Sunday - Coffee And Cake!

New Greeting Cards and Prints On Etsy - Click Images to Visit Listings




Sunday - Coffee and Cake



Hello again :)

Had a bit of a crazy week as usual. It's been a couple of weeks since I have managed to just write a normal blog post, and I'm not trying to be lazy I promise! Time has just really been my enemy, which I am hoping should change in the following week, what with the other half going back to work and me being back to my full time duties exclusively! Should have plenty to talk about besides the features which'll be nice, considering all that I've been doing lately is work work work on Etsy. I've already written out a plan of what my son and I are going to get up to from tomorrow... aren't I organised! ^_^



Anyway today I want to discuss Social Networks. This is nice and easy so don't worry about me boring you to death lol!!!



Networking Part 5 : Social Networks Like I've said, this is easy as pie. A bit time consuming to set up but once they're going you can really intergrate yourself into the handmade community outside of Etsy, which so far I find is a great way to meet like minds and to also get your name out there. Like with Twitter and Blogger, Social Networks also allow you to link up all of your web efforts into one place, so any visitors will know of all the other places they can find you! A great thing if say someone who hates Myspace, but loves Facebook would rather link to you on there :)

I think one thing that puts people off Social networks is the security side of things. At least it did for me with all the scaremongering you get about them. With Facebook for example, I would never link my business to my personal page... the same way i dislike the idea of mixing work life and home life... you get the picture.
Facebook allows businesses to use their services without the need to mix in their personal profiles. It's simply, Facebook Pages as opposed to Facebook Profiles. I'm not sure if you need to have a normal Facebook profile in order to have a "page", as i was fortunate enough to already be an avid Facebook user prior to creating mine, but once up and running I think it's a create way to network with fellow handmade artisans.
It has a system on there which allows you to create ads that link to your page (at a cost however), and obviously it gives you presence in the searchable world that is Facebook.
It allows people to "become a fan" of you page, which once done allows you to update them as you update your page, without having to go through reams of email addresses to manually update them on your endeavors. A bit like a mailing list, but a little more snazzy. Users will see your updates on their own Facebook homepages in real time. They can also interact with you by leaving comments on your page or message you direct, so it's a great way to keep the communication flowing.
You can use various applications to make your page more interesting. I use Networked Blogs which pulls the feed from my Blogger Blog into my page without me having to go back and forth copying and pasting links. Facebook is one of my favourite methods of keeping people informed of what I'm getting up to.

If you want to be able to have something that you can tweak a little more, that uses templates or HTML and looks a little less plain like Facebook, you can join lots of Ning social networks like, Indie Public, We Love Etsy and Twittermoms (obviously one for mothers!). They all use a similar kind of interface, but you'll find the communities on there are vast and there are plenty of opportunities to communicate with these communities. All of the networks I mentioned give you access to a blog, of which when used gets updated at the top of a list similar to the way listing an item on Etsy works. This can be viewed in the "blogs" tab, where your updated blog will be at the top, along with all other blog users. Like with Etsy, if someone else updates a blog, then you'll get bumped down the list. Not one to be abused, you should only ever update when you genuinely have something relevent to say or announce! They all also have forums which are great for meetings other artists and for promotion. You can personalise your homepages too by uploading photos, RSS feeds, and various other things. Another place that I've already mentioned that could be used, if you like the idea of controlling how your page looks is Myspace. This may take a little more time, but if you're tech savvy in anyway you can make beautiful pages, completely personal to you that will look great if you want to establish a name for yourself. If not there are HTML editors now intergrated into Myspace that walk you through the steps of creating a look from scratch. Once up, you can link to your shop by using your Etsy mini, various other widgets if you like, and have a lot more flexibility than any other of the Social Networks when it comes to sharing everything that you want to and having that sort of control.

Mixxmade.com is a place I'm new too myself, but the one thing that is fab about it is that it allows you to link items into a sort of classifieds ad, in the Marketplace section. You have to write your listings out from scratch mind you, and type in links for people to visit (as your ad won't link to your item directly). But it's just another Idea... I think it's relatively new, but it's a community that is growing and definitely worth checking out.

There are loads of social networks out there besides the ones I've mentioned, but I do think it's worth giving it a go. Particularly for ones that you think your potential focused group is larger (ie: Facebook & We Love Etsy). If you're worried about security, then just don't make it personal and keep it solely for business. (You can still be friendly lol!) Also, change your passwords regularly and make sure they're not one's you'd use all the time. These kind of things always have the potential to get hacked, the same way any other site would do so for piece of mind I'd keep a log book of your passwords incase you forget, and regularly change them so you're always in control.

That's all that I'm familiar with anyway. Until next week!


moonangelnay x

Friday Finds... Dreamtree Studios

Friday Finds... Dreamtree Studios

This is my second interview of the amazing not-so-well-known artists of Etsy. HOW? is always the question that flies through my mind on my hunts, because as you've seen already with my last interview and my Monday Expo's, these talented people really do have something quite special, yet still they are just not as well known as they should be!

