Feature Yourself Friday Link Party #29

Welcome!!!

How was your week??  I keep thinking that life will slow down a bit here...but it's still as busy as ever!! :)

We only had FIVE entries last week!!!  Let's try and get the word out this week and get some team members...and other involved!!!  :D

Our most-viewed link over the last week was...

This super fun and simple Felt Flower Headband tutorial from Butternut Boutique!!  LOVE IT!!

If you've been featured, feel free to grab a featured on button from the sidebar to proudly display on your blog (or wherever)!

Feature Yourself Friday is a place to highlight what YOU do!  You can link up a blog post, tutorial or an item from your shop!  We want to see what YOU'VE been doing!

Rules:
1. Please become a follower of our blog!
2. Make sure you visit a couple of the other links each week, and show them some love by favoriting an item or leaving a nice comment!

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE A MEMBER OF THE TEAM TO LINK UP!!!

(You can also add our button to your site or blog and help us spread the word! It's over on the sidebar!)

~ Sarah from Sarahndipities

Let's see what's new this week!!

Feature Shop: My Love Bug Baby

Good morning! We have some wonderful active members on our team. Today, I'd like to introduce you to Monika of My Love Bug Baby. She helps out with Facebook and the blog, and helps keep our team discussions active. Thanks for all you do, Monika! -Cori of Peace, Baby! Batiks

What is your name?
Monika

Where are you located?
Orange County, CA

Tell us a little about yourself.
I grew up in a big family with five sisters; we are all very close. My husband is from Michigan; we met nine years ago. We have two children - daughter Ryan (3 1/2 years old) and son Parker (9 months old). My husband owns a flooring business and I stay home with the kids.

Sensory Blanket - Jungle Animal Print

What type of merchandise will shoppers find in your shop?
Useful items from moms, babies & kids made with colorful prints

How/why did you get started?
I have always loved crafting but have had more time to do it after becoming a SAHM when my son was born last year.

Flannel Baby Blanket - Lots of Hearts print

How long have you been sewing? When did you first learn?
I first learned to sew when I was about 10 years old. I stated by hand sewing clothing for my dolls from scrap fabric my mom gave me.

What is your favorite thing to make?
I'm working on pretend play items for baby dolls right now, I love making miniatures!

Pink & Green Layered Flower Clip or Pin

What inspires you to create?
My kids!

What is one thing you need to have with you while you craft?
Embroidery scissors to cut threads

How do you balance mothering and running a small business?
I only sew/create when the kids are asleep or with their dad. I try to keep the two separate so that I can give both total attention.

Diaper and Wipes Clutch with Pop-up Wipes Case

What is your favorite thing to browse Etsy for?
I love looking at soaps, but wish that I could smell them!

When you're not crafting, what are you doing?
Spending time with my family, hopefully outdoors. We all love to spend time outside. Or baking -- we love to eat too!

Bib & Burp Cloth Set - Dog and Dots print

Where can we find you?
Etsy shop: www.mylovebugbaby.etsy.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mylovebugbaby
Twitter: @MyLovebugBaby
Blog: www.mylovebugbaby.blogspot.com

What is your favorite shop (not yours) on Etsy currently?
ApplesNAmos, she has the cutest wooden toys!

Feature Shop: Off the Hook by Jen

Today, meet Jen of Off the Hook by Jen. Her pot scrubbers and Swiffer covers will have you cleaning in style! Cheers! -Cori of Peace, Baby! Batiks.

What is your name?
Jen

Where are you located?
Bolingbrook, IL

Set of 3 Pot Scrubbers

Tell us a little about yourself.
I have been married for 11 years, and have two children, Madison (6) and Colin (3). I am a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant and work very part time (a few days a month) at two local hospitals

What type of merchandise will shoppers find in your shop?
Currently I have coffee cup sleeves, pot scrubbers, and Swiffer covers. I am also planning on adding wash cloths, and I'm working on items for children as well.

Crochet Swiffer Cover with Scrubbing Stripes

How/why did you get started?
I have been making the pot scrubbers for several years and giving them away as gifts. I had been thinking about opening an Etsy shop for several months before I actually worked up enough courage to do it.

How long have you been crocheting? How did you get started?
I learned to crochet when I was in 3rd grade from my babysitter. I knew how to make chains and circles. I tried to sell them at my mom's yard sales. I don't think I sold a thing, and I stopped trying. :) Fast forward 15 years to my wedding shower, where my mom gave me a large bag of pot scrubbers. I LOVED them! When I got down to my last two, I asked my mom if she could get me more. Unfortunately, the woman who made them had passed away. So I took matters into my own hands, and armed with those two scrubbers and You Tube, I relearned how to crochet, and came up with my own variation of the pot scrubbers, and have been making them ever since.

