Saturday Artisan: StudioSeventyFive

Meet my first Saturday Artisan ever! Jennifer of StudioSeventyFive

Tell us a bit about yourself and what arts/ crafts that you make?
I am a happily married, stay at home mom of two wonderful boys and I've been making jewelry for over 4 years now. I've always been been into creating and also knit, scrapbook etc... but I really fell in love with making jewelry and have put all other things aside to focus on it.

What is your favourite item in your shop?
I feel such a personal connection with so many of my pieces that it's really hard to pick a favorite. If I had to choose I'd say I really love my "Tres" necklace. It is simple and calming and I just love the color combination of the stones.

What is your best seller?
I have sold a variety of things, so I don't really know that I have a best seller at this point.

How does your day go in general?
I check my emails in the morning and then get the kids off to school. I do alot of picture taking and computer related things while the kids are at school. Most of my creating is done late at night. Ideas often pop into my head at 10:00pm or later which does not lend itself to a good nights sleep.

Do you have a favourite Etsy seller?
I can't really pick a favorite. I am a huge fan of the handmade soap on Etsy. I've tried alot of them and am hooked. I will never buy store bought soap again!

What inspires you?
Anything and everything! I am very inspired by nature and my surroundings. I also love reading magazines to see the latest trends in jewelry.

What is your goal for 2010?
My goal is to do more selling off Etsy. I did my first craft fair Dec. 2009 and really loved having the personal connection with my customers. I'm planning on doing several more in 2010.

What is your favourite tool that you cannot live without?
I don't have a favorite. I need them all!

How do you promote your shop?
This is where I am lacking. I don't have alot of time to promote. I have had a few blog features and spend some time in the forums. I tried twitter for a few months but found it very time consuming with little results. I guess it's something I need to work on.

Any advice for a newbie running his or her on-line shop?
Pictures should be one of the main focuses when running an online shop. It all boils down to how the public connects with your product and good pictures really make the difference. Of course, I haven't perfected it yet and still work on taking better pics every day.

During this recession time, tell us one thing that you do to save money?
I actually buy alot of my supplies on Etsy. I find better prices and great sales! I've actually saved alot of money this way and feel like I'm supporting the Etsy community.

I enjoyed chatting with Jen. She is very friendly and responsive, a sign of GREAT seller. When the word "scrapbook" came up, I had to ask her to share with me her pages.

And this is her descriptions to the pictures (starting from the top left picture):

The first two pages are from our vacation two summers ago to, Sesame Place and Hershey Park. I found some great Sesame Street stickers and also some fun chocolate paper for the Hershey page. I also made cut out my own little hershey kisses from silver paper. Aren't they cute?

The bathtime page is my youngest, Aidan. It was his first bath and as you can tell he was not thrilled. I just cut out a bunch of circles in different colors to look like bubbles and I think it came out great. Aidan actually loved baths after the initial traumatic one.

And the last page is just simple and fun. It's my oldest Caleb in his jolly jumper. I found stickers that said "Play Time and "Bouncing Baby Boy", and thought they were perfect.

Now, the good news for you:

All purchases made in her shop in the months of January and February will be entered into a drawing to win $20 of free jewelry.

And wait! There is more. Jennifer is sponsoring a giveaway and it starts tomorrow. Stay tuned!