Sale in My Etsy Shop!

That's right folks, I'm having a 20% off sale in my etsy shop.  Follow these simple instructions and your discount will be applied automatically!

When making your purchase, use the code NOV20 in the coupon code field.  Click the blue "Apply Shop Coupon Code" (it will be on the right hand side of your screen) and enter the code in the box that appears.  Don't forget to click "apply". 


This Coupon Code will be available through end of day Saturday, November 12.  Happy shopping!

Please don't hate me for sharing this .....

My regular readers know that I enjoy cooking and baking.  But a girl is still allowed a day off and a break from the kitchen, right?  So when I saw this item on etsy's front page, I immediately clicked the "add to cart" button.  Wouldn't you???

These are the most gorgeous gem-inspired truffles.  The package also includes macaroons.  Click the photo to go directly to the listing, so you can see what I mean.  I have not yet received them, but I will let you know when I do!

Potholders

I know, I know.  A seemingly boring, dull and drab topic.  BUT NO!  Potholders can be beautiful and artful.

Ever since I became a 'maker', some 14 years ago, my appreciation for handmade has become prominent in my life.  I wouldn't consider buying a set of potholders at Target or Walmart (I haven't stepped foot in a Walmart in years).  Where did I go when I needed new potholders?  Why, Etsy, of course.

Surprisingly, I did not find a multitude of regular square potholders, which made my decision making quite simple.  The ones I did find, however, were absolutely gorgeous.  I selected these beautiful, miniature works of art from b taylor quilts.

There are all sorts of quilted goodies in that shop.  She doesn't stop at potholders.  Briana makes placemets, quilts, nesting bowls, coasters and an assortment of other items.

Artist Spotlight :: Maggie Hallam

In an attempt to "freshen up" the Bad Girls of the North craft show in Fairbanks in 2009, I search etsy by location and was pleasantly surprised when I found Maggie's shop.   I was so impressed with her handmade boxes.  I contacted her about the show and she agreed to becoming a vendor.  This year, she came back and sold not only her fabulous boxes, but her line of rubber stamps and note cards as well.

Maggie's work is meticulous and her selection of papers is delightful.  She uses traditional book making techniques to cover the heavy book board that she makes the boxes with.

Maggie also designs some really great rubber stamps. I purchased a few of them myself.  This wild iris is one of my favorites.

So, have a visit to Maggie's etsy shop and you may just find that perfect box to store your treasures!

Fun and Unique Etsy Purchase

It's no secret that I like to cook and bake.  It's also no secret that I have a thing for antique kitchen ware.  Imagine how excited I was to see this item on etsy.  If I remember correctly, it was in the etsy finds email a while back.  It is from New Dominion Blues.  I'm not sure I'll actually bake in it, but if I do, it will make really cute corn muffins!

Etsy : A Love / Hate Relationship

Let me start out by saying that I was already making a living with my jewelry and Bad Girls of the North business before I discovered etsy in 2007.  But I thought, "what the heck, I'll try out this etsy thing and maybe I can eliminate a show or 2 from my fall schedule".  Yes, I've eliminated shows, but not necessarily because of my wild success (ha!) on etsy.  I eliminated them because they were no longer profitable enough to make sense for my business.  To make up for that lost income, I increased my gallery presence and increased my wholesale.

Now, onto the subject at hand: etsy.

Why I love etsy

I love etsy for what it purports to be -- a marketplace for handmade goods.  The concept is fabulous!  The execution, not so much.  There are so many exceptions to the "handmade" rules, that it sometimes feels like I've disappeared and am drowning in a sea of mass produced factory made stuff.  All of that is out of my control, so I try very hard to ignore it, but it is becoming increasingly difficult.

The other reason I love etsy is because because of the wonderful people I've met there.  I treasure those online friendships for so many reasons. But that's a topic for another blog post. 

