Just a quick note about a new feature that we can use on our Squidoo lenses or elsewhere. It is an RSS feed for etsy. Here is the link: http://sixthandelm.com/2008/finally-an-etsy-rss-feed-with-pictures

I just saw it on Noadi's lens and it works great! http://www.squidoo.com/noadis-art--etsy

November's Team L.ens Challenge

This month members of team SquidEtsy are invited to create a new lens that's either a book review or a tutorial. Check back at the end of the month to find a list of all the cool lenses everyone created!

New Squidoo Etsy Lens

Welcome to the Post Election World in the United States. I stayed up last night to watch the election returns and was very impressed with the speeches of both John McCain and Barak Obama.

I do admit, though, that I am very much tired of election campaigning and commercials, and look forward to seeing the regular old annoying commercials as I watch TV.

Enough about that, I am publishing a brand new lens today that promotes the Squidetsians etsy shops on Squidoo. It will be one more place that your store will have a link. The lens is set up similar to the Squidoo Zazzle lens that I have. Each artist or store will have a bio spot for the artist, then a link to your store through the etsy module, and a minimum of one of your lenses regarding yourself or your work. I ask in return that if you see something missing or a person that I have missed, please let me know. I realize that I am new to this group and may not know of someone that should be listed. The lens will be an ongoing gallery, so as people join the Squidetsians, they can be included in this lens. I will also be promoting books and other resources to help people create handmade businesses, so if you know of an article or book, etc, that you think I should include, please contact me. Here is the link: http://www.squidoo.com/etsy-selling-handmade See you there!

Zazzle Gallery Lens

I just picked up a lens that is a collection of Zazzle Gallieries, so if you have one, please let me know and I will add it. The lens is http://www.squidoo.com/ZazzlersonSquidoo

Working on a New Etsy Lens to Include Squidetsian Stores

I am so excited that I get to post on this blog :) This is my first post so bear with me. I also have my own blog which you are all invited to check out-- http://lakeerieartists.blogspot.com

Now that we have gotten the blatant promotion out of the way--LOL--I wanted you all to know that I am currently working on a lens that will be about Etsy and will feature everyone's stores that are Squidetsians. It is in the imagination stage but should probably be posted in the next week or two.

I have been spending much of my own time in the last two months getting ready for the holiday shopping season, which I expect to be highly compressed into the last couple of weeks due to the elections, the economy, and the fact that Chanukah is very late this year, and Christmas starts in the middle of a week. That means we all need to stock up on what we think will sell and be ready for an onslaught. One of the items that I will be selling this year is the photo in the upper left--a Christmas decorated recycled alcohol bottle cheese tray which will come in a package with a beaded knife. I think the price will be $38. I just started a new series of wedding lenses--will end up with 6. So far I have published one on Winter Weddings, Autumn Weddings, and Wine-Themed Weddings.

EtsyForAnimals Birthday Bash Sale in over 180 stores on Etsy

Make a note of the dates : September 15th to September 30th In honor of EtsyForAnimals' Birthday Bash, during this period, many members of the EFA team will be accepting a 20% off Coupon in their shops.

There are over 170 shops that are currently signed up to accept the 20% off coupon here at Etsy including our team member PurrPrints and the EFA team store (which donates 100% of profits to animal charities on all sales). For a complete list of those shops stay tuned at the EFA website. You can use PurrPrints' code PURR in any of those participating shops (you don't need to switch to different codes every time you see a new one--each team member is promoting a different code as part of a little competition).

The nitty gritty: The coupon code "PURR" is good for 20% off the entire order price at any participating store (this does not include shipping). You can only use it once in each store during the sale period (though it can be used in as many participating stores during the sale as you wish), so make sure to stock up!

Aquariann: Fantasy art and fantastic goodies

Aquariann is another fairly new member to Team SquidEtsy, and she's taken off with a bang. She has a number of lenses on Squidoo already, including one about her art. She creates fantastical drawings of fairies and other magical creatures and turns them into everything from prints and cards to bookmarks and magnets. She's taken a few minutes to answer some questions about her work and interests: read on.

Tell us about your art? I never did very well in formal drawing classes. I didn't enjoy standing up and trying to draw on a vertical surface, nor did I like any of the messy mediums I was instructed to use. Squinting at still lives and being graded on art wasn't fun. It wasn't until I started drawing what, where and how I wanted, without worrying about anyone else's opinion, that I started considering myself an "artist." By using ink and colored pencils, a 9x12 pad of smooth bristol paper, and my imagination, I'm free to let loose the fantastical world that dances within my mind.

What first inspired you to start drawing? In elementary school, my friends and I used to make up hordes of characters to write into a young adult series. However, I spent way more time drawing the characters and their situations than actually writing about them - a realization that occurred to me much later. It wasn't until college that it dawned on me to seriously try drawing - thanks to a new addiction to anime and comic books, the discovery of modern fantasy artists such as Amy Brown and Jessica Galbreth, and many art history classes where I got to drool over the beauty of 10,000 years of work.

What are you working on right now? In the past, I have used my magic to transform a few of my friends into fairies and my father into a pirate. Right now I am in the process of turning a childhood friend into a mermaid. She is an amazing stock photographer, and when I saw her pose as a mermaid on deviantArt, I was very excited.

How would you like to develop your shop in the future? Besides all the ideas I have for new drawings that I hope to someday put to paper, I'd like to branch out on my products. I'm especially interested in temporary tattoos and shirts, as I've been asked about them a lot.

What's your favorite item in your shop? What a tough decision! For the moment, it would have to be my newest artwork. "Aware" (bottom right image) is a breast cancer awareness fairy inspired by my mom, a survivor of 14 years. The lump was discovered in her breast back in 1994, but was misdiagnosed as benign until six months later. I was in 7th grade at the time, and have never been more scared in my life. The most vivid memory I have of that time isn't waiting in the hospital or helping with the drainage tube - it was when she had to cut her hair because of the chemo. Her hair had flowed to her knees the entire 13 years I'd known her and seeing her without it was a big change. I can't even begin to imagine how tough it was for her to recover from cancer. She is an incredibly strong woman.

What's the most interesting item you've seen on etsy? NoosedKitty was one of the first etsyians I purchased from. Her art is just so unique! Who else would think to draw a narwhal in a bakery?