And the WINNER IS.....

In our current giveaway from GocksFrocks, we had 81 entries. I went to Random.org and it selected comment number 14 as the winner.

The 14th comment is from Kim, at Kim's Crafty Apple (KimsCraftyApple.etsy.com). Congratulations to Kim. We'll be contacting you soon to put you in touch with GocksFrocks, so that she can ship you your choice of Valentine's skirt!

Thanks to everyone who entered!!

ETTEAM Valentine Giveaway!!

We have a fabulous Valentine's Day giveaway from Etteam member, Kristen of GocksFrocks.

Kristen is giving away one of her "Valentine" skirts (in girls sizes). The winner will choose from the ones available in her shop in the winner's choice of sizes (girls) 2t to 8. The skirt styles vary but all feature elastic waist for ease of fit, pre-shrunk fabric, seams professionally finished, topstitched where appropriate and sewn-on label.

About Kristen: Kristen is a SAHM to 3 wild and crazy kids (Thunder, Lightning & Rain), a former ESOL teacher, and a self described craft addict! She loves to work on craft projects, with new materials .... a blissful day would be one spent locked away in my sewing room with nothing to do but create.... but alas dinner, the dishes and laundry get in the way.

Kristen has been selling on Etsy for almost 4 years, and really started focusing on her shop 2 years ago when she left the childrens boutique world on Ebay. She expanded into womens offerings this past summer, and they were a huge hit! She likes to tell the grown-ups, that her clothing is for letting out your inner child!

"I love texture, patterns, color and am inspired by things I see in my everyday life... I am constantly adding new items to my shop to satisfy my crafting ADD so be sure to check back often!"

How to enter the giveaway.

1. Mandatory: Stop by Kristen's Etsy shop GocksFrocks, and tell us which Valentine skirt you would choose if you win the giveaway, and tell us in a comment. (You must do this before you post any extra entries).

Be sure that you leave your email address or your etsy shop name in every entry, or they will be deleted. We need to know how to reach you in case you are the winner!

Extra Entries:

2. Follow the Etteam Blog, and let us know in a comment.

3. Follow GocksFrocks Blog, and let us know in a comment.

4. Become a fan of GocksFrocks Facebook page and let us know in a comment.

5. Become a follower of GocksFrocks on Twitter, and tweet the following: " ❤ Enter this fun #giveaway for a colorful girls Valentine skirt from @GocksFrocks on the #Etteam blog http://etsytreasuryteam.blogspot.com "

Giveaway starts Monday, January 18th, and ends at Midnight PST Monday January 25th. We'll be back on Tuesday, January 26th to blog about the winner.

Updates on Etta & Treasure Meerkat's World Tour!

Silja of 5erg.etsy.com has made an adorable You Tube update on the latest adventures of Treasure Meerkat's visit to Estonia! This is so much fun to watch, we hope you enjoy it!

And here is a wonderful update from Kristin at Gockfrocks.etsy.com on Etta's travels to New York. Seems that she made lots of wonderful friends in the Big Apple! And don't you love her adorbale Tutu?!!

For more info on the Meerkat's world travels, go to their Meerkat's Facebook fan page!

ETTEAM Featured Etsy Seller - 5erg.etsy.com

Contributed by: NiftyKnits


I have a compulsion to pronounce names, I can't just read 5erg without trying to say it - so let's meet Surge (sorry!) of 5erg.etsy.com. According to her profile she's Silja, but she'll always be Surge to me ;-) The shop's tagline is "If it makes you smile, it's worth it", which probably tells us how this interview is going to turn out...

Cats or dogs?

Black cats! And brooms, while I am at it.

Star Wars or Star Trek?

What? I thought it was the same thing :D

*philistine* (spits nifty)

Fruit or chocolate?

Chocolate with caramel. And whipped cream with chocolate. And pizza with meat and cheese. And then some oranges please.

Favourite colour?

I like color combinations. Lilac and black. Claret and moss. Purple and lime. Gray and yellow. Gray and any bright color.



Favourite meal?

Smashed potatoes with pickled cucumbers and sour cream.
Blood sausage with cowberry jam.
Mushroom pizza.
Pasta Bolognese.
As you see, I am totally useless when I have to choose only one thing.

City break or weekend in the country?

Weekend in the country. But in a very very modern house. And no wasp hives in the toilet. That would be the best.

Soaps or documentaries?

MP3 player with some great rock music.

Bath or shower?

Depends how rusty or how full of chlorine the water is. If it is very rusty, then definitely bath - you get a nice fake tan. And Chlorine water gives you great chemical factory scent, which can be put on with both bath and shower. So, it is all good.



