A Blog Award & A Giveaway from Art Snark!

Many thanks to my friend Art Snark for this post. Feel free to join in the fun if you wish. She also has a wonderful giveaway from Elle Moss- one of my favorite Photographers on Etsy- that you should definitely enter! Have fun trolling the internet today my dears!

Starting a Blog for my Etsy Shop: Sellers Asssisting Sellers Q&A with Becky Kazana

Here is another question I've received as a member of Sellers Assisting Sellers. I hope you are enjoying this new feature on The Fab Miss B! Please do add your own comments and suggestions in the comments. You know I love hearing from y'all!

(Today print by Maejane)

Q) I'm new to Etsy and new to Blogging. I would really like to learn more about how to blog to build my professional network, Etsy community, and Etsy business. I hardly know where to start. Can you help me get on my feet?

A) Blogging is a great way to get involved in the crafting community, meet like minded folks and develop a following for your product. But, it's also a lot of work. You need to decide how much time you are willing to spend on your blog and what your goals are from the outset.

The Etsy Storque has a great article on this (and is a great resource for both new and seasoned sellers!) Here's one of my own posts about blogging too. Spend some time browsing blogs to see which you like and dislike and think about why. Here's a list of great design blogs to get you going. Do your favorite bloggers use lots of pictures or lots of words? Are they sarcastic or sweet? Are they funny or serious?

(Cassete Tape Laptop Decal by beepart)

I think the best advice is to blog about things you find FUN. That way you will enjoy the process of keeping a blog. If it is drudgery, odds are good that you won't stick with it, and then you'll never find your audience. Trust me, the dialog with others is what makes blogging rewarding.

Keep it short. No one reads long rambling posts (she said in her long rambling post!) Also, make sure to vary your content. If your posts are always about your own products, people will quickly lose interest. Show them what inspires and interests you and you will build a loyal group of followers.
(Jack Russel Terrier on a Laptop print by lulunjay)

Consider joining a team like the Etsy Bloggers Street Team. They have monthly blog carnivals that will help motivate you to create new content and meet other sellers, bloggers, and of course, customers!

Good Luck and Happy Blogging!

Becky

Making Prints for Sale on Etsy: Sellers Assisting Sellers Q&A with Becky Kazana

To welcome the new year, I thought it might be fun to share some of the questions I receive as a member of Sellers Assisting Sellers. I'll include my answers and hope that all of you will share your advice and experiences as well. Whaddya say we start today?

(A beautiful photographic print from Ninainvrom)

Q)Do you have advice about making prints of my work? I am super confused about what type of paper, ink, printing method, printer, archival quality, etc I need to have for my prints. Can you offer some suggestions?


A) There are lots of ways to go about making prints of your work. I have invested in a very nice Epson printer and scanner so that I can print images and cards as needed. After my watercolors are complete, I scan them, color correct them in Photoshop and then format them to fit on an 8.5 x 11 piece of acid free 100 lb paper.

(An Epson Printed Greeting Card by yours truly, BeckyKazana)

If you are just beginning, I would suggest having some prints made at your local print shop. They will be very knowledgeable about paper types and printing techniques and you can see the difference in quality and make the value judgment about what you want to offer on Etsy.

(Frida print on polycanvas by AFancifulTwist)

Another fun way to answer these questions is to go shopping! Poke around on Etsy and look carefully at the work of an artist you admire. Pay special attention to how they describe their prints. Look at artists that are selling lots and lots of prints- that's the goal after all! Also, look at sellers who are making the same kind of work as you are and how they are printing it.

(Gocco printed greeting card from TwoGuitars)

Try searching for key words that you use frequently in your own listings and see what other shops come up. If you like what they are doing, poke around their shop. In the right hand corner of their shop you can see how many sales they have. Read through their listings, see how they are describing things and what their store policies are. Strike up a conversation with them and ask if they have any suggestions or advice for newbies! The best thing about Etsy is the community.

Check out the forums and the pounce tool for more fun ways to meet and learn from successful sellers.

Good Luck and Happy Etsying!

Becky

Another Interview with Rose Works Jewelery!

