Saturday Treasury Challenge - Hostess Gift Guide

Pepper Jelly Collection from bovinebubbles

November is almost upon us! Lots of holiday parties and events to attend - lots of hostess gifts to prepare!  I try to keep a stock of gifts on hand to go to for last minute preparations and using handmade and vintage items like soaps, jams and jellies, a little piece of jewelry, makes them so much more personal and unique than the standard bottle of wine or box of chocolates.  

Saturday theme challenges are based on a central theme or idea. No specific item is featured, but they are more loosely based on an idea. These challenges are judged - the winning shop will have one of their items featured in the Wednesday Item Challenge – however these challenges are open to all! These theme challenges are meant to build your treasury making skills, promote the team and make Etsy connections. There is always a photo used to express the theme but this item does not have to be included in your treasury.

Everyone is invited to play - these challenges are open to all! These challenges are also voluntary - never mandatory for team members. Remember to try to include team mates you haven't used before.

The Rules:

1. Include at least 8 Curation Nation team members - you can use the sidebar on this blog for a list of team shops or search Etsy with the "curationnation" tag. Or click here to use the etsy minis to browse our team shops.
2. Please follow our blog.
3. Put "Treasury Challenge" somewhere in the title of your treasury.
4. Post a comment here on the blog with a link to your treasury - your treasury will not be judged unless you have posted it below in the comments.
5. Put a link to this blog post in the comments of the treasury - this helps others find the challenge and enter.
6. Tag the treasury "curationnation"
7. Tag the treasury "CNCHALLENGE
8. DUE DATE: Wednesday, November 3

**Are you interested in being a guest judge for a Saturday Challenge? Please convo me (http://www.etsy.com/shop/claireandjanae) and join in the fun!!**

**Do you have Saturday Theme Challenge ideas? Please convo me (http://www.etsy.com/shop/claireandjanae) and join in the fun!!** 

Treasury Challenge: BaileyBelle

This week SacredSuds was the guest judge for the treasury challenge- thanks so much SacredSuds! She picked BaileyBelle's Dreaming of Winter treasury as her favorite. Congratulations Baileybelle.

This week's Item: Mahlia 14K Gold Hoops Jade Earrings

Wednesday Item Treasury Challenges feature one item from a shop - the item must be included in your treasury. You have a week to complete the Wednesday challenge so they are longer than the Saturday Challenge. The featured Wednesday item is picked from the wining shop of the Saturday challenge. If the winner doesn't have a shop on Etsy, they will get to pick an item of their choice! Everyone is invited to play - these challenges are open to all. These challenges are also voluntary - never mandatory for team members.

The Rules and Fine Print and Such:

1. You must include at least 8 Curation Nation team members - you can use the sidebar on the blog for a list of team shops, or search "curationnation" on Etsy.
2. Please follow our blog.
3. Put "treasury challenge" somewhere in the title of your treasury.
4. Put a link to this blog post in the comments of your treasury. This helps other people find the challenge and enter.
5. Post a comment here on the blog with a link to your treasury.
6. Tag the treasury "curationnation"
7. Include the featured item in the first three rows of your treasury.
8. DUE DATE: Wednesday, November 3rd.
9. Have fun!

Developing a Brand - Guest Post

Hey C-Nation teammates! It’s Jess here from Virtue Bath and Beauty . I am so excited to share with you a little bit of knowledge that I have found extremely beneficial to my shop. My favorite part of selling on etsy, branding.

Developing your brand-

I have found that my sales have sky rocketed since I focused on my personal “brand” or style. Being only 19 years old, it took me a while to find out what my style was. I would flip back and forth between the indie free spirit style and the more feminine, delicate aesthetic.

When you’re first setting up shop it’s common to be a little wishy-washy. Which is why I am especially astounded to find great shops while pouncing that are totally established and branded. It makes me wish I would have waited to start until I was firmly grounded in a brand.  But, we all have to start somewhere right?

If you don’t already have a certain aesthetic to your shop I would recommend that you go through your favorite shops. Is there a certain style of sellers that you are drawn towards?  If you look through my favorites lists you’ll find lots of pink and feminine items with a very fresh, retro feel. Take a hint from what you like and stick with that. 

