There's Still space for the Mt. Charleston Show

Well, it's too bad the CSN show wasn't a success. I really thought that it would be!!!
I met with the events coordinator the other day at the Resort at Mt. Charleston. She thinks we can fit 22 in there. I now have 18. We will all be inside. As soon as the elections are over, I am going to post signs around town. As usual, we have lots of treaffic up here all weekend long. The events coodinator said she was also going to have a pianist there. We'll see. We all know that the wine tasting didn't happen due to lack of space.
We have enough jewelry vendors, but if any other vendors are interested, please e-mail me at nevadawoods@hotmail.com. I have been promised that we will be THE ONLY vendors there.

How is the CSN Fall Fest going?

I was wondering if the Fall Fest is a success so far. I wish I could stop by, but we've been moving my daughter to LA this weekend.

GOOD LUCK

Good Luck to all of you at the CCSN show on Charleston!! Wishing u lots of sales!

Kathy

WinterFest in Henderson - Vendor Opportunity

Is anyone else doing this event?  I think I'll probably apply.  The application deadline is November 3rd and it's $100 to do both days and you can choose to be inside the convention center or outside.  I've never done this event before so I welcome anyone's advice about this selling venue.  Also, does anyone know what kind of crowds they get?

Here's the event information and application:  http://hendersonlive.com/special-events/winterfest/#Schedule_of_Events

Downdoggy and Statsy

Thought I would pass along some information...

Downdoggy.com offers domain names for $8.50 a year.  This means you can have your own website name, such as http://www.yourname.com/, and you can forward this to your etsy store.  That way your customers don't have to remember to add etsy into your website address.  There are many other features included in getting a domain name with downdoggy.  You get a free email address, and you can even direct people to your FB fan page.  I'm not sure if this will help you with your SEO - need to research that.

Statsy.com has a feature that will send you an email letting you know if any of your items make it to Etsy's front page.  Just give them your etsy store name and your email, and they do all the work.  Also, they have a neat feature that tells you who your biggest fan is, based on how many hearts they have of your items.

TEAM SHOP

Congratulations to Cybele! Her origami money shirt earrings are the first sale from the team shop - aside from the cranes of course. Maybe this will start us off on a role :) . Anyone who wants to donate anything to the team shop can e-mail me anytime with your actual listing from your shop. That's the easiest way for me to do it. Just e-mail it to:
brinkley@air-internet.com
Thanks to everyone who already has something in the shop.

Handmade Holidays & More Show

Hello Handmade team! Above is the flyer for our November 20th show. We are almost to 40 vendors! Our July show only had 26! We have had an excellent response and want to thank all of you! We are still accepting applications however, we are full on jewelry vendors unless it is recycled jewelry, etc. We would love to see some more baby items (my first baby boy will be here in less than 10 weeks!) or any other unique craft! If you have any questions, please email us at spillthebeansetc@gmail.com or give Brandy a call at (702)523-8197.

Thank you all for your support! We hope to see you there!

La Dia De Las Muertas

Read about this First Friday Event coming this weekend.

My First Commissioned Dollhouse!

I made my first commissioned dollhouse for an autistic boy in Oregon.  I got all the info on him and his likes and dislikes.  These dollhouses are a great teaching tool for any child.  Anyway, this is the first one I've made for a boy....  I simplified the look of it and tried not to make it too feminine.  I'm pretty happy with the outcome and I hope they are too.

  Living Room and Stairs

 Bathroom

Bedroom

Bowling Alley (he really likes to bowl)

Dining Room

Kitchen

Megan Dresback (From Fragments To Furniture & Beyond)

Fall Fun Festival

Join in the fun and support local talent, check it out.

Spaces available for Fall Fun Fest

I booked a double space at the Fall Fun Fest and now am unable to be there.  Is there anyone (or several anyones) who would like it?  You would have to supply your own canopies.  They wouldn't offer up the free canopy for a double space.  It's 4 parking stalls so it's pretty big and I'd hate to have no one in it.  I have spaces 20-21, they are on the end of an aisle. 
Sarah, if the group would like it, I'd gladly donate it.  I have the insurance as well. 

