Las Vegas Handmade Team

To all the Team Members!

I am so happy that this team has grown so much and I've made so many wonderful friends.

I can see us making a big change in Las Vegas. Thank you to all who work so hard to make us what we are today!

Proud to be a Member!

Kellie

Art Box Creations

Earth Expressions Giveaway Contest....

Hi there,

Hope everybody had a wonderful 4th of July...

I just want to share with you my Giveaway Contest, is so easy to enter and you could win one of my creations just for sharing :)  There will be two winners...

Also, I am posting a 15% Off coupon code that will last all the month of July.

http://byearthexpressions.blogspot.com/2011/07/earth-expressions-giveaway.html

You will be very welcome!

Love,

Susy

Your Etsy Public Profile - Important Box

There is one thing you might need to check and update on your Etsy Public Profile - your "city." Go to Your Account, then Public Profile. Scroll down past Gender, and you will see "city."

THAT is where you need to list Las Vegas (or Henderson, or both) so that your shop will come up in the local shop search on Etsy. In my case, I covered all bases and listed it like this:
Las Vegas NV Nevada, Henderson NV Nevada, United States

If you have renewed an item or added one recently and you still do not show up on the Buy/ShopLocal search, that is probably why.

Checking How the Public "Sees" Your Shop

My first post, "Renew, Renew, Renew," mentioned how easy it is to keep your shop in the top of Etsy's search engines when someone is searching for local products. One comment on that post explained that at our local team meetings, this has been suggested, as well as adding products on a regular basis. None of this becomes real until you visually "see" that your shop is being seen, and where, and how often, and by whom.

I mentioned one way in Renew, Renew, Renew, by going to Buy, then Shop Local. Then, enter Las Vegas, NV, and you'll see that right now, only CarolynsJewelry an my own shop come up. There should be dozens of our local shops popping up there. All you need to do is renew one item, even once a week, or add one new item.

The new item added doesn't have to be spectacular. It can be a color variation of something you often offer, or a size difference, or a bunch-of-somethings instead of just one-something. Either way, your shop will then pop up in that major Etsy search.

Another way to see how your items are being viewed and which ones are being looked at, is to go to http://www.craftcult.com/heartomatic.php
Enter your shop name, then click on Item Hearts. Look at the rightmost column to see current views. Then, hit "reset" and go back in a day or so, and you will quickly see which items are drawing interested browsers and shoppers.

There are other ways of checking to see which of your items are the "hot" ones. We'll go into them little by little, but you need to begin to care about your shop's visitors.

The Fabulous Etsy Forums

While I realize that most of this team joined to network locally, most of us also have Etsy shops and still hope to make some decent income from those shops.

I found early on that the Etsy Forums are a great place to network among other Etsy vendors. The biggest benefit, for me, is that I have met many new Etsy friends, and I have developed customers from my posts (other Etsy sellers), and even more important, I have learned a great deal the easy way: from those who have learned the hard way.

Etsy Forums cover many areas. I have asked questions and received major help from other Etsy shop owners on topics such as: Craftopolis ads (do they work?), how to get into Treasuries, how to give a complete refund, and even whether it is good Etsy-quette to ask for Feedback when it has not been given (most agree to not do that).

At times, I just visit the Forums and browse the list of the most recent posts or the most popular posts. I have often found some great information that I would not have thought about seeking.

Once you have posted a topic or question, the next time you visit the Forums, you will see a little box to click: Your Threads. You will see any topic you have posted in and any topic you have initiated, forever. You can easily see if there are any new posts.

To check the Forums, go to your Etsy page, across the top, on the left side, to Community, then Forums in the drop-down menu.

I usually click on the names of the shop owners who reply, and check out their stores. Sometimes I have found some stores I would never have found otherwise. Other times, folks who replied found my shop and bought from me. Either way, it is a great networking tool.
EvelynMayfield

Upcoming Craft Shows

Hi all you fabulous crafters and artists... I'm just curious about upcoming shows who's participating in which shows. I'm signed up for the CCSN and The Mt. Charleston ones...

I'd like to know which upcoming everyone is going to be in and which ones should I consider.

Being this is my first year doing any shows I'm hoping some of you who are veterans in this field can give me some advice.

BTW I had a blast at the Mt. Charleston one and am looking forward to doing more of these shows! I even bought a banner to display and of course is announces me as a proud member of the Hand Made in Vegas Team!

