Etsy Success Sydney with Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson

I started the day as an usher-ette smiling and greeting fellow delegates, speakers, media people and a face I recognised from Playschool as they got off the elevator at the top floor of the Museum of Contemporary Art. (That was me in the purple dress, lace tights and metallic blue Dr Martins). The view from the Harbourside room was ah-mazing: a panorama of the Harbour Bridge to the left and the Opera House to the right. Even though it was drizzling and overcast it was still quite impressive. (I’ve put the photos of the view and the speakers up on the Mountain Moon and Sea Facebook page as they were taken on my mobile phone).

Meeting the faces behind the Etsy teams and shops.

I must say that the staff at the event were really friendly and helpful, they even delivered a coffee to me when they realised I was on crowd control duties and couldn’t wait for it to be made. All the presenters brought their A-game! Chad Dickerson, CEO at Etsy, was a great opener, speaking on Finding Your Courage. He shared his own life experiences in small business and answered a lot of questions.

Chad Dickerson is a really dynamic speaker, a hard working person and a giving person as he was so willing to share his knowledge and life experience with all of us. He spoke about not giving up, connecting with and supporting your community, and taking advice from everyone but to only apply what works for you. This, in particular, really struck a chord with me as he emphasised how important it is to listen to your truest self.

“Sometimes you just need someone to believe in you and support you.”

Chad Dickerson, CEO, Etsy.com

I know that my life has blossomed and grown because of the support and encouragement I’ve received from family and friends. I will never forget the encouragement of Grace Kingston, who invited me to be a part of my first group exhibition. Grace encouraged me to join in a life drawing class she was hosting and this sparked my interest and helped me to develop my creative and artistic skills. That initial positive experience, of exhibiting work and selling my work has changed my life and created a career path for me.

During question time I found my courage to stand up, with mic in hand, to ask Chad Dickerson a few questions. My first question was : What helps make an Etsy store that lasts? Chad responded by emphasising how important it is to be passionate, have good photos and market your Etsy shop through social media like Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook.

Etsy Decor

My second question was: What has helped him through the most challenging times in his life?  His response was to stay focussed and have faith that it will get better. Wise words.

After the formal programme concluded we were all treated to a magical, light-filled wonderland inside, with an amazingly VIVID city skyline. I took some cool photos and some shaky video footage during the cocktail networking session on my Nikon Coolpix L120. (Not an expensive or fancy camera but it is handy for stock photography and taking HD movies). I’ve found the courage to try new things, explore new (for me) technologies and to share my truest self with the world, because life is too short to be afraid. With this in mind, I present to you my first EVER video production. Hopefully there will be more in future as it’s a whole lot of fun!

The Etsy Success Sydney forum was one of the most inspiring and educational days I’ve had in my adult life. I enjoyed being a part it, volunteering and helping everyone find where they needed to go. I’ve already started to apply what I learned. I’ve stopped resisting Pinterest and Twitter as I can see that if I embrace them and use them selectively that they are great ways to connect with the people I want to reach and the communities that I want to be a part of.

Mood lighting during the cocktail reception. I really want one of these trees!

Happy Birthday Blue Twig Studio

Happy Birthday Blue Twig Studio!

My lovely friend Deb over at Blue Twig Studio is celebrating her Blog Birthday with a great give-away of some craft kits. There is a great green mixed media art kit, an awesome orange embellishment kit and a pretty pink mixed media art kit.

Head on over to the Blue Twig Studio blog to have a look and enter into the competition. If you’d rather just join a club and get a kit sent out every month in the theme of either Mixed Media Art, Ribbons & Trims or Vintage and Found Objects head over to the Blue Twig Studio Store.

My best wishes to you Deb, for every success. Your friendship, creativity and inspiration have been invaluable to me on my creative journey.

Changing Lanes

Sometimes in life you see that as your journey progresses down the multi-lane highway that an opportunity to travel a little better, a little faster, a little more smoothly arises and so you change lanes. If you’re driving in Sydney traffic no matter what lane you pick it too will eventually present its own issues and you’ll need to change lanes again, either back to where you were or to a different lane altogether.

The time has come for me to change lanes with Mountain Moon And Sea. We got into the lane of volunteering and stocking with I Heart Gallery as it was a great opportunity and full of promise. After about 3 months in that lane I have realised that the travel to and from Sydney, the coffee I needed to get me through the day and the take away food were taking their toll on my health and my wallet. Being run-down physically meant that I had fallen a little behind in my TAFE work and struggling to catch up is stressing me.

After doing some brain-storming and a SWOT analysis I realised that there was more to why this lane wasn’t working for me anymore. I brainstormed what I saw in I Heart Gallery in terms of target market, political beliefs and the sort of energy is had as a space. I Heart Gallery is young, “alternative”, subversive, decidedly young, overtly sexual and politically charged with a dash of cutesyness, some pop culture iconography and pinch of retro-cool to balance it out a little. There is also a certain chaotic flair in I Heart Gallery which is very at home in the Inner West. I Heart is cool, fashionable and will be popular with those that the rest of society may label as “Goth”, “Emo” or “Hipster”. This would have sat really well with me 5-10 years ago. But I am not that person anymore and the work I produce reflects that.

Mountain Moon And Sea (MMS) reflects more of who I am now, and who I want to be in the future. It is focussed in the Illawarra by it’s very name. I want MMS to be more ethically focussed, in terms of environment, sustainability of resources and supporting fair-trade practices. I want MMS to be a spiritually grounded business whose practices reflect the ethics at the heart of it, at the heart of me. I want MMS to be organised, professional, reliable and to build strong relationships with its customers, suppliers and with the greater community. I want the business to focus on hand-made items of artisan quality that are still affordable. I want the items I create to have their own unique style, to be beyond “fashion” and to hold their appeal for many seasons into the future, with the quality to last the test of time. The target market I am looking at for my products is older, more “mature” and more ethically/eco-focussed. There are different life stages in my target market to that of I Heart Gallery.

Available at I Heart Gallery, St. Peters until Friday 27th April.

My time with the Gallery has been really enjoyable. I have worked with genuinely lovely people who have supported me and encouraged me in so many ways. I have learned a lot about myself, my business and gained some really valuable retail experience. Hopefully I’ve contributed as much to I Heart Gallery as I have received. I have been inspired in many ways and have many plans for future projects that I am currently storing under my hat until I am finished my course and in my new studio.

On that, rather long-winded, note I shall leave you as I have assignments that need tending to.

Sexy Ethical Underthings

I love the idea of sustainable clothing, right down to the bare necessities. Unfortunately what I had seen previously in eco-undies what lacking a little in bow-chick-wow-wow factor. For my own future reference, and for my readers, I’ve put together some of the more saucy eco-underwear options.

Zakee Thong from Ascension Online

Let’s start with the flirty and fun, but practical enough for everyday wear. The Zakee Thong from Ascuntion Eco Fashion ticks a lot of boxes as it is made from fair trade materials, 50 pence (they are from the UK) from each pair go to the world’s first child-labour free cotton seed program and they are “dyed using healthy non-azo dyes & creating the lowest carbon footprint possible.”  They are also very reasonably priced at 10 pounds (on sale right now for 4.50 pounds). Unfortunately it’s the international shipping that’s the killer at 15 pounds (and carbon impact associated with this).

My suggestion to combat this is to buy a few things from their site all at once, such as the matching boob tube, some comfy hipster shorts, or one of their fabulous dresses that are all on sale right now too! The Ascuntion website doesn’t just stock women’s clothes, it stocks shoes, accessories, sunnies as well as stuff for men, babies and kids as well as a personal care range. 

Alternatively there is a limited Pants to Poverty range available in Australia at Little Green Bag. This website also stocks some lovely bamboo and silk underwear by Eco-Boudoir like the Soft Bra or the ruffle-back knickers. Check out the intimates section for these lovelies. Little Green Bag is better for dress shopping than underwear shopping but it’s a good local one to know about.