Crystal Martin
595-5018
craftycritter@cox.net

Facebook Landing Page

For your Etsy Shop Facebook page, you can create a landing page.  This would be like a home page, with info on your business.  Or, you could even put specials on this page.

Check out this article on how to create your own landing page.

Facebook Landing Page Set-up

The only thing I am unsure of, is that it says any photos you use must be hosted elsewhere, as in your business website.  Since I don't have one, I am wondering if I posted the photo on flickr, would that be considered hosted.  Anyone know?

Facebook Username

If you have a Facebook page for your etsy store, make sure you get a Facebook user name for your shop.  This allows for easy searching of your shop name, and makes the page address shorter for you to use in your advertising.  Here is a link to the facebook note page that explains what you need to do.

Facebook User Name Note

Precious Metal Clay - anyone here have a kiln?

Hi, my name is Elana and I live near Sunrise Mountain. I am interested in working with PMC - i.e. "Precious Metal Clay".

Is there anyone else here who does that sort of thing and also has a PMC kiln?

If not, is there anyone here who just has a small kiln with a controlled temperature setting?

If there is anyone who can help me, I can barter some of my own skills for it. I am a Photoshop expert and a bit of a computer graphics geek. I also can fix nearly anything with whatever happens to be handy. I am also good at figuring out how to look at some process that takes several steps to do and innovate new ideas for making the whole process simpler and easier. :)

If you know anyone with a small kiln and/or does PMC in Vegas, please have them email me at:
elakest (at) gmail (d0t) com

(That's elAkest not elEkest... watch the spelling. :)

Thanks in advance for any help! :)

Want to open a second shop

I'm looking at opening a second shop but I'm not sure how to do it without a second email address.  Could someone here help me with a suggestion or two, I'd sure appreciate it.

Read about this event

Here is the scoop, support your group.

Your Input for Artswalk, please?

Despite fears of rain, we ended up having an awesome night at ArtsWalk in Henderson tonight.  Many of our vendors didn't show up for fear of being rained on, but the brave 14 who came had a great time and enjoyed some seriously good traffic thanks to the middle school musical performance set up in the amphitheater next door.  The next ArtsWalk is scheduled for November 18th.  As always, information is available here:  www.HendersonArtswalk.com

The event is now under new leadership through the Water Street Business District Association and we are considering some changes for the event.  As one of the event co-chairs, I have some input in these changes and want to ask for the team's feedback.  Please let me know your positive or negative reaction to the following:

We are considering moving the event to Friday night so that we can benefit from the traffic that will be coming to the Friday night ArtBeat series.  We're hoping that both putting this event on a weekend and coinciding with another major draw for crowds, our vendors will see much more traffic than they have in the past.  We would keep the same hours - 5 to 8pm.  The weekly Farmer's market next to our event would also be moved to Friday and extended to meet our hours so we can benefit from their traffic as well.

We're also interested in making this a weekly event.  We would hold it every Friday in good weather.  However, we wouldn't have vendors during the extreme hot or cold months (Jan, Feb, July, and Aug) since no one attends outdoor events in such extreme weather.

I'm very optimistic about ArtsWalk and have a lot of non-team members participating in the event as well.  We are going to try and keep it at $5 vendor fee regardless of any changes in schedule.

craft, chat, charity & coffee circle

craft, chat, charity & coffee circle - a monthly gathering

local vegas crafters unite to create, make a difference and have fun!
bring a small project to work on & come meet other local crafty people.
coffee, snacks and lunch available for purchase from the beat coffee house. all ages, free

**this month's crafter community charity is our local Shade Tree:
bring something from this list for shade tree:
http://www.theshadetree.org/wishlist.shtml
their mission "To provide safe shelter to homeless and abused women and children in crisis and to offer life-changing services promoting stability, dignity, and self-reliance."

we'll be meeting monthly on the last sat from 1-5pm
emergency arts: 520 fremont (corner of 6th and fremont), meet in the back by the zine library

please repost & invite others to help grow our local downtown craft circle!
rsvp on the facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=112496365480393
any questions, email susan@alterednationdesigns.com

:) hope you see you there,
susan
alterednationdesigns.com

VENDOR OPPORTUNITY

Check out Face book page for all the information for COWBOY CHRISTMAS.
It wouldn't let me post it all here.

