Today's Project- Item Descriptions

I've been following along with Etsy's recent Etsy Success emails in hopes to improve my shop in order to increase traffic, give it a better appearance, and make it more search engine friendly.  I have improved many of the photos already (although I'm not completely done yet) and now I will work on item descriptions!  I'd like to help those Etsy sellers who read my blog as well so I will share with you the before and after of one of my description and title renovations.  The below title and description is from my very first item listing when I first opened my shop!  My notes are in italic below each description.

Spearmint Candy

Before:


Spearmint Candy Copper Wire Necklace

This playful little copper necklace features a spearmint candy colored glass bead that looks good enough to eat!  The pendant is wire wrapped by hand using solid copper wire.  Pendant is approx 1.5" tall and 1" wide at the base.  Pendant is hand wired around a copper wire frame with the bead suspended inside.  Waxed cotton necklace is 18" long with knot and glass bead detail and a copper plated toggle clasp.

The title is a bit neutral, it could be made more specific.  The opening sentence isn't too bad however, since you only have a sentence or two that search engine listings show, I need to be more specific to draw potential customers in.  I have also removed myself from the listing, I want my buyers to know that I have personally made this item!  The item's details are good to give the reader exact dimensions so they know precisely what they are purchasing.  
After:


Spearmint Candy Hand Forged Copper Wire Wrapped Necklace

This is a playful little copper necklace that I have hand forged and wire wrapped by hand with a spearmint candy lampwork glass bead that looks good enough to eat!  Pendant is approx 1.5" tall and 1" wide at the base.  Waxed cotton necklace is 18" long with knot and glass bead detail and a copper plated toggle clasp.  This fun necklace would look great with its matching earrings!

I have made the title more specific and included better keywords like "wire wrapped" to make searching easier.  I put myself back into the listing by stating that I made it and made that all-so-important first sentence more specific and search friendly as well.  I also mentioned that I have matching earrings (I didn't at the time I originally listed this) and also included the earring's link at the bottom of the item's description to get visitors to consider purchasing them too, also keeping them in my shop longer thereby lowering my bounce rate for analytics at the same time!


This is just one simple example of how I improved a description to make it flow better and to include those very important search engine friendly keywords.  My next project will be to re-evaluate my item tags, also covered in Etsy's Shop Makeover blog which you can read for yourself by clicking here.

Newest Treasuries

Here's my new list for this week of wonderful treasuries I've been in and had the joy of making!  Thanks everyone who's included my work in their treasuries, it's very appreciated!

All The Roses by jewelrybynala

Dance of Colors by asuhan

Red Poppies I

Hot Flowers, Cool Air by TamTamThingsToWear

Purple Clouds by efratjewelry

Red on My Mind by Humanidad

Green is My Favorite Color by foxdenvixen

Kiwi Strawberry by heversonart

It's Pink Time...Shades of Pink by SnobbishDesign

Please take a few moments to check these great treasuries out!  Thank you!

Gemstone Tree of Life-Redisgned

Amazonite

Hematite

I adore the classic Tree of Life image and I love to incorporate nature in my work so it only makes sense that I would want to create my own version, in copper of course!  I had a Tree of Life in my shop before but I felt it was clunky and took too much time to complete, despite the fact that it seemed to go over well at jewelry parties and shows anyway.  Being a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my work, I decided to put it on ice for a bit and redesign it into a simpler form.

After monkeying around with some wire I came up with a frame and design I liked!  I could complete it in half the time (and save my wrist some tedious twisting), make the trees fuller, give it more dimension, and make it much smaller than previously!  Since it doesn't take so much time for me to complete it I can even offer it at a lower price even with the extra gemstones and copper chain upgrade!

Amazonite, Amethyst, Rose Quartz
Peridot, Hematite

Trees symbolize so many wonderful things besides simply being picturesque.  They can symbolize wisdom, strength, life, and family among many other things.  This pendant would make a wonderful gift for that special someone in your life or as a beautiful gift for yourself!  I offer several different genuine gemstones and also have several different pendants already created and ready to ship!

These necklaces can be found in my Etsy store!