Hope you have all had a great holiday weekend!

Cheryls Purple Cow A Bit Of Background

It has been quite some time since I posted on this blog. I can provide you many excuses (some of them are really clever) for my inattention but the main reason is simple. I have allowed too many minor details take over my schedule. I am working on setting up a schedule much like the schedule that I would follow if my business were a regular job. I will keep you in the loop and give regular status reports.

I plan on getting back to the basics with my blogging. I am going to write more tips and tutorials. I won't be writing the follow-up tutorials I promised on the Facebook Store Front but I will be adding a feature that is very important to me. For now, I would like to re-visit the story of Cheryls Purple Cow both for my benefit and for yours.

Many of the people that I meet through my shops have been crafting all their lives. They learned crafting at a young age and have been creative all their lives. 

That is NOT my story. My story goes like this:
Most children get A’s and B’s in art class. If you didn’t participate you could actually get a C or D. I failed art class. I found the whole process of creating something bothersome. I just could not and would not do it. I preferred structure and organization. Math class was my favorite.

When I started working I favored jobs that were math oriented with attention to the details. I worked in banks mainly. The last job that I held was working for the department of motor vehicles titling and registering vehicles.
My life started changing in 2004. I remember having "episodes" of sudden inappropriate emotion or rage most of my life. But they lasted a few minutes and happened every few years. I was under a lot of stress starting in the summer of 2004. My "episodes" became more frequent and lasted longer. It was during this time that I started having a compulsion to create things.

On Tuesday November 23, 2005 I was on my cell phone listening to my boss explain that I was no longer needed when I received an important call from my doctors office on the land-line. I asked my boss to hold for just a second and listened to my doctors office as they gave me the diagnosis that changed my life, Right Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

I started taking my anti-seizure medication and as my seizures decreased, the need to create grew. And the more I created the better I got and the better I got the stronger the need to create became. That is the reason I attribute my newfound "gift" of creativity to my epilepsy. 

I started trying different crafts and techniques to see what I really wanted to focus on. I tried most of the crafts available when I started beading and making jewelry. And working with beads and making jewelry is what gives me the most pleasure. My favorite is Awareness Ribbon jewelry. I think it is important to raise awareness regarding medical conditions like Epilepsy and Cancer. At first I was giving most of my pieces to my family and friends. They urged me to start a business and sell my creations. It took a while for me to get used to the idea that I could make something worth selling, but I came around.


I made several pieces and was ready to open up a shop on Etsy. There was only one thing holding me back, a business name. The name had to hold special significance to me.

Purple is the color for epilepsy and it has always been my favorite color. but I needed a little more than that. I had one word, but I still couldn't figure out the name. 

One day out of the blue, I remembered a gift I received in Junior High from my best friend Dee Dee. She gave me a purple cow with a poem attached:
"I never saw a purple cow;
and I never hope to see one.
But I can tell you anyhow,
I'd rather see than be one."
 
I had completely forgotten about that purple cow. Now I had a name, Cheryls Purple Cow. The purple cow represents something unusual, extraordinary, remarkable. It is something that we all would like to have or even see just once. 

My best friend Dee Dee was never ordinary and neither was I. We are both still purple cows. I never realized how wonderful it was to be different. I even located her through the Internet and found out that she has Lupus. The Awareness Ribbon for both Epilepsy and Lupus is purple. Strange coincidence?

Now you know a little bit more about me and how Cheryls Purple Cow was born.

I know that my story is not the only interesting story. I want to invite you to share your story too. All you have to do to send me an email at cherylspurplecow@yahoo.com with a brief background and I will send you the interview questions. I will include any links and pictures that you provide in the feature. This is one of the easiest ways to promote your product and your shop.

I used pictures from the following HandmadeInVegas Team Etsy shops in this post:

bearbottombear

Hidden Light Photos

loveandluckshop

StuffimalCreations

Please click on the pictures of the items to be taken to the listing page.
Click on the shop name to be taken to the shop.

Team member featured on our blog...

Learning is fun...that is if Megan of Etsy's FFTF&B has anything to do with it. Megan's shop, "From Fragments To Furniture & Beyond"  is a shop for kids of all ages. She specializes in fun educational toys with special needs kids in mind and creates fun ways to encourage speech, motor skills and sensory stimulation. She also makes things for kids in general and those who are a kid at heart.