Another big Merci Beaucoup to Ruthie of Rose Works Jewelery for taking the time to interview me for her blog. I'm tickled pink!

An Interview with Little Ole Me?

Many thanks to Jen at Mama's Magic for interviewing me as this month's featured Etsy Blogger! I'm so honored to have so many of my talented Etsy friends writing about me. Many thanks to all of you.

Elephants never forget...

To offer their congratulations to the Etsy Blogger of the month- Melissa! Check out her blog here and her shop here. (And this little pink elephant would be an awfully cute baby gift, don't you think?)

An Adventurous Spirit

The question is, What are you proudest of?


I am proud of my adventurous spirit, which doesn't always come easily. And I'm proud to have a partner who challenges me to be my bravest, boldest self.


"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore."
-Andre Gide

What are you proudest of?

September's Featured Etsy Blogger

Make haste to Vanessa's shop and blog for she hath been dubbed September's most noble Etsy Blogger. Congratulations most exalted one! (P.S This necklace hath certainly become the object of my ardent affection!)

Etsy Bloggers Mega Giveaway!

The Etsy Bloggers have organized an incredible giveaway! Find out how to enter here. There are lots of lovely goodies, including my favorite Becky Kazana greeting card. Go check it out!

August's Featured Etsy Blogger is Memories for Life!

Congratulations to August's featured Etsy Blogger Memories for Life! She makes intricate letter scrapbooks and can easily customize words just for you. Visit her blog here and her shop here.

Happy August y'all. The wild strawberries are coming up in Mum's backyard. They are tiny and quite tart and we've been feasting on them. What's blooming in your neck of the woods?

Christmas in July!

The Etsy Bloggers have decided to bring you Christmas in July! Click here to see a list of participating shops. Becky Kazana is offering free U.S shipping on all Pipettes so go pick out the perfect gals to bedeck your holiday tree or spruce up that sad cubicle!

P.S) Are you the sort who begins holiday shopping months in advance? I squirrel away gifts all year long! Giving the perfect gift is a sweet pleasure.

July's Featured Etsy Blogger

This month's featured Etsy Blogger is Miesmama. Her shop is full of wonderful felt creations- my personal favorites are these lovely garlands. Just imagine the fun you'd have festooning with those pretties!

Etsy Bloggers Carnival for July 6th!

I'm so pleased to be your hostess for this week's Etsy Bloggers Carnival! This week our fabulous team posted on one of these two topics:

1) Share your favorite summer recipe!
2) Tell us your top five favorite things about summer- and why, of course!

So without further adieu, here are all the wonderful responses from our amazing team. Welcome to the July 6, 2009 edition of EtsyBloggers! (And Thanks again to Stormy for creating the code that made this post possible!)


Ellen Behm presents Summer's Top Five List posted at Down the Street Creations.

Karen aka MysticWynd presents Cool Eats for Hot Summer Days posted at Mystic Wynd.

MagdaleneJewels presents Carnival: Summer Treats posted at MagdaleneJewels's Blogs.

HomeMadeOriginals presents SUMMER MEANS FRESH VEGGIES posted at Home Made Originals.

veryverdant presents Swongers Sizzling Summer Salsa posted at Very Verdant

Linda Wheelock presents Spotted Cow Soaps: Grilled Potatoes posted at Spotted Cow Soaps.

miesmama presents my favorite summer recipe - posted at miesmama.

BeadedTail presents Summer Treats! posted at beadedtail.

Sumiko Shop presents Top five favorite things about summer! posted at Sumiko Shop.

storybeader presents Etsybloggers carnival - July 3, 2009 posted at Stroll Through Storyland.

Nancy presents My Favorite Things About Summer posted at NanjoDogz.

Becky presents Tarte Au Citron posted at The Fab Miss B.

Nubia Goncalves presents Sharing My Favorite Summer Recipe posted at DANUGS.

Rose Works Jewelry presents Rose Works Jewelry: Summer Equals Smoothies! posted at Rose Works Jewelry.

Lisa Nguyen presents Carnival Blog July 3 Favorite Summer Recipe posted at Jewelry Delicacies.

Laurie Jackson presents Visiting Hermann, and a Recipe posted at Indulge Your Shelf.

