Anodyne Design » Etsy

Connections

Shannon — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:37:26 +0000

Yesterday, I met up with Joan of Fiori Fine Silver for lunch and to talk Etsy. We had a mission–it was time for Joan to list her first item on Etsy. Not that I needed an excuse to go out to lunch and talk crafty business. Those are two of my favorite things anyway.

I met Joan last month at a show at Ci|Creative. Talking about art and craft and the business of selling handmade, we immediately connected. Since Joan had not yet made the leap to Etsy, we agreed to get together and talk through the process. At lunch, she showed me some of her lovely jewelry pieces, we talked about the design process, and ultimately, we created a listing for a very pretty pair of fine silver hoop earrings. Joan creates unique textures on her pieces that I just love. These particular earrings have a leaf and vine pattern, but wait until she gets a few more listed! Each piece is different and lovely. Joan is still in the beginning phases of stocking and decorating her Etsy shop, but do stop by for a peek! Joan also wrote about our lunch date, and she talks more about her process creating the hoop earrings on her blog.

One of the things I have wanted to work on for awhile now has been to expand my circle of real-life creative friends. Having been a student for so long, I wasn’t surrounded by a lot of people who share my creative interests. And although I love connecting with the creative community online, it’s nice to see a real face every now and then. It can be hard to find other artists sometimes, though, especially when you’re a little shy, so the going has been slow. But lunch with Joan was one step forward, and I’m started to connect with other local artists, too.

I’m not sure if it’s just me that struggles to connect with other creative people in real life, so I’d love to hear your take on this. Do you have a real life creative community or friendships, or do the people around you not really understand that crafty stuff you do? Are you taking steps to forge new relationships with like-minded people? Let me know!

Six More Weeks

Shannon — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:54:14 +0000

Groundhog from Eric Bégin's Flickr Stream

It’s Groundhog Day, and Punxsutawny Phil saw his shadow. So that means, supposedly, that we’ve got six more weeks of winter. The view out my window of gray skies and piles of old snow seems to agree with Phil. Although I do love sweaters, I do not really love the cold, so I’m not very thrilled about this.

I think I can count on one hand the number of days I’ve seen the sun in the past month, and all these cloudy gray days are starting to exhaust me. Truly, days like this make me want to crawl under the covers and hibernate. So in defiance of Phil and the weather, I want to focus on bright, cheerful things that can bring a little light and energy into the next six weeks. Here are some great Etsy finds that can help me do just that:

1. Oak Tree Necklace by Lulubugjewelry 2. Happy Garden Hair Pins by MiaBeads
3. Forsythia Tote Bag by Cicada Studio 4. Small Zipper Pouch by Oktak
5. Marmalade Posy Bracelet by Jacarandadesigns 6. Sun-Kissed Citrus Cotton Crochet Dishcloths by Buyhand
7. Lemon Sugar Lip Balm by FlourishBathBody 8. Accent Pillow – Starburst Pleat by Yorktownroad

New Magnet Sets in the Shop

Shannon — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 04:25:35 +0000

Tonight I added some new sets of button magnets to the Etsy shop. Each set contains five magnets covered with either matching or coordinating fabric. They’re cute and practical. These are the types of magnets I use in my own kitchen, so I know that they’re strong and will last. We tend to use magnets to hold up more than one thing at a time around here, and these ones are up to the challenge!

Psst… A little note about a deal.

Shannon — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 02:54:45 +0000

Everyday Wallet in Pinwheels

I just thought you might want to know about an opportunity to save a little cash. Anodyne Design is 2 sales away from 100 on Etsy right now. I’m offering 25% off your total sale price if you get to me to 100 (which means, either buy 2 items, or wait and hope someone else buys 1 before you buy.) The catch is that you either have to be a fan of Anodyne Design on Facebook (see that little box to the left?) or following me on Twitter, and you have to leave a note in the “notes to seller” saying either “Facebook” or “Twitter” (which one is your call, but it would probably make most sense if you chose based on which way you’re hooked up with Anodyne Design.)

I’ve added a bunch of new items to the shop over the past week, including wristlets, everyday wallets, card wallets, and new upcycled eco card wallets, so there’s lots to choose from.

It’s probably in your best interest to fan or follow me anyway, so you’ll be notified of future deals (like the giveaway that’s coming up for Facebook fans once I reach 100 fans). I don’t know about you, but I love a deal.

Last RiverFront Market

Shannon — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 00:02:26 +0000

A foggy morning at the market.

The last RiverFront Market of the season ended on a foggy note, punctuated with thunderclaps. Fortunately the thunder didn’t arrive until the very end, and we missed the rain. It was a good market day, filled with familiar faces, and I even got to see a few of my bags “in action” around the market, which always makes me happy.

Even though today was the last day of the RiverFront Market, next Saturday marks the beginning of the month-long Fall Market on the Riverfront. The first four Saturdays in October, from 8 a.m. to noon, Anodyne Design will be appearing at the Fall Market between Old Chicago and River Station in downtown Peoria. Drop by and say hello! It’s time to start thinking about holiday gifts, and what’s sweeter than something handmade?

For the past month or two, I’ve been lucky to have my booth next to another great Etsy seller, Hey Lola. She makes amazing jewlery out of recycled old jewelry, giving new life to pieces in need of a little love. She also always has this gorgeous display of recycled flower hair clip that I’ve loved seeing every week. Very creative and pretty stuff there! I’m miss being “neighbors” at the Fall Market.

I Love Mushrooms… and Ginpins.

Shannon — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:34:44 +0000

Mushroomy Business Card Holder from Ginpins

I can’t stop smiling every time I look at this adorable business card holder. Three tiny mushrooms on a mossy green stand. Even the undersides of the mushrooms are perfect, with tiny gills. I just love it.

I needed a nice way to display my business cards at the farmer’s market, because I noticed that people either didn’t seem to see them or were afraid to take them when I simply set them on the table. I’m hoping that when they see them standing up behind these super cute mushrooms they’ll feel more comfortable taking one. And even if that isn’t the case, I don’t care, because I love these mushrooms so much.

The business card holder came from Ginny at Ginpins. She was very friendly and shipped the same day I ordered, which was awesome. She’s got all sorts of beautiful ceramic goodness in her shop. You really should check it out. If I wore earrings, I know I’d have to get a pair of hers… but which ones, tiny flowers or tiny mushrooms?

Refreshing Lemonade

Shannon — Tue, 19 May 2009 19:46:20 +0000

Wouldn’t a nice, cool glass of lemonade just be wonderful right now? Of course, when wouldn’t a glass of lemonade be wonderful? Homemade lemonade, with lots of sugar, is one of my favorite summer treats. So how perfect that I found out my Lemonade wristlet was including in a lemon-~~flavored~~ themed treasury today. Look at all that cheery lemony goodness!

If that’s got you thirsty, check out this recipe for perfect lemonade, or bake up some pink lemonade cupcakes!

Shop Update!

Shannon — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 23:50:39 +0000

It’s been much too long, but I’ve finally added a few new card wallets to the shop. It feels good to be updating again.

Heart-o-Tron 3000

Shannon — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:22:31 +0000

I know a lot of Etsy sellers are already familiar with the Heart-o-Tron 3000. I’ve known about it and forgotten it and recently rediscovered it, now that I’m listing new items in the shop again. Whether it’s brand new to you or something you’ve known about for awhile and forgotten about, the Heart-o-Tron 3000 is worth checking out. It provides a quick way to check how many hearts your Etsy shop has. You can also easily see how many hearts your individual items have, who left those hearts, and how many views each item averages per heart. Definitely faster than going through your shop item by item.

Do you know of any other cool unofficial Etsy tools? Share them here!

Patchwork Pouch

Shannon — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:40:09 +0000

I’m finally starting to restock my Etsy shop, and the first item to go in is this cute zippered pouch. The combination of the blue prints and the natural osnaburg fabric make me think of a day at the beach. It feels good to be updating the shop again.