41 items for my 50 item challenge. It's nice to be short by less than ten items. Today I took a break, but I guess I might actually list some items now that I'm awake.

Best etsy thread ever.

38 items made for the challenge. Also, page on handmade parade is up.

I don't understand this featured buyer thing, but I love they might be giants

Etsy lady abitabite has made Playgirl.[a pornographic magazine, so if you don't want to see things like that, please do not click this link.] To tie to into my general blogging, I hear you have to generate some press to be successful. I bet she'll get a lot of interest from the national exposure.

During my hour of promotional power, I noticed my flower ring got to popular on craft juice.

I also noticed that on craigslist, Memphis is listed in Mississippi.

I wonder if one hour a day is too little. But I guess I should pace myself so I don't get ill.

Note: yay for minutes of chats.

I'm still depressed but I feel a bit better. Some people have Ferraris and some people have rusty old bikes, and you don't get an upgrade. I find that every time I need to ship even one package[today is the day after Memorial Day, I have four] I lose my scissors.

I may have an exciting secret, that I can't enjoy now, but when I feel better, I may enjoy it.

Apparently if you make more than the 1 sale a month that's the etsy average, you should never worry.

Also, I've lost my sense of humor, so these folks seem mean. I was all hoo rah last post[5 minutes ago] but instead I think I'll hang around and tell my parents to give me some of those sausages they've been grilling.

I plan to do a promotional power hour everyday. Maybe I'll fall short[I've only made 34 items for my 50 item challenge] but I'm hoping to work hard. I don't do shows, so I'm working hard during the summer to build a foundation for winter.

Yay! Featured in Carnival's blog!

Glad to be a sweet steal.

I enjoy all things etsy, even if they aren't super happy shiny. So I've discovered the shocking blog, etsy bitch! There's also bad etsy deals, full of calling out! A forum thread. and a shocking compilation of closed threads!!!

I have to admit that I don't really fit in at etsy as I don't do well being all goodie goodie gumdrops. I mean even in real life it's tough for me to have a good personality. Once this guy during a game said missed[in Italian] bitch to me, and I swear he recoiled in fear. Hehehe, so there you have it. I work hard making jewelry, and I like my designs, but the truth is that if you buy handmade not for the workmanship or the beauty of the items, but instead because you think the person making the item is all goodie goodie gumdrops, you'll be really disappointed with my stuff.

But I have faith that the majority of people aren't like that. That people aren't as judgmental as they seem to be. That real humans of flesh and blood can still be successful.

Should attempted price fixing be disallowed on etsy?

34 items made for my 50 item challenge. I've been sick a lot, and seem to be running out of supplies. Things I'm quite sure I'm out of:

antiqued brass earwires
gold plated ear wires
gold plated headpins


Things I want but never had:
glue on necklace bails
ribbon bracelet ends

Popular fashion blog A Dress A Day is covering the etsy search change. I might photograph some items for ebay or I might go back to bed for the whole day.

I see that iliketotallyloveit has changed its website. As you can see, I've mostly been using it for advertising.

Yay! I'm in a treasury with some nice etsy artists of color!
The treasuries are awesome! I'm glad to get in a treasury as I am trying to promote my butt off before summer school begins. I need to get as much of a foothold as I can before I only have the time to maybe relist once per day.

Also, look at this cute troll doll.

Yay for free press. Got my 25% off sale on the etsy sales blog. But filling out stuff about me to get free press, it's pretty tough.

Hey, I'm in a treasury. I hope I start being in treasuries more often now, I've been in a slump lately.

aqua stars

aqua stars
Originally uploaded by cassowaryjewelry

The new supplies I got in certainly helped me with my burst of creating.

I made 28 items for my challenge! I also took pictures of all of them.

etsy dirt! abitabite has a new shop! It is nsfw!

Also, the vintage and supplies meeting minutes have been posted!

Etsy dirt! Small company, Vital, ripped off by Urban Outfitters.

I'm celebrating nearly 700 hearts with a week long sale! Tell me where you found my shop and get 25% off!!!

Spiderbite calls for some maturity. Remember- saying I gotta list! doesn't make people agree with you or even shut up.

Yay! My stuff is similar to a front pager's!



front page! yay!



Me! I'm happy in a sort of "look, I'm as good as a front pager" way, but I'd like people who are worried about copying to note that two people who don't know each other[I've never seen this person before this] managed to make similar earrings by using the same sort of idea- flowers with centers, and sterling silver.

I never knew I was on etisians say the darnest things! Note: in googling myself, the first mention of what I said in the forums was this, four pages in. This is the only forums hit in ten pages, and it had to be copied unto a blog.

I'm also refocusing on my supply shop. Renewing the expired items and adding a few new in. I'm cleaning my bead box out too, as I need to be able to find things to be able to make things.

Formerly banned people return to etsy forums mysteriously. I have run out of energy to make any items, and so my 50 item challenge is in danger. I also plan to list 5 items on ebay everyday.

pink and blue cell charm

pink and blue cell charm
Originally uploaded by cassowaryjewelry

I finally uploaded some pictures, and have been listing like crazy. I posted these stars on

I haven't gotten to uploading my zillion pictures, so here's the minutes of an etsy employees chat! There may be dirt about the vintage and supply situation forthcoming!

