Dorset Team Christmas Fair - Sellers Spotlight

With less than 1 week to go until our big Dorset Team Christmas Fair, we thought it would be a great idea to place some of the attending sellers in the spotlight!  A real way to get to know both the designer/creator and to also see some of their work.

Our first seller is Natalie Thompson from PYNQ Designs - In her own words;

Type of Items sold

Tea towels
Reindeer necklace
Xmas coasters
Xmas gift wrap
Silk scarves

How and why did you get started. What are your inspirations?

I launched "PYNQ" in 2011 after the birth of my baby daughter Pynq (Pink) whilst on maternity leave! 

My goal was to create and sell products from my digital textile designs.

I am a versatile designer and apply my design skills across a range of products including fashion, jewellery, interiors, stationery and paper products.

I studied at Central St Martins School of Art & Design graduating with an Upper Second in Textile Design.

I am currently the Printed Textiles Technician at Winchester School of Art running the digital textile printer and teaching Photoshop skills in Fashion and Textiles.

I find it rewarding selling on Etsy and seeing my products on a professional and easy to use website.

Top 3 reasons to start an Etsy shop

Competitive fees
Rewarding to sell own creations
Opportunites to collaborate

Top 3 tips for new sellers

Take good clean photographs
Look at items similar to yours to get pricing right
About page- people like to know what you're about
Team up with people in your area

Our second seller is Alison Northern from Doodle Dot Gifts - In her own words;

Type of Items sold

Hand painted Fairy and Elf Doors, cards, prints, hand sewn felt gifts, pocket mirrors and polymer stamps

How and why did you get started?

I have always been a bit of a crafty girl, I can remember being taught to knit on big chunky wooden needles when I was about 6 and was the very proud owner of a vintage Singer Sewing machine at 9. I have always loved colour and turning old things into something new, long before up-cycling became the thing to do!!
I started making hand poured shaped crayons and designing colouring sheets using my own character's which then turned into cards, painted wooden items, hand sewn felt items........and more. I love all things whimsical, colourful and just a bit quirky. We have lots of new ideas in the pipeline and would love for Doodle Dot to be a brand in its own right.

Top 3 reasons to start an Etsy shop

To reach a broader market, 
You can link to you website or social media, 
Etsy does all your invoicing so saves you time.

Top 3 tips for new sellers

Join your local Etsy Team, 
Talk to other Etsy sellers for advice,
Link your Etsy shop to your web page or social media sites.

Description of shop:

Colourful, quirky with a touch of whimsical.

Alison's Social Media Links;

Facebook

Twitter

Dorset Team Christmas Fair - Sellers Spotlight

With less than 3 weeks to go until our big Dorset Team Christmas Fair, we thought it would be a great idea to place some of the attending sellers in the spotlight!  A real way to get to know both the designer/creator and to also see some of their work.

Our first seller is Amy Lathwell from Daydream Avenue - In her own words;

Type of Items sold

Vintage style jewellery

How and why did you get started. What are your inspirations?

I started my first etsy shop 'Daydream Bridal' when I made my own hair accessories for my wedding. So many people commented on it and I loved making it, so I started making more to sell. I've always loved vintage estate style jewellery and soon started making jewellery that I felt could stand on their own as a brand in a separate shop, so Daydream Avenue was born!

Top 3 reasons to start an Etsy shop

Fantastic sense of self achievement and confidence when someone wants to pay money for something you've made!

Brilliant community.

Really easy to navigate and set up.

Top 3 tips for new sellers

Fill in your T & C and returns policy sections.

Clear, close up photographs with lots of natural light.

Learn about tag words and how to name your items well.

Description of shop:

Handmade jewellery inspired by bygone eras of elegance.Sparkly stones and sophisticated shapes lovingly put together.Lovely Art Deco and Art Nouveau pieces of jewellery.

Amy has two wonderful facebook pages;

Day Dream Avenue

Day Dream Bridal

Our second seller is Lynn Davy from Nemeton - In her own words;

Type of Items sold

 Handmade bead jewellery, kits and DIY beading tutorials

How and why did you get started?

 ‘How’ is very simple: I began playing with beads at the age of 10 and have never really stopped. ‘Why’ is more complex. I never really took to sewing and knitting, but stitching tiny beads together to make unique patterns and structures was (and still is) a process I found deeply satisfying right from the start. These days there are so many bead colours, shapes and finishes to choose from, there are always new designs to invent and new combinations to try.Sometimes I feel as though I’m still just starting out. The satisfaction, the delight and the sense of discovery are as fresh as ever!

