I've been a bad blogger

I know, I know - blogs are supposed to be updated regularly. I claim extreme busyness as my very lame excuse for not blogging for a long while. I have my first ever craft show coming up on October 4th and 5th. Preparing for this is the reason for the extreme busyness!

I'm a bit anxious about the show, having never done one before I am not sure what to expect. I hope it goes well anyway. The craft fair is in Holland, in Tilburg by the textile museum. You can learn more about it here craftymarkt.hyves.nl (if you speak dutch!) If any of you are in the area, come stop by and say hi to me and all my mice!

I promise a nice long posting after the show with photos and everything but for now I will just show you some of the new mice I have been making.

Remote control Helicopter Mouse
(Custom order for a friend of mine)

Wall.e Mouse
(another custom order, Wall.e character from the pixar movie)

Batmouse

Police MouseGhost Mouse

Sinterklaas Mouse
Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet are charecters from dutch tradition. To learn more about them check out this Wikipedia page


Zwarte Piet Mouse

How to get the Etsy sales you want

Improve your shop and learn to promote it. Every bit of information you need is already out there, and most of it is right there on Etsy!

IMPROVE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS: This is - I think - the most important part (which is why it is at the top and has the most links).
How to use a Lightbox and photo editing software to make beautiful photographs
Achieving Clarity and Crispness in Your Photos
How to Style Your Photos
Photographing for Success
Photograph Your Way to The Top!
Make Your Photos Pop with Histograms and Levels
Using EV and White Balance to Make Your Photos True to Life

FIND A MENTOR - a mentor can help you with the personal disputes you cannot ask about in the forums because of the "calling out" rules. They can also give you great advice from experience on ways to improve your shop and get more out of Etsy. The new Team Etsy Mentors list includes detailed information on the specific areas of expertise our members have, so you can quickly find the right mentor to help you.

LEARN TO PRICE YOUR WORK CORRECTLY! If you underprice your work viewers will undervalue your creations and be put off just as much as they will be by an overinflated price.
The Art of Pricing

WRITE GOOD DESCRIPTIONS! Help the buyer connect with your work
Making the most of your descriptions

WRITE CLEAR CONCISE POLICIES for your shop that make the customer clear on what they can expect from you.
Hello Policy!

WRITE A PROFILE that sparks interest in your store! Help your customers get to know you.
Crafting a profile page

LEARN TO TAG EFFECTIVELY! Tagging is how your buyers (and treasury curators) find you! Remember to tag for colors too as those are the most common tags curators use when looking for treasury listings.
Tagging on Etsy
International Tagging

PROMOTE YOUR SHOP! If no one knows you are there then they can’t see your beautiful creations. Learn to shout about what you do.
Pimp Your Shop
The Ultimate Craft Guide

STAY POSITIVE! Maintain a positive, friendly & helpful attitude in the forums -- a cheerful face is more likely to be remembered and added to treasuries than a grumpy one! Negative attitude in the forums affects the way people view you and your shop. Branding is not just about a logo, it is about everything you do in connection with your store. Many visitors to the forums actively avoid aggressive, whiny or rude members and their stores.

JOIN A TEAM! Teams help to promote their members and are also a great resource for honest advice about your shop. Teams often make treasuries featuring their own members. Take the time to be part of a supportive community!
Etsy Teams

BE UNIQUE! Find a way to make your product different from your competitors. Even if you are selling the same thing as 1,000 other people, you can still find a way to stand out from the crowd.
Book: Purple Cow: Transform your business by being remarkable
Blog: Make a great product

CONTINUALLY RE-EVALUATE YOUR STORE! Even if things are going well, there is always something that can be improved.
An outline to self critique your shop

SIT IN ON A WEEKLY CRITIQUE! Even if you don't get critiqued you can learn a lot just from sitting in, watching and listening. Check the virtual labs schedule to see when the next ones will be.
Virtual Labs Schedule

READ THE NEWBIE GUIDES – even if you are not a newbie! They are full of useful links and tips.
The Ultimate Newbie Guide
A Beginner's Guide to Starting a Shop on Etsy

OTHER GREAT RESOURCES:

Ultimate Craft Guide - tutorials, advice, suppliers....

Storque how tos

How to make it to the front page

TIPS FROM OTHER ETSIANS:

jealousydesign.etsy.com says:
"When I relist something I change the #1 picture. have noticed that some items that had almost no hearts or views before can get much more after this little change....."

nyblaque.etsy.com says:
"I always change up my "Featured Item" photo in my shop every other day. To keep things looking fresh on Etsy and on my Etsy Mini, I have my Etsy Mini on facebook, myspace blogspot..etc. I usually, change them and/or make a theme out of them.. like all necklaces, or one color, brand new listings, etc.... kinda makes a person go" oo I didn't see those on her mini last time". I just got a sale yesterday from a buyers who told me she reads my blog and saw my new items in my Etsy Mini!! COOL:)"