Carnival Time!

I've participated in several of the Etsybloggers Blog Carnivals and they're always fun. I enjoy the challenge of the suggested topics but sometimes I find I'm distracted by other things as the deadline approaches and don't get my submission in on time. Not this time!

The topic for this one is about why you opened a shop on Etsy and what you like about being an Etsy seller.

I blame my daughter for all of it. She's The Pink Samurai on Etsy and you really ought to take a minute to check out her shop and her blog. She's grown up watching me work as a freelance photographer and dabble with other artsy stuff. She's been a great tester of my child-safe plush toys like my teddy bears and puzzle balls, too. She started an Etsy shop and soon encouraged me to do the same. Together we learned the ropes about running an Etsy shop and we still compare notes.

One of my favorite things about running an Etsy shop is all the wonderful people I've met. Many of my customers have become my friends, returning for repeat orders. I've gotten to know a great group of other moms through the Etsymom and CafeMom Street Teams. I'm learning more about the arts in my area of the country through the EtsyCREST Street Team. And, of course, the Etsyblogger teams has helped me learn the ins and outs of blogging and kept me writing.

This month I've been the Featured Etsyblogger and the Etsybloggers have really outdone themselves. I've been so encouraged by all of these bloggers that I decided to share them all with you. Go see what they've been saying about me:


scribblenation.typepad.com

bunnykissd.blogspot.com

twozanyzebras.blogspot.com

purrprints.blogspot.com

beadedtail.blogspot.com

jleighdesignz.blogspot.com

offthepeg.blogspot.com

winemakerssister.blogspot.com

maryeb-blog.blogspot.com

designsbynico.blogspot.com

designsbyvanessa.blogspot.com

patti-peacox.blogspot.com

dorothywyn.blogspot.com

rosebud101-fortheloveofbeads.blogspot.com

jaimesews.blogspot.com

aboutangiescrafts.blogspot.com

youvegotmaille.blogspot.com

liletsyshop.blogspot.com

madebymelissa.blogspot.com

homemadeoriginals.blogspot.com

thefabmissb.blogspot.com

shellmitchell.blogspot.com

wearewedges.blogspot.com

lunasbaublebilities.blogspot.com

devinedesignsjewelry.blogspot.com

lostmittenblog.blogspot.com

fiveoclocksomewherejewelry.blogspot.com

heatherknitzdesigns.blogspot.com

heatherscustomsewing.blogspot.com

storybeader.blogspot.com

akeepersjackpot.blogspot.com

http://www.curiousmess.com/2009/02/february-etsyblogger.html

panopticamx.blogspot.com

beadedtail.blogspot.com

macaroniandglue.blogspot.com

morningskyjewelry.blogspot.com

magdalenejewelsblogs.blogspot.com

thecoppercauldron.blogspot.com

memoriesforlifescrapbooks.blogspot.com

greyeyedesigns.blogspot.com

aliciamae280.blogspot.com

pinkzinnias.typepad.com

ishyscreations.blogspot.com

stormydesigns.blogspot.com

http://www.xanga.com/aliciamae_8/693342493/february-featured-etsyblogger/

roseworksjewelry.blogspot.com

candycrackcreations.blogspot.com

chezchani.blogspot.com

mamasmagic.blogspot.com

3rexes.blogspot.com

downthestreetcreations.blogspot.com

cozyetsy.blogspot.com

cozystitches.blogspot.com

cardsbyjenna.blogspot.com

lazytcrochet.blogspot.com

jenniferhayessketchbook.blogspot.com

miesmama.blogspot.com

http://www.jrosebud.com/designs/catalog/blog/?p=602

julieantinucci.blogspot.com

sewingmachinegun.blogspot.com

rockababyclothingco.blogspot.com

sumikocreations.blogspot.com

dodadidit.blogspot.com

createathoughtetsy.blogspot.com

magicmarkingsart.blogspot.com

http://alittlemousesaid.typepad.com/a_little_mouse_said/2009/02/featured-etsy-seller-donna-pool.html

Christmas is Still Coming!!

Still working on that custom order for my Mini-Puzzle Ball Christmas Ornaments. I figured I'd post some pictures along the way so you can see the progress I'm making.

These pictures were also a fun way to try out my new camera...an updated version of my old one, which makes the learning curve manageable. I can tell I'm gonna have fun with this one! Click on this picture and the one in my previous post and you'll see the difference, too!

