Featured Etsian... PrettyNPreppy!

Sally: What brought you to Etsy?

Jennifer: I've known about Etsy for awhile and when mom and I decided to start a business and make some of our own products, I knew Etsy was the best place for us to get our feet wet.

Sally: Who or what  inspires your creations?

Jennifer: Without a doubt, the fabrics.  There are so many designers out there making fabulous fabric lines.  As soon as we see one, ideas start flowing as to how we can best showcase it.

Sally: What time of day do you work best and why?

Jennifer: Afternoons and evenings tend to be the most productive around here.  No sense even trying to work before caffeine has been consumed.

Sally: Who do you market to? Who do you see buying your work?

Jennifer: We market mainly to women although we have had some requests for more "manly" designs.  I would think college students, moms, eco-friendly type people would be drawn to our work.

Sally: What item do you like to work on the most and why?

Jennifer: So far, we've liked everything we've worked with.

Sally: What is your favorite beverage while you work?

Jennifer: We get so wrapped up in making stuff that drinks usually go warm.  We will celebrate their completion though with a beer. :)

Sally: What is something that you don’t do well that you’d like to do better?

Jennifer: I just started sewing in June so there's still a lot I need to learn.

Sally: If you could interview your main influence who would it be and what would you ask?

Jennifer: Starting out, we looked towards Lily Pulitzer as a role model - all the pinks, greens, and flamingos!  I would just love to know what words of encouragement she could give us.

Sally: What do you listen to while you work? While you don’t work?

Jennifer: While we work, our go to music is Pink Floyd which seems kinda weird but it works for us.  While we're not at work, I tend to stick with the 70's classic rock, 80's new wave, or 90's grunge.  Mom leans a little more country.

Janet & Jennifer, Thank you for taking the time to answer all of the questions!  It is always so much fun getting to know new people!

Readers, Thank you for joining us once again... it is a joy to have so many interested in what is behind the shop!

Whole lotta hedgies...

Featured Etsian... AbsolutelySmall!

Sally: What brought you to Etsy?
Claire: I've always wanted to share and sell my artwork with a larger audience. Etsy really enables me to do that, and fairly easily too. I'd really rather not do all that coding myself.

Sally: Who or what  inspires your creations?
Claire: I'm inspired by fiddling around with words, bad puns, good fabric, and all things cute. My pugs and bunny keep me pretty inspired, too. There's nothing like watching some animal antics to perk your brain up.

Sally: What item do you like to work on the most and why?
Claire: Making the regular 7" Chickenpants is absolutely my favorite thing to do. For one thing, it allows me to play with all that fabric I've been hoarding. Nothing compares to seeing another Chickenpants come to life!

Sally: What is your favorite beverage while you work?
Claire: Coffee. Coffee. Coffee. Wait, is this a trick question?

Sally: What is something that you don’t do well that you’d like to do better?
Claire: I'm always working on improving my time management skills. I know that's not a 'creative' answer...but the better I get at balancing time, the more creative projects I could do!

Sally: If you could interview your main influence who would it be and what would you ask?
Claire: I'd love to talk to Maira Kalman. I don't know specifically what I'd ask her...I'd just want to know everything!

Sally: What do you listen to while you work? While you don’t work?
Claire: I've been listening to They Might Be Giants a lot lately. Jonathan Richman, the Katamari Damacy soundtrack, and Of Montreal are always on pretty heavy rotation too.

Sally: Do you have any deals or promos to share?
Claire: I've got a few retired plushie designs that are still waiting to find homes.  (http://www.etsy.com/shop/absolutelysmall?section_id=5927960) They're marked down to $11 each already...but there's also a listing or two floating around the shop where you can buy two of the Poppets/ Wee Goats for just $20. (http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25860939)

Claire Chambers ~ Absolutely Small

~Thank you, Claire!  I love getting to get a little peek into the lives of other Etsians.  And, yes, coffee is a preferred beverage for me also :)  I need my daily caffeine fix!

~Readers, thank you for joining Claire & I for our little interview... I hope you go check out those listings!  There is a little guy for everyone!  I think I love them all!!!

Featured Etsian... ShabbyNChic!

Sally: What brought you to Etsy?

Jody: I heard about Etsy on a morning TV show years ago and always thought it was such a neat idea.  I finally decided to open a shop in order to devote more time to my hobby and consequently, myself.  I have 2 young children and work 4 part-time jobs with only about 3-6 hours of child care a week, so I need a break as often as I can get it.  When I am painting, I can think and not be running, running, running.

