Spring is Near

by Tim Adam on 3/10/10 | 0 Comment(s)

For those of us longing for Spring to arrive, warmer weather is right around the corner.  I hope you enjoy these spring flower finds from Handmade Spark.
{1}  Flower Power Cuff Bracelet Hippie Boho: Quite Fabulous Women’s Wrist Band is Handmade from a Recycled Upcycled Leather Belt. This Cuff …

Spark At Home

by Tim Adam on 3/10/10 | 0 Comment(s)

Our Spark At Home is going to show you some great ways to decorate your home with items found on Handmade Spark and around the handmade scene.  This week you will a two handmade baskets for for storing all your goodies.   My favorite this week is the circle paintings!
{1} 3 …

Captured

by Tim Adam on 3/10/10 | 0 Comment(s)

There are tons of little wild animals running around Etsy.  Here are a few of my favorites I have found and captured for your enjoyment browsing Handmade Spark and Etsy.
This little guy from sweees is my favorite from the bunch!
Bear Pod Pattern

Focus Your Energy

by Michele Gallagher on 3/09/10 | 2 Comment(s)

8 Focus Vintage Camera Cards
Managing 3 Etsy shops keeps me pretty busy. Not only does it take time to photograph, list and then package my goods, I spend hours upon hours a week marketing my shops and trying to get my name out “there”. Like many other …

The Product is King!

by Emily Orpin on 3/09/10 | 2 Comment(s)

Dachshund King by Poor Dog Farm
Gosh it’s fun, this handmade community we participate in.  So much support out there, so many people ready and willing to share tips and information (including the wonderful folks right here on Handmade Spark)!  It’s amazing really, that people are so happy to help each …

Oh, Those Lovely Bones!

by Susan Campanini on 3/09/10 | 0 Comment(s)

Oh Those Lovely Bones
There’s a novel by Alice Sebold called The Lovely Bones that has recently been made into a feature film. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but I do know just how lovely bone beads are.

Bone is one of the very earliest materials used by …

Fashion: The Look for Less

by Ashley Thomas on 3/09/10 | 4 Comment(s)

Celebrities always have the most current, up-to-date styles. Right now, Vintage is IN. However, most of us don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend on the latest pair of Vintage pumps. Well look no further than viralthreads, an Etsy shop that sells mostly 70’s and 80’s vintage women’s apparel. …

DIY – Etching on Silver for Jewelry Using Ferric Nitrate

by Tim Adam on 3/08/10 | 1 Comment(s)

Tutorial submitted by:  Esprit Mystique : Blog
Ferric nitrate provides a clean etch on sterling silver and fine silver.
You can buy ferric nitrate crystals at most chemical supply stores. I buy from Adchemco Scientific in Tucson, Arizona. ($60 for 5 pounds of crystals. Smaller quantities available for less …

Twitter- Branding Your Etsy Business 140 Characters at a Time

by Tim Adam on 3/08/10 | 1 Comment(s)

Effectively Using Twitter to Brand your Etsy Business:
Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users’ updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. wiki
Branding over …

What Is In A Title? – Etsy Item Titles

by Tim Adam on 3/08/10 | 22 Comment(s)

Vintage Green 6×4 Journal
The  title of your Etsy items  is VERY important for SEO;   perhaps even the most important on-page search engine ranking factor.
SeoMoz Etsy’s  SEO experts, ran  this recent survey taken by 72 top SEO experts. According to survey, using keywords in your title tag holds the …

Business Networking As a Mom to Moms

by Ellie Jacobson on 3/07/10 | 2 Comment(s)

Best Mommy Ever Necklace: By jewelscapes
As a mom, of 2 little boys, who works from home and most of my day involves activities surrounding my boys, finding time to network as a business owner is quite limited, but not impossible!  You just have to be creative.
Most of the women I …

Grab Your Etsy Treasury Now!

by Tim Adam on 3/07/10 | 6 Comment(s)

Grabbing an Etsy treasury can be a difficult task when there are hundreds of people waiting to grab one when that magic number of 332 comes up.   Here are a few tips that will help you grab Etsy Treasuries more often.

First you want to make sure that your computer clock …

DIY: Acid Etching on Brass & Copper Metal for Jewelry Making – Part II & Part III

by Tim Adam on 3/07/10 | 0 Comment(s)

Tutorial submitted by:  Esprit Mystique : Blog
Another way of preparing brass or copper for etching is to draw directly on the metal using a special ink as a “resist.” You need a special ink that will “resist” the acid without deteriorating during the etching process.
If you …

Rainy Day Blues

by Delight Worthyn on 3/07/10 | 0 Comment(s)

Awoke to a miserable rainy cold day but it was half price day at my local Salvation Army store.Walked in to find renovations going on so there was not a lot of new stuff on the floor.I did manage to find a couple of things but not satisfied I drove …

Quick tip: Size matters!

by LauraKuhlmann on 3/07/10 | 8 Comment(s)

A Really Bad day by Jtnee
Imagine a shopper browsing Etsy, perhaps doing a search, perhaps already in your shop. They find the perfect item. Your item. They think it will go perfectly with their wardrobe, their living room, their wedding dress, their country décor, etc.
They read your item’s description, only …

Quirky Style

by Sarah Ranes on 3/06/10 | 0 Comment(s)

How would you describe your style?  Could it be a wee bit on the quirky side?  Would your friends say your taste runs a little bit off center or maybe even say you took a major detour off the main road years ago?  Well if this describes you take a …

DIY- Design Transfer for Acid Etched Brass, Silver and Copper Jewelry

by Tim Adam on 3/06/10 | 0 Comment(s)

Design Transfer for Acid Etched Brass, Silver and Copper Jewelry
Tutorial submitted by:  Esprit Mystique : Blog
What is your favorite design?  Wish you could transform it into a series of etched pendants? If drawing multiple designs by hand would take hours, here is speedy way to transfer complex designs to metal for acid etching.  Read …

Sharing In-Progress Works

by Tim Adam on 3/06/10 | 2 Comment(s)

You’ve probably read tons of articles about how blogs can help you gain exposure for your business.  For artists, blogs are a great way to let potential customers and collectors get to know you.  Most people feel more enticed to buy work when they feel …

Shabby Chic Handmade Sparklight

by Tim Adam on 3/05/10 | 0 Comment(s)

STEPBACK CUPBOARD
Rusty RosePetals VINTAGE SHABBY CHIC COTTAGE FURNITURE
I sell everything vintage or antique from my 1860’s fifteen room Victorian home. Hand Painted Furniture, for a Cottage, Shabby Chic decor,Flapper Girl Boudoir Items, Art Deco Jewelry, Vintage Clothing,(1890-1945)Dresses, Lingerie,Bias Gowns and Roses in Paintings, Barkcloth Fabric and …

Tell me About your Creative Process

by Pepe Newton on 3/05/10 | 4 Comment(s)

The more creative, crafty people I meet, the more I am fascinated by how their minds work.  How do they come up with those amazing things?  For most of us the creative process starts with an idea (for me it usually pops by when there is no …