Last weekend on my search I almost fell of my chair with excitement (I'm not exagerrating) when I had contact from Donna of Dreamtree Studios, an amazing talented artist that creates incredible digital artwork with Fractals. I first became interested in Fractals myself about 5 or 6 years ago, upon discovering my first Fractal artist on Spiritart.org, and it has been something which you can probably see in some of my work that has inspired my weird and vibrant abstract style. I have to be honest when I say that I have never put out any fractals out there that are worthy of acknowledgement (I still struggle with the mathematics!) , let alone anything quite as amazing as who I am introducing to you today, but the fact that fractals are at the heart of my own crazy digital ideas is the reason I just HAD to offer Donna an interview. Fractals are more than just an art...


(Just click the images to go direct to the listings)










--Tell me a bit about you! (Name, Age, Location, and give us a random fact whilst you're at it.) My name's Donna of Dream Tree Studio and I'm a 30-something (wink!) living in Charleston, SC at the moment. Fun fact - I've lived in 7 US states and 2 other countries (Korea and Germany). I'm a proud military brat!

--What is your business about then? I'm kind of a contradiction in some ways - I'm a creative person who loves art and color but also a total computer geek! I've found a great way to combine the two sides by creating unique digital artwork called fractals. Fractals are mathematical-based creations (bet you never thought math could be this cool, did you?). I use various software programs to explore the formulas, algorithms, transformations, and other mathematical functions and use them to create interesting forms with rhythm and vibrant color.

--How did Etsy come into your life? I actually found it via a friend who is very into the handmade scene and encouraged me to check it out. I've been on etsy for a while, though just started selling my art, and I've found it to be a great community with sellers and buyers from around the world interacting in the forums - I love it!

--Are you working a day job too? Yes - as much as I love my art, I can't pay the rent with it yet! I actually have another business on etsy too - creating bath & body products, so between that & the day job, I keep pretty busy. I do hope that, in the future, I will be lucky enough to have more time to focus on my own business and my creative life all day long.

--How long has the artist in you been 'unleashed' for? It's funny, actually. When I was very young, I remember being really interested in art and taking a lot of classes at school (of course, this was back when all public schools in the US offered multiple art courses, which they don't anymore, sadly). I used to love it! Then after school and college, "grown up" responsibilities took over and I set art aside for more practical pursuits. About 6 years ago, I was going through some old papers my mom & dad saved from my early years and found a paper that I'd written...in crayon...about how I wanted to be an artist when I grew up. That's when I realized I needed to start creating things again!

--What has been the inspiration behind your business? I started creating fractals just for fun - a great way for me to relax and enjoy the process. But when I started showing them to people they would "ooh" and "aah" and asked so many questions and wanted to have copies for themselves. I thought it would be great to share my work with more than just friends & family and also try to educate people about what fractals are and how math plays such an important role.

--If you could describe your products in three words, what would you tell me? colorful, dynamic, fun!

--What would an average working day for you be like from dawn til dusk? Well, as I have a day-job, it's pretty simple:
6:45 am - wake up, feed the cat, check my e-mails & etsy
8:00 am - head to work
1:00 pm - take lunch break - eat at desk so can use computer (allowed by my boss!) to check etsy and work on a fractal for a bit
6:00 pm - get home from work, feed the cat again
6:30 pm - eat dinner
7:00 pm - work on fractals, hang out in etsy forums
8:00 pm - work on bath & body orders
10:00 pm - work on fractals before bed
11:30 pm - bed...finally!


--What's your favourite material and techniques to work with? Well, fractals are completely digital, so I work with my computer and a fractal software program called UltraFractal. I do use other fractal programs like Apophysis sometimes, but my true love is UltraFractal. I also use Photoshop to sharpen and sometimes enhance the colors of my work, as well as resizing images as necessary. I have my work printed by a professional photo lab using Kodak Endura papers - the metallic paper is my favorite as it gives a silvery pearlescent sheen to the fractals that makes them look almost three-dimensional!

--What is your ideal vision for the future for you and your work? Right now, I have so much going on in my life that I want to focus on the present. I can say for sure that I ilove creating fractals and plan on working with them every day as long as I can!

--Away from work, what do you like to do for fun or to wind down? You can see I have a busy schedule, but I do fit in time for friends and family. I like to go out to the movies a lot with my closest friends or we'll have small gatherings at one person's house to watch TV or a movie and have a great dinner cooked on the grill. I usually have dinner with my parents on Sunday too.

--What are you likely to search for on Etsy? Oh, all kinds of things, but probably jewelry and art the most. I happen to adore modern sterling silver jewelry and there are some fabulous artisans on etsy - I wish I could own so many things I find! And as for art - I love, love, love abstract works, especially if they are very flowing and have rich, vibrant colors. I've found some truly amazing artists on etsy as well!

--Any last words? I'm always interested in talking about fractals with people, so if anyone ever has questions, please feel free to contact me any time. And, thank you for this interview!

Sunday - Coffee And Cake!

New Water Series Mandala Prints - Click Images to Visit Listings


Sunday - Coffee and Cake



Late again! I was early! Seriously! What would have been around 5.30am for most of Etsy (about 10.30am for me) I was ready to begin this article, but though to myself, no I'll give it a few hours until most of the universe on a Sunday morning would be awake! So I went shopping. Little did I know my son would be Mr Wiggle and delay us a bit whilst we were there, nor did I expect to come across a NEW venue for me to print my canvases SO close to home. That would BLAST the huge wait people would have by a few weeks if there was a long wait so I hope to research that later. But then I had to respond to all the fab applicants for tomorrow's feature, AND try and list some stuff online, whilst inbetween all of this, play trains with my little boy when he wouldn't nap in his room. Fun times! So I'm on it now :) Looking forward to this one. Nothing particularly strenous today. Shouldn't be a long one, for I want to discuss YOUR Etsy store :)



Networking Part 3 : Your Etsy Store Now I wanted to talk this week about Blogging. But I think it can wait a week as I MUST talk about Etsy, as I have seen many MANY stores this week that I have come across through loads of means, and some are incredible! But there are some that are struggling to get noticed and unfortunately it is noticable as to why.



