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Hi All, I am Catherine and I run Huggles & Kisses Art. I have been a stay at home mum to my wee three since my eldest was born nearly 7 years now, and my youngest has just turned 3 and started a few hours in pre school for the first time!  I started drawing again (for the first time since I was a teenager) when I was pregnant with my eldest as we had moved to Australia and I had left my full time job as a primary teacher and was only doing supply work, so I found that I had some spare time for the first time in many years! I'm really interested in children's picture book illustration, well a little obsessed actually!! I absolutely adore picture books so this was the spark behind Huggles & Kisses.  As much as I loved being at home full time looking after my babies, I still craved some 'extra curricular' activities! So I taught myself adobe photoshop and really got into digital artwork in my 'spare' time! I've never been able to balance my work and family! So my artwork was always in the evenings when the babies were getting a bit older. It's been a slow burner to say the least! I just love it so much though! I find it so relaxing and peaceful, so I suppose it's like a glorified hobby for me at the minute as I still find I don't have the time, as I'm still juggling children and a home renovation, perhaps in the future when my children are in school full time this may be a possibility.  My process is definitely more 'organic' and that's a polite way of saying I love to experiment and try new things, I'm probably your typical creative, I have a million ideas and completely go off on a tangent, so I regularly have to reign myself in! I love my little set up, I'm lucky enough to have my own space to draw in and it is definitely my little 'get away'!  My favourite products, and the ones I want to develop more in the future, would be my personalised 'mother and baby' artworks, and I have plans to do lots more animal 'mum and baby', or family ones. It is so lovely doing this type of work as it is a very proud feeling to have your artwork up on the wall of a newborn baby, I love getting pictures from customers with the picture up on the wall, it always gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside!  I think the best advice I would have for someone thinking about opening an Etsy shop is to just do it! It is slightly daunting going into the unknown but it is quite easy to work out once you get going! It's such a great feeling to accomplish something on your own!  Thank you so much for telling us your business story Catherine! Can you tell us a fun fact about yourself?
Mmmmm a fun fact! Not sure I have one of those!! Erm I used to teach pole dancing before I had my children?! Is that fun?! Lol! Thanks for reading!!
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Hello Merseyside Etsy Team! The dark nights are starting to draw in and the weather is starting to get chilly, so get cosy with a cup of tea whilst you read all about Kerry's business story. Kerry creates beautiful digital drawings of natural landscapes and animals whilst juggling life as a mum. Thank you so much for sharing your inspiring story and artwork with us Kerry! Tell us a bit about yourself and what you create. I’m Kerry, mum of 5, part-time illustrator. I create hyper-real illustrative prints of animals, people and landscapes that are hand-drawn digitally. I also sell pen drawings of fells local to the Lake District - only ones I have walked myself, unless specifically requested by a customer.  When did you open your Etsy shop & what inspired you to do so? I opened my shop in 2018, I was very nervous to do it! I’d worked in graphic design prior to having some of my children, but as the number of children at home grew, I had to put part-time work to one side. We went though some big changes as a family, one being moving to the Wirral and I wanted to be ready to start work once my youngests had started school so I picked up my pen and sat back at the computer. I didn’t quite know where to start so I went with what I love; we have animal nicknames for our children so I started by illustrating animals relating to their names. From there I stuck with what I love, being outside - I grew up in the Lake District so the fells were an easy starting place and because I love being an active person, that’s evolved into illustrations of all manner of outdoor activity. How do you balance full time work and your creative business? or How do you balance your business and personal time? I have a fairly straight forward approach to balancing my time - if my children are in school that’s when I get to create! When they were younger, I worked through nap times and in the evenings, but there definitely has to be a degree of flexibility on my part. Tell us a bit about where you work… Do you have a dedicated workspace, office or workshop? I’m very fortunate to have a dedicated workspace at home, which is helpful in that I don’t procrastinate tidying up to find a space to work, though that doesn’t mean it’s tidy! It’s littered with items I find inspiring and bring me joy. I also carry a sketchpad and pens wherever I go so that if I find the time and inspiration I can take advantage.  How do you organise your day and manage your time effectively? (Do you follow a strict working routine or are you more organic with the way you work?) I try to plan week to week rather than day to day so that I put less pressure on myself with the time limits I have. I loosely structure my weeks so that I have time to work on new pieces, commissions and experiment with new methods and materials, as well any admin I might have to do. That said, if I have a few time-sensitive projects on the go, they take priority. Tell us about the way you work, do you work on one product at a time or do you often have more than one project one the go? I mostly work one product at a time, though sometimes if I have multiple commissions on the go, or I feel blocked on the piece I’m working on, I’ll switch between projects to stop myself from feeling stagnant or frustrated by progress. Has the the Covid-19 pandemic affected your business in any way? The pandemic has had quite a large impact on my business in some ways, and not in others. Most notably I’ve had two long stints where I’ve been in charge of home-schooling my children, so time to create completely dropped off. We got into better routines when schools closed a second time so that I had time to create but it was slightly more difficult to find the energy.  What inspires you to be creative? I love colour, shape, light and shadows, and storytelling. I love the outdoors and the beauty that surrounds us, the shifting patterns and rhythms that nature creates. I know it sounds so corny but being outside with my friends and family, seeing people enjoy each others company and being active in whatever capacity they can be; those are the things that inspire me. What is your favourite creation in your Etsy shop and why? That is such a hard question! I have a soft spot for the animal prints because I associate them with my children, but I really do love the set of prints illustrating a lady diving into a lake. Being in the water is so soothing and I swim there often myself, its therapeutic, I really recommend it.  