Keep it cohesive-

I know I have a tendency to be all over the place with my crafting. I love to make makeup but I also have a deep love for vintage. The hardest thing for me to do is keep a cohesive look in my shop. I wouldn’t sell handmade wooden furniture along with my bath & beauty products because that’s not cohesive.  Granted, I could probably get away with a few vintage things stuck in here and there but I don’t want my buyer to be confused as to what it is I’m selling.

Another important part of branding is cohesiveness in your images. That includes your logo, labels, blog, and any other tool that you use to represent your shop. I recently went on a rampage revamping my logo, labels, and business/thank you cards. I put it off for a while but once I felt confident in my brand it was necessary.

Standing out in a crowd-

It is easy to get settled into a style that is very popular. You see a shop you like and want to imitate it. It’s great that you take inspiration from something but put your own twist on it. When you are on a website like etsy with thousands of other sellers that make what you make you have to stand out. If you’re funny, take your wit and put it in your item descriptions. If you like to use recycled materials, make sure you stress that to your buyer. Find your niche, so to speak.

Don’t be afraid of change! As time goes on you might have a change of heart regarding your aesthetic. I know I’ve changed my shop so many times I couldn’t count. Some of my biggest breakthroughs have come when I made a change to something or re-evaluated my branding. Take it a day at a time and work hard and you’re sure to succeed!

xoxo

Jess

Getting to Know ShawnaCameron

As my daughter sits here at her table, drawing pictures on scrap paper, picking out stickers, and singing a happy tune, it got me thinking about my fellow artists and crafters of this lovely team.

I thought while I was in an etsy loving mood, watching the love of art happen right in front of me, I could take the time to share a little about one of our own artists, ShawnaCameron.

because who doesn't want to hear more about an artist that shows us this?!

Angie: Who inspired you to be an Etsian?

Shawna: I had stumbled on Etsy previously - I don't even remember how - and when I made the decision to market my images and was looking at different ways to sell photography online I noticed that there were a few shops on here that sold it. Though he's not using his shop any more, I think it was JaredKS that made me decide to give it a whirl.

source

 Angie: What is your favorite thing about Etsy?

Shawna: It's got to be the connections I've made and the communities that have formed on here. Most recently, of course, I've had the good fortune to join Curation Nation and become part of this diverse and talented group. I love making treasuries as much as I love being in them. Everyone is so creative and the myriad ways people can interpret the same theme just blow me away! I also love the fPOE team (Female Photographers of Etsy), of which I've been a member for quite a long time now. They have a very active Flickr group forum; I wasn't even aware that I lacked a peer group of women photographers until I found them.

source

Angie: What is your favorite thing in your shop?

Shawna: Well I only sell images - albeit at different sizes and printed on different media - but my favourite changes all the time; it's pretty much always something I've done recently. Right now I'd probably have to say Allium Evening. I had to choose a few to print to canvas a couple a days ago to take advantage of a limited-time offer and that's one of the ones I chose.

source

Angie:What do you do besides Etsy?

Shawna: Photography-wise? I have my website www.shawnacameron.com that links to my Etsy shop, a blog, and my Flickr gallery. I also do the odd show at galleries or art events. For example, I was one of the artists that exhibited at the BlogHer Voices of the Year gala in New York this past August. After the show, all the pieces were auctioned off online to benefit the Nature Conservancy's efforts to clean up the Gulf. I like the fact that I can donate a piece to charity and they will get more money from selling it than if I'd just given them a straight cash donation. Win-win.

If we're talking life in general, I have a full-time day job sitting at a desk, I teach fitness classes a couple of times a week at the gym, and I contribute to a local Ottawa parenting blog called KidsInTheCapital in addition to running my photography and personal blogs. And did I mention that I have two children ages 2 and 4? I'm lucky because I can do some blog-writing on my lunch hour at work and a lot of the other stuff, like working online or on image post-processing, after the kids are in bed.

source

Angie: What is one thing you would like everyone to know about you?