Mini Painting Debut!

Red Poppies Series in front of my very dramatic
bedroom accent wall

I'm very excited to announce the start of my mini painting line!  I had missed painting but since I have so much of it in my own home and I'm not about to install walls just to hang more art so I wanted to come up with a way to sell more affordable original artworks and mini paintings was the answer!  I've actually been making smaller sized paintings for some time now after my previous trend of making huge scale abstracts.  I began with the smaller sizes for more than just simple space saving: I didn't want to have to buy paint every week on a starving artist budget!  Granted I am no longer in that dreary budget boat (thank God!) but I still desire to keep things more cost effective for myself and for my customers!  And lets face it; these darling little paintings look great not just grouped or on the wall, but also grouped, stacked, or individually set on an accent table, mantel, shelf or bookcase to brighten any room!

Red Poppies II

Red Poppies I and III

Because I'm a very DIY kind of gal, each one of my 4"x4" canvases is constructed entirely by hand using solid kiln dried poplar for the frame and eco-friendly heavy duty 100% natural unbleached cotton duck canvas.  I prefer using a deep cradle and this series has a generous 1" profile, making them "pop" on your wall or perfect for setting on a shelf.  My work rarely ever needs framing, each edge is painted as well!  Each one comes ready to hang with a sawtooth hanger on the back along with the title, date and my signature on each piece.

The first series of mini paintings I've completed is the abstract-style Red Poppies series.  I had a lot of fun painting these since I just love painting floral motifs and other nature inspired themes!  I enjoy the bright cheery tone in each piece and I cannot help but smile when I see the bright red-orange poppies dotting the skyline and landscape in each panel.  They certainly light up the room considering the dreary winter weather and make me forget how much I miss working in my garden!  I really do hope these darling little paintings find a happy home where they will be loved as much as I loved making them!  I'm offering a deal if you buy all three in this series you get FREE shipping (USPS Priority Mail plus Delivery Conf) and insurance!

Red Poppies III

To see these please visit my Etsy Shop!

All photos and artwork are property of Heather Everson

Treasury List

It's time for my new listing of treasuries!  Thank you everyone for featuring me in these wonderful treasuries!

Kiwi Strawberry by heversonart

Pink Time...Shades of Pink by SnobbishDesign

Funky Chunky Bracelet

Love Is In The Air... by AnartIsland

Magenta Magic by efratjewelry

Violet and Cream by heversonart

Earth To Etsy by Gemstonesonmymind

Amber and Bronze by AmuAndPriShop

Music for the Heart That Makes the Soul Dance by naturallymephotos

Olive You Teal The End of Time by MetalAdornments

My Dreams, My Love and I by asuhan

Pink and Turquoise: Add a Little Spring Color to Your Valentine's Day! by PZdesigns

Things For A Winter Vacation by ChickenLittleJewelry

Please take a few moments to show these beautiful treasuries some love!

So Far So Good!

A few mini canvases I made

Well I have successfully completed my first day of my new work schedule!  There was no running around, I didn't feel stressed, the house was cleaned, and I even got to go over the color and shape flash cards with Kaylie!  I do admit it is hard to not touch the computer till 11:30am instead of popping on first thing after waking up while I try to eat breakfast and peel hungry cats off me.

A series of thumbnails for paintings

Today's project is to make more mini canvases so I can get started on my mini paintings!  I prefer to make everything myself rather than buy my surfaces from a catalog or store.  Store made ones may look "perfect" but hand made frames have more pride!  I also need to get my handy hubby to zip up some boards so I can make plastered boards for my mixed media works.  I'm not particularly fond of the table saw, ha ha!  My mini canvases are made of solid poplar stretcher frames with 100% natural unbleached heavy duty cotton duck canvas.  Hopefully soon I'll be able to have the first few up and listed on Etsy!  I have lots of thumbnails worked out for ideas!  I've decided so far to have 4"x4" canvases and also some 4"x3" ones too.  Those sizes seem to be a good fit for mini canvases without being too small.  I may try to crank out a few paintings this weekend while Kaylie is napping since I don't think my husband and I are doing anything otherwise.  We pretty much hibernate all winter!

