The Most Viewed

One of the stats that is public on Etsy listings is views - how many times a listing has been looked at. What does it really mean? If you see an item with a high view count that could mean that it was featured in a treasury, perhaps on the Etsy main page, maybe it was blogged about on a high traffic blog or maybe it was simply relisted over and over again and never purchased.

This tshirt bowl by far has the highest views of any item in my shop. Yes, its been renewed a few times, but, in this case, I believe these tags have something to do with it: "t shirt, cotton, yarn, eco friendly, recycled, repurposed". It is a unique, one of a kind item that I had really hoped would get snapped up right away. Instead, its still hanging around and the longer it stays with me, the more I think about keeping it for myself.



I can think of tons of things that need to be stored in an awesome bowl made from a worn down, yet very clean, t-shirt. Keys, change, cell phones, make-up remover pads, jewelry, Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars, etc, etc...

What item in your shop has the most views? Are you surprised by it?

~Melissa~

Gift Ideas for the Little Man

I know we are cutting it close to get presents in time for the BIG day, but I can't help by browse Etsy with my little guy in mind. He may not get these in time for Christmas, but who says you need a holiday to buy a handmade gift for your little boy?

First off, this personalized guitar tote bag from Beachchik Designs. My little guy loves to travel with his cars, sometimes up to 8 of them, and he obviously, can't carry them all. We've tried getting him to use bags in the past, but with his new guitar obsession, I think this bag just might do the trick... plus, it has his name on it!!


Somewhere along the line, the inevitable happened, he discovered dinosaurs. I know, its a boy thing, all boys have to go through the dinosaur obsession. He's not quite obessed just yet, but he is showing interest. He also LOVES to color, he's my little Picasso. Hence, these Upcycled Dinosaur shaped crayons by ivylanedesigns!


Lastly, I think this I Spy Bag by bananabearboutique is adorable, perfect for my guy who I believe will always be obsessed with race cars. He may not be totally ready for it, but when he is, he'll get a big kick out of this one!


So, there you have it, a gift list for the 2.5 year old boy in your life. Guitars, cars, dinosaurs - what more does a little boy need?

A Pat on the Back!

The EtsyBloggers have an interesting question for this biweekly blog carnival. They ask the following:

What was your most successful sales event or product, and why do you think it was?

Hands down, my most successful sales event was my Earth Day sale from earlier this year. I offered free shipping on all eco-friendly items - washcloths, make-up remover pads, dishcloths and upcycled jewelry.



During that period, I sold several sets of white make-up remover pads. I'm not sure why white was so popular, but I really should get my butt to the store and get more white cotton yarn!!



I think the sale was popular for two reasons:
1) My washcloths/make-up pads/dishcloths are very reasonably priced, and in some cases, by offering free shipping, I cut the total price almost in half.



2) Now more than ever, people are looking for ways to eliminate waste, save money and keep their families healthy. My washcloths and make-up remover pads are machine washable and last a very, very long time (I am tempted to say that they will last forever, but I can't be 100% sure of that) and the dishcloths replace stinky sponges that can hold mold and bacteria. All of them are pretty and give the sense of luxury while still being good for the environment and helping to save money.

I was surprised at how well the sale went, up until that point, I had little success with sales. Will this be an annual event?? You'll have to keep reading my blog to find out! ;-)

Earth Day Sale - Just FIVE Days Left!

Earth day is coming fast! There are just five more days until my fabulous Earth Day sale comes to an end. Purchase any washcloth, dishcloth, make-up remover set or upcycled/repurposed jewelry item from my shop before midnight on April 22 and automatically get free shipping!



You'll also get free shipping on any custom washcloth, dishcloth or make-up removers that are ordered and paid for before Earth Day comes to an end.




Go Green!
~Melissa~

Earth Day Sale!

Earth Day is April 22 - all dish cloths, wash cloths and eco friendly items will ship for FREE from now until April 22. Show your love for Mother Earth by reducing your waste and showing off how cool recycling can really be!

