Featured Seller: Rhonda Kay from PhotosbyRKDesigns

It's time for another fun Featured Seller Q and A! I am so excited to get to talk to Rhonda Kay of PhotosbyRKDesigns on Etsy! Rhonda's shop features amazing photography... Her talent is amazing! Learn more about her below and make sure to check out her Etsy shop and her Facebook and Twitter!

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The Lily

1.Who are you and what do you sell? 
I am Rhonda Kay Spencer, I am a mother to 3 one of which was diagnosed with severe autism when he was 3. I sell nature, landscape, and fine art prints.

2.What inspired you to get started in your craft/start collecting vintage?
When I was young in my late teen's, early 20's a local photographer gave me photography lessons for about 3 years. Back then it was an all manual camera 35mm and we developed our own film. He started me out in Black and White film taking pictures of an old truck and I loved it. As life happens I got away from my love and life took over. We had 3 kids in 28 months and life was hard and busy. As they have grown I have been able to return to the things that give me piece on stress filled days. When the kids were really little I would travel around while they slept in the car and take pictures, the love of being creative through photography never left me.

3.What is your favorite part of your process?
My favorite part of this process is seeing if I can take what I see in my head and conveyed in the print. 

4.Handmade: What inspires you the most while you create?
I find inspiration in everything around me. I love taking an object whether it's a flower, bridge, or building and getting a view that is unique. 

5.If you could pick, what is your most favorite item in your Etsy shop?
My most favorite item is a hard choice for me. I think the Lilly would be in my top 5. I love the detail in this flower.

6.Got any social media links?
facebook www.facebook.com/photosbyrkdesigns
Twitter twitter.com/rkexpressions

7.Anything else that you want to share?
In this crazy chaotic world, it has been a blessing to be able to create unique photography that hopefully will make people smile.

Red and White Dayflowers

Etsy SEO Information

To go along with last week's post about Etsy Relevancy, I also created a quick pdf file with some basic SEO information as it relates to Etsy itself. You can find the .pdf below: Again, if you have any questions, comments, or additional information, please feel free to add it below! As this information changes, I will provide updated pdf files on my blog for you to check out.

Etsy Relevancy Information

One of the trickier parts of being a seller on Etsy is simply being found in a search by potential customers. Being found in searches is so important, second only to great photographs, and Etsy relevancy changed in mid to late 2012. I wrote up this short and compact Etsy Relevancy guide for my local team, and I have decided to provide it on my blog as well. Please check back next week when I will have my Etsy SEO pdf file for you to check out! If you have any questions, comments, or anything to add, please feel free to comment below!!

Treasury Wednesday: Gifts from the Mountains

To go along with my feature posts on Fridays, I decided to do another weekly update called "Treasury Wednesday!" Each Wednesday, I'll feature a fantastic treasury made on Etsy (by me or someone else) and you can check out all that Etsy has to offer!

This week, it's "Gifts from the Mountains" by me!

Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale at SecondSpringSoaps

Green Apple Bath Bombs

It's that time of year again... Black Friday weekend! Fill up on turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie, then go out and fight the crowds for deals! Whew... I am still leering from last year's fight over a $5 waffle maker (which I didnt get! Curses!).

Any who, this year, you can search for deals online, in the comfort and privacy of your own home! I'm happy to announce that this year I will be holding my own black friday weekend sale in my Etsy shop! From Thursday, November 22 - Tuesday, November 27, you can stock up on your favorite soaps, lip balms, and everything else in my shop at 10% off!! Awesome!

Hot Chocolate Soap

And, for being such amazing, wonderful, gracious blog readers, you can also use the coupon code "2012BLOG" and get additional free shipping! The coupon code is already live, and you can use it until December 19, which is my cut off date for holiday shipping!

I just wanted to take a moment and thank all of you guys for your love, support, and encouragement over the past year! My shop has done amazing things this year, and my readers, fans, and customers are a constant source of inspiration. Thank you so much, and have a wonderful holiday season!

Featured Post: Karyn from PinkMouse

One of my favorite Etsy shops to look through is PinkMouse, filled with the creations of Karyn Milner! I love to look through her shop at all of the beautiful colors and fantastic patterns! Her clothes really make me want to have another baby... maybe baby #2 will be a girl!

Enjoy learning more about Karyn and make sure to check out her shop!
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Fun Headband for Fall!

Who are you and what do you sell?
My name is Karyn Milner, my etsy shop is Pink Mouse Boutique. I make and sell kids clothing.

