Special Order update

 Ms. Shelly - Your business card holder is looking for that bicycle basket, somewhere in California... (:



Almost there




We're getting closer

 

I think we're done

So what do you think?  You ready for me to post this for you?
I really like it.

Oh, now we're ready.  Got to have a key chain to hold your bike key right? The color is Amethyst, it just drys so dark it's hard to see the color in the photo.
♥♥♥ Bettie



Custom order

I am currently working on a custom order for a business card holder.  Here is where I'm at.  So Shelly, what do you think and which design do you prefer?

The front can be plain or the carved with colorful inlay.

A completed Front



Without inlay design
Upon customer approval



WIth inlay design

Top before burning
Waiting for customer approval

Back side

Article Interviews, Reviews and Critiques

Hello and thank you for your interest in being interviewed, or having me drop by your shop for my personal review at which time I will tell my readers what I found in your shop, what I liked, your customer feedback and how your customer service is based on those customer comments.  I will include links to your shop and perhaps links to the items I liked or felt was unique or different. 

I write these articles for the Examiner.com which has a worldwide following numbering in the hundreds of thousands, so exposure is good.

The first thing I would ask of you is for you to take a look at my interview articles and reviews to get an idea of what I write about, how the interviews are structured and how the article looks once published click here.


Then if you are interested I would like for you to subscribe to my article page, this allows the examiner.com to notify you via e-mail whenever I publish (you will never be spammed by the examiner.com nor will your e-mail address be shared or sold) because I don't have the time or resources to notify all of my folks.

You will notice that there are sharing buttons so that you can share the article via Facebook, twitter and other social media’s that you participate in (this is highly encouraged); there is a ‘like’ button and a ‘comment’ area, I encourage you to also use these support features for the article and Artisan’s featured, this helps promote all of us. When you leave a comment I like for you to include a link to your Etsy shop, that way the readers will always have the opportunity to visit your shop as well as those who are featured. This is a good way to keep you in the public eye. What could be better than free advertising just for leaving a comment?

I am doing my part to support all of you and would hope that you do the same for me and those featured. I have a full time job, a home and family, I also craft and have my Etsy shop. I do this on my own time and I do not charge my fellow Artisan’s for my service. My motto is always (as you will see) “Pay IT Forward”.

Okay, now that we have the technicalities out of the way, I ask that you include my shop in your circle just because it makes it real easy for me to grab your shop link. I tried doing my interview list via e-mail but then folks would send me multiple e-mails because they would forget this or that, so you can imagine how confusing and overloaded my inbox became. Now that Etsy has added the circle feature I find that I can manage the situation better. I will randomly grab shops to do quick reviews and publish quite often. I’m still trying to come up with a way to handle the interview process as I know not all folks will want to do an actual interview. For now I am just going to make a written list of those who are interested in the full review. My interviews are similar to those that Etsy does only mine are published to the Examiner.com which is an online news media.

I am happy to answer any questions that you may have, you can leave a comment here on my blog or convo me via Etsy.

Happy selling!

♥ Bettie
P.S.
I am going to include some critiques in future articles from shops that I have bought items from and this way the readers can get the scoop from someone has had an online shopping experience with these shops.
I cannot afford to purchase something from every shop so if you would like a critique from me, you will have to send me something.  If you want it back you will need to provide everything necessary for me to return the item to you.  Sign up via comment on this blog.

Jewelry Mirror Project update

Well here is my project progress.  I painted it a lovely copper which isn't relly very well depected in my photo.  I will have to do some adjusting before listing this item in order to show its real beauty.

So, copper paint with a black paint outline with copper nails to hang the jewelry pieces on and gold hooks.
I will be adding a cording or some other decoration around the inside area of the mirror to cover the raw edges and a jewel in the hole at the tip of the arrow. 

I will install a saw tooth hanger to the back so it can be hung on the wall.  If I were keeping it I would actually put a screw through it attaching to the wall (it would be more secure that way)

It is equiped to hold thrity three (33) plus pieces of jewelry.  I say plus because the hooks could really hold more than one piece of jewelry.

Posting

I'm afraid that I am a little behind in posting my latest articles on this blog, but you can always see the latest by clicking on the orange Examiner button on the left side of the page.

I have been so busy trying to get artisan's to interview to fill up my summer schedule that I have neglected this blog.

Now I must gear up for what I am guessing might be a tremendous influx of artisans responding because I finally got the Etsy admins to respond to my request that I needed their help getting the word out to the Etsy community.  They finally replied yesterday, 7/15/10.  Previously I had put out the word via the forum threads and did receive about 10 interview submissions but to keep posting to the ever changing threads and the folks viewing them at the time I posted was an ongoing effort.