What is your favourite accomplishment? I get so nervous about putting my work out into the world, so pushing past that always feels like an accomplishment. Finding that what I does resonates with people often feels like an accomplishment too, knowing that it can help people feel connected. What do you love most about your job? I love that even whilst I'm sat inside and focusing on the computer screen I can be fully absorbed in the nature that I enjoy so much. I also love the way work can evolve into something that inspires.  What other interests do you have? As may have already become apparent, I love to be outside! Mostly when the sunshines, but I’m not adverse to being out in the rain - the wind and rain together though. A coffee in hand would be the icing on the cake - I actually really like cake too! Anything that makes me laugh has my interest. What music/ podcasts are you listening to at the moment? I’ve been listening to Russel Brand’s Under the skin, and Above the noise. I also like Desert Island discs for some unpredictable and eclectic music choices. What advice would you give to anyone who’s thinking of opening up their own Etsy shop? Definitely give it a go - it can seem intimidating and like there’s a lot to do, but focus and give it your best. Find someone who can help give an outside perspective and voice on what to push, what to write, how to price and how to value yourself.  What has been the best advice someone has given to you? Stop procrastinating, give it a go, what are you waiting for? Do you have any future plans in the pipeline that you can share? I want to keep pushing to create more activity based illustrations that inspire people to get out and move regardless of who and where they are. Tell us a fun fact about yourself. I can stand up on a surfboard - not for very long, but enough to keep me going back for more!  Hello Merseyside Etsy Team! This month we have been chatting with Gill Prendergast about her whimsically fun business, Gill's Emporium. Since starting her business 8 years ago, Gill built a vibrant and successful Etsy shop filled with her beautiful and quirky creations. Thank you so much for sharing your business story with us Gill! Tell us a bit about yourself and what you create. I'm Gill and I make faux taxidermy, textile art, sculptures and hugs in boxes... which all sounds a bit random when I list it off like that, and may explain why I find it so hard to tell people what I do!  When did you open your Etsy shop & what inspired you to do so? Sometime mid 2013. I never really intended to do it for long. I'd left my job as a prop maker for a theatre production company and moved back to North Wales. I'd always painted and made things for friends as a side hustle anyway, so when my best friend suggested Etsy as a means to sell a few things while I figured out my next career move, I thought, it couldn't hurt... so I did!... and slowly (very slowly at first) it became just what I was looking for, and now I do it full time.  How do you balance full time work and your creative business? or How do you balance your business and personal time? I'm not the greatest at balancing business and personal time as my workspace is across the hall, so I find I have to be quite strict in making sure I start at a proper time each day, and I don't really have weekends, the work just flows from one day to the next if there's something that needs doing. But when the sun's out I'm lucky that I can drop everything and usually head to the beach, or go for a walk when I want as I can always catch up late into the evening. I also started going to a Qi Gong class each week as I get a build up of tension in my neck and shoulders from the type of work I do, and its sooo slow and rhythmical that it helps me to reset, so I'm getting better at managing my time and knowing when to take a break. Tell us a bit about where you work… Do you have a dedicated workspace, office or workshop? My workspace, as mentioned, is another room in the house, packed with 60+ heads in the cupboard (not as creepy as it sounds) sculptures on shelves and materials piled up everywhere but it's my colourful creative haven and I love it!  How do you organise your day and manage your time effectively? (Do you follow a strict working routine or are you more organic with the way you work?) I always try to start by 9am, usually any sewing on the machine gets done first. I prioritise custom orders, but after that I generally set about remaking stock that's sold or about to run out, and once that's back on track I find chunks of quieter time to get some sculpting done. Tell us about the way you work, do you work on one product at a time or do you often have more than one project one the go? I always have a few things mid-make. A pile of heads that are cutout and ready to sew, another pile waiting to be stuffed. There's usually a sculpture on my window sill taunting me to get it finished, but by flipping from one thing to another I don't get bored, and the change of activity gives my hands a break.  Has the the Covid-19 pandemic affected your business in any way? Initially as half my sales are international, covid did have an impact as I had to stop overseas orders for nearly 6 months because of the postal problems. But in the end I found my sales were boosted massively by people in the UK wanting to send gifts to one another because of the lack of contact. Never did I think that when I first made my Hug in a Box back in 2014, that it would become such an appropriate covid gift years later! What inspires you to be creative? Animals are my inspiration...the natural world is an endless source for ideas, and I love to inject humour into my work which probably comes from watching too many pandas fall about in you tube videos, or groundhogs with their own insta pages!  What is your favourite creation in your Etsy shop and why? While my sculptures are probably my favourite creations because they are all one offs, my favourite animal heads to date are still the sea creatures, and more specifically Perriwinkle Pufferfish, with his startled face and bloated body, he always makes me chuckle. What is your favourite accomplishment? Probably that I made this work! I am not remotely business or technology minded, so to have established my own little spot in this world, where I get to create from my own imagination and then people all over the world invest in it?... It blows my tiny mind! What do you love most about your job? I love the freedom that comes from running your own business. I can take time out when I need to, experiment with new ideas, take on random projects and generally get to decide how I do things, rather than being dictated to. It might not make me as much money, but I genuinely believe I'm better off for it.  What other interests do you have? Before Covid, my two favourite things were the cinema and travel. I haven't been to the cinema in 16 months, or travelled in 22 months (yes I'm counting!). Travel was a massive part of who I am, and being self employed meant I could take off for a month and go explore somewhere new and experience different cultures... but it all went a bit wrong, so I've regained the love and appreciation for where I live by walking lots! I'm so lucky to live near beaches and the mountains, so the outdoorsy stuff has been keeping me sane. What music/ podcasts are you listening to at the moment? I find it hard to listen through an album of one artist so my music is always on shuffle... anything from Fleetwood Mac and The Beatles to 80's pop and a bit of Gerry Cinnamon and Queens of the Stone Age. I must confess I don't think I've ever listened to a podcast, I need a tune to hum along to.  What advice would you give to anyone who’s thinking of opening up their own Etsy shop?