Pink Cotton Coffee Cup Sleeve

What is your favorite thing to make?
Whatever I am working on at the moment.

What is one thing you need to have with you while you craft?
COFFEE!

How do you balance mothering and running a small business?
I tend to do most of my crocheting at night after the kids are in bed, while my husband and I are watching TV. I also crochet in the car, not while I'm driving of course. I try to keep a ball of yarn in the car, so I can pull it out while I'm waiting for my daughter to get out of school or waiting at the doctor's office. One of my biggest problems is that whenever I try something new, or get a new color, my daughter wants to have one just like it, so she's stashing away her own little inventory!

Crochet Swiffer Cover

What is your favorite thing to browse Etsy for?
Everything! I love seeing all the creativity and talent out there!

When you're not crafting, what are you doing?
Playing with the kids, watching TV, cooking/baking, reading. I'm pretty boring.

Where can we find you?
www.etsy.com/shop/OffTheHookbyJen
www.facebook.com/OffTheHookbyJen

Crochet Coffee Cup Sleeve

The Real Story of Easter- Resurrection Eggs Tutorial

We all know that Easter isn't just about eggs, bunnies and baskets... but it can be hard to teach our children the true story of Easter in a way that they can grasp. This year, I decided to make my own "Resurrection Eggs"  to teach Little Sweets the story of Jesus' death and resurrection. You can buy these at Christian book stores or online but they're pretty simple to make yourself! This project is so easy and cheap... most, if not all, of the items are things you already have around your house.

What you need to make your own Resurrection Eggs*:

egg carton

12 plastic eggs

list of items and Bible verses

piece of bread

coin(s)

piece of purple cloth or ribbon

thorns from a rose stem

piece of string or rope to represent scourge or whip

cross

nail(s)

sign that says "This is the King of the Jews"

spear or sword (or piece of toothpick)

rock

Total cost: $1.00
Everything but the eggs should be laying around your house somewhere!

*Please note that these are ALL choking hazards for young children. This is meant to be used as a teaching tool not a toy for young children.

First, you'll want to write or print up a list of the items and corresponding Bible verses. Each item represents something that occurred during the week of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. (You can download and print my list here if you'd rather not do it yourself. Mine also includes a sign and a cross.) Tape the list to the inside of your egg carton. You might want to paint the outside of your egg carton so your Little Sweeties don't think that the true story of Easter has anything to do with a certain brand of eggs. =)

Then, put one item inside each egg, leaving the last one empty.

To teach your children the true story of Easter, you'll open each egg and read the corresponding Bible verse. (Verses below are all from the New International Version of the Bible.) You could open up one egg per day in the 12 days leading up to Easter, like an advent calendar. Or you could open them all on Good Friday to give the kids time to process the story before Easter Sunday.

1. Bread
Matthew 26:26
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”


2. Coins
Matthew 26:14-15
Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.

3. Purple Cloth
Mark 15:17
They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him.

4. Thorns 
Matthew 27:29
...and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.

5. Scourge
Mark 15:15
Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

6. Cross
John 19:17-18
Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

7. Nails
John 20:25
So the other disciples told [Thomas], “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

8. Sign 
Luke 23:38
There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

9. Sponge
Matthew 27:48
Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink.

10. Spear/Sword
John 19:34
Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.

11. Rock
Matthew 27:59-60
Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.

12. (Nothing)
Matthew 28:6
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.

That last one is my favorite... nothing tells the true story of Easter better than the Empty Tomb:

Image: KruseKronicle

- Tricia from Sweeter Than Sweets

Treasury Thursday: How to Make a Treasury

It’s Treasury Thursday!  No this has nothing to do with Pirates or even the SAHM of Etsy Treasure hunt that is coming up.  Treasuries are the member curated collections of Etsy products that Etsy Admin often pick to put on the Etsy home page.   They are a great way to promote other SAHM of Etsy’s team member’s  shops and show the rest of the world the beautiful, fun, colorful, or strange items you have found exploring Etsy. 

