I love...

Helping people out! I love seeing people succeeding, especially in this Etsy business world. It is so great when I go into chatrooms, and some people are just amazed by my 100+ sales since March (technically April), and they ask for advice. And I'm gladly give them some tips. So if you guys need any advice, just message me!

Now, onto more important matters (lol): the 100th sale giveaway! I said I would do it soon, and it will be soon! In fact, tomorrow on Monday! I finally completed the prizes and I just can't wait to show you guys. I'll try to make it as quick as possible, but I probably will rant... A horrible habit of mine... Eep.

Now to even MORE important subject: my daughter's first birthday is coming up in 10 days! TEN! Well, in an hour, my time, it'll be nine. My, how time flies. I absolutely can't believe it and I can't wait! Especially for Saturday, as I will be holding a party for her! And the Saturday after that, my grandmother will be coming home! Awesome!! <3

Now, I'm off to craft while wondering why in the world does the Cowboys have a weak defense towards the end of the game... Hmmm...

Friday Features: Leakhena

FRIDAY FEATURES PROUDLY PRESENTS:

Leakhena as FEATURED SELLER

Okay, everyone, I know some of you are going to "dislike" me for this, but one day, when I was a noob, I entered the FS room. Yes, the FS room. Don't blame me, I was a curious one. As I sit and watch it unfold, I realized how I can make sales. And voila, I met Leakhena. She is such a sweet girl. I bought from her once for a mother's day gift (for myself, HAHA!), and she bought from me... And soon, a friendship formed. She is always there to support me when I need it, and we would whisper just to chat in the FS room (haha, we are so bad). And so, give it up for Leakhena!! She's a great Etsian :)


Me: Tell us a bit about yourself - name, location, affiliations, personal stuff.
Leakhena: Hi! My name is Leah. I'm 28 years old and I currently reside in the beautiful city of San Francisco, CA. I'm the owner, creator of everything related to my shop- Leakhena. Jewelry making is one of many creative outlets I've enjoyed pursuing, along with baking, my first love, photography and the occasional crochet creation. Although, I enjoy anything and everything relating to arts, jewelry has been my main focus. I started making jewelry pieces for my family and friends and I've received great compliments.
In 2006, someone very close to me died in a motorcycle accident. I kept myself busy, working and creating. It was my way of grieving and also healing. I was raised mostly in Sydney, Australia but have also lived in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand for a few years because my parents were missionaries to those countries.
I have a golden retriever named Cotton whom I have rescued from the shelter. He's currently the only man in my life (haha).

Me: Apart from creating things, what do you do?
Leakhena: I really enjoy cooking and baking. I love cooking and entertaining my friends. Since my family is far away, my freinds have become my 2nd Family. I'm a workout fanatic. I love yoga and meditation. I enjoy being outdoors, going to the beach, hiking, fishing, you name it but aside from that, I love to be constantly creating. It makes me happy. I'm also a bit of a home body. I enjoy playing my violin, singing, cooking at home,writing (well, blogging, these days) taking long walks with my dog

Me: What first made you want to become an artist?
Leakhena: Wow! Being called an artist is such a honor but it makes me feel a little awkward for some reason. I’m not sure that I am one. Maybe I’m still in the process of becoming one?? I’ve always been creating things for as long as I can remember. I grew up in a big family. As a kid I was very fortunate to have two creative and loving parents who were extremely supportive of my artistic endeavours and enrolled each one of us in some sort of music or art classes. My Amazing Parents- I love them both so much. They allowed me to be myself, to have the desire to create Art. In fact, if you visit my home in Sydney, you can still see my old room filled with paintings and other things my parents have kept over the years. They even allowed me to redesign many rooms throughout the house; this, I believe, it what sparked my interest in all things artsy.

Me: Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.
Leakhena: My creative process is pretty open to interpretation. I'm kind of 50/50. I'm very organized but I tend to be messy when I work. Does that make sense?? I guess inspiration often hits me at random times. I'm inspired by everything around me. After I get an idea, I'll sit down with my handy dandy notebook and write down everything before I forget, since I have short attention span. Each item I make is a challenge and I’m always learning new things.
I am a bit of a Pefectionist. when I like an idea or theme I tend to work on it for quite a while seeing where it takes me- before I decide to list them.

Me: What handmade possession do you most cherish?
Leakhena: When my Grandmother was still alive, back when I was still living in Sydney, we did a lot sewing projects together. I really valued our time spent together. I remembered when I was about 7 or 8 we worked on this blanket together. It took us many hours to complete. 20 years later and I still have that blanket. Its a great reminder of what a loving person she was and all the wonderful things she has taught me .

Me: Name your top five books, movies, songs/musical groups, and web sites besides Etsy.
Leakhena:
Books:
The Holy Bible (It’s the all time best seller)
You: Staying Young- Dr. Oz & Dr. Roizen
The Best Life Diet- Bob Greene
Women &Money: Owning the Power to Control your Destiny- Suze Orman
Healing the Soul of America- Marianne Williamson

Music: I listen to a wide range of music. Almost anything and everything that sounds good.
I love Celine Dion- my all-time favorite singer. I love Jazz! I love all songs by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. I also enjoy listening to Bach, Mozart and Andre Bocelli.
Currently I'm listening to - Flo Rida, Beyonce, Neyo, Shayne Ward,Coldplay, Shania Twain and many more...