Go for it! It can take a while to establish yourself amongst the myriad of other makers, but have confidence in what you're creating and the right people will find you. Also, get involved with your local Etsy team. The Merseyside Etsy team were so lovely to let me join them as I tend to take part in Liverpool based fairs (I think I might be their furthest team member!) and I've found the advice everyone shares on the Facebook group is so helpful, especially when you work alone, it's great to have people to bounce off. What has been the best advice someone has given to you? Don't be afraid to price your work accordingly. There will always be people who think they can make it (they never do though!) or they think it's overpriced... but they just aren't your customer. Not everyone understands what goes into designing and making something from beginning to end, for a fair wage. Don't undervalue yourself! Do you have any future plans in the pipeline that you can share? I'd like to get back to doing a few fairs this year towards... yes I'm going to say it...Christmas! I don't do many anyway as I find them fun but also massively stressful, but I have missed that connection with the public and other sellers over the last year. Tell us a fun fact about yourself I once went to Finland as part of an Ice Sculpting team representing the UK... I never actually took part in the final competition, but I did go down an entire ski slope in the dead of night on a bin bag and cracked my coccyx! Fun times! 😀 Hello team! This month we have been chatting with Graphic Designer and Illustrator Gracie McFarlane from Design by Gracie. Since starting her business during the pandemic, Gracie has created a beautifully colourful Etsy shop featuring cute and quirky wall art prints inspired by nature and animals. Thank you so much for sharing your business story with us Gracie! Tell us a bit about yourself and what you create. Hi! I’m Gracie. I actually work full time as a Graphic Designer for a company called Underexposed, based in the Baltic Triangle. By day you’ll find me creating brand identities for start ups, but my evenings and weekends are spent illustrating for my small biz ‘Design by Gracie’. I currently design illustrative art prints for Etsy but I’m looking to expand my product line in the future. I also create greeting cards for Thortful, and get a few Graphic Design/Illustration commissions too.  When did you open your Etsy shop & what inspired you to do so? I opened my Etsy shop about a year ago. I found I was missing really the creative freedom of designing for myself (not clients!). Thankfully, the pandemic gifted me the spare time to start illustrating during my evenings/weekends and I found myself finding joy in creating again. I started to share my work in Instagram and I got a really great response…so I took the plunge and created prints of my two most liked illustrations. I only had these two items in my shop and they sold pretty badly and I was super disheartened. I learned pretty quickly that likes don’t equal sales!  How do you balance full time work and your creative business? or How do you balance your business and personal time? I really follow the creative flow when it comes to this. I’m blessed that I don’t rely on the income of Etsy, so when I’m not feeling it or I’m too tired I’m pretty disciplined at walking away and taking a break. Unfortunately, my creativity always seem to come when I’m super busy, so I’ll find myself burning out after doing an 8 hour day in work, followed by hours illustration after work. I think that comes with being creative though - I can’t help but get engrossed in it. Tell us a bit about where you work… Do you have a dedicated workspace, office or workshop? I daydream a lot about having a nice workspace, but its really not the Instagram set up you would imagine. I was mostly working from my sofa and dining table when I began my shop (my back was crying!). Thankfully, I saw a desk being given away for free and invested in a desk chair - but it’s still in the corner of my dining room and the desk is very much shared with my husband's work-from-home set up. I’m moving house soon and I’m very excited to maybe have my own office space.  How do you organise your day and manage your time effectively? (Do you follow a strict working routine or are you more organic with the way you work?) I am super organic with the way I work. I keep reminding myself that I started this because I missed natural creativity, so I really go with what I’m feeling. Ultimately, I want my business to be something I enjoy rather than an extreme pressure.  Tell us about the way you work, do you work on one product at a time or do you often have more than one project one the go? My creative mind is full of spinning plates. I am so over-inspired and there’s so much I want to make or draw. Whenever an idea comes to me I grab a piece of paper and scribble it straight away or make a note on my phone. It's chaotic but I think the freedom helps me generate ideas. I’ve tried to be more focussed and create collections but full time work and life usually gets in the way. I invested in a decent printer so I could print on demand and this gives me the flexibility to continuously create work and test it out without investing in a batch of prints. I love the spontaneity of it.  Has the the Covid-19 pandemic affected your business in any way? Covid-19 started my business! If it wasn’t for the pandemic I would never have had the time or energy to start making outside of 9-5. It also meant a lot more people were shopping online or using social media, so the audience was there. Unfortunately, I think we are all feeling the unpredictable nature of sales at the moment. This year has been very slow and I think life opening up again really plays a part in that. I’m trying to remind myself that my Etsy sales don’t define my creative talent. What inspires you to be creative? My creativity comes in really intense waves. I’ll have a month of feeling inspired by everything and anything - I’ll be non-stop creating. Then I’ll wake up one day with 0 motivation. If I am feeling stuck I’ll jump straight to Pinterest because I just love how you can find everything you didn’t know you were looking for on there. However, I’d have to say mostly inspired by nature - animals and plants are my go-to.  What is your favourite creation in your Etsy shop and why? My fat cat paintings. I used to really struggle to illustrate with gouache and it took a lot of practice…but when I painted those cats I felt like I really nailed the technique and the personality in the illustration in one. They make me laugh every time I look at them. What is your favourite accomplishment? Finally putting myself out there! I was always too scared to share my work because of what people might think (creatives can be pretty critical). BUT, once I started sharing work I realised that I needed to focus on the 99% of people that love what I make and not the 1% of people that don’t like it. The doors that have opened for me ever since have been unbelievable. What do you love most about your job? Creative freedom and control. I’d craved the feeling of designing for me and not other people, so being able to gain some ownership over this again is a dream. Also, there is nothing that compares to the joy I feel from illustrating - it's like a fire in my heart.  What other interests do you have? I love coffee so much, does that count? My ideal weekend is spend on some sort of coffee shop crawl - Crosby coffee is a firm favourite. I’m also pretty adventurous, I love hiking up a mountain or just being outside in general. Me and my husband are also massive foodies, so you’ll usually find us going out and trying all the local independent Liverpool restaurants. What music/ podcasts are you listening to at the moment? A few of my friends from work have created a podcast called Creative Jam – they cover all sorts relating to the creative industry and I’m really enjoying that at the moment. My music taste is so weird, I absolutely love 80s music, but I’m currently reliving my teenage years with Olivia Rodrigo's new album. However, my absolute favourite artist is Billie Eilish. I’m playing her songs on repeat until I can’t listen to her anymore. I think if you are creative you can appreciate her music on a different level. What advice would you give to anyone who’s thinking of opening up their own Etsy shop. Stop procrastinating and just do it. Be prepared to put in the hours and sometimes not get anything in return. It's a learning curve so don’t beat yourself up if something's not working. Do. your. research. The world doesn’t end if a product flops. Followers do not equal sales!  What has been the best advice someone has given to you?
