Bellissima Finds National Exposure!

This is a first for us - exposure in a national magazine!

And, wow - is it exciting!

Several months ago I was contacted by the press contact at etsy.com regarding one of my items and product photos. He said that he had been in touch with a national magazine doing an article about cool online finds for a bathroom makeover article, and would be submitting information about etsy. He requested permission to send in my product photo, with a notation that there was no guaranty that it would be used.

Not a problem!

I told him I would be honored to have etsy consider my shop & photo as representive of what etsy has to offer - in any way at all, and he had my express permission to send anything he wants to anyone he wants! Who would/could say no?

And the wait was on. The etsy press contact knew it would be the October issue, but wasn't sure when it would be out.

And then a few days ago I received a lovely convo (etsy-speak for an email through their messaging system) from a fellow etsian congratulating me on having my shop mentioned in the Online Shopping Secrets October 2009 Issue of Consumer Reports Shop Smart Magazine! I think I was just as amazed that someone saw it and took the time to email me about as I was about being in the magazine!

So there we are: Page 43, the top photo on the right hand side.

Etsy is listed under 'Best for Unusual Bath Accessories' in 'Where to Find Cool Bathroom Stuff' in the 'Instant Bathroom Makeovers' article that begins on page 37.

They feature my Calla Lily Scented All-Veggie Oil Soap photo and listed the URL for my etsy shop.

Some of the other online shops mentioned in the article include potterybarn.com, cb2.com, sundancecatalog.com, overstock.com, bedbathandbeyond.com, westelm.com and crateandbarrel.com. I'm just overwhelmed to be among such a prestigious group of retailers in this magazine!

I'm really grateful to Etsy for choosing my item and shop to submit for this article - especially when there are just so many incredibly talented soapmakers and bath-item artisans on Etsy!

And I was beyond excited when I ran to Borders, grabbed up a copy and saw my shop and photo in Consumer Reports Shop Smart Magazine! The man standing next to me reading Computer Digest must have thought I was nuts!

I hope every indie biz gets to experience this... it's just the thrill of a lifetime!

What I Did On My Spring Vacation: Curating My First Etsy Treasury

And so, after having been featured in two Etsy Treasuries recently (what a huge thrill!), I decided to try my hand at creating one myself!

Now, I've discussed Etsy Treasuries in two separate posts and I believe I've been pretty successful in stressing the difficulty in acquiring a Treasury in the first place. Although I'd made a few half-hearted attempts to get one in the past, I really set to task this time. And it's, in a word, frustrating. You have to wait until the number of lists drop below a certain number before you can grab one.

There are those that just get lucky - they just happen to be in the right place at the right time. Others use the random tactic (this is what I used during my first few attempts) - they check and double check a few times a day to see if they can snag one. But those 'in the know' use a fairly scientific mathematical approach. This is how it works: Subtract the 'drop below' number of treasuries from the total number to get the number of treasuries that need to expire before you can grab one. Then count through the lists to reach that numbered treasury to check the expiration time - and come back then. Pretty logical, but I've found it's not quite as fun as nabbing one by chance.

And then, once you've got your Treasury, you need to choose a name (theme), choose your items and alternates, add a subtitle and comment and then sit back and admire your work! Sounds easy right?

Well, I'm here to tell you it was so much harder than I thought it would be! In searching for the items I wanted to feature, I ran across errors in tagging, incorrect categorizing, subjective tagging, poor descriptions (or lack of descriptions entirely), blurry photos, dark photos, etc. There were so many items I wanted to use and searched for but couldn't find. The main reason was because I had to sift through too many pages of items that had nothing to do with my search parameters to find the items I was looking for.

And, as with many curators, I wanted to evoke certain sentiment and emotion with my Treasury. I wanted to stir up thoughts and memories of the beach, the sea, the salt air and the warm sun with the items I chose. I wanted people to view it and think about a wonderful day by the ocean. Using search keywords like seafoam, spray, coral and shell should have brought me hundreds of provocative items to choose from, however that wasn't the case.

This was my first Treasury, and although I know it's never going to be chosen for the Front Page, that's the ultimate goal for curators. And since being on the Front Page brings unlimited views, fabulous exposure and potential sales, every Etsian should be striving to make every listing Treasury-worthy. Keep the way curators will search for items in mind when creating your listings - color, pattern, texture, emotion, theme.