People I'm sure are desperate to know why they don't get enough views on Etsy and it does take a lot of TLC in your store to make it worth noticing. You'll come across millions of resources to help you optimise your store for viewing, but I do wonder whether people go out of their way to find them? I know it took me a few months before I became away of the helpful articles on Etsy itself, and that was because I made a point of browsing a section I wouldn't normally have done one day, and POOF there it was. In the months prior to that what was I doing? I'm sure a lot of new sellers on Etsy are in the same boat wondering why they didn't look before when it was always there! another fab resource for all things handmade and selling related check out Handmadeology. It rules and the amount of helpful things on there would surely surpass what I do on here every week. But the reason I do what I do is because I try to make a point of letting people know it is here, as I have been lucky enough lately to have the time to find these helpful things to share with everyone. And I'm a time scrooge! I can totally understand when people say they just DONT have the time to look for things, so that's why I find you and lay out the things that have helped me for you to see :)



Anyway... Here are the reasons I feel from my early none-view days that I went wrong with my Etsy store, besides not marketing outside of Etsy. I didn't market WITHIN Etsy, I took bad pictures, I mixed alsorts of things in my store, I didn't do any market research, I didn't make a good banner, I didn't optimise my store text with relevant keywords (nor my profile for that matter), and importantly I didnt research PRICES. Since changing the lot, I have started slowly but surely making sales, and my traffic is abundant like you wouldn't believe!
You wouldn't believe the hours I have put in changing, re-changing, and completely eradicating things from my store, but seriously, if you are serious about your business you need to shake off your pride and consider that you will have to put in more effort. You have FABULOUS work! You need to make people want to notice it!



I'll break down my past mistakes because I see all of them regularly, and I know for a fact that it's important to realise when people go shopping, as much as you hate to think the world isn't superficial, first impressions unfortunately are EVERYTHING. That's why the supermarkets treat food like cosmetics, that's why any baker you walk into will smell AMAZING, that is why the big guys go out of their way to make sure you cannot resist their products, period. It's awful, but even if you have the best thing in the world that everyone may want, if you take a dark picture, no one will look at it.



Photos - Don't just try to make them look pretty, LIGHT is imperative! Camera flashes will work against you. They don't look natural and they ruin your beautiful work. You need to take your photos in the day time in natural light where you can get a lot of it shining down on your items. Having a good camera will help, and making use of your macro settings! If you can't get a good camera then just make sure you take your photos in good light, and make sure they are not too fuzzy! There's a big difference between macro and blurry! If you can't do day time pictures then make yourself a lightbox! you can buy them but here's a fab video to show you how to make them.



Storefront - You need to use plenty of descriptive "related" words for what you're selling in order to optimise your store, within your beautiful store introduction. Google will pick up on the first few lines of your store, and you want to be sure it's noticed in the search engines. But lists of words will go against you. Don't write lists, that's the kind of thing that'll bump you down the chain. Be honest, be yourself and talk about what your store is about. Sell yourself! People looking for specific things will never find you if you don't have it in your storefront. Make a good banner, or invest a couple of dollars to someone who can do it for you (unless you know a nice person who'll do it for free!). That will be the first thing anyone sees! and it needs to look good! As for items. Don't mix them. Eg: If you sell jewelry and pottery, have 2 stores. Don't put them in the same place. Why? It puts people off as it confuses them. As multitalented as most of Etsy are, you're better separating your stores. I have recently done it myself, and my reason is exactly what I have said. Someone actually said to me 3 months back that they loved my work, but the mish mash of stuff in my store confused them. So I keep my photography and art together, and my crafts will appear in another store a little later.



The Community - Etsy people rule. So you need to talk to them! The forums are ace! you can meet new people, sellers help eachother all the time with advice, promoting eachother and alsorts. It's a great place to meet new faces and make your presence known within Etsy. The promotion section is particularly grand as some of you may know already. I'd recommend making the time to go in and have a chat with the community :) (Etsy chat will do you some good too!)



Listings - You need to ideally list every few days. I personally try to list everyday IF I can. Not always possible, but you can always relist or renew items. The power of relisting bumps you items back up to the top of the pile so they'll more than likely be noticed. But it will still cost .20 to do so. It's not everyones cuppa tea, but if you do make a lot of stuff, rather than bunch it all up on one day, try and spread the things out a little. Showcasing is something I have tried a few times, and it gets you a lot of views, but I have never received a sale from it. But people do, and I see people that regularly showcase so it must work for some!