My husband once said to me ‘if you don’t like it, do something about it’. At the time I think he was just trying to stop me moaning about trivial things - but its actually really solid advice thats stuck with me. I sometimes need a kick up the bum to get something sorted so him telling me to just crack on with it is always in my mind. Do you have any future plans in the pipeline that you can share? Once I’ve moved house and sorted my office set-up, I’m really going to invest some time some new types of products. I’ve always been too scared to invest in a big product run but if you don’t try you’ll never know if it will suceed. Tell us a fun fact about yourself. I’m actually one of 7 children (I’m number 4). I love having a big family as there’s always someone to talk to. Christmas is chaos though! This month we’ve been chatting with Rebecca from Rebecca Woods Ceramics all about her business and selling on Etsy 🪴 Working from a dedicated studio space in her house, Rebecca creates beautiful and functional pottery pieces hand thrown on the potters wheel. Since opening her Etsy shop two years ago Rebecca has created a large collection ranging from plates and mugs, to soap dishes and hanging planters, with over 600 sales to date! Thank you so much for sharing your business story and daily working life with us Rebecca, we can’t wait to see your business continue to grow and flourish!  Image Credit: Vigour & Skills Tell us a bit about yourself and what you create. Hello, I'm Rebecca and I make both decorative and functional pottery - hanging planters, bud vases, mugs, salt pigs, bowls & pouring bowls etc. When did you open your Etsy shop & what inspired you to do so? It was December 2018. I suppose over the last 10-20 years people have been more and more empowered to do it for themselves, publishing books, selling their own work etc. rather than having to rely on another layer of involvement. That 's inspiring! So I just did my research on the best place to sell in terms of traffic. I also like the idea of having the sort of control, within limitations, to make things how I wanted it to be - autonomy.  How do you balance your business and personal time? Badly! The line between business time and personal time can easily get moved, especially as my studio space is in the house – I'm always ready at hand to respond to things, or pack a parcel at 10.30pm – because I can! But it's something I'm working on, and I do make time to see friends, relax watching Netflix, and hopefully go out for meals. I'm getting better at making sure I look after my health, I now regularly go open water swimming at the dock, and I love it. Plus yoga which keeps me sane. Tell us a bit about where you work… Do you have a dedicated workspace, office or workshop? I have a studio set up in the space where I used to work as a Counsellor and Psychotherapist. It has a wheel and kiln, which I bought off Ebay – it's a beast. I have my packing area and photography set up in the loft.  How do you organise your day and manage your time effectively? (Do you follow a strict working routine or are you more organic with the way you work?) I generally start work around 9am, I'll either throw some new pieces on the wheel, or I'll turn (trim) yesterday's pots, or put handles on mugs or casserole dishes, and imprint pots with my homemade stamps. I follow my making sheet which lists which things I need to make i.e I'm low on stock or commission pieces, or new things I just fancy making. I always stop at 12 to 12.30pm for lunch. My husband Bill works from home so we have lunch together. In the afternoon I continue until 4-5pm, having said that in the evening I'll pop in and check things or finish off a few little things that need doing. If I'm glazing I follow the same pattern, and on firing day that's admin time or photographing pots for Etsy. The 'photo studio' is in the loft and I really do enjoy the change of pace from making to admin.  Tell us about the way you work, do you work on one product at a time or do you often have more than one project one the go? I tend to have a few things on the go, mainly because of commissions. I've also been working on a personal project called Snapshot Memories involving short poems written on ceramic pieces about my childhood memories, inconsequential moments that we remember from childhood. Has the Covid-19 pandemic affected your business in any way? I've found that it's encouraged more support for buying handmade goods and from small sellers. So basically my sales have massively increased, but of course all the markets in Liverpool and away from home were cancelled. What inspires you to be creative? I love looking, a lot, at pottery. I see Korean pots using the Mishima technique that are so beautiful, yet not twee. They seem to balance both beauty and a natural relaxed roughness that looks effortless, but it's not.  What is your favourite creation in your Etsy shop and why? What a horrible question! If I had to say, at the moment it's probably the cafe au lait bowl, I love the shape, they are quite curvy and feminine. I tend to like the latest things I've made. What is your favourite accomplishment? Moving from being a therapist to becoming a full time potter. It was quite hard for me to let go of that part of my life, I'd been doing it for 20 years and it was part of my identity. I'd also got to a certain level, Senior Accredited – so it felt like losing a certain status and going back to the beginning again – learning, honing your craft etc. But I've done it and I'm glad I have. Oh and getting into a couple of top shows that I probably shouldn't have! Don't mention that to anyone. What do you love most about your job? Freedom, I'm my own boss, making things is at the heart of me and I get to do it all the time, not just as a hobby.  What other interests do you have? As I mentioned, open water swimming, yoga, cycling and cooking – I've learnt how to make sourdough and it's an amazing bread. Unfortunately my husband coerced me into becoming a Sunderland FC fan, so that is a life of misery! (if anyone follows football you'll know exactly what I'm talking about). What music/ podcasts are you listening to at the moment? I'm known for my cheesy taste in music, I'm embarrassed to list – but it does involve 1970's music, disco, soft rock (The Eagles, Steely Dan, Electric Light Orchestra etc). I still haven't mastered getting to the end of Aerosmith's 'I Don't Want to Miss a Thing' without filling up. I could go on. I like Two Tone, The Specials etc. But in order to make myself look good I'll add Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, jazz etc. What advice would you give to anyone who’s thinking of opening up their own Etsy shop. Join Merseyside Etsy Group, they are friendly and really helpful, the amount of help and advice you can get will save you time and stress. I would say just go for it, you haven't got anything to lose, list 10 items initially and see how it goes. It will all come together as time goes on.  What has been the best advice someone has given to you?