So I was told that I should post a forum thread and that Danielleox (admin) would link to that article in her Etsy Success newsletter which goes out to 300k!  So, you know as well as I that this could possibly just totally 'cover me up' in interview requests, I will be so busy that my head will totally spin right off, whew.  I hope my e-mail doesn't crash!

I want to thank all of you who have signed up as followers, that's really cool.  I have never had much dealings with blogs and all this posting stuff, it's all new to me. I started a blog over a year ago but didn't do much with it and then I started this one as I grew a little more familiar with how to use it.  I will follow you in return if you have a blog but it might take me awhile to get to it.

Thanks for the followings, interviews and support.  I hope you have subscribed to my article page, so you are notified whenever I publish an interview because I and the person being interviewed need your support.

Cheers for now my ♥'s
Bettie

Honk, honk, Beep, beep, how was your commute today?

June 23, 5:57 PM Artisans ExaminerBettie St.Ours

I can't tell you how many people tell me how horrible their commute is here in Northern Virginia! So many of my fellow artisans have encountered the "commute from hell"!


I am guessing that everyone has a story to relate to this topic. I am seriously considering starting an open forum for all of you to get the stress of commuting off your chest. I know that sometimes when I am just able to vent and get some degree of sympathy that it really helps.

My question to you as a reader is...would you be interested in this type of reading? Would you participate and leave comments and or tell us about your commuting woes? I could also collect some of your stories to turn into articles. I think that some stories and concerns should be put out the for others to read, sometime people just don't 'get it' until they hear or read about it.

Like why do people ride the left lane and refuse to got over to let others get by? Or why when other try to get by that slower person in the left lane, do they then speed up so that you can't get past them?

Let me know via comments below what you think of this idea. I appreciate your input.

♥BG
NOTE: All active links can be found on the article page CLICK HERE

'One Delightful Button' leads to many delightful creations for this artisan...

June 23, 11:27 AM Artisans Examiner Bettie St.Ours

...and Katie Bowling is one 'delightful' young lady! Katie really loves Bluegrass music but also enjoys many other genres as well; her favorite food is Guacamole and chips; her favorite colors are turquoise/light pink; and she absolutely loves Lucy, her 'delightful' little miniature Dachshund puppy.


Do you have a day job?

I am a substitute teacher and I work part-time for an organization called Young Life which is a Christian outreach organization.

How did you choose your shop name, "One Delightful Button"?

I found a jar of buttons at an antique store this fall and just loved finding creative things to make with them. I thought it was fit that my shop name includes buttons. There was not "one delightful button" that inspired the name though. I just thought it sounded cool!

In your opinion what is the most important factor to running a successful on-line shop or business?

I think finding your niche is essential. As my Etsy shop has developed I have tried to create somewhat of a theme that unifies my design. I also think it’s important that you stay true to yourself.

Have you ever had a project that didn't turn out well? If so, how did you fix it?

Well not that one didn't turn out well but a lot of times I'll come up with an idea and will start to work on it and then finish a few weeks later. I am always thinking of new ideas, but sometimes it takes awhile to get up the courage to make it. Also, I am learning to sew and it has been fun and challenging!

What do you do for fun when you aren't crafting?

My husband and I love working on our house together. We bought an older home and have been fixing it up since August and have made a lot of progress. We live by the beach too and love to go on walks there.

What do you like the most about your crafting?

I just love discovering how to make new things. How do you promote your business? I twitter, Face Book, sell my items to friends and wear things I made almost every day. Wearing my items really seems to generate interest locally.

Please be sure to check out the slide show below to see some of Katie's creations and be sure visit her shop, "One Delightful Button" on Etsy.

How did you like this interview? Please leave a comment below.

♥ If you liked this article and want to know when I publish more articles and personal interviews with talented artisans CLICK HERE to subscribe to this column or use the button at the top of the page, that way you will receive an automatic e-mail notification (no spam) whenever I publish an article (and while you're at it, please help me out by choosing me as your 'fav' Examiner) using the button above (: AND please always leave a comment below.

♥If you are a shop owner and/or an artisan and want to be interviewed, CLICK HERE to subscribe to this column, leave a comment (below) then grab the interview questionnaire from my blog and follow the instructions for submission. I'd love to publish an article about YOU!

Don't forget to visit my many artisan friends at Etsy.com and the VA Etsy Team for your shopping pleasure.

Until next time I wish you a good day today and every day!
Remember to always 'Pay IT Forward' because one good deed deserves another.

Cheers~
♥BG♥
NOTE: All active links can be found on the article page CLICK HERE