What inspired you to get started in your craft?
I started sewing when I was young. I think it was an inherited gift as my great-grandmother, grandmother and mother were all seamstresses. I have even inherited their sewing machines!
I started making kids clothes to sell on etsy after I had a car accident in 2009. The accident left me unable to stand for any length of time so I couldn't cut out large pattern pieces but I could sit and cut out smaller kids clothes. Etsy became a life-line for me, giving me something to do besides watch TV and play farmville!

Beautiful Purple and Cream Set!

What is your favorite part of your process?
Combining fabrics into a finished piece of clothing. I love working with excellent quality cotton fabric in designer prints.

What inspires you the most while you create?
My mother. She made almost all of my clothing when I was younger, including my dance costumes, wedding dress and maternity clothes. She was a first class seamstress!

If you could pick, what is your most favorite item in your Etsy shop?
I love this little dress and pantaloons! I like the old school design and fabrics. My mother would have made this little outfit for me or my daughter.

Got any social media links?
Twitter - @thepinkmice
Facebook - www.facebook.com/PinkMouseBoutique

Featured Post: Catherine of cwporche

Another great artist in our series of features Etsy artisans is Catherine from cwporche! Catherine hails from Erwin, TN; a small town nestled into the rich Appalachian Mountains. Catherine's shop boasts beautiful artwork and beautiful classic crafts, like handmade quilts and bunny rag dolls, as well as her famous felt mice! I could go on, but I will let Catherine take the wheel!
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Quilt: The Christmas Garden

I am Catherine Porche of cwporche.etsy.com. I am a passionate watercolor painter, quilter and crafter! I sew purses and little felt mouse figurines and sell any of it as well as accepting custom orders.
I have been sewing since the seventh grade and making and selling my mice since about the eighth grade (a long time ago!) My mom taught quilting classes, so naturally I learned traditional quilting. Rag quilts offer me more freedom and I've always loved the play of colors against one another.

For each of my artistic endeavors, even though they seem very different, my favorite part is being fully present in the portion in front of me. When I am imagining a mouse character I am dreaming up a back story and how to convey the costume well. If I am envisioning a painting, I let go of all my daily concerns and go where the paints take me. With formulating a quilt's color scheme I just mentally swim around in all the available fabrics until I am smitten with a collection I have made. That immersion in the process itself is such a joy to me; it is truly my favorite part!

Catherine's beautiful watercolor, "Led"

Being inspired to create isn't really how I feel about it. For me, it's more like a craving that must be satisfied. I yearn to make something beautiful or quirky or cute or comforting. I neeeed to make something, sometimes very small but I feel anxious until I can get to that part of my day. Beautiful photos and magazines of crafts, gardens and artwork are fuel for my fire but my favorite inspiration is the smile on the customer's face when they are loving getting it as much as I loved making it.

To pick one favorite item from my shop would be like picking a favorite child. My favorite painting right now is "Led".  It seems mysterious and thought provoking to me. My favorite quilt is The Christmas Garden.  I think its a fun useful way to make a room seem ready for the holidays. And my favorite mouse is Little Red Riding Hood. I just finished her and hope to have her posted soon-she's so cute!

You can find more about Catherine here:
facebook.com/cwporche
 twitter.com/cwporche

Featured Post: Linda from SewUpscale

Every Friday through the holiday season, I will be featuring a different artist, craftsperson, or vintage collector from Etsy! I have met many wonderful people through Etsy, and I would like to take out some time to showcase their talents!

This week's feature is Linda from SewUpscale!

1.Who are you and what do you sell? Hi! My name is Linda Johnson and my shop is Sew Upscale. The main focus in my Etsy shop is quilted fabric postcards. I'm passionate about mountain landscape scenes. I also make small quilted wall hangings. I have a few vintage items and some destash craft supplies

2.What inspired you to get started in your craft/start collecting vintage? I've always loved to sew. I started out designing and making doll clothes when I was about 10 years old. I discovered quilted fabric postcards a few years back one day when I was searching the internet. I loved them and taught myself how to make one. Since I was still working full time outside the home at that time, it really fit me since they were small and relatively quick to finish. I hadn't actually seen any landscape postcards but that is what I started making. I have developed my own style which I think is fairly unique.

3.What is your favorite part of your process? Designing the card and choosing the fabric that creates that certain look.

4.What inspires you the most while you create? I would have to say it is the fabrics and remembering a scene. I see quilted postcards in everything.

5.If you could pick, what is your most favorite item in your Etsy shop? I actually sold my favorite postcard Monday but here is one I love also. It is a mountain scene with a hiking trail and a campsite with a campfire. It is so tranquil.