Thx
Kathy

Mt. Charleston Show is only a month away!

Hello everyone. I just wanted to give everyone an update on the upcoming Mt. Charleston show on November 21st. We still have two spots left, although I have one person on our team who expressed recent interest. There are no spots left for jewelry vendors.
Once all this rain goes away, I will be posting signs around. I am taking postcards and flyers to the hotel this week. I am also going to be posting a flyer in our library up here. I am also going to mail post cards to the home owners up here. Many of them live in town. In two weeks, I will place an ad in City Life. I hope all participants received their flyers and postcards that I mailed off last week. PLEASE distribute and post them.
Since this is a small show, I am trying to keep it limited to Handmade in Vegas members only. I have had interest from outside vendors, but even if we only have 18 vendors, it will still be a great show.
I hope those of you involved in the CSN Fall Fest have a wonderful and fruitful weekend.

November Meeting: Small Business and Tax Expert Advice

It's already time to get talking about our November meeting!  Details and RSVP here.

I know many of us have questions about the legalities of setting up our business and tax questions, so I've found  a local accounting firm who is willing to send one of their CPAs out to talk to us and do some Q&A.  If would be very helpful for those of you with specific questions to post them in comments to this post or on the meetup site so the presenter can be prepared with discussion topics that are most applicable for our group.  If you haven't already, please register on our Meetup site so you can receive notifications of any new meetings or changes to existing meetings.

Writing about one on the team

I am back to publishing short articles about different team member's stores. Thinking about holidays sales coming soon. I will publish a short story on your store... if anyone is interested. Might help your sales when I tweet the article and share it on Facebook too. Here is the latest.

Check it out!

Supporting our community and group here. Let's all take a look at this and tell your friends and family.....get out and enjoy the wonderful weather for this event!

Henderson Art Association ( HAA) Meeting, Tuesday, 10/19/10

HAA GUEST SPEAKER SERIES :
Please join us Tuesday, October 19th at our next HAA general meeting where artist Jelaine Faunce will be talking about her artistic process in her presentation "Meditative Painting: How I Address My Own Doubts and Fears at the Easel Using Energetic and Spiritual Techniques."
Jelaine is a contemporary realist artist based in Henderson, NV. She graduated from UNLV in 1996 with a B.A. in Fine Art, and has worked full time as a freelance artist since 2000. Jelaine paints primarily in oil on canvas, her subject matter most often being still life arrangements she creates herself. Her work resides in private and corporate collections throughout North America, Europe and Asia

Date:Tues. 10/19/10...Time: 7:00pm-8:30...Location:Findlay Toyota , 7733 Eastgate Rd. , Henderson

Need a tent? Check this out!

I was recently at Big Lots because a friend of mine told me that I should check out what they had in the way of tents (because it's the end of the summer season and whatnot). Granted, they aren't EZup brand or anything, but I found a cool 8x10 foot tent with a white top for only $59! They have 10x10s as well for around $69. If you have trouble finding them, ask them for their "Game Day Tents."

I'll probably eventually upgrade to a nicer tent, but for someone on a tight budget (like myself) it's great to finally have that covering for craft fairs and art walks!

Ashleigh M. Popplewell
http://ashleighmichelle.etsy.com

Back to promoting our team

Read my latest and see who's making headlines. Happy Fall to everyone in Etsy Land. Check it out!

Holiday Boutique Party

I take a class at Julie Jane Paper Company. I talk to her about having a Holiday Boutique Party there. I told her all about us and she loves supporting local artist.The store is super cute and in a very good location! (Charleston and Fort Apache) Would anyone be interested?! She was thinking about November 4th or 11th. Let me know what you think? Thanks : ) http://www.jjpaperco.com

volunteers needed!

