Please visit my latest treasury!

'Blue, blue Christmas in July' by ModernTypography

Inspired by my new found favorite shops from the Etsymom team, I created this collection of blues to celebrate the season. My favorite part? It's all on sale!

SAVE 35% on superhe... feltedkitten $7.80	Red Silver & Blue S... Funnykindagirl $2.50	Blue fringe tree Cr8something $5.00
Tidal Wave 8x10 SCPerkins $20.00	FLY ME- Wooden Hand... applenamos $7.00	6 Colors Available-... thebitsybeau $4.25
Waldorf Play Butter... adolina $18.00	Christmas In July: ... sykin $6.00	christmasinjulysale... bellerosedesig... $2.50
Christmas in July S... LanaKoopmanDes... $5.00	Christmas in July -... DancingKat $21.24	Navy blue white Rib... leahslittlebow... $6.50
Night Sky ForMySweetDaug... $31.50	Mommy & My Lilac Ro... DoodlebugsJewe... $18.70	Violet Leaves Fossi... ClassynChic $10.00
Blue Lollipop Flowe... muppetloon $5.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Giveaway Sponsor #2: hana31

Our second New Beginnings Giveaway sponsor is Kana from hana31 who has donated these adorable baby booties:

Buy these here

One of the great things about hosting a giveaway is you get to see the prizes up close. Let me tell you, these booties are even more delightful in person! Kana has paid close attention to detail in making these down to every last stitch. The cotton is luxuriously soft. I have to tell you, I was tempted to put them on my baby boy, but I'll leave the pleasure up to our lucky winner!

Choosing which item to have donated was no easy task, all of the booties in Hana's shop are cute as can be! I can't get enough of the indigo booties which I feature in my "Mood Indigo" treasury.

Buy these here

And the Cloubow booties just make me smile.

In addition to her best-selling booties, Kana also makes lovely hats, scarves, bags and more.

Kana had this to say about her work:

Q: When did you begin your craft?
A: It all started when I was in grade school; I loved to make crafts

Q: What is your favorite item in your shop?
A: The Rosie baby booties

Q: Use 3 words to describe yourself/your style.
A: Casual, natural, elegant

Q: What advice to do you for new sellers?
A: Never give up, and always think positive!  Go out and find your inspiration, and find your own style.  Lastly, know what your customers want.

Q: Just for fun, what is your favorite Etsy shop?
A: Brokenghostcouture

Kana has graciously agreed to offer 10% off a purchase from hana31 for our readers during the giveaway. Use the coupon code MODERN10 during checkout.

Thank you kindly Kana for your time and beautiful creation. You inspire me!

-Melanie

Gift Registry on Etsy

I'm hoping one of these days the Etsy team will come up with a wish list app. In the mean time I have discovered a few ways for buyers to let their friends and family know what they have had their eye on. When my friends decided to give me a baby shower for my 3rd child I thought, what do I register for? I have both boy and girl clothing, I have most of the things I need for the nursery, and people are always giving me hand-me-downs. I realized the things I enjoy getting the most are handmade items. I spend more time browsing Etsy than I do any other "store." 

At that time I was a novice at Etsy and came up with the simplest way I could think of to make a baby registry. When I found items I wanted I gave them a heart. When the evite went out for my baby shower a link was sent to my hearts. You can only imagine the excitement I had when I received my first Etsy gift! It was a framed print of a family of owls called "The night belongs to us" by Lauren Alexander. It is even more brilliant in person than the picture shown in the listing. I love the rich blues and greens. Every owl has a unique personality. 

I have since thought of another way to "register" for Etsy listings. The problem with using the hearts list is that I have more than just baby items I love on it. What I recommend doing instead is creating a treasury. Treasuries let buyers group together items they like. In addition to letting your friends and family know exactly what you like, they'll be able to see an overall theme with all the listings shown together. Tags will also give them an idea of what you are looking for. As I didn't know what gender my baby would be, I was drawn to woodland creatures, owls, warm browns and greens, neutral vintage type fabrics. When my baby boy arrived, I searched the pages of Etsy for rocket ships and robots. To my delight my Mom has given me many of these items to cherish. 

Have you "registered" on Etsy? Have you come up with another way? Let me know what you think!

-Melanie