Friday, September 30, 2011

{Featured Artist} Modern Buttercup

Welcome to Featured Fridays on Snuggly Monkey! Each Friday we chat with a different Etsy artist and take a peek inside their Etsy world. This week we are checking out Modern Buttercup.

How did you come up with your shop name? 
I was inspired by a modern looking vase with a bouquet of buttercups in it. That's where the name Modern Buttercup came from.

How would you describe your work to someone who asked you “What do you sell/make/do?”
I make jewelry that you can wear casually or dress up with. My work is inspired by whimsical items, and modern quirks in life.

How did you get started making jewelry?
I
've always liked making things, and opened my shop in March. I learned by experimenting with beads and wirework.



What is your favorite item to create? 
My favorite item to create are the ones that involve wirework and lots of beads.

What do you like about being a part of the Etsy community?
I love that its full of amazing crafters with great advice and willing to help you any time.

What aspects of your Etsy business do you find challenging? 
For me, the hardest things is getting my shop known. There is so many jewelry shops on Etsy, it's a challenge to be different and stand out. I'll probably work on SEO and good photos for my shop.


How do you advertise or promote your shop? 
I use Twitter,Pinterest, and my blog to promote my shop. I use Twitter and find it useful for sharing shop info to people who don't subscribe to my blog.


What do you do to encourage repeat/return customers?  
I send them coupon codes/ freebies.

What do you use for packaging materials and where do you get them? 
I use ribbon, tags and small jewelry boxes. 
I usually get my shop supplies locally, or I make my own. As for buying them locally or online, it depends. For cheaper stuff like ribbon, I shop locally. But for stuff I buy in bulk, like boxes, I buy online because in bulk things are cheaper.


Any photography tips to share? 
I photograph my items myself. It always helps to have steady, natural lighting and a good background. 

What else do you do to keep your shop looking great?
I make sure to have good photos and keep my profile and shop policies up to date. 

Are you a member of any teams? 
I'm a proud member of 21 Etsy teams. (yes, it's a lot) I like STATTEAM, Etsy Blog Team, and Etsy success team.the benefit of teams is that you can get good advice and give good advice. Make sure to be involved in the Etsy community! :)

As a fan of Inside the Actor's Studio with James Lipton, I've always enjoyed his final 10 questions that he asks all his guests. So, inspired by the questionaries of Mr. Lipton, Bernard Pivo (Lipton's inspiration) and Marcel Proust here are a few final questions for Modern Buttercup..


What is your favorite word? Quirky
What is your least favorite word? Fabulous
What sound or noise do you love? I love the sound of The Beach
What sound or noise do you hate? Water running from a faucet (when it's not being used- I hate wasting water)
If you were reincarnated as some other plant or animal, what would it be? Probably a water lily. I love the way they look, it's so pretty.
What natural gift would you most like to possess? The ability to read minds- that would be awesome!
What would you like to be when you grow up? A successful business owner.
What makes you smile? Cookies, cute comics, and beautiful Summer nights.

Thank you so much Modern Buttercup for giving us a peek into your shop world today! Be sure to keep in touch with Modern Buttercup!

Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ModernButtercup
Blog: http://modernbuttercup.blogspot.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/#!/modernbuttercup
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/modernbuttercup

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Custom Bilingual Blanket and Block

The summer heat finally broke this past weekend, and we've been enjoying a lovely chilly and rainy fall weekend here in Central NC. The perfect weather for working on a project, in my opinion! So, this weekend I worked on finishing up a custom order I received for a Bilingual (English/Spanish) Baby Blanket and matching Fabric Block. I love custom orders because it gives me a chance to do something a little different and to work with a customer to create something really special.


I am quite happy with how it turned out, and it was so nice to snuggle up in a big chair to bind the blanket and cuddle with the super soft backing fabric :)


I combined some of my favorite fabrics in this blanket. Since two of them are now out of print, I will be very sad when my stash runs out and I can't use them anymore. I love all the bright colors too!

I have been meaning to make another "batch" of cloth blocks all summer, but just didn't have the time. This order finally motivated me to get going on that project. So, that is what I will be working on for the next couple of weeks. I actually really enjoy making the blocks because each one comes out unique, plus the fabrics I use for the tops & bottom are fun to sew with!


Time to package these up and send them on their way to their new home in Chicago! 

Saturday, September 17, 2011

{Giveaway} Evil Eye Glass Bead Bracelet from SariBlue

Yesterday we heard all about Christine's unique Evil Eye jewelry and her passion for creating these beautiful items. SariBlue is graciously sponsoring a Giveaway for Snuggly Monkey readers!


Prize: Green Apple Evil Eye Glass Bead Bracelet (value $27)
Start Date: Saturday, September 17, 2011
End Date: Friday, September 30, 2011


{How to Enter to Win}

The winner of this Giveaway will be chosen at random, so the more times you enter the higher your chances of winning! I like having options, so there are SEVERAL ways to enter.  Feel free to do as many or as few as you like. Don't have time to do them all now? No problem! Come back later and add a few more entries (this giveaway will be open for TWO whole weeks).  



Entering is EASY with Rafflecopter. When you have completed one of the tasks below, just click the green "I DID THIS" button, enter the requested information and move on to the next task! No need to leave a separate comment for each entry (unless the instructions for that particular task ask you to that is!). Good Luck!!

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