Just wanted to reach out to those that are intersted in volunteering for an upcoming charity show that I'm co-hosting to benefit Opportunity Village.
Please let me know ASAP if you'd like to be a part of this event =)

We are still in need of:
*designers/artists to make garments utilizing halloween candy/candy wrappers (hot glue is your best friend for this!)
*artists/business owners/etc. to donate art, gift certificates, gift baskets for our raffle
*a dj for the evening
*hair/makeup artists ...zombie looks, dead looks, candy inspired etc.
*general volunteers to help run things like the raffle, collecting donations, etc.

Everyone is of course encouraged to pass out their own business cards and flyers!! :)
Attached is the flyer...event is on Oct 23rd at 7pm at Emergency Arts 520 Fremont St

You can contact me at alterednationclothing@yahoo.com
Thanks!
Susan
www.alterednationdesigns.com

Vendor opportunities for November 20th still available

Hello crafters, we still have openings for the November 20th show at Lamplight Village. We currently have 26 vendors signed up. We are also currently being advertised in the centerfold spot of the Country Register.

Please contact us by email or phone if you are interested is attending as a vendor. Spots are going fast so get in before the opportunity is gone.

spillthebeansetc@gmail.com

Brandy @ 702-523-8197

Julie @ 702-586-0193

Meeting Notes from Oct. 12th

Our numbers were small last night, but we had a great time as usual and hopefully everyone enjoyed the discussion about creating a competitive Etsy shop as we head into the holiday season.  I'm linking up my meeting discussion topics here.  My five year old dropped my camera yesterday afternoon and killed it dead so I've got no photos.  The notes are a bit rough since they were just my talking points last night, but I've tried to flesh them out a bit so they make sense even if you weren't there. Enjoy!

Also, for our November 9th meeting, I'm trying to find someone to come and talk about the basics of starting your business.  I'm looking for an accountant who can explain all the tax write offs and tax credits you can claim by licensing your business and getting a sales permit. If anyone already knows someone with this expertise, please let me know.  I think many of you would be surprised at how much money you can save by getting your business license (and of course, we should all get one anyway for legal reasons).  The November meeting will be at Studio 8 Ten.

We also discussed having a Christmas party on Thusday, December 16th from 7-9 where everyone brings a Secret Santa present to the party along with a pot luck dish.   The December party will be at Findley Chevrolet on the 215 and Jones.

HOW DID THE MEETING GO???????

Hey Ladies,
How did the meeting go? Hopefully, for those who couldn't make it we can see pictures or find out everything that went on.
Please post any pictures or topics.


Thx
Kathy

MAKE YOUR OWN "GREEN" BUSINESS CARDS

I just wanted to share this great idea. Read all about it on my blog post!

Also, I have opened a specialty Etsy shop

POT HOLDER PALACE

I'll give you 3 guesses what I sell there!

Team Book

Just a reminder to those attending the meeting tonight to bring your one page sheet for the team book.  This is your chance to advertise your shop.  Use this opportunity to make your page special.

You can also bring 10 business cards to be placed in the book.

The book will be at various events where the Team is represented. 

Holiday Boutique - November 13th

The UNICO Italian American Service Organization will be holding a Holiday Boutique on November 13th.

Please see the Google Docs Show schedule for the information on this event.

Show Schedule Spreadhseet & More

Hi everyone!  I know that we see a lot of events listed on the site here, and they tend to get buried in and amongst the other posts.  I have created a spreadsheet that will keep track of all of the upcoming events, and all of the pertinent information you need to decide what shows to attend.  I have tried to list all of the information I have on upcoming events, but if you know of one that may be missing, or perhaps missing info or incorrect info, please email me at happybugdesigns@cox.net and I can update the spreadsheet.  Here is a link to the spreadsheet which is set up with Google Docs.

