Etsy Paper Team

Monday, May 18, 2009

EtsyPaper Team Business Card Swap

Time for a team promo! This month, we are having a team member business card swap! Sign-up (RSVP to the event) by the May 20th and send a S.A.S.E. (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope) along with 5-10 or more business cards to me. I will be giving my address to those who have signed up by the 2oth. The business cards will be mixed and divided up between participants and will be mailed out in the provided envelopes. When you send an order out from your shop, you'll send one of your business cards and one of your teammate's business cards. It's that easy!

This is a really easy way to promote your shop and your fellow team member shops. It takes minimal effort so I am hoping we will have a lot of participation. I have had a couple of members contact me about my address - I will be sending it out to all participants on the 2oth. If you have a need for it sooner, contact me and I'll go ahead and send it to you. Thanks to all who have signed up so far:)

May/June Promo Forum Post

Event RSVP

Friday, May 15, 2009

EtsyPaper Team Weekly Featured Sellers - Jess Bradlee

Today we have Jess Bradlee as our featured EtsyPaper Team member. Jess is the creative mind behind Modern Card. She creates beautiful cards with a simple but elegant style. We have 3 questions that tell us a little about Jess and her shop and she has chosen 5 (actually 6) out of all of the questions that were submitted by our team members on the forum post. Here are her answers to our questions - happy reading!

Tell us a little about yourself :

Aside from creating cards, I am a mother, a wife, a town clerk, a cook and a waitress all rolled into one. I grew up in the restaurant business (literally the apartment upstairs). My family and I live on the island of Martha’s Vineyard year round.

Tell us about your shop:

*When did you open it?

One day I was surfing the Internet, looking for these particular seersucker pants for our son to wear on Easter. I was led to this great blog called chic mommy finds. One of the featured sellers on that site was someone who was selling baby blankets from this cool website named Etsy. I spent the rest of night hooked on Etsy and wondering what I would name my imaginary shop if I were to start one. The next day (March 14, 2007) I opened up Moderncard with 3 cards for sale.

*What items/type of items do you sell?

Modern paper goods – one of a kind cards, gift tags, invitations and embellishments all with a modern flair.

Getting to know you - 5 Questions

1. What is your first crafting memory?

Hmm….my first? I guess that would be licking the watercolor paints because they looked so delicious. I was three.

2. Do you have a special space for your crafting, or does the kitchen table do double duty?

Both. I have a space for crafting and then I end up on the kitchen table because it’s free of paper scraps, so I start a new pile there.

3. What do you have on while you're creating, if anything, and is it tuned to something specific?

I have HGTV on in the background, along with a 3 three year who gently snores.

4. Are you a clean or messy crafter?

Ha. I guess I’m somewhere in between. I have a very low tolerance for clutter and mess around the house. Basically I like things in their place, but for some reason when my craft space is all neat and organized, I’m not as inspired to sit down and create. When it’s a disaster, I push stuff to the side and create my most favorite cards on a 6 x 6 inch area of free space, on the corner of my desk.

5. Where do you go to first when you need ideas?

Fashion Magazines. I look for the latest styles or trends and try to blend some of those colors in my cards.

6. What or who is your biggest inspiration? Do you have an inspiring story you’d like to share?

My friends and family are my biggest inspiration. Usually what happens is I end up making a card for someone because they have some special occasion coming up. With them in mind, I create the card based on what I think they would like. Once I create that card, I try to duplicate it with the same process. I then name that card after the particular friend or family member that inspired me.

Find Jess Here:

Shop: Modern Card

Blog: Modern Card

Ning: Jess Bradlee

Flickr Pool Friday

Every Friday we jump into EtsyPaper's Flickr Pool. Here's what we surfaced with today:

Image: Winemakerssister
This image makes us feel good! Energized. Time to go get crafting!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

EtsyPaper Team Weekly Featured Sellers - Dolores Raml

Our next featured EtsyPaper Team member is Dolores of Crafty d's Creations! Dolores is one of our team admin (Promotions & other general tasks). She makes terrific felt embellishments, ACEOs, cards and other pretty paper goods. We have 3 questions that tell us a little about Dolores and her shop and she has chosen 5 out of all of the questions that were submitted by our team members on the forum post. Here are her answers to our questions - happy reading!

Tell us a little about yourself :

I have been crafting for many, many years and have tried many different things. My husband and I have been married for 36 years, we live just outside of Sioux Falls, SD and have three grown children, (all close by) and three grandchildren.

Tell us about your shop:

*When did you open it?

I started my Etsy shop after going to craft shows for about 35 years looking for something a little easier than setting up a booth all the time. I opened my shop in Aug. of 2007 and after a very slow start things finally started to pick up about 6 months later. I love to make paper creations but a little over a year ago I started making felt embellishments so now sell some of each in my shop. I still do about 8 craft shows a year but only one is a booth type show.

*What items/type of items do you sell?

I started out my shop with all paper products but have gotten into making felt flowers and other embellishments after my daughter needed some unique embellishments for her Scrapbook Kit Club (ZanyZinnia) I also make ATC/ACEO cards and love trying new techniques on them.

Getting to know you - 5 Questions

1. What is your first crafting memory?

My first thing that I made was doll clothes for my dolls after I got a sewing machine for Christmas one year.

2. Is there something that you've never tried with paper that you'd like to try?

I would love to try some waxed and freezer paper techniques that I have seen, I have the supplies so would like to try them soon.

3. Do you have a special space for your crafting, or does the kitchen table do double duty?

I mostly craft at my kitchen table, I have a room set up in the basement with my supplies and get my exercise going up and down. One thing about crafting at the table my space gets cleaned up often.

4. What do you have on while you're creating, if anything, and is it tuned to something specific?

Mostly I listen to Country Western music on the radio but occasionally I turn on the Create channel and keep an ear out for interesting things while I'm working.

5. Are you a clean or messy crafter?

I'd have to say I'm a messy crafter and usually end up with only a tiny work space. I guess I live by the Motto of "A Creative Mind is rarely organized".