Sally: Who or what  inspires your creations?

Jody: Anything and everything!  I usually let the piece determine what it will look like.  It sounds odd, but I let each one "speak to me".  Just looking at it, thinking about it, sometimes even dreaming about it will tell me what color to paint it and what else to do with it.  I think that part is so fun.  Some pieces I have for months because I am waiting for inspiration to strike and it takes more time for some pieces.  To help jumpstart inspiration I often browse antique shops and look through home decorating magazines.

Sally: What time of day do you work best and why?

Jody: Early afternoon because that is when my daughter naps.  Evenings are also good because then my husband is home so I can go out in the garage and work.

Sally: Who do you market to? Who do you see buying your work?

Jody: I definitely market to women!  Women of every age have bought from me and tell me they enjoy my work, but I rarely have men interested - go figure!  It's funny at craft fairs when women come up and say "Oh, look honey.  Isn't it so pretty?" and the husbands try (unsuccessfully) to look interested.

Sally: What item do you like to work on the most and why?

Jody: Anything wood.  I love painting!  I also enjoy pieces that I can add a little more to, whether it be decorative knobs or hooks or paper.  I get to be more creative with those items.

Sally: What is your favorite beverage while you work?

Jody: Since I'm painting I don't eat or drink while I work.

Sally: What is something that you don’t do well that you’d like to do better?

Jody: I do some stationery (e.g. cards), but I am not good at the fancy cards with all of the intricate cutting and pieces that some people add to them.  I am working on it, but am content with my stlye being simple.  I like simple things.

Sally: If you could interview your main influence who would it be and what would you ask?

Jody: My main influence in everything I do is my grandmother who grew up during the depression.  She passed when I was in high school, but what an amazing woman!  I would ask her:

- What is something you never got to do in your life that you would have loved to have done?

- What do you think is the worst change and the best change you see in the world?

We were very close, so I think I already know the answers to anything else I would think to ask.

Sally: What do you listen to while you work? While you don’t work?

Jody: I always think it's funny that I usually listen to R&B, pop, and hip-hop music when I work.  It energizes me.  I listen to different music depending on my mood: love R&B, jazz, oldies/50's, late '60's - I love the Beatles!

Sally: Do you have any deals or promos to share?

Jody: I try to offer everything in my shop at low prices, so I rarely have sales.  I always offer discounted shipping for multiple purchases.  Due to some time off from all of my jobs, I am currently adding many items to my shop, so you will find a lot of new pieces!

Jody, thank you for letting us get a glimpse into your world!  I love getting to know other Etsians.

Followers, I love sharing with you!  If you know anyone you'd like to nominate, or if you'd like to submit to the blog make sure you submit to the blog in the sidebar!  And as always... you are the best fans EVER!

Tutorial... how to get your pics to fit in Etsy's gallery mode with paint.net

        There are probably many ways to do this... this is the way I've figured out how to do this using www.paint.net, which is

#1. FREE

#2. Very similar to photoshop

If you frequent Etsy you know you there are two ways to view shop pages, in Gallery Mode & in List Mode. In List Mode the product photos are square, in Gallery Mode they are 155 x 125 pixels.  This was the most noticable in my husbands shop, LampLightPottery, where his pictures of the ceramic vases were chopped off at the top and bottom.  This is my solution to that problem:

         

Click "File" then "Open..." to find your photo...

Find your file location and click "Open"...

Select your "Rectangle Tool"...

Above your photo click "Normal" and select "Fixed Ratio" from the drop down menu...

Make the width "155" and your height "125"...

Right click in the top left corner of your photo and drag your selection to the bottom of the photo...

Select the "Move Selection" tool and adjust your highlighted area...

Click on the "Image" and choose "Resize" from the drop down menu...

With the "Maintain aspect ratio" box checked make the width of your photo "1000" pixels...

Click "File" and "Save As..." from the drop down menu...

Choose the location on your computer to save your photo & type in your photo name, click "Save"...

Click "OK" or hit enter to save your "Save Configuration"...

And your done!  You can use this as a basic tutorial for adjusting your photos and change your resizing size, or anything else that you'd like to change to suit your needs.  There are many more options that you can use to adjust your photos, this is the basics to show how to make the most out of your shop in Gallery Mode!  Good luck!!!