Tick, Tock...

I don't know where time is going these days. The hours fly by and before I can blink, another page on the calendar has turned. It's almost time for turkey yet I am in disbelief that the year is almost over. Where did it go? Specifically where did the last month go and why haven't I updated this blog or snagged more treasuries lately? Oh yeah. It's that thing called time. That thing that I seem to be losing more and more of lately. With all of time honored clichés that I could spout off right now, I found it only fitting to create a treasury dedicated to this crazy thing that we never seem to have enough of.

So here it is… Tick Tock. If you can't stop time, you might as well watch it slip by in one of these whimsical clocks created by these incredible time keeping artists: 1byliz, IMOTIME, bethberg, finkgifts, zulasurfing, MantaWave, StarlingInk. DecibelProductions, thestapeliacompany, YOUgNeek, StJoshua, QuiteRightSlick

Striped

So I finally did the impossible. I actually talked my husband into going as Elvis for Halloween. Finally - after all of these years - he's going as the King himself and I couldn't be more excited about it. I failed to convince him that the white jumpsuit Elvis is pure awesomeness, but I did manage to talk him into a tamer, less flashy version – Jailhouse Rock Elvis. 

Surprisingly, it has been a fairly easy costume to assemble. He already has a black retro-ish jacket and black jeans so all he really needs is the striped prison shirt which I actually found with one little Google search. All that's left to finish his outfit off is a black wig with wicked side burns and that shouldn't be too difficult to find.

So this brings me to my latest treasury, Striped. I've had stripes on the brain lately since I just picked up the perfect black-and-white convict tee from Hot Topic to complete his ensemble. Not only has it been enjoyable to plan out his costume, but it also reminded me that stripes are fun and whimsical, bold and graphic – just like these incredible sellers. Enjoy! (Thank you. Thank you very much…)

The line-up: studiomme, KatHannah, onlygooddreams, NatureVisions, Zygopsyche, h00ked, nakarastyle, vivikas, larimeloom, StudioLeanne, jiajiadoll, maryjudy

The Storm

I've been missing-in-action the last couple of weeks due to a lovely flu-bug that knocked me for a loop. It wasn't the swine thankfully, just a good ol' fashioned dose of ick. I am just finally getting caught up on everything that seemed to pile up under my box of Nyquil. I started having treasury withdrawals so I waited up an extra hour last night just to snag one and get myself back in the game.

The weather here in Los Angeles has been very fickle. It's been teasing us with a glimpse of fall only to yank it away and return the blasted summer heat. We had two wonderfully gloomy days that were cool enough to pull out the sweater, turn off the air conditioner and open all of the windows.  The rain came down and autumn was in there air. But that was yesterday. Today it was a painful 96 degrees in the San Fernando Valley and the a/c unit was cranking once again. 96 degrees. That’s. Not. Right.

So here's my treasury, The Storm, in honor of fall and the few sweet days we actually experienced of it. And here are the incredible artists that contributed such dark and lovely items to my rainy day treasury. Enjoy! thelittlefox, mariterecr, HelenesDreams, DJVV, DeliciousHobo, starwillowstudio, SewMo, lewfoster, AnnaArtiste, craftycrowvintage, happyKATT, FiregypsyVintage

A Shining Front Page!

Making it to the front page of Etsy is every sellers goal. It's instant advertising and traffic to your shop and most of all it's a complete honor to be a part of a front page worthy showcase. I finally had the honor this morning thanks to JooJooLand's magical "Shining" treasury. Thank you so much for including me in your gorgeous design and for being an all around wonderful person. 

Three's a Charm

I am so thrilled to have my roses featured in three very cool, very different treasuries this week! Big thank yous to: WickedGems for featuring my coffin pendant in this very vampy treasury, JooJooLand for designing such an enchanting layout and including my pink rose ring, and last but not least, Danikamon for actually making a beautiful, glow-in-the-dark treasury!

