Etsy shoppers pick a favorite team!

I got an idea last fall to make some earrings that were college-themed after I was tired of only finding cheesy (sorry KU fans, you know it's true!) Jayhawk earrings. Well, I think it's interesting to see how many views these pair of earrings have each had.

Check out the KU Jayhawks vs. the MU Tigers vs. the KSU Wildcats earrings! Clearly there are more Jayhawk fans! :) Let me know if you see something you like. You should be able to click on the descriptions to get to each item on my Etsy page!

Rock Chalk, Jayhawk ... good luck in tonight's game!

KU Earrings - 59 views

Rock Chalk, Jayhawk, Go KU - Beaded Earrings

by betsyonetsy

KU Earrings - 40 views

Beak 'Em, Hawks - KU Jayhawks Beaded Earrings

by betsyonetsy

MU Earrings - 1 view

MU Mizzou Tigers - Black and Gold Beaded Earrings

by betsyonetsy

KSU Earrings - 7 views

Kansas State Wildcats - Purple Beaded Earrings

by betsyonetsy

No more library books for kids?

I've been following the coverage for the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act that has been in the news lately. Basically it is a new law, that was on it's way to being fully enforced, that will mandate lead testing for all toys, clothes and other products that are made for children.

I started hearing about it when I saw fellow Etsians that were selling their hand-made baby clothes & toys for several thousand dollars. Jill told me that they were making a statement ... saying that they would have to up their prices if they had to go through all the official lead testing before they could sell their items. The lead testing isn't a problem for multi-million dollar companies that should be doing the testing anyway ... but for the small business owners, they would have to shut down, unable to afford the required testing.

Yesterday, there was an article in the Kansas City Star stating that this new law would mean that all children's books would need to be tested for lead before they could be on the shelves in public or school libraries. Are you kidding me?

Reading in the Etsy forums this morning, it looks like a one year stay was granted for the testing. Hooray! Oh wait. What does that mean? It now means that they've put off enforcing this law for just a year. Many Etsy sellers that were very worried, already closed their shops. Many are realistic and know that this doesn't mean they will be able to afford the testing next year. Yikes! I think it's a big, old mess. What is really scary is that the article states that the stay was granted by a unanimous vote of 2-0. TWO PEOPLE ARE IN CHARGE OF THIS LAW!?! I can't believe it.

Etsy Deals of the Week - For a Baby Girl!

Since little Ellen is already here, I decided to speed up my Etsy Deals of the Week for new baby girl items! I've already done quite a bit of shopping on Etsy for the baby, but here are a few more things I found that I love!

I've had a great couple of weeks with sales on Etsy, so I like to be able to help fellow sellers any way that I can!

How great is this soft play block in fun fabrics?!? I am, of course, drawn the lime green and pink, but the sellers have many other great options. They make onesies, I Spy bags (you have to go check them out to see how great they are), burp cloths and more!

For those that wish they were crafty or great with scrapbooking! Knit1Scrap2 has made this pre-framed baby girl frame. All you have to do is open up the frame and put your own picture inside. Okay, not YOUR picture, but one of the baby! ;) There is also some room surrounding the picture spot where you could write in your own caption or the baby's info like birthday, weight, length, time of birth, etc. If your baby will be wearing blue ... there's a frame for him, too!

In the past, I have given Molly & Erik Christmas ornaments to represent things that happened over the past year. This year, Molly decided to forgo the big tree that normally goes up to save space and time! This new baby pea-in-the-pod ornament would make a very nice Christmas OR new baby present for a holiday baby! The artist will add lots of personalized information to the ornament at your request.


This Paris/Poodle Boutique burp cloth set is already hiding in Ellen's dresser drawers. I was searching for Paris-themed gifts on Etsy ... and there were a lot, but this one really caught my eye! The cute Poodle fabric actually has cursive names on it and guess what it included? Minnie AND Lulu! What a coincidence. They are very soft & well made. The other items made for sale have just as cute fabrics on them!

I thought this reversible baby sling looked really well made and had a cool, non-babyish fabric! The seller has MANY other great items, and when it comes to the slings, there are directions for measuring yourself to make sure you get the perfect sized sling!

When it comes to Christmas shopping this year, I try to go to Etsy first because you can find ANYTHING you want and buying it would mean supporting a crafty/local artist and you might be able to find it for less than you would buy in a major store!

I normally include something of my own in my Etsy Deals post, but I don't have much that is baby-related. :) Maybe my magnets to show baby pictures or kids' artwork.

As always ... feel free to let me know if you see something of mine that you would like in a different size or color. AND ... go browse around on Etsy! It's always nice to help local artisans out!

Etsy News

Sunday, Jill sent me to the link from the Etsy News page that announces that they are going to start doing some media promotions! Yippee!

This is great news. We've known for a long time that Etsy is a fabulous site, but if only the Etsians are out there promoting the site, it is difficult to get random people out there to browse around.

I've already told my family that I would be doing my best to make or buy handmade gifts this holiday season. For two reasons: 1) to save money now that my mortgage & bill payments are starting to catch up with my bank account and 2) to support other local artists who are trying to do the exact thing I'm doing.

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Etsy Buy Handmade betsyonetsy

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So here are some of the things that are currently for sale in my own Etsy store. If you don't see something here that you like (which is perfectly fine), then PLEASE browse around on Etsy.

If it can be made ... it's on Etsy!

I know for a fact that you can find beautiful jewelry, well-made baby gifts, presents for pets, art work, clothes, food, gift wrap, holiday cards ... and they all will be wonderful and possibly less expensive than if you just went out to the major stores in your home towns.

Think about it.

Game on!

This is what I got in the mail today. I purchased this variety of game pieces from an Etsy seller, Sushipotparts. She has a GREAT collection of "unique found objects".

While Jill & I were crafting last weekend, she gave me a great idea for these. Can anyone guess what they will turn into? ? ? No fair spilling the beans if I already told you!

Hopefully I'll get some time to work on this new project now that it is getting colder outside. Cold weather + stressed out Betsy = As much crafty time as possible!

The HIGHS and lows of Erik's Day

It's football season ... that means that Molly is a bit of a football widow and Erik spends a lot of time preparing for the best tailgate in Lawrence for each home game!

Erik's tent (with his buddies, too) has everything you need for ideal tailgating: 2 tents, camping chairs, a bar (bartender included), a plasma TV with cable hook-up, yummy desserts, 2 meals made by Chef Erik, etc, etc, etc.

Today we decided to drive up just to hang out for the tailgate since Molly & I could care less about the actual game, and it was chilly!

Here are a few pics from the 2-ish hours we were there! Molly & me, before breakfast burritos or grilled Krispy Kreme donuts. We were super cold, even though the sun was shining all morning.

Erik's brother & Dad and Molly.
Mom, Dad & Jeff.
Chef Erik. Can you see his system of pre-cooked breakfast burrito "slices"? He makes them in advance and then warms them up with a tortilla. He tops it all off with sour creme & salsa. Best breakfast burritos in Lawrence ... hands down! Molly made him this awesome chef's jacket for Christmas last year. It says LUND on the back and he's added some great patches, too.

Might have scarfed this grilled KK donut in about 2.2 seconds. Shhhhh ... don't tell!

Erik, saying "hi" to Lulu before he left to go into the game.

And here they are again ... Erik had just dunked his head in the ice water to "cool off" before he went into the game. Sweet pants, huh? Check out Molly's cute shirt she made. Rock Chalk Baby! She got lots of comments on it. I told her she should make them to sell on Etsy!

A few minutes after this picture, we went back to the car, picked up Mom & Dad and then headed back home. The girls went off to the Holiday Mart and to run errands (blog post on that coming soon) and Dad & Minnie went home to rest.

Dad called while we were at lunch to tell us about the score of the game. 63-21 - KU Loss. Erik texted Molly to say (jokingly) that he was no longer a fan! He came home earlier than planned to unwind and get ready for tomorrow.

Since Molly & Erik are both doing quite a bit of nesting and preparing the house for the baby, there seem to be large projects around their house every few weeks. There was the bathroom rennovation while I was living with them over the summer, lots of painting, preparing the nursery and now the complete demolition of a room on the back of their house. This room at one point (long before Erik bought the house) was a nice den, but since then it has been shut off to the rest of the house and named The Room From Hell. It is falling off the foundation and really serves no purpose. Sunday, Erik and a bunch of family & friends will tear this room off the back of the house. Nothing will go up in it's place quite yet ... that project will have to wait until after the baby comes.