What brought you to Etsy? Tell us about your shop. Do you sell anywhere else?

I have many different things is my shop. Needle felted mermaids for example and other felt items. Little oil paintings in ACEO format. I also list some bead jewelry. Currently I have some greeting cards and fridge magnets with my paintings printed on them too.
I like to look around in tiny handicraft shops and find different items, so I thought I might do a shop that felt a little like that. Maybe one day I will stick with one or two type of things only.

Of all the online selling venues, Etsy looked simplest. And it loaded faster. I don't have any other shops, only this one http://5erg.etsy.com. I also keep a blog at www.5erg.com. I post photos of crafts, nature and people in Estonia and sometimes write about random topics.

What’s the favourite item you’ve made so far?

This mermaid: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22712979
She has attitude!

What has been the most useful lesson you’ve learnt so far?

White background listings are chosen for treasuries way less times than images with regular backgrounds. At least it is this way with my stuff. Also, freebies are kind of useless. Some people enjoy them, but as it appears really most of people just throw free gifts away. But I still sometimes pack something along with some orders, but not regularly.

If you could start again, is there anything you’d do differently?

Sometimes I have thought about making a new account with more regular name. Like just 'Mermaids" for example. Or "OilACEO". But I think 5erg is just fine too. I think it started like it had to, you have to do some mistakes to understand why and what you should do differently in the future.



How do you see your store developing?

At some point I though I will try to keep my listings number the same as my sales number. But I was busy with school for a while and couldn't keep up.
What I am doing always is trying to take better photos. I haven't built a light box yet, so I just try to wait for a sunny day or gather all my lamps in one place.
I don't see my shop being any different in the future, I think the size is OK now. I only have to work on details.

What have you been doing today that I’ve interrupted?

This is not the norm, but I was I was cleaning and re-organizing my room. In between I was reading about Argentina. And that is all :D

What’s your top marketing tip for today?

If you have come to conclusion about something and you keep doing the same thing you think is the best but have forgotten why you are doing it, then think it over.

Thanks "Surge" ;-)

Don't miss a swim around the mermaids and more in 5erg.etsy.com.
I'm off to www.5erg.com because I've realised I STILL don't know where Estonia is...

Crazy Daises Designs - Closing Shop & Final Sale

We're very sorry to see Etteam member Jessica close her shop CrazyDaisiesDesigns, but now is the time to grab a major bargain! Jessica makes beautiful patchwork totes of various sizes, (Be sure that you check out her cute fabric brooches too!) bright and colorful to cheer up a winter's day - and they would make a great last minute holiday gift. And besides super deep close-out discounts, she is also offering FREE SHIPPING!!

CrazyDaisiesDesigns

Meerkat World Tour Update!

Little Treasure in
his journey to manhood

Time has come for little Treasure to leave his home-land, his safe haven under mom's guidance and support, and start his journey of self-exploration and growth on his way to become a self-assured and independent man. And what better place to start than in Arosha's studio and home on the beautiful Carmel mountain in Haifa, Israel? The guys introduced each other, and Treasure immediately adapted to the warm November sun, and together with Arosha spent his first afternoon lazing around, tanning and watching the view – While Arosha is gazing at the beach, little Treasure is trying to figure out what is going on!

Things became even more intimate as Treasure wanted to get a better view of thepasser-bys… (should we mention the girls in bikinis?)

After a Falafel lunch break (Treasure found the balls to be a little too big for his size, and didn't care much for all the tahini that kept dripping), they went on to the main purpose of the visit - which was to teach Treasure a craft that he could develop into a profession. Arosha was trying to explain his metal-working techniques:

But Treasure lost his patience too soon, and started playing around with AroshaTwists plastic cuff bracelets:

After an evening at the pub (pictures have been censored due to the misbehavior of both guys after their third beer), Arosha and Treasure bid farewell, and promised to meet again in a few years. With much sadness, Treasure packed his stuff (which now includes an acorn from his previous visit and a plastic black and gold brooch which Arosha has given him with love), and left for his next visit on his world tour.

We'll miss you, little guy! Arrivederci! I'm sure that's whetted your appetite for Arosha's work: Arosha.etsy.com AroshaTwists.etsy.com - Sleeks.etsy.com - Arosha on twitter and his
spanking new Facebook fanpage and of course, last but not least, the Meerkat world tour facebook page.

Etsy Gift Guides and FP Features: Getting Noticed by Etsy Admin

Conributed by: Midnightcoiler

Are you doing everything you can to get noticed by Etsy admin? Tons of shops are joining Etsy all the time, and admin is constantly trying to keep things fresh, and continually discovering new shops and products they like, developing new marketing themes and choosing to promote accordingly. There are no guarantees or entitlements that any shop will be chosen or remain in the promotional sites of Etsy, but there are some things you can do to to increase your chances.

