FEATURED SELLER MFIPC!!!!

OK its the one you have all been waiting for here is our featured seller interview with MFIPC!!
Sorry for the delay in getting it on the blog!! Ive been sick!! :( but I'm all better! :)

Ok MFIPC or Jaden, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started in this line of work?

I started making jewelry when I was a stay at home mom back in 1998. I was self taught by reading library books.-

Take us through a normal day for you.

My daily routine is this:

I wake up at 6:00AM, get the kids fed, dressed and ready for school.

7:30AM, I get on the computer and answer emails.
8:00AM, i get ready for work. 8:30AM, I drive to work.
9:00AM, I'm at work, check my voicemail, unlock the file cabinets, check more email, log onto paypal, start shipping jewelry.
It's about 11:00AM by the time all that is done so I do more of my "real" work.
Noon rolls around and it's off to lunch. During my lunch hour I go to my suppliers and stock up.
Back at work at 1:00PM, answer more emails, check ebay and etsy for sales, ship more stuff out. After that I check the mail. Now it's back to my "real" job. I post customer's payments to their account.
It's about 3:00PM by now so I start making jewelry.
I do this all the way up until 5:30 then I go home.
I get home by 6:00PM. I eat, help the kids with their homework, get them bathed, and read them a book.
Now it's time to take pictures of my jewelry and list them on etsy and ebay. I do this until 10:00PM. Now I can relax, watch the news, Everybody Loves Ray, Corner Gas, Sex and the City, and if I'm able to stay up late enough, I can get a repeat episode of Friends.-

What inspires you?

My kids inspire me. I used to do this as a hobby. I donate some of my profits to 2 charities which are Autism Research and Organ Donation. I do this because my 7 year old son is Autistic and my mom had a lung transplant in Dec. of 2005. Being that my husband was medically discharged from the Navy in 2003, I realized that I had to start making money out of this to help support the family because the VA disability just wasn't enough. That's when ebay came in. After 3 months of selling on ebay I made Power seller and averaged about $2000.00 per month. That still wasn't enough to pay the rent, health insurance, etc so I had to go out and find a job outside of the home. I've been here at my job for almost 5 years now. My boss is the coolest boss ever! He doesn't mind at all that I do my jewelry here as long as my "real" work is done. Now I think ebay and etsy are an addiction..lol..-

What's your most treasured possession and why?

My most treasured possession are my kids. I couldn't imagine my life without them. They keep me going. Everything I do is for them.-

Your photos always look good, do you have any tips or tricks for better pics?

Ahhh..the good ole photo question.
In my opinion, I think my photos still need a lot of work but I will be more than happy to give my tips so here goes:

I use a digital camera, a bad one too, only 300 megapizels. I use the Tungston white balance setting and take my pictures under white light. I use photoshop to edit my photos. These are the exact steps I use when editing my pictures in photoshop:

1. Open photoshop (of course..lol)2. Open the picture you wish to edit.
3. Go to image, then go down to adjustments.
4. Go to Match Color.
5. Take the luminance all the way to 200.
6. Take the color intensity to whatever you feel looks great for your photo.
7. Then I crop my picture to 500 pixels then I'm done.-

What are your top 3 tips for new Etsy sellers?

My 3 tips would be:

1. Get an awesome banner and avatar to match your etsy personality.
2. Participate in the forums.
3. Register on www.linkreferral.com and do your 30 clicks per day. Once I started this, I got 3 etsy sells in 1 day.-

Fav food?

My favorite food is Southern Cooking!!! I have to eat my greasy food! I love everything fried. I even got bored one night and deep fried a waffle..boy, that was good especially when you sprinkle powdered sugar on it. It tastes like a funnel cake.-Tea or Coffee?Coffee, if I drink tea, it has to be sweetened.-

Anything else you wanna say??


