Talking about Etsy.

You know how it can happen. For years friends tell you about someone and how you should meet them and you kind of blow it off like, yeah yeah I’ll do that sometime . . . tomorrow . . next week. When by chance you finally do meet that someone and you wonder how you ever lived without them.


I’m not talking about a person here. I’m talking about Etsy.

For those of you unfamiliar with Etsy, it’s www.etsy.com, and it’s a creative marketplace for artists and crafters to sell their work and share ideas. It’s a community of people online who work with their hands, their heads, and their hearts. Okay, that’s a little corny, but these people really seem to care about each other, their crafts and the potential of the enterprise.

Being a creative kind of person myself, once I was on the Etsy site, I just got sucked in. There are painters and knitters, quilters and metal smiths, jewelry designers and soap makers. And there are photographers like me. I looked around at the stores that others had set up and decided to give it a shot. I uploaded some of my images, wrote up descriptions, researched pricing and listing strategy, and hung up a shingle. I’ve already had my first sale and was thrilled. To see my store, click here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ccotaphotocraft. Bookmark it so you can come back and check it out as I add more work.

Just in the few weeks that I’ve been operating this store, I have browsed and adored some of the items available. I’ve put quite a few of the stores and work into my “favorites”.

And I bought stuff.

I really couldn’t help myself. You would do the same thing in my shoes. I know it.

In the spirit of giving back for everything I’ve learned in the short time I’ve been a part of the Etsy neighborhood, I thought I’d showcase some of these items here.

My first purchase was this bright and cheery shoulder bag from Heart2Handbags. I just love it and can’t wait to start using it. I really liked Amy’s little personal note inside. Nice touch Amy. Such a wonderful change from the mass produced bags I had been looking at. So fresh and lovely, I just had to go back to her site and buy a small cosmetics bag to go inside of it. Check out Amy’s shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Heart2Handbags

Next I found myself searching for a cool scrabble tile necklace. I wanted something to inspire me to create every day and I found it at PrettyWhimsical, http://www.etsy.com/shop/prettywhimsical. It came in such a nice little bag it was like getting a gift from a friend.

My daughter’s name begins with the letter “N”. For reason, she has a difficult time finding N stuff and when you’re a tween, that initial is important. So I went on an Etsy search for an N scrabble tile necklace and found this fun and sassy letter N for her. I found it at Mytwinscoops, and here’s the link to her store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/mytwinscoops. Bet you’ll find more fun and sassy stuff.

And the last of my first shopping adventures on Etsy was at the site of XOHandworks. I loved the blue of these earrings and have a sweater that needed pairing. Here’s the link to the shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/XOHandworks. She does some wonderful pendants with sections of map inside that I loved, and along with my earrings, I got an added bonus gift of this button with the section of map where I live. How cool is that?

I’ve done more shopping since then and will show off my purchases in a future post.

I’m having fun learning from these artists, and understanding how it works. I’ve joined some teams and have been participating in forums. I’ve linked it to my Facebook page and actually, just yesterday, started a Twiter account. I am learning about marketing and promotion and how treating others well really does have an effect on your daily life. I’ve always believed in karma but the community on Etsy is giving and encouraging and I hope that I can contribute even a bit to the general good.