There is a Season for Everything by Pam's Baby Bakery

Let me see if I can take a little of the mystery out of treasuries and make them a fun and effective way to promote our team.    Before we all get totally lost, let me define a couple of word in terms of Etsy and treasuries:

• Hotness-a measure of how popular a treasury is based on views, clicks, and comments.  The exact methods for determining a treasury’s “hotness” are not completely understood and seem to change periodically as people think they have figured out ways to “trick” the system.  Treasury listings are sorted by hotness.
• Views- the number of times someone has looked at the treasury.
• Comment- it is as simple as it sounds.  Leave a note under the treasury. 
• Clicks -  How many times the “magic” item is clicked on.  They “magic” item is often changing.

Now that we are all speaking the same language, what is a good way to go about building a treasury?  A good place to start is to pick a theme; colors can be a good place to start,  but you can use anything else your imagination can come up with.  Once you have a theme, it is time to fill in your slots. 

·       Here’s a few more tips to make making a treasury easier. 

•       To help support the SAHM of Etsy team, be sure to search for items with the tag “SAHM of Etsy” that all team members should be tagging their items with.
•       Chose items that are well photographed, especially for the first 4 slots.  These are the photos that show up on the treasury list page.
•         Mark items as favorites when you see them.  When you sit down to build your collection searching your favorites is much easier than searching all of Etsy.
•       Make you treasury “private” if you don’t have time to finish the entire thing in one sitting.  Then you can save it and come back and finish it later.  Just don’t forget to change it to “everyone” when you finish ;) 

•       Open two windows or tabs.  One for your treasury and one to look for items.  If you navigate away from your treasury without saving it your work is lost.
•       Include all different types of items and price points in your treasury.  The broader the variety the “hotter” the treasury is likely to be.
•        Use a different shop of every slot and only use your own shop once if at all.   The idea of a treasury is to show off other shops not to promote your own store. 
•       Tag your treasury like you would an item in your shop and include both “SAHM of Etsy team” and “teametsy.” 
•       Share your treasuries with everyone.  Maybe also take a minute to link to this post and  let them know what a treasury is. You can easily share any treasury by clicking on the icons under the “share” section to the right of the treasury.  (SAHM of Etsy team members also should add it to the discussion thread for the month.)

Treasuries are really a fun and creative way to get to know what products are available out on Etsy.  Enjoy, have fun, and don’t think too hard.  Treasuries truly are enjoyable even if you don’t make it to the front page.

Pam- Pam's Baby Bakery

The First Ever SAHM of Etsy Treasure Hunt!

I'm so excited to announce the SAHM of Etsy Treasure Hunt! It's a great way to explore what the members of the SAHM of Etsy team have to offer! It's also a fun way to earn a really great prize!

The idea is simple.  Participating members of the team will have the logo above hidden somewhere in their Etsy store, on their Facebook page, and on their blogs, you just have to find the logo, and tell us where you found it via the form here.  For each logo you find, and tell us about you'll be entered in a drawing to win a gift box filled with lots of goodies made by members of the SAHM of Etsy team!

The Treasure Hunt will begin at midnight April 17 and end April 30.  The winner will be announced here on the blog on May 1.  Rules for the contest and a list of participating shops can be found here.  Happy hunting!

Celesa
Lilly Bunns Boutique

Top Ten Craft Show Tips

The spring craft show season is upon us, so it's no wonder that our team has been abuzz with people asking for craft show tips. Our team is full of wonderful ladies who have all sorts of experience working craft shows. Some have done only one, but a few are participants in the regular show circuit in their area!

I've taken the top ten most common ideas and compiled them into a nice little list for you all! Several members also included pics of their wonderful booth spaces! Hopefully they can inspire you all.

1) Have a checklist of things you'll need for the show. There's nothing worse than forgetting something! Brandie at My Silly Blue Hippo posted a great checklist on this forum thread

Rachael at Little Birdie Baby Shop did an Awesome job displaying each product in an interesting and inviting way.  There's no digging through to find something.  

2) Consider your options for accepting payments. The consensus seems to be no checks. Unfortunately, you just never know who will write you a hot check. So that leaves you with cash and credit cards. A few have commented on the little wonder that is the Square credit card reader (www.squareup.com). The thing is amazing, and a very inexpensive way to accept credit cards. All you need is a smart phone with the app on it, and the free credit card swiper! You also need to consider giving out receipts. I'd say most buyers may not want a receipt, but you need to be prepared to give one just in case. You can get an inexpensive receipt book at an office supply store. Don't forget somewhere to put the money. Lora from ButternutBoutique recommends wearing an apron with pockets to keep money in!

