Saturday Treasury Challenge - Cyber Monday and Tech Gifts

Quilted iPad Sleeve by ArborGateGreetings

Cyber Monday is almost here!  I'm hoping it will be even bigger than Black Friday for Etsy.  This Saturday's theme challenge has two options - Cyber Monday or Gift Guides for Techies/Geeks - cyber, techies, get it?  So get those Cyber Monday sales rounded up, or go high tech with it and have fun making geekie gift guides for those shopping on with their keyboards!

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 everyone! If you don't have a shop on Etsy, an item of your choice will be featured in the Wednesday challenge.

These 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. 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.
4. Put a link to this blog post in the comments of the treasury - this helps others find the challenge and enter.
5. Tag the treasury "curationnation"
6. Tag the treasury "cyber monday etsy" or "geek gift guide"
7. DUE DATE: Wednesday, December 1.
8. Have fun!

Wednesday Treasury Challenge: Black Friday and Cyber Monday

2011 Fine Art Calendar by shawnacameron

Since Saturday was a Pounce challenge and so many people will be traveling, cooking, etc we aren't picking a winner to promote this week, since their item wouldn't receive the same amount of promotion as usual. (A big thank you to Ashli for reminding me of that!)  Plus, all your Pounce treasuries were awesome - very hard to pick a winner!

Instead we are joining in the huge Black Friday and Cyber Monday Etsy promotion and we're starting the challenge today to give ourselves a leg up!  Etsy will be heavily promoting items and treasuries using the "black friday etsy", "cyber monday etsy" and "etsy free shipping" tags this weekend.  This thread by marymary has all the details about this promotion and how to use the tags, and also requests treasury makers promote these items as well.

Etsy will be using these treasuries during the holiday weekend and they're queuing them up now.  We wanted to give you plenty of time to join in!  Your challenge will be to create team treasuries using all items tagged Black Friday Etsy, Cyber Monday Etsy, or Etsy Free Shipping, or all three- and make sure to tag your treasuries with those terms as well!  Because not all team members are using these tags, we are making an exception to the rule this week - you don't need to include 8 team members but try to include as many as you can using these promotional tags.  See you on the front page!

The Rules:

1. Because not all team members are using these promotional tags, you do not have to include 8 team members in your treasury, just include as many as you can. Use the sidebar on this blog or click here for a link to our team Etsy minis.
2. All the items in the treasury must have a "Black Friday Etsy", "Cyber Monday Etsy" or "Etsy Free Shipping" tag.
3. Tag your treasury with the appropriate tag - if the items you selected are using Black Friday Etsy tags, tag your treasury "Black Friday Etsy".  If your items have a mix of all three promotional tags, tag your treasury with all three tags.  
4. Tag your treasury "curationnation" if you were able to include at least 8 team members.
5. Have fun! And Happy Thanksgiving!

Saturday Treasury Challenge - Pounce!

Kitty Earrings from itsastitch

It's the time of year of being thankful for all we have. Ashli reminded me the other day that we haven't done a Pounce challenge in awhile -  let's share that warm and fuzzy feeling and pounce on some new sellers. 

Pounce team treasuries should be comprised of 100% new shops with no sales.  These are an exception to our team treasury rules and help new shops get some exposure. 

These 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. Use the Pounce feature on Etsy to find new shops without any sales to make your treasury.
2. Tag your treasury "CNPounce" and "curationnation" to help give these treasuries some exposure.
3. Post a link to this challenge in your treasury comments to help others find and enter our challenge.
4. Post a link to your treasury in the comments below.
5. Have fun discovering new shops!

Wednesday Treasury Challenge: palimpsestic

North Pole Garland by palimpsestic

So many gorgeous Winter Solstice treasuries to pick from! This week's winner is palimpsestic with her treasury When Dusk Kisses Dawn and this week we'll be featuring her North Pole Garland.

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:

1. You must include at least 8 Curation Nation team members - use the sidebar on the blog for a list of team shops, or click here to browse our team shops.
2. Please follow our blog.
3. Put a link to this blog post in the comments of your treasury. This helps other people find the challenge and enter.
4. Post a comment here on the blog with a link to your treasury.
5. Tag the treasury "curationnation"
6. Include the featured item North Pole Garland in the first three rows of your treasury.
7. DUE DATE: Wednesday, November 24.
8. Have fun!

