What Is Etsy?

Chapter I. What is Etsy?

I have plans of creating a clickable tutorial for those who are unfamiliar with Etsy, so that new users and complete strangers can become more familiar with the site to buy and sell handmade items. While my motives are somewhat selfish ("Buy from me! Buy from me!"), I realize that as a new buyer or seller there are many concerns and it can be somewhat intimidating.

This is my first chapter of my tutorial, called "What is Etsy?".

Despite the many theories behind the name "Etsy," it's origin is still a secret to everyone except those who named it. While I'm pretty sure my theory is false, I'd like to think of it as:

You can register on Etsy as a buyer and/or seller. The most important thing for buyers to remember is prompt payment. It is not fair to the shop owner if their item becomes unavailable for selling and it takes an excessive period of time to receive their payment, if they receive it at all.

The rules of selling are pretty basic. The items must be either handmade, vintage items, or items for commercial use, such as jewelry findings, yarn, zippers, and so on. If they are for commercial use, they must be tagged as such. The purchased item must also be shipped in a reasonable period of time. It helps if you list in your profile your shipping policies, such as what days of the week you can ship items so that they buyer can know when to expect your package.

Why register to buy items on Etsy?

Because the Etsy administrators make you, that's why! It has to do with feedback and to protect everyone's best interests, mostly. For the buyer, when you make a purchase from an Etsy shop, you and the seller both must follow Etsy's guidelines, as well as any policies that the seller has in their profile and/or shop announcement. Both the buyer and the seller can rate the transaction through feedback. Did the buyer pay promptly? Was the seller's description of the item accurate? Of course, it is always appreciated from both sides of the transaction to discuss any problems that may arise before leaving negative feedback. If you are unhappy with an item, first contact the seller to see if a return is possible. Maybe the buyer was slow to complete the transaction because they just put funds into their PayPal account but PayPal had taken longer than three days to clear it. If you purchase an item and it is never shipped, you can contact Etsy for intervention. Leaving negative feedback for poor/unethical service helps warn other buyers/sellers, while positive feedback is encouraging to future customers.

Etsy administrators also get cranky when Etsians sell items listed on Etsy but not through Etsy. It is only fair that they make some money off of the seller's profits because they host a website and help direct traffic to your shop.

Is Etsy safe and secure?

Etsy explains their privacy and security policies here. As a seller, when someone makes a purchase from me I do not see any personal credit card or PayPal information other than the buyer's name, shipping address and email address which is only available upon them purchasing an item. We need to see this information, obviously, so we know where to send it.

Both Etsy and PayPal are secure. I have not yet heard of anyone, buyers nor sellers, have a security issue and personal information compromised while using either of these two services.



In today's world, if you think about it, everything is stored on computers. Whether you are a computer programmer or someone who does not even have an email address, your bank, credit card companies, utility companies, and so on all store your personal information on computers. Even if you are not affiliated with them online, there is always a chance that someone can access your electronically stored information.

In my life, I have had two instances (that I know of) where my personal information was compromised. Ten years ago when I was looking at colleges to apply to, I requested information from several. There was one college I didn't even remember contacting for information that sent me a letter in the mail a couple years after I graduated from Marist. In the letter they explained that their computer system had been hacked into and that the person that had broken into the system may have accessed my social security number. Keep in mind, when I was looking at colleges, internet was just beginning to become huge but we did not even have dial-up in my house. I did not use the internet at all in my college search/application process, yet it was used to access my personal information that I had provided to a school I didn't apply to.

The second security breach I had was a few Christmases ago. I had done some Christmas shopping at a Marshall's store and made my purchase with a credit card. That very next day someone broke into the Marshall's/TJ Maxx computer system and got access to all the credit card numbers within a certain time frame. I was promptly issued a new card from my credit card company, and there were no suspicious charges made on my account. Like my first situation, I had done nothing online to allow this to happen.

My point is that these are secure sites, and there's always a chance your personal information can be accessed anywhere.

Stay tuned for the next chapter specifically on how to become a buyer and make purchases. In the mean time, if you have any questions you can contact me or check out some of these useful links:

General FAQ's about Etsy
DO's and DON'Ts of Etsy
Etsywiki (The Wikipedia of Etsy)
Etsy's Help Guides

Modified Project of the Month: February

Neither amethyst nor silver, discuss!