Smile with JooJoo

It's always a nice surprise when an item gets featured in one of those glorious, twelve little boxes of a treasury. And even though I never expect to be featured in return by a seller I've showcased, it's an extra sweet treat when it happens. Like today. My Sapphire Rose Ring was featured in this beautiful, September Stars treasury thanks to the whimsical artist, JooJoo.

I recently discovered her charming shops while I was curating one of my treasuries and I've been an admiring fan ever since. Her first shop, JooJoo, contains delightful prints of her original paintings such as this "tiny pink birdie" pictured above. Her second shop, JooJooLand, ups the sweet factor a notch by taking her enchanting artwork into 3D with her hand sculpted jewelry pieces and miniature sculptures. The photographs of her products are also incredible works of art themselves and needless to say, they look wonderful in treasuries.  The bottom line, JooJoo makes me smile.

I know she will make you smile too, so enjoy her September Stars treasury and be sure to visit her sweet shops (oh, and wish her a happy birthday too!).

Prints: JooJoo.etsy.com
Mini sculptures and jewelry: JooJooLand.etsy.com
Visit her blog: www.JooJoo.me

Good Luck

Luck. Who couldn't use a little bit of it these days? Being born and raised in Las Vegas means growing up with all sorts of luck – both good and bad. There are lucky numbers, lucky charms, lucky pennies… And of course Lady Luck herself can be found in my hometown.  Luck is what fuels Vegas and the lure of fortune's offering is what makes people come back for more.  Including me. I may be heading there soon to visit family, but I'm not going to turn my nose at bringing a little good luck along.

Last night I luckily logged into Etsy right before a Treasury West spot became available. The first thought that popped into my head when I realized I had less than 16 minutes to come up with a design was, "What luck!" I then found this adorable golden kitty by JooJooLand. It's beautifully photographed and the colors are warm like the approaching autumn season. The rest of the treasury was based around this cute little guy and everything seemed to fall right into place. How lucky for me!

So here you go… Here are the 12 very lucky sellers from my latest treasury, Good Luck, and their beautiful creations: JooJooLand, ShySiren, cinnamonsticks, PsAndQs, LatigoMoon, wildcardpottery, ShiStudio, PunkyBunny300, F925, hybridtheory, Leelinau, JoyfulSpirit

The alternate items: arleebee, YaneShops, catondarlingandmoore, sewlutionsbyamo

Craftgawker

I recently discovered an amazing online showcase of handmade products called, Craftgawker. Craftgawker.com is a spin off from their wildly popular food site, Foodgawker.com. (WARNING: Visiting Foodgawker will make you silly with drool, so be sure you are sitting far enough away from your keyboard and computer to avoid liquidy contact. This is for your own protection.)

Craftgawker is interesting. The site has a clean and simple, elegant design that reads almost like a high-end magazine or catalog. And that's because their submission based content has a fairly stringent acceptance criteria. Submissions are moderated and only well designed, well balanced and well photographed images are included. All items must have direct links to content about the product (Etsy, Artfire, Flickr, blogs, etc).

Craftgawker not only allows a crafter to have another venue to showcase their handmade product, but the site also serves as an excellent source of inspiration and motivation to take better, well designed photographs – a very important part of having a handmade business. You may have noticed some appealing products down on the left hand side of this blog. That's the handy Craftgawker widget which is an easy, elegant way to spruce up your website while spreading a bit of handmade love. 

And one last thing to mention… I'm excited to share that my Sapphire Blue Rose Shimmer Ring made the cut! It's currently on the front page and I couldn't be more honored to have been accepted. Check it out… Craftgawker is another incredible tool that helps make handmade a special experience.

Snow White

Once upon a time there was a little girl who loved Snow White. Yes, that little girl would be me. My father made a big production out of taking me to see it for the first time in the theater and I remember getting all dressed up for the special event.  If you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, without hesitation I would tell you, "Snow White." I'm sure the fact that I look very similar to Snow has nothing to do with it. Honest.