Summer/Fall projects

A cool breeze is blowing at my house today and fall is definitely in the air. But this project I just completed for an Etsy customer reminds me of summer.

When she first contacted me she said she wanted a special pocket mirror to give to her daughter. She said she loves pink and elephants and butterflies and glitter.

Two thoughts occurred to me:

1. I'm knee-deep in a custom order of 15 Mini-Puzzle Ball Christmas Ornaments and don't have a lot of time for graphic design brainstorming right now.

2. "Girly" does not describe me. I'm about as "tomboy" as you can get and have been so for all of my 50 years on this planet.

I decided to call in reinforcements.

I told the CafeMom Etsy Moms Street Team about this because I knew several members are talented graphic artists who might be interested in this project. After gathering some designs from the ladies and submitting several to the customer, this one was her favorite.




I pressed it by hand with my professional button machine and materials and covered it with mylar and turned it into the pocket mirror pictured here.




You should check out the Etsy shop of the Cafemom Etsy Mom who helped me with this project, mamaslittlemonkeys for some great stuff for babies, kids and their mamas. She's also opened a second Etsy shop, fleurdeink, for some really special flower pens she makes:








If you're a member of CafeMom.com and also an Etsy seller, stop by and see our CafeMom Etsy Moms Group sometime.

Favorite New Creation

I've been prompted (by the Etsy Bloggers Street Team) to write about my "favorite creation" but after giving it some thought I realized that my favorite is always changing. Almost every time I make a new puzzle ball or teddy bear, it becomes my favorite. (I say "almost" because there have been times that I finished one and regretted my choice of fabric or color...but those are ones I don't share!)

Actually, I don't even have to wait until I finish a teddy bear...I make the head first and as soon as I have it sewed and stuffed the bear takes on it's own personality. Then I prop up the head where I can see it while I finish sewing and stuffing the rest of him...or her....



So I shifted my focus to take a wider view of what I create and I offer you this...a slideshow I created for my church's Vacation Bible School. I love running around all week long, shifting back into my old freelance photographer mode, taking pictures of the kids every morning for a week. Then I take one of the songs they've been learning and use it to put together a musical slideshow that tells the story of the whole experience. We show it during the presentation to the parents on Friday night. This time I was in a real time crunch getting it finished...I still wish I'd done a few more quick cuts near the end, but I also realize that parents like the group shots to stay on the screen long enough for them to find their kid in the picture...and besides, I was finishing it up about ten minutes before I was supposed to leave the house to go show it at the church! At any rate...here it is...my most recent favorite creation:

New Style Puzzle Ball

Most of the puzzle ball toys I've made so far have been in a traditional style. Traditional kid colors, prints and fabrics. I recently got a bunch of non-traditional scraps from my friend, Kristie, aka Rockerchic...here's her Etsy Shop, which you really should check out if you get a chance. Wish I could've found some funky clothes like the ones she makes when my kid wore toddler sizes...she would've loved them!

So now I've got some funky scraps to play around with. Here's the first of many to come from that collection. This one will be listed in my Etsy shop tomorrow morning:

Hot Pink Christmas

I'm thinking about some new color combinations for my Christmas Puzzle Balls, so I thought I'd try one out on a friend of mine. Here's what she (and her daughter) said about it:

Here is a few (not really great) pics of the kid with her favorite Christmas Ornament.
It's a mini puzzle ball made by Donna Pool.
She can take it off the tree and it comes apart in three peices and she has to figure out how to put it back together.

She really loves it!

She's so excited b/c of all the ornaments on the tree... she knows that that one... she can take it off and play with it!











So what do you think? Leave a comment and tell me if you think I should make more like this to post in my Etsy shop. I'd love to hear what you think!

And There I Am!

The Eco Etsy blog has been featuring the different Etsy sellers who are participating in the 20% off sale running through Nov. 30th. This time, it's my turn! Check it out:

http://ecoetsy.blogspot.com/2007/11/eco-etsy-team-sale-malinb-and-donna.html

I think this is my personal favorite among the standard size Puzzle Ball ornaments I currently have in my shop:



And this is my favorite among the Mini Puzzle Balls:



If you see anything you're interested in, better get it while you can. These take a while to make and if your favorite design sells out before Christmas, I may or may not have time to make you another one!

