(Belated) Feature Friday: Nicole's Homemade Treats

Ok, so I totally spaced out this Friday, and I completely forgot to put up the Feature Friday post! I don't even have an excuse, I wasn't even super busy-I just plain forgot! My apologies to Nicole, who I had interviewed last week.  Her shop is a bit different from most found on Etsy, because she makes things you can actually eat!! And my, do they look tasty! I think I might need to order something with dark chocolate soon! (Hey, it's organic, and dark chocolate is good for you, so they say...)

First and foremost, what is it that you make/sell?

Preservative free, all natural, homemade chocolates, candy and granola. I try to use mainly organic ingredients.

What do you most enjoy about your craft?

The smell of the chocolate when I am "creating" and the pleasure people get out of eating my product.

How has your experience on Etsy been?

Etsy has been a great venue - as with everything, it is not perfect, but what is! I am able to have a "website" to sell my
products and do not have to worry about site maintenance. I have met some wonderful people and purchased amazing items!!!

What would you like to see from the CNY Etsy Group in the future?

I think as a group we need to do more promotion, I wish more members participated in the forum and other venues.

Thanks so much Nicole, for the interview and for not even complaining when I forgot to put up the post!!!

Make sure to visit Nicole's shop to order a batch of delicious chocolate goodies, and check out her blog to learn more!!

June Events

If anyone has any upcoming events, sales in your shop, treasuries, artsy things going on around town, ANYTHING of interest to our group, let me know via email at luckalilly@yahoo.com. (two l's at the end! I'll email you back to let you know I got it, if I don't email you, I probably didn't get yours.)   I'm going to be putting another post together about these upcoming events.  

Thanks!

-Caroline

Feature Friday: Originals By Lauren

Finally another Feature Friday post! I know it's been a while, but I had a down internet connection, as well as some other things going on that prevented me from getting it done!

This week, I interviewed Lauren from Originals By Lauren.  She sews beautiful quilts, aprons and more.  Her shop is coming up on it's one year anniversary this month, and she has over one hundred sales to show for it! Congratulations, Lauren! 

First and foremost, what is it that you make/sell?

I sew and make jewelry. My items are original designs, and I make everything I sell. My main focus is on quilts, aprons and potholders. I have a little bit of sterling silver and copper jewelry too, but I am primarily a seamstress.

What do you most enjoy about your craft?

I love to sew. I enjoy picking out fabrics, mixing prints, and coming up with new items. I have been sewing since 6th grade, and I still love to try new things.

How has your experience on Etsy been?

I joined etsy on May 1 of last year, but started listing items on May 23, so I am coming up on 1 year of sales. I looked around for a few weeks to see what sells and what doesn't. I originally was going to focus on jewelry and saw how saturated etsy was with jewelry and changed my focus, and it has worked out well. My sales started out slowly, and I dropped items that didn't sell and focused on the ones that did, and around the holidays things started to take off for me. I belong to 2 teams and really enjoy being on etsy. I have sold things as far away as Fiji and Australia, and as close as New Hartford.

What would you like to see from the CNY Etsy Group in the future?

I am so glad that our local team was formed. I loved meeting other etsy sellers in person, love the postcard, and look forward to going to some of the shows to meet more members. I no longer do craft shows, but still think I can get alot out of this group. I started a team thread and hope more members begin to stop by. It can be a great tool for bouncing ideas off each other and sharing successes. This is a great group and I think together we can enjoy alot of success.

To see more of Lauren's work, visit her Etsy Shop,  and don't forget to check out her blog!

Also, Lauren can answer any other questions from the team in the "comments" section below!