Wahoo!! I was contacted by "Flourish Boutique". They want to carry some of my jewelry in their shop and on their website. I will be alongside top famous designers like Juicy Couture, Betsey Johnson, Level 99, Tarina Tarantino and many others. I'm not sure what caught their eye but they sent me an etsy convo. I accepted the offer and signed the contract on 9/10/08. You will probably see some of my item's on their site within the next few weeks. The web address www.flourishboutique.com.


Thanks Jaden!!! So who is next!! watch this space!!!
KEEP IT KITSCH!!

A selection of Kitsch!!

Hey!

Ive been looking at everyone 's shops and I was just overwhelmed by the amazing artist we have in the kitsch team!!

Tonight I have 2 of our artists!



First off Paisley Chainsaw!
Her creations are amazing and truly unique! The colours and materials she uses are perfect in every creation!










This is one of her favs and mine!















This is what Paisley Chainsaw had to say about her holiday octopus:

"My octopus has enjoyed jazz a summer holiday and on returning from holiday has decided to try their hand at painting, I am sure they will be a hit with all of their new creations"!!!

Wow!! I love it!

You can buy The octopus at a very reasonable $20 in paisley chainsaws shop!

Click the link below to visit her shop!

Take me to Paisley Chainsaw's Etsy shop!






Next up Alliteration!
Here earrings never fail to make me smile they are spunky and funky!! She uses the craziest little objects and charms to make here earrings!



Check out these ones! Forks!!!



Heres what Alliteration had to say about her fork earrings:



"Not to eat with, just pretend :) everyone will love these little forks! "



They are gorgeous!!




You can buy these fork earrings at alliterations Etsy Shop for a very reasonable $3!!



Click the link below to visit her shop!!

Take me to Alliterations shop!




So there you have it! 2 of our 32 Very talented members!!

We will have 2 members each week pick there fav items and we will post them n the blog!!



Keep it Kitsch everyone and remember to Check back on Sunday for our next Feature seller! MFIPC! Its a good one!! Lots of tips!!



Keep it kitsch!



Amy xx

Saturday........................again!!

Hi everyone!!

Ok so I'm not gonna talk about chat on Thursday! There were only 2 people!! Thank you to you 2 for coming!

Now I'm still waiting on 10 email address! Don't make me name and shame! lol!
The email addresses are important as we have new forums and they are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!

We can chat and post pics and everything! Its brilliant! Thanks MFIPC!

I really want everyone on there!

Also since we have gone from 10 members to 21 in a week we have a new leader to share the responsibilities! Drum roll please.............................................MFIPC aka Jaden is our new leader!
She will join me in organising everything!

The team is getting bigger and we have plans lots of plans and they will become a reality soon!

I was having a look at every ones shops today and it never fails to amaze me how many talented artists and designers we have! Seriously you guys are amazing!

I think that's all i wanted to say!

PLEASE if i don't have your email or you don't know about the new forums convo me!!

Keep it Kitsch!!

Amy

Mid Week Update!

Hello everyone!!!

Just thought I would do a quick mid week update!

I would like to welcome our newest members:

Alliteration
Kitsch Kween
LuckyStrikes
Paisley Chainsaw
Pink ribbon e boutique
Retroattack

Welcome to Kitsch!!!

So we are well on the way to our 1 Million target! :)

Now there are still a few email addresses i need to get from you guys!
Its easier for me to contact you via email so I don't get Spambotted!

This is going to be more important the more members we have, we are at 15 just now!

So those of you who haven't given me your email address drop me a line at bettyboop1984@hotmail.co.uk or convo me!

That's all for now folks!!

CHAT TOMORROW (THURSDAY) 8PM GMT (UK TIME)

Keep it Kitsch
Amy xx

ALAMODE GETS FEATURED

Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get started in this line of work?

I’m a mother of two active boys (7 and 11 years old), wife of a very busy medical resident, and owner of an indie business. I started à la mode serendipitously. A friend wanted to have a holiday sale/party featuring her “crafty” friends. I was going to bring decoupage switch plates to sell, but was asked to make a few handbags. I did and sold out, took orders, and my business was born.-

Take us through a normal day for you.

