May Giveaway Winner

Before I tell you who won the May Giveaway, I want to say how touched I was to get so many entries! 733 comments were left under this post and you overwhelmed me with all the love you have for my little mice, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

To show you my gratitude there will be more prizes to win in the June Giveaway. But you will have to come back tomorrow to get all the details. I don't want to spoil the surprise just yet.

Now I know you are all sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to find out who won the May Giveaway, so I won't keep you in suspense any longer...

The winner is... Ariela

Congratulations!!

Ariela can now choose any mouse from my store
worth up to $40 as her prize!

Sorry to those of you that didn't win this time, I wish I could give you all a mouse each. But don't worry, you have plenty more chances to win; I am running this monthly giveaway for another 11 months. So make sure you come back tomorrow to find out what wonderful prizes will be on offer in the June Giveaway!

Tomorrow I also have some more news on a very special promotion I will be running in my store. You will be so excited, I know I am!

Artist Interview - Reclaim2Fame

Whilst collecting photos for a feature on my other blog For the Love of Cute, I stumbled across a store that made me chuckle. The more I looked through Wills store Reclaim2Fame the more the chuckle became a giggle, which multiplied until I was laughing out loud. I love Wills creations, their fun names and his wonderful descriptions. I had to know more about Will and his art, his interview makes me smile as much as his shop does.

PROFESSOR PORTLY

The Endlessly Curious Seeker Of Wisdom And Truth

Tell us a bit about yourself (name, location etc.)
William Wagenaar [call me Will]
Port Richey, Florida USA

Other than crafting what else do you do?
I am a student of Metaphysics and the creative process [perhaps they are the same thing]
I ride my bicycle and garden.

Have you always been an artist?
Always, I suspect in other lives as well but have no proof of that.

MANNEQUIN 22

BELLE dress form sculpture

Tell us a bit about your creative process
I listen to the thoughts that precede the making of things.
Those thoughts often lead me to the objects needed to create something.
Nothing has ever fallen from the sky, still, 'miracles' have happened.
If I choose not to listen, my process becomes more difficult because I have not collected all that I need.
The collection process [salvaging and scavenging] takes a good deal of time and commitment.
If I force this process, it's a waste of time and money.
When I have it in my hands, I know that I need it. It is only a matter of time till I know why I need it.
But with one more piece of the puzzle, the image becomes more clear.

I try to see things anew, that takes practice. Sometimes I turn them upside down or sideways.
Turning things upside down in a thrift store or at the flea market can get strange looks and sometimes, well intended yet unhelpful corrections.
I have in my hands a nuclear ray gun. I stare at it in awe of its power and possibilities...
and then a kind voice will inform me: "it's a bicycle pump". "Oh, of course, Thanks"

Once I feel that I have most of what I need, I play and try not to limit my possibilities.
If I can get two or three pieces of anything to make sense together, the rest of the project usually unfolds easily.
It is about getting that first spark. Placing enough things together in different positions and things start to click.
If there is no click or spark, I put them down. They are not the right things or it is not the right day for those things.

POPS
The High Mileage / Low Maintenance Geriatric Steampunk Robot

I often ask a thing what it can be or wants to be... yes, I do! It is a playful technique.
The molecules of all matter spin at a high rate of speed, there is no such thing as an inanimate object.
An extraordinary intelligence holds it together, why would I not talk to that intelligence?
Then I listen for an answer, sometimes the answer is immediate, sometimes not.

Are you self taught?
I have a degree in commercial interior design from Harrington Institute in Chicago.
It was an excellent program, I was a voracious student.
Nature has also been my teacher. The laws of its beauty can be observed and applied.

Which of your creations is your favourite?
Sparky changed my life forever, I won't go backwards.

SPARKY
The Seriously Paranoid Robot

Where can we find you online?
My shop, Flickr page and a few dozen blogs. Just Google me.

If you would like to be considered for Featured Artist, please leave a comment under this post and tell me which Wills's creations of you love the most!

