Member Feature: The Pink Lobster

Tell us a little about your shop.
I had made a few key fobs for people as gifts, and they requested to give some as gifts. After a little searching I realized there weren't many in the "genre" that I was aiming for, so I decided to give it a try on Etsy.

What brought you to etsy?
I love etsy.com. I've purchased a lot of gifts and things for myself. It seemed like a natural progression for me.

How long have you been crafting?
As long as I can remember! I loved arts and crafts as a child and even when life gets busy, I try to steal away to get some time in. While planning my wedding I did A LOT of the projects myself and really enjoyed how much everyone else enjoyed everything!

What is your favorite item in your shop right now?
Hmm, probably the pink lobster on yellow ribbon fob. It's light, it's fun and obviously I love pink lobsters!

What is your "day job?"
I am a litigation paralegal. Very busy, fast paced, high stress environment but I love it.

Where do you find inspiration?
The beach! Anything beach related, I love. I grew up at the beach, it's my favorite place to go to relax and anything that says beach life I love.

What is one thing you wish you could do better?
Knit and crochet. I can knit, although I'd say i'm at a beginner level. I would love to learn to crochet.

What is one crafting tool you couldn't live without?
A good pair of fabric scissors.

What is your favorite book/movie/song?
I have way to many favorite books to even pick one. Movie: The Quiz Show or The Notebook. Song: currently You Lie by The Band Perry

Where else can we find you?
For right now... just on etsy.

Member Feature: Loobie Labels

Tell us a little about your shop.
My shop sells personalized party items, as well as small gifts. My biggest sellers have always been personalized candy bar wrappers - Hershey bars, Kisses, Miniatures, etc. That was all I started out with when I first began. Now I'm branching out. I sell gifts, photo candles, bottled water labels, custom made business fliers and a lot of other items that will soon be listed. My shop is still fairly new, but I'm working on getting my entire arsenal listed so people can see the true scope of my capabilities.

What brought you to etsy?
I got tired of people asking me "What's your website?" lol. I tried to do my own website but I'm pretty computer illiterate and it was a huge flop. I had already created an etsy account for buying, so I figured why not go with a shop here? Now my repeat customers have a place to go if they want something, and I can reach out to new customers and show them what I have to offer.

How long have you been crafting?
I've always enjoyed crafts and creating in general, ever since I was a child. But I've been doing the custom labels for about 3 years now.

What is your favorite item in your shop right now?
I really like the photo wedding favors. We're planning a destination wedding and it's a great way to show off your wedding location. I'm also working on samples for at-home weddings.

What is your "day job?"
During the day, I do in home daycare. I also work as a respite worker, which is basically a very well-trained babysitter who has the skill and knowledge to take care of special needs children. I have a degree in social work, but gave up my career to stay home when my daughter was born.

Where do you find inspiration?
I get my inspiration from the people around me. They all have reasons to celebrate, and every item in my shop is the result of a celebration that someone I know and love has had. I go to weddings and birthdays, graduations and Baptims, and I think "It would be cool if I could make......" Then I go home and turn the idea into reality.

What is one thing you wish you could do better?
I really do stink at photography. That's a bad thing.

What is one crafting tool you couldn't live without?
My printer! I'm the one who got the ladies on the DIY board all excited about the Canon Pixma MP 620 when it first came out, and I'm still using mine! I know all its features and all the little tricks to make it perform at its highest level.

What is your favorite book/movie/song?
My favorite book is Flowers in the Attic by VC Andrews. My favorite movie is Clerks 2, and my favorite song is "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts. (That song has a special place in my heart, because it was the first song I sang to my daughter when she was in the NICU after she was born. Every time I hear it, it brings tears to my eyes.)

Where else can we find you? Right now, I'm focusing mainly on my shop so I'm not into the social networking scene much. Aside from my etsy shop (Loobie Labels) you can find me on facebook.

Fall Team Challenge: Home Sweet Home

To spark a little creativity, the KNET team recently planned a design challenge. Our challenge was to create an item inspired by our hometown or state. We share those items, and a brief description, below, and you can join in the fun. You can vote for which entry you think is the most inpsired. Just select your choice over on the sidebar. And because we are a friendly little team, there is no real prize for the winner. Just that warm-fuzzy feeling :)

**UPDATE**

Voting has now closed. The winner is the cow print custard cozy from mary*mule designs!