I have made all of these mistakes and it is the most gutting thing in the world to realise that you need to change what you have done and put hours into. I guess anyone in the world with a business would do this regularly, as you always have to appease the market, not just yourself. But believe me, your work IS worth it and you are worth it too. If you are struggling then simple things like new photos, and listing regularly can really help within Etsy. Coupled with marketing outside of Etsy, people will come in droves! You always need to assess what you're doing. And go to the forums! People will help you if you ask them! Ask for opinions, and be open to constructive critisism. It could be the thing you need to turn everything in a positive direction!



moonangelnay x

Balloon Head

New Listing on Etsy - Click image to visit the listing

hello! Yes I know it has been a few days... man it's been a knackering two days but I have quite a bit to talk about. Next Monday and Friday as you know I am introducing my new features for Etsy sellers that are at around 20 sales or under, and had a fantastic response to requests on the Etsy forum about it! Already I have slots filled up for Monday Magic and I'm compiling an interview for a fab seller for Friday Finds! It's going to be great, I'm really excited about the introduction and hope that it does well to drive traffic into their stores. I know how hard it is to do that whether time is your enemy or lack of marketing knowledge. But next week I'll be blasting both posts around my individual communities on the web, including the likes of Twitter, Indie Public and Facebook, which should most definitely help a bit if not a lot! I have a lot of faith in Twitter for marketing and I intend to expand on the reason on my upcoming Coffee and Cake article this Sunday. So keep an eye out for that post as it's part two of my marketing series!

So yeah all in all I have achieved something for once! Lol!

Now, my fatigue... would you believe is completely about paper? LOL I have spent the ENTIRE week fussing over paper, i swear until 2am each night. As you may know already I am introducing my own line of ACEO, 5x7 and 8x12 prints to my Etsy store, in a choice of Archival Matte, 100% Cotton Rag, Satin Lustre or Premium Glossy paper. And I have my beautiful new printer to thank for that. I'm just so excited that I have not been satisfied with any old paper, as the last thing I want is for people to have my art adorning their walls or desktops, and for something bad like fade or moisture runs to damage them! So yeah... archival paper... weeeeeee!

Now another thing i want to introduce in a short while are greeting cards, note cards, calenders and gift tags. I'm quite excited about this, and doing my research today has made me even more enthusiastic at the prospect. it's going to be a fab way (as will my ACEO prints) to offer bundles of my work at lower prices, and value for money is something I think we all think about in times like the present! So this is something I think will be great for customers that want to purchase my work but would like to spend less. And despite being stationary I won't compromise on the paper! Nope, it'll still be archival and of the highest quality coupled with the pigment inks I use. BUT... As I'm still updating items in my store with new descriptions, and have a long list of ACEO's to list, plus new prints to make... it'll be a little while before I can devote time to it. But DEFINTELY in time for christmas, you can expect my high quality and stationary for yourselves or as gifts to hit my store :D

Work aside, I've also been trying to devote more time to the family. The other half is recovering from his cataract operation for the next few weeks so my son has been in his element squealing the house down with joyful noise (although I don't know if the neighbours would think that LOL). It's been none stop since mummy explained last week about daddy's trip to the hospital! He's "doctor" Yukio this week. So far he's been more of an entertainer, like getting his hairy troll puppet to do the can-can, and putting cups on his feet... oh I can't forget him prancing about in my hat and shoes the other day... I don't think we've really been able to contain the laughter since! Particularly as he dressed himself... seriously! I HAD to take photos LOL! But yes It's been hard not to want to get involved in the fun so part of me has been very easily distracted for the past week, even though I have had the opportunity to work. I have been mind you! Just with the odd distraction. But yeah... work and fun leads to a sleepy mum! So I'd better crack on! I may not get a chance to blog again until Sunday but hopefully I should do! Until then :D

moonangelnay x x x

SUNDAY - Coffee and Cake

Relisted on Etsy - Click image to visit the listing

Dunno about people overseas but it's approaching midday here in the UK and I am ever so slightly behind with my first Sunday feature, what with promising that it'd be a morning thing; but I guess that if you're part of my main following that are 5+ hours behind GMT then I guess the timing will be perfect! The reason I'm behind is pretty pathetic really... Paper. I spent about 6 hours last night until 2.30am looking at paper. Not just any old paper! Noooooo I wouldn't use just ANY old paper in my sparkly gorgeous new printer (here I go), no it's quite amazing actually that I have stumbled across this fab idea whilst I was trying out it's loveliness yesterday on Lustre Satin paper (which is GORGEOUS omg). After testing the quality and having one of those DOH I should have realised moments, I came up with an incredible plan for my prints both 5x7 and 8x12 that will not only make them archival lasting a lifetime but now that I have the right gear, I can purchase the most optimum papers and still offer the same prices on my Etsy store which in turn means the ultimate value for my customers for quality Giclée prints (and soon ACEO prints). No more photolab, waiting for millions of years and expensive postage for my customers for these sizes! Hurray! That's what I wanted all along for my work, and considering I can make this leap at home it's any wonder the photolab don't offer the same printing ability (that's what happens when you can only think about making money! Shame on them). I find it amazing that I can print Giclée now that I use pigmented inks and using the best of papers I have found that have accredition from the Fine Art Trade Guild for the papers archival nature and museum-like quality, means that my work is going to look AMAZING where ever it hangs. I'm hoping to use 315g 100%cotton rag although I have never seen my work on such quality paper I'm for some reason hesitant about the leap! LOL! What it'll mean though is I'll have to take my Etsy shop down for a while so I can readjust the print info on all of my work. In the long run I'll be spending more to make this happen and earning less to keep value for my customers, but ultimately as good as matte or glossy archival paper goes I think that if you're an artist and you want to give your customers the best of your work you need to use the best media to showcase what you do. Now this is just coming from the fine artist in me. I wondered when it'd creep into my photography LOL!