My BeadStyle Beading 2008 a project a month Calendar uses a pattern for two amethyst and silver necklaces and matching earrings set for February's project. Since amethyst is the birthstone for February, it made sense.

In my search for amethyst beads, I could only find amethyst chip beads, which I'm not particularly fond of. My search for a pretty silver pendant came up empty as well. I had, however, been holding onto this amazing copper pendant since my trip to Manhattan to visit some college friends for over a month now, and it's been burning a hole in my bead box. Instead of the sterling silver blossom pendant thats recommended by the calendar, I decided to incorporate my copper one instead. I was off on a search for beads to go well with copper. I love the colors teal/blue-green/aqua with copper, so turquoise beads would be most ideal. I had already used up my turquoise stone beads on my Turquoise Head Turner necklace. In my search for turquoise, I could only find ginormous turquoise stones, turquoise chips, and turquoise howlite chips, bringing me back to another stone chip predicament. I then remembered that I had aqua and copper E beads from my Toola Roola's Mane necklace, and some other random beads (some even copper in color) in my bead stash already.

The circular copper pendant was purchased with pre-drilled holes along the bottom. I strung seven copper head pin wires with E beads and Czech glass copper metallic beads and attached them through the holes along the bottom so that they could dangle. I then created a necklace with the same beads, as well as some burnt red/copper colored glass crow beads.



The earrings are basically the same design as the ones in the calendar, except without amethyst. They were made with all the same beads that are in the necklace. I also extended them in length by having the two head pin wires hang from a 3rd wire with the same large glass crow beads that are in the necklace.


Apparently all of my creativity was used up in creating the matching set because naming them was unusually difficult for me. I turned to fellow Etsians for help. There were many spectacular suggestions, however, CreationsByRobin's suggestion was my favorite: Lake Havasu Falls.

Lake Havasu is in the Grand Canyon. She said the copper color reminded her of the Grand Canyon, and the aqua and blue colors dangling from the pendant reminded her of waterfalls. I agree.


If its not really at all like the one in the project a month calendar, why is it my project of the month? Because it took me a month to find everything to make the set come together of course! I am offering a discount for if these two items are purchased as a set, see my shop for details.

*** This inspired me to make a Grand Canyon themed treasury*** Check it out before it expires on Monday 2/25/08 at 09:42!

Evolution of a Knitter

I hope someday to read back on this post as an expert knitter and laugh at myself...

My mom taught be how to crochet when I was pretty young. I made potholders, mostly. Simple square hourglass shaped things. I don't remember how long the phase lasted, but it had probably been 15 years or so from the time I had last touched a crochet hook until last year when I started crocheting wire jewelry.

I'm the youngest member of craft circle at work where some of my coworkers have taught me how to knit. Let me tell you, it is not funny when they can't figure out something on the computer, but when they watch me try to knit it is hilarious. I have been told I need to control my tension better and that seeing me use the size 15 needles that my "mentor" gave me is comical as well.

Anyway, my first piece was a shades of purple scarf. I just knit (knitted?) each row, no pearling. Pardon me if my lingo is not correct, I'm new and I've never touched a knitting book. I started off with 31 rows, as I was told I need an odd number. At the end of the scarf I had 37, not counting the ones I had dropped along the way. Quite hideous, actually. If I ever finish the fringe on it, I will wear it anyway, at least until all my dropped stitches unravel. I worked hard on that.

~Size 15 needle above a dropped stitch~

As you may have read about, I went on a cruise last week and was worried that I would be bored in the airport and on the beach. I knew I couldn't bring my jewelry supplies because the airport security, first of all. Can you just imagine me trying to explain needle nose pliers, scissors, wire cutters, and everything? Second of all, even if I were to pack my supplies in my checked luggage to bring to the beach, the amount of materials that I require for making necklaces is ridiculous; if any of my bead boxes were to break open in my luggage, it would be tragic. Besides, I was on vacation.