BunnyKissd presents Friday Favorite! posted at Diary of a Crazy Rabbit Lady, Too.

Summer Raven presents My Top 5 Favorite Things About Summer!!!! posted at Goddess Adornments.

Linda presents Summer Spinach Salad posted at Pruitt Handcrafts.

Edi presents Chocolate Banana Smoothie posted at Memories for Life Scrapbooks.

Patti presents F.........avorite summer recipe posted at peacoxcreations.

TiLTcreations presents Crafts, kids, home and life: Etsybloggers Carnival: Favorite Summer Recipe posted at Crafts, kids, home and life.

Stormy Designs presents Baked Pineapple-Good hot or cold posted at Stormy Designs.

Alicia Mae presents Summer is for barbecue posted at Crafts and Cooking.

Rainy presents 5 Favorite Things About Summer Blog Carnival posted at RainyDayArt.

Anitra Cameron presents SUMMERTIME, SUMMERTIME posted at Coffee Pot People.

Terronda Clarke presents Summer Etsybloggers Blog Carnival posted at ~Unique Commodities~.

Sheri Jones presents Top 5 things I LOVE about summer! posted at All things vintage and up-cycled.

Jessica presents Summer is here! posted at Life, love, YARN!.

veryverdant presents Summer Has Officially begun posted at Very Verdant

Vanessa presents Yummy Low-Fat Ice Cream Sandwiches posted at Designs by Vanessa.

Julie presents Recipe: Provolone Chicken Sandwich posted at Bohtieque Design.

Sykin presents Etsybloggers.com Blog Carnival posted at Sykin's One Stop Etsy Shopping Guide.

UberArt presents Top Five Summer Favorites posted at UberArt Shop.

Lauren B Wilson presents Blog Carnival! posted at be2be - Art and Design Blog from Lauren B Wilson.

Lily Wrey presents etsyBloggers Team July 3, 2009 Blog Carnival posted at TuLips Talking.

A Keeper's Jackpot presents Finally Summer posted at A Keeper's Jackpot.

cindy devine presents My favorite summer recipe posted at Devine Designs Jewelry.

Glorybe1024 presents Summer Recipe for Creamed Cucumbers - July 3 Blog Carnival posted at Lucky Ladybug Designs.

Kathy and Carrie presents EtsyBloggers Blog Carnival posted at CalKat The Jewelry Junkie.

Linda B presents My 5 Favorite Summer Things posted at Linda B's Blog

Heather presents Summer Recipe! posted at Heather's Custom Sewing.

Stacy presents Great Aunt Aggies Chicken Wings posted at PoSH Travel Stories and Reviews.

Two Zany Zebras presents Cha-ching for Bing Cherry Salad! posted at Two Zany Zebras.

Stacy presents 5 Summer Favorites posted at CANDYCRACK.creations.

Kathy Johnston (Cozy) presents Summertime posted at A Cozy Life.

Jamie presents 5 reasons why I love summer... posted at A Forest Frolic.

Sarah Wagner-Ranes presents Five Favorite Things of Summer posted at Sweet Sally's Soaps News.

Now let's go visit our teammates blogs and read this edition of the EtsyBloggers Blog Carnival!

Technorati tags: etsybloggers, blog carnival.

Tarte Au Citron

The tarts I posted photos of yesterday were made with this recipe from the wonderful book French Tea by Carole Manchester. I highly recommend it if you're a lover of fancy pants tea cookies. The almonds in the crust of this tart add a wonderful richness of flavor while the powdered sugar keeps it all surprisingly light. Perfect for summer.

For the Pastry:
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
2/3 c powdered sugar
3 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp ground almonds (you know how I feel about blanching, so I skipped that with no discernible problems. I used a clean coffee grinder to get them really deliciously fine.)
1 stick cold butter
1 large egg lightly beaten

Combine flour, sugars, almonds in a food processor. Cut butter into pieces and pulse until you have a coarse meal that looks like damp sand. Add a bit of egg until you have a ball (you might not use it all). Form a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 30 mins.

