FP is for Front Page (not Fist Pump)

So here I sit in bed trying to get over tangling with a nasty bout of the flu :sniffle:.  My trusty laptop in hand, I was looking over some Google Analytics data.  Normal results, the numbers continuing their slow but steady rise since I've started paying attention to these things again :yay sniffle: and then...hey!  What's that big spike?


Holy bottom dwelling river fish Batman!  I had Etsy Front Page real estate!

And so off I flew to Craftcult.com to confirm this.  Indeed, noonish last Tuesday, while everyone was pulling levers and waiting for those oh so unsurprising election results, my Great White Shark glasses were hanging out on the FP in this awesome manly man treasury by simplyriveting (whose rings, by the way, totally are just that).  I had seen this collection earlier, and thought it was really nicely done.  "The Etsy admins might even notice this one." I remember thinking to myself.

I must be developing an Etsy-sense.

:tingle sniffle:

New Painted Glass on Etsy

I know some of these have already been live in my Etsy Shop for a little while, but I realized I forgot to make an Official Blog Announcement regarding my new line of painted glassware.

I find these poor lonely pieces of beautiful glassware in the thrift stores.  I bring them home, clean them well, and paint them.  Pretty, utilitarian, AND recycled.  I think it's a great combination.

I've got the beginnings of several collections:

Autumn Breeze

Peacock Glam

Winter Snow

Poker

 

 

Surf

 

 

 

  

Monday Monday

I woke up this morning with the Monday blahs.  Kinda odd, since our offbeat schedule means that Saturday night is our Monday around here.

However, I had a Convo from Jennifer Garry and her Monday Mood Board in my inbox, bright and happy and just what I needed to chase the blues away!

Or at least give me enough motivation to get a pot of coffee going.

Thanks for featuring my Sunburst glass, Jennifer, as well as giving me a jumpstart to my day!

Somebody had a brainstorm…

One of my favorite things about selling on Etsy is how the site is always expanding and evolving.  On the forums earlier, I stumbled across a recent announcement.  In an effort to make the Treasuries even more user friendly, they’ve added a SEARCH option. 

I’m really happy with the revamping Etsy been doing to the entire Treasury function.  Adding the Facebook, Twitter, etc. buttons to the page has made it a breeze to click and share.  I can give mine and other artists’ great work some necessary promotion, and still have time left to get off the computer and make more art!

A glaring issue, however, has been that, unless the Treasury curator Convos you individually with a link, you don’t know if you have something you ought to be visiting and sharing.  I have heard that many Etsians regard these notifications as spam and get very irritated by them. I personally cannot wrap my head around this concept, and greatly appreciate when someone drops me a line.  However, I have wondered: for each Treasury feature I’m aware of, how many am I not?

Etsy Admin Sean11 to the rescue.

On the Treasury page, type shop:yourname.

  This will pull up all of the treasuries that items in your shop are currently featured in.

Here’s a sample of some nice ones I found including yours truly, RadianceArt:

Good work Admins!  Keep the good stuff coming!

The dark side of Etsy

(Those of you with delicate sensibilities, consider yourself warned regarding the link.)

Wandering the Etsy Fae forums during baby’s naptime, I came across mention of a website know as ‘Regretsy’.

Regretsy?" I said to myself. "I've never heard of that. I should stop what I'm doing and Google it right away to satisfy my burning curiosity!"

<cringe>

Wow.  Curiosity satisfied.

Adventures…and a sale!

I'm still alive everyone!  Sorry to be so scarce, been some busy times with Baby Alice, who is now 7 months old, almost walking, and into EVERYTHING.

First beach day!

Also had an interesting trip to the homeland (Sussex County, Delaware) with my parents in their new-to-them RV.  Took us 4 days, 2 blown tires and a popped sparkplug to get there.  Waiting on the shoulder for a mechanic has never been so comfortable, though.

But our biggest news is:  we're buying a house and moving to Austin, TX next year!  Can't wait, we're so excited!  Love that town!

So, as a result of our impending move to awesome Austin, as well as the logistics of having a small baby in the house, I'm taking a hiatus from my Tiffany stained glass for a while. I'm working on some new painted glass items that are easier to do with my limited time and space which I'm happy with so far.  I used to do custom painted hurricane lamp centerpieces for weddings many years back, so this is a bit like returning to my roots now.

But meanwhile, I've got a whole bunch of one-of-a-kind stained glass artwork that I really don't want to pack into a U-Haul.

Therefore, all stained glass items in my store are on clearance! Everything has been discounted AT LEAST 20% off my original prices!

The fantasy stuff...the geeky stuff...the clocks...ALL OF IT MUST GO! Come and visit!

RADIANCEART ON ETSY

PS.  Through the end of July, mention 'SLOWERLOWER' in your buyer notes, and get free shipping off any item in the shop!

Feature Friday--BunnyKissd

Artists everywhere are getting into gear for the fall season, the time for cooler temperatures, outdoor festivals, and my personal favorite part, pumpkin-flavored everything.

This week, I’m featuring some of the great autumny items in FAE member BunnyKissd’s Fairie Gardens shop.

 

She’s also got some other wonderful items, including this adorable little guy:

Check out BunnyKissd in the latest FAE Exhibition and on her blog!

New FAE Exhibition Is Up!

The FAE have put together their latest online exhibition, “Moonbeams, Stars, and Comets”.  I love this theme, and the submissions are gorgeous!  The overall color palette is beautiful, as is the banner.

I think this is one is the one of best exhibitions yet!

Feature Friday – Pumpkin Pye Boutique

And now for something completely different.

This week’s Feature Friday is Tiffany of Pumpkin Pye Boutique!

I haven’t featured an FEST (Florida Etsy Street Team) member in a while, and thanks to my mom, I’m paying a lot more attention to polymer clay artwork lately.  And stumbling upon Tiffany’s stuff just cracks me up!

Seriously.  Look at these.

Kooky.  Wacky.  With a dash of awesome.

It’s mac ‘n’ cheese! Who doesn’t love mac ‘n’ cheese? 

(If you just said you don’t, you’re a Communist.)

Check out her Etsy shop for her felts and other crafts too.

Wandering Wednesday

Button Cutting Machine, Illinois State Museum

A little known industry in the late 1800’s and early half of the 20th century was button making.  Although many of the large factories were focused along the Mississippi River, home button cutters could be found anywhere there were shells to be harvested. 

My grandfather was one of these button makers, hand cutting and polishing beautiful shell buttons (popularly known as ‘pearl’ buttons for their shiny mother of pearl surfaces).

Learn more about shell button history here.

Feature Friday--Aquariann

This week I’m spotlighting FAE pencil artist (and fellow Delawarean*) Kristin of Aquariann!

Kristin does so much hard work for the FAE, to include keeping an eye on the site, putting together the exhibitions, and being an all around inspiration for the rest of us. 

And somewhere in between all that, she manages to find the time to produce some gorgeous art:

Kristin has this great way with her pencils that channels Amy Brown while at the same time having that ‘something else’ that is all her own.

Learn more about Kristin and her art here and follow her on Twitter.

 

 

* (I might live in Florida now, but I’ll always be a Slower Lower Sussex County girl deep down!)

Wandering Wednesday

In honor of the Nature Conservancy’s efforts to restore the oyster reefs in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon, this week’s picks feature the humble (and delicious) oyster and the beautiful gems they produce.

 

Wandering…Friday?

Because I missed Wandering Wednesday, and forgot to pre-write my Feature Friday post.

We can try again next week.  But for now, be distracted by the pretties.

 

Feature Friday--SoapRehab

My mom used to make soap.  I remember one of her first batches:  a (seemingly) massive brick of caramel-colored goat’s milk soap which came to be know around the house just as ‘GoatSoap’.  It sat out in the porch with a knife stuck in it until we eventually whittled it down (breaking the knife in the process).

It wasn’t perfect.  I can’t remember if it was supposed to be scented or unscented.  (It was neither, technically.)  But that soap was awesome.  I was sad when it was gone.  I’ve tried my own hand at working the magic that is saponification, with lackluster results that make GoatSoap look like a spa exclusive.  But since that first introduction, my favorite treat for myself is a fresh bar of homemade soap.  An affordable little reason to get up and get a shower in the morning.

Sara’s SoapRehab soaps have to be some of best I’ve come across so far.  I snagged one of the last bars of ‘Nature’s Child’ a few months ago, and was in love. 

It had a rich lather, yet didn’t melt away in a week like many handmade soaps are prone to doing.  The smell: not overwhelming, elusive but so enjoyable.  My skin felt and smelled great for hours afterward, and the shape fit perfectly into my clumsy little hand.  The grapefruit sample that came with made a fantastic kitchen sink soap, too!

After trying some other Etsy soaps on my list, I made my way back to Sara’s shop.  My recent acquisitions:

(I love the minimal packaging too.)

And samples!  Woot!

Once again, the soaps do not disappoint.  They smell like what they should, but still have that underlying “something else” that is so addictive. Good stuff.

Check out SoapRehab on Etsy and in blog form.