NOW! enough blabbing. The point to my Sunday - Coffee and Cake articles is simply to give back to the handmade community a little something of where and how I have come so far with my work with the purpose of hopefully guding others that may be wondering what the hell to do in the right direction. I'm not one of those Etsy sellers that has thousands of sales, I'm still pretty new myself, but I do know how to drive traffic into my world online, and that I know is quite possibly the most time consuming and difficult thing any person that attempts this can manage. So I want to be able to help by mentioning my trials and errors along the way and also leave useful articles or advice I have come across to hopefully turn any new home workers in the handmade community into established workers. I have found a notable change in my Etsy traffic and my web presence through the hours (sometimes tears lol) i have put into marketing my work. Today I'll discuss part 1 of a big thing that seems to stump a lot of people online (even in the real world). Networking as I see it happening a lot both in and outside of Etsy, sometimes done well and a lot of the time done without a mindful attitude. Let me explain what I mean.

Networking PART 1 - Commenting This is probably one of the least considered form of marketing that is thought of but spreading yourself around with meaningful notes in relevant places not only will expand your web presence without the need to set up millions of networking sites, blogs etc, but it also can be a useful way of showing potential customers what your made of, particularly if you write something people can identify with. Unfortunately commenting on anything nowadays is either a race for the top spot or a lazymans ground for spamming links. Or at least from what I've noticed it is. For everyone in the world, sparing time to read and write to people regarding their posts whatever they are is something that is almost like giving away a limb when time is particularly precious to you (I'm a mum, and I can struggle with that even in the world outside of the web). However, trying to get in the first comment by writing a few words that aren't necessarily meaningful to the posts curator will in the long run be bad for both parties and there are a whole host of reasons as to why. The main one being a high bounce rate means that anyone coming in to look at your page pretty much does only that and doesn't intereact with it at all. So the higher the bounce rate, the less people are clicking away browsing all your hard work. Therefore people with their mini "woop" comments, you're drawing that to the curator and also to yourself! It is a killer and these short posts are magnets for a higher bounce rate. Whereas, meaningful posts encourage people that like to read interesting things to check out just how interesting you are. Yeah you're only leaving a comment, but come on you are doing the right thing by showing your genuity and people that spot your words will see that. Oh also, "link spamming" which for some reason people think that if they leave it there it's bound to get clicked on. Well if people don't know what they're clicking on then they're more than likely to close the window (high bounce rate). You could be leaving a link to your toaster decorating website on somebody's post about their summer holiday. If someone is reading about a summer holiday they're not likely going to want to check out pretty toasters, even if they are amazing. Whereas if you tell the curator just how interesting their post is to you, say why, give them some time to discuss their post, and if you like maybe relate it to yourself (it's not necessary), even those people that have no idea what you're about will have a higher chance of giving you some of their time as they will see in your comment more than just a link. Your potential livelihood IS more than just a link so give it some credit. Links not only looks like you haven't shown a real interest in a curators post but it looks awful on their page having reams of unrelated links flying down the page. There is an etiquette to making yourself known to the world and I have done the above things and experienced the lack of acknowledgement in return (I think we all do, because it's quick and easy), yet found that once I actually made a point of reading things properly, and only commenting when I GENUINELY wanted to in related fields or completely random ones, and maybe leaving links in places where it was of reference or relevant (ie: Etsy promotions forum), meant that suddenly people noticed I existed and to be fair this all should be obvious because we only read stuff that is meaningful to us anyway don't we? Why not leave something that is mindful and meaningful for OTHERS to enjoy? And heck, not for the marketing aspect but because it's nice to interact with the world? To have a business you MUST like people! And show them that you're personable and prepared to make time for them; it's no different from building relationships in person. This means that for time scrooges like I was once, you must have the inclination to find more time to inject into communication. But there is no gloom about it. People across the world have pretty interesting things to say about their craft or their lives, and you'll find that you can make good friends with people as you build rapport through your interest in what they do. THIS is what drives traffic to you. If you make yourself known to the world as being human, someone who actually likes to communicate with people (which will reflect on how they see you as a business owner and them as customers), other people outside of the immediate communication will notice your genuity and will more than likely give you a moment of their time to check out what you are about. Whatever you give out you get back. Stick a post it note of that as an affirmation on your computer screen if it helps, that is a seriously big thing to remember when it comes to any kind of relationship, not only in business. I mean we all hate those door to door sales people don't we? Getting their script done before you slam the door in their face and money is all they think about. And to me leaving these short "woop first comment" like messages is no different as the intent of them is never about the curators post (I don't mean to offend but really... they're not). Be personal, make the time (yes I am staying up later but it's worth it as I WANT my business to work, and I want to meet great people across the globe), have the right intentions, and be genuine. You'll meet some fab people out there along the way.

Right! so next Sunday I'll continue with Part 2 of this series of articles that I hope can be helpful to anyone wanting their online business to work. I'm not a money making fatcat, nor am I a huge business but I am coming from a place where I know a lot of people are stuck in at the beginnings of their new venture as I have been and I'm still learning. I hope this can make me relatable to people and my articles will be of help!


