Showing posts with label pamsbabybakery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pamsbabybakery. Show all posts

Thursday, March 17, 2011

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.


Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Feature Shop: Pam's Baby Bakery

We have several wonderful, active members on our team. This week, I'd like you to meet Pam of Pam's Baby Bakery! Thanks for your hard work on our team, Pam! -Cori of Peace, Baby! Batiks

What is your name?
Pam LaPorte

Where are you located?
Northern Colorado

Tell us a little about yourself.
I am a SAHM of 4 (2 boys and 2 girls) under 10. When I am not working on my Etsy shop, I am busy with activities at our church. I have been sewing since I was in grade school. My first sewing project was a gift for my mom. From there I have sewn clothes for myself and my kids and even my husband on occasion. I love crafting and am always looking for new projects and ideas of ways to create.
Taggie Take Along Blanket
What type of merchandise will shoppers find in your shop?
My shop started with hooded towels and diaper cakes. I have been expanding to other items that make life easier or more fun with babies and toddlers including, burp cloths, bibs, and most recently, purses.

How/why did you get started?
I got started on Etsy after a friend of mine suggested it. She loved the towel I gave her as gift and thought others might too.
Little Girl's Purse Blue Sunflowers
How long have you been sewing? What got you into sewing in the first place?
I have been sewing for 20+ years. I started sewing because I wanted to be able to make gifts for my family.

What inspired you to start making diaper cakes?
I started making diaper cakes for a baby shower at my church. After 4 kids I knew there were lots of fun things to give as baby gifts, but the realist in me wanted something that would be used and not just sit on a self or in a closet. I still wanted to it be fun, so diaper cakes seemed like the perfect solution.
Diaper Cake
What inspires you to create?
I am often inspired by things I see or use. Often my inspiration is a product I have and don't like -- my brain says I could make this better by... Sometimes it works, sometimes not so much.

What is one thing you need to have with you while you craft?
Right now it is my sewing machine and a bottle of glue.

How do you balance mothering and running a small business?
I try and keep the time I work on my business limited to times when my little kids are napping and my older ones are at school and evenings/nights after the kids are all in bed. I also try and keep the weekends free to do family stuff, especially Sundays. When that isn't possible I often end up working with one on my lap and homework happening at the same table stopping mid-seam to answer math questions. :)
Contoured Burp Cloths (Pink)
What is your favorite thing to browse Etsy for?
I love looking at stained glass. I don't know how to make it myself and would love to learn, and it is not practical to keep around my house with my little ones.

When you're not crafting, what are you doing?
Working Bible study, cooking, playing ball with kids, driving carpool... normal mom stuff.
Hooded baby towel in honeysuckle pink for 2011

Where can we find you?
Etsy: www.pamsbabybakery.etsy.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PamsBabyBakery
Twitter: @PamsBabyBakery

What is your favorite shop (not yours) on Etsy currently?
WoodNPiece- http://www.etsy.com/shop/WoodNPiece I love the organic shapes and features of wood.