Flash forward to present day. I still love Snow White and her seven little friends. I still collect vintage and vintage looking memorabilia and best of all - I now have my very own mini-me, er, I mean mini-Snow in my daughter.  Thankfully she loves her as much as I do (ok, I admit it, she might have been influenced just a little bit) and just like me her first movie in the theater will be none other than - you guessed it - Snow White.

The movie comes to theaters about every 10 years so for us to be able to experience it on the big screen is incredible. To add to my excitement, it's playing at the very special Disney theater in Hollywood, The El Capitan. The El Cap provides a live action pre-show before the movies with dancing Disney princesses and an elaborate, interactive exhibit after the movie. I’m in Snow heaven.

Here's my latest Treasury -- a tribute to the Fairest One of All – Etsy style! Enjoy these enchanting sellers:   PaisleyChainsaw, strangeling, lildecalshoppe, solocosmo, vol25, Laloca, TheNebulousKingdom, whitemagic, thelibrarian, WideEyedMusings, blueoctober, dinolover77

The alternates: inkpainter, blinkphoto, SalvageNation, MuddyFeet

THE END.

Coffee with Cream, Please

Mmmmm. Coffee... If you read my last post about waking up before the roosters, then you know I need copious amounts of it to start my day. In fact, my wonderful husband is out on a java run as I type this. What a good man.

I love the way coffee smells, the way it tastes and they way it looks as the cream swirls around changing it from a dark brown to the perfect tan color. No lattes for me. Just a good, strong, fresh brew with cream only, please (preferably served in a large, white paper cup with a green logo on it.)

So here are some sellers to start your day. They are sure to perk you up with their wonderfully, caffeinated products. Enjoy!

The featured sellers: JDWolfePottery, Isotope, MapleHillFarm, joojoo, IntuitiveProductions, FortuneCookieCafe, jackandbee, TracyChong, SofaGarden, ArtSpot, karley, retrokitsch

Altnerates: EnchantedlyYours, fyberknitics, JanAndJonJewelry, FlirtBags

6 a.m. on a Sunday

Even though I'm generally up at the crack of dawn most mornings, there is something about Sunday that makes waking up before the birds just plain wrong. The kiddo is sleeping. The husband is sleeping. Even the needy cat is snoozing away this morning. Yet here I am sitting on my computer.

I have no real explanation for my early rising. I certainly wasn't trying to catch a worm - or a treasury for that matter. In my pre-coffee haze I sat down at my computer and to my surprise, I had 13 whole minutes before a treasury opened up. Even though my eyes were blurry and mind scrambled, I couldn't pass up an opportunity to curate even at 6:00 a.m. 

So here it is… my early morning, pre-Venti-coffee-with-cream treasury. There is no theme or real rhyme or reason to it; I was just inspired by this sly little fox created by the whimsical artist, MissBrigette and worked the design around him. I'm pleased. Enjoy!

The sellers are: bagladymomma, thebrickkiln, fashionrefined, LuckyBluebirdArt, lesperancetile, thelittlefox, UnaOdd, chicallure, MissBrigette, kangas, KarenRadtke, signchick1

The alternates: TessaAnn, NinjaBowTique, MarsDesign, graphixoutpost

MissBrigette's (Brigette B.) blog: brigetteb.blogspot.com

Refresh Yourself

I love getting that email. You know the one – the email from a seller stating they have listed you in you in one of their Treasuries. As much as I love seeing my shop name in a Craftopolis list, I love getting a convo from a real, live person. And that's what happened today.

I missed the Treasury countdown this morning since I was off to the beach with my daughter to enjoy her very first visit with the sand and waves.  Now that we are home and she is zonked out from our fun-filled morning, I decided to check in on Etsy. To my delight, a convo from a seller named SHIHAR appeared in my inbox. Her Treasury, "Refresh Yourself," has a lovely assortment of breezy items that make me feel like I am still sitting under our umbrella making sand castles with my little one. She kindly included my Hand Sculpted Silver Rose Pendant from my MiaRosina shop in her design and I'm honored to be in the mix. 