Only ONE day left to WIN a mouse!

Just a little reminder that there are just ONE DAY left for you to enter my May Giveaway and win yourself a free mouse of your choice from my store!

To enter just click HERE and leave a comment, you can comment as many times as you like to increase your chances of winning!

Ironmouse

I was asked to make a custom Ironman Mouse recently, he was a very tricky mouse to make and my first attempt was just not right. So I restarted him from scratch and using card instead of felt for his amour. He took me about 5 hours to make from start to finish. I have to say after all that work that I am pleased with the final result, but I won't be making him a regular in my store, he would be too expensive because of the amount of time he takes to make.



If you have any suggestions for mice I should make you can post them here. If you would like to order a custom mouse, feel free to contact me with your ideas.

Etsy Sellers tips - Shop Policies

A frequently overlooked part of an Etsy store is the policies section. Your store policies tell your customers what to expect from you. I am always sad when I see a store with no policies, because I know it is costing them sales. Customers look at your store policies to judge what kind of customer service you will offer; if there is nothing there they are likely to walk away.

Shop policies do not only help your customers but they also help the store owner stay consistent and have actions in place for certain situations.

You can find the page to edit your policies buy logging in to Etsy, click "your Etsy" and look for the "policies" link in the left hand column, click it.

Here are some things to consider when writing your store policies.

Welcome

• You don't need to put a lot of information here, any personal information you want to share can be put in your profile. A brief introduction is fine here and you can encourage buyers to contact you if they have any questions.
  

Payment

• State what methods of payment you will take (PayPal, cheque etc)
  
• If you take PayPal, a brief description of how to pay with PayPal is useful. Lots of people don't realise they can use this method to pay with their credit or debit card without having to sign up for a PayPal account. It helps to explain how they can do this. This is what I say in my policies, you can copy and paste it if you want

"You do not need a PayPal Account to pay for your items through PayPal:

You can choose the PayPal Option during checkout. After you submit your order click the "Pay Now" button. Scroll Down and you will see the option to pay with a Credit or Debit Card WITHOUT having to sign up for a PayPal account."

• State that you will not send packages until payments have cleared.
• Encourage buyers to contact you if they are having any problems with payment
• Tell your buyers what you will do in the event of non-payment. Non-payment is a common problem on Etsy, part of this is down to the way the system works there and it can be confusing to new buyers on Etsy, other times people are just messing you around. This forum post has some great advice on how to deal non-payment, but it helps to leave something about it in your policies too. Will you leave negative feedback for non-payment and no-response to emails? I do, but it is a personal choice. Whatever you decide, put it down in your policies. It will make it easier for you to follow through on it when non-payment happens to you.
• If you offer payment plans explain how this works to your customers.
  

Shipping

• Describe how your items are packaged: Do you gift wrap? Are your items sent in boxes? Do you include a certificate of authenticity? If you use recycled packaging write that in here too, Etsy buyers love sellers who do this.
• Tell your buyers what shipping company you use.
• What shipping do you offer? (priority, standard, first class, registered mail, online tracking?)
  
• Can customers request faster shipping or insurance for an additional charge? If yes, ask them to contact you for more information.
  
• If the Etsy and PayPal shipping addresses you receive for an order are different, what will you do? Some stores state if they have had no contact from the buyer within 3 working days then they will ship to the PayPal shipping address. Other sellers clearly say that they always ship to the address given during Etsy checkout. Decide which you will do and state it here (I used to say I would contact the buyer to confirm if their addresses were different, only once did the buyer say they wanted it shipped to their PayPal address, all others said the Etsy one. So now I always ship to the Etsy address, no more waiting around for buyers to get back to me) If you will automatically ship to a certain address make sure you include info on this in your "message to buyer" box as well.
• Give information on estimated shipping times. If you have already done a lot of shipping you will have a good idea of how long a package takes to arrive in certain parts of the world. If you have not done much shipping yet, ask at your post office, and then add a few days to their estimated times. Packages almost always take longer to arrive than the PO says they will.
  