Put a piece of paper over the top of your mug after throwing it - it'll stop it warping! Not profound at all. Actually a long established potter, Mike Dodd told me to be true to myself, try to remain authentic, whatever goes on around you, make what you like. Do you have any future plans in the pipeline that you can share? Yes, we are hoping to move to Scotland, I'll then be able to get a dedicated studio, let's see what happens. Tell us a fun fact about yourself. Well, we all have the strange relative, don't we? Mine is the strange uncle, he was so different from anyone else in the family, a bit of an eccentric. He was always there in my life, but it was only later on that I found out he'd met many many famous people - the strangest being Salvador Dali! The nearest I get to that is Boy George when I was trapped behind a large glass door, with no handle, he found it very funny. Admittedly we’re a bit late for Earth Day but sustainability and responsible consumption should be something we’re considering all year round; each of us as consumers will be making decisions in our every day lives that go some way to lessen our impact on the planet, whether that’s going vegan, shunning plastic wrapped foods, buying organic, getting our clothes second hand or walking instead of driving. Etsy sellers too are looking at their business operations and what they produce and finding ways to be more sustainable while still providing the same high quality, unique products and personalised service that we have all come to expect of them. We spoke to some of our team members and asked them how they’ve made changes in their shops for the better and what obstacles they faced in their drive to become more sustainable. Mo is the face behind the Etsy shop Annie Verdi, where she specialises in reusable cloth sanitary pads (CSP). "In Annie Verdi all our products are aimed towards helping people to reduce the use of single use plastics. It is why I started the shop in the first place, everything is designed to be a reusable item to help change our throw away mindset. Most disposable sanitary products are made of 90% plastic, and each one is individually wrapped in another layer of plastic and sold in plastic wrappers. I’m sure you get the picture. It’s important to me to know i’m using ethical and sustainable fabrics. I try to use organic materials wherever I can because of another angle of sustainability is the use of pesticides and chemicals on our crops. I use a family firm company based in Wales called Organic Textile Company, their fabrics are sourced from GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified mills in India and Turkey and their bamboo fabric is manufactured in a closed loop system, meaning all water and chemicals used during the process is recovered and re-used rather than being pumped out into the waterways. I also use specialist fabrics which are manufactured in the USA by Wazoodle, they are another family firm who manufacture without the use of toxic chemicals. It used to be quite expensive for me to get hold of these materials when I first started Annie Verdi because of the import costs, and I wasn’t too happy about the carbon footprint of getting them all the way from the USA, but I wanted to use the best I could for the job. I’m very happy that they now have an official UK supplier, Cuddle Plush Fabrics. I try to factor in the organic and specialist and importing factors into my pricing, but I also really want people to be able to use a product that I believe is far better for their bodies and the environment. I’ve seen inferior quality products costing more than I charge and I’ve seen the cheap imports from abroad that are often so rubbish that they put people off using reusables. Because of the nature of our products I choose not to use recycled materials, but that’s only because I’m selling them When I started making them just for myself I used what I could, and I would encourage anyone who struggles with menstrual products to use what is available to them because that is a sustainable way. As a result of running my business this way I’ve been awarded a surfers against sewage plastic free champion award which I’m very proud of." Away from the everyday changes people can make Bubble and Berry are bringing eco-conscious options into the world of weddings. We asked shop owner Sylvia about how she’s become more sustainable in her business. "Our main products are the pre-packed real flower confetti packs. We introduced this product to the market in 2017. At that time we only offered these petals in clear cello bags but the brides loved them so our business started to grow immediately. It was then that I felt I needed to make some changes because I didn’t want to use so many cello bags. In 2018 I found a great eco-friendly and biodegradable packaging option for the petals, that was the glassine bag, glassine envelopes are made from pure pine wood cellulose which is 100% recyclable. It is anti-static, chlorine and acid free and does not contain chemical softeners. In that year some brides started to choose the glassine option but unfortunately it only accounted for 20% of our sales, our brides still wanted to order their individual packed confetti in clear bags. At the beginning of 2019 some packaging companies introduced biodegradable and compostable clear bags so we started to test these options to see how they fitted with our dried flowers and finally found the best quality in the market. These are the one of the most expensive biodegradable materials unfortunately so finally we needed to increase the prices. Fortunately, our customers are happy to pay an extra fee if they know that it’s for a more sustainable product. We had known we would probably lose some customers after this price increase so we started to offer them a great alternative option as well; we introduced a kit option so they could buy their confetti in bulk and put together their own individual portions. Finally every customer is happy with these changes – and we can now say our main products are 100% biodegradable! We can absolutely run a great business on Etsy after these changes and I am happy we could reduce our impact on the planet. I know I am only just a small business but I can tell ourselves that Bubble and Berry is a market leading company and we would like to show the right way for other new startup small businesses. We get so much positive feedback and our sales are growing year to year." Packaging is a common topic in sustainability discussions amongst our team members, Jen from Faeriefer Evergreen is another seller who has tried to minimise her impact on the planet through how she sends her products and through what she makes and how she makes it. "At Faeriefer Evergreen I sell vegan inspired hand crafted jewellery so I do not use leather and the waxed cords I use are made with synthetic and not bees wax. At fairs I also sell upcycled bottles which I wash, reuse and decorate and I use twigs and foraged wood to make gifts. I am moving towards a more eco-friendly ethos in my shop and hoping to entirely eradicate the use of single use plastic in my products. I have switched my jewellery packaging boxes to ones made of eco-friendly recyclable paper which come with anti-tarnish insert and I have switched to eco-friendly recyclable paper packing tape and boxes. Where I do use envelopes, these are designed for recycling and made with at least 60% recycled content, made with paper from responsible sources (www.fsc.org)" Some of our team members, along with a few other small business owners from across the country took things a step further and started the Naked Cards initiative. "An Instagram Story by Vanilla Retro, one of our Naked Pioneers, triggered a conversation about why on earth so many small online card sellers are putting little plastic sleeves around pieces of cardboard that are then being put into envelopes? We were not only creating needless waste, but also wasting money and time, and after broaching the topic on each of our social media accounts it became apparent that our customers were overwhelmingly in favour of the move towards "naked cards". In fact, the very few negative comments seemed to be from fellow card-sellers, who cited reasons why they felt cellos to be critical. What we needed to do was open this conversation up and make it public - and, in doing so, challenge long-standing behaviours. We believe that by going naked we can all save money, time and space, while reducing waste, and creating less mess.
