Sunday Guest Blogger - Have You Heard of Wanelo by Timber Woods Wares

Have You Heard of Wanelo?

As an Etsy shop owner I am always looking for new ways to promote my wares. Most of you are active on Pinterest and know what a powerful promotional tool it can be. Well, there is another site that is rapidly gaining popularity and is stealing some of Pinterest’s addictive thunder! It’s called Wanelo (http://www.wanelo.com/). The principle of the site is pretty much the same. Post your items and create collections of all your favorites.

As a member of the Daily Dose of Handmade team, I have had some decent success with Wanelo. (over 300 “saves” for Nesting Pretty)  I admit that I haven’t used the site to its fullest potential, but have still had success none the less. Here are the basics you need to know to help bring more traffic to your shop!

1. Get an account!

2.   The Home Page…

This default home page shows what is trending each day. There are also quick links to newly posted items and the most popular items on the site. Popularity is based on “saves.” On the top of the page you have a toolbar that allows you to post new items, browse different categories or go to your personal home page. Just click the “My Profile” button.

3. Your Personal Page…

Your Personal Home Page shows all of the basic information you would expect; Followers, Recent Activity, and Your Collections. Use the default collections and create your own! I try to keep up and post all of the Daily Dose of Handmade giveaways and features.

4. Saving items…

This is pretty simple. Click on the “post +” link and fill in the fields. Be sure to include descriptions and price and enter tags separated by spaces. Make sure you choose the right collection in the drop down menu.

5. Get Saves…

Once your item is posted, take advantage of the quick links to Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Tumblr. I tend to post a few things a day. Like anything else, the more active you are, the better your chance for views and hopefully sales! 

There is an Etsy team dedicated to Wanelo and they are actively committed to helping you get more saved. https://www.etsy.com/teams/11882/wanelo. They also have Wanelo employees on the team who quickly answer any questions you might have. 

Take some time to check it out and have some fun! Look for me when you get there!

Timber Woods Wares
www.TimberWoodsWares.etsy.com

Guest Blogger - Taking Great Product Photos with The Lovely Smith



courtesy of gingermadesoap

One of the first things I learned on my etsy journey was the importance of great photos.  While having an online business is so awesomely convenient, it also poses a huge disadvantage to us small time retailers in that we have to sell our wares to people by pictures and words alone.  You want to draw your customers in, have them fall in love with your creations, and then purchase them.  It's not just about a great description, but also a fantastic photograph.  Truly, a picture is worth a thousand words.

courtesy of the lovely smith

Now I'm not saying that I'm the queen of taking super-duper fantastic product photos, but I'm hoping some of my tips will help you.  Taking great pictures does not necessarily mean investing in a fancy camera or a high-tech lightbox.  (although if I had the means, I would definitely do that).  All you really need are four easy ingredients - a bright window, a white or interesting background, basic editing photo editing software, and a digital camera with a macro setting on it. 

courtest of K5art

Natural Light
Seriously the number one - and the cheapest - necessity.  And unless you live in a windowless basement (sorry if you do) you have a window with great light.  I prefer northern or southern exposure, but really, any window that gets good, indirect light will work. In my opinion, direct sunlight tends to bleach out details and adds a sometimes unnecessary yellowish cast on your items.

courtesy of sweetPB

Background
A white piece of bristol board, the windowsill, a piece of scrapbooking paper, the bottom of a pot, anything with a flat, semi-matte finish will work.  Sometimes a shiny background will make a glare and also can "bleach" out details of your designs while a very "busy" background will take away from your item.  I find that for intricate jewelry, a simple background works best, while for more minimalist pieces, using a dish or even your own hand will work wonders.


courtesy of craftymothers

Digital Camera
Even the most economical of digital camera have a macro setting.  Usually the symbol for the macro setting is a little flower or tulip.  It allows you to take very tight shots and get in really close to your item.  MAKE SURE YOU FOCUS ON YOUR ITEM.  Two things that I think are definite DON'Ts are: do NOT use the flash.  That is what your good lighting source (your window) is for.  Seriously, your item can be the best thing in the world, but if you take the picture with your flash, it will make your design look washed out and cheap.  Secondly, do NOT forget to edit out the date and time stamp on your photo if you have that setting on your camera.  Enough said.  You can use photos from years ago but if they are excellent, no one will know the difference.  Using the flash and leaving in the time/date stamp will make your pictures look like photos from your parents' 70's inspired basement.  And who wants that.


courtesy of theorangewindmill

Editing Software
A long time ago, I was able to afford Adobe Photoshop and transferred it to every computer I had since.  However, with my newest desktop and laptop, it was too old.  So I went in search of free digital editing software and I found GIMP.  While it isn't Photoshop, it is truly amazing, easy to learn, and does everything I need to edit my etsy photos.  Honestly, all you need is to be able to crop closer to your item, maybe adjust the brightness and contrast a little, and resize so that it doesn't take ages to upload.  However, don't use your editing software to make your item look like something it isn't.  Buyers will be very disappointed if what they received does not look like what they saw on your site.


courtesy of 50splinterswoodworks

Finally, do some research!  Go through your "favorites" on etsy and the internet and really look at the photos to see what makes that item appeal to you.  Is it the lighting?  The details?  The background?  Don't be afraid to use all of the photos that they allow you to, and remember that seeing your item "in action" will help buyers see scale and how it might look on them.

Here are some more articles that you might find helpful:
How To from Etsy
A Simple Lightbox - from The Strobist
Photoplus - Editing Software
PAINT.net - Editing Software
(and a special thanks to my teammates for taking such gorgeous photos!)

Sunday Guest Blogger - EmilyRoseBlossoms Tutorial

This Sunday's Guest Blogger is the wonderful Wendy from EmilyRoseBlossoms!  She is sharing her DIY Fabric Flower tutorial for download exclusively for Daily Dose readers!  These lovely flowers are perfect for any crafting embellishments and because of their versatility, can be used for a myriad of uses - scrapbooking, sewing, jewelry making... 

Wendy's beautiful creations show how perfect - and gorgeous - these flowers can be incorporated into so many things!  And we are so honored to have her share her crafting knowledge here on the DDofH.  Her very easy to follow tutorial can be downloaded here:

Thank you so much, Wendy - for sharing your talents and your tutorial!  Don't forget to check out Wendy's etsy shop, EmilyRoseBlossoms!  Happy Sunday, everyone!

xoxoxo Julie & Cylene