April 7th Double Feature!

Since my Double Features seem to be so popular, I’m doing it again – but this time, with a twist!

Today’s first featured seller is in the UK! Calexandra is a fun collection of handmade goodies ideal for gift giving. Purses, brooches, toys, greeting cards…all made with love and fun.

Calexandra is run by 30-something mum Charlotte. Charlotte has been on Etsy since October of 2007 – she stumbled across Etsy looking for something similar in the UK, and is very glad she did! (With 52 sales so far, I’m sure her happy customers are glad she did too)

Charlotte has been making her goods for about 3 years now. She originally trained in photography, so naturally started with making greeting cards. Her business has just grown from there, with each new specialty being self-taught. Charlotte confided to me that her work just “comes naturally”, although she claims it’s not really inspiration. Instead, she looks at the materials she has, thinks of nice ways to combine them…then gets to work.

A working mom to 20-month-old daughter Molly, Charlotte stays up late in the evenings to create her lovely items – but as she says, “I love working whilst the world sleeps.” Molly has no doubt played a role in the creation of Calexandra’s toy and baby sections – including the cute felted Whale – but she sneaks in other places too…like the adorable New Baby greeting cards. (Guess whose feet those are!)

And all my crafty friends, be sure to check out Charlotte’s other Etsy store, The Supply Shop!

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My second featured seller is actually on *gasp* eBay! She’s a dear friend of mine, and her store is absolutely wonderful…so I decided to feature her!

Piwykit’s Designer Closet is a store run by my friend Emily, a newlywed living in Dallas. Piwykit specializes in designer clothes – both new and gently used – for absolutely stunning prices. If you love Coach, Chanel, St John, Gaultier…then visit Piwykit’s store frequently!

Emily started her Piwykit eBay store in August of 2000, listing whatever steals she could find in the upscale thrifts of Dallas. Fortunately, there’s a lot of charitable Fashionistas in Dallas…and eventually she needed to take on an assistant…me!

I’ve known Emily since 2001; we are both engineers and worked at the same company until 2006. When she approached me in early 2005 about working as her eBay assistant, I was thrilled. She taught me the ropes of designer clothes (improving my tastes at the same time) – and eventually I was able to launch out on my own.

Emily’s eBay statistics are stunning – she’s a PowerSeller with a rating of 1839, 99.6% positive. Someday, maybe, I’ll be as good as she is. In the meantime…if you’d like an authentic Chanel dress, a fun Coach purse, or affordable cashmere top – visit Emily at Piwykit!

Your Ad Here?

In my poll above (please vote if you haven't already!)...I included a bit about "I'd like to donate..." just for kicks and giggles. Still, 3 people checked it!

Are people interested in donating a small item for a giveaway on this blog, in exchange for essentially free advertising? If you ARE - please leave a comment (with a link or email address) or email me at texastesla (at) gmail (dot) com with what you'd like to 'donate'!

Here's what I'm thinking:

You provide an item of at least $10 value for the giveaway. (You can send to me or promise to mail yourself)

You get:

Top of blog mention for length of giveaway (1 week)

Feature of your store in this blog

Free ad in this blog for length of giveaway

As much promotion as I (and you) are able to drum up in Etsy forums, flickr, myspace, etc

Double Feature Mon...I mean TUESDAY!

Sorry loyal readers (and new ones too!)...this has been a crazy week for me. Really, really yucky head cold this weekend kept me in bed,, and when I managed to crawl to my day job yesterday, I was absolutely swamped with work. So I'm running late on my feature – my apologies!

This week I'm again featuring TWO great Etsy sellers – both very friendly people I met in the forums. And because of the time crunch, I've decided to excerpt my questions to them, instead of writing it all from scratch! First up is another jewelry seller, MissTeacher30.

MissTeacher30, or Kim in real life, is a relatively new Etsy seller who specializes in bridal and pearl jewelry. Her designs are very clean and pretty – lovely classic necklaces and earrings. Here's what Kim has to say about her creations:

I have been making jewelry for about 4 years now. It took my mom months to get me to my first jewelry making class. At first, I did a lot of work with stringing beads and making earrings. The second step I have only been doing for about a year and that is bead stitching. I now teach bead stitching classes at a local bead store. And I just recently learned pearl knotting!

Inspiration: A simple bead inspires me. When I walk into a bead store, I do not have an idea in mind and then find the beads to create it. Rather, it is almost as if the beads come to me. I pick out beads that are unique, but it is not until I sit down to bead that the ideas start to flow. What I create comes from somewhere in my head, not from a picture or piece I have already seen.

It's difficult for me to identify a single favorite piece – not because I like to many, but because I am always striving to make it bigger and better. Up until recently, I can honestly say I did not have a favorite piece of jewelry. However, after making this particular necklace for a bridal party, I thought “Hmmm, I did a pretty good job”. (It's the gorgeous 3-strand necklace to the right)

I have been part of Etsy since December 2007. I had never even heard of Etsy until someone mentioned it at an art show. As soon as I logged in...I was hooked. It has given me great opportunities to display my work and to meet a great group of people.

Like many artists dreams, one day I would like to be able to make a living from my jewelry. One day, I would like to be able to walk into a store and say, “I created that piece of jewelry.”

MissTeacher30 sounds so much like myself! I promise, it isn't me though...despite my affinity for pearls!

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My second featured seller is totally different...RecycledIdeas has a wonderfully diverse shop with handmade paper, monkey prints, pendants, and decorated boxes. The overarching theme of course is recycling...including her wonderful “green gifts” - plantable cards!

RecycledIdeas has been open on Etsy just 6 months... but with over 120 items sold so far, that's been a successful 6 months! The shop owner has been making paper for more than ten years, and it shows in the quality and variety she offers! She also does pastel drawings and FIMO sculpting – quite a talent.

The inspiration behind RecycledIdeas lies in a love of primates, and a desire to help with conservation of them and their habitat. Not so surprising when you learn the seller has a PhD in psychology and is studying primate behavior! (That's one smart, successful, and creative woman)

RecycledIdeas share her two favorite pieces with me: “My first would have to be the pyramid box I made out of cardboard and handmade paper. It sold, and when it did I was so excited! I have been making them and giving them as gifts to friends and family for a long time so it was really gratifying to find that a complete stranger liked them too. I would have to say that the decorated Oregon Chai Tea box, that I will probably never sell, is my absolute favorite.” You can see pictures of both here, of course!

RecycledIdeas' biggest goal is to complete the primate portrait series she started. However, since she's been doing really well with handmade paper, there's also the possibility of landing a major wedding account. Imagine, seeded paper wedding invitations that could grow in the couple's favorite flowers!

You can visit RecycledIdeas' blog too, Field Notes from an Evolutionary Psychologist.

Coming soon....Really!

I'm working on my next Monday DOUBLE FEATURE right now - have the 2 great sellers lined up, answers in hand...I just need to find the time to finish the post and add some pictures! Please check back later today or Tuesday morning. Stupid day job!