We Have a September Giveaway Winner!

Congrats to Gothicrise (comment number 34) on winning August's giveaway! Yay! 

They won the beautiful Lavender Polka Dot Earrings from Bobbi Lewin, and have been notified by email. 

 Stay tuned for another great giveaway in early October-we'll have 2 giveaways next month!

Thanks so much to all who entered!

<3

September Giveaway: Lavender Fields Polka Dot Earrings

Polka Dot Earrings-Lavender Fields by BobbiLewin

Welcome to the September Treasury Tree giveaway! Each month we give away some Etsy treasure to one lucky blog reader. 

 This month we're giving away a lovely pair of crochet earrings made by Bobbi Lewin. These pastel lavender polka dot earrings were crocheted in the woods using fine cotton thread and a tiny steel hook. Each 1 inch circle dangles from a surgical steel ear wire. 

 Bobbi is a mixed media and fiber artist who comes from a long line of needleworkers. Her pieces are beautifully intricate, lovingly crafted, and inspired by her daily life. 

 If you want to win these earrings all you need to do is visit BobbiLewin's Etsy shop, then come back to the blog and leave a comment saying which item from the shop you like best. If you tweet, Facebook, blog or post on any other social media about the giveaway, you can leave additional comments saying you have done so. Every comment on this blog entry counts as one entry into the draw. 

 So get over to BobbiLewin and find some treasure! 

 Good Luck! 

 The Rules:

 - Anyone can enter, from anywhere in the world, except for Treasury Tree team leaders and captains. 
- Every comment on this blog entry counts as an entry into the draw. However, any comment which is not an entry as described above will be removed. 
- The giveaway ends at noon PST on Sunday September 23rd. 
- One winner will be picked using a random number generator and announced on Monday September 24th. 
 - Please make sure that we can contact you in some way from your comment. 
- The prize is the Lavender Polka Dot Crochet Earrings made by BobbiLewin shown in the photo above, it will be shipped to the winner by USPS.

<3

August Giveaway. Crochet Cuff Bracelet by JustColor

Crochet Cuff Bracelet by JustColor

Welcome to the August Treasury Tree giveaway! Each month we give away some Etsy treasure to one lucky blog reader.

This month we're giving away a delicate and colorful cuff bracelet made by JustColor. The cuff bracelet is hand crocheted in a beautiful shade of fine cotton yarn, trimmed with a silver tone chain and a beautiful floral silver metal toggle clasp that closes in front of the bracelet and acts as the main feature of the piece.

I asked Karineh, from JustColor what inspires her, here's what she said:

"I have always been creative, having been surrounded by creative people since childhood. Although at times I have been pulled to other directions, I have always felt the need to return to creativity. I am inspired by colors in nature and how they can effect our moods! I get exited by discovering new fibers and materials which dominate my existence!"

If you want to win this cuff bracelet all you need to do is visit JustColor's Etsy shop, then come back to the blog and leave a comment saying which item from the shop you like best. If you tweet, Facebook, blog or post on any other social media about the giveaway, you can leave additional comments saying you have done so. Every comment on this blog entry counts as one entry into the draw.

So get over to JustColor and find some treasure!

Good Luck.

The Rules

- Anyone can enter, from anywhere in the world, except for Treasury Tree team leaders and captains.

- Every comment on this blog entry counts as an entry into the draw. However, any comment which is not an entry as described above will be removed.

- The giveaway ends at noon PST on Sunday August 19th.

- One winner will be picked using a random number generator and announced on Monday August 20th.  

- Please make sure that we can contact you in some way from your comment.

- The prize is the Crochet Cuff Bracelet made by JustColor shown in the photo above, it will be shipped to the winner by USPS.

Featured Member Karineh of JustColor

This week's featured member is Karineh of JustColor. Karineh is one of our founding members and a very talented knitter and crocheter. Her shop is filled with colorful textural accessories and interesting unique jewelry. We asked Karineh to tell us about her art.

Hi Karineh, would you be so kind as to tell us who you are, what you sell, what you are all about?

My name is Karineh and I live in Glendale, California. I am one of 3 children, the only girl (I wish I had a sister) and two older brothers. I have been creating since I was very young. I believe I inherited this from my mother’s side of the family. I also played the piano for many years which I regret stopping and replacing it with sports. The last part of my education was at Edinburgh College of Art, Scotland where I learned about many aspects of art and use of materials. It was here I realized the natural power in my hands and fingers.
I make handmade knit and crochet accessories for women. I also make jewelry using metal chains, glass beads or stones. I recently started creating a collection which is a mixture of all of my favorite elements; luxury yarns, chains, stones, beads and leather. It is still under development. I also like to mix some special vintage pieces in some of my work.

Who are your business inspirations?

The list could be too long and very difficult for me to answer. I am not necessarily inspired by large conglomerates’ success. I am more inspired by small, hard working businesses who have managed to succeed through their creativity and imagination.
I have an aunt who became a single mother of a 3 year old in the late 1940s. Despite having to endure many hardships she managed to build up a very successful business with her natural dressmaking and her amazing talent in crafting and creating. She also raised her son to be a very successful businessman.
I am inspired by my mother who I watched creating and crafting since I can remember.