3) This one will be on your craft show checklist, but it's so important I'm including it here. You NEED your promotional materials!! Business cards, post cards, flyers, and anything else with your business information on it. You'll have a lot of people stop by your booth and not buy, but if they have your promo things, they can buy online in the future. I also suggest custom order forms, if you take custom orders, and an e-mail list sign-up sheet.

Love how this booth set-up by Little Owl's Nest offers various levels of display.  It looks warm and inviting!

4) Plan your display. Get information about how large your space will be and plan how you want to lay everything out. It's inevitable that you won't be able to do everything exactly the way you want, but having a plan will help you get everything set up much more quickly and easily. Some people even set up everything before the show to be sure it looks good. (And, you may even snap a picture of this early run-through as a reference, to help your show morning set up go faster) Make your display as eye-catching as you possibly can. You don't want people walking right past you. Try to create different levels to your display. Having everything flat on the table is boring and will do nothing to get anyone in your booth.  Many people suggest to have everything very clearly priced.  I found that I did better without having the signs up.  

5) Network with other sellers. Get to know the other sellers at the show. The last show I did I was placed right beside "the monogram lady." I can't tell you how invaluable it was to have talked with her there. She sent several people to my booth to get things she didn't have, and I sent my people to her to have things monogrammed. Until I get an embroidery machine, I'll always send people to her to have things monogrammed. You might also be there by yourself and having someone to talk to will make it MUCH better.

This display set up by Dirty Deeds Soaps is warm, inviting, and well organized.
She has represented her brand well!

6) Know the show before you go. You won't always be able to attend the show before you sign up, but you can get an idea for how it will be. Some good things to know are: How many shoppers are expected? How many vendors? Is it open to all types of vendors or just to crafters? Crafter-only shows tend to be better for handmade. If you are able to, attend beforehand, then pay attention to which type of items people seem to be gravitating. It may just not be the type of show you should be in. After you sign up, be sure you know the rules for sellers. Sometimes you'll need to offer a door prize. You might need floor length table cloths. Heck, they might even require that you stand on your head for 10 minutes out of every hour. You need to know, so that you don't break the rules and can get the deposit back.

7) Look like you love being there. I hate getting a rude, unhappy cashier at Walmart, whose only connection to the product is scanning the barcode. It would be way worse if the person was selling things made by their own hands. People want to buy from someone they can relate to. Lora from ButternutBoutique advised, "the more personable/friendly you are, the higher your sales volume will be. My friend and I noticed that the more (genuine) compliments we handed out (about a buyer's outfit/kid/jewelry/etc.) the higher the likelihood of a sale. It was unreal!!" Don't just sit there reading a book, or gazing off to la-la land. Be engaging and people will be jumping at the chance to buy something from you!

Lora from Butternut Boutique looks very comfortable, friendly and stylish here!
 I love the way the booth set-up adds interest! 

9) Know your product, or maybe it should be know what people want to hear about your product. Be armed with little tidbits of information that might make a buyer more likely to purchase something. Think about things you might see on a package if the item was for sale in a store. What uses does it have? What size is it? What makes it different from similar products?

10) Keep yourself comfortable. No one wants to buy from a slob, but you will be on your feet all day. If possible, wear something you make. You want to represent your brand well. If you sell high-end jewelry, wear some, and dress like you're selling jewelry on Fifth Avenue. If you're selling boutique baby items, look like a stylish mom that people want to be--you know you have "that" friend who has 10 kids and is always so put-together. The great thing about buying handmade is that people want to know the maker, so make sure your represent yourself well.


Celesa Jackson- Blog team leader
Lilly Bunns Boutique

Treasury 52 Challenge

We mama's on the SAHM of Etsy team love to have fun! We've recently started a little challenge for our team members called Treasury 52.  The idea is simple, our captain and co-captain pick out a theme each week, and the team members who choose to participate make treasuries based on the theme.  It's a really fun way to see what all is out there on Etsy and explore what other team members have to offer.  The winners are chosen by our captain and co-captan, Rebecca and Anne.  The winner gets to be our Facebook Page Goddess for the day!

This week's theme was based off the Barbara Streisand and Neil Diamond duet, "You Don't Bring Me Flowers Anymore." The submissions were awesome! I know it must have been hard to judge!  But, a winner must be chosen....Drum roll please...... And the Treasury 52 challenge winner of the week is.....Lilly Bunns Boutique with her submission "You Don't Bring My Flowers--I want to Relax!" Congrats mama!!