Websites: FoodNetwork, FoodFit, Get Rich Slowly, Facebook, Pandora, Myspace

Me:What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?
Leakhena: First of all, Be Persistent. Have Patient. You may not make your first sale for a few weeks or even months - but don't give up! Keep creating and make your shop the best it can be. Strive for bright, clear pictures, informative listings and great customer service. And don't forget to promote yourself offline, as well as online. Its all about Networking. I am very fortunate to have met many wonderful artists on etsy. They are my inspiration!

Me:What are your favorite features on Etsy? What new features would you like to see?
Leakhena: Idk.. maybe help the listing process to go faster?? that would be great!!

Me: How do you promote your work?
Leakhena:
My blog: http://mzleakhena.blogspot.com/
My Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/456148333
My Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Leakhena/103022467083?ref=ts


Me: In ten years, where would you like to be?

Leakhena: Happily married. I'd like to be a wonderful wife to my husband, a loving mother of children. A successful woman as an artist and a businesswoman. A helpful individual in my community, still creating and doing what I love.

And there you have it! :D Hope everyone enjoys my featured seller of this week! I promise to do more of these, when I find the time. v.v

100TH SALE!

IT'S HERE! MY 100TH SALE IS HERE!

:D Special thanks to the lovely Leakhena for making it happen.

I'm sure within the next post or two, I'll reveal the awesome giveaway.

So stay tuned!

So close...!

Hey everyone!

This past week has been filled with lots of happiness and irritation.

IRRITATION: I had a couple of buyers who didn't pay, so I have to cancel their transaction, even after trying to contact them. Then, there are people who haven't pay yet. Seriously, what is up with people buying fruitlessly and not paying? Do they expect us to send the items straight away? Or is it that we will hold onto the items for them? Either way, I'm laying down the law on that. I'm getting quite tired of this.

HAPPINESS: I'm close to 100 sales! I just need ONE more. ONE! That's crazy. I can't believe I'm almost at 100 sales after being on Etsy for about six months. Also, I'm getting lots of reserves and custom listings for buyers. I just hope those who reserve items can pay at the time they said. If not, I'll have to bother them.. again =___=;;

More to that happiness is doing some trades/swaps! Whoohoo! I just entered myself into my first kawaii swap and I'm so excited for that! Also, I made a pretty close friend of my a custom listing, which I'm shipping out to her college in Chicago! What a great idea for a care package :D

So please, help me get that 100th sale! That way, I can reveal the special giveaway!
...Actually, take your time. I still need to decide what to do xD

It's September

Hey everyone! It's September and already I know it's going to be a busy month! First, it's my daughter's FIRST birthday! I'm excited! I believe she'll be having three birthday parties: one with my friends, one with the family, and another with friends. Then, there is homecoming at my high school, which I plan on attending with some close friends. Also, this is a chance to show my teachers the baby.

Oh, so I remember setting a goal for August... 450 hearts and 15 sales...

It is ACHIEVED! Yaaaay!! I now stand with over 500 hearts and 25 sales!! Yesssss!!! I'm so excited!

The new goal for September will be for only sales... Hearts are not included lol.

I'm aiming for 25 sales. If I could do it last month, surely this month will be the same :)

I said I would do something special for ya'll if I met my goal, but instead, I'll put it off. I'm close to 100 sales and that itself means giveaway. :) Sssshhh...

Well, I'm off to the chatrooms. Happy sales!

Happy Back to School!

First off, Happy Back to School to the people I know that are going back to school today!! Today is my sister's first day in 8th grade, her last year in junior high. Many luck to you, even tho you don't need it!

And to make this day even better, I got a hand drill yesterday! One of my best friends (also godfather to my daughter) took me to Wal-mart and searched high and low for the perfect one. Usually, we would be able to find it right away, but they changed everything AND there was a lot of kids shopping for school supplies! So I got it! Yaaaay! Along with that, got some acrylic paint for my clay products (demo run to see what I can sell at the anime conventions).

Well, just a quick update. Gotta go make dinner now!!

Not Handmade Enough

So, today was a pretty bad day, for me. Although I got a sale in, and three sales two days ago, it still hurts me. But then again, it's something that I question myself.

As many people know, there are anime conventions, which I planned on attending to sell and just have fun. As I joined one of their forums, I asked if it's alright to sell scrabble tile pendants (very popular on Etsy!). After stating I would make my own images, they said no. It's not handmade enough. Which I was pretty disheartened. Is it really not handmade enough? Or is it because they have strict rules? I mean, making a scrabble tile pendant is not just gluing a piece of paper onto a scrabble tile; it's gluing it, cutting it, securing it with a layer of mod podge, sanding it, adding glaze to it, sanding it some more, and letting it dry for a couple of days (or so I've read).

I asked some friends and aquaintances and apparently, every con is different. Obviously, the one I planned on attending (and one of the oldest, biggest ones ever) wants everything made from scratch. It's strict on the rules. So I'm sad to say, I'm going to drop out of the anime convention and venture out craft shows (which I would like to know if there's any in the DFW area..).

So, on the note of "handmade"... What does 'handmade' mean to you? Is it something completely from scratch? Or is something you put it together with your own hands? Obviously, I'm on a route where it's put together with my own hands, but it's filled with love and time and care. So, is it really handmade? Or did I get help?

Oh I hope I don't lose my way in Etsy...