Anyhoo ... Erik got out some of his frustration from the game by doing a little bit of demo on his own tonight. Molly caught it on tape for all of us to enjoy! Be sure to listen closely to the commentary by Molls! :)

Surprise Etsy Sales!

Jill & I both had surprise Etsy sales out of nowhere on Tuesday of this week. It was super exciting because I don't think I've had a sale since this summer. Although that is pretty depressing, I know it is mostly my fault because I haven't been adding more items, and promoting my things via the blog or going out around town.

I sold this cute Minnie's Fleecy Toy to a shopper in Ohio. This is one of my favorite toys that I've made. I love the colors on it!

Jill FINally sold (her words, not mine) this fantastic felted zipper bag. It's been getting hundreds of views & favorites since she posted it months ago. I know the new owner of this will definitely be happy with her purchase!

I've had a couple family members and friends say lately, "I'm looking for a new ___________". I always point them towards Etsy becuase you can find ANYTHING you want and buying it would mean supporting a crafty/local artist and you might be able to find it for less than you would buy in a major store!

Make sure when you go shopping or browsing on Etsy, you've got time to kill, because you can get lost in the treasuries and search lists for hours! :)

Crafty time VS. Grading papers time

Guess which activity won last night???

Yep, you know me too well. I decided I'd rather get a few new things posted on Etsy last night than grade the hideously large stack of papers I brought home with me!

Here's a new set of magnets that I made using some vintage gold earrings that Jill gave me from her Grandma's stash! After making all of my glass bead magnets, these earring magnets have been a fun change for me!


These K-State Wildcat earrings were hard for me to make, but I figured that there were bound to be some KSU people out there that wanted fun earrings to wear like my KU earrings! Kat had asked when the KSU earrings were going to go up, and I thought now was as good a time as any since we are in the middle of football season!

Enjoy!

Etsy Favorites - Rock Chalk!

Yes, it's been a long time since I made new things for Etsy. Yes, it's been forever since I put new things up on my page on Etsy. Yes, it's been a long time since I blogged about Etsy.

Yes, I've finally done all three! This weekend I got an itch to make some new earrings. It is always tough to come up with a good ideas for a bead combination that I like. It suddenly came to me as I was pulling all my beads out: make some earrings that are college color combos! I know that I always have a hard time finding cute, fashionable ways to show my KU pride. Most earrings that are out there are giant Jayhawks, and sometimes I just don't want to have a bird on my ear. You know?

So here are my new earrings that I made to solve this problem. In the coming days/weeks I'll be posting more earrings, so keep checking back. I even swallowed my pride and made some for the K-State/Mizzou fans ... are there any of you out there?

I like these earrings I made because they are great for going to a game or going to a game-watching party ... but they also can be worn on any plain old day!

This domino necklace is so much fun! I think the variety in beads makes the necklace not so serious. The artist makes lots of chunky jewelry that is very popular right now.

I don't know much about felting, but I know that it takes a lot of practice and skill! When I saw this felted Jayhawk bead, I was amazed! The artist is a Lawrence girl, so she definitely knows her Jayhawks, too!

This listing is actually just for one lampwork bead, but I wanted to show you the variety of what the artist makes. She makes these beads that fit on Troll & Pandora charm bracelets for those of you that are collectors.

As always ... feel free to let me know if you see something of mine that you would like in a different size or color. AND ... go browse around on Etsy! It's always nice to help local artisans out!

Etsy Favorites ... back with a bang!

I know it's been FOR-EV-ER since I did Etsy Favorites! It's also been forever since I've posted new items on my Etsy page. Today I'm doing both.

This is how I figured out how to post my new magnet gift set with the perfect name.

Dials Mom at work: "Hey Mom. You know that one painting that has black and white lines on it and some red and yellow?" [Don't you like my super vague description?]

Mom: "Yes ... and?"

Me: "I've been googling 'contemporary art + famous + black and white' for about 15 minutes and I can't figure it out."

Mom: "You want Mondrian. What for?"Me: "I have this new set of magnets to sell on Etsy and they look like they are Mondrian-inspired! Thanks, Mom!"

Mom: "No problem. Aren't you glad you have me around?"

So ... here they are!

These magnets were made from some vintage earrings that Jill scored for me from her grandmother's massive collection of clip-ons! Aren't they great looking?

I think this little girl's skirt is fantastic! It is handmade (of course ... it's on Etsy) and looks super comfy! Mitzi was amazed that someone had made it to sell on Etsy when I showed her how cute it was! She must not be browsing on Etsy for hours like I am!
This is the plate that goes with a whole Mondrian-inspired plate and coaster set. I think this makes the perfect gift for a house-warming present, wedding present, or gift for yourself!

This tile mirror is the perfect thing to add some color to any room in your house! It is so detailed and beautiful AND a perfect size: 9.5" X 12.5".

For a girl who LOVES big, bright rings ... this one caught my eye! The artist calls it Mondrian in 3D. This ring could also have fit in my KU-inspired Etsy Favorites a few months ago!

Last, but certainly not least is this handwoven, beaded cuff. The artist had another bracelet that was Mondrian-inspired, but I thought the colors of this one were beautiful!

As always ... feel free to let me know if you see something of mine that you would like in a different size or color. AND ... go browse around on Etsy! It's always nice to help local artisans out!

Shameless plug!

I know that I've definitely slacked on my Etsy Deals of the Week and my Etsy Favorites of the Week ... but I don't want you all to forget about this incredible site!

For those of you that don't know ... Etsy is similar to eBay, in that you can buy things that other people are selling. However, Etsy prides itself on being a site to buy and sell handmade goods. You do NOT have to bid on items and one of the new features is that you can actually put a request out for a particular item to be made, and the creators can bid on the chance to make that item!

I have had a store for a little over a year, and although it hasn't been a steady money-maker for me, it's been a lot of fun and quite the learning experience! I've even inspired some friends to open their own Etsy stores. Check out Jill's Knit1Scrap2 and Margaret's Seafoamgirl store!

Once I either get some more time with some wireless internet OR get set up with my own internet at my new place ... I promise to start up with my Etsy Favorites again! It was a great way to "meet and greet" with other sellers! It also kept me up-to-date with posting more items for sale in my store!

Might have found it!

Today was day 3 ... I think of actual going out and looking at properties with my Realtor, Spencer.

After looking at the first 4 units, I was optimistic, but not really excited by any of the condos. Then ... I walked into a GREAT condo! I couldn't believe how nice it was! Lots of nice upgrades and LOTS of closet space!

I have to say, that as a girl who likes a lot of closet space ... that can almost be a selling point for me. Spencer thinks I'm crazy, but this is true!

So ... going back tomorrow with Mom and Dad. Even though it's MY place, to be bought with MY money ... I'd like their approval. They already vetoed the one house that I semi-liked on location alone.

More details if this goes anywhere.

Going to Adam & Jill's for Crafternoon into Crafterevening. I haven't done anything creative in a long time and I'd like to get some new stuff up on Etsy!

Goal Setting

I think it is important to set goals, and this is something that I teach my kids to do all the time. If I insist that they set goals, why don't I do it, too?

It's been a while since I devoted any real time and energy to my Etsy page. I've decided to set my own goals since I am getting close to being an Etsy seller for a whole year. I joined last June, and I know I've made some progress, but I'd like to do more for my own business. By the time I reach my year anniversary as an Etsy seller, I'd like to do the following things.

• I would like to "earn" 100 hearts. For those of you that aren't Etsians, hearts are the way for sellers to show that they like each other. I currently have 66 hearts.
  
• I would like to have 40 sales. As of today, I have made 28 sales, which is nothing to scoff at for a person that is doing this in her spare time.
• I would like to be featured in more Treasuries. So far I've been featured in 2, but no sales came from them.
• I would like to do what I can to promote both my store AND Etsy in general. I think the general public doesn't know about Etsy, so it makes it hard for us to pass the word around. Since I started the blog, I've done several Etsy Deals of the Week (my items) and my Etsy Favorites of the Week (other sellers) and that has been fun. Jill and I have done business card swaps all over the country and we've hung up Etsy fliers around town. I've also featured promotions like buy one pair of earrings, have a mystery pair made for you for FREE! During October, I promised to donate $1 from each sale to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. What other promotions would you all be interested in?
  