Meanwhile, make the lemon filling:

1/4 pound thin skinned lemons such as Meyer (2 small or 1 large)
1 1/4 c granulated sugar
3 medium eggs
2 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp melted butter

Cut lemons into thin slices and remove seeds. Then put whole into food processor and puree. Add sugar, then eggs one at a time, then cornstarch. Finally, add the melted butter untill well combined. Should have a lovely fluffy velvet consistency.

Preheat oven to 325. Now roll out the pastry crust and line a 9" pastry shell with it. Leave it a bit thicker than you would with a pie- it makes a great complement to the lemon flavor. Then pour filling inside and bake for 50 minutes or until filling is golden brown. Serves 8. (Try it with pink champagne too!)

An Edwardian Scene for your Reading Delight.

Lucinda: "Darlings, have you heard?"

Isabelle: "No, my pet, what is it?"

Felicity: "Ooh! Do let's guess!"

Isabelle: "Hmm. You've discovered a new undergarment to festoon with ruffles?"

Lucinda: (flatly) "No."

Felicity: "A more preposterous kind of bow to pin upon your hat?"

Lucinda: (exhales loudly) "No."

Isabelle: "A way to glare at someone disapprovingly without the aid of a monocle?"

Lucinda: "No, no and No! It's this month's extraordinarily talented Etsy Blogger! Lazy T Crochet! Hurry both of you and lets go at once and visit her blog and lovely shop! Now scoot!"

May's Featured Etsy Blogger is Create a Thought!

Congratulations to this May's featured Etsy Blogger- Create a Thought. This quote is posted in her shop and I found it so inspiring:

"There are thousands of thoughts lying within a man that he does not know till he takes up the pen and writes. " ~William Makepeace Thackeray

Amen to that! Here's to soul searching via the pen and a wonderful month in the spotlight for Create a Thought.

Favorite Fairy Tale?

Etsy Bloggers wanna know my favorite fairy tale? Easy peas-y! This one!

Craft it Forward!

I just saw this lovely idea over at Tilt's Creations. She was inspired by several other bloggers who have begun a "Craft it Forward" project. I've decided to join in the fun and send out some handmade goodies too!

I think I've mentioned before that I have some sort of multiples chip in my brain- I have a tough time making just ONE of anything and I've got all sorts of goodies waiting for good homes. (These, those and these are but a few!) So here's how this will work.

1) Leave me a comment describing an unexpected act of kindness, planned, executed or received by you.

2) E-mail me (thefabulousmissb(AT)gmail(DOT)com) your snail mail address. I won't be chasing you down, so don't forget and don't be shy!

3) I will put together a surprise package of handmade goodness just for you. (I will leave a cut off comment here when I've reached maximum capacity!)

4) You will spread the handmade love by tweeting and/or blogging about this little project and linking back here.

5) You will lovingly make and send five special handmade things to five lucky someones. (And so on and so forth! )

What do you think? Are you in?

Happy Earth Day!

This week's Etsy Blog Carnival is all about Going Green in honor of Earth Day on April 22nd. And for once I have good answers for both questions!

1)What is Green in your shop? (This can be something literally green in color, or something eco-friendly.)






Tink and Corine are both decked out in Green!

2) What do you do (or what can you do!) to make your Etsy business or home a little bit greener?

I use recycled materials whenever possible- lots of my Pipettes are made with odds and ends that might normally go in the garbage. And I love to recycle packing materials too- we get lots of Amazon deliveries at our house and I reuse all of those boxes and plastic cushions! (It seems to me that going green and being thrifty often go hand in hand- packaging can be expensive!)



My best Green habit is also the most fun- I love thrifting and buying second hand. One man's junk is another man's treasure, but it's also a way to recycle and reduce waste in landfills. (I try to donate a bag for every bag I bring home, but it doesn't always work out that way...)

One can always do better- now that the weather has warmed up I'm planning to bike a lot more- especially now that I've got these babiesto take boxes to the post office and cart the groceries home in!

What about you? What are your best Green habits?

April's Featured Etsy Blogger is Two Zany Zebras!

Two Zany Zebra's charming tees and onesies make me wish I had some crazy little monsters of my own! (Aren't her kids adorable models?) After poking around in her shop, make sure to swing by her blog too- there are lots of hilarious antics happening in Zebra-land!