Craft & Coffee

Sorry to say that the craft & coffee get together in CT is postponed for the time being - but perhaps in the fall you'all can find some time to shoot the breeze.

Seller Profile: Sara Lombard of LillyQueen

This is the first of a series of Seller Profiles that will be featured here on the NEST! Many thanks to Sara, for her interest and responses.

Name: Sara Lombard

Location: Trumbull, CT

Shop Name: Lilly Queen

NEST: How did you hear about Etsy?

I found Etsy one night while surfing the pages of Craftster. I was always a crafty person ever since I was young and I used the Internet to get inspiration and ideas for craft projects that I could do. At the time I was making jewelry in my spare time and I posted a few photos of them on Craftster to get some feedback, lots of people commented on how much they liked them and asked me if I sold online, I said no, and emails about joining Etsy began pouring in.

NEST: What do you make? How did you learn to do it?

I make jewelry, I know it's a common thing, but we all have our special touch to making pieces. I started off with very basic pieces and now I'm beginning to pull apart vintage jewelry to remake them into new modern pieces. I think this touch of old really gives each piece a unique personality. I learned on my own, from books, and looking at looks of websites online, and also a lot of trial and error.

NEST: Something, a tip? Motto?, you've learned about your craft, selling online or at fairs you'd like to share with the world.

Don't give up! There are so many people out there, so many styles, so many likes and dislikes, you are bound to find someone who loves something you make just as much as you love making it. Don't get discouraged if something doesn't sell there is always another person around the corner.

NEST: What's the difference between Art & Craft? Which are you?

Art is something unique, something special, something that comes from that creative core in you; art is one of a kind and cannot be learned. A craft, to me, is something that can be learned, something that everyone can do, something which has directions, cut and paste and ta-dah it's done. I consider my jewelry art.

NEST: Favorite midnight snack?

Oreo cookies & Milk

NEST: What is the best thing about Etsy?

The community, the fact that we all can come together and share a part of us. I love being able to look at everyone's pieces and see the uniqueness in everything. There is so much talent that I wish more people would appreciate handmade goods instead of mass produced pieces.

Meeting in Chat Room

NEST meeting in Chat room - Blue - tonight at 7pm - please feel free to stop in even ifyou haven't officially joined.

Some agenda items:
1) Having a membership "drive" - contacting every seller that is in the New England area and not part of NEST, inviting them to join NEST. There are so many sellers that don't know about NEST. This should be done about every 3 months to be able to catch the newbies :D

2) Have subdivisions - perhaps by state? - within NEST. NE is such a large area and some of the information that applies to CT doesn't apply to VT, etc.

3) NEST needs to have more forum/blog activity. We seem to exist in name only.

4)I am trying to put together an Etsy seller craft show (or several "spotlights" depending on how big the space is).

5) Business card & Promo Swap - Let's do another one. I have some new promos to share; & I already have one set of cards from an eager seller! Please a comment or convo NESTshop for the address. Please include a dollar or two for return postage. And we can talk about different promo ideas.

6) NEST shop is looking for some volunteer(s) for some listing like banner/avatar; business card design; perhaps custom promo packages; Reserved Listing images, etc. You may have another idea as well in this vein - bumper stickers, magnets, magnet signs for cars, signs or banner for craft fairs. Stuff you use for your crafty business.

7) NEST blog - is new. Anyone interested in a seller profile/shout out - I can send a little set of started questions to you.
Anyone interested in reviewing or reporting on local happenings? I'd like to give access to folks on the local Street Teams within New England as well. (I have NH and CT on board! and articles from Western MA!)
(Yay!)

8) It's time to start thinking of Christmas! Perhaps we can storm up some ideas for holiday sales.

Please Welcome...

Welcome Heather from Connecticut Street Team. She is our CT NEST correspondent.

She will be sharing information about fairs and event in CT, announcing CT Street Team events, and reporting on promotional activities for the team. She has some events and get togethers in the works even now.
Send her a convo at DecadenceDesigns, if you have anything you'd like her to post.

Welcome Heather

If you're part of a street team in New England & would like to be part of the NEST blog like Melanie and Heather (-: send a convo to NESTshop.