On my vacation I had brought some pastel purple, blue, pale yellow, and green yarn that I used to make another scarf. The good news is that I started and ended with 23 stitches. I only dropped a stitch once and I think i fixed it w/ a crochet hook. I also knit a row and pearled a row, and it looks rather normal aside from the fact that a size 15 needle was used. (Yes, you can get those in your carry on through airport security). I tried casting off as my teachers had shown me but I don't think I did it right. I did it, it's off, it's together, but I think I invented a new way. Worst part is that sitting next to my husband was a woman using tiny needles knitting a shawl with beaded yarn and it was gorgeous. I can only imagine what was going through her mind watching me...

I have no new jewelry to post, so I must get busy again.

Anyway, if you care to check out my vacation pictures, here are a few of them.

Love Boat

How We're celebrating Valentine's Day This Year:

Last year we could not go out to dinner on Valentine's Day as we were under house arrest during what our region will forever remember as "The Valentine's Day Storm," where the snow accumulated over two feet in some areas.

This year we're going to avoid the snow all together. We are going on a four day cruise aboard the Majesty of the Seas, a recently remodeled cruise ship belonging to Royal Caribbean.

Our four day itinerary through the Bahamas begins in Miami on Monday. From Miami we go to Nassau, Coco/Little Stirrup Cay, Key West, then back to Miami on Friday. We have yet to plan our excursions at our stops, but we look forward to sight seeing and relaxing in a warmer climate, guaranteed blizzard free.

Our decision to go on Valentine's Day week actually had nothing to do with the occasion, it just happened to be the week that worked best with our work schedules, but is there any better way to spend the romantic holiday?!

It's too difficult to travel with my beading and jewelry making supplies, so intend to practice my knitting to keep my fingers busy while traveling and sitting in the sun.

Be sure to check out other EtsyBloggers Valentine's Days of the past, present, and future at Tulips Treasure Box Blog on February 11^th!

All Of My Loves

In the spirit of Valentine's Day this month, I'm writing this post about just some of my loves.



My husband and I met in middle school, when he was still commonly known as Scott. We started dating after our Junior Prom, went to Marist College together, and eventually got married in 2005. He's great, certainly what I love most in my life. He's always been there for me! Below are some pictures of us from prom, the wedding, and most recently, at his sister's wedding.



We have two cats, "the boys," as we call them; they provide most of our entertainment. Rocky, a.k.a. Rock or Rockstar, on the left, enjoys sleeping and eating, as you probably can tell but does not come out for company. Pepper, or Pepe as we call him, is the social one. In the picture on the right, Pepe is intently watching the television in the basement - like father, like son. They are great companions and love us in return.

I also love crafting and making jewelry. I had never really thought of myself as a creative person until I got into making jewelry. Making jewelry and other beaded designs has allowed me to tap into my creative side, and has opened many doors for me. I've stepped into a great community on Etsy and Blogger. Other recent endeavors include knitting (not my forte) and my blog. I just love finding new clickable things to put in my blog! I've managed to turn my love for a hobby into a business. Luckily, I don't love it for the money, or my husband and I would be sharing the boy's cat food! Maybe someday I'll hit the jackpot...

Read the rest of this weeks Blog Carnival posts here!

National Peanut Butter Day Treasury

January 24^th celebrates one of my most favorite foods - peanut butter!!!

On Etsy, its very difficult for me to get a treasury because you have to wait for the list to get below 333, and at that time I'm usually at work or sleeping. I got one, which has since expired, just in time before National Peanut Butter Day was officially over, and it was officially past my bedtime!


This necklace is from my shop, called Chocolate Peanut Butter Twist. It features a brown and tan jasper pendant with three strands of beads (milk chocolate colored beads and pale wooden beads) twisted and joined at brown round beads




To the right is a peanut butter soap cupcake by SoapKitchen. The mold for this soap was actually taken from a real cupcake, and is made with flecks of actual peanut butter!






The notebook in the picture to the left is made from the box of a Smucker's Uncrustables. IvyLaneDesigns' shop is filled with notebooks made from cereal boxes to beer boxes.



Peanut Butter Fun Facts
Peanut Butter Recipes

Pleasant Ending to a Long Day

Oooohhhhhhh what a day!