I Was Featured in a Blog!

As a part of our Treasure Lover Team weekly promotions, we're assigned members totrade info and feature each other in our blogs as a quick and easy way to promote each other's Etsy stores!  I think it's just a wonderful idea to get more traffic on not just Etsy but also blogs, Facebook, and more!  For this week I was featured in MariaPalito's blog!  She did an absolutely wonderful job featuring me in her blog and showcasing items in my shop!  I've even noticed some increased traffic to my shop already!  To see the feature she did on me please click here to visit her blog!  I also did a feature on her as well, click here to see the featured artist post I did on her shop!

Introducing MariaPalito!

Darling little blue owls!

MariaPalito is a wonderful shop full of adorable and colorful Ecofriendly Felt Toys. Please visit MariaPalito at www.etsy.com/shop/Mariapalito. Also you can follow MariaPalito at:

Facebook Fan page: www.facebook.com/MariaPalitoDesign

Blog: http://workshop.mariapalitousa.com

Twitter http://twitter.com/mariapalitousa

Cute lion hand puppet

Mariapalito is a proud member of the Etsy Treasure Lover Team!  www.treasurelover.com

Adorable red owl puppet

"(MariaPalito) is the name I gave to my shop inspired in my first doll character. She is a doll with a huge smile, red curly hair, sweet heart, happy faces and lots of fun. Mariapalito was born as an idea of creating small little gifts and creative expression to fulfill our lives of color!"


She's very talented and makes the cutest felt ornaments, party favors, and toys as you can see!  They'd be a big hit for a baby shower, party, or for gifts!  Please take a moment and check out her store on Etsy!

New Work Schedule and Thoughts For The Future

I've noticed that my current working schedule is doing anything but working for me! Well I shouldn't say "schedule", haphazard work here and there and maybe squeeze in a meal and spend five minutes with my family is more like it! So I sat down last night and etched out something of a proper agenda that even allows for some time off! Can it really happen? I've grown tired of working seven days a week and feeling exhausted because I cannot put the jewelry down! Dishes are piling up, the cats are starving, and Kaylie has been watching waaay too much Dora.  I'm sure there are lots of other crafters out there that deal with this very situation! There has to be some kind of magical balance between working at home and family duties as well. Considering I do all my work in my home things tend to get very muddy vs. the simplicity of working 9-5 at some typical day job.

So here we go, a general possibly workable schedule for Mon-Fri:

8am-9:30am          breakfast/get ready/daily housework
9:30am-11:30am   Kaylie breakfast and get ready/Kaylie and Mommy time
11:30am-12:30pm Kaylie's snack/computer work or post office/quick errands
12:30pm-1pm        lunch (and not a working lunch)
1pm                       Kaylie's nap time or play in her room till she's tired
1pm-2:30pm          photograph new items/edit/computer work if not finished
2:30pm-5:30pm     jewelry making/designing (Kaylie wakes up sometime but plays in her room)

My work day ends at 5:30 so I'm not scrambling anymore to make dinner!  If I have new items to list and promote, I will continue to do so at around 7pm since that seems to be a good time to list.

Kaylie getting Zoe ready
for supper!

I think I can do it! Thankfully two days a week my mom takes Kaylie so I have the entire uninterrupted day to myself, these can be "catch up" days where my morning Kaylie time can be for finishing stuff from the days before. And for the weekends, NO WORK. Well ok, I'll be realistic, if I'm not otherwise doing something else and Kaylie is napping then I may allow myself a few hours of work for sake of not being bored, heehee. I'm so thankful that my daughter is such a trooper and plays well on her own without completely driving me mad or this would never work out!  The hardest part will be the 8am thing.  I'm so not a morning person, and Kaylie sleeps till 9:30 (I'm spoiled I know) usually so there was never any reason to convince myself to get up before 9.  For the sake of having clean dishes and a clean house though it must end!  I guess all in all we'll see how it goes!

