An Etsy Treasury - by TQB Designs (for a change...)

It has been a looooooong while since I've made a treasury. I'm just not patient enough to sit and wait for the minutes to tick down I guess. But, seeing how Etsy is having some interesting Treasury incidents today - POP... one just showed up as available when I got there! Hurray! Easy and super fun to make. Check it out and the Fabulous Artists that I've featured:

Yokoo, AmyEsther, SandFibers,
AngelaGerhard, rachelaustin, immortallongings
kpglassjewelry1, TrilliumArtisans, modica
thejadedog, Naftali, annrubyking

- Pink

I Heart Rummage - I Heart Seattle: Come one, Come all

For all of those in the Seattle area - this is to let you know that I will be at the monthly event "I Heart Rummage" at Chop Suey on Capitol Hill this Sunday, September 7th! It's been awhile since I've had a "face-to-face" in Seattle. This is your one chance to buy directly from me in Seattle this year... after that you will have to go to the Seattle Art Museum Store (SAM Shop) to get my work for the holidays or, come to Portland of course.


So here's the skinny on the who, what, where, why and entertainment:

I Heart Rummage is Seattle's longest running cutting edge urban craft experience!

Now in our new location: Chop Suey! 1325 E. Madison, Seattle

Join IHR Sunday September 7th at Capitol Hill's Chop Suey!

IHR features 40 of Seattle's most innovative indie designers and urban crafters at Chop Suey

from 12-4pm the first Sunday of most every month.

Be sure to stop by September 7th and shop the best variety of urban crafts,

try out the new Chop Suey eats, and hear our live DJ, DJ Jessie Beans, ispin their tracks!

Special guest for September is Greenwood Space Travel Supply Co.

IHR always has the latest and greatest in urban crafts!

The first Sunday of most every month

12-4pm

Chop Suey

1325 E. Madison, Seattle, WA

Photo of the Day : Amongst the Urban 2008.09.04

New image postings on my Photo Blog - FranctionalStop. Abstract images of my woven beads and photos showcased on my photo blog are available for purchase.

Back to School and I Feel Like Sharing!

I know that some of the new artists to Etsy may feel as if they aren't getting the exposure they want - and believe ME - I felt exactly as you did when I first started (and don't feel discouraged). I thought I gave it a good shot... but, really it took me a full year to figure out how this Etsy thing worked. After that I decided that I needed to invest money in order to make some. So, I listed. I listed often, everyday, every few hours and re-listed.

Shortly after that I decided to focus on my images. This is the real trick to making it work on Etsy. This is how you will end up on the Front Page frequently. I feel as if I have progressed in three stages with my photo skills: Novice - pic.1 (bad, with no idea what I was doing) , Apprentice - pic.2 (better, seemed to have figured out the lighting trick), and Experienced pic.3 (I love photography and all it nuances).

I often look back at some of my very early photos. My first camera was a Fuji FinePix from 2006 with only 4 mega pixels. All I can say right now is: what a difference a few mega pixels make:) I'm not complaining about my great little "point-and-shoot"... not at all. I love it and I actually would like to get another point-and-shoot by Fuji (the shutter on mine broke and I decided it would be a good idea to upgrade).

So, now I use a Samsung GX-10 and I absolutely love, love, love it. I only shoot in manual mode - so much more control over your environment that way. You can do this with your own camera - even if it is a point and shoot. Take some time to read through your manual (or get it on-line if you had a fung-shui attack and threw it out - just go to the makers website). Also check out the specs on you camera easily on the dpreview site - really helps if you want to know something fast about your camera. You really will see a difference in the quality of your shots if you control the exposure and speed of the photos.

I have to say that I am extremely lucky with all that has come my way. I now take photos for another Esty store: Trillium Artisans (check out the great work they have). I have also taught some photo workshops to new Etsy artists on how to better see and photograph their work and I also do one-on-one lessons with some of the Artists through Trillium. It has been so much fun and I hope that my enthusiasm for photography is infectious.

So, get out there (before the Winter sun hits) and take some fantastic pictures... it really is worth it. Persistance always prevails!

- Pink