Any seller can take the Naked Cards pledge, all we ask is that they are working towards sending any greetings cards ordered online without cellos. If they’re willing to take the pledge they can use the logo from our downloads section and use it on their website and social media. We know we all have reserves of packaged stock which we will continue to sell through, and we might need to pack our cards in paper bags – again that’s fine, it’s all about little changes we can make. We’re not up for naming and shaming anyone here, it’s a positive campaign for change in the online gifting industry!" There’s all sorts of ways we can have a positive impact through the things we buy or the way we sell and hopefully this has been a little food for thought for you. Perhaps you can find some ways to be more sustainable in your business or maybe you’ll factor some of these issues in the next time you're shopping on Etsy, it’s all about the little changes we can make adding up to something bigger! This month we’ve been chatting with Jade Muat-Dodd - a local illustrator making wonderfully bright colourful pieces 🌸 Not long after opening her Etsy shop in 2019 Jade was able to quit her full time job and pursue her creative career! With an incredible 4000 sales to date, Jade’s rapid business success story is a true inspiration. Thank you so much Jade! Tell us a bit about yourself and what you create. I'm Jade, I'm 29, I create cute and uplifting texts and images with the occasional feminist undertone. I'm inspired by everyday life: TV, family, music, animals, and everything in between.  When did you open your Etsy shop & what inspired you to do so? I opened my Etsy shop in 2019, very very part time, it was something I had been toying with for a while but with a gentle nudge from my partner I finally opened it. And not long after, January 2020 I left my full time job and put all my efforts into my little business! How do you balance full time work and your creative business? or How do you balance your business and personal time? As I mentioned I left my full time job last year to persure this full time, but prior to that, I was working 80 hour weeks as a restaurant manager, and I'd be drawing on my breaks, on the bus journey home, every chance I got! Now I find it pretty difficult to switch off, that saying "if you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life"... Far from true haha. Yes, I do love it, but I work every minute I am awake, drawing, making, packing orders and just thinking up ideas!  Tell us a bit about where you work… Do you have a dedicated workspace, office or workshop? Prior to covid I had been saving up for a new home with my partner, ideally with a studio space, however, we had to put things on hold, so in the meantime, I'm very very lucky because my parents have left me use their garage as a studio space. As you can imagine though it isn't the warmest of places, over the past few months I've been taking blankets and hot water bottles in there with me. How do you organise your day and manage your time effectively? (Do you follow a strict working routine or are you more organic with the way you work?) I am honestly so bad a managing my time, I prioritise commissions and getting my orders out, and then the rest of the time I just go with the flow, work on whatever I fancy that day!  Tell us about the way you work, do you work on one product at a time or do you often have more than one project one the go? Oh I have so many projects half done at all times! I have notebooks just full of half made ideas that I flit between. Has the the Covid-19 pandemic affected your business in any way? To be honest, it's hard to judge, because I began doing this full time just before covid. Over the past year though I've gained a lot more followers and had an increase in sales! What inspires you to be creative? I've always been surrounded by creative, my mum is an artist, my dad is a photographer, my brother is a musician, and my partner is a writer. Growing up my family always pushed me in whatever direction I wanted to go in, and that happened to be art! What is your favourite creation in your Etsy shop and why? I have a new children's book out actually, it's called Theo and the Monster, I co-wrote it with my boyfriend and I illustrated it. It is by far the biggest project I've worked on, and as soon as the proof book arrived I fell in love with it. I'm insanely proud of it!  What is your favourite accomplishment? I try to celebrate every little thing! A new idea, a new project finished, a new follower on Instagram! My biggest accomplishment is just carrying on, keeping on creating, doing what I love! What do you love most about your job? When someone orders something and they tag me in a photo! It makes me so happy, seeing a print on the wall in someone's house, or someone wearing their new tshirt! It's amazing. What other interests do you have? It's hard to remember any pre-covid hobbies haha, but right now I love film and TV. What music/ podcasts are you listening to at the moment? I've honestly been listening to the same playlist since I was about 16, it's full of Spice girls and 00s emo bands haha.  What advice would you give to anyone who’s thinking of opening up their own Etsy shop? Just do it, take the plunge! What's the worst that can happen! What has been the best advice someone has given to you? Carry on! Sometimes you have a bad day, week, month. Where you have no ideas, or everything you draw is rubbish. But keep going! Do you have any future plans in the pipeline that you can share?
I've got a new jewellery range in production that I'm really excited about! We've got some great new team members to introduce you to this month who joined us over the start of the year. While we're all still at home for the next month at least we can still support our local businesses online and show some love to all the Etsy sellers in our region starting with these guys.... L-R from top left: Ann Murphy creates unique prints jewellery and home by hand painting with alcohol inks, inspired by her local coastline and the nature nearby. Ice Touched Designs created these adorable dumbo octopus sculptures and you can find lots more adorable and unusual octopus gifts in her shop. Sefton Macrame creates beautiful wall hangings, plant hangers and more and even uses branches from Sefton Park to create them, truly local! Art by AMHughes is where you'll find Aimee's stunning fine art prints, the results of her experimentations with a whole host of painting and drawing media including her own foraged pigments! Colour Pop Liverpool have a shop bursting full of colourful glittery resin pieces like these copper and emerald statement earrings. Harper Moon Creative specialise in fun graphic prints, greetings cards and post cards. I love the bold simplicity of this Medusa print! L-R from top left:
AMW Digital Artworks is your place to head for hand drawn custom pet portraits. The Lux Company make soy wax melts and hand poured candles in your choice of their signature scents for a truly bespoke gift. Anther Designs had cards and prints featuring her beautiful hand drawn illustrations. Curly Twirly Topknot's colourful shop is print and pattern in the form of her hair bows and bunting, and quirky paper products like her table confetti and gift bows. JV Craft Club creates decorative items using dried and pressed flowers. These custom initial embroidery hoops are fab! The Wild Kindom has a great offering for other creatives in her downloadable Social Media planning calendar, full of all those important holidays to plan your biz around. VIBE Lampshades is where you should head if you're planning a Spring home update, lots of gorgeous bespoke lampshades, wall art and cushions to brighten up your home! Welcome to the team everyone! For this month’s Seller Spotlight we’ve been hearing all about Ruth’s business, Glitterati Jewellery. After initially struggling in the early days with SEO and being found online, Ruth joined the Merseyside Etsy Team to help improve her shop. Fast forward a few years and Ruth now has an incredible 2,600 sales to date, with her business going from strength to strength. Thank you so much for sharing your business story with us Ruth! Tell us a bit about yourself and what you create. My name is Ruth Smalley I live in Warrington and I make earrings and keychains from charms, as well as other bits of beaded jewellery.  