Shop Feature - July 27th - The Lovely Smith

We are so excited to feature our very own The Lovely Smith and her fabulous rustic and organic jewelry.  Read the interview with Cylene and enjoy the store-wide discount - exclusive to DDH subscribers!!! 

What made you decide to start your shop?

I've always been the artsy type but it wasn't until early 2007 that I felt like I needed to get in touch with the creative side of myself again. Jewelry making was on my "bucket list" and I started out with beading. The rest, they say, is history!

What type of products do you sell?

Custom made stacking rings and earrings - in copper, brass, sterling and gold fill.

What is your favorite shop accomplishment so far?

Having my creations out there, being worn by real people, is quite the inspiration. I love hearing from happy clients that what I made for them is perfection!

What is your biggest challenge as an Etsy/online seller?

It's hard to juggle a full time job (I work in the non-profit mental health sector), running a household, raising a toddler and being pregnant. I would love to build a bigger online presence since there are so many jewelry sellers out there, but just cannot find the time!

What is the top selling item in your shop?

My stacking rings have always been a great seller, but with the recent addition of more earrings designs, I find that they are creeping up in popularity!

Do you have a tip for others selling in the handmade community?

A cohesive online identity and shopfront is something that I find helps a lot when it comes to setting yourself apart from the rest of the herd. Making sure you have a great shop name, logo, and great photos is key to getting noticed! You are basically selling the IDEA of your creations to the people that find them - your descriptions and photos are your way into their hearts!

What are you currently working on/newest project?

I am so excited to be unveiling some more earring designs - I love making more angular, more linear hoops and putting my rustic & organic spin on them! I also have become a new member of the Artisans' Group, which helps handmade artists gain exposure, and hopefully one day, you'll see celebrities wearing my creations, or maybe see my rings on the pages of InStyle!

Favorite blog!

I am a huge fan of the DDH blog, but also check out ApartmentTherapy and ohdeedoe quite often. However, I find I get TOO inspired sometimes and have to step away from the computer!

Thank you so much Cylene!!!!  Use Coupon Code - DDH40 for 40% off your entire order at TheLovelySmith!  (expires July 31st, 2012)

And the winner is....

Congratulations to the winner of the MySavior Giveaway!!

and the winner is...  Crystal!!!!!!

please email us so we can get your prize to you!!!!!

dailyhandmade@gmail.com

Memories of Summertime - the next CRAFTING challenge!

photo courtesy of one of our newest members, HouseOfSixCats!  (hi Bill!)

the next design challenge is up, you crafty peeps!  even though we are still in the hot dog days of summer, we thought we'd get your creative juices flowing with thoughts of your most favorite memory of the summer... whether it's a photo collage from your childhood, a sunshiny tutu for a toddler, a bar of luscious handmade soap, or a batch of lemon preserves! 

here are the details for entering - and NO, you don't have to have an online shop to enter! 

Here are the rules for entry:
1. Only one entry per person/shop.
2. Create a handmade work of art reflecting this challenge's theme!  Any and all media is welcome!!!
3. Send a picture and description of your item to dailyhandmade@gmail.com
4. Submissions are due by August 13th, 2012 .
5. Winners will be selected by our readers!!! All entries will be posted for an open vote on the blog.

the winner will receive one month's of FREE advertising on both the blog AND the newsletter! 
so pull up a chair, pour yourself a tall, frosty glass of something good, and get those entries in!  we can't WAIT to see what you'll make!

SHOP FEATURE - july 19th, 2012 - SimplyWrappers

we are really pleased to host the feature on SimplyWrappers today - a shop that offers wonderful cupcake liners in a myriad of colors and designs!  read the interview with Erin and enjoy the storewide discount - exclusively for DDH subscribers!

What made you decide to start your shop?
We sold other companies products, but quickly learned they were not as high of quality as we would like, and it was hard to have complete control over our customer's satisfaction (since the companies were shipping product). We made a high quality cupcake wrapper and our customers have been very pleased with the difference! 