Here's palimpsestic's winning treasury When Dusk Kisses Dawn:

A Model on MS Excel to Factor in Fees into your Profit - Guest Post

Hi, This is Som from Som’s Studio!

When we run a business, the profit we make, is key to our success. If you have a store on Etsy and accept payment via PayPal, it is very important to factor in the fees you pay while calculating the profit you actually make.

To demonstrate my point, let me start with a simple model on Excel. If you can add, subtract, divide and multiple…trust me you will be able to make this model work for you.

In our case, let me be a seller on Etsy (which I am!) selling a pair of earrings. The Cost Price (material, labor, overheads etc) in this example is $8.00, and consequently I have priced the Selling Price (SP) at $16.00. So my total Sales (also called Profit) is Selling Price (SP) – Cost Price (CP) = $16.00 -$8.00 = $8.00.

I have opened an Excel document and typed in the data and have applied this simple formula under CellF4.

(Click on pics to enlarge)

Now the Profit percentage is calculated as (SP-CP)/CP *100 = ($16.00 -$8.00)/ $8.00 *100 = 100%.

I have applied this same formula on Excel, but to simplify have changed the format of Cell G4 to “Percentage”. To do this, right click on the Cell G4, Select “Format Cells”, and find “percentage” under the “Number” tab.

Now, to calculate the fees. Etsy charges a fee of 3.5% of SP and a fee of 0.20c per listing.

PayPal charges 2.9% of SP and a fee of 0.30c per transaction.

(Click on pics to enlarge)

So total fees amount to $1.52.

Total profits goes down from $8.00 to $6.48.

Profit percentage goes down from 100% to 81%.

In another example (below), both Earrings B and C have a CP of 0.50c. Earrings B priced at $1.00, show a profit of 100% before fees, but a loss of 13% after factoring in fees. Earrings C, in contrast shows a break-even point when SP is $1.07.

This simple model can easily be applied to sale of any product, and can be modified to include additional expenses to reflect true profits.

Have a happy Tuesday!

Saturday Treasury Challenge - Winter Solstice

Cold Ohio by metroline6

The days are getting shorter, darkness falls in early evening as we inch closer to Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year.  Celebrated for thousands of years, winter solstice marks the return of the sun in the Northern hemisphere.  The darkest night is perfect for star gazing - for this week's challenge think glowing snow, sparkling stars, and the deep, long night.

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 everyone! If you don't have a shop on Etsy, an item of your choice will be featured in the Wednesday challenge.

 

These 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. 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.
4. Put a link to this blog post in the comments of the treasury - this helps others find the challenge and enter.
5. Tag the treasury "curationnation"
6. Tag the treasury "winter solstice"
7. DUE DATE: Wednesday, November17
8. Have fun!

AllisaJacobs in Better Homes and Gardens!

Hi team! I'm sure most of you have heard by now, but I wanted to share on our blog the great news about our fellow team member, Allisa from AllisaJacobs has had her shop featured in the holiday issue of Better Homes and Gardens!


If you're anything like me, you can't help but pick the brains of those businesses really getting noticed, so I thought I'd share a little interview here on the blog and give her a little feature so we can all give her a HUGE congrats!

Angie: How did Better Homes and Garden find you? Allisa: BHG contacted me in early January. Of course, timid me, I at first thought it was a hoax or a prank & spent much of that day googling names to verify validity! I was that shocked.

Angie: How did you decide which item for them to use in the magazine?
Allisa: They specifically requested the Woodland pillow for their Holiday issue. Since I had to send them in a sample pillow, I was so nervous making it, being extra super careful of each stitch & fabric!

Angie: Who taught you your craft?
Allisa: I learned to sew early. My mom made some of my clothes & blankets and she would let me help. My best friend & I made our first quilt in fourth grade...loosely applying the directions from her mom. From then on I began exploring embroidery, beadwork, and even watercolors....but sewing is my true passion.

