Treasuries Always an Honor

Being included in a treasury by a fellow etsian is ALWAYS an Honor!

I have been so fortunate in this last 2 weeks or so to have my items featured in some absolutely beautiful treasuries! I would love for you to check them out- they are filled with gorgeous and unique items. I love that people create treasuries with different ideas and thoughts in mind- some a color, others an emotions or a feeling. I love to look at the group as a whole and the titles of the treasuries- it often gives you an inside peek about the creator.

Here they are

Just Jewellery- Red a beautiful collection of red items

SIGH a treasury created around a feeling the creator was having of sadness and hope combined

Eclectic Earthy a gorgeous collection that spans from browns to oranges

Coveting Green Green Green

Cool Blue! A treasury made up of the creator Facebook friends

Orange Glow Warms My Soul name sums it up perfectly

I must admit I have not made a treasury but I am going to put that on my to do list for this weekend- especially now that we do not have to fight to get one. I am honored to be featured- always honored, each and every time! Thanks to all that have ever included any of my items in their treasury.

Here is the most recent one my items were featured in~ Enjoy!

'Orange Glow Warms My Soul' by soulenergy

It's been raining for two days, and I needed something to cheer me up on this gray Monday! These wonderful artists have done it for me. Enjoy, and have a great week!

October Sky - 5x7 Fine ... ara133photogra... $15.00	BURNING GLOW Amber Oran... craftyGAgal $16.00	Celestial Beings large ... leearte $279.00	Sun Rings martynps $20.00
Fern Poetry (Sepia) 5X7 soulfuse $15.00	UpCycled ReCycled Repur... BootsNGus $60.00	Sun and Moon Mason Jar ... GeekGear $	Red Daisy Glow 5x5 Digi... studiomem $15.00
Shades of Orange-Mosaic... CrookedMoonMos... $90.00	Halloween bottlecap nec... CslayerD $5.99	Pumpkin Solar Lights ,U... treasureagain $	Pumpkin Bokeh - 8x8 Fin... shannonleighst... $20.00
Abstract Outsider Art F... artbysonja $40.00	Sunset Silhouette - 5x7... yinyangdesigns $9.00	Vintage Harvest - Fine ... buckscountyfra... $30.00	Halloween Lanterns GINAMARINO4462 $11.25

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

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Week 1 Etsy Success Holiday Boot Camp

I am excited to be participating in the Etsy Success Holiday Boot Camp. Each week there will be tasks (aka homework) to complete to get the participant's etsy shops ready for the holidays. I am planning on posting here on my blog each week- telling about my completed assignments and also hoping others will join in and we can encourage each other along.
This is week one (which started on Thursday and new weeks will start on Thursday) and the first thing to do is that the pledge- so here is mine~

I, __Meredith "craftyGAgal" Crosby __, pledge to participate in the Etsy Success Holiday Boot Camp to the best of my abilities. I vow to check in every week, do my homework and support my fellow Holiday Boot Campers. I will read the weekly newsletters and blog posts, check in on the weekly forum thread, read the weekly blog post, check off the checklists and salute the mascot. I promise to share what I've learned with those who need it, support my fellow Etsy indiepreneurs and, most of all, have a positive and persistent attitude. I understand that together we can spread theword about our handmade and vintage goods, making this holiday season a more unique and meaningful one to gift givers and give-ees everywhere!

Next I was to vote for a mascot for the boot camp out of these choices here. I voted for the camo monkey since it is crochet- which I love to do and the boot camp is kinda like a military thing and I thought the camo fit!

I am proud to say that the next task I had already implemented a while ago and it really is a valuable tool- Google Analytics. Even if you are not participating in the boot camp I highly recommend setting up your google analytics to track your etsy shop. You can see where your visitors are coming from, how long they are staying, what are most popular pages, which promotions or marketing techniques you are using are working and which are not and much more. I LOVE google analytics.

Lastly, besides posting in forum and encouraging others, is to come up with a "Holiday Mission Statement". In the assignment is says this Holiday Mission Statement is defined as:
"Why are you working your butt off this season? What is your motivation?"

My Holiday Mission Statement is as follows

"To use my hands and heart to make and sell handmade items at affordable prices to make people smile. I plan to work hard to not only sell to financially help my family but to also bring joy to others when they receive a handmade items made by me- either from someone else or as a special gift of love to them self. I also will continue to craft because it is the best means of dealing with my chronic pain, it is an outlet for my emotion, it keeps my mind busy and makes me feel useful. I will look for opportunities to "give back" and preform acts of kindness this holiday season."

I know maybe this is not exactly what they had in mind- think it was supposed to be more business oriented but that is a Holiday Mission Statement I feel good about. Yes making money is nice; in fact at this time financially in my family with my husband being in the struggling construction industry, it is more than nice, it is a necessity; but I never craft with the thought of making money- I do craft with the thought of making someone smile or feel loved. This I am perfectly ok with. I also am a firm believer in being kind and thoughtful pays off- in more ways then one.

I would love to know of any other etsians joining in the Etsy Success Holiday Boot Camp! Please be sure to leave a comment if you are and if you are blogging about it so I can support you!

I am off now to comment on the forum- the last actual task.
SMILE!

Speaking of boot-camp and the camo monkey- here is a camo baby hat I make that I think is so cute, I have everyone from hunters to military families love and purchase this hat

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My New Obsession ~ Polymer Clay

I totally admit that I am a craft junkie! I love all crafts and forms of art. I also admit that when I get into something - I go all in. Enter polymer clay.... Oh yeah, I love it. There are so many things I love about it. I love the instant gratification. Some crafts I do such as crocheting or cross stitching- you sometimes work hours before a project even begins to resemble anything, let alone what it is eventually going to be. I also love the fact that I can walk away from a polymer clay project and come back to it without worrying about the clay drying out, just pick up where I left off (I do cover it with a paper or something to keep dust particles off- it would surprise you the stuff that can land on your clay if left out too long). I love that polymer clay can be abstract. It is much like painting- you can make a certain object or just something that is pretty. I love that I can make my own beads or pendants to then use in other jewelry projects- just taking the "handmade" one step further. Polymer clay projects and techniques are endless- I get lost in links and tutorials on different sites about polymer clay and before you know it hours have passed.


So there you have it- I admit it- I am addicted to polymer clay. I have several finished necklaces and pendants that I will be listing in my etsy shop. I can't wait to show everyone and get some feedback.


Also I am sorry for not being around- I am back into a routine now that the kids are back in school and we are moved... this last year has been a rough one but I am emerging stronger and even more determine to reach my goals. I am back for good and look forward to connecting with old friends again, along with meeting new ones!


Here is a sneak peak - I am listing this polymer pendant on a handmade necklace today... I layered many colored- textured with a stamp, and then sliced aways raised pieces of the design to reveal the colors underneath-

SMILE~

Meredith

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