REQUESTS - right on Monday and Friday are other days I would like to be of help to the handmade community which is why I want to introduce the following things. On Monday the 3rd of August I am going to bring in Monday Magic! An expo, similar to Etsy's treasury where I will feature a themed treasury of my own. The difference is I want Etsy sellers with 20 or less sales to take part and I want you to show me your work! The theme for the first expo will be breathe, so send me items in white! As it's a new thing I'm introducing breathe seems to be a good theme. So If you would like to take part and you have the right credentials please send a convo to me on Etsy with a link to your active item you want to feature so I can review it for approval. This will be limited to 12 features so first come first serve!

Friday will be reserved for a single artist and an interview. Like Etsy's featured artists, but we all know those artists are doing great, I'd like to see artists who WANT to do great and to have the opportunity to show off their skills to the world. So Friday the 7th of August is Friday Finds! Send me a convo on Etsy and tell me why you would like a feature. I may surprise you with an interview :)

Look forward to working with you again!

moonangelnay x x x

Think Thinking...

ALL NEW ETSY LISTINGS. CLICK EACH PICTURE TO TAKE YOU TO THE LISTING IN MY STORE! :D

I've had the chance to do a lot of that lately. Not so much time, that's still stressing me out but I have managed to lift a fair weight off my shoulders by discovering a few things that have helped me get this marketing thing down a little better, and also in the process given me some wonderous ideas!

I made a FAB treasury the other day. I actually made it into the top 5 before it expired. I'm hoping my newest one is just as good. I may post a pic of that in a few days. But it made me think about this blog and what I can do with it. There is nothing really of value on here for my readers unless you like to hear me chat rubbish all the time, but I thought about my journey so far on the marketing train, and also where I am with Etsy and figured it'd be a great opportunity to share my discoveries and tips whether they are my own or great articles I've come across once a week to help other "new" or low sale etsy artists drive traffic into their stores. I'm very excited at the prospect of doing this as I want to be able to give more than just whether I've had a coffee that morning or not LOL! You get me? I don't see how it's fair I do all this work and not share it as ultimately the whole point of Etsy to me besides selling handmade is the communal aspect of it. Everyone helps eachother on there and I want to do my bit, and make a feature of it weekly now that I'm in a position to document what I've done trial and error wise and let you guys know what works and what doesn't when it comes to getting your name out there. I am JUST starting to make sales now because of what I'm doing and who knows maybe it's just that time of year, but I really do believe that the numbers suddenly rishing into my store has a lot to do with it, whereas before the past 3 weeks (thanks goodness for the other halfs holiday!) I would skip across the room if just one person managed a 5 second glance at my homepage in a day. I can totally feel for anyone who may be in that position, and if you want to work at a home business it's the most devestating and motivation severing thing in the world to have your hopes shattered by lack of traffic. It's hard work but I have done a lot of experiementation (still am doing) and I think so far what I'll share in the coming weeks will take people further step by step and hopefully work some magic in those empty stores.

Another thing I am planning to do soon is offer advertisement slots on my blog although this is still in the making so details will have to come later!

Ah, and especially for the Etsy newbies or under 10 sales people I have a special plan for you all which will also like my weekend help articles, be a weekly occurance. More details about that on Sunday with my other announcements :)

So yes! Sunday will be my first article day. I am going to call it Coffee and Cake, as that's all you need on a relaxing Sunday morning whilst browsing the net. I look forward to it!

Whilst im at it, here are my recent photography prints to Etsy. Enjoy!

From Day To Night

I seem to be cursed with this whole time malarky. Lol! I tell myself all the time about how much more efficient I will be after letting the wee hours anxieties form long lovely lists of plans for my future days. But I seem to get plagued with distractions (although they are necessary some of the time), then lo and behold I end up behind with my endevours. Today at least I'm slightly more relaxed about it, but I think that is more of a succumbing to the inevitable (no Naomi you cannot play the grand creator and MAKE time... not literally anyway). Ahhhhhh *that is a sigh I promise*, the joys of a mothers schedule! Well despite not getting absolutely all of what I hope to achieve daily done, I have at least catalogued a few new pieces to stick onto my etsy store over the next few weeks. I'll be playing nurse / "single mum" next week as my other half is having an operation and is on strict orders to take it easy for 3 weeks after. Which means I need a plan of action for keeping my son from bouncing off the walls for at least the first week so his father can get a good rest! So the ultimate full time action will be on the cards which sadly means I'll be cutting back on my beloved etsy work to cater for the boys needs.

I've planned ahead and have lots of goodies to share daily with everyone. It doesn't take a bajillion years to list on Etsy. It's the marketing that slows up my days, so treasuries will probably have to get cut (maybe not though), as will my hunt for the ultimate advertising tools. I should hopefully be able to continue blogging although they may be a little shorter and more scary due to impending bald patches (oh how will i live without my Etsy!), and i think a tweet here or there may get slipped past the little one without him noticing :)

All in all earlier this week had been about planning, so the stress levels were high, and I had been in a bit of a dark place... so to follow suit some of my recent work had taken a bit of a darker turn. That doesn't surprise me in the least. My style changes CONSTANTLY. I'm not a conventional artist at all really, I don't know why but I find it very hard to keep my style consistant yet I think it adds character to the fact that I lack it LOL. Contradiction and a half! It's the same with my fine and abstract art aswell. My photography has metamorphised now into something that I can now consider part of my being and not something I search for through a lense. I have total comfort in how I express myself through it so like I say it doesn't surprise me when each piece is as sporadic in style consistancy as i guess i am in moods LOL! i promise though that the work that is coming just as interesting. Becoming more light and wonderful (as has my mood the last few days lol!).