Etiko have a good variety of the Pants to Poverty range including the Moulin Rouche collection. Their men’s selection if Pants to Poverty also is quite funky (in a good way).

Magenta Moulin Rouche

Etiko has a limited range of other clothing but a decent range of intelligent Tees (“Love Revolution” ,”Racist Brain” and Etiko’s own “Wear No Evil” are my faves) as well as great range of No Sweat sneakers in styles you’ll recognise and love for both adults and kids.

I discovered WhoMadeYourPants? via Refugees United Australia‘s blog. According to their website “All our pants are made from upcycled traditional synthetic lingerie materials, fabrics that would otherwise have been discarded at the end of a season but are in perfectly good order.” Now these are some seriously sexy underthings!

Something Blue by Who Made Your Pants?

I also love that they do some great gift packs, like “The Working Week” which is a set of 5 gorgeous black knickers with the promise of no VPL! Personally though, if you want to spoil me rotten get me the “The Divine Kid In A Candy Shop” and remember when ordering they’re in UK sizes! (That makes me a 12 UK). Sorry guys, nothing for you to wear here but I’m sure your lady would be happy with their wares as they are tested for “forgetaboutability” – that means the ability to forget that you’re wearing them.

For our next sexy selection you’ll need a browser to translate the page, or a decent grasp of French (or just make sure you click on the Union Jack on the home page). The sizing chart is readable if you look at the diagrams and measure yourself. (Or know your UK/US size). Shown below is the Triangle Bra and the Organic Boxers with Pleat Details which come in an impressive range of contemporary bright colours.

The most amazing thing about the items from Do You by g8 is that they are made from white pine trees!! The seductive designs are not limited to lingerie, they also make swim-wear, kimonos and gowns, dresses and hoisery – all made from plant fibre that comes from tree pruning. Even better is that it all apparently feels like a combination of cashmere and silk. Here’s a photo of the Men’s Organic Boxers from their men’s range, which also includes socks. (Model is for display only and does not come with the underwear).

Urban Fox have some knock-out undies too. Pity their website doesn’t have much info about their ethical credentials. Great that you’re made in the USA as that means you are probably paying at least award wage. Also love that there is a little diversity in the models you’ve used, and that they’re all lovely curvy ladies. There is a little more info on your Facebook Page, but I think that if you are shopping online the info about the fabrics and methods of production should be right there next to the items, especially if you are marketing yourself as an eco-company.

St Louis boy legs by Urban Fox

Lacey Set by Urban Fox

As I said, lovely items ladies, just a little more info at point of sale would be better.

When it comes to sexy underwear red is a classic. The Red Thong by Pact is a modern classic. Made from 95% organic cotton and 5% elastane it has ethical credentials as well as a young sporty sex appeal.

Red Thong by Pact

Pact’s thongs come in other colours and prints including purple, navy, bright blue, black, yellow and nude.

Our next stop off is at Devil May Wear, a lovely Etsy shop which now has a bricks and mortar (or perhaps concrete and steel) store in NY. The lovely knickers below are stitched out of bamboo jersey with blue lace details.

Red and Blue Lace Soy Blend Bloomers from Devil May Wear

Other than some lovely bum-coverings my favourite items in the shop are the bamboo leggings, I would love a turqouise pair with black lace and have added them to my favourites.

While on Etsy there are SO many options for ethical undies but these by Clare Bare are quite some of the cutest:

Rosette Bloomers in Baby Blue by Clare Bare on Etsy

Also on Etsy is InterTwinedDesigns, where you can get either one (About $22 US) or a three pack (About $60US) of Soy-Luscious boy-short undies. InterTwinedDesigns also do a great range of activewear and I now have another, different, pair of leggings on my favourites from them.

Soy Luscious Boy Short Underwear - InterTwinedDesigns on Etsy

Now here is one that has a the wow-factor that will mean your significant other, (or evening companion), will be thinking about ravishing you, and not the providence of your undies. But in case you were wondering here’s what Tricki Vikki says:

I use bamboo/spandex jersey knit for my panties and bras because it’s so soft and bamboo grows easily without pesticides or fungicides. Bamboo undies are lightweight, supple and feel just like a second skin. They’re also naturally antibacterial, wick moisture away from the body, and are “thermoregulating” meaning they keep you closer to your comfortable body temperature in both hot and cold environments.