What type of product do you sell?
Cupcake wrappers.

What is your favorite shop accomplishment so far?
Selling to over 29 countries worldwide

What is your biggest challenge as an online seller?
Finding the time to grow my business!

What is the top selling item in your shop?
http://www.cupcakelinerswrappers.com/black-white-traditional-print-damask

Do you have a tip for others selling in the online community?
Don't give up :) There are people out there ready to buy what you can create!

What are you currently working on?
Custom cupcake wrappers for weddings or events

Do you have a favorite crafty/handmade blog/shop/resource that you go to often, if so what is it?
I actually don't :(

thank you so much, Erin!  we are so happy to showcase you on the DDH!  use the EXCLUSIVE coupon code - DAILYDOSE2012 for a whopping 20% off in Erin's online store!  don't forget, it expires 8/31/12 so hurry!

Win it Wednesday - 18 July

This week's giveaway is hosted by MySavior - Photography for the Soul!!!! Check out the breathtaking cityscapes, flowers, and animal photography available in prints and cards.

One lucky winner will receive 5 photocards from MySavior.  Absolutely gorgeous!!!

To Enter (Open World Wide):

1. Sign up for the Daily Dose of Handmade Newsletter.

2. Follow Daily Dose of Handmade on Twitter.

3. Heart MySavior on Etsy.

CONGRATULATIONS TO LAST WEEK'S WINNER of the giveaway hosted by the lovely OhSophiaBoutique!

and the winner is...  #27 Nancy!!!!!!

please email us so we can get your prize to you!!!!!

we love our designers! and the WINNER is...

we couldn't be more proud of the fantastic creations you guys submitted for the 1st DDH Design Challenge!  and the tribe has spoken - our winner is the lovely KRISTIE from Oh!SophiaBoutique!  her family establishment sign, created from reclaimed wood pallets and adorned with her fantastic script, was the winner as voted by you! 

thank you to EVERYONE for entering!  the next challenge is in the works so watch this space!

(don't forget to enter the DDH win it wednesday giveaway that kristie is coincidentally hosting - click HERE to enter!)

SHOP FEATURE - july 13th, 2012 - Nakkashe

we are so happy to feature the lovely Nakkashe today - all the way from Turkey!  we are so happy that you are starting your online career with us at the Daily Dose!!!!  enjoy the interview and don't forget about the exclusive discount code!

What made you decide to start your shop?
Making handmade items is so much fun, but I wanted to earn some money to help our family budget.

What type of products do you sell?
Embroidered bed spreads, table cloths, crochet hats,kilim bags, necklaces etc. I will focus on home decor and will add slipcovers, curtains etc soon.

What is your favorite shop accomplishment so far?
Getting so many views in 5 months only and making a sale just one month after opening.

What is your biggest challenge as an Etsy/online seller?
I am having difficulty taking clear photos of my products.

What is the top selling item in your shop?
I have only had one sale so far.  :)

Do you have a tip for others selling in the handmade community?
I think , we should regularly add new products and spend some money for advertising.

What are you currently working on/newest project?
Chair slipcovers, curtains, valances and chair pads.

Favorite blog!
Etsy is my number one !

thank you so much for being part of the Daily Dose of Handmade blog, Nakkashe!  the exclusive discount code is NAKKASHE (20% off) and is valid until end of September 2012.

Win it Wednesday - 11 July

This week's giveaway is hosted by Oh Sophia Boutique - Haute Couture Bridal Accessories. Be sure to check out her amazing hair accessories and bridal fascinators.

One lucky winner will receive this STUNNING white flower hair clip!

To Enter (Open World Wide):

1. Sign up for the Daily Dose of Handmade Newsletter.

2. Follow Daily Dose of Handmade on Twitter.

3. Heart OhSophiaBoutique on Etsy.

4. Like on OhSophiaBoutique Facebook.

5. Follow OhSophiaBoutique on Pinterest.

6. Tweet this giveaway (be sure to add @ddofhandmade). Daily entry.

CONGRATULATIONS TO LAST WEEK'S WINNER of the giveaway hosted by the lovely VeryPrettyThings!

and the winner is...  JAYNE!!!!!!