Eco Sale on Etsy 20% off

I belong to several of Etsy.com's Street Teams as a way to get to know other sellers, learn about how Etsy works, and help promote each other's shops.

Yesterday was the beginning of a sale for members of the Eco Etsy Street Team. Participating members have taken 20% off the price of selected products in their shops from Nov. 17-30. Everyone who buys one of these items will be entered in a drawing for free items from some of these sellers that will take place on Dec. 1. Take a look at the Eco Etsy blog to find out more about it and to see featured discounted items from member's shops.

I've discounted all the Puzzle Balls and photo notecards in my shop and changed the prices on these items accordingly. If you see something you like, just go through the checkout process as usual.

My fingers are sewing like crazy these days, but I can only stitch so fast, so if you see something you like, grab it while you can!


Click here to see this one in my Etsy shop



Click here to see this one in my Etsy shop

Do Overs

I started another Mini-Puzzle Ball a couple of days ago, this time cutting out pieces for two different ones at the same time. That way I've got another one ready to go when the first one is finished.

All those tiny stitches can actually be a sort of therapy for me. It's as though I'm channeling all my perfectionist tendencies into those stitches. My living room/crafting workshop is a disaster area...but, by golly, those stitches sure are neat, aren't they!?!

It used to be that I would sew all the little sections together before starting to trim the seams, turn them inside out and stuff them all, then assemble the ball. These days, though, particularly with the tiniest ones, I've decided to trim, turn & stuff the first section I finish. That gives me a better idea of what the finished product will look like.

This time, though, I trimmed it a little too close. When I used the pointed end of a pair of scissors to work the corners out, I had a blow-out. I had trimmed the seam too close and there just weren't enough threads left to hold it together there. Here's what I mean:



Determined to keep from making the same mistake again, I picked up the next pieces of fabric in my prepared stack and kept stitching. After I had successfully completed the second attempt at my first section of this puzzle ball, I cut out two more pieces of fabric to replace the ones I'd wasted on my first attempt. Of course, with a project this small...it's not much waste!



When it's finished, this Mini-Puzzle Ball will be available in my etsy shop.

World's Smallest Puzzle Ball

Well, at least I've never seen one smaller! I finished this one last night:





And here it is in comparison to the other Christmas ornament Puzzle Balls I have listed on my Etsy site:



I don't know if I can make one any smaller, since I still have to leave enough room to turn the pieces inside out and stuff them. I may try to do a size in between these two. It was fun working with this little guy, though, so I'm sure I'll be making more of these. The trick is finding Christmas prints with a small enough pattern!

Any comments...anybody...?

In progress... Tiny Puzzle Ball

I'm curious to see just how tiny I can make one of my Puzzle Balls. So, with the thought of getting ready for what I hope will be a busy Christmas season for my Etsy shop, I started this one today. I took a picture of the first section as I was stuffing it:

Puzzle Ball Finished!

I finally finished the puzzle ball I've been working on!

This one is slightly smaller than the Christmas ornament balls I have posted on my etsy site. (I'll probably try making them even smaller...just to see if I can!) It matches a medium sized ball in my shop...maybe someone will buy the pair of them! They'd make great gifts for a new baby with an older brother or sister!

That's actually what I did with these originally. I started sewing my teddy bears to give as baby gifts and I'd make a puzzle ball to match for the big brother or big sister, so they would feel special, too.

Here's the new puzzle ball:







I just realized I haven't posted anything here about my teddy bears! I guess I'll make that the next entry...but I've gotta take some new pictures of the bears first. Check back soon to see them!

In progress....

I've been working on a new puzzle ball and I thought I'd share a few pictures of the work in progress. I should be able to finish it sometime this evening and post the finished product tomorrow.

Wholesale Order Delivered

I've heard that Blogger is a bit more flexible than some other options, so I thought I'd start this to talk about what I'm making and posting on my etsy site and see what happens.


I just heard from the buyer of my first wholesale order and she said my package arrived safely and she loves it! I sent her two puzzle balls and 30 of my button magnets. Here are the puzzle balls I sent to her.




She's gonna see what kind of interest they get in her shop, but since she really likes them, I think they'll sell. I'd better get busy making more. I'll take some pictures of the one I'm working on now and try to remember to post pictures of my projects in progress.

Another idea I've been working on is for ACEO's, but I'll save that for another post.