Getting Ready For Christmas! (Already)

Hi everyone! I'm sorry about my short absence; life can get quite busy! Anyways, I'm here to let you know that if you've started your Christmas list already, you aren't alone! This year I'm (thinking about) doing an all handmade Christmas...let me know what you think! Here are some of the cool tutorials I've fallen in love with:

Monogrammed Tray DIY

Monogrammed Candle DIY

Silhouettes DIY

I'll keep you updated as I create all of these lovelies! Opinions/comments/etc? Comment!

-Gracie

artist of the month

i recently caught up with etsy seller ktjean. you can check out the interview below!

1.)Tell us a little bit about yourself! (name, location,pets, family, etc.)

I am Katie Jean Walker from Phoenix, Arizona. I am married to the coolest guy ever, his name is Jonce and we have 2 awesome boys, Cade is 4 and Clive is 2. We have 2 dogs, Laredo and Benny, 5 Chickens, Myrtle, Venus, Chickadee, Batman and Cockadoodledo, and 1 fish, fishy power ;)

2.)How did you become to be an artist?

It was really by accident, I met my neighbor at my old house and she was great at making clothes. She inspired me to try my hand at it and we started a kids line that turned into an adult line that eventually broke off into 2 of our own lines. Her stuff is available at ouma.etsy.com ~ we have both moved and now just live a few blocks away again so it is really fun!

3.)What inspires you?
Pretty much most of my inspiration comes from times past, anything old really gets my attention. That is something that shows in all my designs and the line I am working on is going to be awesome!!

4.)What is your creative proccess like?
I just get ideas, then chat with a lot of my friends and my husband to get feedback before I start sketching or anything. My friend (and another neighbor) Jenn from mignonnehandmade.etsy.com is really awesome. We get together to drink wine and chat and she always helps me compile everything together and focus my ideas.

5.)What do you do in your free time?(besides creating)
I love to take my kids out to do fun stuff and hang out with my husband, either just watching movies at home or having friends over to hang out or play games.

6.)What would give as advice to someone just starting out on Etsy?
Just try to make your stuff stand out from others and show your style with good photos. I know I can take quality photos of my own work, but I always use professional photographers who specialize in wedding photos or fashion. I am positive that this has been detrimental to the success of my business.

7.)How do you promote your work?
so far it is all just word of mouth or people finding me on etsy or my website. I would love to do some intentional advertising, I am just making sure I have everything organized on my end so that when I invest in that step, I am ready for the orders that result.

8.)In ten years, where would you like to be?
For a while, I wanted to stay small, but I think it would be fun for people to know what I do and who I am! I would love to have a famous person wear one of my dresses and inspire people to try doing something they love, even if they weren't technically trained for it :)

9.)What handmade possesion is closest to your heart?
i have some jewelry friends have given me that they got from artists on etsy. I love those and wear them all the time!

10.)What would you like to see more of on Etsy? Less of?
I feel bad, but I think that people think that because they know how to sew fabric on a burp cloth they should start an etsy store. I do think that stuff is super cute and fun, but everyone should make sure they have something special about their stuff and a way they can stand out.
I LOVE the stuff that is innovative and I think, "Wow! how did they think of that!?" I love it!" that especially happens when I see stuff that has been re-purposed :)

wow....thanks katie jean! i am totally in love by katie jean's designs and wish i could buy out her whole store!

you can check out her store HERE !

xoxo,
gracie

how to: edit your facebook landing page

so, i've been working on my facebook page quite a bit, hence all the posts on facebook. i created a custom landing page on pagemodo, which i have reviewed in this post HERE .

first, click on the "edit page" button in the upper right-hand corner of the page. it looks like this:

next, click on the "manage permissions" option on the left sidebar. then look in the middle of the page for the "default landing tab" setting. click on the drop down menu and select the name of your preferred landing tab, then hit save.

TA-DA!

you now have a totally set up facebook landing page.

write up: pagemodo

if you've liked a well-rounded variety of facebook pages, then you might have stumbled across a welcome page at some point. like some pre-made page with images and whatever. well, i checked into one big site that creates these with ease called pagemodo. pagemodo is basically a simple site where you can create custom facebook pages for free! they do have additional features in the pro package, but i didn't think that the features were worth upgrading for.

overall, this site was awesome and very quick and easy to use! it took only 20 minutes for me to have a custom landing page for my facebook page....YES!

check it out HERE !

side note: i had a WHOLE lot of trouble figuring out how to set the tab as my landing page....check out my other post on this topic!

how to organize a large collection of earrings

if you've got so many pairs of earrings that you can't even find a matching set, this is for you!

step one
-go through your assortment of jewelry and pair up like pairs and then get rid of all the jewelry you don't want anymore

step two
-organize pairs of earrings by some fashion. my favorite is organizing by metal color, then bead color, then size. for instance, in the gold section, you could have all blue posts and then all blue dangles together.

step three
-clean your earrings! disinfect with rubbing alcohol thoroughly. this step is especially important if your jewelry has been sitting and collecting dust vs. being properly stored.

step four
-put them away/on something. i have a ribbon and i keep my earrings attached to it and i then hang the ribbon up next to my mirror, but there are many ways of doing this. examples are jewelry stands, jewelry boxes, hanging them on mesh wire, etc.

step five
-enjoy having an organized earring collection and put those jewels to good use!


these steps can be applied to any kind of jewelry. comment and send me pictures of your jewelry collection, before and after, and i'll post them on my blog!

toodle-oo,

gracie

colorful

hello! i'm currently feeling very colorful, and i feel like making a little photo montage of beatiful, colorful things.