We are especially pleased to show of her latest project, these colorful numbered dominoes, not only because Megan is a fellow Handmade In Vegas Team member but because she commissioned a custom domino mold from Ametista's Clay Shoppe to craft these little lovelies.

 Her entire store is an explosion of color and excitement and well worth checking out. 

 

 

 

Carrie & Kathy 

"Ametista"

Eco Contest Process

Hey Guys~ I thought it would be fun to post the Before and After Pics for my Eco Contest Submission!!

Before:
Ugly old mens shirt ready to be trashed.


A few cuts here, and a few stiches there:



Add some vintage lace and trim and here it is!!!

Hello...

Hi everyone, I'm Crystal from Twiddlebugz Designz.  I'm excited to be part of this team promoting crafts in Vegas, and each other. I've grown up in Las Vegas, raised my kids here, and seen so much growth it's unreal...but the crafting community, well...I'm super excited to see anything crafty happening around here. 

I'm married to my high school sweetheart, we've got 2 boys and a daughter in law. I live to craft...I swear it's in my DNA.  I've taught craft classes 18 of the last 25 years (Tole painting, sewing, general crafts, and more).  I've participated in craft shows for 25 years and even organized a few.  I work holidays and a few weddings at a florist shop.

My husband and I have spent 17 years in the Scouting program with our boys, it's so rewarding and touches many lives in a positive way.  We've now started a BBQ team and look forward to our first competition in July in Arizona.  (TrailhoundSmokers.Blogspot.com)

My Etsy shop is Twiddlebugz.  Please come by and visit, heart me, and add me to your favorites.  I look forward to meeting many of you at upcoming meetings...sorry about missing the first one.

Happy crafting everyone!

New Treasury

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4bffec17cd968eefd26771f2/summer-colors

First time I have tried to do this and hope it worked! Put together fun summer colors from our Team!

Kathy
www.aangels.etsy.com

WestSide Meetup

'

Monthy West Side MeetUp

Starbucks @ 215 & Flamingo
9701 W Flamingo
Las Vegas, NV 89117 US




West Side ~ Lets get to know each other! (West Side Location, but EVERYONE is welcome to join in on the fun!!)

First Wednesday of the
EVERY month from 5:30pm-7pm lets have a little meet up. Hopefully this location is convenient for everyone and the time works with most people. Stop by for a quick drink or stay the whole time and make some new friends.

For the first meet up, lets get to know each other! (In future months we can use our time for other things, crafting, tutorials, helping each other for upcoming events, etc)

For this meetup lets have a little Supply Swap! Please bring a couple of extra supplies so we can swap around with each other. (Just a suggestion but you do NOT have to bring anything.)

I look forward to drinking some coffee and sharing some craft stories with you all. Please RSVP (click the Title it is linked to an EVITE add your name and RSVP) or add a comment here and RSVP. Thanks!!!!

New Still Life Photography, pears anyone?

Hot off the press!

Just finish my new still life photo shoot, want to share them with my new team member first.

Coming Soon to my ETSY store. Enjoy.

Oribello

Hello everyone! My name is Michelle Oribello Brown and I'm the maker, creater and designer of my etsy shop, Oribello.

I make doggie kimonos, floor cushions, quilts, origami purses, necklaces, bamboo treasure boxes and whatever else strikes my Asian, Glamour, Pop, Craft intuition.





Last May 2009, I was laid off along with 7000 others from my company in San Francisco. I turned a negative into a positive and left the country to travel around the world. I kept a travel/fashion blog and am so thankful for the growing experience. I just got back 2 months ago and I decided Las Vegas was going to be my new home where I can set up shop, put some time in my long time love of sewing and getting crafty!

I look forward to meeting fellow crafters at the next meeting!!

Ciao from Ametista...

Hello fellow Vegans,

We are very excited to have an Etsy Vegas team and we're looking forward to meeting all of you on the 25th.  Who wants chocolate?  Good that's we're bringing. 


Kathy & I specialize in polymer clay, with a focus on dark yet whimsical home decor, such as artistic apothecary bottles and MoNsTeR bOxes which are crafted from re-enchanted (recycled) glass, wood and other materials.  In short, we take the mundane and make it magical.

See you soon!

Carrie and Kathy

The Ametista Girls