Upcoming Events with Vendor Opportunities


In addition, we get a lot of craft fair sponsors that want to invite us to their events, but perhaps we don't get all the info we need from them.  This spreasheet helps them to provide us with all of the information we need, and it must be filled out completely for their event to make it on to our schedule.  If you have someone interested in inviting the team, please share this link with them.  I really need the info in this format, not their event flyer, as it takes time to weed out all the info we receive.  This ensures a quick posting of their event. If you have any other info you want added to this list, please feel free to email me and it can be added.

Event Information Sheet - Must be filled out to be listed on schedule

Please feel free to send any questions to me at the email above, or to Sarah Flake.  Thanks!

Team Meeting Tomorrow: Get Ready for Christmas Shopping Season!

Hi team, Here's a quick reminder about our meeting tomorrow at Studio 8 Ten (details and RSVP here).  We'll be talking about getting our shops and products all ship-shape for the Christmas shopping season, what the hot trends are that we can capitalize on, and how to creatively market and advertise our shops to get buyers in the first place.   As always, come with your question and advice.  And don't forget a notepad for this one.  The information will be flowing fast and furious.

See you all tomorrow!  Oh, how I look forward to these meetings :)

Special Deal on Ebay

I just found this on ebay (I guess I should read my messages on a more regular basis) and wanted to share it with everyone.  I have always used this opportunity as a way to get the word out about my etsy site.  If someone buys something off of ebay, I always include my business card with my etsy address.  Just another venue to get the word out!

"Starting September 28, 2010, list your items for free—no Insertion Fees, regardless of the start price of your item. Just list them Auction-style with no reserve price. This promotion has a cap of 100 listing per month and applies to sellers who do not have an eBay Stores subscription." 
Here is the link:  http://pages.ebay.com/promo/ListFreeHoliday2010/

This is good until January 7th.  I know I'm going to take advantage of it.

Me being silly at my last craft event.  I sold 6 turkey coasters, I was so happy.

Face to Facebook Art Show at Studio8ten!!

I am very honored to be included in this art show at Studio8ten!  

heatherp22 is not just about jewelry.  I also make art quilts and fiber art. 

This is a section of "Autumn Dreams" now listed in my etsy shop.

Another art quilt titled "Wounded Heart"  will be in the show 

and you are all invited to attend this fun gathering.  

Friday, October 15th from 6-8 pm 

please join us for food, wine and live music.  

For more information go to Studio8ten.  

Hope you can make it! 

Heather Pyle

Greetings from the beyond!

Not really – I’ve just been M.I.A. and wanted to say “I’m back!” Artesia is opening its doors again after taking a few months off. I’ve been reading some of the posts on here and wow- You all have been busy! I’m looking forward to getting involved again with such a proactive team.

What's everyone's opinion?

What is everyone's opinion, is it worth it to have more than one web page to sell on?

I tried it a couple of times with 2 others but didn't think it was,but rethinking it now?

Thanks
Kathy
www.aangels.etsy.com

Winner of Summerlin Vendor Spot

Congratulations to Carrie of Brava Boutique!  Randomizer.org picked her raffle ticket to win the free vendor spot at the upcoming ArtWalk event in Summerlin.  In addition to being able to sell her stuff there, she's also going to be representing our group at the booth and helping spread the word about how awesome we all are. Way to go, Carrie!

FYI: There were 67 raffle tickets in total and 16 people participating.

Anyone Still Looking For Gridwall?

Here's a great source for anyone looking for gridwall. I picked some up from Cindy & Marco up in Summerlin tonight. They are very nice people. If you've priced gridwall, you'll know what great prices these are--they are NOT brand new, however, I can confirm all the pieces are in excellent shape. Here's what they have available:

Black gridwall 8'x2' - $10 each
Black gridwall 6'x2' - $8 each (only one panel left)
Black gridwall 4'x2' - $6 each

Black display units with wheels 5'formed into H display $20 - this is a real steal
Black display units with wheels 4' high formed into L display $15 each
Black display hooks for gridwall 10" or 8" - 4 for $1
Table display grid 42"x12" total of 5 pieces for $15

Call 521-9027.