So those are my goals. I've got a little over one month to work on meeting them. Some of these are lofty goals, but now's the right time to get serious about it!

Crafternoon into Craftevening

Yes, I know that Craftevening doesn't roll off your tongue quite the way that Crafternoon does, but who cares!

Tonight, Jilly and Adam and Mitz came over for pizza dinner, craft time and Guitar Hero.

The Chittums had been to Sam's Club today and called to see if I was interested in $6 pizza for dinner! I will rarely turn down pizza, and $6 pizza is something you can't pass up. Well let me tell you that it was some of the best pizza I've had in a long time. We also had salad and dessert provided by Mitz. I provided the locale and the noisy dogs for background music! ;)

Jill and I had to finish a crafty project we were working on for Erik's Mom. We started about 3 weeks ago and I just finished the very last of them. I can't go into too much detail, because the recipient of the "craft" might be reading. All I can say is that they are VERY cute and a LOT of love went into making them.

To finish our evening (early due to the other ladies participating in the Trolley Run tomorrow am), we played a bit of G.H. I haven't played in what seems like months! I kicked butt in my first song and then failed miserably! Maybe this summer I'll have time to keep working on my Medium skills!

Jill also delivered a box full of potential crafts for us. Her family had an estate sale at her grandmother's house this week and she brought me a box of leftover jewelry! Surely I can turn those fabulous clip-on earrings into some fun magnets. Look for those to come on my Etsy page in the near future!

Rock Chalk ... Etsy Favorites!

I had a lot of trouble trying to come up with this week's Etsy favorites. First I had a "new home" theme, then I was going to do something in a "spring" theme. After last night's game, it was no question I wanted to do something with KU, and I was so lucky to find that there were actually some Etsy items that had a KU/Jayhawk/Kansas/Crimson & Blue theme!

I think this KU Charm bracelet is very unique! I can't even imagine the hours of work that went into it! The designer, CharmU makes jewelry in many different college color themes, but I was happy to see that this bracelet was one of her featured items!


WOW! What a cute Jayhawk table! I love the sunflower theme to it, too! It's hand-painted and is sealed with varnish, so it would look great on an outdoor patio. There is also a KSU Wildcat table by the same artist ... but guess which one has more views! :)


I had to do a little self-promotion today! I know these aren't KU themed, but these crimson beaded "Apple of my Eye" earrings are to die for! I think they are so beautiful and make the perfect gift for a girlfriend, mother, sister, or teacher!


I've got this new thing about knitted hats! I have some beautiful magenta yarn that I wanted to knit into a hat for this winter. Well, winter has come and gone and my knitting has fallen to the wayside, but THIS hat makes me want to still make it! This knitted cap is for a newborn and has the cutest crocheted red flower on the front. You HAVE TO go look at the link for the store to see the cute baby that is modeling this hat!


These red, white and blue lampwork beaded earrings are perfect for the KU fan in your life! Aren't they cute with the little white flowers on the beads? I have a hard time wearing loud Jayhawk jewelry, but these would be perfect to wear on game day!


Last, but not least is this custom-made college themed Jayhawk bracelet! I love all the different types of lampwork beads. One of the other great things about this bracelet is that it's designer is from Overland Park! What a small world! :)


As always ... feel free to let me know if you see something of mine that you would like in a different size or color. AND ... go browse around on Etsy! It's always nice to help local artisans out!

To make your fridge look pretty!

This week's Etsy favorites are all magnetic clips for your fridge, cubical, wall, or any other magnetic place you visit! :)

To start, these are some of my very favorite magnets that I've made. They are plain silver metal clips, but I've added these coral glass beads and some decorative soldering wire. They dress up any display of kid's artwork and they help to display any invites or pictures you have on your fridge! I have lots of other colors, too!

I saw these School House Magnets and Clips today while searching and wished I had thought of it first. As a teacher who has magnetic walls, I clip just about anything I can do the walls around me so I don't lose it! I love these chalk board-like glass magnets, and the clips are genius! They are perfect for organizing the piles and piles of papers that cover my desk!

I think this Vintage Button Magnetic Clip is super cute! I just used this size magnet for some Valentine's gifts I made for the girls at work! They are so strong, they'll hold just about anything on your fridge! I love the fabric and button combo here ... but then again, who wouldn't?!