Embellished Bayou:
I created a line of candle embellishments inspired by my home state of Louisiana. The fleur de lis is not only a symbol of the state, but of our World Champion New Orleans Saints football team! In French, fleur de lis literally means "lily flower". On 9 July 2008, Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal signed a bill into law making the fleur-de-lis an official symbol of the state. Following Hurricane Katrina, the fleur-de-lis has been widely used in New Orleans as a symbol of grassroots support for New Orleans' recovery.

~~~

This Seams Nifty:
Mine is purple and gold stocking bunting. I'm from Baton Rouge, which is where LSU is located, so I wanted to make something festive for the holidays that shows spirit for my alma mater. :)

~~~

mary*mule:
Here is my entry, inspired by Wisconsin! As you may know, Wisconsin is America's Dairyland. We like our cheese and frozen custard here (and beer, but that's not dairy!). So I made a frozen custard cozy for pints of custard or ice cream. To keep your hands from freezing while you eat. I made one with cow print, since cows make milk.

Holiday Sales and Coupon Codes

If you are working on your holiday shopping this weekend, here are some deals you won't want to miss. Some shops are offering sales and coupon codes Friday to Monday (unless otherwise specified) using etsy's new coupon code feature. Happy Shopping!

Damask Diva: BF2010DD For 10% off entire purchase!

Madas Place: THANKFUL10 for 10% off

Prost to the Host: BLACKFRIDAY for 10% off.

Bella Mia Bows n Things: My stuff is marked down in the shop, and then the code for an add'l 15% is GOBBLE15

Four Harp Designs and Four Harp Designs Too: THANKFUL2010 for 20% off either shop

This Seams Nifty: HOLIDAY25 for 25% off; Monday thru Friday.

Go Against the Grain: GATG10 for 10% off everything

mary*mule designs: Select sections are marked down 15% and FB fans can
get shipping for 99 cents, leave "I'm a fan" in message to seller box.

Embellished Bayou: FBFAN for 25% off good throught Monday at midnight. My frames are already marked down 30%.

Swish Designs: BLACKFRIDAY2010 for 15% off.

Cupcake Dream: BLACKFRIDAY2010 for 20% off through Monday.

Candid Grace: CYBERMONDAY20 for 20% off, Monday only.

Cashmere Cuddles: Sale, up to 30% off, prices are already marked down.

Team Interview: Do you Blog?

Q: Do you blog?

Prost to the Host: I blog about events I've hosted, planned , coordinated etc, wedding styles/trends, post mood boards for events and other holiday centered enteratining tips.

Go Against the Grain: I blog as well and it varies from baking, etsy, home decor to DIY things. It started out as a home rebuilding blog that kept family up to date on our re-build after the damage from hurricane Ike and has evolved since then.

mary*mule designs: I blog about sewing, new recipes, book reviews, house stuff and life in general.

Personally Speaking: I blog about recipes, designs, cupcakes, cake lets, etc. It's new but so much fun! I wish I had more time!

Four Harp Designs: I have a food blog, Mama Jan's Kitchen. It's more just a recipe blog that I started so I could keep all my favorite recipes in one place. My friends are always asking for recipes so that was an easy way to share my favorites. It's turned into much more but has sort
of gotten put on the back burner lately. I have piles of recipes that need
to get posted.... if I ever have time to edit the pics!

Emebellished Bayou: I blog about my crafts and DIY projects with the occasional recipe and decorating post thrown in. I also use it to promote my Etsy shop and Facebook page from time to time.

Candid Grace: My blog is still a work in progress. I started it to be able to showcase my work and upcoming projects, but I also intend to use it to promote other's work that I admire as well. I also throw in the occasional random post too. :)

Belletristics: I blog at Belletristics - it's mostly a place to showcase previous custom design work, and keep anyone that's interested up to date with the goings on at Belletristics. I also do a "Real Weddings" feature , as well as offer free download and print stationery designs from time to time.

Blush Printables: I blog for my design work, though, to showcase current projects, share inspiration photos, ideas and DIY projects, along with free downloads every Friday. I also share photos from Real Parties + Real Weddings that I've designed for, and share photos from projects & photoshoots that I've
participated in.