Linda's Postcard: Hiking and Camping

6.Got any social media links?
facebook- www.facebook.com/SewUpscaleQuilts
twitter- twitter.com/SewUpscale
blog- www.sewupscale.blogspot.com/

7.Anything else that you want to share? I can also take your favorite landscape photo and recreate it in fabric. Postcards are also sold at Mountain Made in the Grove Arcade in Asheville, NC. A new store opening in Black Mountain in March 2013, Faison O'Neil, will also be selling my mountain postcards.

Felted Soap

I've been seeing a lot of felted soap lately. I've seen it on Etsy, and I saw TreatMeBathandBody felting soap on Instagram. What finally pushed me over the edge to try it was having more than two people asking about felted soap at Heritage Days last weekend. So, I grabbed a few skeins of wool yarn and some stray bars of soap, and went to town!

I started first by cutting the yarn and pulling the strands of fibers loose. I laid them flat and pressed them into "sheets", similar to the fibers that I've seen others using on YouTube. I then felted my soaps by using hot water and my hands... and voila!

Felted soaps! They look like mossy rocks!

I'm in love with the felted soaps! I am hoping to start listing them on Etsy before November, and I am going to have them for sale at the Greeneville Woman's Christmas Expo and Craft Bazaar the first weekend in November.

Happy Creating!

Handmade by me!

If you are familiar with the inner working of Etsy, then I am sure that you are familiar with the recent controversy that has been swirling around in the forums. (If not, check out this Regretsy post and this update.) I have been torn on the controversy, keeping mostly to myself in the forums and watching others talk it out.
However, I have been suckered in by a passive protest. Now, a group of sellers has began changing their avatars to pictures of their hands, to show that their work is all handmade. I just could not resist!

The hands that make!

I want all of my readers to be reassured that the work at Second Spring Soaps is all handmade by me. I design and make all of my bath products in my little home. You can check out these facebook photos of me making soap if you want, or watch some of my YouTube videos.

For what it is worth, my heart is broken over all of the Etsy shenanigans. I would have felt much better if Etsy would have apologized for its mistake, and I believe that most of this would have blown over before now. I honestly believe in handmade, and I try my best to support others who are trying to make this world a little more unique. I just... I dont even know. I hope that the handmade community can survive.

Testing the Scrubs

Me and my testers have been scrubbing away with my latest and greatest product: sugar scrubs. I have made 4 or 5 different batches with different fragrances and colors, and so far, the reviews are stellar!

One of my testers is a massage therapist, and he is my go-to guy for all things in body care. Here's what he had to say after trying out two versions, grapefruit and sandalwood:

Testers!

"As a therapist, I've seen a wide variety of salt glows, sugar scrubs, body wrap products, facial stuff, etc. ... and this is some great stuff you've made! You can really tell a difference in a product like this vs. something you buy at the store or from a kit."

Another tester had this to say:
"My skin felt clean and smooth after using it! I was not dry! And I loved the smell (kiwi-apple-melon)!"

And when I asked my husband what he thought, he said "They're good." And when I asked him how his skin felt afterward, he said, "Clean." (My husband is a man of many words! lol!)

I have really enjoyed making these sugar scrubs, and I have liked using them even more! I am hoping to have some for sale in my Etsy shop by mid to late March, so keep an eye out for them!

Testing!!

I am in live with my latest sugar scrubs! I have been on a sugar-scrub-making binge, and I have got these sweet cubes running out my ears!

I have given out a few samples to some close family and friends, and if everyone loves them like I do, I'll be putting them on etsy faster than you can blink!

Check out my samples:

Many roads with one destination: Soap!

Cold process soap... Hot process soap... Melt and Pour soap... CP Oven Process Soap... Handmilled... Rebatched... Wow, there sure are a lot of soap making methods out there! When shopping for that perfect bar of soap, what does all of this mean?

Well, all of the above are methods for making soap... each one is a little different from the last. Today, I will break down the top 3 methods for soap making, as well as their benefits: Cold Process, Hot Process, and Melt and Pour.

I'll start first with the method I use most often: Cold Process. The cold process method involves mixing a water/lye solution with various oilsat a temperature of between 100 degrees and 90 degrees. Once the soap batter reaches trace (or, becomes the consistency of thick pudding), scents, dyes, or other additives can be added, then the mix is poured into a mold. The soap is safe to use once it has cured (or, set out of the mold to air dry) for approx. 6 weeks. The long cure time allows for the lye molecules to react with the oil molecules to form glycerin, which is the cleaning agent in soap. This reaction is called saponification!
Cold process bars of soap are well known for their creamy, solid bars. I prefer the CP method over the others because I like the instant gratification of seeing (and smelling) my soap, as well as the anticipation over the cure time before I can test the soap myself!
CP soap (and HP soap) has the benefit of being made from all natural ingredients. Some synthetics can be added to the soap in the form of fragrance oils and dyes, but scary synthetics (like propylene glycol) are often left out.
You can find photographs of my soap making process here on my facebook fan page! My etsy shop is full of cold process soap, and here are more Etsy soap makers featuring CP soap!!