Tomorrow which is Friday the 17th of July my Etsy treasury "LAVENDER DREAMING" will be ending at around 9pm GMT London time so if you get the chance to check it out, please do! It's my best line of picks yet!

So I'd better show you a selection of recent uploads to Etsy. They are below! just click the titles if you want to see the listings directly :) All the best my dears!



Mandala Fire No.3 5x7 Abstract Fine Art Photography - By Moonangelnay



Rose Gold 5x7 Inch Print - Creative Fine Art Photography By Moonangelnay


A Walk Through Life 8x12 Inch Print - Creative Fine Art Photography By Moonangelnay

Vintage Bloom 5x7 Inch Print - Creative Fine Art Photography By Moonangelnay

Back On Track!

It's taken a while but I'm back at the relisting shizzle on etsy... and boy do I have loads of expired listings! Not only that but a month or so back I decided to change the watermark on ALL photography listed in my store as I started to think that it was detracting from the actual print image itself, due to it's boldness! So as time has so cruelly passed me by in the grand flash that it has, I have had to find moments here and there to correct my watermark on each and every photograph. But it has slowly been coming together and I think I am almost there. The thing that has driven me nutso the most has been the "expired listings" because unlike the normal listings that you can edit in your account, the expired ones can't be edited until you have relisted them which is TERRIBLE because as soon as you relist something, it becomes as fresh as a daisy for the world of Etsy to see and the last thing I want them to see is a dirty great big watermark that blinds them with it's monotoned presence on my work! Yes, I can edit it as fast as my hands can whizz across my desk, but the downside (other than my shite internet connection) is that once I edit it, it is no longer "viewable" on Etsy, and that also means the tiny timeframe that it would have the most exposure being a 'recent' item would be snuffed out by me needing to remove it for editing.... ARGGGHHH!!! lol! So in summary, I have given up on caring about frikkin exposure (which really stopped me in my days worrying over how to combat the issue), and I'm just relisting and editing immediately. In anycase my current work is slowly reaching a satisfactory presentable standard on Etsy. Here are the 3 most recent ones.

Branching Out 8x12 Inch Print - Creative Fine Art Photography By Moonangelnay $25

Off Color 8x12 Inch Print - Creative Fine Art Photography By Moonangelnay $25

Cluster Of Stars 8x12 Inch Print - Creative Fine Art Photography By Moonangelnay $20

So those are my recent relists! I have also relisted all of the crocheted baby ties that I'm sure you'll remember from a previous blog. You can check those out too if you wish. Happy shopping!

xxx

Not So Busy Bee...

I think it's fair to say that today has been too much of a blur for my liking. I really do think that the people invented time to cheese me off because it seems to pass by so quickly nowadays. I do think time is speeding up but that's a whole other blog!

Right now though I'm feeling a bit flustered at the lack of stuff I have managed to do today, having been given the opportunity via a baby free house!!! I guess my only consolation is that my mum has been telling me to have a few hours to myself to try and get over this cold, of which I had a few... Not by choice really. "Relax" she told me earlier. In my life that's a bit of a myth lol!!!

Well my form of relaxation came in the form of painting the walls... and I think I performed a splendid display of 'live action DIY mum'! But all came to a standstill when a particular gloss my other half insists needs to go on the frames, COULD NOT be found anywhere. Yet, it's matt twin has been driving me nuts at the corner of my eye all afternoon. I was VERY tempted to use that instead, but Elric wants it all to look shiny. So a velvety room is out of the question, no matter how tempting it is to lob it at the wall. The can is still sitting obnoxiously on the windowsill, probably cackling at me in a parallel universe. The frustration comes from time yet again by the way. There is slight appropriateness to my desperation.

Anyway, ignoring that color entirely! I managed to improve upon his painting with the main wall ;) and started the lower wall near to our sofa. I was pretty chuffed when I was done with that bit, which was why I was ready for color number 3 but... I despairingly gave up after the gloss hunt and twiddled my thumbs ever since. I'm not normally this over dramatic LOL! But I just want the house in order before the stampede of toddlers on sunday! Not to mention all the food I have to cook the day before, and the decorations I need to put up... *sigh* I hate it when I'm on a role and something distrupts it. Really throws me off, particularly when I'm not doing my daily mum thing! So currently I'm contemplating a late night of painting once the boys are back from visiting grandad (gonna make Elric find the gloss he so insists is sitting by the matt equivalent lol!), because I don't really think my brain can handle much else today lol!!!

Infact, away from my wonderfully productive day I have updated a few listings on etsy which I have neglected to share. I made a point of changing some listings to reflect other prices for prints in my store, as even though print sizes and prices are written into my profile, I have a hunch people probably don't look at it, and therefore only see the default size and price for all photography on there (8x12). So now there are some 5x7 listings (although remember they can be changed if you wish for something larger! Convo me on etsy for that). Anyway here are the new photographs I have listed. Each photo will take you directly to the listing which should allow you to view a larger photo too :) moonangelnay.etsy.com

Violet Star 5x7 $10

Sketchy 5x7 $13

Frog 5x7 $10

Iris Munch 5x7 $10

Pretty In Pink

Whilst I am updating a few photography listings, I thought I would quickly post a new mandala I incorporated into the shop earlier this evening.