Swish Designs: I have several blogs including my swishdesigns blog, my family blog and my bootcamp blog: all of which are sadly neglected.

Bowrene: I blog at Itching for a Stitching. I often just blog about crocheting and knitting and all things related to the fiber arts. I also post personal projects as well as reviews of products that I come across. Sneak peeks of upcoming listings can be found
there as well. Its an unorganized mish-mash, but I love it.

Cupcake Dream: I have a baby blog, where I share daily activities, milestones, pictures, and other family related topics. Included is a recipe and craft page. Unfortunately, I haven't really worked on those areas in a while. Recently, I started a house blog . So far it just details our build, but soon will include pictures of the decorating and future house plans.

2Birdstone: I have a blog but it's been sorely neglected. For a while there I did a weekly feature called "Six to Buy" highlighting six items based on a common thread that I would buy if money were no object. I occasionally will do a free download but it's been a long time. Mostly my blog involves shameless self promotion and highlighting past clients' weddings.

Carried Away By Paper: I have a blog that is really centered around photography, I do a lot of challenges that other blogs host and throw a few updates about our lives in there as well

Treasury Round-Up

Clicking photos will take you to the treasury on etsy.

{featuring FourHarpDesignsToo}

{featuring MadasPlace}

{curated by mary*mule, featuring various KNETies}

Team Interview: Holiday Goals

Q: What are your goals for the upcoming holiday season?

mary*mule- My goals are to focus on products for men. I know this is one area on etsy that is lacking, and I'd like to help fill that niche. I already make items for men, I just need to work on beefing up my stock of those items.
I am also working on some new products, hopefully I will be able to get them in my shop before the holidays.
~~~
bowrene- I am hoping to run a successful sale, and get my items up to the 50
mark. I'm at 38! I also am hoping to get my FB fan following up to
100.
~~~

Four Harp Designs- Survive :) No seriously though... that kind of is my goal. Last holiday season my kids were sick basically the whole season long. "Two under two" with very little napping - so just keeping up with my orders is my goal.
I'd love to get more items listed in my new shop Four Harp Designs Too and get selling! I just opened but haven't done a whole lot in terms of marketing, etc. I'm going to be selling some items in a holiday boutique next month so I hope that draws a little attention to either of my shops!
~~~
Prost to the Host- My goal is to build up as much stock as possible before the baby comes. Ideally, it will help me get through the first few months.
~~~
Go Against the Grain- Ideally I'd like to create some new products and work on a better strategy for repeat customers. Also would like to increase my marketing, maybe figure out if I can afford some advertising.
~~~
Madas Place and Madas Place Baby- My big goal is to reach 1000 sales by New Year's! Go Mada's Place, go!
The rest of my goals stay the same. I am always looking at my photos and descriptions and branding and hoping to improve it. I want to continue relisting new items in my shop and making it the most awesome it can possibly be.
~~~

Bella Mia Bows n Things- I'm just trying to get back into etsy. I've taken a very long hiatus since we've been super busy on the homefront, but I sorely miss etsy. I just have to learn to manage my time better so I don't get lost in taking pics, editing listings, promoting, etc while totally neglecting my dayjob (stay at home mommy to a toddler and being a super-wife. hehe). I think I was just trying to do too much, and I just got burnt out. Maybe I can look at etsy as stress relief from the day to day stuff, instead of just one more thing to add to the stuff I HAVE to do.

Team Interview: Best Halloween Costume

Q: What was your best Halloween costume?

Go Against the Grain- I'm actually hoping to make this year my best one ever. Bust since I don't have a picture yet, I'll share last year's! I was little red riding hood, complete with basket of real baked goods :) We all dressed up for work, it was a lot of fun.
~~~

Bella Mia Bows n Things- My favorite halloween costume was when I was about 19 or 20, I think. I was working at target, so i decided to go as a Target Guestcard =)

I took 2 pieces of red poster board and I made the front look like the front of the guestcard and the back I made to look like the back of the guestcard. I had every detail down to the tiniest thing. Then I put the two together with ribbon, I think, and put it on so I was a walking guestcard.

I won the contest that year at target for best costume
~~~

