Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Blog and Shop Feature: Darling DANDE Designs

Today I am featuring Darling DANDE Designs, who says she has something darling for everyone... and she sure does!



She's a mother of two, who makes some adorable stuff.

Check out these owl bloomers:




Or, how about these zippered change purses... too cute!




You can find these and more items in her etsy shop.


Also, check out the online boutique for additional items, like towels, blankets, and clothes for the little ones. You can get these items embroidered for a personal touch.

And, here's the blog! A giveaway is coming up soon, so be sure to follow.

Facebook Fan Page


See the Boosting Etsy Shops Team Blog to find out more about the BESTeam, and how to get featured by other bloggers!

Friday, March 26, 2010

Coasters For My Birthday!

I received the most beautiful coasters in the mail today from etsy seller ArtsyCraftsy2!

She contacted me through my other shop, CurlyPearl, to do a trade for a painting. Well, I needed some coasters, so I agreed!! I chose these beauties...



They arrived today, on my birthday... What a treat! And, they were wrapped like a gift...



ArtsyCraftsy2's Shop is so cute! You should definitely check it out. She even has some owl coasters.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Whooooo knows what time it is?



These owl clock keychains have been a hot seller, and I've added a couple to my shop today. They're only $10. Click the photo to see it my shop.

And one of them is featured on A Scrappy Design today! Wahoo!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Tutorial: How to make good-looking banners, buttons, backgrounds and more!

Making banners and buttons can be difficult, especially if you don't have a fancy program to use.

If you have an etsy shop, a pretty banner is a great way to welcome customers. When I first opened Owlsome Gifts, I had little banner-making experience. This was my first one:



Simple and not so eye-catching. That's about what you can expect working with a Paint program.

I think my banner now is a pretty big improvement...



I'm not saying I have the best banner in the world now, but my banner skills have greatly improved with a simple online program: PICNIK!!

It's free and you don't have to download anything to use. So, here's what to do to create a masterpiece! (I'm using my twitter background as an example.)

Step 1: Go to the site, and upload a photo. I'll be using this owl painting from my shop.



Step 2:
Adjust the colors, and crop it to the correct proportions using the controls at the top.

Step 3:
Click the "Create" tab. Here you can add a frame, play with different effects, and add stickers.

Matte Effect...



Stickers...



Gooify...



Step 4: Add text! Check out all the fonts... so much fun!




Step 5: Save the image. Be sure to select the correct format (probably jpg). And, adjust the size for your purpose. Picnik will preserve the quality of your image even when you reduce the size. Paint and other programs sometimes give you a fuzzy effect when you reduce the size.

It's a great program, and I use it for all my banners, buttons, backgrounds,... everything! Let me know if you use it (or if you're gonna start using it)!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Etsy Items for Sell in Hermitage, TN

I dropped off some of my OwlsomeGifts and CurlyPearl items this weekend to be sold in Hermitage, Tennessee at Hypnotix. (My items aren't on their website, just in the store.) This is my first experience selling off-line, so we'll see how it goes!


Thursday, March 18, 2010

This owl is bright.



Here's a glimpse of a new owl painting. (Click the pic to see the whole thing!)

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Pssss! (Reduced Prices)

March has not been a great month in terms of sales, so I've marked down all pillows and owl pals in hopes of boosting my shop activity. Feel free to spread the word! :)

Monday, March 8, 2010