Purple Orchid
Mixed Media
Copyright of Heather Everson

For future thoughts, there are a few things I'd like to start doing soon if possible.  I'd love to start doing some soldering, I have a few ideas that use it so it'd be wonderful if I could learn some basics to accomplish it!  I've hunted around on Amazon.com for a book or two to get me started and will order one once I've ruled the others in my wishlist out.  I know the start up for that isn't too hefty either, and I actually already have a butane torch since my husband has all sorts of things like that that he never uses but HAD to have!  I'd also like to get metal stamping on my list of jewelry skills.  There's so much you can do with it!  I think I may have to wait till after a jewelry party for that one since there's some start up costs to cover that I don't quite want to spend right now.  Lastly, I'd like to start selling mini original paintings and mixed media pieces on my Etsy store.  I miss painting and if I make minis which seem to be rather popular and are more affordable for my customers.  I was thinking sizes like 3"x3" or 4"x4" and little landscape sizes too.  Little paintings look so pretty on a shelf or hung together as a series with other larger pictures, art or decor.  I have a few around my own home and I love them so why not dust off the old paintbrush and sell some too?  Then I have an excuse to make a ton of mixed media flower portraits!

Treasuries!

Hello everyone!  It's time for a fresh list of wonderful treasuries!  Again, I want to sincerely thank everyone who has taken the time to feature me in their treasuries!  I really appreciate it so much!  I'm going to try and find more time in my busy day for making more treasuries myself, they certainly are fun to make!

It's All Peachy Keen by heversonart

What Women Want and Men Appreciate by gemstonesonmymind

I'm Dreaming of GREEN! by heversonart

Please click and comment if your could!  Thank you everyone!



Yummy! Now I want some juicy peaches :)

In The Meadow, Earthy New Jewelry!

Close up of toggle clasp

In The Meadow Necklace

I've been busy make more and more jewelry!  This earthy pair is stunning and in a trendy boho chic style!  Gorgeous Czech glass flowers in a shimmery mossy green grace these designs along with peridot genuine Swarovski crystals on the necklace, antique bronze metal beads, and chartreuse and smoky brown seed beads.  These colors stand out beautifully with the warm antique bronze chain and findings!  The necklace features a beautifully detailed front closing toggle clasp that's just too pretty to be hidden behind your neck!  I have not forgotten about my love for copper, for delicately designed copper bead caps and daisy spacers adorn the Czech flowers.

In The Meadow
Earrings

I just love flowers, without getting overly gaudy of course, and pairing them with vintage style findings makes the most lovely intricate designs!  If it's not apparent, earth tones strike me as the most beautiful colors when it comes to designing my jewelry and for the same reasons I choose copper and bronze instead of gold and silver.  Though your traditional gold and silver are indeed very pretty, it's just so refreshing to me to see alternative jewelry metal choices.

Intricate bead work on the chain

The Cat's Meow Earrings

Another piece of jewelry I recently listed is The Cat's Meow earrings, which add a touch of whimsy for anyone who is a cat fancier!  The charms were just too adorable to let sit in my beading box all lonely and unused so I decided to make earrings which would go just lovely with the OOAK charm bracelet of the same title or they just charming by themselves too!  These darling little earrings would look cute with just about anything!  I had to make myself a pair since they remind me of my fat cat Jasper :)

The Cat's Meow Charm Bracelet

To see these new designs please visit my Etsy Shop here or click on the Etsy badge in the column on your right!

Valentine Day Sale at My Etsy Shop!

Hearts For You Bracelet

Hello everyone!  It looks like the most romantic holiday of the year is right around the corner!  Is your husband or boyfriend ready for it?  I'm having a sale in my Etsy shop through Valentine's Day and several heart and love themed items are already marked down just for you, no code needed!  Come check them out in the Valentine Gift section of my shop!  I'm sure you'll find something lovely to hint at your man with ;)

Treasuries and Happy Birthday to Me!

Key to My Heart Charm Bracelet

Today is my 25th birthday!  To celebrate I made a treasury featuring some of my favorites on Etsy!  I wish there were more spots so I could include all my favorites!  Going to be a wonderful day, the sun is shining and hubby is taking me to my favorite Mexican restaurant for chimichongas and margaritas!

