritis. She really should lay off the acidic mandarins, they won't do her any good at all... neither will all that coffee (double purchase)... plays havoc with the rheumatism!

Age wise, I reckon she's in her mid 70's, possibly single, comfortably off, but makes her pension go further by doing most of her own baking, and cooking everything from scratch. Bet she drives a little Noddy Micra!

I would have loved to have found something a bit racy on her list, like an Italian ready meal, or a Vindaloo... that'd make her go faster than the treacle! Maybe a steamy paperback or CD of rock anthems. She could have made it a bit harder for me... I almost feel cheated!

So, what does your shopping trolley say about you? I daren't list mine. I'm having a comfort eating week, so lots of naughtiness; cake, choc and wine... with a bit of food chucked in for balance.

When I grow old I'm going to leave someone a really racy till receipt in my trolley! :D

Friday 6 November 2009

Another First

Don't you just love first time experiences... providing they're good ones that is! But even bad experiences can teach us such a lot. In fact I'd go so far to say that it's the bad experiences in life that offer the most valuable lessons. I've certainly found I've had my biggest growth spurts during times of adversity!

But enough of bad experiences. This experience is a good one, and one that I hope will yield a growth spurt for my Etsy shop, because I've just discovered that I've been featured in my very first Etsy Gift Guide!

This particular gift guide features freshly emerging shops that have been open for six months or less and/or who have less that thirty sales. It was AMIdesigns who first brought it to my attention by telling me she had suggested me for it. Thanks Alison! I then popped into the gift guide thread and rather cheekily suggested myself too! I think one or two other UK members might have mentioned my name as well. So thanks to anyone who did that I haven't mentioned. They're a great bunch over on the Etsy UK thread, always supporting and promoting each other!

In fact we're having a special UK promotional push in the run up to Xmas where we are promoting two UK Etsy sellers every week, and the current lucky seller is none other than AMIdesigns so please do drop into her shop and take a look at her wonderful range of jewellery, not to mention her new line in Xmas decorations! They really are fab!

So, Etsy get to choose which particular item they feature, and they have chosen my Ruby Tuesday Red Czech Glass Bellflower Earrings:


You can also check them out here along with the other lovely items featured in the Freshly Emerging Shops gift guide.

Thursday 5 November 2009

SALE - 20% OFF EVERYTHING

I am having a sale of 20% off everything in my Etsy shop.

Sale ends Monday 9th November. Why not do some Xmas shopping and grab yourself a bargain! Pay the full purchase price and I will refund the difference through Paypal.

Happy shopping! :)

Tuesday 3 November 2009

My first Custom Order

This week saw another first for me, a custom order! It came about as a direct result of my earrings featuring in a treasury on the Etsy Front Page. The customer wanted me to make a pendant necklace using the same beads. I'm delighted with the way it turned out!

Vintage Powder Blue Lily



In other news, I have had another pair of earrings featured on Etsy's Front Page. This time it was for my Dew-Kissed Blue Lampwork Earrings which were included in this gorgeous treasury.