Why I hate etsy

Etsy is a time suck.  It sucks hours of my day, everyday.  I fully understand that I allow it to do so.  It is my choice.  But seriously, how can you stay out of those ever-enticing forum trainwrecks?  Even if I was to contain my forum-reading to just the admin announcements, etsy is still a time suck.  I'm no master photographer, so every photo shoot I do is a learning experience.  And it takes me more time than it probably should.  Then there's the photo editing.  Then there's the listing.  Then there's the renewing.  And on and on.

What sucks even more time is the social media that seems to be so important to etsy success: twitter and facebook.  Even though I have a facebook account, I don't remember ever using it.  Sometimes I get email notifications from them, but that's the extent of my involvement.  I'll admit to using twitter quite a bit, but I'm ready to scale back on that.  It has simply taken too much of my precious (yes, precious) time that I'd rather devote to actually ... making jewelry!

If I never become an etsy success (seemingly less likely every single day), so be it.  I loved my little business pre-etsy and I continue to love it.

Have any thoughts you would like to share on the subject of etsy?

Soap

I love me some handmade soap.  But I'm picky.  I don't like fruity or any super sweet fragrances.  I prefer earthy scents.  And, I like a decent sized bar that will last a while.  A couple of my favorite soap sellers have closed their etsy shops for reasons unknown, but a few remain.


Happy Goat Soap features goats milk, generously donated by Pricilla and company.  Here's one of my favorite soaps.  It is scented with sandalwood and is quite large.  Perfect for me.

Theraganics soap is wonderfully natural, using only essential oils.  I especially like this listing, as you can select any 3 scents you like.

Amethyst Soaps has some very yummy offerings.  This Kings Ransom soap is extraordinarily rich and luxurious.

Happy showering!

New Dinner Plates

We had been eating dinner on some thrift store plates that had seen better days.  I have nothing against thrift store stuff, as a matter of fact I love most of my stuff from the Salvation Army and Value Village.  But seriously, these plates had to go.

I have some art plates from local potters, but I needed 2 new ones.  To my surprise, finding dinner plates (9-10" in diameter) on etsy proved to be quite a challenge.  There's no shortage of bowls or dessert sized plates, however.

When I finally found Utilemud, I was thrilled.  I bought these 2 lovely plates that have a nice upturned edge to hold liquidy things in place.

The pink one is mine :)

Citrine and Berry Treasury

I've been fortunate to have been included in many etsy treasuries (member curated selections) over the past 3 years.  This latest one that I find myself in is absolutely stunning and I'm honored to be included.  You can click on this photo to go to the treasury itself for a much better view.

Many thanks to trinitydj for selecting my Citrine  Checkerboard Necklace for use in this treasury.

Some New Pottery

I know, I need more pottery like I need a hole in my head (that was a favorite saying of my mother's). But I couldn't resist this gorgeous work. I found this seller on this front page of etsy a few weeks ago and it was love at first sight.

Suzzie Holler is from Stockholm, Sweden and her designs are simple and classic. My package arrived in less than a week! I purchased this coffee cup:



... and a couple of these candle holders. One will be a gift for a friend, but I'm keeping one. I used it last night and the light comes through the porcelain in a very beautiful and romantic way. It will be great for holiday decoration, but I'll use it on our dinner table throughout the dark, dreary winter months.


Please visit Suzzie's etsy shop. Click on either of these photos to go directly to the listings.

An Early Etsy Find

I found this etsy seller shortly after I joined the site, selling my jewelry. Mandinka is a mother/daughter team that makes gorgeous bags from reclaimed suits. Besides being eco-friendly, these bags are a marvel to look at. They are three dimensional collages of a form I had never before seen.

This is the Sir Franklin satchel I purchased nearly two years ago. I use it as a carry on when I travel, instead of a purse. It's pretty large and it holds my laptop, ipod plus all the other stuff that is normally in my handbag, with plenty of room to spare. The side pockets (aka - sleeves) hold little water bottles perfectly. There are other little pockets all over the outside and the inside. Can you tell that I love this bag?