Here's some more treasuries I've been featured in or that I've had fun making!  Enjoy and please click and comment!  Spread the handmade love!

My Faves Part Deux by Jewelrybynala

Violet and Purple by dancingintherains

My Happy Birthday by heversonart

A Bit of Everything by SnobbishDesign

Key To My Heart by babeecrafts

Valentine's Day Gifts...LOVE it.. by asuhan

Thanks everyone for appreciating my work and including me in so many treasuries!

Kaylie's Ladybug Love :)

Kaylie's Ladybug Love Charm Bracelet

I've got a brand new adorable charm bracelet out!  It's dedicated to my darling little "bug", Kaylie, who's two years old.  This delightful charm bracelet is loaded as always with four bronze charms, three Czech glass ladybug handmade charms and 26 red and black handmade beaded charms!  There's a wonderful variety of shapes including strawberries, hearts, tulips, daisies, rounds, and so much more!  This little beauty is sure to make you smile for years to come!

To see it please visit my shop!

Hopes and Goals For 2011

Gemstone Earrings
Green Adventurine

It's that time of year again for resolutions and goals for the new year!  I have a handful of my own for my jewelry and in general.
Shop Goals 2011:

• List more often and on a regular basis
• Promote myself more
• Do a larger scale craft show
• More jewelry parties :)
• Sell more on Etsy, I'm doing pretty good outside it though!
• Be more involved in my Etsy Teams (Love you guys!)

Personal Goals 2011:

• Don't stress so much over the little things
• Exercise more and eat better, not necessarily to lose weight but to just be healthier!
• Get Kaylie potty trained, I've been procrastinating too long!
• Get Kaylie used to her big girl bed when she figures out how to escape her crib
• Get out of debt (one loan is paid now, one to go and the credit card is almost done!)
• Fix our roof once and for all (I swear to God if the storage room won't stop leaking I'm tearing it down!)
• Save $$$$
• Convince the kitten that house plants are not for chewing
• Knock down the "hunny to do list" by half, at last ;)

Kaylie smelling the marigolds

I'm hoping to accomplish all these and maybe more by the end of the year!  It's all possible if I put my mind to it!  Wish me luck and good luck to everyone else for your goals for this year!  I hoping to make this year truly amazing :)

Check out my Etsy shop here, and don't forget to check out my artist website on Wix too where I sell wire wrapped tree sculptures!

Photo Charm Tree

Valentine's Day Items

Hearts For You

Hammered Swirl
Copper Bracelet

It's that loving time of year again and I have some cute designs to celebrate!  To start, I have my cute Hearts For You hand forged copper wire bracelet.  It's comprised of hand shaped hammered heart links and then wire wrapped by hand with pretty pink metallic glass beads strung throughout.  Very cute way to say "I love you"!

Hammered Swirl
Copper Earrings

Hammered Swirl Copper Bracelet and it's matching earrings are both made of hand forged hammered swirls that have been finishes with a lovely warm patina that lets some of the natural copper shimmer through.  The bracelet has a sparkling red Czech glass heart charm on the end for a dainty, romantic touch!  The earrings also have red Czech glass hearts dangling from the bottom of the swirls for a warm splash of color!

To see these designs please visit my shop on Etsy here or by clicking the Etsy badge in the coulmn to your right!

New Charm Bracelet-Key To My Heart!

Key To My Heart Charm Bracelet

Key To My Heart Charm Necklace

I have another beautiful charm bracelet design out!  This one is in a romantic vintage style with lovely hues on amethyst, mauve, plum, and grape!  Key To My Heart is loaded with 7 copper and bronze plated charms and 26 beaded charms!  The beaded charms have Czech and India lampwork glass beads with frosted, translucent and metallic copper finishes for a variety of textures.  This lovely treasure is one-of-a-kind so I hope it can bring joy to that special someone or make you smile as a little treat for yourself!  This bracelet goes great with it's matching Key To My Heart charm necklace as well!

To see these please check out my Etsy shop here or click the Etsy badge to your right.

Treasury List!