Shawna: I feel like I kind of said it all already. Hm. Except maybe that I have a fantastic husband? Corny but true.

source

Treasury Challenge: Winter Layers

scarf from deusprovidebit

Saturday theme challenges are based on a central theme or idea. No specific item is featured, but they are more loosely based on an idea. These challenges are judged - the winning shop will have one of their items featured in the Wednesday Item Challenge – however these challenges are open to all! These theme challenges are meant to build your treasury making skills, promote the team and make Etsy connections. There is always a photo used to express the theme but this item does not have to be included in your treasury.

Everyone is invited to play - these challenges are open to all! These challenges are also voluntary - never mandatory for team members. If you are on the Cnation team remember to mix it up with who you feature.

This week we are trying to focus on some of the great etsy merchandising themes for now.

This Saturday's Theme: The Layers of Winter

The Rules:
1.Include at least 8 Curation Nation team members - you can use the sidebar on this blog for a list of team shops or search Etsy with the "curationnation" tag. Click HERE for etsy minis- which are SUPER helpful.
2.Please follow our blog.
3.Put "Treasury Challenge" somewhere in the title of your treasury.
4.Post a comment here on the blog with a link to your treasury - your treasury will not be judged unless you have posted it below in the comments.
5.Put a link to this blog post in the comments of the treasury - this helps others find the challenge and enter.
6.Tag the treasury "curationnation"
7. Tag the treasury: "Winter Layers"
8. Tag the treasury "CNCHALLENGE
9.DUE DATE: Wednesday, October 30

**Are you interested in being a guest judge for a Saturday Challenge? Please convo me (http://www.etsy.com/shop/claireandjanae) and join in the fun!!**

**Do you have Saturday Theme Challenge ideas? Please convo me (http://www.etsy.com/shop/claireandjanae) and join in the fun!!**

Winners

Remember Last wednesday when we featured JarosDesigns in our treasuries? Well ShowSomeMoxie helped and picked a favorite- and it was from CraftedbyLindy- congratulations we love that you participated! Stay tuned and enter the Blushie challenge as fast as you can- a new challenge will get posted later today.

to brag or not to brag?

The other day I jumped in a discussion on the team's Google Groups page discussing using the "My shop featured on the front page" image in your listings that have made the front page.

The discussion brought up some good points.  A lot of the points I had never considered before.  These were the most average opinions:

-If an item has the "FP badge", I won't use it in my treasuries because it has already been on the front page.  I would rather feature something new.

-I don't really look to see if an item has the "FP  badge".  If it fits my treasury, I'm using the item.

-I like to use one or two items with the "FP badge" because I know these items have caught the eye of an Admin in the past.


How do you feel about this topic?  I wanted to bring this up on the blog in case any non-members had something to say.  Feel free to discuss in the comments here.  Do you notice any benefits of adding this image to your listings?  I know that I gave up adding this image a long time ago because it was just "one more thing to do" and discontinuing it would be "one less thing to do".  Also, sometimes I feel like the badge is really just saying this:

Wednesday Treasury Challenge: Blushie

After going through all of the amazing Saturday challenge entries, I realized I had narrowed it down to a few beautifully inspired treasuries, several of which were curated by Megan from Blushie!  Congratulations!!  She entered seven different treasuries, all inspired by team mates and all were lovley!


This week's featured item is her Highland Fling Soap.

Wednesday Item Treasury Challenges feature one item from a shop - the item must be included in your treasury. The featured Wednesday item is picked from the wining shop of the Saturday challenge. If the winner doesn't have a shop on Etsy, they will get to pick an item of their choice! Everyone is invited to play - these challenges are open to all. These challenges are also voluntary - never mandatory for team members.

The Rules and Fine Print and Such:

1. You must include at least 8 Curation Nation team members - you can use the sidebar on the blog for a list of team shops, or search "curationnation" on Etsy.
2. Please follow our blog.
3. Put "treasury challenge" somewhere in the title of your treasury.
4. Put a link to this blog post in the comments of your treasury. This helps other people find the challenge and enter.
5. Post a comment here on the blog with a link to your treasury.
6. Tag the treasury "curationnation"
7. Include the featured item in the first three rows of your treasury.
8. DUE DATE: Wednesday, October 27.
9. Have fun!

