Etsy Educators: Getting your creative business online

I was lucky enough to get invited up to London Etsy HQ today to train as an Etsy Educator. I'm excited to announce I've been selected by Etsy to be an 'Etsy Educator'. Following my training, I'll be holding my first workshop 'Etsy Educators: Getting your creative business online' I was there with 8 other sellers from across the country. I'm now Etsy accredited which means I can teach new shops how to set up a successful Etsy shop.

If you have yet to set up an Easy shop or have registered but not yet sold anything, this is the perfect workshop for you. If you are interested you can Join the Facebook Event Page

The details of the workshop:

Saturday 7th October 2017
Thomas Reade School, Abingdon, OX14 3RR
10am-4pm (lunch is included)
£45 per person [£35 if you sign up before 16th September]

The workshop is for BRAND NEW Etsy sellers, that don't already have a shop. Perhaps you have a craft/market stall but are not yet online, maybe you have hobby that you would like to turn into a business. I have a wealth of Etsy knowledge that I want to share with you so if you know anyone who has a craft/handmade business, (including craft supplies or vintage items) and is not yet on Etsy or is thinking about it and might be interested in this workshop tell them to get in touch!

The workshop will cover:
• Naming your shop (if you don't yet have one)
• Pricing your work
• Shipping
• Packaging
• Photography
• Branding & marketing
• SEO, stats & trends

We'll look at common mistakes to avoid and tips from getting the best from your shops. We'll also go through the actual process of getting the etsy shop up and running with a step by step. I'll be holding a Q&A session at the end. After the workshop you will receive a follow up to see how you are progressing. Please note there is a limited number of spaces for this workshop, so get in touch if you would like to reserve your place.

Hers is a full list of all the Etsy Educator workshops taking place across the country including some online ones.

• Claire from Claireabellemakes - Cambridge on 14th October full day workshop
• Sarah-Jane from Fragment Designs – South Wales on 7th October. Book now.
• Christina from Christina Made It – Oxfordshire on 7 October. Book now.
• Becka from Becka Griffin Illustration – Liverpool on 21 October. Book now.
• Jilly from Jilly Jilly Design – Dundee on 22 October. Book now.
• Rose from Luna Harkin Co – Leeds throughout October. Book now.
• Rachel from The Dorothy Days is hosting a webinar which you can book here.
• Nikki McWilliams is delivering online workshops here.

For those that already have an Etsy shop, I hope to run a workshop later in the year for beginner shops & shops looking to grow. So keep an eye out if that is something you might be interested in. You can show your interest in any future sessions via this form.

Our team attempt at an Oscars style selfie! 

Nikki McWilliams created a cool little video about the day, go take a look!

Making Signs DIY

My stall was lacking a bit of colour so I first added some fake flowers in pink and purple and used milk bottles as the vases. The flowers I picked must have been a good choice as lots of people asked where I picked them! They do look really pretty and only cost about £1.50 and involve no upkeep so a great investment. I think I need to add some stones to weigh them down and also hide the very fake looking stems, perhaps some white stones.

Next I wanted to add some signs for prices and something that can be read from a distance as The jewellery Can get very lost on the stall due to its size. I thought if I had some signs customers would know straight away what I am selling and hopefully draw more attention to the stall or something to catch the eye from a distance.

I was thinking along the lines of the table names that you get at weddings. This is what I came up with...

I purchased a sample of fake grass online for £1 which worked out to be exactly the right size and amount I needed.  It also looked realistic enough with some 'dead' pieces of 'grass' in amongst the green.

I found some mini metal buckets on EBay £2 for 7 which I think you can also pick up from hobbey craft in different colours. I picked the unpainted ones for more of a natural look. 

I used a white pencil to draw around the bucket flower pots on the underside of the fake grass.

I cut them out with a strong pair of scissors making them a little smaller than the outline so that they would fit in the bucket. 

Then all that was left to make was the signs which I did with Kraft paper which is brown coloured for a natural look. Having everything in boxes made it a lot easier to put out and pack away.

The wooden logs ties it all in for a mix of modern and rustic. I think the market stall is one area which I think I'll always be changing until I'm satisfied, I've got a big market event at the end of the year so that will be the one I'll aim to get it exactly right for. This is the improved result: