Featured Seller - Bark and Banter

This week's featured seller is Caz from Bark and Banter Dorset who makes and sells handmade leather bags and accessories.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/barkandbanterdorset


Three things you should know about Caz.

1) She originally trained to be a chef, and now sources food for the American Airlines alongside her leather crafting business.

2) Her life is ruled by her Great Dane, Ruby, and her French Bulldog ,Tigger!

3) Finding a collar she liked for her dog Ruby was how she first got into leather when I decided to make one herself


She describes her business as "one of a kind artisan leather gifts created with a passion for perfection"


Would you like to be our next Dorset Team Featured Seller? Apply here: https://goo.gl/forms/TxCqP7XwbJGLet903

Meet the seller - Dorset Team Christmas Fair - Laura - Bahru Boutique

Name: Laura

Shop Name: Bahru

Shop Link: http://www.bahru.etsy.com

Located in: Poole

Sells: Jewellery and gifts for the wild at heart!

Maker's Story: I'm inspired by the woods, the seas and the things in between!

Living in the great Dorset countryside, I can't help but be inspired by the nature surrounding me, and that I have grown up with. British wildlife and summertime is at the heart of my designs, featuring dragonflies, honey bees, frogs, starfish and seahorses to name a few. I also design jewellery with summer music festivals and travel in mind, featuring bells, feathers and boho charms. I began making jewellery when I worked in a craft shop age 16, now at 26 I have my own business making and designing jewellery that I love to wear, and I hope you do to! I work from my home on beautiful Portland here in Dorset (UK). Portland is very unique and only connected to the mainland by a section of the mighty 17 mile long Jurassic Chesil beach! It's no end of inspiration for marine inspired jewellery, and very popular with locals and tourists alike in the neighbouring harbour town of Weymouth.

Dorset Team Christmas Fair: Laura will be selling jewellery and gifts at the Dorset Team Christmas Fair on Saturday 3rd December at the Allendale Centre in Wimborne.

Please come along, meet Laura and our other makers and sellers.

Doors open at 10am and close at 4pm and it is free entry.

For more information please see our Facebook event page or blog post

Dorset Team Work in Progress - #DorsetTeam

We've really been enjoying seeing your creations take shape. Please share more pictures of your current work in progress - or let us have a sneak peek at your workspace, your materials or your tools!

Don't forget to share them to #DorsetTeam 

Dorset Team - 600 members

The Dorset Team reached a fantastic milestone last week, we now have 600 members!

Thank you so much to everyone who puts their time into the team to make it work and an especially HUGE thank you to Sarah, Sarah, Lynn, Jennifer, Debbie, Ruth and Natalie and Jo who volunteer their time regularly for the team and to everyone who has volunteered for the team in the past :).

Welcome to all our new members and big hello to Adele from 'Big Love From' who is our 600th member! 

If you are an Etsy seller and want to join the team please find us here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/teams/14319/dorset-etsy-team

You can also find us on social media @DorsetTeam or #DorsetTeam 

Treasury Tuesday - "My Unique Style"

Photo Credit: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/228441055/rainbow-hearts-giclee-print

Big thank you to those who joined in using last week's 'stationary' treasury theme. This week's theme is 'my unique style'. As the new year begins we all try to re-invigorate ourselves - now is your chance to define your style and show off what it means to be you!

Add items to your treasury that you would love to wear or have in your home, which would really show off your personality to everyone else. Which items just scream 'you'?!

When you've created your treasury please tag it with 'DorsetTeam' and share them on social media using the hashtag #DorsetTeam so we can see what you've created. This is a great way to connect with the community and get our products seen by a wider audience.

For an explaination on treasuries see here: https://www.etsy.com/teams/14319/dorset-etsy-team/discuss/16990487/page/1?ref=team_page 

You can link back to the above so other people understand what treasuries are all about!

Be an Expert: Last U.K posting dates for Christmas!

Photo Credit: Dorset Team member Sophia's personalised Christmas sacks 

Christmas is fast approaching so if you run your own Etsy shop planning and timing is crucial!

One question we get a lot in the run up to Christmas as shop owners is 'When is the last day that I can order and still get my gift by Christmas'. Each year Royal Mail put out a recommended last postage date for Christmas. This is really useful to use as a guide. You then need to plan what date you want to work to (do you want to work right up to Christmas or are you heading away so need a cut off date before then), how long will it take you to make things and does that leave you enough turn around time (It is no good someone ordering the day before the deadline and it takes you 1 week to make each item!) and how much stock do you currently have made up.

For 1st class items being sent to the U.K the last postage 21st December.