{Guest Post} Milk Glass

Hi there, Kristi here, guest posting for the great Curation Nation! I feel so honored to be a part of this wonderful community of Etsians, and it's been so much fun getting to know my team members. I feel like I slack on keeping up with everyone's treasuries, so hopefully guest posting will redeem me :)

One lazy summer day, I decided to stop in a brightly colored thrift store on the way to my boyfriend's house. It was so overwhelmingly messy and cluttered that I almost had a panic attack (people that know me, know this isn't far from the truth)! I decided to wade through the piles anyway, and I ended up with some great milk glass vases for only .25 a piece. This was the beginning of my interest in milk glass...

 source

Milk glass has been around since the 16th century, but it has only been called "milk glass" since the 20th century. I learned a lot about this lovely glass on the Collectors Weekly website, which you should all check out if you get a chance! Once I realized how cute these white glass pieces looked, I decided to get more and work it into my decor. I now have several vases, compote pieces and a hobnail lamp that I love! One place I can always find great milk glass pieces that fit my design aesthetic is Etsy. Here are some of my favorites:

source

source

source

source

Well, I hope you all enjoy milk glass as much as I do! If you want to be a super-collector, you could always join the National Milk Glass Collectors Society :)

Saturday Challenge: INSPIRED BY...

this card was found by searching "curationnation inspiration" on etsy

Saturday theme challenges are based on a central theme or idea. No specific item is featured, but they are more loosely based on an idea. These challenges are judged - the winning shop will have one of their items featured in the Wednesday Item Challenge – however these challenges are open to all! These theme challenges are meant to build your treasury making skills, promote the team and make Etsy connections. There is always a photo used to express the theme but this item does not have to be included in your treasury.

Everyone is invited to play - these challenges are open to all! These challenges are also voluntary - never mandatory for team members. If you are on the Cnation team remember-please try to use team members you don't usually use.

I was just chatting with Factorygirlashli on twitter about how she makes a treasury every day, which is amazing. I can't commit to doing anything every day, except maybe eating halloween candy. We thought about what inspires different treasuries. This week for the Saturday Challenge we will be making a treasury inspired by a CurationNation member. Pick a Member and make a treasury dedicated to them.

This Saturday's Theme: "INSPIRED BY...."
(you can fill in the blank)

The Rules:
1.Include at least 8 Curation Nation team members - you can use the sidebar on this blog for a list of team shops or search Etsy with the "curationnation" tag. Click HERE for etsy minis- which are SUPER helpful.
2.Please follow our blog.
3.Put "Treasury Challenge" somewhere in the title of your treasury.
4.Post a comment here on the blog with a link to your treasury - your treasury will not be judged unless you have posted it below in the comments.
5.Put a link to this blog post in the comments of the treasury - this helps others find the challenge and enter.
6.Tag the treasury "curationnation"
7. Tag Item: "inspired by..."
8. Tag Item "CNCHALLENGE
9.DUE DATE: Wednesday, October 20
**Are you interested in being a guest judge for a Saturday Challenge? Please convo me (http://www.etsy.com/shop/claireandjanae) and join in the fun!!**

**Do you have Saturday Theme Challenge ideas? Please convo me (http://www.etsy.com/shop/claireandjanae) and join in the fun!!**

Exciting news in T-Minus 3 seconds!

Our team has been amazing lately.  You know this.  I'm just reminding you.  A few days ago, Etsy announced a little Nasa-themed contest.  It's pretty interesting, with fabulous prizes and all.  You have until November 2 to enter.

WELL.... today, Discover Magazine caught wind of this contest and published a feature of it on their blog.  They chose 7 out of the hundreds of entries to feature, and two of them belonged to members of Curation Nation!   Congrats BailyBelleCreations and Cookstah!!

they featured BailyBelleCreation's Jupiter Necklace

and Cookstah's Moon Painting!

Congratulations, you two!  Best wishes in the contest.

Etsy On Sale (a tool you should know about)

Hey team!

I'm sure by now most of you have heard of EtsyOnSale.  I know some of you have tried it and others are waiting to hear more before you try it.  I tried it out two weekends in a row for "field research".

