Daily Dose of Handmade

Just a quick post to introduce my special offer on Daily Dose of Handmade.  Daily Dose of Handmade is a relatively new site that offers daily promotional deals.  Here is my Daily Dose of Handmade offer for today March 25th.  This beautiful heart shaped twig wreath accented with silk flowers is $5.00 off.

Daily Dose of Handmade Special Offer

Each day they promote three or four Etsy shop listings on their blog.  Check out their blog to view the other special deals and sign up to get notifications for future deals. They also recently started an Etsy Daily Dose of Handmade team which I also joined.  Not that I needed another team but maybe you can't have too many teams. Unlike some of the teams I belong to, the discussion threads seem to be fairly active.   I hate it when I am in a team and you never hear anything from the leaders or you post something in the threads and don't get any responses for days.  The team leaders at Daily Dose of Handmade seem to be invested in spending time promoting the team and the members.  The captain is Julie of JulieEllynDesigns.  Here is one of her listings and you can check out her other one of a kind jewelry creations here:

Wire wrapped pendant from JulieEllynDesigns

and the leaders shops are  Sweet Pea Boutique

Needle felted hearts by SweetPeaBoutique

and Cylene of TheLovelySmith 

Sterling Silver Knot Ring by Cylene of TheLovelySmith

So kindly take a moment and check out the special deals at The daily dose of handmade and if you are considering a team you might want to check out the Etsy daily dose of handmade team too. 

Can you make money on the internet?



Twig heart wreath

Selling on the Internet - Easy Right?
Not so fast. While there are opportunities to sell your handmade creations on-line - It's not quick or easy.

Handmade sun dress and matching purse

This is my third year selling my silk and dried floral home decor on Etsy.  For those who are unfamiliar with Etsy it is an online shopping site for handmade, vintage or supplies.  Take a look for yourself here.  There is everything imaginable for sale on Etsy.
From handmade childrens clothing -
to unusual one of a kind handmade jewelry - handmade pens, photography or artwork - Etsy is the place to find that unusual one of a kind item.



Rainbow moonstone bracelet

Eash seller sets up their own on-line shop.  Once set up, the wait for sales to begin.  I really thought by this time I would have made my first fortune yet I'm still trying to turn a profit.  I mean, take a look at my shop here and the beautiful, one of a kind, handcrafted dried and silk floral home decorations that I create.  The problem is that it's easy to get lost in the crowd.  You need to spend a considerable amount of time promoting what you sell.   If you are thinking of starting an internet business, familiarize yourself with some social media sites, the most popular being facebook, twitter, pinterest or stumbleupon.



Handcrafted wooden pen

On Etsy, there are teams that you can join which give you a chance to socialize, share ideas and help promote one another. You can easily find a team where you fit in as there are numerous teams to choose from.  On Etsy, I found a Christian team called the CASTteam (Christian Artist Street Team) Being a Christian, you like to cross paths with other likeminded Christians. With over 3000 members, the CASTteam is a great way to connect with other Christians from all over the world. On the CASTteam, we help one another with business but more importantly, we support one another as Christians. We share our burdens, we pray for one another, and we laugh and cry together. It's interesting that there are so many different backgrounds or Christian religions represented in the group, yet there is real harmony, as we are all one in Christ.    

Erasable magnetic calendar

So if you are thinking about starting a on-line business, these are just a few of the things you need to think about.  Jump in and who knows who you might meet on-line.

New Listings and Blog Giveaway

Seashell Embellished Photo Frame

I have two new listing in my Angels n Everlastings Etsy Shop.  They are similar to my other seashell photo frames -- but in a larger 5" by 7" size.

Photo Frame with Blue-Green Sea Glass

 These photo frames would make a perfect gift for a beach lover. The photo frames have a painted white finish and are embellished with sea shells and blue-green sea glass. They can either hang on the wall or stand on a tabletop. Add a current photo and they make a perfect gift for mom or grandma.




If you missed my recent blog giveaway - you have another chance to win one of my dried flower wall hangings.  Jesse of Jesse Anne Designs has offered to host a Angels n Everlastings giveaway on her web page.  So head over to her blog site and enter to win this dried flower wall basket via rafflecopter.com.

To enter this giveaway click here.



If you are not interested in dried flowers check out her other jewelry giveaway offers:

http://auntjessesaidso.blogspot.com/2012/03/deluxe-spring-jewelry-set-giveaway.html
http://jesseannedesigns.blogspot.com/2012/03/beatles-necklace-giveaway-34-value-from.html
http://jesseannedesigns.blogspot.com/2012/03/march-giveaway-vintage-jewelry-set-from.html

Shop Feature - Gentle Whispers Visual Devotions by Kelly Bermudez

Queen Esther Watercolor Print

 
Kelly, of Gentle Whispers Visual Devotions is fairly new to the art field. I met Kelly through the Etsy CAST team which is a group of Christian shop owners on Etsy.  She was a Police Officer for 8 years when The Lord asked her to change career paths.  Kelly says, "It took me a long time to obey because I had never painted before....and didn't know where to start. I never even picked up a paintbrush until about a year ago. That was a pretty amazing journey in itself."  Visit Kelly's shop to check out her art work.  The Lord has truly blessed her with an amazing gift.  I'm so glad she was obedient to the Lords prompting and trusted Him to step out in this new direction.

 I asked Kelly the following questions about her art:

Do you have any specialized training?

I have no specialized training other than a watercolor class that I actually just started taking. I guess you could say I am self-taught. 

Kiss Me Watercolor Print

How and when did you get started with ETSY.

I opened my shop last summer but it really just kind of sat there until about January. I was sick for quite some time, but now I am getting better and I am able to invest all my time and effort into my business.


Can you tell me a bit about the process you use for your art? What materials do you prefer to use.

I love to work with Watercolor, Acrylic and Mixed Media. It really depends on what I am doing the painting for. I mostly use watercolor because it is less messy and easier for me to store.  

Love Birds Sunset Watercolor Print

What are you working on -- Anything new to watch for?

The Lord has asked me to illustrate Song of Solomon. He has asked me to study it in depth and then to illustrate it. I am in the beginning stages of this, so eventually I would like my shop to almost be like a storybook of this Love Song. This is the vision the Lord has given me for my shop. This is where the “Gentle Whispers Visual Devotions” comes in.

Sleeping Love Song of Solomon

I really enjoyed doing this feature and getting more familiar with Kelly's art.  I hope you did too.

Here are Kelly's links:

Etsy profile page:
http://www.etsy.com/people/kellybermudez

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/pages/Kelly-Bermudez-Paintings/169726423093919

Blog:
kellybermudez.blogspot.com/

Twitter:
twitter.com/#!/kellybermudez10


Would you like to be featured on my blog?  The easiest way is to leave a comment.  I chose Kelly to feature from a comment she left on a previous blog post.