Taking positive action is the best course if someone wants to increase their chances of being noticed or "rediscovered" by Etsy admin. Here are 11 ways to try and catch their eyes in a positive light!

1. Become a vocal regular in the Etsy Labs, fill out feedback forms if
offered. Create listing cards in the Etsy Labs when they are enabled.

2. Become a regular participant in the Etsy Forums

3. Subscribe to all of Etsy's emails, visit their promotions, leave
comments, participate in nominations, interact as much as possible.

4. Constantly strive for shop and product improvements and innovations. Go to Etsy and team critiques, participate and apply changes.

5. Develop a fresh new line of items to add to your shop and promote it.

6. Purchase a showcase spot on Etsy

7. Follow Etsy on Flicker, Twitter and Facebook and any other social
networking site they are on. Leave comments, interact.

8. Create an event including references to Etsy and publicize it. Send newspaper articles, publicity to Etsy admin. Etsy loves having the site promoted.

9. Write an article for Etsy's blog.

10. Create treasuries, especially ones using Etsy's current marketing themes.

11. Promote and support others as well as yourself. Join a team. Mutual support= more exposure. Create good will- payback is swell!

The side benefits are just as important as being noticed by Admin, not the least of which is exposure gained with fellow Etsians, both buyers and sellers. Happy marketing!

The Etsy Treasury Team website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/etsytreasuryteam/

We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Holiday Season!!

The Etteam

And the WINNER IS.....

We have a winner for Etteam's current giveaway, which includes 2 Celtic CDs from Anam Cara and beautiful notecards from SoundImages. And the winner is:

Carapace was comment number 35 out of 37, as determined by Random.org.

Thanks to everyone who participated, and be sure to stop back by our blog in December for another fabulous Etteam Holiday giveaway!

ETTeam Holiday Giveaway - Featuring Sound Images!

This month's ETTEAM giveaway is from etteam member Jill of Sound Images. She is offering a gift set featuring both music and stationary from her shop, just in time for the holidays.

The package includes two indie music CDs recorded by her Celtic duo Anam Cara. The first CD "The Stone" includes a mix of original as well as traditional tunes with Jill on violin and vocals and fellow musician Rosanne on guitar and vocals. The second CD is a collection of traditional Christmas Music with a Celtic flavour including two original songs written by the duo. You can hear a sample of the music at http://www.anamcara.ca or http://www.myspace.com/anamcaramusic. Also included in this giveaway is a set of four note cards with envelopes and a set of gift tags from the Sound Images "Colours of the World" stationary collection.

Bio:

Jill grew up in the town of Newmarket, Ontario, where she began playing the violin at age four. Since this time she has continued to study and perform in the Toronto area where she works full time as a music therapist in palliative care. Jill has always had a love for music as well as photography and design. She has been able to find a creative outlet for these interests through the creation of Sound Images www.soundimages.ca and more recently her Sound Images Etsy shop www.soundimages.etsy.com.

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

You have 5 chances to enter. Number 1 is MANDATORY, the other 4 are optional for extra chances.

1. Visit Jill's Etsy Shop Sound Images and tell us which of her items is your favorite and why! Leave your comment here, including your email address or Etsy shop name (so we can contact you).

2. Become a follower of the Etteam Blog. If you already are that's counts too! Leave your comment here telling us that you are a follower, including your email address or Etsy shop name (so we can contact you).

3. Snag our Blog Button, and add to your blog or blog roll. Leave your comment here with the URL of your blog where our button is located, including your email address or Etsy shop name (so we can contact you).

4. Twitter about this Giveaway (once daily). Leave your comment here with the URL of your tweet, including your email address or Etsy shop name (so we can contact you).

5. Post about this Giveaway on your Blog or Facebook page. Leave your comment here with the URL of your Facebook page or Blog, including your email address or Etsy shop name (so we can contact you).

Be sure with each comment that you leave your name and email address or Etsy Shop!

Giveaway runs Sunday, November 15th through Saturday November 21st. The winner will be picked by Ramdom.org. We'll be back next Sunday November 22nd, to blog about the winner!

Happy Holidays!

from Etteam & Jill of SoundImages

Etteam Member Nifty Knits & her Meerkats In the News!!

Click picture to enlarge to readable proportions!

See VIDEO interview

Could I be more excited?

Can't wait to find out what happens next for the traveling Meerkats? Check out their blog, or their facebook fan page ! :o)