So, here's some advice to Etsy Artisans who want to be chosen for a Treasury:

• Properly Categorize and Tag Your Items
• Keep Your Tags Accurate
• Use Colors, Patterns, Textures in Your Tags
• Keep Descriptions... well, Descriptive
• Keep Treasuries in Mind When Listing
• Take the Best Photos You Can
• Make Your Photos Visually Interesting

I'm really proud of my first Treasury. And it was exhilarating for me to tell the artists of my chosen items that they've been featured - just as exhilarating as being featured myself. Surpisingly, even more so. (I think I'll be stalking the Treasuries fairly often from now on...)

And I've captured it forever here on my blog - so please, enjoy!

Etsy Treasury Feature: Take 2 - Treasury West

Last week I blogged about a first for me: one of my shop items was featured in an Etsy Treasury. I was both extremely excited and honored to be featured - and stunned to have an item chosen after having been at Etsy for such a short time!

Take 2 ~ My item is featured in a 2nd Etsy Treasury! And I'm just as - if not more - excited than the first time! And it's the same item - my Avocado & Lime Soap with Olive Oil & Shea Butter. For me, this is a testament not only to this item's appeal, but also to the overall quality of the photo. If you don't think this is a big deal for me, check out my previous blog post about my lack of skills in taking perfect product photos!

Take a look at it here - before it's gone:

"Color Me Happy: A Few Of My Favorites" by

Joanna at countrybumpkins

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=48876

And don't forget to leave a Comment!

While all Etsians are familiar with Treasuries, Treasury West is still a bit of a mystery for many.

According to Jared, a Site Administrator for Etsy, "Treasury West is a special test configuration of the standard Treasury running on it's own server. We've taken some of what we've learned from the recent tests and incorporated them into this version." There are different rules that apply to Treasury West, including a maximum of 100 lists available at a time (rather than 333 for regular Treasuries), only 2 lists are allowed per user (considered 'Curators') and Treasury West lists expire in 24 hours. Treasury West is still in test mode, and may change or end at any time.

And so, as far as I'm concerned, being chosen for an Etsy Treasury West is an even more difficult feat and an amazing honor for me!

My heartfelt thanks go out to Joanna at countrybumpkins for including my item in her gorgeous Treasury West! It's full of amazing colors, prints and textures and makes me smile each and every time I look at it!

Please stop by her shop and say Hello!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6668685

Thank you, Joanna!

A First: Etsy Treasury Feature

I'm so excited!

I opened my Etsy shop in late December, but was so overwhelmed during and after the Holidays that it went horribly neglected. I've just recently been able to focus both my attention and my efforts on my store and have learned a lot, made wonderful friends and even had a few successful sales.

And for the first time, one of my items is currently featured in an Etsy Treasury!

For those of you unfamiliar, Etsy, as the http://www.etsy.com/ states, is "an online marketplace where you can buy and sell items that are handmade, as well as vintage goods and crafting supplies." As I've discovered, it's also a community of incredibly talented artisans willing to share their knowledge and experience and motivate others to success.

Now, an Etsy Treasury, also from http://www.etsy.com/, "is a member-curated gallery of short-lived lists of 12 hand-picked items each. Members can feature their favorite items, items selected on a theme or just whoever they like. The Treasury is not intended for self-promotion, but instead to acknowledge and share the many cool things for sale on Etsy." Many people choose a theme for their Treasury, making them interesting and fun to view. And as an added bonus, Etsy Aministrators often choose an exceptional Treasury list to promote to the homepage hand-picked items. The dividends for both the Treasury owner and featured artisans are clearly added exposure for their items and shops.

Treasuries are highly valued commodities among etsy artisans, and nabbing one is incredibly difficult. There are only 333 available, and very few are up for grabs at any one time. And, of course, only 12 items can be chosen per Treasury. The odds of being featured, as far as I can tell, are pretty astronomical. I thought for sure that it would be months - or possibly even years - before I'd see one of my items featured!

But, as you can see, I've made it! Emma of emmasfancies has graciously featured one of my handcrafted soaps in her Treasury "Pretty In Pastel: A Few of My Favorites". I'm honored to be among such a talented group of artisans and that my Avocado & Lime Soap with Olive Oil & Shea Butter is among a group of incredibly gorgeous items! Doesn't Emma's Treasury just make you think Spring? She reminds us that it's right around the corner.

Thank you, Emma!

View Emma's Treasury at http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=48502

And be sure to visit Emma's Shop and say Hello! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6333959