I'm a medical technologist in a hospital laboratory. I work mostly in microbiology but I do work in chemistry a few times a month. I'm most experienced in microbiology so I am somewhat out of my element when I actually get to work in chemistry. We are currently training on new instrumentation and simultaneously undergoing renovations, leaving the lab in a constant state of chaos. I volunteered to stay late to cover the department so that the evening shift would be able to learn how to use the new instrument, which only extended my long and stressful day by over three hours.

After work, I came home and checked on my Etsy shop to see if I had any sales. There were no sales, but the views on a lot of items had skyrocketed. Confused as to where these views all came from, I checked on my blog and freebird had left me a comment in this post saying that I was on beadingdaily.com! (I'm featured under post 2).

I was later informed by other Etsians that my Bird Nest Crocheted Choker was on the Etsy front page for a while today! (I'm not there anymore, and I'm somewhat disappointed that I missed the opportunity to admire myself there).

No sales but I had a ton of exposure!

Shameless Self Promotion, Or Selfishness?

Nothing is better than free advertising. Of course, hardly anything in life comes at you for free.

My best form of advertising is wearing the stuff that I keep for myself. That way, when someone says, "I like your necklace," I can respond, "Really? I made it" as I shove a business card in their face. I keep my duds, or I give them away, but I never really make something specifically for myself.

I work in a hospital laboratory, and I can wear anything I want except jammies, sweats, or jeans. I wear scrubs 99% of the time, as I hate everything about waking up in the morning, including getting dressed, and scrubs are the easiest thing in the world. However, if I have big plans after work I'll wear real clothes. For me, that's when I get most of my advertising in. I don't tend to wear jewelry with my scrubs because, it just doesn't look right.

I've had this metal pendant around for so long, I don't even remember where I got it. I got a good deal on some black and white bone beads and decided its about time I treat myself to a custom made for me piece. I'm just waiting for an excuse to wear clothes to work so I can sport it around. It's about the cheapest form of advertising, and I'll certainly get personal use out of it too!

When Life Gives You Lemons...

Make Bird Nests?

The idea for a bird nest pendant actually stemmed from a freak accident. I've been into playing with wire lately, mostly having fun with my wire jig and Coiling Gizmo. I've made a few patterns with the tools, but decided to try to free hand some projects. I was actually trying to make a circular pendant with another wire circle inside, and a bead inside that. My goal was to wire weave the inner circle to the outer circle and thread the bead through the center. The harder I tried, the worse it looked until finally I had my little temper tantrum and crushed the mess in my hand. I looked at it and thought, "That looks like a really mangled bird nest."

I salvaged the bead and threw out my hideous inspirational disaster. I decided I'd just go straight for the bird nest. As fate would have it, I had a few greenish blue egg shaped beads in my bead collection.

Having a wire pendant gave me an excuse to crochet another choker. Like all my crocheted chokers, it is adjustable up to a certain length, this one featuring a wire hook clasp that I made with matching brown copper wire. The choker is threaded with round beads that match the "eggs" and tiny teal colored seed beads.

It would make a nice present to put in someone's Easter basket or a gift to yourself to remind you that spring will be here soon enough.

Project of the Month: January

Vintage Kelly Green Bracelet and Earrings

The idea for the linked bracelet with matching earrings came from my Bead Style Beading 2008 a project a month calendar. January's project is a Linked Garnet and Vermeil Bracelet and Earrings project that calls for vermeil jeweled links with garnets from Fire Mountain Gems (shown on the right). Each link, however, when buying in the small quantity that I would need, it would cost $7.36 per link, making it an expensive bracelet. I came across these vintage kelly green connectors from EpochBeads on Etsy. They are green glass with flecks of gold and white, held in a brass setting. EB helped me pick out some matching vintage brass jump rings as well.

I eagerly awaited the arrival of my purchase only to find out that my mail carrier was boycotting our mail delivery because the snow was not cleared to her liking. After my husband placed a complaint with the post office, my package arrived, along with 8 days worth of mail bills. I now make a point of turning the mailbox away at a 45^O angle to make her job more difficult.

I digress, back to the project of the month. I made a bracelet with the jump rings and vintage green glass connectors, as well as a pair of matching earrings. The earrings have the same vintage connectors with green fire polish givre beads on wire. I posted the listing this afternoon and the bracelet sold in a record 15 minutes. The earrings are now lonely and would like to be bought as well. (hint hint)