Old Deerfield Summer Craft Fair

* Jan Bajgier of JansJems and the Western Massachusetts Street Team went to the fair this weekend:

This year’s Old Deerfield Summer Craft Fair provided a number of surprises. Living in So. Deerfield I have the opportunity to attend often. So I recognize many of the vendors who are often in the same spots each year. But this year brought a number of new artisans with very impressive items. Right off the bus (they run shuttle buses from 2 parking lots in South Deerfield) we walked into the white church and found Susan Fine. Her shop is “Forbidden Fruit” and she makes the most incredible belt buckles I’ve ever seen. They’re made from clustered and arranged gemstone beads and chips—everything from turquoise to topaz. Next to her was “Idle Time Crafts” doing a booming business selling handcrafted wooden items—very American Country style pictures, shelves and plaques. I really wish I had more wall space in my kitchen because I fell in love with a great rooster painting. Outside on the street we stopped in at a booth of ceramic scarf slides and scarves. The gentleman there was such a salesman, engaging you as soon as you stop. The booth was filled with women trying on scarves in front of the mirror and matching them to slides in every color on the Sherwin Williams paint chart. Farther up the street was Sha-Sha Beads. Penny Despos is a favorite of ours. She wire wraps natural stones in unique ways attaching coordinating colored gems and crystals. She really needs a website. Both my daughters & I have several of her pendants and today I bought another one.

This summer’s fair had more people demonstrating their crafts than I’m used to seeing. They had a blacksmith in one area, a potter working his wheel, and a couple of jewelers doing some beading. Yankee Candle is a sponsor of the Deerfield Fairs and they had a candle dipping station set up that was perpetually busy. I saw a new food vendor, a woman from Florida with dried ingredients for corn chowder and shrimp scampi. We almost didn’t need lunch with all the sampling we did at the dip and jelly booths.

The most important bit of news, however, is that people were BUYING. Everywhere you looked people were carrying multiple bags and getting back on the bus was a major production. This is important because Deerfield runs 4 craft fairs a year; 1 every season. Two are indoors and 2 are outdoors and the cost to get in runs from $275 to over $600. So you really need to sell. But traffic at the summer fair runs from 9000 to 11000 people for the weekend even with a gate fee of $6. Any crafters interested , more info.

Sadly, Bethany and I didn’t see any Etsy people, at least no one advertising that they were with Etsy. We’re hoping to change that next year. The girls & I are planning to apply for the 2008 Christmas Sampler that Deerfield does at the Big E in Springfield. Wish us luck!

Introducing....

Welcome Melanie from New Hampshire Street Team. She will the be NH NEST correspondent.

She will be sharing information about fairs and event in NH, announcing NH Street Team events, and reporting on promotional activities for the team.
If you have suggestions for articles, craft fairs, or are interested in the group - let her know,Melanie can direct you to the appropriate contact for NH, or post an article for you.

Thanks Melanie & welcome


If you're part of a street team in New England & would like to be like Melanie (-: send a convo to NESTshop.

But Wait...there's more...

There is more out there for tips, tricks and info about selling online specifically at Etsy.

The Etsy Wiki – has some amazing information, tutorials, and how-to’s. If you can’t find it in Help or Forums – look here

The Unofficial Etsy News – not Etsy sponsored, but an occasionally useful place to check out site issues.

Something Just for Fun

Fractal tag searching. Yummy fractals

Etsy resources

Etsy has some great resources for information in the Forums (all of those experienced Etsy Sellers!).

There are other places to go! Check out all of the links, little tiny blue, links at the very bottom of every page:
The Etsy Blog can keep you up to date on Showcase spots, event schedule, upgrades, changes and other Etsy plans.
Labs is a physical spot & super crafty team that holds classes, tutorials, and you can find at craft events. You can go there! meet folks & make stuff.
Teams for Street Team info, free downloads of Etsy related promos, (like these offered in the NestShop.) and some events
Rules, Policy, FAQ for buying & selling are listed under Terms of Use.

Go. Read.

June 24 SEOM

Rain or Shine the South End Open Market is there on Sundays all summer season.

Every other weekend there are 2 Etsy Booths with Etsy sellers! be there this week with LushBeads and gooLaLa; ZestyB and designsbylulubelle.

If you stop in on Sunday & tell Betsy you read the blog - She'll give you a free pair of 1" buttons or 1" post earrings.

Connecticut Craft & Coffee Postponed - just one week

Craft N Coffee nite postponed. 0-:
DecadenceDesigns (Heather) had to reschedule her offer of getting together.

But it's just postponed one week until June 29. Go. Really. It's a really great way to get some input, support & make friends. Send her a convo thru Etsy

If you're in the area in RI or MA consider it as well - a site has been found to hold an Etsy Indy Art & Craft Event & you might want to get in on it. (Heck you might find a bud to take that road trip to Etsy Labs when you go!)

So get in touch with her for details, directions. Bring your ideas, your business cards, and a little project to show and tell!

Yahoo Group

NEST has had a Yahoo Group for a little while.

It serves as another contact point for the team
Join it here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/etsynest/

New England Street Team

New England Street Team is a group of crafts people & artists living in New England who use Etsy as a vending platform.

Check out Etsy

Check out the NEST shop