Spring Is Here In South Eastern Michiagn!

Spring is here. I know it, even though it is cold by the Yellow Crocus in my front yard. My Day Lilies are about 2 inches tall, and so are my Irises.

I planted new Cone Flowers last fall. Orange, Yellow, and a Green variety. Hope they come up so I can take some photos and let everyone see how lovely they are.


Cathy 4 / 7 / 2011

Spotlight on Alpha Dog Photo

Meet Ada, A.K.A. AlphaDogPhoto on Etsy. One day about five years ago my husband and I were visiting the Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine, Florida when Steve looked down at the sidewalk and said, "look, this crack looks just like a K." That was the start of a very addictive hobby.


We have traveled all over the United States and have taken photos of pretty much every crack and crevice we ever walked by. We go on wonderful vacations with beautiful scenery and come back with photographs of things that look like letters…but none of ourselves. We’ve even been driving down a highway and had to turn around and go back because something looked like a "P". Many times I’ll focus in on something on the ground or way up high--I must admit unlikely places for a Kodak moment. By the time I’m done snapping away, I realize that passersby are looking up or down perplexed and trying to figure out what I could possibly be taking a photo of. Little do they know that it’s something that looks like a letter that will eventually end up on Etsy.
In November 2010 we joined Etsy and wish we had signed up years before when one of our friends told us about it. We tried, and failed many times, at setting up our own website. Merchant accounts, tags, URLs… it was all so confusing. Etsy took a difficult and expensive part of our business and made it easy and affordable. We sell our alphabet photos and unique barn wood frames at craft fairs and Farmer Markets and love meeting new people and being part of the crafting community. What we did not expect when we joined Etsy was that it was also a community, but even BIGGER! I just shipped to the United Kingdom today and "convo’d" with someone in Hong Kong.

Who knew that Steve noticing a crack in the sidewalk would lead to an International business called Alpha Dog Photo?
www.alphadogphoto.etsy.com

To Twitter or Not to Twitter?

I don't know how you felt when you opened your shop with Etsy or Artfire. I didn't know anything about setting up a shop, nothing about online e-commerce, would I need a webmaster to do it? Would anyone look at it? How do you collect the money?

Before I joined Etsy I did get a website, and I had a Business Paypal account and an email account set up by my webmaster. It was still a slow process for me. What to add to my shop. Now I add images that are new and sometimes different than what I sell at Art shows. I love the creativeness that Etsy has given me to try different things. There is so much to do now during the winter off-season. I also love the world-wide market place Etsy has opened up for me to sell my cards and photographs in. And still have the Shop Local option, for Michigan sales.

I am now in the process of converting some of my old negatives to digital, a very slow process, some of them aren't in as good of condition as I hoped they would be in. An example is the blue boat above, taken in 1985, in Connemara, Ireland, on a rainy afternoon. The old boat has been retired. The grounds landscaped and the Abbey enlarged. New boats are in its place, nice boats, but without the character the old boat had.

I recommend Handmadeology, Facebook, and Twitter to new people to e-commerace whether it is Etsy, Artfire, or one of the card companies.


Cathy March 8, 2011

Spotlight On MelJoy Creations

MelJoyCreations on Etysy

Hello, my name is Melissa, I’m “Mel” of MelJoy Creations and a member of the Michigan Trolls on Etsy. I’ve lived in various areas of Michigan over the years, mostly in the “thumb” of the mitten, which is where my husband and I reside now.

I love all things creative, and art has always been a big factor in my life. In my younger years I was a dancer until illness changed my body forever. Move ahead a few years (okay, maybe more than a few) and I'm still creating, just not in a choreographic form. Crafts are my new outlet. Jewelry, quilts, scrapbooking, card making, wirewrapping...you name it and I enjoy it!

The other half of MelJoy is my mother, Joy, who also lives in Michigan 9 months of the year (I don’t have to tell you which 3 months she prefers to be away from Michigan..ha ha). Over the past two years our jewelry making passions have led us into teaching classes. Then last fall I was introduced to Etsy. The land of handmade…where have you been all my life!? Ha! Within a month, I had our shop up and running.

I would describe our shop as traditional jewelry with a modern makeover. Some styles are classic patterns that my mother learned many years ago. But we’ve taken these patterns and styles of weaving to a new level with designs in modern colors, using more modern styles and variations of beads, crystals and findings. We are very particular of the beads and crystals we use and we’re known for spending hours and hours just deciding on color combinations and weave patterns. This year we plan to begin selling our jewelry at craft shows throughout Michigan. And we’re really hoping to meet up with some of the other members of the Michigan Trolls Etsy Team, too!

February 20, 2011

To Watermark Or Not To Watermark?

I spend a lot of time on Etsy, I find that I could stay at my computer 24/7, and still not do everything I need to do on Etsy or Thistle and Shamrock Publishing. I have to limit my time, do the most important thing first and then go to the next most important one. But from time to time I like to take some time off and browse through what is listed in the Photography Gallery on Etsy. I have never been able to get into a Gallery, not that that is all bad. I have only heard a few good things about them, and many more bad things.

Often in the Gallery I will see watermarks on the Photographs. I have seen discreet to bold across the photo marks. If the photograph is sized at 72 dpi and lowered to medium size I don't see a reason to watermark a photograph. If someone wants to take the time, the watermark can be removed. I have to admit that sometimes I put my shop initials on a photo, never in the center, never at the edge, it is small and in a place it would be harder to remove it from.

When I do Treasuries I never select a photograph that has a blatant watermark on it. It takes away from the beauty of the photograph when you see the watermark first, and then the image.

Happy V-Day everyone!

Cathy 2 / 12/ 11

Spotlight On Michigan Artists

Howdy, I am Willew or Lisa, if you find me in real life. I am currently residing smack dab in the palm pit of Michigan, but dreaming of relocating to a more rural area to live the farm life. About six years ago, I transitioned from the corporate world to life as a stay-at-home-mom and embarked on a journey to a more natural, less-is-more lifestyle. I documented my journey on my blog and discovered the wonderful world of the blogosphere and all that inhabit it. Through this, I found Etsy and immediately knew I wanted to open a shop. It took a few years, but Willew Creations opened this year and I have been thrilled with the experience.

I describe Willew Creations as a treasury of handmade items to green up your self and your home. Our signature item is the hand knitted, cotton, washcloth sets. One of the first things I did to green up my home was to toss all paper products and these washcloths made it possible. I’m still amazed at how much money that one act can save. Soon, I will be expanding our product line and offering: market bags, plastic bag holders, sweeper covers and more. I envision Willew Creations growing into your one stop shop for items to help you save money and be earth friendly.



Contact Info:
Etsy Store: www.etsy.com/shop/WillewCreations

Facebook fan Page: www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Willew-Creations/143248295725451

Blog: bemyleaves.blogspot.com/

Spotliite On Holiday Cards

Cards are my favorite graphic to create. Here are several I created over the years.

Cathy 1 / 6 / 2011