The first thing I do when I wake up and the last thing I do before bed is check my emails and Etsy shop. I usually renew an item right before bed (to catch the buyers from the other side of the world). In the morning, once the kids are off to school, I set off to work in my studio (an extra room in our house I’ve managed to commandeer). Since I’m a one person business, work entails marketing, sales, advertising, pr, design, manufacturing, etc. I do whatever is on the top of the priority list. Often I’ll process orders first, then answer important emails. I’m always working on deadlines so each day I do something to fulfill each particular deadline. I spend hours on the computer, sometimes more than I should (it can be a black hole). On a good day, I’ll actually get to make something new. -

What inspires you?

I love good design, architecture, pop culture and humor. I draw inspiration from things I use and see everyday. For instance, I could spend hours at my local hardware store roaming the isles for ideas. Copper pipes become handles for bags, light switch plates become little canvases for art and commentary, steel washers become jewelry.-

What's your most treasured possession and why?

It is hard to say what my most treasured possession might be. Material possessions would include photos of my family, items my kids have made, jewelry given to me from loved ones, and,dare I say, my computer. In the end, it’s all just stuff. One definition of possession is to have control over oneself and one’s mind. I suppose having a creative mind and the ability to think rationally would be what I treasure most. I know it sounds trite, but without our minds what is there?! -

How do you prepare seasonally on Etsy? Do you have a favorite time of the year?

I just celebrated my first year anniversary on Etsy so I’ll be looking at this next year a lot more strategically. With regard to my shop, I don't really have a favorite time of year yet. Going into my second year, I’ll plan seasonal promotions. As my handbags change seasonally, my shop takes on a different look. Right now, I'm working on my Winter collection.-

What are your top 3 tips for new Etsy sellers?

I’m going to be honest; it's work to sell on Etsy! Narrowing tips down to three is tough, but here are my top 3 tidbits of advice:

1) List and renew a lot! I know there is an ongoing debate about this, but I didn’t sell a thing my first 4 months. It wasn’t until I regularly renewed items and “made myself known” on Etsy. I either list a new product or renew old listings 2 – 3 times a day.

2) Market yourself! It takes a lot of time and energy, but self promotion on and off Etsy is important. I viewed my “craft” as a business from the beginning. I made marketing materials and created a brand identity. Having done those 3 years ago and remaining consistent, I’ve gained a following.

3) Learn from others and pay it forward! I researched similar businesses and websites that I liked and then emulated them. I joined several street teams, post on other people’s blogs, and make myself available for those who ask for help. I’m new to treasuries, but love promoting others and do it when I can. I am a big believer in what goes around comes around.


So there you go that's a bit about the face behind alamode!
Even if you have been selling on etsy for years I'm sure there are still some tips you can pick up from that!
Thank-you alamode it was brilliant!

Here is a like to alamode please check it out!!!:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5284694

So who will be next weeks seller.......................................? Watch this space?

Keeping it Kitsch!

Hello my lovely Kitsch Chums!

Hope you are all well today!

Well did you have a productive team meeting last night or what!

Thanks to alamode, MFIPC, Fugsly and QueenBee92026 for being there!
Everyone else there is always next week! 8PM GMT!!!

So there was talk of getting our own forum last night now I'm not sure about forums mainly because i didn't have clue how to start one but the lovely MFIPC and her "man beast of a husband" (quote from MFIPC) have made it all possible and we now have our own forums!!

WOOP WOOP!!
Visit, register, chat, post here: www.myflatinpariscouture.com

I'm sure we all want to say a massive thank-you to MFIPC and her hubby for there hard work!!!

In other news........................................

The seller of the week feature will be posted on the blog on Monday thank-you to alamode for that!

OK that's it for now folks just a quick update.

Also for those of you who don't know, right now I'm the only leader for the team right now so any questions convo me or email me!

Pretty aka Amy