Enough words? You wanna see the sexy now? Ok…

Valentine Eco-Undies Set - TrickyVikki on Etsy

Lacey Hipster by TickyVikki on Etsy

More organic cotton jersey sexy bum from Chikkippie on Etsy.

Organic Cotton Daisy Hot Shorts

Ok this is getting to be a really long post now so I’ll try to wrap it up with another gorgeous, feminine and retro-fabulous set from Madonna Bain EcoIntimates on Etsy. The Cropped Cami is shown here with the Elizabeth High-Waisted Knickers, both from the “In the Boudoir” collection, and both now firmly on my favourites list!

Cropped Cami in Organic Cotton and Silk by EcoIntimates on Etsy

Budget Re-use Home Office Storage Solutions

I came across this great slide show full of ideas by Better Homes and Gardens for budget and re-use Home Office Storage Solutions while perusing Atypical Type A . I can see a row of shower caddies above my desk to hold bits and bobs for projects I’m working on as well as a toothbrush and tumbler holder mounted to the studio easel my Dad built for me. (I really must post photos of that!).

Shower Caddie Storage

Canned Pen Storage

I can see me converting some diced tomato cans into pen and scissors storage. Maybe covering them with some coordinating reclaimed fabric to funk it up a little. The converted bread box charging station has a lot of appeal. Especially when I think there may be a lovely wooden bread box in the garage somewhere.

Bread Bin Charging Station

Cookie Tray Magnetic Board

Who ever thought of using a cookie tray as a megnetic memo board is a genius! I also may have to raid the wrecking yard for some suspension springs to organise my letters. I really like the idea of using fabric sand bags as bookends. Possibly because I’m a creative girl who loves colour and I love the idea of being able to change the bookends when I change up the colours of the room. I’d love to be one of those people who can Martha Stewart up a seasonal change every 3-6 months but the reality it that I have more important things to do.

Spring as a Letter Holder

Sand Bag Book Ends

There are lots of other idea over on Better Homes and Gardens for storage ideas using items most people already have like pegs, cupcake trays and tupper containers.

Tupper Piggy Banks

This is What Happens When You Give Thousands of Stickers to Thousands of Kids

I think we all need a bit more fun in our lives, one of the few things you really can’t over-dose on, so long as the bills are paid. This is What Happens When You Give Thousands of Stickers to Thousands of Kids | Colossal. There are few artists that feel comfortable collaborating with the public, let alone with kids. (Never work with kids or animals?).

For me it would be a great social experiment, but not necessarily the kind of installation piece I would feel comfortable with. Letting go of control would be hard. While I do love the finished result I would find it hard to use such restricted colour-palette combined with just using circles.

There is part of me that suspects that many big kids were involved too, based purely on the concentration of dots at a higher height. I am tempted to bring a small part of this project into my home in the form of a chalk wall. I will definitely have one in my craft room, but I am now seriously considering having one in the more social living areas too as a kind of dynamic guest book. What are your thoughts?

Summer Ebay Bargains From Brands You Already Love

I must admit I am a huge fan of the four-letter S-word. Nothing grabs my attention like a red background with the word SALE in big white letters. Today I got the four-letter word in the form of an email from Ebay, which is great as it’s been either too hot and muggy, or too wet, to want to step foot out the door. There is something about shopping online that makes me less likely to buy impulsively. Perhaps it’s because we make emotional connections through our sense of touch, or perhaps it’s because you can’t try things on and see yourself wearing it. Whatever the reason I’m glad it’s there as there are some great bargains to be had in Ebay-world right now. I thought I’d practice my skills using Word’s publisher layout by making you all a great magazine-style spread of what I found. Please let me know what you think!

If you want to see a BIG shiny PDF version click on Summer Ebay Bargains Brands FEB 2012.

May your feet be dry and your house be cool!