If you are wondering how to get it set up, it's actually pretty easy.  You sign in with your google account, and this application is approved by Etsy and will show up in "Applications" when you click on "Your Etsy".  If you're ready to try it out, click on "Sellers" at the top of EtsyOnSale.  Sign in with your google account, click on your shop banner, then click on "Sales Events".  Now you're ready to schedule a sale.  Click on "+New Sales Event" and you will be directed to this page:

You can then choose to run the sale over your entire shop or a certain section.  You also get to set up the sale to run on a timer.... You have say over when it starts and when it ends.  Then you get to choose a percentage off or a $ amount off.  Where it says "Listing Title Prefix" you want to enter something like WEEKEND SALE so it will show up in your listing titles that your items are on sale.  Click "Schedule Sales Event", and you're set up!

I have found that I have to click the green "play" button to get my sale started, even if the sale is in the future.  I'm not sure if I'm the only one who has had these results or not.  It takes awhile for all of your listings to update for the sale (as it will take them awhile to return to usual after the sale is over).

 source

RESULTS

I had 6 sales the first weekend and 4 sales the next weekend.  I'm not sure if this is typical for users of the app.  I was impressed with this, however, there were some frightening side affects of using the app.

SIDE EFFECTS

The second time I used the app, several of my listings expired.  I renewed some of them and left others expired.  After the sale was over, it automatically renewed the ones I had not renewed.  I never approved this action.  Freaky.  Also, I relisted a couple of the sold items before the sale was over, and these listings were duplicated after the sale was over.  I also did not approve of this action.

GLITCHES/BUGS

If you renew an item that sells before the sale expires, it won't revert to normal after the sale expires.  Also, if you renew an expired listing in the middle of the sale, it won't automatically adjust for the sale.

IS IT WORTH IT?

Yes and no.  If you're desperate for something to adjust all of your listings at once, go for it.  You just have to be willing to risk phantom renewals and relistings after the sale expires.  You also have to keep a close eye on what does or does not adjust.  Craftopolis has something up their sleeve that I'm excited to learn more about.  It might be a safer way to update your listings for a sale.

I hope this review helped.  Feel free to discuss the app in the comments.  I'll try to answer any questions as best as I can!

Wednesday Double Challenge

The Challenge this week has a new twist. Of the 8 Curation Nation members you pick, you should have at least 4 of them be people you don't usually include, or have never included in a treasury. Just a few days ago SimplyInvitingCards made treasuries including EVERY teammate. can you imagine? She is pretty amazing and I was impressed with her Curation skills. So if you enter every week and find yourself loving all the same shops- remember to branch out and get to know someone new on the team. That way the challenges can give us a fresh perspective.
If you are new to the Wednesday challenge Welcome! I feel like Treasury Challenges help improve our curation skills- I get so many ideas from what other people come up with!

This week's Winning Treasury from JarosDesigns. LittleBugJewelry Helped me pick the winner- thanks so much for your help.
Then I picked an item from her shop that I think is awesome and would be compelling in a treasury.

Mixed Metal Petals - Gold Curved Discs on Sterling Silver Hoop Handmade Earrings

aren't these earrings beautiful?

Wednesday Item Treasury Challenges feature one item from a shop - the item must be included in your treasury. The featured Wednesday item is picked from the wining shop of the Saturday challenge. If the winner doesn't have a shop on Etsy, they will get to pick an item of their choice! Everyone is invited to play - these challenges are open to all. These challenges are also voluntary - never mandatory for team members.

The Rules and Fine Print and Such:

1. You must include at least 8 Curation Nation team members - you can use the sidebar on the blog for a list of team shops, or search "curationnation" on Etsy.
2. Please follow our blog.
3. Put "treasury challenge" somewhere in the title of your treasury.
4. Put a link to this blog post in the comments of your treasury. This helps other people find the challenge and enter.
5. Post a comment here on the blog with a link to your treasury.
6. Tag the treasury "curationnation"
7. Tag the treasury "cn challenge"
8. Tag the treasury "JarosDesigns"
9. Include the featured item in the first three rows of your treasury.
10. DUE DATE: Wednesday, October 20.
11. Have fun!

Curation Nation Front Page Roundup

Here are some fabulous team front pages we have accumulated in the past week!  If I'm missing one, please let me know, craftcult is a little wonky.