Here is her Treasury and I invite you to visit her beautiful, exotic clothing line from Israel. Enjoy!  SHIHAR.etsy.com

Shiver me timbers! It's the FRONT PAGE again!!

Johnny and his pirate crew made the front page of Etsy! Woo hoo! It's my second FP in a week! Enjoy our scalawags one more time with this widget compliments of Craftcult.



I could kick myself for not realizing a little gem of knowledge that I know now. Alternates count. Up until just recently I would design my treasuries with only the 12 main boxes in mind. I thought the "alternate" side was just a helpful tool for your layout. No one really sees that side, so it doesn't count right? Wrong. It counts big time. Now I do a complete design by filling up all spaces with beautiful items that could easily jump into rotation if needed. Yo Ho, Yo Ho had two of the alternates make the front page because other items had sold out. So if you go to Craftopolis and you see that you've made it into a Treasury only to find that little "Alt" in the corner, remember there is still a good chance for your item. I'm also going to start listing the alternates in my seller links as well because they really are deserving.

Enjoy, mateys!

Hurry Baaack...

Since my last Treasury was dedicated to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland, it was only fair that my next one should give a nod to the Haunted Mansion.  Did you know it's the 40th anniversary of this ghoulish attraction? And did you know that in celebration of 40 spooky years the artist Shag* put his retro flair on the commemorative artwork? Combining the two is as brilliant as putting chocolate and peanut butter together.  Here are some fun facts about Disney's Haunted Mansion**:

• There was a real Madame Leota. The actress/Imagineer that portrayed the floating head was actually named Leota Toombs. So fitting!
• Tony the Tiger who made the phrase, "Their Grrrrrrreat!" famous was one of the singing statues in the graveyard scene.
• The voice of the Ghost Host is none other than The Pillsbury Dough Boy and Boris from Rocky and Bullwinkle. 
• Walt Disney passed away before work began on the attraction, but he played a major role in Mansion's development.
  

So on to my Treasury… A Ghostly Site which features some incredible artists and their other worldly items.  Featured artists: f2images, ParaNoire, jcmeixsell, cateanevski, sweetheartsinner, cedarjunction, labellefairy, visioluxus, BackCountryPrimitive, ACollectibleCachet, selfxpression, BrandyWine

* Haunted Mansion artwork on the right by Shag - www.shag.com  
**Fun facts found at About.com

Yo Ho, Yo Ho

I have a Disneyland pass and I'm not afraid to use it. The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean have always been my two favorite rides and last week we introduced them to my daughter for the first time. We contemplated whether or not this was a good idea since she's so young, but against better judgment we decided to give it a try. She would either love it like mommy or we'd be that screaming family running towards the emergency exits.

Well friends, I'm happy to say she takes after me. She loved the rides so much that we bought a CD that day with all sorts of wonderful Disney songs on it. Now all she wants to listen to is the "pirate song" and the "singing ghosts." That's my girl.

So here you go… my Yo Ho, Yo Ho treasury inspired by our recent visit to the Happiest Place on Earth. And let's not forget Johnny Depp… How amazing is that illustration by EssenseofUs? And the pirate coat by damselinthisdress? Wow… Enjoy mateys!

Here are the incredible artists that make up one of my new, favorite Treasuries:  CrankBunny, OrangeInk, EssenceofUs, cocoachuchu, santokivintage, SamyStClair,  siemprelalucha,  Leakhena,  graphixoutpost, seasonaldelights, ragtrader, damselinthisdress

Are You Ready?

Times have certainly changed. My Friday nights used to consist of a ton of make up, ridiculously high heeled shoes and lots of loud music on a dance floor. It would take me at least a good hour just to get ready. What do I do now? It's an exciting night when a Treasury becomes available. If I can spend an hour cultivating the perfect list by browsing my favorite shops and discovering new artists, I'm a happy girl. It's even more exciting if I can do all of this before 11:00 pm. Oh, how times have changed.