When did you open your Etsy shop & what inspired you to do so? I opened my Etsy shop in 2014. I’d been making bits of jewellery for a while and selling bits to friends for a couple of years, I had a website, but struggled to get seen so I thought I’d give Etsy a go. The Etsy shop didn’t really do much and I was on the verge of closing the shop when the lovely Jenny from Presents Felt introduced me to the Merseyside Etsy team. I thought I’d follow some of the advice and give the shop one last chance, and I’ve not looked back since!  How do you balance full time work and your creative business? or How do you balance your business and personal time? I work at Edge Hill University managing the online books and journals for the library. I usually work on my shop in the evenings and it’s a nice way to relax. From October – December it’s a different matter and things get quite frantic and I have to book days off work to manage the Etsy orders! I try to get ahead of myself making things up over the summer, but it still gets pretty hectic.  Tell us a bit about where you work… Do you have a dedicated workspace, office or workshop? I normally work on the sofa. Thankfully my making isn’t very messy or big so it’s easy to get out and put away. I used to keep all my essentials and tools in a cardboard box, but after posting about it on Facebook, a lovely friend gifted me a beautiful wooden craft box. Everything is much more organized now! How do you organise your day and manage your time effectively? (Do you follow a strict working routine or are you more organic with the way you work?) I usually try to do an hour or two of Etsy work during the evening, often while watching TV to keep up to date with orders. At the weekend I’ll work on my shop and shop for supplies. I keep asking my husband when his hobby of cycling will start to turn a profit and not just keep costing us money!  Tell us about the way you work, do you work on one product at a time or do you often have more than one project one the go? In my Etsy shop I tend to be quite focused. I spend a while researching charms for new themes and usually try to introduce new keychains a few times a year. What inspires you to be creative? I love creating with beads, I enjoy putting colours and shapes together and seeing where I end up.  What is your favourite creation in your Etsy shop and why. I love my midwife keychain. I’d had a nurse keychain for a while when an Australian customer asked if I could combine it with my new baby keychain as a gift for her midwife and I thought what a fabulous idea! It’s gone on to be one of my best sellers. What is your favourite accomplishment? I think it was when I hit 100 sales. I’d spent 2 years and had sold about 40 things. Within a couple of months of working on my titles and tags and sorting out my pictures I’d passed 100 sales and I realized I was doing something right! I’ve just hit over 2000 sales and it constantly amazes me how well my little hobby is doing! What do you love most about your job? I love the feedback I get from my customers, especially when they let me know how meaningful people have found my keychains. What other interests do you have? I’ve got lots of craft projects on the go, I’m knitting a blanket for my daughter to go to uni with, but she went in September so I missed the deadline! I’ve got some lovely fabric too which I was going to make a dress from, but I haven’t got as far as cutting it out yet. I also dabble in running and yoga.  What music/ podcasts are you listening to at the moment? I love musicals so I’m usually singing along to something from the West End! What advice would you give to anyone who’s thinking of opening up their own Etsy shop? Get involved with your local Etsy team! Having a shop is hard work, but there is so much help and advice out there from other Etsy shop owners, and so many are very generous with their time and advice. What has been the best advice someone has given to you? Don’t assume you are your target market. Have confidence in your work and price it according to the time and costs you’ve incurred.  Do you have any future plans in the pipeline that you can share?
I’ve just launched a few new themes for Christmas but otherwise I’m just getting my head down ready for the Christmas rush at the moment. Tell us a fun fact about yourself. When I was a teenager I wrote a Christmas song and got to perform it on TV on a programme called ‘A Song for Christmas’ presented by Philip Schofield! For this month’s Seller Spotlight we’ve been chatting with Maria who runs two successful Etsy shops: The Beady Gecko - a quirky jewellery and accessories shop which features beautiful pieces inspired by nature, and The Beady Gecko Crafts - a creative supplies shop for fellow makers, specialising in selling small pack sizes. Maria follows an organised work structure, being based at home and managing work alongside family time, and has had over 2,000 sales to date! Thank you so much for sharing your business story with us Maria ❤️ Tell us a bit about yourself and what you create. I’m Maria, I make quirky jewellery and accessories that are inspired by nature and the hidden things around us. I work with glass and crystal beads, semi precious stones, lucite (frosted acrylic) flower and leaves, which are interspersed with metal alloy charms to add some extra details.  When did you open your Etsy shop & what inspired you to do so? I opened my first shop on Etsy in 2013 (The Beady Gecko). I’d dabbled with having my own webstore, but at that time, the technology wasn’t really there for what I wanted to do; I wanted to reach more people and streamline the ordering process. I also like the idea of being part of a larger community and the benefits that that brings with it. At this point, my online store was more of a side line, and I had a very limited range of products. As most of my sales were through artisan markets, and I was looking to expand my base a little, it seemed sensible to look at having more of an online presence. I opened my second Etsy shop in 2017 (The Beady Gecko Crafts). Based on my previous experiences I had a good level of knowledge of what to do and how to manage it, but it’s good to have the two to work between, especially as they tend to be busy at different times of the year.  How do you balance full time work and your creative business? or How do you balance your business and personal time? I have to be very organised! Although this is my main job, I’m also a carer our girls - both now lovely young women, who need more support than most. I have a routine that works well, but builds in flexibility, which means I can be there for them at any time of the day or night that they need me. I spend lots of time planning. I try to plan some time to sit down with a large blank piece of paper and plan ahead for the next few months, and then work it out into smaller details for what I’d like to have organised and by when - it doesn’t always work out this way but it helps me feel a little more in control, and helps me step back into the pattern if I’ve needed time away.  Tell us a bit about where you work… Do you have a dedicated workspace, office or workshop? I share an office with my husband, Ian who also works from home. We’ve converted our small bedroom into an office space, and each of us have a desk, it’s pretty easy to see which desk belongs to who. I tend to use the office in the mornings, I work through my orders and do all my admin work before the house gets too busy, and then I move downstairs into the dining room - this is where most of the making happens. I have an excellent vantage point of being able to see all the goings on from where I work at the dining room table, and our youngest daughter who still lives at home, can sit with me and chat or work on her own projects too, she needs to have me around and this works really well for both of us.  