Pretty Little Purple Things with Just a Touch of Teal by metroline6

Gifts for the Write by sacredsuds

Shhh Quiet in the Library by Tangentine

Golden Morning by Dovie Moon

Garden Gifts by seb8351

Birches by allisajacobs

In That Old Abandoned House Pounce treasury by SimplyInvitingCards

Again, if I left any out, I truly apologize and please let me know and I'll add them - we're on a roll!  Let's keep it going!

Congratulations, Malarie!

Most of you have heard the news by now, but I wanted to give Malarie aka Itsastitch a BIG congrats for being featured in BUST magazine!

You can read her take on that feature here.

source

I'm sure we'd all love to ask Malarie a few questions, so I took the time to interview her for our blog!

Angie: How did BUST find you?
Malarie: BUST found me through Etsy! They contacted me (via a convo!) asking if I could make up one of these and ship it in week. Who would I be to say no? Thank goodness they're located in NYC or else I would've had to really eat it on shipping.

source

Angie: Who taught you your craft?
Malarie: I taught me my craft! I have lots of other hobbies/talents that were taught to me by other people, but as far as jewelry/embroidery, all me :)

source

Angie: HOW did you keep this a secret?!
Malarie: Oh my God, I BARELY did. I was actually about to run to twitter/facebook/blog IMMEDIATELY because - holy crap, who wouldn't?! But my boyfriend (Justin) actually told me to wait until I was 100% sure, so I knew it had to be when I had the magazine in hands. I actually told a few people (such a blabbermouth) in my family because I just had to tell SOMEONE.

source

Angie: Have you been published before?
Malarie: Only online, this is my first time in print. And I'll use this as another ego-plug, the same stitch is actually going to be in a book (along with a pattern) next fall! I'm sure I'll freak out all over again, haha.

source

Angie: Do you have any suggestions or advice for others looking to get published?
Malarie: Have awesome photos and a unique/interesting product. I was told that was what drew them in initially. After that, know the audience. You can be proactive and approach blogs/magazines/etc. right off the bat (it makes their jobs easier!), just have your stuff together and make sure it's going to the right audience.

source

 Angie: How has this impacted your Etsy business (if at all)?

Malarie: I got to put "As featured in BUST Magazine" in the title, haha. I was so nerdily-excited about that (no, nerdily is not a word). And I actually sold another one, whether or not it's connected to the magazine is unknown - we can pretend!

source

Saturday Treasury Challenge: The Garden Lover

Liriope Autumn Garden from Eyeful

Saturday Treasury Challenge Gift Guides: The Garden Lover


SEB8351 loves to make treasuries and shop on etsy. She gave me the best idea for a Saturday Treasury Challenge- gift guides! Check out her treasuries HERE
Saturday theme challenges are based on a central theme or idea. No specific item is featured, but they are more loosely based on an idea. These challenges are judged - the winning shop will have one of their items featured in the Wednesday Item Challenge – however these challenges are open to all! These theme challenges are meant to build your treasury making skills, promote the team and make Etsy connections. There is always a photo used to express the theme but this item does not have to be included in your treasury.

Everyone is invited to play - these challenges are open to all! These challenges are also voluntary - never mandatory for team members.


This Saturday's Theme: Gift Guides: The Garden Lover

The Rules:
1.Include at least 8 Curation Nation team members - you can use the sidebar on this blog for a list of team shops or search Etsy with the "curationnation" tag.
2.Please follow our blog.
3.Put "Treasury Challenge" somewhere in the title of your treasury.
4.Post a comment here on the blog with a link to your treasury - your treasury will not be judged unless you have posted it below in the comments.
5.Put a link to this blog post in the comments of the treasury - this helps others find the challenge and enter.
6.Tag the treasury "curationnation"
7.DUE DATE: Wednesday, October 13
**Are you interested in being a guest judge for a Saturday Challenge? Please convo Janae (http://www.etsy.com/shop/claireandjanae) and join in the fun!!**

**Do you have Saturday Theme Challenge ideas? Please convo Janae (http://www.etsy.com/shop/claireandjanae) and join in the fun!!**

Wednesday Treasury Challenge: Zwzzy

Congratulations to zwzzy!  She is our Saturday Theme Challenge: A Few of my Favorite Things winner with her Delicate Sweetness treasury.  There was an abundance of wonderful treasuries this week to pick from - it was a very close contest!