Washcloths, Dishcloths, Make-up Remover Pads:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=28859§ion_id=5165195



Don't see a color that matches your style? Shoot me an email or an Etsy conversation, custom orders placed before April 22 also ship for free.


Upcycled T-shirt bowl:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13851874



Upcycled Plastic Pendant:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=22313597



Go Green!
~Melissa~

Awesome Recycling!

Inspiration tends to hit at the oddest moments. I was unpacking a new remote control car for my son and noticed these little plastic thingamagiggies that sit against the styrofoam with those annoying twist ties that hold every possible edge of the toy down. Now, I understand we want to make it hard for people to reach into the box and pluck out the toy and sneak out of the store, but gosh, have these people ever sat with an excited kid that just wants to play with their new toy?!?

Anyway, I had these three little pieces of plastic sitting on my table and noticed for the first time that they are pretty cool looking. I played around with them and finally decided that they would make an awesome layered pendant and I just happened to have blue and black satin cord in my supply stash. Voila! Recycling at its best!



Be sure to snatch this bad boy up before someone else does because I don't anticipate many new toys coming our way until my son's birthday in May!

Happy Shopping!
~Melissa~

Favorite Color?

The EtsyBloggers Blog Carnival theme this time around is: "pick a favorite color, and show it in your work". My favorite colors are red and black, but you'd never know it by looking at my shop. If I sent you to my shop and said "Guess my favorite color", you'd probably feel pretty confident saying PURPLE!!! There are 21 purple items in my shop at this given time. I'll highlight a few of my personal favorite purple items.

1) Purple Glass Beaded Dangle Earrings


2) Purple Heart Bracelet


3) Purple Shell Beaded Earrings


4) Deep Purple Fancy Bowl - Upcycled T-shirt


5) Lavender Baby Blanket


So, there you have it! Pretty purple, deep purple, light purple, shiny purple.... all purple! Do you have a favorite color?? Do you see something in my shop that is your favorite color? Simply put "My favorite color is...." in the notes to seller at checkout and I will refund you 15% of you total purchase, excluding shipping, via PayPal!

Happy Shopping!
~Melissa~

Repurposed T-Shirts

I saw the idea a while back about cutting up old t-shirts into strips and making yarn from them. I thought, wow, I have TONS of t-shirts and I wear very few of them. That's a great idea, so much better than tossing them in the trash. Then life happened and although the idea stayed filed away in my brain, I never got around to doing anything about it.... until now!!

I had a lovely pink cotton sleep shirt that I simply don't wear anymore. Its soft and comfy and a very pretty color. So, I got the scissors and started cutting away!! I thought for sure I would mess it up somehow, but I didn't and I got a lovely continuous strand of roughly 1 inch wide "yarn". I also cut up a 3X grey t-shirt that I wore almost every day for the last 2 months of my pregnancy (I had that and a Yankee jersey that still fit over my belly).




Now time to think, what to do with it? I had wanted to make a large rug for my entrance foyer in my house. But that would take too long and I would be bored with it after a few weeks. Plus, my back hurt from sitting on the floor hunched over a t-shirt with a large pair of scissors. Hrm.... a hat? a scarf? wrist warmers? NO! Even better! Drum roll please.....



Ta-da! A bowl! This bowl would be perfect sitting on a foyer table holding keys, a kitchen counter holding keys or a cell phone, in a bathroom or bedroom filled with potpourri or sitting on a night table holding extra change.



I have another small ball of the same color "yarn" and a ball of light grey. I also have several shirts just begging to be cut up and repurposed - they are white, grey, purple and a hot shade of green. And believe me, there are MANY more shirts in my storage space just waiting to find a new life holding your small objects.

What? You said you are in love with my little bowl? Well, you are in luck, its available now in my Etsy shop - just click here!

Stay tuned folks, I hope to take some before and after pictures of the next shirt I cut up. I know, I rock like that! :-D

Happy Recycling!
~Melissa~