The Main Treasury became available last night and I thought I was going to miss it since we had our weekly family dinner at the in-laws, but I managed to make it home in time. I was even able put the kiddo to bed and jump online with 30 whole minutes to spare. So this is how I spent my evening and it's about as wild as I get these days. I even stayed up until midnight. The title is Are You Ready and these sellers can spice up any Friday night. Are you ready? Enjoy!

Here are the artists that make up this bold design:

Mariska, GooseGrease, MoonlightAura, LipsonRobotics, HouseofHissy, HappyFamily, StarletVintage, ButtFreckle, MariesVintage, TheNightjar, HarrietsImagination, EvelynX

My First FRONT PAGE Treasury!

I'm absolutely thrilled! I finally had a Treasury design make it to the front page of Etsy! There are hundreds of curated creations found in both the Main Treasury and Treasury West so to be chosen for the front page is an honor. The beautiful sellers who made up CORK YOU deserve a big round of applause for having such incredible items to feature.

Thanks to the kind comments left on the Cork You treasury, I was informed of being a front page winner. Otherwise I wouldn't have known since, of course, I missed it. And another big thank you  goes to Craftcult for creating their super cool Vault program that allowed me to see the glory and snag this neat widget to display here.  Enjoy!

Cr8tivity

Who couldn't use a little help with their Etsy shop? Thankfully there are several amazing sites out there to lend a hand. There's Craftopolis and the awesome Treasure Clock and Treasure Hunt features that make snagging Treasuries a breeze. There's also Craftcult and their Heart-o-Matic that shows you how many hearts you have, how many items are loved by viewers and other fun stats about your shop.  And now there's a new Etsy tool on the scene - Cr8tivity.com.

Developed by a fellow Etsy artist, tronaHUE, Cr8tivity displays stats on your shop such as who hearts you, if they are a seller, when they made you a favorite and where they are located. Pretty neat. Like Craftopolis, there is a breakdown of your hearted items, however Cr8tivity also allows you to Twitter the information, jump directly to the item on Etsy or post a link on Facebook.

There are also handy-dandy pie charts to break down your shop's statistics and another fun feature called Shop Helpers that contains a downloadable Excel file designed to help manage your store. Another Helper feature in the works is a "product flyer maker" to assist you in creating instant marketing tools to promote your shop.  Very, very cool.

Check it out. Bookmark it and if you feel the work is beneficial drop a little donation their way to keep the creativity flowing. It's shops like tronaHUE that help everyone in the Etsy community.

tronaHUE.etsy.com
www.tronahue.com

Cork You

There is something so organic and interesting about cork. Its earthy, old world feel combined with a spongy texture makes it the perfect medium to create a wide range of unusual projects. And that's just what I've discovered in my latest Treasury design. From lamp covers to desk organizers to necklaces, cork is not just for wine bottles anymore.

Did you know that cork:
•    Is environmentally friendly?
•    Is impermeable?
•    Is fire resistant?
•    Is created out of dead cells on a cork oak tree?
•    Is good for insulation for both noise and temperature?
•    Was found in Egyptian tombs?

Pretty cool stuff. And here are the pretty cool Etsy sellers featured in my Treasury who made some neat things out of it: KamLampCompany, AmoreVivo, TheSmallObject, Uncorked, Amoronia, TheCrumpetCloset, SweetsHorn, PaintedPearStudio, Makalewakan, Annacote, SunnyDayArtandCraft, ErdeDesigns.

To learn more about the amazing properties of cork, visit Wikipedia and About.com.

Oh So Blue Today…

Craftopolis is so cool. In addition to their Treasury Clock that counts down to the magical number 333 for you, they also have this very neat tool to let you know if your shop has been featured in a Treasury called Treasure Hunt. Before Craftopolis came on the scene you had to either a) hope the curator would email you or b) scroll through page after page after page searching for a little star next to a Treasury title. Watching those color wheels spin around and around and around can steal the excitement out of it for sure.