Sometimes a good purchase is just so satisfying.

Weekend Deal!

My etsy shop is featured in today's email from etsy entitled "Weekend Deals". I'm opening this sale for my blog readers. Here goes:

20% off SHOP WIDE -- just enter "weekend deal" in the message to seller upon checkout and I'll refund you through paypal. It's that simple.

These are the earrings that were featured in the email, but the sale applies to everything in my shop. If there's an item you've been thinking about, now is the time to act!



This offer is valid from July 10 -12. Happy shopping with Orion Designs!

My Favorite Etsy Purchases ...

... have all come from the same seller: misslo. Lois Aronow is a potter who lives in Brooklyn and makes amazing plates, bowls and cups. I do have a slight obsession with nice pottery, and Lois' work rounds out my collection very nicely.

First, I purchased this set of plates:



Then, I had to have the bowls. This photo only shows one bowl, but my purchase was for 4 bowl in the same colors as the plates.



Then I bought another set of plates for a friend. Now I've got my eye on these mugs:


I hope my cupboards don't collapse from the weight of my pottery collection.

Rosevine Design - Embellishments toTreasure

Deb, the genius behind Rosevine Design, is another of my teammates on the Artisan Beaders Street Team on etsy. She does amazing things with seed beads. Her attention to detail is unmatched and her sense of style and composition is perfect.

This bracelet is magnificent. It features a huge turquoise cabochon and, dare I say, thousands of glass seed beads, all hand stitched in place. Make a statement by wearing this piece!


This necklace also begins with a large piece of turquoise, but you can see that it is very different indeed. Deb has embellished this necklace with lots and lots of fringe in a creamy color. You can also see the pale coral accents --- what a perfect complement to the turquoise.


Visit Deb's shop on etsy to see all of her gorgeous creations.

Broken Teepee Designs - Handcrafted Gemstone Jewelry. Made in Montana

This blog post is all about my friend and extraordinarily talented teammate, Patty of Broken Teepee Designs.

We are both members of the Artisan Beaders Street Team on Etsy. I have come to know Patty and consider her a dear friend. Her jewelry designs are outstanding. She has mastered the use of color by choosing and combining the highest quality gemstones.

One of my favorite pieces of Patty's is her necklace (actually 2 necklaces!) entitled Eastern Spice, seen on the right. The earthy colors Patty selected are both warm and exotic at the same time. Beautiful citrines, green garnets and sapphires are brought together in Patty's talented hands to create the gorgeous focal point of the main necklace.

The second necklace is simpler, but is a perfect complement to the complexity of the one above. This photo shows both pieces and how they nest together to form an elegant and truly special jewelry set. Be sure to visit Patty's Etsy shop to see more of her unique jewelry. Plan on visiting her often, as she updates her shop frequently. You don't want to miss a single pice of Patty's handcrafted gemstone jewelry, made in Montana

BIG SALE! No Fuel Required

The brand new Etsy street team I belong to, Artisan Beaders Street Team (ABST) is celebrating with a No Fuel Required Sale!!!!

With fuel prices higher than ever, what could be easier than forgoing your trip to the mall and shopping from home?

Members of the team will be offering discounts and/or free shipping from Sunday, July 13th through Saturday, July 19th.

All items in my etsy shop will be 15% off during this time period! And, orders over $100 will ship for free. Simply check out as usual and put NO FUEL in the "notes to seller". I will issue your refund through paypal.

Please check out the goodies from all of our participating members:

http://abeleeshandcrafted.etsy.com
http://jaelsjewels.etsy.com
http://shinyadornments.etsy.com
http://catiesblue.etsy.com
http://beadwright.etsy.com
http://kaskaad.etsy.com
http://CrysallisCreations.etsy.com
http://merigreenleaf.etsy.com
http://brenda45.etsy.com
http://ccdesign.etsy.com
http://signaturesterling.etsy.com
http://vickiorion.etsy.com