Czech Glass Flower and Chain Earrings

Here's a new list of wonderful treasuries I've had the honor of being featured in or that I've had the joy of making!  Please click, comment and share the Etsy love!

Unexpected Valentine's Day Gifts For Her by megansbeadeddesigns

BLUE WHO and NEW by oceanedgedesigns

Let Me Call You Sweetheart by PowerOfOneDesigns

Sweet Hearts by HookedOnLaura

For Couples in Love by artefyk

Be Mine by heversonart

Valentine Castle by gbbox

Valentine Romance by heversonart

Metals and Beads by ChickenLittleJewelry

Pink and Copper by NedjmaBazaar

Thanks so much to everyone who have featured me in their treasuries!  I really appreciate it!

A Thank You For My Facebook Fans!

Mother Earth Leaf Necklace

I'm getting a bigger and bigger fan base on my Facebook fan page and I wanted to say thank you for making this all happen!  If not for my fans and followers I wouldn't be able to do what I love!  When visiting my Etsy shop use the promo code from my Facebook page (FBFAN) to get 10% off your order when you pay with PayPal!  If you haven't been to my Facebook page yet please do so and make sure to "like" it and feel free to suggest it to friends and family!  You can get to my Facebook page by clicking here!

Tweet Tweet Little Birdie

Tweet Tweet Little Birdie

I saw these sweet little birdie on a swing charms online and I just had to snatch them up!  I like the vintage flair in the charm necklaces I've been making and I'm hoping that other people will find them just as special as I do!  "Tweet Tweet Little Birdie", is a brand new charm necklace I made using an adorable bronze plated bird charm on a swing attached to a delicate filigree flower on a bronze plated chain.  A dainty little blue bell Czech glass flower hangs above the little bird.  A cute copper plated bird cage charm dangles a bit above the pendant along with a pretty amethyst beaded charm attached to the chain.  The necklace is 20" long on a bronze plated mother and son chain that is secured with a sturdy lobster clasp.

Lock and Key

My "Lock and Key" charm necklace features ornate keys, locks and other pretty little charms on the front closure toggle clasp.  A beautifully detailed filigree flower with a bronze key on the chain above the toggle clasp adds an ornate and unique touch to the piece.  This necklace is also 20" long and is on a copper plated mother and son chain that closes in the front with a pretty copper toggle clasp.

Czech Glass Flower
and Chain Earrings

Lastly, vintage meets urban in my "Czech Glass Flower and Chain" earrings.  Pretty Czech glass bell flowers add a feminine touch to the lengths of copper and bronze plated cable chain in these chandelier earrings.  These little treasures are available in three flower colors: Creamy Pink, Blue Bell, and Silver Iris.  Please visit my Etsy store for more photos of the other colors.

To see these new items please visit my store on Etsy here or click on the Etsy badge in the column to your right!

Introducing Charm Bracelets!

The Cat's Meow

I recently received my supplies for charm bracelets and necklaces!  I would have had these out sooner but with the holidays and then getting a nasty evil head cold (thankfully after Christmas), I didn't have much energy to get working!  I've loved charm bracelets since I was a kid and I thought I would add them to my jewelry collection online!  I'm loving the look of antique finished copper and bronze together mixed with some lovely Czech glass.  The one pictured will be the first of many loaded and unique charm bracelets and I'll be adding charm necklaces soon too!  The Cat's Meow is for cat lovers for sure with adorable copper and bronze fat cat charms and all of kitty's favorites with birds and yummy fish!  This loaded bracelet boasts 7 charms and 26 hand made beaded charms in gold, amber, black, and tortoise colored Czech glass.  The bracelet itself is a copper plated mother and son style chain with a dainty heart toggle clasp.  It is 7 1/2" long (fits most sm/md wrists) but I can adjust the length if needed.

Purple Majesty

I've also got another new pair of copper chain earrings out in a pretty purple theme.  Purple Majesty Earrings are long 2 3/4" chandelier earrings with lovely amethyst and hematite colored Czech glass beads hung within various lengths of cable chain.  They would really jazz up any outfit for an evening out!

To see these wonderful new additions please visit my shop on Etsy here or click on my Etsy badge in the column to your right!