These Prima Pretty Clothes Pin Magnets are perfect for displaying pictures on your fridge! You all know how much I like pink and green (Hello!?!? Look at my blog!!!), so I bet you're not surprised that I picked these. I think they make a cute gift for a little (or big) girl in your life!


Last, but not least, are these Super Strength Scrapbook clips. These are the same heavy-duty magnet clips like the button magnet above. As someone who is recently into scrapbooking, I thought these were so fun and flirty! You can't pass them up!

As always ... feel free to let me know if you see something of mine that you would like in a different size or color. AND ... go browse around on Etsy! It's always nice to help local artisans out!

How fitting: 100 miles in 1 day for my 100th post!

Today I drove almost 100 miles around town. If it wasn't quite 100, then by the time I get to school tomorrow, I think it will be!

Here was my day, in short:

• Woke up late and was lazy. Didn't leave house until 1:00pm.
• Drove from my house to Adam & Jill's to compile craft stuff to "shop" around town.
• Drove from A & J's to my parents' house to pick up some mail.
• Drove from their house to Hawthorne Plaza. Stopped into Statements, Shop Beautiful and some new Girlie Boutique (we may or may not have stopped in to track down the teeny, tiny pup that was sitting in the front window).
  
• Drove from Hawthorne Plaza to Tomahawk Creek Condos. We tried to hang up one of our Etsy fliers, but couldn't find the mail room.
• Drove from Tomahawk Creek Condos to AMLI Town Center Apartments to hang up a flier.
• Drove from AMLI apartments back to Adam & Jill's. Jill helped me print out AWESOME fliers for my Minnie's Fleecy Toys.
• Drove from their place to Land of Paws (out South) to try and sell some of my wonderful toys.
  
• Drove from Land of Paws to Brookside Barkery and Bath (in Olathe) to do the same.
• Drove from Barkery to Realtor to drop off signed papers!
  
• Drove from Realtor to Gordman's by the mall to kill time.
• Drove from Gordman's to Bridal Extraordinaire to go wedding dress shopping with Ashley and her Mom.
  
• Drove from Bridal Extraordinaire to Cactus Grill near Town Center for dinner.
• Drove from Cactus Grill back to Mom and Dad's to pick up a tourney bracket and more goodies.
• Drove from Mom and Dad's to home.
  

After leaving my house around 1:00pm I finally got home around 9:15pm. YEAH for finally being home.

Tomorrow I'll head back to school (aren't I the best teacher for working on my Spring Break?) to attempt to get some more cleaning and packing done. At least that will mean less driving for me.

You'll Never Lose Your Keys Again!

It's that time of the week! I am going to share my own little treasury of wonderful Etsy items that I found whilst browsing around this morning.

This week's items are all keychains that have a flower theme to them. I've made several of my own flower-shaped wire keychains, so I wanted to see what else was out there.

This first flower keychain is one of mine. It also comes in a different size with a large, pink stone. It is made with soldering wire and glass beads. It is one of my favorite stocking stuffers or little accessories to tie on top of gifts for a little something extra!

This bright, fabric keychain is the perfect size for a mailbox key or for a new driver that is getting their first car key! Makefuncrafts is the creator, and they make so many great items, I could barely pick one for today's post!

This felt flower keychain is so beautiful, I had to include it! Rosetutu has a shop full of felted items, but this one caught my eye! It looks so expensive and like a lot of love went into making it!

Isn't this flower, mosaic keychain eye-catching!?! The artist, big ALS artwork, is a new Etsy seller ... go check her site out and see all the wonderful mosaic items she has!

There is more to this painted, flower keychain than you see here! When you make your purchase, muraldevotee (the artist) will add your name or monogram to this keychain so nobody will be able to steal it from you! :) She has many other fun designs, that include bikinis, flip flops and purses!

Here is another felt, flower keychain! Similar, but very different at the same time. I love the choice of colors that jumpcrafties picked for this one!

Last, but not least, are these fun, felt wristlet keychains! Busybaprons has so many fun, girlie items, but these fit with today's theme!

As always ... feel free to let me know if you see something of mine that you would like in a different size or color. AND ... go browse around on Etsy! It's always nice to help local artisans out!