This week's featured item are her 1970's Dominic Romano Black Leather Heels - think date night, dress up, even Halloween costumes!

Wednesday Item Treasury Challenges feature one item from a shop - the item must be included in your treasury.  You could be featured in an upcoming Wednesday Challenge!  The featured Wednesday item is picked from the wining shop of the Saturday challenge. If the winner doesn't have a shop on Etsy, they will get to pick an item of their choice! Everyone is invited to play - these challenges are open to all.  These challenges are also voluntary - never mandatory for team members.

The Rules:

1. You must include at least 8 Curation Nation team members - you can use the sidebar on the blog for a list of team shops, or search "curationnation" on Etsy.
2. Please follow our blog.
3. Put "treasury challenge" somewhere in the title of your treasury.
4. Put a link to this blog post in the comments of your treasury. This helps other people find the challenge and enter.
5. Post a comment here on the blog with a link to your treasury.
6. Tag the treasury "curationnation"
7. Tag the treasury "cn challenge"
8. Tag the treasury "zwzzy"
9. Include the featured item in the first three rows of your treasury.
10. DUE DATE: Wednesday, October 13.
11. Have fun!

Here's her winning treasury:

something cool on the FP

just wanted to share something I spotted on the Front Page... DollfaceDeville & repurposefulpunk's pretty faces!  Congrats on your Storque spotlights, ladies! 

Make Local Connections!

Hello to one and all of you my good friends of Curation Nation! It's Hollie of Blueberryshoes! Here is a guest post for those of you looking to meet more crafters locally :D Enjoy!

Etsy is a dream come true for indie creators and crafters. Not only is it a venue for making dough off our handmade goodies, but it also provides the community we crave. Fact is, it's hard to come by crafty types within our own circles, locally. Depending on where you're located, you may feel out of the loop with the creative peeps-or maybe you question if there even IS a craft scene in your area?

source

Fact is, Etsy limits you. The only way your business can grow is by getting in touch with your community, in REAL life. The computer can only do so much for you. Shaking hands and connecting with people into the same cool stuff provides such a different feeling and experience for us. We as human beings crave human interaction. Especially with those who "get" us. How rewarding would it be to sit with crafty friends at a cute cafe and bounce crafty ideas off each other? Don't shrink away thinking this impossible for you. It isn't if YOU make it happen ;)

As you know, Etsy Success is up to you. You get what you put into your shop. You experiment with pictures, angles, lighting. You promote all over the place. Well it's the same with local connections. Look for ways to connect with the community, and you'll be rewarded with new friends and great opportunities!

Where to start? Maybe you're new to town or simply shy. But there's something in you pushing to make connections. Maybe you've seen pictures on Facebook of other Crafters meeting up or doing craft shows. You know you wanna feel a part of something. Listen to that feeling and quench it. It'll be the best thing you ever do!

source

First and foremost...Join a local Etsy Team
Search under the Etsy Teams for your State, and then search for the team closest to your city. JOIN! It'll be the best Etsy decision you will ever make :D Be an active member and whenever they throw a show or meetup, attend. Meeting everyone in person is super fun! Remember it's A-okay to be on more than one team. Being on a local street team is key to a successful Etsy experience.

source

Coffee Shops
Get to know the coffee shops in your town. Look at their bulletin boards and take biz cards, take down numbers and note upcoming events. Be it an open mic, craft lesson, class of some sort, anything! Just get involved. Coffee shops are usually hubs for indie types. Leave a few of your own biz cards on the board. Who knows what doors that will open. When you get home, search for the coffee shops on Facebook and "like" them, so you can keep tabs on what events are happening at all the locations. Leave a comment on their walls saying you loved stopping in and that you'd love to get involved with anything crafty. Leave your Etsy shop link below.

If you find a coffee shop you really like, sit down and start crafting right there. You'll open up conversation and interest from anyone around you. When you introduce yourself, ask questions and smile. You've made a new friend ;) Remember to exchange business cards. Also, even if this person is not a crafter, it's still someone who was interested in your creations. Hey, maybe they'd like to enter the craft world, and you could help them! Plus, everyone has crafty friends, maybe even this person you just met.

source

Independent Boutiques and Art Supply Stores
Every town/city has them. Whether they sell specialty gifts, yarn, kids stuff, art supplies, etc- they love to see new faces walking in their front door. Walk in and look around, even if it really isn't up your alley. Grab a biz card and talk to the manager with a smile. Ask if they know of any craft meetups, or events coming up. Mention your Etsy shop and that you're looking to make some connections in the community. They might have tips for you :D "like" them on Facebook and leave a comment saying you loved meeting them.

Some of these boutiques house meetups and craft demonstrations or classes, so be sure to grab one of their schedules if they do. I know most Michaels locations do craft classes! Be sure to attend them! It'll be hard to motivate yourself, so maybe you could bring a friend if you're very shy. However I find I'm more confident when I go myself. Force yourself to talk to everyone sitting at the table. Be the one who takes an interest and see how many connections you'll make! People will be so happy someone else is taking the lead and making things happen.

source

Craigslist
Sometimes creepy, sometimes awesome, Craigslist can be a great place to start! Look for the "Artists", "Events" and "Classes" sections under Community. Also "Creative" under the Gigs section. Browse and get a feel for the things going on around you. You might be surprised! If there's just nothing going on, now's the time to post!

Under Artists or Events, go ahead and post a friendly but not too personal ad saying that you're a local crafter/artist who is looking to put together a craft meetup at a coffee shop in town. Put up a link to your shop and say that anyone interested in Etsy, craft shows, or networking is welcome to get in touch. You may get some responses! Make sure they share their etsy shop with you, or some kind of link that guarantees they're not a creeper. Always mention that there will be a group of you meeting up, so no one feels weird.

source

Shop Local on Etsy
If you haven't checked out this part of Etsy, you'll be pleasantly surprised! Type in any city and state and you can see all the crafters in your area! Look for shops that strike your fancy and read profiles. Do you get the vibe certain shops are open minded and looking to meet new creators? Convo them! Let them know you're planning a craft meetup at a craft shop and that you'd love to network. Sound very friendly and interested. Mention something nice about their goods, or shop. This will show you really care! Remember to search for the little towns outside of your town, as well. Make it a goal to convo alot or even all of them! Never give up ;)

Feel free to ask them if they will be doing any craft shows or local events in the future. They will likely know of some fun stuff for you to participate in! Most Etsians are in the same boat as you, looking to connect and will be so happy you got in touch.

Meetup.com
Meetup.com is a GREAT venue for crafters! It's free (unless you start your own meetup group) and you can search local goings on! You'll love it.

Facebook
Consider making a separate account just for business. You won't think twice about networking. Where as if you share biz with family and friends, you'll probably hold back.

"Like" any and everything local you can. Look for fresh markets, Whole Foods, indie boutiques, art stores, Michaels, etc. "Like" it all! Then you can start adding local friends. It will snowball from there. Fill up your "Events" with "Maybe attending" even if you know you won't go. That way people will see your face and name around the Facebook world and maybe even add you. Besides, if you mark yourself as "maybe attending", you might just find you can make time to go after all ;)

source

Craft Meetup
So now you've got a little group totally into the idea of meeting up. Don't stress out! It's VERY simple: Choose a location, date and invite! That's it. Tell the coffee shop you guys are coming. Pack a tote bag with your crafting materials and get there 15 mins earlier then the time you told everyone to show up. Have a coffee, enjoy a scone. Get into biz mode. Maybe you could make a little sign to put on the table that says "Craft Meetup"! Make it a cute little event ;)

source

When everyone shows up, get conversation going about their shops, where they're from, their families, what they love to do, where they see their business going. Hey, maybe you'll all come up with a great idea to throw a little craft show ;) Be open minded, confident and remember, SMILE! You'll have a ball and all the girls will LOVE you for taking the initiative to bring you all together. At the end of the meetup, talk about the next time you'll get together. Don't leave it open ended. You could even start a Facebook Group page for yourselves. Hey, maybe even an Etsy Street Team ;)

Be creative, and most importantly HAVE FUN! That's what being an indie creator is all about ;)

To throw a crazy fun Crafty Potluck Party at a friends house, check out my blog post on one I threw!

Remember, don't give up! If you don't get the response you're hoping for at first, keep working at networking. You'll see that soon enough you will get the ball rolling, and it will all pay off ;)