Etsy Feature

Today my "Lifepath" basket is featured in the BEST etsy shops blog! What a fabulous complement. I love the idea of having a $1000 virtual budget and shopping it away each week. Anyone care to take a turn?
pamela

Navigating an Etsy Shop

Tried shopping on Etsy yet? (It's pronounced like "Betsy," without the "B!") Etsy is THE PLACE to buy handcrafted online! You can also find supplies for your artwork, as well as vintage articles there. Check it out! Etsy has something for everyone. Navigating, well, they have been working on making it easy. Maybe it is not so intuitive, and you could use a few tips on finding what you want! Let's take a look at some of my shops and I will point out some things on getting around.

This is what a shop looks like. You can click on any of these photos to make them larger.


Scrolling down to the bottom of the page, you might notice there is alot of stuff for sale in this shop....28 pages as of this writing, to be exact, which converts to over 600 items!
Oh my goodness, how do you look at it all? There are a few ways to zero in on what you are looking for. Try checking the shop's sections first. Sections are on the upper left side of the shop. Most people want to know what is on sale first. You can click on the "sale section" link, and it will bring up the sale items.

You can also choose from two different views to look at the list...either the thumbnail view, which gives you relatively large pictures and just a little text, like this:

Or the List view, which gives you smaller photos, but all the title.

To switch between views, use these little symbols on the right side of the page, near the top

Still have too many things to sift through? Try sorting by price. On any page, you can show the lowest priced items first, by clicking on this little sorter.

There are more ways to sort through a shop. Say you have some great aqua thread, and want to make a basket with it, but need a base. You can search my shop for "aqua." Go to the top of the page, and type "aqua" in the search box. You MUST be on the front page of the shop or "shop home."
Type "aqua" in the search box, and make sure the dropdown menu on the left has "this shop" selected. Then hit "go" or just your enter key. The resultant search gives you everything labeled "aqua" in the shop! (You can then sort for lowest price, as I showed you before, also!)
If you want to find bases with cat motifs, or dragonflies, you can sort for them the same way!

To buy on etsy, you will need to register (but it is really easy.) Once you have registered and started buying things, you will want to learn to leave feedback. Feedback is your way of telling how your experience has been with each seller. It is very important to sellers to have positive feedback. To leave feedback, choose "your etsy" from the top of any page.

The left side of "your etsy" is where you find record of your Purchases, feedback, favorite, where you can enter a profile about yourself and upload an avatar, stuff like that.If you choose "Feedback," you will be able to enter feedback about others with whom you have transacted, and see the feedback they have left about you.


I hope this makes it a little easier to find what you want on etsy. Let me know!

I have four shops on etsy.
My bazketmakr shops carries finished baskets and my art cards.
PurpleToedGypsy has woven wearables - like horsehair charms on necklaces.
MakeABasket is a basket supply shop, featuring ceramic bases for coiling and kits.
LizardSkins is a destash shop, it has mostly blank white clothing for dye/paint and vintage items. Visit soon!

Blue Light Specials for Black Friday/Cyber Monday

Not out shopping? Maybe you already have been, but are back home? No need to feel left out!

All this weekend (and maybe next week) I will be featuring Blue Light specials in my Etsy shops:
bazketmakr.etsy.com

MakeABasket.etsy.com

PurpleToedGypsy.etsy.com

To make it easier for you, here are the searches for JUST the sale items in these shops:
bazketmakr.etsy.com
MakeABasket.etsy.com
PurpleToedGypsy.etsy.com

To be notified of the Blue Light Specials, check my twitter page or facebook page. You must be a friend of mind on facebook to see them there...but just request, and i will approve you. For Twitter, you don't have to be a member, or be following me, you can just check my profile.

Each special will be posted individually. When that item is gone, it is gone *unless multiples are listed to begin with*

Look for the twitter has tag #bluelightspecial to sort all the specials, if you are a twitterer already!

Happy Black Friday! Hope everyone had a marvelous Thanksgiving!
pamela

An Aside from My Series, and Beautiful Basket by Ruth Danger

These two beautiful baskets are just a taste of the long line of extraordinary coiling produced by Ruth Danger, of Zephyrhills, FL.

Ruth purchased both the bases for these baskets from one of my etsy shops. Basket bases were previously offered in my Bazketmakr etsy shop, but now are available in the MakeABasket etsy shop. Bazketmakr now carries only finished work, such as horsehair baskets, pine needle baskets, and other fiber creations. MakeABasket is where you can find bases, in addition to binders, tools, and kits.

If you have made baskets using my pottery bases, please send me pictures! I would love to publish them...if you bought one at NCBA convention, at the teacher's market, or took a class from me there, i would love to publish your basket here as well.

Having received an email from Annejala, i will address this as an insert to my series, "Three Considerations to Faster, Easier Coiling":

Annejala writes: (Pamela wrote in her blog) "Sinew is also adaptable in that it can be flat (like raffia) or round (like upholstery thread and linen.)" Where do you purchase the round sinew?

well, here is another case of me thinking i have said something, when i really didn't.

one does not purchase round sinew. It is the same -one kind- of sinew that can be either flat or round.

if you wish it to be flat, run your thumbnail across it, and this flattens it. this is useful when threading a needle, for instance

for round sinew, roll it between your fingers. this is useful when putting on a bead

sinew should never be wetted - as when people put it in their mouths

because it ruins the waxy coating

it should be either:

1. flattened
   
2. rounded
   
3. trimmed (with very sharp scissors)
   

in order to achieve tameness.

to find more baskets made with these pottery bases, click on the label pottery base below

pamela

My Beach Treasure Pouch is in a Gift Guide!

Over at Etsy, they are in full swing for summer. I posted a few days ago about being in a voter poll.

The Best of the Beach Bums is where they announced the winner of the beach contest. Congratulations, ladramaqueen! She received 207 votes on her lovely handmade, vintage-inspired swimsuit.

My entry, the Beach Treasure Pouch, received only 46 votes. Thanks to everyone who voted for me! Thanks to you all, they have chosen it to be included in their gift guide: The "Member's Choice" Guide. It is the very first entry, they chose the refreshing mint green pouch for their layout.

So, still planning a trip to the beach? If you check my Etsy Shop, you will find a whole rainbow of woven Beach Treasure Pouches to choose from. And I can make them custom, as well!

Happy Beachcombing!

Brake for Turtles Yet Again!

Anyone noticing more turtles on the roadway...hope you are yielding!

Just listed a lovely little horsehair turtle in my etsy shop. Am working on wearable horsehair turtles, too, thanks to Cathy Schneider who pushed me to make more turtles. I do love them. Will let you know how it goes, Cathy.

Is anyone else boxing up baskets to submit to NCBA for next year's convention? I hope so! They need a good selection! I am going to try to send mine today!
pamela