Jayne- please email us so we can get your new necklace to you!!!!!

SHOP FEATURE - july 10th, 2012 - CatchingWaves

it's a great day - and we're so happy to have Karen from CatchingWaves as our featured shop today!  sit back and enjoy Karen's interview - then use her exclusive DDH discount code storewide for savings!

Origin of Shop: I've always liked making things. When my kids were little, I made dolls
and superhero costumes, and I loved exploring new crafts through the Waldorf school
they attended--woodcarving, felting, and candle-making. I often made handcrafted items
for Christmas gifts but then I wouldn’t do any more crafting the rest of the year. One
thing I discovered about myself is that I'm really motivated to create for others. When
I found Etsy, it opened a door for me to start pursuing crafts more seriously. Having an
audience makes a HUGE difference. (I would never make 76 necklaces for myself!)

Products: I make some needle-felted items--seascapes in driftwood frames-or sea
creatures (octopi!)--felted cuffs and necklaces. And I make jewelry. I've had tremendous
fun exploring all kinds of beads and materials—vintage glass, rustic gemstones, trade
beads, and more. Many of my items are inspired by my love of the ocean--so lots of
blues and greens in my shop.

Accomplishment: I was excited when I reached 100 listings. I'm close to 150 now and I'd
like to get to 200 but I think that's big enough for me.

Challenge: Just being seen! I have been working on my photos lately and my item titles,
to try to make them more effective for google searches. Learning how to market your
items effectively in such a vast marketplace takes time and effort, and I'm definitely still
learning.

Tip: Connect with other crafters--on Etsy, join teams and participate. Don't be afraid to
ask others for advice. I’ve had some wonderful support and practical advice from other
Etsy artisans, including “Get a better camera!” (Definitely helped!)

Latest Project: Lately I’ve been learning to antique metals and trying out metal paints and
gilder’s paste. I have some pretty dramatic, vintage brass snake pendants I antiqued that
I’m about to list. I really like how they turned out.

Favorite Crafty place/source: I like Happy Mango Beads for their ethnic and trade beads
(www.happymangobeads.com) and their frequent sales. But I also shop on etsy a lot,
especially for vintage items.

thanks so much, Karen!  we're so thrilled to have you in our spotlight!  DDH subscribers - you can use the code DDH20 for 20% off shop-wide, valid until July 21st, 2012!!!!

SHOP FEATURE - july 9th, 2012 - JulieEllynDesigns

i am so honored to be posting this lovely feature on Julie from JulieEllynDesigns!  not only is she the driving force behind the Daily Dose, but her creations are also out of this world! enjoy the interview and the fantastic discount code - only for DDH enthusiasts!
What made you decide to start your shop?
I started making jewelry after I had so much trouble finding the perfect necklace and earrings for my wedding and gifts for my bridesmaids. After attending a gem and jewelry show I had custom necklaces and earrings made for my friends and they were a big hit! I realized that jewelry making was something I really wanted to try! Here I am today!

What type of products do you sell?
Yummy gemstone jewelry and fun beaded wrap bracelets.

What is your favorite shop accomplishment so far?
Hitting 1000 sales!! It was a long road, but I made it! The best part is that I keep on setting bigger goals for my shop and my designs.

What is your biggest challenge as an Etsy/online seller?
There are a lot of jewelry designers on Etsy. I try to stand out by staying up to speed with styles and keeping my price range reasonable. With the major down turn of the economy over the last two years, I retired a lot of my gemstone designs for more affordable simple sterling pieces. Now that things are looking up, I have brought back my gemstones with full force!

What is the top selling item in your shop?
It used to be the Cameron Earrings, but my new gemstone wrap bracelets are the most recent hit. Thank goodness b/c I love to make them!

