Do I Dare Etsy Again?

Bubble Wands

I've been contemplating re-opening a store on Esty, or maybe I should go with the the free site Storenvy... The real question is do I want to do all that again. It's actually a lot of work to take and then load all the photos, add descriptions and then promote the products. Then there are all the logistics of shipping and actually going to the post office on a regular basis.

If I'm going to do it, this time I need to employ a better system.

Etsy or Storenvy?
Etsy is more well known but Storenvy can actually integrate into my blog so that is probably the smarter option. Storenvy is also free. Etsy always seemed to be charging me for something; posting, selling, having a store...

What to Make/Sell?
Last time I made a ton of different one off items. Each of them took hours to make, photograph and post. In the end I wasn't making enough to make it worth while. I'm currently making some really cool upcycled iPhone, iPad and Kindle cases. They are much quicker to make so I can keep my prices down and not feel like I am ripping myself off. Plus they are standard sizes so I can figure out the prices for shipping and easily ship from home, no weekly trips to the post office.

The kids and I make a few other simple things too, upcycled bubble wands and key chains would be other easy item for the store. The cost to make them is a bit higher but the yield is high too so it would balance out.

I think limiting the products in the store would actually be good for sales too.

Getting Started:
This is actually going to be the most difficult step. I'm busy. I need to create and inventory and photograph it before I even get to the setting up a store part! I think I need to mill it over a bit longer and then set a goal. If I can get some products made in the next month I will be able to come up with a timeline.

I'm excited by the prospect and after putting it all down on "paper" I think I really do want to go for it again!

Vintage Button Earrings Giveaway

Ali of Button Willow Jewelry makes these fantastic earrings out of vintage buttons and recycled guitar strings. They are super cute with timeless style. I'm thrilled to host this giveaway for Ali and two of her gorgeous earrings.

Soft Purple Satin Earrings

Silver Tear Drop Earrings

At Button Willow Jewerly Ali pairs vintage and retro buttons with guitar string to create distinctive designs with a unique twist. Ali uses her Grandmother's and Great Grandmother's vintage buttons in many of the pieces, adding a touch of history and love to each design. 

Enter by doing one or more of the following-

• Leave a comment on this blog post telling me which of the two giveaway earrings you like best, the silver or the purple.
• Leave a comment on this blog post with the link to your favorite pair of earrings from the Button Willow Jewelry Etsy shop - http://www.etsy.com/shop/ButtonWillowJewelry
• Share the link to Ali's store or your favorite item from her store on Facebook http://www.etsy.com/shop/ButtonWillowJewelry.
• "Like" Button Willow Jewelry on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Button-Willow-Jewelry
• Share this giveaway on twitter, make sure to include @upcycledbyash and @TheButtonGirl in the tweet so I can see that you shared.
• Subscribe to the Upcycled by Ash Blog (see the widget/links in the side bar).

Each action you complete is worth one entry. Be sure to leave a separate comment here on this post for each action to be sure we count all your entries. Please leave your email address on your comments. If I have no way to contact you, you can't win.

This giveaway will run for one week, April 4th - April 11th. On April 11th the winner will be announced in a post here on Upcycled by Ash. The winner will also be notified by email.

Good Luck!!!

Interested in entering another great giveaway? Check out this one going on now through April 8 at String Bean Studios - http://string-bean-studios.blogspot.com/2011/04/exclusive-giveaway-build-your-own.html

Sugar, Spice and all Things Nice - Etsy Treasury

My beautiful baby niece, Gabby, is in the hospital. She has a severe case of RSV, respiratory syncytial virus. Today is her 5th day in the PICU, pediatric intensive-care unit. She is still hooked up to a ventilator and heavily sedated. It is so heartbreaking to see her like this. I'm not a crier, but this past week I have shed a lot of tears.

Her condition is, very slowly, improving. There isn't much you can do besides wait, hope and pray during times like this. Her nurses have been fantastic and my whole family has gathered to watch over and support Gabby and my sister.

My thoughts and my heart are with my niece right now. In honor of her and all the things she loves, I have made her an Etsy Treasury. I imagined her happy smiling face with every item I placed in it. It made me smile too.

Please check out Gabby's, Sugar, Spice and all Things Nice Treasury on Etsy and leave her a get well message. Thank you to everyone who has been thinking and praying for her and our family over the past week. 

Get well soon Gabby, Auntie loves you!

Visit Gabby's, Sugar, Spice and all Things Nice, Treasury on Etsy - http://etsy.me/gVUX3t

Handmade Rose Rings and Hairpins

Handcrafted Pink Rose Bobby Pin

These handmade roses are seriously cute! There is a satisfaction that comes from handmade jewelry that you don't get from mass produced items. Most the time you see flower jewelry like rings, earrings and hairpins for sale on Etsy the crafter simply bought the flower and glued it onto the metal base. But not these beauties! Keri Aragon of String Bean Studios and I handcrafted these perfect little roses ourselves. We are very proud of the end result. I seriously think you need one for your finger or hair!

Silver Ring with Silver Rose

Silver Ring with Pink Rose

Keep a look out for more of these gorgeous creations from Keri and I. We are making the roses in more colors and more styles. There are even earrings to match!

Our handmade rose jewelry is available for sale in the String Bean Studios Etsy store- http://etsy.me/hZI1sH

Spring Has Sprung!

Spring is coming and I am soooo excited about it. I made this beautiful Etsy Treasury to celebrate. Have look and let me know what you think! Help me get my Treasury on the Etsy front page by following this link and leaving a comment- http://etsy.me/hIFGmV THANKS!!!

V-day Goodies

Life has been a scramble lately but I did manage to get some designs done for Valentines Day. If you haven't seen them yet you can find them all on my Etsy- http://etsy.me/i0wq3C

Here is a little sample of my "Love" creations. I was super excited to find that I had so many perfect materials to upcycle and freecycle this little collection. 

100% upcycled love

100% Freecycled

freecycled and upcycled

Find it all on Etsy- http://etsy.me/i0wq3C

Lyme Time

Flower Lyme Bracelet

I spent some time over the past few weeks working on mew designs for Lyme awareness jewelry. I got a bunch of new freecycle green beads and went to town!

Everything here is available for purchase at my Etsy store- http://www.etsy.com/shop/upcycledbyash
The original Knotted Lyme Awareness bracelet is also still available. Lymenaide has the rubber awareness wristbands too. No excuse for not being stylishly Lyme this year!

4 strand Lyme Awareness Bracelet

Lyme Awareness Garden Ring

There are more pictures and items posted in my Etsy store! A portion of all Lyme Green items I sell goes to Lymenaide as a donation for Lyme disease awareness projects.

It's Official, I Have an Etsy Shop!

Upcycled by Ash on Etsy

It's Cyber Monday, where are you doing your online shopping??? You'd better have some plans to check out my brand new Etsy shop!

That's right, I did it. I set up shop on Etsy. It is going to be a lot easier to keep track of everything sales related there than it is here on the blog.

Please stop by and let me know what you think! I will be adding more soon. I have another wallet, a pin-up girls bag and a bunch of beautiful jewelry! I scored some great pieces to upcycle and materials to freecycle over the Thanksgiving holiday.

My Etsy Shop-

http://www.etsy.com/shop/upcycledbyash