Hot process is another popular method for soap making, and it is quite similar to cold process. With the HP method, soap makers use the same lye mixture and the same oils, but they speed up the saponification of the lye and oils by adding heat to the mix! The oils and lye mixtures are added together in a crock pot or similar heating source, and are essentially cooked over a period of hours. The heat encourages the molecules to form glycerin faster, and the soap made with the HP method is ready to use almost immediatly! (The HP soap makers that I am familiar with still like to cure their soap for a short period, to ensure that the lye is completely gone.)
Hot process soap is often identified by its rustic, rough look. When the soap is ready to go into the mold, it often has a very thick consistency and has to be spooned into the mold, rather than poured. This can lead to air pockets which give the soap its signature look!
Check out this link to Etsy to view some amazing HP soaps!!

Melt and Pour soap rounds out the top three when it comes to soap making, and it is often the method that most soap makers start out with. M&P is essentially safer for the soap maker, because instead of working with caustic lye (very dangerous if handled improperly!), M&P soap makers are working with premade bases, which can be headed up and poured into various, intricate molds. Melt and pour soap makers can make some amazingly beautiful creations, and melt and pour soap can be added to CP soap or HP soap for an added burst of color.
To make M&P soap, just head to your local craft store! Most craft stores sell premade bases that can be melted down, as well as the colors, fragrances, and molds needed to make your soap your own! The downside to the craft store kits lies in the list of ingredients to their soaps... if you are looking for a more natural base, there are many vendors online that can help!
Check our this link to Etsy to view some gorgeous M&P soaps made by amazing artists!

Comment if you are interested in learning more about soap making, or contact me on my facebook fan page... I love to talk soap!

Second Spring Soaps on Etsy is LIVE!

What a first day it has been! I have posted 20 listings (and let me tell you, those listings were tedious, especially while juggling a toddler!), I have all of my photos ready to go, the soaps are weighed, and all of my hard work and perperation over the last three months is finally paying off.

And on my first day back at Etsy,my shop already has 51 views (!!) and I was featured in 3 treasuries!! Wow, what a welcome back!

If you have a moment, take the time to go see these three fabulous treasuries, and visit some other artists and view their work.

Leaf on Fire, curated by cielorosa

A Squeeze of El Limon, curated by kittyloobg

Fall Leaves, curated by ElvenGrove

I just wanted to take out a moment to thank these wonderful artists for featuring me!! Whoo! What a great first day back on the job!

Etsy and Relevancy

Although I have been absent from the Etsy scene over the past few months while preparing to open my bath and body shop, I have tried to stay current on any changes that the Etsy staff, and its new CEO, have been making. One of the big changes was to searches, making "Relevancy" searches the default search, instead of "most recent", the old default search.

I decided to compile a list of tips from other Etsy members that have helped their items appear higher on relevancy searches. I originally did this for my own benefit, but I decided to post them here was well, in case any Etsy members needed the help as well!

Here's just a few things that I have learned:

• When titling your item, make sure that the exact phrase of your item is actually in the title. For example, the title "Crochet Cotton Washcloth Set in Pink" is a better title than "Baby Pink, Hand Crochet, Washcloth, Organic Cotton".
• When titling, the first few words of your title will count towards relevancy more than the words at the end of the title.
• Use your item tags and categories very carefully!! Try to use all 14 tags for your item, and repeat key words from your title in your tags. Also, many people have had success with making their key word from the title of the item the FIRST tag. So, if my item is "Bath Tea Set with Rosemary, Mint, and Salts", then my first tag should be "Bath Tea".
  
• In tags, Etsy is now allowing sellers to use "phrases" in tags. For instance, a seller can now tag an item as "short sleeved tunic" instead of "short sleeved" and "tunic". However, sellers have noticed that they get better search results when all one-word tags are used first, then the remaining tags are filled with phrase tagging. Also, be careful not to stuff tags!! Tagging a rainbow item with "red yellow orange blue green purple" is still against the rules!!
• One of the first changes that has came to Etsy since their new CEO has arrived is the "Shop Stats" feature. It allows a seller to see where their views are coming from, on which items, and what key words were searched. Use shop stats to your advantage! Use your top key words, and variations of these key words, in your titles!

For more tips, you can check out this admin post, or search through the forums at Etsy!

Happy Hunting!