Angie: How did you keep it a secret? (you said in a tweet that it was really hard to do!)
Allisa: It was really hard to keep a secret but the fear of foolishness made it easier. I kept telling myself, 'what if they change their mind? what if it really is a haox? what if I'm just a little thumbnail with no name mentioned?' that kept me from blabbing & regretting it later.

Angie: Have you been published before?
Allisa: No, never. Closest was being included in the Dooce holiday gift guide, but that's it.

Angie: Any suggestions for others to get published?
Allisa: I think having inviting & professional photos is essential. I'm still not sure exactly how BHG discovered me, but at some point it was necessary to 'catch their eye'- I'm glad my photo was good enough to do that!

Angie: How has this impacted your Etsy business (if at all)?
Allisa: I had a brief increase of sales when the magazine came out but really I've just enjoyed all the random messages people have sent congratulating me. That means the wolrd & really makes me even more grateful for this fantastic little enormous community.

If you'd like to read more about Allisa's pillows, see her blog post about her inspiration  here.

Congratulations again, Allisa! It's easy to see why your shop and items were picked.  Great work!

Wednesday Challenge

Wednesday DOUBLE CHALLENGE-

this week is a double challenge with TWO items- featuring the Saturday winner AND last Wednesday's winner. You have one week to make as many treasuries as you would like featuring these TWO items:

Veronica Ring with Vintage Buttons from Hiyapapaya

Gold Atomic Sunburst Wall Clock by Showsomemoxie

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:

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 a link to this blog post in the comments of your treasury. This helps other people find the challenge and enter.
4. Post a comment here on the blog with a link to your treasury.
5. Tag the treasury "curationnation"
6. Include the featured items in the first three rows of your treasury.
7. DUE DATE: Wednesday, November 17.
8. Have fun!

The winners-

Showsomemoxie won with her Light and Airy Treasury.

Hiyapapaya won the Wednesday challenge with her Invited to Holly's Party Treasury.

Cooking with Kids - Guest Post

Hi there! Cara from bovinebubbles here! With some help from my daughter Baylee, we spent sometime in the kitchen and whipped up some Puffed Wheat Squares. These were regular fare in our house growing up. I have fond memories making these with my mom and grandma and love to have the chance to continue on making them with my daughter.

Chocolate Puffed Wheat Squares

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter or margerine plus more for greasing the pan
1 cup corn syrup

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

6 heaping tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
8 cups of puffed wheat (found in a bag in the cereal isle)

Grease a 9x13 pan with butter, set aside
Combine butter, corn syrup, sugars and cocoa powder in a heavy saucepan.
Bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour over puffed wheat and mix well.

Mix well and press into pan. Let cool, cut into squares. Eat :) Store any uneaten portions in an airtight container.

Saturday Treasury Challenge - HGTV Gift Guide

Upcycled Silk Kimono Holiday Garland by SewnNatural

We are so excited about the new partnership between Etsy and HGTV!   This Saturday's challenge will be gift guides featuring gifts for the Do-It-Yourself-er, the home decorator, designer, and the avid gardener.  Make sure to tag your treasuries with "HGTV gift guide" and "curationnation".

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 everyone! If you don't have a shop on Etsy, an item of your choice will be featured in the Wednesday challenge.

These 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. 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.
4. Put a link to this blog post in the comments of the treasury - this helps others find the challenge and enter.
5. Tag the treasury "curationnation"
6. Tag the treasury "HGTV gift guide"
7. DUE DATE: Wednesday, November 10
8. Have fun!

Wednesday Treasury Challenge: ChirpandBloom

 There were so many amazing Hostess Gift Guide treasuries to choose from! This week's winner is ChirpandBloom - Congratulations!!

This Wednesday we'll be featuring her Recycled Vintage Tablecloth Dress - which would make an adorable holiday dress!

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:

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 a link to this blog post in the comments of your treasury. This helps other people find the challenge and enter.
4. Post a comment here on the blog with a link to your treasury.
5. Tag the treasury "curationnation"
6. Include the featured item in the first three rows of your treasury.
7. DUE DATE: Wednesday, November 10.
8. Have fun!

