Etsy Feature - Blue Marbles

Crystal: Shameless...I know....but I had to take the opportunity to promote my own Etsy shop on here since I've finally got it up and running....I have much more stock to come, but I wanted to start getting the word out, so figured I'd use the resources I had at my fingertips!! :) :)  Hope no one minds!

Blue Marbles on Etsy

So my Etsy shop, Blue Marbles, mainly houses these awesome frames I've been creating...I am a photographer, so it was only natural that my products would relate to pictures...they are really basic black frames, but they're matted with some great looking fabrics which is what makes them stand out.

Brown and Pink Flower Fabric Matted Frame - $12.00

 

This idea started because I remember being at my aunt and uncle's home a few years back around Halloween, and they had all these cute Halloween themed frames everywhere with past pictures of their kids in their costumes.  It was so festive and such a great way to remember past years every Halloween.

So I built on that idea and figured that it would be great to have this concept every holiday....Christmas,Valentine's, even summer/winter vacations, etc.  I LOVE frames and I love displaying pictures around my home.  I also have a short attention span and so I like to change what I'm looking at a lot...so being able to rotate my frames and pictures every month or so is such a tempting idea!  And I figured there had to be other people out there who shared this little quirk of mine. :) :)

Christmas Holiday Matted Frame - $12.00

In the next week or so, I've got some more Christmas/holiday frames to post, as well as a USC frame.  If you've got a favorite school or sports team you would be interested in getting a frame with, let me know so I can start hunting for the fabric! :)

In addition, I'm always going to start working on some fine art prints to post in my shop...I've only got one so far, but more will be in the future! :)

The Gap - Fine Art Print - 8x10 - $25.00

Sweet Bella Baby - Etsy Feature

Crystal: I was browsing through Etsy shops early this morning as I saw something posted on Facebook that I wanted to check out....and then the whole addiction that is clicking on picture after picture of various Etsy items took over. I saw many, many things that caught my eye....but this one in particular I stopped at because it was just so darn pretty. I don't have a little girl, and personally I think I prefer having boys, and I'm not very into pink at all....BUT I just thought this would look absolutely gorgeous in a little girl's room....so I had to share! :)

Sweet Bella Baby - Etsy Shop

Boutique Flower Lamp

Jen: It's so darling! I love it!

(#11 - July 30, 2010)

Hold My Bag - Etsy Feature

Crystal: I came across a super cute Etsy shop today...it's called "Hold My Bag" (also very cute!).

http://www.etsy.com/shop/HoldMyBag

She has some gorgeous fabric that she's used...

This little beauty caught my eye right off the bat!

Extra large Tote in Michael Miller Falling Leaves OOP fabric

Here's another one...I'm already trying to picture what I can wear with this. :)

Amy Butler Extra Large tote in Nigella Water Lotus in Forest

Ooh, and this one is super chic...love it :)

Amy Butler Tote Handbag in Wallflower in Sky and Oxford Stripes

Do you see anything you like??? :)

Jen: Wow, these bags are great! I like her Extra Large Amy Butler Tote in Lacework Brown. It feels so bohemian!

(#7 - May 10, 2010)

Doodlebugs - Etsy Feature

Crystal: Oops! For some reason I had thought yesterday was Jen's turn to post an Etsy feature, so I didn't post anything...but now that I'm looking back at our blog, I realized that was my miss! Sorry!!

Good thing though, because I just found this awesome shop....I'm a sucker for anything personalized....so this monogram shop is right up my alley, plus offers super cute items!!

Doodlebugs Personalized Gifts and Embroidery

Check out this adorable bib and burp cloth set for $14.00

A great gift in this personalized Travel Tumbler for $17.00

And this one is my favorite!

This beautiful photo album that can be personalized with various fabrics and lettering for $20.00...I'm fairly certain I'll be purchasing one as a gift in the near future...seeing as how I'm a huge fan of pictures!!

LOVE this stuff!! :)

Jen: I love personalized items, too! I have so many pads of paper and pens with "Jennifer" scribed on them. My grandma got me into the trend as a kid!

Doodlebugs has some really cute things- good find, Crystal! I love the albums, and for $20, not bad at all! They would make great baby books ;)

By the way, the wink was because Crystal's cousin will be welcoming a baby boy into the family in the near future! Crystal is very happy!