October ArtsWalk: Call for Vendors

It's that time of month again.  If any of you are interested in participating in ArtsWalk on October 21st, please let me know by the end of next week so I can make sure we have a table for you.  The vendor fee is still $5 and we've got awesome weather and some great performers lined up.

Traffic is slowly but surely picking and each month the event has attracted more and more vendors.  Last month we had 20 vendors and multiple musical performers.  For those of you who were waiting for the heat to die down to participate, nows the time!  More information about vending at this event at the Artswalk website:  http://hendersonartswalk.blogspot.com/p/vendor-info.html

This event is open to ANY handmade vendor, not just our team members.  Please invite your friends and feel free to bring your kids, family, picnic, the works.

Fun October Event! FREE for vendors!

Hey guys and gals! Just wanted to let everyone know that this year on Halloween Weekend (10/29), Las Vegas will be having its very own ZOMBIE PROM! The great thing is, they are looking for some arts/crafts vendors to set up inside The Brass Lounge at 425 Freemont St, Las Vegas 89101 (Right on the corner of LVB and Freemont St.)

I know some people feel like it isn't a safe area, but the entire neighborhood will be hopping with zombie prom events including our craft bazaar, a dead burlesque show, and lots of other fun stuff. For more info please contact Cha Cha Velor at chachavelour@yahoo.com. It starts at 9pm and goes until you're ready to head home or party it up zombie style (I'm totally going to dress up).

Glad to share this information with you guys :)

Ashleigh Popplewell
http://ashleighmichelle.etsy.com/

New App from Etsy

Just found this new application for placing your items on sale.

I'm testing it out and have reduced items in my supply shop

You can go to Sellers top left of the page to try it out.

http://www.etsyonsale.com/shop/ArtBoxDesigns

Exclusive Member Opportunity - FREE vendor spot in Summerlin

Gotta love the perks of team membership!  The darling Mark Vranesh who has taken out ad space on our site to promote his upcoming craft fairs (see the bottom left sidebar), asked me to represent our team in a free vendor spot  at his Summerlin art fair on October 23-24.  This is a Saturday, Sunday event.  Because I am unable to sell on Sundays, he said it would be fine for me to find another team member who would like to use the spot to represent the team on Sunday as well as sell any of their own goods they can fit into the space.

I'm hoping one of you team members would be interested in this great opportunity to sell at a super high traffic event in affluent Summerlin.  See here for details. A normal 10x10 vendor spot is $350.  We are getting the 5x10 space for free because he likes who we are and what we're about.  Vendor spots sold out a while ago and it is by far his best attended event that has been held annually for over ten years.

For the winning team member, the event is from 10am to 5pm on October 24th.  The booth space is 5x10 and you should arrive at least an hour early to set up.  It is simply an empty space so you would need to provide any setup you require (tables, chairs, etc).  Since we've been giving this opportunity to represent the team, you would need to have our team banner displayed as well as a few promotional team materials, and our crane pins for sale.  Other than that, feel free to stuff the space with your wares.  I can provide you with all the team materials necessary for display.

Since I'm guessing we'll have a lot of interest in this, I'll pick a name raffle style from those interested.  Everyone who replies will get one raffle ticket.  Ways to win additional raffle tickets are:

• You are selling at least one item in our team shop.  Contact Teri at brinkley@air-internet.com to add your item and email me your listing once it's up. 1 ticket
• You have made a purchase from a team member shop since August 1st.  Please email me your Etsy receipt(s).  1 ticket per item purchased
• You have donated an item for our team meeting raffle in the past. 1 ticket
• You have been an ArtsWalk vendor in the past. 1 ticket
• You have attended a team meeting.  1 ticket
• You have posted on our team blog prior to Oct 1st.  1 ticket
• You have volunteered at First Friday or another team event (see volunteer opportunities here).  1 ticket
• You are correctly using the "madeinvegas team" tag in your Etsy listings.  If you don't know how to do this, please email me for instructions (handmadeinvegas@gmail.com). 1 ticket
• You are a team leader or carry leadership responsibilities in managing Handmade in Vegas. 2 tickets
• You make a minimum donation of $5 to Handmade in Vegas (donate here and email me your receipt).  This link is always available on the lower right sidebar of our team site. 2 tickets per $5 donation

I'll announce the winner on Friday morning.  Good luck, everyone!