So far I have to say it's my favourite one. Stunningly pink and strikingly beautiful. It's one my other half couldn't help but notice upon passing me on his way to the kitchen after waking up from his night shift. I'm glad he had to take a double take, it means at least it's eye catching! I designed it from a photograph of a pink flower growing in my mum's beautiful garden, and I really do think I have captured the spirit of the atmosphere there with this one, rather than just the plant itself. I love her garden, I only wish I was in a permanent property to be able to work on ours the way I want to! One day though :)

moonangelnay xxx

A New Mandala

Well I've finally got myself together and made my computer cooperate with me doing some work, despite the fact it is now 12.48am where I'm from and I should probably catch up on the late night last night. But yes! A fresh new mandala is in my store!
This new series that I'm working on is become more and more spiritually inspired the more I gather ideas. So far I'm finding they are resembling the chakra system which is pretty cool. Particularly as I tend to frequently put emphasis on my own when I meditate and through other lines of my work. So for me it's almost like I'm connecting not only to the soul nature of the photo's i'm editing (the primary emphasis) but to my own soul nature. Which I guess would make sense as that is what art and creativity should be about! But unlike my other work, this is manifesting into a more personal area for me, as I'm not just farting around with tools as I edit making changes willy nilly, but I'm making a point of carefully choosing the changes I make and putting a lot of intent into each individual photograph. I'm just chuffed that I can treat my digital art the same way I would do a drawing or painting, as by nature I am a fine artist. Technology has corrupted my soul however lol! But I like it. It means I am flexible and open to new things and generally I like to think I'm that way, away from my art. I feel the urge to draw something. It always happens this way, and ALWAYS at inappropriate hours. ah well, bed time!

moonangelnay xxx

Phew!

It's been a bit of a day. A mental one although I can't say literally. Just my own making, in my own mind. After last night's ordeal with my son and the lack of help the doctors gave at our local hospital, I've been feeling pretty deflated. My other half was there for at least 4 hours, which obviously gave plenty of time for my sons open wound to heal but it meant that the doctors weren't prepared to glue the opening together FOR this exact reason. Giving that it only would have taken a minute to do that (I know after they did it the first time around), we feel pretty let down, and now my son's scar is going to be pretty big as opposed to neater and not so big. That's the NHS for you. Useless.

Anyway i've been a busy bee when I've had the time to work today. Still trying to become a nab hand at this blogging malarky and finding new ways to promote my etsy shop online. I found a brilliant source from etsy seller jessejanes, a pdf document that she has composed that gives a wonderful wealth of information to help my exact cause regarding internet promotion outside of etsy. She has a pretty incredible sales rank for just over a year so I gotta give a hand to her, she knows her stuff! So I'm getting to work on that one!

I had a go at making some more digital work today but my PC is being a bit uncooperative so that didn't exactly manifest, but I'll showcase one of my recent works anyway as I hoped to show something on my blog today. I have created a new series of digital creations that are meant to express the soul nature behind mother nature, by caputuring photographs of the natural world and re-creating their essence in the form of a mandala. Mandala literally translates as "essence" and so far I'm pretty pleased with my work.

It has inspired me to create a treasury on the subject too if you're interested in having a look at that, which I feel is worth sharing due to the beautiful work of the artists I have selected on there :) like this one by mirese. I couldn't believe that this wasn't a real baby, but seriously if you have a look I'm sure you'll be amazed at her talents as a sculptor!

All in all, what a day it has been. looking forward to a hopefully less stressful day tomorrow.

moonangelnay xxx

I'm back from the shadowy depths of last year! And with an Etsy Shop!

As I am notoriously rubbish at ever being a good internet devotee, my blog has been collecting cobwebs from last year, and now I feel pressured to not only fulfill forgotten promises on here, but I must revamp things a little!


I was quite mortified to come on here and see how I had left things, which isn't unusual for me having to jump up every five seconds to separate my son from any nearby pointy objects. But it is something that frustrates me terribly, particularly when Christmas came along. Man, I was nuts! Set myself way too much to do (all handmade objects for presents... EEK!).
Saving the details of that, and reviewing how I have been lately, I think it's safe to say that I am ever so slightly disorganised :( and need to make that one hefty opposite!

So... Lets see if I can manage this... I have an Etsy shop http://moonangelnay.etsy.com/ which you can have a look at if you wish.
It's probably the only thing I have tried really REALLY hard to look into regularly, so I am quite proud to say I can manage my time sometimes! Lol! But any mum will know just how demanding things can be when you do the full time thing which means not much TV for them, plenty of hands on learning, day trips, mess!!! So my etsy shop is a real achievement and worth a mentioning! Thankyou if you do have a look in though! I hope you like what I do! Plenty of digital art, photo retouching, creative photography, embroidered jewelery, crochet flower brooches, pet portrait commissions, abstract art, gemstone jewelery, macrame jewelery, leather corset/waspie style belts, and leather baby/toddler belts. A huge variety I know but I love to create! It's just something I have always enjoyed be it fine art, textile or digital!

So this is a new day, and despite my lack of knowledge on the art of blogging I do feel that maybe I can handle this after all! We'll see...

Love and Light,

until tomorrow...

Nay x