Find out more here: https://blog.etsy.com/uk/2015/11/10/last-uk-christmas-posting-dates/

Product Feature - David from Beneath Bright Waters

This beautiful hand editioned print by David from Beneath Bright Waters is our featured product for today. David is part of the Dorset Team and was a stallholder at our 2014 Christmas Fair.

The print is one of three prints which forms part of David's 'Upsteam' set and was inspired by a season spent fly fishing on the beautiful chalk streams in Dorset including the River Piddle.

David says, "I'm lucky enough to fish the river Piddle, in Dorset, England, a perfect example of an English chalk stream. It's always a privilege and a delight to be stood on her banks casting a fly at the wild brown trout that lie beneath her bright waters.

My prints are the result of days spent by the river over the last few years. Sometimes alone, sometimes with friends or family. Occasionally there's a picnic, often a beer, but there's always a smile as I squint through the sunlight on the lookout for rising trout. 

There's no better feeling than reaching down and releasing a beautiful, perfectly finned and spotted small trout back into the gin clear water lapping around your ankles."

David's work is hand drawn and then hand printed. Each print is limited edition so they make for a really beautiful and unique gift. David is based in Wareham in Dorset and his Etsy shop can be found at https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/BeneathBrightWaters

Introducing #DorsetTeamTips - Tips for running your Etsy shop

Have you always wanted to set up your own Etsy shop or currently run an Etsy shop but feel like you need some more tips on how to improve it?

The Dorset Team are running a new series called 'Dorset Team Tips' where sellers from our team will be sharing their tips for running an Etsy shop/ small business.

You can find the tips by searching #DorsetTeamTips on social media (particularly on Twitter).

Do you have a fantastic tip or idea which has helped you with your business or your craft that you could share to help other sellers? Please post your tips and include the hashtag #DorsetTeamTips in your post so that other members can find it. You can post this on any social media platform including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

See the #DorsetTeamTips posted to Twitter by clicking here

More to come soon....!

Let's cool it down!

Cool colours for hot days from the Dorset Team

Feeling hot, hot, hot?! Cool down with these cool colours from the Dorset Team. We are not huge fans of the heat here in Studio Pickles, it's early walks, sitting in the shade and lot of ice for us! Anything that cools us down is welcome so I put together a treasury of cool colours from our fabulous team members. It is really easy to put together a treasury using Lynn's instructions on how to find team members on the Etsy Dorset Team discussion board. It is also a great way to keep up to date with new members and all the amazing things they are making!

Powered By Toastie Studio - Etsy Tools

Dorset Team Craft Party 2015 - #CraftParty

We had so much fun at last year's Dorset Team Craft Party that this year we are holding a larger craft party event.

When: Friday 5th June 5pm - 8pm
Where: Library Cafe, Poole
Entry Charge: FREE!

Please RSVP here: https://www.facebook.com/events/856533177768637/


What is Craft Party?

Each year, all around the world, people come together on the same day in locally organised Etsy Craft Parties. The idea is that it is a fun gathering and a way to get together local creative to create together and inspire one another. It is a great time to meet other local creatives, share a creative skill and who doesn't love a party?!

The Dorset Team will be hosting a Craft Party this year in Poole. The theme is Kaleidoscope and we will be focusing on paper craft, in particular collage but please feel free to come along and do any type of craft.

The event is free.


Things to bring:

*Old Magazines to collage with

*Paper

*Glue

*Scissors etc

So you can make some beautiful collages and paper crafts and of course any other crafting materials you have laying around which you can use.


Hope to see lots of you there. Please see the link above to RSVP

Dorset Christmas Fair - ETSY tote bag GIVEAWAY

8 days to go.....!

A rather large exciting box of goodies arrived at my door all the way from America from the Etsy HQ in New York. Etsy are sponsoring our Dorset Team Christmas Fair and have kindly provided us with lots of goodies for the event!

We will be giving out goodies and information on the day on our Etsy information stand and also doing some giveaways leading up to the event. Please keep your eyes peeled on our social media pages for announcements!

The first of our giveaways is for this beautiful Etsy tote bag (thank you Etsy.com!)

There are several ways in which you can enter the competition. Please fill in your details into Rafflecopter and the entries will be revealed. If you do more than one task you have a greater chance of winning. The winner will be picked at random and contacted via email.

Good luck to everyone and thank you so much for all the support for our fair. We hope to see you on Saturday 6th December at the Wimborne Allendale Centre for the Dorset Team Christmas Fair. Please see our Facebook event page for more information https://www.facebook.com/events/1433547900231175/




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please note the competition is open to U.K participants only.