     


  

incredible tutorials!

just a note of sorry....i know i haven't posted in forever, but i've been extremely busy!

anyways, this post comes with a bit of a background story....i wanted to redo my room, and i LOVED this anthropologie bedding:

well, the price tag was $300 for the duvet alone. i found this a little pricey and did some searching online for a cheaper option, but i found nothing. then i came across this wonderful site! (<- that's clickable!)

and, believe it or not, they had a tutorial on how to make this exact bedding!

so, i completed the instructions and ended up with a lovely quilt that i personally enjoy better than the original. also, the whole project cost me about $75. it was a little lengthy and frustrating at times, but the final product was SO worth the work! i enlisted a friend to help me and the project was a lot more doable and enjoyable than i imagined. you can find the tutorial HERE (part one) and HERE (part two).

also on this site was a tutorial on how to make this:

i made this and it was incredibly easy. i was scared at first because i cannot draw/paint to save my life, but i have to say mine looks quite nice!! you can find this tutorial HERE !

these are the only two i've attempted from this site, but i want to try the following:

let me know if this was helpful or if you need any advice on the projects i've completed. i'll keep you updated on my room's proccess(:

xoxo,

gracie



small business articles

hi everyone! i've been on vacation for 2 weeks and while i had lots of fun, i missed the blog world and the etsy world! to kick-start my return and to help my readers, i've compiled a list of my favorite articles on small businesses.

10 home office time savers
8 useful tips to become successful with twitter
huge list of ways to promote
4 ways to make your products more niche
common SEO mistakes
125 tips for building an irresistable brand

and, of course, the etsy seller handbook

more coming soon! comment-i'd love to hear your feedback!

-gracie

summer rambles

hi everyone! i want to apologize from the bottom of my heart for not having many posts this may. i've had such a busy may and this summer will most likely be busy as well for me. hopefully, it will be filled with fun things to do for all of you, too! so, here is a sweet little post filled with what inspires me and what i've learned this may. enjoy!

what i've learned this may
- working hard really does pay off
- it's important to do things you enjoy
- family is wonderful

inspiration

 She Believed She Could...So She Did Handbuilt Clouds Mug by StarLightClay

 Custom Metal Silver Aluminum And Copper Ring by MetalAdornments

Just Breathe-Mango 12 X 18 Decor Print by TheWallaroo

Ok Monday, Let's do this. 8x10 Print by pixelcloud

how to : editing your facebook page's URL

okay, so recently i had some trouble. my facebook page's URL was yucky. and i mean YUCK-Y! it wasn't only ugly though...it was kinda a bother. whenever someone needed a link to my facebook page, i'd have to run off and find what the link was. the link was something like www.facebook.com/124873948729/pages/#/graciesdesigns.


YUCK, big time! this is just kinda a downer, not to mention it looks very unprofessional! to get rid of this, you have to:

• go to www.facebook.com/username/
• click on the page you want to change
•  in the little box that appears type what you want to go on the end. for example, if you want it to be www.facebook.com/awesomestore then you'd put awesomestore in the box!

it's a super easy solution to an annoying little problem. so, to sum it up,

before: www.facebook.com/124873948729/pages/#/graciesdesigns

after: www.facebook.com/graciesdesigns

HOORAY!

happy may!

happy may everyone! this may, I will be doing the following
- putting together my anthropologie-inspired room. i've found some great tutorials and saved a bunch of money on making things. i'll give you a guide when i'm finished.
- start designing my fall collection. newsletter followers will most likely get a sneak-preview, and you can find the subscription box in the right-hand column.
- taking a good look at my marketing plan and finally figure out why my sales are slow instead of complaining about it
- keep in touch with my friends and family
- gather up goodies for summer....see the following examples below.

all links are clickable. enjoy!
- gracie

what everyone needs to know about earrings

i searched my soul for these basic facts that will build your knowledge of earrings!

-they go through the lobe of your ears or clip on to them
-there are a trillion different kinds: hoops, studs, dangles, crocheted, clip-ons, etc, etc
-though noticeably smaller, they are just as important as a key piece like a necklace
-they draw attention to your face
-they can make your ear swell up if the metal is cheap so be careful as to what kind you choose
-they are never too cheap or expensive- prices range HUMONGOUSLY
-small diamond or pearl studs will never go out of style
-no, they don't always have to match your necklace/bracelet/anklet/ring/toe ring/whatever!
-though not neccessary, piercing ears is common and there are many more choices for pierced ears
-picking too-tiny ones might make your ears look....well...large
-but picking too big ones will make your ears look tiny and stretch out your piercing
-i personally believe there is no such thing as an ugly pair of earrings; but there are ones that are interesting to say the least and ones i would never, ever like to wear.
-there is seriously a pair out there for you-you just might not know it!
-earrings rock!

the color guide: coral

i have no clue why, but i felt like making a collection of nice coral-colored items. odd, huh? so, here we go!


Vintage Garden Bobby Pins Set of 3 - free shipping by lizhutnick




Hand printed simple canvas tote- Bright Coral by marielou




Nautical Nadine (Free Matching Earrings) by RachelleD



Coral Pink Flower on Brown Headband - Designer Headband Handcrafted with Fabric by fabflowerheadbands



White Coral - Throw Pillow Cover 18" x 18" - Deep Orange linen fabric with white coral embroidery by Kainkain




Coral Lotus... Large Favorite Mug... In Stock by yogagoat



Coral Floral Ballet Slipper Baby Booties by TillyWhistle



12 pcs Flowers with Coral Organza Fabric by nezoshop




Coral Dress - silk and bamboo by econica




Coral Drops - 8x8 Fine Art Photography Print by urbandesign

hope you enjoyed! i know just looking for these coral beauties made my day a little brighter.

-gracie