Posting this so I remember to read it fully.

Plenty of dirt in the forums.

I can't have nice things

I can't have nice things
Originally uploaded by cassowaryjewelry

This is why you need to be careful with your stuff. I think it broke because I put my keys in the grocery basket with stuff on top. So remember- this could happen to you

I've made about 22 items for my 50 item challenge. Slow but sure. I've gotten some good pictures today, but I hesitate to post them on flickr as it's mother's day.

I hear the sampler is going Mtv. I can't participate because the fee is $110.

There's been a lot of furor about the new search changes, with handmade as the default search. But there's also been a lot of support with some tresuries- this one explaining how to find vintage and this one just displaying the best of vintage and a thread about supporting vintage and supplies on etsy.

In shocking etsy news, littleput's business is up for sale: for only $7000.

Littleput suggests that she'd like to go outside once in a while.

I love these old photos I found on etsy.

New changes to etsy? I am too run down to understand them, but I bet there will be drama. see official thread.

Negative is the new positive. I sure hope so! People harp on positive, positive,positive, but I think to become strong artists, we need more than that. Not only do we need honest critque to grow, we also need to have emotions that are less than positive to become more creative. When I make jewelry, I have many emotions- sometimes I am angry and want to do better, sometimes I am sad, and want to create to soothe myself, sometimes I am ambitious and want to top myself. Hard work isn't always pretty or fun, but you become stronger for it. So I want everyone to be able to become strong too.

I'm on item 15 of my 50 item challenge, and it's overcast again. I guess today I should post the items I have pictures of, at least. I saw all the bright colors in the mall yesterday and thought my fashion moment has arrived.

Ugh, it's overcast..

A common complaint about the promotions forums is that your post gets buried. The truth is that while we all think our new sale is the most important, so does everyone else. So the best thing to do is to contribute to other people's threads and to chat with them. Look at some items, stay a while. Maybe post in a post and run thread. Get known and more people will be looking for your super special new sale.

11 items completed for my 50 items challenge! I have to wait an hour for the sun to get to a point where I can photo the items, and between then and now I need to post more items on ebay and promote my ending auctions.

I'm not in the etsy supply team anymore, because I said that a promotional thread...BELONGS IN PROMOS!!

Here's what etsy says belongs in techniques and materials, where it was originally posted:

Techniques & Materials:
share and seek advice about creating items
Topics that belong in Techniques & Materials:
• photography questions
• crafting how-to help
• questions about materials or tools

Topics that etsy says belong in promotions:

Promotions:
looking to shop, promote yourself or a favorite seller? post here
Topics that belong in Promotions:
• "show me your..."
• "I'm looking to buy..."
• anything that is advertising or promotion
• sales threads for Team promotions
• sharing your Treasuries, favorite shops or recent purchases
• blogs/blog entries highlighting specific items or shops
• milestones in number of sales, hearts or views

Whenever you post something on the forums in these sections, these guidelines pop up. There is no longer an excuse for clogging every single other section with promotions. Everyone thinks their thread is too important to be in promotions, so if we say 'well, because this person is in a group with me, they should be allowed to post anywhere they want' the truth is that everyone on etsy is in a group with someone else on etsy or is someone else's special friend. I also do not agree with the idea that everyone must agree with breaking rules for people to be in a team. Now, I'm not an active member of my many teams, but all the teams I am in right now follow the rules. Etsybead doesn't go and post 'looking for jewelry' in business, Jet doesn't go 'we do custom orders' on the techniques, and you never see etsy artists of color posting 'support diverse artists' on the ideas forum. These are all teams, but they agree to work within etsy's rules on etsy.

Etsy isn't making forum rules to be mean or to be arbitrary. When you spam your promotions in other areas, that not only creates more work for the moderators, it also means that people looking for actual information can't be seen above your promotion. So keep it in promos. The truth is that your post or your group's post is not more important than the posts of everyone else. All the other teams, including one of the vintage teams, have been following the rules all this time, you know.


*I just remembered that trashion also follows the rules, and doesn't spam the forums.
also, now you can flag posts for being in the wrong section- another indication that etsy does not want you to spam.

Yay! The new etsy search is here!!

New supply drama?!

I made a cell charm[9 items for the 50 item challenge] but I mostly spent today shopping and sleeping. I need to list and list, though.

hey, it's a new gemstone blog!

8 items made for my 50 item challenge! The sun is out, so it's time for more pictures!

4 items made for my 50 item challenge! But my brain has some fog, so I might have to lay down and play video games for the rest of the day. Our light quality is pretty bad today, so no photos, I think.

betty page!

betty page!
Originally uploaded by cassowaryjewelry

I finally put this necklace on my website. I've only made one new item for my 50 items in May challenge. Better step it up!

*is featured on the art of color!* The board that the booties is on makes me sad. No more house rules candyland for me.