Do you sell online full time? If not, what is your other business/job?

Right now I do work full time on my Etsy shop which means I am doing something for my shop 24/7. Even when I am dreaming. Lol! I have always worked in the fashion world, either as a designer, wholesaler or in the forefront of fashion in retail management and visual merchandising.

What is the biggest challenge when selling your work online?

The biggest challenge is to be noticed and get the word out there. I think most of online businesses would agree with this. Finding one’s customer base and marketing it appropriately is half of the battle.

Tell us about how you got your start selling your craft, either online or local?

I have been selling my craft on and off throughout my adulthood. I had not been creating too much for a few years. After a while I started feeling like something was missing from my life, the void and emptiness that only creativity fills. I decided to pick up my knitting again. One thing lead to many. I am a collector of objects, such as unique small vintage pieces, buttons and lace. I started using them in my work and my jewelry, which I initially made to give as presents. One day a friend of mine mentioned Etsy. I had never heard of it before. I came home, turned on my computer and wham, I created my shop that day. The rest is history.
I don’t do a lot of craft shows. I used to many years ago. I do some local, small craft shows if I can. I normally prefer to be at home surrounded by beautiful objects and yarns.

Tell us why you do what you do (your particular craft; why make it a business vs just a hobby).

I have to do what I do. It’s the need to create, to make something out of nothing, to introduce a different point of view and a new expression of how I see the world for whosoever might be interested. It’s very personal.
There aren’t a lot of people on this earth who make a living out of their passion. Why not turn your passion or your hobby into your business? I think that’s the highest pleasure anyone can get out of life.
Are there any tips or tricks to selling online vs local that you can share?

Maybe there is. Actually I am sure there is but I am also sure I am not the one to give advice in that regard. It’s a constant learning process and I am still a student. One thing I am sure of is that one must have the three Ps, Patience, Persistence and Perseverance.

A few of my favorite Etsy shops:

Now this is hard for me, since I appreciate so many difference and diverse work of art and craft, from one end of the scope to another, but here are a few of my favorites.
LBCpaper, StoneHood, BobbiLewin, infinityarts and many more.

Featured Member Bobbi Lewin

This week's featured member is Bobbi Lewin of Bobbi Lewin Crochet and Fiber Art Designs and Bobbi's Mixed Media Art. Bobbi is one of The Treasury Tree's newest leaders and we are honored to have her. Bobbi is a founding member and with such a keen sense of color and design Bobbi is a wonderful treasury curator. We asked Bobbi to tell us about her shops and her art.

Hi Bobbi, would you be so kind as to tell us who you are, what you sell, what you are all about?

Who am I? I have been trying to figure that one out for half a century now and am still trying! I can tell you who I am as an artist.
I have been drawing and painting since I was old enough to hold a pencil. Even though we did not have a lot of money when I was a kid, I always had art supplies. I’m grateful that my parents chose to nurture that part of me. I have also been doing various needlecrafts since I was a young girl. My grandmother taught me to crochet when I was about 8 years old.
Up until the past year, my primary artistic focus has been on mixed-media paintings. I love being able to use paint and paper and beeswax, or whatever found object I want to stick on the canvas.
Over the past year, I have been very drawn to the idea of using traditional feminine handicrafts in fine art. I love that there is a resurgence now of these crafts, especially among younger women and even men. I have been reading and researching about the history of feminine handicraft, and how it has been used by feminist artists.
My artistic focus has been turning more in that direction. I have gone crazy for crochet. I recently split my one shop into two shops; one for my mixed media paintings and the other for the crochet and fiber art. Recently my main interest is on the crochet garlands I make. They just make me happy!
When I’m not working on my Etsy shop, I’m focused on some larger crochet art projects. One project I’m working on is with some other local artists to create a hyperbolic crochet coral reef here in Salt Lake City.

Who are your business inspirations?
There are a couple of people I have found on the Internet that I just really admire. One is Sister Diane of CraftyPod. I love her approach to crafting and to growing a crafty business. I have learned a lot from her. Another is Linda Tieu from torta gialla. I have been watching her grow her business and blog over the past couple years. Her energy and creativity are very inspiring!

What are your business inspirations?

I want to be able to create a nice balance between selling on Etsy and having time to create some fiber art installations, which are not exactly a lucrative venture! My goal is to be able to make enough through my shop to fund my other art aspirations.

Do you sell online full time? If not, what is your other business/job?
Right now Etsy is my only job. Except for when my cat bosses me around.

What is the biggest challenge when selling your work online?
Getting found! Marketing. Also, knowing when to put the computer away and do something completely unrelated to selling.

Tell us about how you got your start selling your craft, either online or local?
I had heard about Etsy, had seen some fun shops there, and just thought I’d give it a shot. I opened my shop in November of 2009.

Tell us why you do what you do (your particular craft; why make it a business vs just a hobby)
I believe everyone deserves to be able to make a living doing what they love to do. I love to crochet, and want to do it all day long.

Are there any tips or tricks to selling online vs local that you can share?
I haven’t put a lot of effort into selling local. I’ll do a craft fair now and then, but my preference is to sell online.

A few of my favorite Etsy shops:
Sewandsowlife, pquinn, leahduncan, vesselsandwares