Also, I spoke to Mark on Friday and he says he still has room in his other shows so if anyone is interested, check out his ad in the bottom, left sidebar for vendor applications and information.

Giveaway

I'm having a Halloween giveaway contest, please come and check it out!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=245227&id=127950039247

Posted by KelleyAccents (Karla Kelley)

Eco-Friendly Artists Opportunity

Hi team, some of you may already know Heather Abel (the "Green Girl") who runs Green Scene Productions.  She is always looking for eco-friendly artists to promote and has wall space reserved at The Arts Factory in downtown Las Vegas for artists who she feels are doing their part to reduce, reuse and recycle.  She said it's really hard to find artists using eco-methods in their creations and was very interested in getting in touch with those of you in our group who she could help promote.  She would like to hook up with you eco-artists to display your work on in her space at The Arts Factory.  If any of you are interested in the publicity and promotion, please contact her at heather@greensceneproductions.net or 702-813-1435. She's really cool and very involved with the Arts Factory and the Contemporary Arts Center.  Here's her website as well:  www.greensceneproductions.com


Good luck and stay green!

I found this in an Etsy forum thread.  It has a lot of great advice for marketing your shop:
***

Basics for being found on the net:


The shop title is searchable. Fill it w/ keywords about your product.

Get your announcements set for search engines: fill the first paragraph w/ keywords about what you make/sell. Move everything down below it- no one googles hello, or welcome.

Titles: the title should be what a person would google to find the item. 54-56 characters are pulled by search engines. Fill them w/ keywords. The first 2 words are the most important. Remove words like and, the, or, they lower searchability.

Reuse the keywords in the first sentence of the listing.

Give measurements in both inches and metric. I use an on-line metric convertor:
http://www.worldwidemetric.com/Measurements.html

Write the description as if there weren't a pic. Take the pics as if there weren't a description.

The thumbnail is crucial to being successful: the average buyer on the net spends 3-5 sec. before clicking or moving on. Take pics of everything about the item.

Use an photo editor: pic nik, picassa, photoscape are all free.  And use a tripod! It eliminates a lot of issues!

Artists- most people show a picture of the item very cropped. Take another one of the item on an easel- table or full sized, to give a sense of scale, and to let the buyer know exactly what they are gettting.

Make certain, if you sell internationally- to have a disclaimer that the buyer is responsible for all customs fees, duties, and import charges that are levied at the time of delivery.

I have it on every listing, and add a link to http://www.sloanefox.freeserve.co.uk/importukduty.htm

Make certain your policies are filled out, and your profile, and location.

Join twitter; even if you don't tweet- you can use twit pic to upload a keyword filled message, and link it back to the shop w/ Bitly. That message is searchable, and the link is good.

Upload items to Kaboodle.

Do a Squidoo lens about your shop:  http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-use-the-etsy-module

Then do another about your things, your craft, whatever, and link it back as well.   These are all fast, free ways to do some promoting.

Also remember- the net works off of new. Once a month change the announcement, or titles, or shop categories. If you do a lens, or publish anything on the net, make certain to tweak it, or add to it, even a RSS feed, anything to keep those bots happy and coming back for more!

The problem is that the net changes. What worked 2 yrs ago, or even 1 year ago is vastly different than what will work now.

In December, 2009 google changed their google shopping requirements. This spring Google (not google shopping) went to a 2 word keyword string. That changed EVERYTHING. Putting the most important keyword at the end of a lot of descriptive words no longer works now.

If things aren't working for you, step back, do some reading, and see what does work for others. That is what you have to do on the net- morph w/ it.