Good News For Etsy Sellers

After nearly three years (yes, years) of waiting, Etsy is now able to provide shop owners with the ability to use Google Analytics! Here is a quote from the Storque article:

"Sellers, Etsy has completed beta testing of Etsy Web Analytics (provided through Google Analytics) and you can now enable this feature by going to Your Etsy > Shop Setup > Web Analytics. Or, if you are logged in you can find the link here. This release of Etsy Web Analytics allows Etsy sellers to track metrics such as pageviews, site visits, popular content and page referrals. For more information, you can also read the Web Analytics FAQ. This feature is free to use for all Etsy sellers."

You can bet your sweet patootie that I've just set this up for my shop and for this blog as well. Big Brother (Sister, I suppose) is watching you!

Act Fast to Benefit Elder Craftsmen!

Fred Flare is hosting a fund-raising event that sounds like a whole lotta fun besides being for a good cause. Here's the scoop from FF:

1) MAKE A VALENTINE
You can make it out of anything… Construction paper, collage, paint, crayon, a print of a photo you took, write a poem, make a mix tape, whatever ya feel like! Be sure to include a matching envelope.

2) SEND YOUR VALENTINE + ENVELOPE TO FF BEFORE JAN 15TH
Ya can just pop both in another envelope and send it regular mail to SNAIL MAIL VALENTINES c/o fredflare.com, 300F Kingsland Av, Brooklyn NY 11222. Hurry! Your valentine MUST be postmarked no later than Thurs, Jan 15th to participate. That’s less than a week away!

3) YOUR VALENTINE WILL DEBUT ON FF THE LAST WEEK OF JANUARY
All valentines will be sold online and in our new Brooklyn store for the super friendly price of ONLY $4 EACH and ALL the proceeds from the sales of these valentines will go directly to Elder Craftsmen, an NYC based organization that brings craft workshops to local senior citizens. Our last charity event raised $5K. Can we beat it? With your amazing creation in the mix, I know we can!

There is a flickr group where you can view the completed valentines that people have made, it is called FF's Snail Mail Valentines for Charity.




I'm thinking about stitching some colorful fabric hearts onto a blank notecard, but I haven't decided if I should leave it blank or put a generic "Happy Valentine's Day" on the inside.

Hopefully I'll get time over the weekend to make a few of these; I also want to make a few new cup cozies with Valentine's Day fabrics. FUN!

Wednesday Welcome: One Curly Girl

Each week I'm using Etsy's Pounce feature in order to discover new items "from undiscovered shops waiting for their first sale" as the Etsy site states. This week's welcome is extended to One Curly Girl in the Las Vegas area. A quote from their Etsy shop announcement sums it up nicely: "Our cards make a statement by pairing simple, clean design with charming expressions and hip, colorful envelopes." The artist, Eppie Wyckoff, and her (straight-haired) husband created this business together. The cards are blank inside, allowing you to personalize your message. I found myself smiling while reading ALL of the cards but have chosen just a few to post here.



















The one above made me giggle, even stay-at-home-moms like me deserve a day off once in a while too, right?!?
This one you can give to your sweetie anytime, or maybe for Valentine's Day:



















And here is one I can truly appreciate as a 40-something gal:



















Which of these is your favorite? You can see more designs at their website, maybe you'll discover your favorite card there!

Get Ready For It

A wintry mix, that is! (wintery? winter-y?)
Our county is under yet another winter weather advisory overnight tonight. The last two times this has happened recently we just had rain. Since we're at 33 degrees right now and it is supposed to get slightly warmer, I think we'll dodge the bullet again. My son of course (5th grader) is hoping for a delayed school opening. My daughter (1st grader) is spending the week at home recovering from having her tonsils and adenoids removed this past Friday. So she does not really care one way or another. She'll be up early either way, she's feeling better each day and getting bored with staying home. And is tired of eating soft foods. She keeps asking for a cheeseburger which she rarely will eat on a normal day, so I'm not sure where that idea keeps coming from!
On another note, I was able to get a treasury list a short time ago. I based the color choices on the weather forecast. Hope you and yours are warm and dry tonight!

The List

The List: What's In and Out for 2009
The New Year is underway, and that means it’s time to clean out the cultural wardrobe. Hank Stuever of the Washington Post offers his annual take on things that are so last year, and others sure to be cool in the next 12 months. This is an abbreviated list; for the full article visit The Washington Post

• Out: LOLcats
• In: “Garfield Minus Garfield”
• Out: Dressing like “Mad Men”
• In: Drinking like “Mad Men”
• Out: Twittering
• In: Slow blogging
• Out: Wolverine
• In: Watchmen
• Out: Bumming cigarettes
• In: Bumming books
  
• Out: Alec Baldwin comeback
• In: Mickey Rourke comeback
• Out: Goth
• In: Steampunk
• Out: Using. Periods. For. Emphasis.
• In: CAPSLOCK IS BACK!
• Out: High-end barbecue grills
• In: Crock pots
  
• Out: Things white people like
• In: Things Michelle Obama likes
• Out: Sleeping in parking lots to buy new iPhone
• In: Sleeping in parking lots
• Out: Stroller envy
• In: Cheap daycare envy
  
• Out: Searching one’s soul
• In: Searching one’s wallet

Personally, I think LOL cats should still be "in". The kids and I will occasionally peek at the site and we end up in fits of giggles! You just have to overlook the annoying baby talk that is "LOLspeak" (not evident in photo below, but in most others!).

GIVEAWAY!

GIVEAWAY!

I'm offering this Denim & Groovy Flower Print Front Pocket Bag as a prize for one lucky winner!This bag is made with a medium-weight denim and has a large front pocket that is cut from this groovy flower print. The interior is fully lined in denim. Magnetic snap closure.
Dimensions:
9" tall and 8" wide
front pocket is 7" tall
thin black shoulder strap is 24" long so the bag fits just under your arm

RULES & DETAILS:
(1) This giveaway is open to US Residents ONLY!
(2) The winner will be randomly chosen (using Random.org) by Mannie of The Feature Cafe Blog and contacted via email. The winner will only have 24 hours to respond with their home address.
(3) TO ENTER visit The Feature Cafe Blog and leave a comment there about your favorite item in my Etsy shop! Make sure to leave your email address so you can be contacted! Comments are welcome here but you must comment at The Feature Cafe to be entered in the giveaway.
(4) This giveaway will end on Saturday, January 10th at 11:59PM, EST!

Happy 2009!