• If you ship overseas, state that customs can delay packages by up to 6 weeks, say that this does not happen often but that it can happen. It is better to forewarn your buyers about this possible problem.
  

Refunds and Exchanges

• If you don't want to do refunds and exchanges then put it politely. Something like "I'm sorry but at this time [insert shop name here] cannot accept refunds or exchanges, please purchase seriously" comes across a lot better than "No exchanges or refunds accepted"
• If you are going to offer refunds and/or exchanges then put your terms and conditions here. How long after receiving an item can people ask you for an exchange or refund? Will you refund only the cost of the item or the shipping as well? If a buyer returns an item to you who is responsible for the return postal costs?
  

Additional Policies and FAQs

• This is a great place for any custom order policies you have. If you take custom orders then you can talk about the process you go through for these orders.
  
• An estimate of how long an order will take is good here, if it varies a lot then ask buyers to contact you for more information.
  
• When you require payment. I recommend you at least take a deposit before starting work, unforeseen things can happen that may mean your buyer cannot pay you by the time you have finished working (this has happened to me in the past, I now require full payment before I start work)
• Frequently Asked Questions, is pretty self explanatory. If you have some questions that you are always getting asked then this is the place to put them down with your answers. This won´t stop everyone as some people just don´t look hard enough for the answers, but it will help a few and you can just copy/paste them when you get convos about them.
  

Other tips for your policies.

• Run your policies through a spell checker, and get someone else to proof-read them for you if you can. It looks unprofessional if you have spelling and grammar mistakes everywhere.
  
• Keep a friendly and polite tone in your policies. Don´t get angry, confrontational or rude when you write them. Be clear and concise without being rude.
• Re-read your policies as if they belonged to a shop you wanted to buy from. How would you feel as the customer when reading them? Make any changes you think you need.
  
• Ask a friend if what you have written makes sense.
  
• Sometimes people will write to you with questions about your policies. When this happens take note and if necessary make adjustments to your policies if you think they need it.
  

Here are my shop policies, I give you permission to copy and paste bits of it you feel are useful. However, make sure you actually agree with what I have written if you are copying it.

Did you find this post useful? Is there anything I left out that you think should be included? For links to other Etsy Sellers Tips I have written check out this page.

Hand picked favorites - Home

They say home is where the heart is, and I absolutely love all 6 of these items on the theme of house, home and garden. Perhaps it is particularly good choice of theme because we have been renovating our home a lot recently.
I hope you enjoy my choices this Tuesday.

Laundry Day
by atwhim

Birdhouse
by DoorCountyWoodworks

Tasket Set - Our House
by JennMaruskaDesign

Penguin Love. magic terrarium no. 04
by lapomme

Baba Yaga's Chicken Leg House
by MelissaSue

Chasm 1
by MKBartstudio

Blog Award and a Mouse

I have a new mouse to show you that I made as a custom order, but first...


I just received the One Lovely Blog Award from Leslie of Shrimp Salad Circus. Thanks so much! Now it's my turn to pass it on...
Here are the rules:

• Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
• Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

1. Beards
2. PamerlaAngus
3. BizzieLizzie
4. Star of the East
5. Handmadeology
6. Mandibeads
   
7. While Tangerine Dreams
8. Ramblings from a Design Studio
9. Tattered Tapestry
10. Canadian Rockies Art
11. Nun of a kind
12. Mad Maggie Designs
13. Etsy Moms
14. ArtMind
15. Arctida´s Creations

Everybody make sure to check out all these great blogs, and maybe you'll find a few that interest you to add to your 'follow' list!

....

I also have a new mouse to show you, I made him as a custom order but if my customer is ok with it, and you guys like him, then I might make him a regular in my store. When I showed Thor Mouse to my husband he went into raptures of joy and demanded one for himself. I didn´t know much about the character but maybe there are some other comic book geeks out there who think I should make him a regular in my store?

What do you think?