Do you have a tip for others selling in the handmade community?
Join Etsy Teams and be an ACTIVE member. My shop had a very slow start, until I joined a team (Etsy Tradeaholics). My “sales” grew from there as I traded wares with other fabulous shops. Each trade event brought more attention to my shop and other sales began to trickle in.

What are you currently working on/newest project?
I am excited to announce that I have the opportunity to showcase my designs at the upcoming Prime Time Emmy Awards Gift Lounge this September. Of course the pieces are due much earlier so I have all of my gems grouped around me trying to figure out what to make! I am so nervous!!!!

Favorite blog!
Of course the Daily Dose of Handmade...but I am biased ;) I also love the Hot Glue Hangover. Not only for it's name but the great posts and tips.

thank you so much, Julie!  and now, without further ado... Julie's fantastic discount for the DDH!
Buy 1 item - Save 25% (coupon code JULY1)
Buy 2 items - Save 35% (coupon code JULY2)
Buy 3 items - Save 45% (coupon code JULY3)
www.JulieEllynDesigns.etsy.com
**for listed items only, no custom orders**
***Discount ends July 14th***

Team Treasury Challenge

Take a look at some of the fabulous team treasuries the DDH squad created this week!
Which is your favorite?















And the treasury with the most views this week is Nature's Bling by Christine!!!

reduce! recycle! repurpose! - the CRAFTING challenge entries revealed!

we are in LOVE with the entries to the first DDH design challenge!  without further ado, we present to you the amazing creations - and you can vote for your favorite on the sidebar!  please only vote once - but tell everyone you know to vote too!

alison's entry - recycled jacket bag!

beverly's entry - upcycled cuff (made with a vintage enamel pin!)

carol's entry - reclaimed vintage necklace

katie's entry - upcycled crochet string jar

kristie's entry - repurposed pallet/family establishment sign



mary's entry - "clockwork seahorse"/recycled watch and jewelry wire sculpture

melita's entry - upcycled bottle art inspired by the sea

miranda's entry - an upcycled vintage 70's lucite necklace

paige's entry - repurposed goodwill painting

sandy's entry - reclaimed felted sweater mittens

sarah's entry - upcycled suede skirt journal

please vote for your favorite!  the winner will be selected on Thursday, July 12th, 2012 and the winning entry featured on the blog!

Win it Wednesday - 4 July!!!!!

Happy Fourth of July!!!!  

Our Giveaway this week is hosted by VeryPrettyThings. 

Enter to win this gorgeous, one of a kind, glass fused pendant!  Be sure to look around the shop b/c everything is 15% off celebrating Christmas in July!!!

How to enter (open world wide):

1. Subscribe to the Daily Dose of Handmade newsletter (mandatory)

2. Follow Daily Dose of Handmade on Twitter

3. Heart VeryPrettyThing on Etsy

4. Follow VeryPrettyThing on Facebook

5. Tweet about this giveaway (be sure to tag @ddofhandmade) 

6. NEW: RSVP to our first ever Tophatter Auction!!!!!!!!  

Tweet Daily for additional entries!!!

Winner will be announced next Tuesday!!!

BREAKING NEWS.... Daily Dose of Handmade Tophatter Auction Event 

29 June at 8pm PT!!! RSVP HERE

CONGRATULATIONS TO LAST WEEK'S WINNER of the giveaway hosted by the lovely EclecticNesting!

and the winner is...  KARENSCHA!!!!!!

Karen - please email us so we can get your new necklace to you!!!!!

SHOP FEATURE - PillowDesignStudio

today we are featuring the lovely Liz from PillowDesignStudio!  enjoy the Q & A with Liz and shop away with the storewide discount, exclusively for DDH subscribers!