ChirpandBloom's winning entry Don't Show Up Empty-handed

Approaching Consignment Shops- Guest Post

Sally here from NightOwlCraftworks!  I hope you find this post helpful, inspiring, and motivating!

This wonderfully inspiring item is available from BySaraLynn

Etsy is a wonderful venue (amazing really), but what if you want to expand your horizons?

How do you approach a consignment shop & what should you expect…

The scariest part of consignment for the crafter is integrity.  You are putting your livelihood in the hands of another, trusting them to represent your brand and protect your investment.  It’s a good idea to start with places that are established, have a good reputation, and have a contract. 

Representing your brand is very important.  If you find a shop that you love to go into, that is clean & professional, and fits your items you’ve hit the jackpot!  A good sign of a great shop is that they keep things fresh and moving.  You don’t want your items to sit in a back corner hidden from view from the world.  You need a “spotlight”.  You may have to share the “spotlight” and rotate around the shop, but a good shopkeeper wants to keep all their creative’s happy!  Know more than one shop that fits the bill?  Even better!  The more people see your work, the more you’ll sell!  Try to keep at LEAST a 30 minute drive (an hour is even better) between shops.  It’s just polite.

Good reputation you say?  Yes I do!  What do you mean? I’m talking mostly about their reputation with the other creative’s they work with and their relationships.  Do they stay in contact?  Do they make sure they “ante up” come “payday”?  And how do you find out about their rep?  Ask them if you are that bold, if they have a good reputation they will understand where you are coming from and be proud of their status.  Or you can find other creative’s that sell at that shop and ask around.  Do your homework!

Once you’ve found the perfect shop, you want to present yourself professionally.  The first thing you need to do is CALL first!  Do not go into a shop and expect that you will get the attention of a shop owner just because you have the coolest items since knitting needles.  They have customers to tend to and bills to pay.  Make an appointment so you can present yourself and your wonderful wares without added stressors.  If you have it display ready and can be easily priced all the better!  Bring enough that day just so when they stop drooling over your things you can help them shelve it ;)  Some shops frown on websites on the label.  The shop owner would really like to make the sale if they’ve done the work to present you.  People sometimes see a website and think they’ll go home and find it cheaper from the maker.  This brings me to…

Your reputation counts too!  To be fair, keep the prices the same or close to the same as the prices in your shop.  This is sometimes hard for us “little guys” to understand.  Why does a shop want so much when we’re doing all the work?  They get to do the “easy” and “fun” work.  Not so my pretties.  There is a ton of overhead in running a shop.  They may not be creating, but they are supporting creative’s.  They still have to make rent, utilities, packaging, insurance, etc.  There is a lot of behind the scenes that isn’t present at the forefront.  They don’t have to be there, they want to be there.  You have to respect them for that!

Protect your investment.  Really this is probably the most important element.  There needs to be a contract that you are completely comfortable with.  They are the “boss” so if there are parts of the contract you’re uncomfortable with ask about it, most times they’ll change it.  Each contract can be different and unique.  The main points are that you agree upon a rate and how and when you’ll be getting compensated.  Most shops will take 25-50%... The Storque has a great post they put out recently for Reevaluating your Pricing.  If you haven’t considered building in your wholesale & retail cost and you want to branch out, now’s the time to tweak those items!  Another good thing to talk about at this point is when & how you would get your items if you or the shop owner decided it wasn’t working out.  These are all hard things to talk about, but things you need to be prepared to deal with.

Last but definitely not least, be committed to the consignment gig if you’re putting yourself out there.  Make sure you always have stock in case the shop you’re working with runs low!  Maybe you can spend a day every month checking with your shops to make sure they have everything they need (& it’s a great reason to check up on them).  A shop front isn’t too much different than an Etsy shop… the more there is the more you’ll sell! 

The Checklist:

                  Find a shop that has a stellar reputation.

                  Make sure it fits your brand & style.

                  Call ahead, make that appointment (don’t be late!)

                  Package it to sell, bring enough to stock!

                  Discuss contract, rates & payment schedule.

                  Check back to restock and awe over the beauty that is your talent!