Today I went to Craftopolis to check in on the Treasury Clock. Damn… I missed it. Ah well… I then typed in my shop name and low and behold a lovely title of "When the Stars Go Blue" popped up. Ding-ding-ding, I'm a winner! Thank you, AllysAttic for including my Blue Rose ring in your dreamy Treasury.

Fractured Fairy Tales

Ahh… the ever elusive Treasury. I remember the excitement I felt when I finally "snagged" my very first one. It was such a nervous thrill to see that little box finally appear asking me to type the title of my design. That magical number – 333 – always seemed to be more of a myth than a reality. I'm not going to attempt to explain how the Etsy Treasury structure works, but you can read all about it here. I will say that it's a brilliant system that promotes creativity, design and honoring your fellow Etsy artisan's fine work. And once you create one they become very addictive.

There actually is a method to determining when Treasuries will become available. All it takes is a little math and some prep time and you're as good as there. Or you can check this really handy website, Craftopolis, that has a Treasury Clock to do the work for you. To read more on Treasuries, visit this Storque article.

Here is my very first Treasury titled "Fractured Fairy Tales." I have since curated about 30 different treasuries and this one will always be my favorite.

Go Hogg Wild!

There are so many reasons I love being a part of Etsy. I love having a place to sell my creations, but I also love shopping in this amazing community of artists. Unlike shopping at a mall or buying factory generated goods, through Etsy you can put a voice to the person you are buying from. You are one step away from the designer, one step away from their personal story, one step away from their creativity.

Just recently I had the pleasure of meeting another Etsy shop owner who opened her store around the same time I launched MiaRosina. I saw her cute icon of a little pig as I was scrolling through Etsy's Pounce search engine of undiscovered shops (Pounce has an "undiscovered" and "just sold" search option). I enjoyed her witty writing and I loved the story behind the name of her store, a bath and body shop called Hoggwash named appropriately after her last name – Hogg. I just had to order something from this little gem of a boutique. I was her first customer.

The package quickly arrived in the mail. She included a sweet, handwritten note and an extra bottle of lovely perfume oil for being customer #1. You will not get that kind of extra special, personal attention from any retail store. I know how she felt that day when her Etsy email told her she had a sale. It's an incredible sensation knowing that someone out there liked your product enough to click the "Commit to Buy" button to purchase your item. I know because the next day I also had my first sale. I hope for success for my new Etsy friend and I look forward to swapping stories with her as we continue on this journey. Yet another reason to love Etsy…

Visit the Hoggwash shop: Hoggwash.etsy.com

Walk Like an Egyptian

What a great day! I woke up to find that two rose rings were sold from my MiaRosina shop. Then a OnceTraveled customer left really wonderful feedback about my Journey Bottle Pendants. And if that wasn't enough, this afternoon I discovered that my Pharaoh pendant was featured in an Egyptian themed Treasury created by the lovely shop DeeLights!

The other Etsy artists included in this line up are really amazing. I'm in awe of the shop LargeChess who creates made to order chess pieces in extra large sizes. The detail is incredible and the idea of two-foot tall royal chess characters filling a landscaped backyard is decadently magnificent. I don't know who could pull off a scene like that, but it certainly would be a site to see. Other artists such as LancErika and her beautiful painting of the goddess Isis, and DariaDesign's hand-painted boxes have now been "hearted" and added to my Favorites list. I love Treasuries...

MiaRosina.com Promo Video

Featured in TWO Treasuries!

I'm a Treasury addict. I love discovering new shops, beautiful items and creating a design with incredible findings. It's a really fun way to be creative while tipping your hat to other hard working Etsy artisans. Being the curator is also a great way to get your shop and name out there and earn you a bit of karma points with hopes that one day the favor will be returned to you. And today it has.

MiaRosina has been up for just a week and my Red Rose Ring has been featured in not one, but two Treasuries. Needless to say, I'm thrilled! Here they are:

And this one too...