What are your inspirations?

Many things inspire me. Colours, first and foremost, but also the landscape (I am fortunate to live in Dorset, a very beautiful English county) and the tiny details that can be observed in nature. Sometimes the beads themselves are all I need for inspiration, particularly handmade lampwork glass beads which are as varied and diverse as the people who make them.

Top 3 reasons to start an Etsy shop

1. Wanting to make my craft pay for itself

2. Wanting to share my designs with others

 3. Wanting to network with other designer-makers.

Top 3 tips for new sellers

1. Be patient, your shop won’t take off overnight

2. Network and promote to drive traffic to your shop, don’t wait for people to just randomly find you

3. Join a team so you don’t feel so isolated, and take all the good advice you’ll be given!

Description of shop:

I make colourful, unique, eclectic beaded jewellery by stitching together tiny seed beads. My patterns, kits and bead selections are designed to inspire beaders of all skill levels. 

Find Lynn on facebook

Brighton Etsy Sellers Pop Up Event

This week the Dorset Team takes a peek at what another Etsy UK Team are doing in the run up to Christmas.  Brighton Etsy Team are holding an amazing Pop Up Shop in Brighton Square, an absolute must if you are passing by!

The Brighton Etsy Sellers Team is made up of more than 600 local designer-makers who all sell their work via Etsy.com, a global online handmade marketplace. This November for the first time the team will be taking their products from online to a bricks and mortar shop in Brighton’s South Lanes for a month long Pop-up.
The 25 featured designers were picked from a long list of applicants by local creative duo Super+Super, who will be releasing their first craft books nationally this autumn. The team have been working with We Are Pop-up to find the location for the shop, and have also gained support from the Etsy head office. The shop will be open for four weeks in the run up to Christmas, with a wide variety of handmade and vintage items available; from prints, greetings cards and home furnishings, to jewellery, clothes, accessories and one-off unique finds. The shop will also be a creative hub for the month, with workshops and crafty activities taking place, and the chance to meet the designers behind the gifts you buy this festive season.Team captain Karli Dendy says; ‘We’re excited to bring what we do online to a wider, local audience; to a place where people can physically see and hold the products that we all spend so much time designing and making. The shop is going to have a huge variety of items and will be a perfect opportunity to find a unique gift in the run up to Christmas’. To find out more about the pop up you can visit the team blog

The Dorset Team New Items

We are fortunate enough to have so many talented and creative members of our team.  Each week we will take a look at the newest items that have been listed on the Etsy store from our wonderful group.

With many of our team members getting ready for our Dorset Christmas Fair on Saturday 6th December, we have a few new items to share with you all!

The wonderful Lynn Davy from Nemeton has created these beautiful Kabuki, none matching Earrings.

'Non-matching red, black and white faux pearl and crystal geometric earrings inspired by the dramatic colours and elegant simplicity of Japanese Kabuki masks. I've hand-stitched genuine CRYSTALLIZED™ - Swarovski Elements crystal bicones and Swarovski crystal pearls together in a three-dimensional geometric construction that emphasizes the rich colour and perfectly smooth texture of the pearls, contrasting their roundness with the angular crystals.' 

The Dorothy Days has this unique Pink English Rose Brooch that would make a wonderful stocking filler for someone special.

'The brooch looks fantastic when worn on a dress, scarf, jumper etc and can be worn all year round. It also looks great when attached to a bag or other accessory. Really adds to an outfit.'

If you would like to see some more items that the Dorset Team has to offer, click here

Welcome to the Dorset Team!

A big hello and a warm welcome to the Dorset Team blog!

Firstly to those who don't know, the Dorset Team is a crafting community who have found each other via the wonderful online marketplace that is Etsy (more about this in a future post). 

For those of you who are part of the Dorset Team, I am a fellow team member and am looking forward to spreading the word about our lovely Team.  To find our team on Etsy, simply click on the link: https://www.etsy.com/uk/teams/14319/dorset-etsy-team

In this blog, we aim to communicate news, upcoming events, tips and advice,  provide information about Dorset and to showcase our lovely Team Members.

We very much value feedback so if there is something you would like covered or if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch here!