What made you decide to start your shop?
I've been making yo yos since I was in high school. My ultimate goal was to make a crazy quilt for the guest bedroom I hoped to have when I grew up. Now that I'm older, I'm still working on that quilt and realized that yo yos can be more versatile than what I had originally thought. Now my passion is making yo yo flower headbands for kids and adults. It's great creative outlet from my 9-5 job.

What type of products do you sell?
I sell stylish yo yo headbands for girls, babies and women. I've also been making headbands for flower girls, which has unexpectedly accounted for quite a bit of my business lately.

What is your favorite shop accomplishment so far?
It has been very exciting to know my designs are going to be a part of someone's special wedding day. I know when I got married about a year ago I worked with Etsy crafters to make my day unique, from an unconventional cake topper made from flattened spoons to the flower clip I wore in my hair that got rave reviews from my family and friends.

What is your biggest challenge as an online seller?
The biggest challenges for me are finding enough time to create new items for my shop and trying to get more exposure.

What is the top selling item in your shop?
https://www.etsy.com/listing/97274139/flower-girl-headband-sparkly-white-head

Do you have a tip for others selling in the online community?
Build relationships with other Etsy sellers. That has helped me gain a fair amount of exposure for my shop, as well as much needed moral support.

What are you currently working on/newest design or project?
I recently got a whole mess of skinny elastic, so I'm trying out new designs for baby headbands.

Do you have a favorite crafty/handmade blog/shop/resource that you go to often, if so what is it?
I really like this blog, which helps me get a sense of what other crafters are coming up with.

thank you so much, Liz!!!!  (and we love your headbands!!!)  DDH enthusiasts can use the coupon code DDH20 -- for 20% off purchases store wide!   (Expires August 1, 2012)

SHOP FEATURE - july 2nd, 2012 - TheLollipopLabelShop

we are thrilled to be featuring Marci from TheLollipopLabelShop in our spotlight today!  here is a peek into Marci's shop ... and don't forget her discount code, just for the Daily Dose!

What made you decide to start your shop?
We ordered labels from another company that weren't very cute for our son when he was born. When we saw the final product, we knew we could do better. After some research, we found the best materials we could find and made our labels as cute as we could!

What type of products do you sell?
We sell dishwasher safe labels, waterproof removable labels, iron on labels, laundry care tag labels, shoe labels, luggage tags, onesie stickers, and pregnancy bump stickers.

What is your favorite shop accomplishment so far?
Last year we had a huge sale during the back to school rush. We were printing labels almost 18 hours a day, but we managed to get all of our orders out! It felt great to have a huge success so early on.

What is your biggest challenge as an Etsy/online seller?
We send a proof to every single customer so they can see it and make changes if they don't like the options they picked initially. Sometimes our emails go to SPAM folders. We remind our customers to check, but a lot of times they think we haven't sent the email yet. We try to send a follow up through Etsy after a week, which seems to take care of most of it.

What is the top selling item(s) in your shop?
Our 4 top sellers:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/88160474/monthly-onesie-stickers-jungle-animals

https://www.etsy.com/listing/75212562/27-removable-waterproof-daycare-baby

https://www.etsy.com/listing/77733984/105-custom-iron-on-clothing-labels-free

https://www.etsy.com/listing/94343475/40-custom-personalized-name-tags-perfect

Do you have a tip for others selling in the online community?
Have a lot of options and market them well. SEO really kicked it off for us. Learn about Etsy and Google's SEO formulas and apply them to your listings. Find out what your customers are searching for, what they like, and what they don't like. We experimented at first and discovered what our customers are looking for. We try to cater more to their wants.

What are you currently working on/newest project?
We have recently started making our pregnancy bump stickers and our luggage tags. We are working on new designs for our example listings.

Do you have a favorite crafty/handmade blog/shop/resource that you go to often, if so what is it?
My favorite go to blog is Homemadeology.

Thank you so much, Marci - for being today's featured shop and for have such a wonderful shop!  DDH subscribers can enjoy a storewide discount of 15% off using the code ʺDAILYDOSEʺ.  (Expires 7/31/2012)