Feature Shop: Pickwick Press

Good morning! Our feature team member this week is Lucia of Pickwick Press. She's an active member of our team and a busy BNR/BNS host! -Cori of Peace, Baby! Batiks


What is your name?
Lucia

Where are you located?
Just outside of Philadelphia, PA.

Little Red Riding Hood Inspired Silhouette Set Framed

Tell us a little about yourself.
I'm 34 years old and a SAHM of a beautiful 2½-year-old daughter, Sofia. I'm a licensed attorney and certified elementary school teacher but, right now, I'm loving staying home with my daughter and being an Etsian :) I've always loved to create whether it was painting, drawing, knitting, or baking cookies. When I opened up my Etsy shop I had no clue what I was going to sell! It took several weeks before I started honing in on what I actually wanted to create and, once I figured it out, I never stopped! I started making silhouettes on a whim and I discovered that I really enjoyed it, so I made that my focus. I'm always trying to come up with new ideas for my pictures and I love experimenting with different materials and subjects :)

What type of merchandise will shoppers find in your shop?
Shoppers will find a variety of room decor for the children in their lives along with pictures for people of all ages and tastes. I have also created some pieces that feature vintage materials and vintage-style designs.

How/why did you get started?
I have been an Etsy shopper since 2010 and have always admired the shop owners and their work. One day I thought, "Why can't I do this, too?" I opened up my shop without having a clue as to how it would operate or what I would sell. I was very nervous at first but with the tremendous support of my fellow Etsians my shop blossomed and I grew into a confident shop owner.

Handmade with Love Tags (Set of 12)

How long have you been crafting? What got you started making silhouettes?
My father and uncle are both artists (amateur and professional), so creativity runs in my family. I have always loved crafting! I felt as though I had all of these ideas but no outlet for them until I discovered Etsy.
Once I started creating pictures with paper (such as, my Mary Poppins and Snow White pictures) I realized that silhouettes were a logical next step. I had no experience doing them and wasn't even sure if I would be any good at it. So, I just bought some paper, cutting tools,and got to work! It took me a while to get my technique down and learn what worked and what didn't. It was well worth the time and effort, though, because I absolutely love doing it!

What is your favorite thing to make?
My favorite things to make are my custom orders! I love getting a message from a customer with an idea for a picture and working with them to create something unique.

Custom Alphabet/Letter/Initial Art in Frame

What inspires you to create?
Anything and everything! I'm inspired greatly by fairy tales and books in general.

What is one thing you need to have with you while you craft?
Lots of paper :)

How do you balance mothering and running a small business?
It's not easy! With a very active 2½ year old and my neighbor's son (who is the same age) running around the house all day, I find that I really have to multi-task. Luckily, I have a very supportive husband who gives me the free time I need at night to get things done :)

Tinkerbell Inspired Picture Framed

What is your favorite thing to browse Etsy for?
Anything handmade! Jewelry, art, clothing, household items.I just love seeing all of the wonderful things that Etsians create!

When you're not crafting, what are you doing?
Spending time with my family, reading, running errands, and catching up on my favorite TV shows (thank goodness for my DVR!).

Mommy & Me Under the Stars Silhouettes Print

Where can we find you?
Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/lilu1012
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pickwick-Press/180723035302525
Website: http://lilu1012.soopsee.com/

What is your favorite shop (not yours) on Etsy currently?
Towels by Mouse, Little Princess Pea, Peace, Baby! Batiks, OffTheHookByJen, The Cuddle Corner, Bottled Wonders, PK Stuff, Bluskys06, Melissa Wuest ... Just to name a few!

Tutorial Tuesday - Photo Marbles

This week's tutorial comes to us from Tricia at HowSweeterItIs:

Have you ever seen a fridge without a photo on it? They are kind of sad and lonely-looking.

Here's a way to spice up your fridge! These would make great gifts for Dad on Father's Day, for a high school grad moving away from home, or for your kids' teacher to say Thank You!

What you need to make Photo Marbles:

digital photos
printer paper
clear, flat marbles*
Mod Podge
paint brush
magnets (make sure they're smaller than the marbles)
hot glue gun or superglue

*Note on the marbles: I got mine in the floral section of Michael's but they're also available here and here. Pick any size you want, but make sure they're clear and not iridescent. See the difference here? The two on the left are iridescent and the two on the right are clear:

First you'll need to figure out how big your photos need to . Using a photo editing program, do a trial run (or two) and print some small, cropped photos. Make sure the whole face fits under the marbles!

Then, print up a page full of the correct size photos. If you're making this for a gift, you can keep it a surprise by "borrowing" pictures from their Facebook page. (Since the printed size is so small, even low quality/small photos work great for this project--just make sure the color and lighting are decent.)

Now you're going to cut the photos to fit the marbles. I like to just hold the paper in place while I cut. You could also trace an outline but it takes longer and I tend to be a lazy crafter sometimes. We don't need perfection here. =)

Time to Mod Podge. Paint a thin layer of Mod Podge on your marble, then lay your photo right-side down onto the glue. Press down firmly to adhere photo to marble and look at the front to make sure there aren't globs of glue anywhere. Try not to move the photo around after you lay it on the glue (if you move it too much, the color from the printer ink will start to smudge), just press straight down.

If the photo edge extends past the marble, trim it up. Then Mod Podge another thin layer and lay upside-down to dry.

Now it's time to add the magnets. I put a dollop of hot glue on one side of the magnet and adhere it to the back of the photo marble.

Side note on the magnets: I used super-strong magnets which was probably a mistake. Since I was mailing them as gifts and packaging them together, the magnets kept getting stuck together and the magnets were coming unglued. An obvious solution is to not buy the super-strong ones. Or you can put them in a magnetic box or on a magnetic strip when mailing so they stick to that and not each other.

All done!

Think about all the other things you could do with these marbles:

• Use patterned cardstock and make cute generic magnets to have on hand for a quick and easy gift
• Print up the letters of the alphabet in a cute, easy-to-read font for kids to practice spelling
• Use photo marbles to hold up important papers for each member of the family (a fridge filing system?)
• Buy giant marbles and make paperweights or coasters
• Print words and your families' names and make your own set of "magnetic poetry"

Originally posted HERE by HowSweeterItIs.

Thank you for stopping by! I hope to see you next week for another great tutorial from the SAHM of Etsy Team!

Monika, My Lovebug Baby

Revamping Your Etsy Shop - 2011 Blog Series

This week on ReVAMPing Your Etsy Shop - 2011:

Marketing

This week on ReVAMPing Your Etsy Shop, Sarah Sterns of Makery is going to share her opinion on what marketing truly is for your small business & she's also going to give us all 3 dos & don'ts for marketing our small businesses successfully!

This is a must read!!

Click here to get it!

The ReVAMPing Your Etsy Shop - 2011 Blog Series is a series of weekly blog posts that are devoted to your Etsy shop! It's a 20 part series that covers everything from Etsy shop basics to branding to marketing to social media! Each post is written by a different Etsy seller that contributes their knowledge on a particular topic. It's meant for you to take what you learn back with you to your Etsy shop & apply it there.

If you've missed the other posts in the series & would like to see them, here they are from start to finish!

Introduction to Shop Series

Banners & Avatars

Profile Bio

Activity Stream - Pt. 1 & Pt. 2

Shop Announcement

Alchemy & Custom Orders

Message to Buyers

Policies

Sections, Featured Listings, & Rearranging Your Shop

Google Analytics

Product Descriptions
Tagging
Pricing
Packaging & Shipping
Photography - Pt. 1 & Pt. 2