Four Harp Designs- My 1st grade costume was my favorite. I dressed up as a Cabbage Patch Kid (still in the patch). I remember my mom spending hours upon hours sewing it for me - complete with a little "patch hat" and leaves to cover my shoes. She even ironed on a Cabbage Patch Kids logo. I loved wearing it!

~~~

Belle Papillon Designs- My best costume ever was a California Raisin. I think it must have been 1987 or 88. My mom took a huge purple t-shirt and sewed tucks in it all the way around. Then we stuffed the inside with newspaper and grocery bags. We painted my face purple, and then I pulled the neck of shirt over my head (Beavis and Butthead style, though this was long before they were on TV). Paired that with leggings, white gloves, and hi-top Chucks, and I won the costume contest at my afterschool program!
~~~

Blush Printables- I have two favorite costumes.

In 1988 I was a witch. Yes, I went trick or teating with a broom in one hand and a my little pony in the other.
In 1991, I was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz which is my favorite movie EVER. My nana sewed my costume & even bought me red shoes that we put glitter on. My brother was the cowardly lion that year.
~~~

Swish Designs- One year (about 1998 or so), me and all my friends went as the cast from
Austin Powers (the first movie). A couple of the guys bought their costumes
but my girlfriend and I made the fembot costumes. We won first place in a
costume contest. My 2nd favorite costume was in about 1996ish - I made a
cat woman costume. I had found a mask at a costume shop and rented the movie
and painstakingly drew the costume out on a black lycra full body suit. It
was super cute - didn't win first place though - my roommate did!!!
~~~

mary*mule- I was Pippi Longstocking in 4th grade. My dad bent a wire coat hanger around my head and my mom braided my hair around it so my pigtails stuck out. I had mismatched clothes too.
I won 2nd place in a costume contest at the grocery store.

Treasury Time!

Curated by mary*mule, featuring several KNET members

Set of 2 upcycled b... anycards $25.00	Cashmere Teal Cirqu... thejunebride $14.50	Recycled Vinyl Bann... seen1 $10.00
Leaf Scarf or Garla... mrowe $25.00	SALVAGE GARDEN III ... bearpawrustics $165.00	Zippered cosmetic p... marymule $8.00
Ready to Ship Upcyc... arksendeavors $30.00	LETTER R Embellishe... beadcandi $15.00	Eco Friendly Upcycl... thepainteddais... $18.00
Orchid Birds recycl... telaine $30.00	1 Dozen Half Inch F... TwistedPlanetB... $2.75	Lavender Bath and B... mirasolfarm $12.00
Are We There Yet - ... MaisyandAlice $12.00	Funky Fork Style 00... jjevensen $10.00	Shell Spoon and Fre... plumbpretty $36.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites

Featuring Blush Printables

$	Reserved for Molly-... VintageScraps $	Vintage French Pink... shopangelico $2.50
DIY Birdcage Wedge/... 10eisha $15.00	Filigree Blush --- ... YeLLoLiLY $80.00	Degas Necklace In B... tamar $32.00
je t'aime lace ... florriemitton $79.00	Queen for a Day clairelafaye $995.00	Ballerina Collectio... CorrineONeill $59.99
Genuine pink blush ... dutchpearl $10.00	Blushing Pink Corsa... pinktea6 $33.00	Zara - Bridal Hair ... olivefarm $92.00
Printable Favor Lab... blushprintable... $8.00	White Tulle Flower ... beaneandco $165.00	vintage Black Satin... NaturalPondVin... $36.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Curated by AnyCards, featuring Embellished Bayou

Fabulous Rustic All... CaptainCat $80.00	Woodland Outdoor Ru... braggingbags $39.99	$
SLUGS Paprika with ... ThoseAlaskanGi... $	LAST SET Size 8 De... RingsHandmade $4.00	Tuesday Morning - ... elr104 $28.00
Grey Neckwarmer elde $48.00	SUMATRA MANDHELING ... katherynmd $14.00	Earthy - Tumbled Av... kateemarie $20.00
Beautiful Organic W... dressbabybeaut... $	Sunday in Cambridge... Raceytay $25.00	Purple Pleated Tuni... larimeloom $100.00
Leaf, ring InmostLight $13.00	Soft Cotton Bracele... firebirds $12.00	Handpainted 4x6 Fra... EmbellishedBay... $25.00

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.