(#5, May 4, 2010)

Card Maven - Etsy Feature

Crystal: I think I've found my new spot for greeting cards!! I do love going to Hallmark and browsing through hundreds of cards to find the perfect one, but this shop has got some super cute options as well, and even after shipping cost just about the same as a Hallmark one (the nice ones at least!)...plus they're unique, which I LOVE.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/CardMaven

I mean seriously, look at how cute this is! And only $2.45! http://www.etsy.com/listing/45764549/butterfly-birthday-handmade-greeting

Oh, and don't forget, Mother's Day is coming up (May 9)!! Check out this one: http://www.etsy.com/listing/44624201/mothers-day-handmade-greeting-card-with

And even beautiful sympathy cards...butterflies are a beautiful symbol when faced with the loss of a loved one... http://www.etsy.com/listing/37465373/classic-thinking-of-you-a-handmade

Have fun browsing. :)

Jen: These cards are too adorable! You can tell she puts a lot of time into them. I love this vintage card the best I think!

(#3 - April 29, 2010)

Lost in Creativity

Jen: Just checking in :) I've been uber busy preparing for my upcoming Etsy shop, and since I'm almost done prepping and can see the light at the end of the tunnel, I can finally breathe again! I should be done creating the first batch of products by Friday, and then our own lovely Crystal of Avery James Photography is kindly going to take the product photos for me!

Infant Accessories?

Crystal: I'm thinking about expanding, or rather starting I guess I should say, my infant accessory collection for use in my photography (Avery James Photography). I'd love to get some cute knit hats, diaper covers, headbands, blankets, those netting things to put the babies in, etc.
So I figured that the best place to start is on Etsy…I love all the handmade stuff, and I love to help out small businesses.
With that said, I'd love to get some suggestions and references for products. Feel free to pass along your own sites or your favorite sites…and if you're willing to work out an exchange or discount for photos of your products, I'm all ears. I'll even throw in a ton of advertising for you in all my various social networking avenues.
Thanks everyone!

Photo below from Laura Renee Photography: http://www.laurareneephotography.com/blog/

BeeLoveLee

Crystal: I talked about posting this Etsy shop ages ago for one of my photography clients and I just got completely sidetracked and forgot....so I just looked at her shop right now and was blown away by how gorgeous the fabrics are that she chose for her pouches...and super cheap too!

I thought you might like the cupcake designs she has. :)

I think this might be my favorite though - Birds of Norway

And I don't know if Blanca is reading, but she might like this one :)

Here's the link to her whole shop: BeeLoveLee

Jen: I love it all! I would probably buy the Birds of Norway for myself, but everything is adorable! And yes, I think that last one is perfect for Blanca! It's awesome to see so many of our readers comment with their love of these products and the BeeLoveLee shop!

Etsy

{join}

Jen: I've done a bit of dabbling with Etsy.com and have my own little shop selling my lomographic prints. I think that this site is absolutely wonderful! I've found the most amazing handmade and vintage items while browsing on there, and my home is slowly but surely coming together thanks to Etsy!

Another thing that I adore about Etsy is how helpful they are with their virtual workshops and sense of camaraderie (I bet you didn't know that you had an Etsy team in your community!)

I encourage each and every one of you to check it out and see if it's for you. You can sell your art, or buy someone else's handmade scarves. Your options are limitless on there!

If you do own a shop and would like to advertise with Beachy Keen in our sponsors section, leave us a comment here and we will send you our rates.

Crystal: I did a little browsing recently on Etsy....very interesting things on there. I didn't see anything I wanted for myself, and couldn't really find anything for an upcoming birthday....but I can see the draw of finding unique and vintage gifts for those who are into that.....I really like the handmade aspect as well............................I'll have to keep checking back to see if I find anything that appeals to me though :)

Not Forgotten!

JH: I know we've been lame with keeping up with our posts, so I figured we might as well use a post to explain why. Even as I write this, Crystal is out of town so she will have to catch up next week!

In the recent months, I have started a business called Autism Prose. I used to be a behavior therapist for a school district, and now enjoy helping with behavioral challenges through the Social Story method :) I love what I do, and I'm very proud of how my business has helped people already! I spend a good amount of my time communicating with clients, creating Social Stories and advertising my business.

I have also recently picked up a new hobby: lomography! You can find a few of my prints in my Etsy shop. Whenever I have the free time, I love to go to new places in my city for photo-taking, and then put them in my shop. I'm ultra new at this, but I can tell it's something I'm going to stick with for quite some time!

And last but not least by any means is my personal blog, Haute Whimsy! I adore that outlet more than words can say and am SO thankful for my newest followers :) Love, love, love!

So there you have it! Busy me! But I will try to be better about getting on Beachy Keen more often.



CH: I'm horrible - I haven't posted in ages....but I'm making a point to do more posting!! Promise!! Must keep up Beachy Keen!

Much like Jen, my schedule is INSANE right now...I have a photography company: http://www.averyjamesphotography.com that has me doing 3-5 photo shoots a week ON TOP of my 40 hour work week at DaVita. Not to mention I have a 3 year old and a fiance who need my attention as well! And an Avon business....geez.

OK - I am going to post at least 3 times a week at a MINIMUM...I make the vow right now. :)