How do you organise your day and manage your time effectively? (Do you follow a strict working routine or are you more organic with the way you work?) This year, we’ve had to become a bit more structured and organised, as Ian is at home more, and our girls also need more support than usual at the moment. For admin I have a strict routine, I usually work in the office on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings until lunchtime - this is when I process all my orders, deal with the admin side of things, order in new supplies and plan ahead. I have a coffee break at 11 each morning, when I FaceTime our eldest daughter and have a chat with her, Wednesday’s are technically my day off - that’s the day the food shopping arrives and I call to see our eldest daughter with her shopping for the week. I do still answer queries as they come in, and manage my social media. We all have lunch together and then I swap workspace. I try not to work at weekends, to allow me time with the family, but if there is time that I can sneak in and get some more work done, then I will, and at this time of year, that is when most of my making is done. I’ve had to make some changes this year in terms of markets, which has had the advantage of freeing up more time at the weekends, and I’ve been delighted to be able to join in with online Etsy team meetings so I am still meeting and seeing other people and small business owners.  Tell us about the way you work, do you work on one product at a time or do you often have more than one project one the go? I always have several projects on the go, that I can switch between as I need to - very often, the theme will be the same. For example, I might be working on Autumn, but I’ll be making bag charms, key guardians and bookmarks, pulling together ideas for gift packs and thinking of the best way to package and present things. My workspace tends to reflect my mind at any given moment, so I do try and tidy it to stop me feeling too frazzled. At the moment, my desk is full of crystal points, rainbow crystal beads, a bespoke order that I have been working on this morning, Christmas charms and a stack of boxes with autumn leaves in ready to go on a new design I’m working on, together with some charms that arrived this morning. There is an order to them though, and that is comforting, it also means if I am called away, I can generally pick up my train of thought when I get back. What inspires you to be creative? Nature. I can go for a walk and come back with my head absolutely buzzing with ideas, there are bits of scribbled notes all around the house, and small groupings of beads, charms and colour notes where I have been dabbling; I take lots of pictures to remind me of things I’ve seen and to give me ideas for new products. I absolutely love that I can have an image in my head and recreate a solid version of that.  What is your favourite creation in your Etsy shop and why. My Autumn range is my absolute favourite, I love the detail in these, I love that I can tell you that the idea initially came to me while I was walking through country lanes in Scotland, and it worked out exactly as I wanted it to. The basic design has seen some changes and tweaks over the years, but it’s essentially the same and is one of my absolute best sellers. It’s being reimagined this year and the new version will be launched in a few days time, and that one will be based on walks through Welsh country lanes - though the other versions will still be available too. I also love my semi precious stone bracelets, especially the Watermelon Tourmaline one - I love the colours in that and the feel of the stones; I’ve recently changed the design of these to incorporate more clear quartz crystal stones, as they are believed to enhance the qualities of any other stones that they are placed with.  What is your favourite accomplishment? Running my own successful business. I’ve had some really interesting jobs over the years, I’ve worked in the music industry and in marketing for a local environmental charity, but I left full time paid work 12 years ago to allow us to take our girls out of school and educate them at home. When The Beady Gecko started nearly 10 years ago, we had both girls being educated at home, and the consensus of opinion from the small business advisor was that it would be impossible to do both. I’ve never been very good at being told what to do, so I took that as a challenge, set out to prove her wrong and here I am. It’s also been a great way of showing our girls too that you shouldn’t be limited by other people’s ideas and opinions too. I actually run two businesses now; my second business is the The Beady Gecko Crafts Emporium, also on Etsy, where I sell project supplies and finishing touches in small packs at sensible prices. This came from my own crafting experience and discovering I could only buy a pack of 20 buttons when I just wanted 4 for a Unicorn called Ziggy that I was making. I realised I can’t be the only one not wanting huge packs, and happily I was right! I was in the process of adding a third business, but the Pandemic has meant that I will delay that until things are a little more stable. This one will build on my passion for semi precious stones and Reiki, but just for now, I am needed more at home.  What do you love most about your job? The creativity and flexibility of it all. I’ve never really lost that amazing buzz you get from making things, and the affirmation of people choosing to buy my items to give as gifts. Over the last few months I’ve been offering a gift message service to go out with my orders, and have changed the standard packaging too, people have been opting to send gifts directly to friends and family. I love enabling someone to add a splash of colour to someone’s day - I’ve had some lovely feedback and reviews based on this. It is also my escape - it gives me a chance to be me and to keep my own identity - my style is now recognised and my business branding goes before me, so people will recognise me as The Beady Gecko which always makes me happy.  What advice would you give to anyone who’s thinking of opening up their own Etsy shop. Go for it - but do have everything thought through and planned before you go live - make sure you are registered as appropriate and have the appropriate insurances in place, know how you will pack things and be realistic about your processing times. Worth remembering too that many people who buy are unused to dealing directly with a person, let alone the maker, and can be a bit brusque when they first deal with you - try not to take it personally. Remember to take time off for you - have a routine that involves switching off notifications (mine go off at 6pm), and it is okay to take a break. What has been the best advice someone has given to you? To be true to yourself and follow your own path. Don’t try to fit yourself to the market, but make the things that you are passionate about and the right people will find you. Do you have any future plans in the pipeline that you can share? I’m hugely excited to be working on a new project that will take place at the beginning of November; I am working frantically on building my stock up for all of the shops I supply and am looking forward to launching my themed gift packs with them too - they have just been listed on Etsy and first indications show they’ll be popular. My biggest challenge at the moment is making sure my packaging is as environmentally friendly as it can be, and covid secure too.  What other interests do you have? I love walking, we have two lovely big dogs, know to my social media followers as The Beady Boys, they’re Robbie (Beady Dog), a lovely solid big black Labrador, and his younger brother, Merlin (Beady Pup), who is a Goldador (Retriever/Lab cross). We walk them twice a day, every day, through our local parks and woodlands. I also crochet and knit - the brighter the colours and the bigger the project the better. I am fascinated by genealogy and family history - time travelling as it’s referred to here, our younger daughter and I can go down that particular rabbit hole for days at a time! What music/ podcasts are you listening to at the moment? I tend to listen to radio 2 while I’m working, I like the easy, conversational style of listening to radio, and keeping connected with the outside world - it can be very easy to become isolated when you are working for yourself from home. I often listen to a Classical Relaxation playlist while I’m working, otherwise, it’s David Bowie, Pink Floyd or maybe a bit of Led Zeppelin, much depends on who is around while I’m working. Tell us a fun fact about yourself. I am fluent in British Sign Language - our household is bilingual. I love bright colours - my hair is either purple or blue, and I always wear Doc Martens or baseball boots. I completed my Reiki Level 2 earlier this year and will be doing my Reiki Level 3 next year, I meditate most mornings and work surrounded by crystals. I was part of a team who won a clear communications award for a book we published on Wildflower Woodland Development  |
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