Featured Artist

This featured artist is a jewelry maker. Come meet the artist, Marsha



Describe what you make?

I make unique jewelry for unique people. I try to think outside the box and put the components together in unexpected ways.

What mediums do you enjoy working in most?

I love metalsmithing – sterling silver and copper specifically. I took a class about a year ago and fell in love immediately. I am gathering the many needed supplies slowly but have started making my own headpins and ear wires. The items I’ve made with them will soon be available in my shop.

How long have you been creating craft?

I’ve been officially selling my creations since mid-November 2007. But I’ve always loved working with my hands and making tangible things.

How did you get started?

I was checking some postings on another site I belong to and noticed a link to a 10% off advertisement for a seller of handmade jewelry. I didn’t care much for the shop’s items but after searching around Etsy for a while I was in awe that so many people could make and sell such beautifully crafted items. I immediately wanted to learn how I could make my own items.

Where does the name of your shop come from?

It’s a play on my initials – sort of. I use “mero” as part of some of my email account names. M for Marsha, E for my middle initial, and RO the first two letters of my last name. A friend once said my email out loud and I realized it didn’t read to people the way it read to me so I added an E.

What would you most want people to know about your work?

I want it to be something that you look forward to wearing and that puts a little spring in your step!

What words of advice do you have for other artists?

Don’t give up! I started majoring in Fine Arts in college and then decided it wasn’t practical. That was almost 9 years ago. I wish I had, at the very least, kept it up as a hobby. I could be so much further along in my craft than I am now. But it’s never too late.
And take a leap of faith. It’s such a cliché but when someone said it to me and I took it to heart, I felt like the possibilities were closer to me than they would usually seem.

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Terrific artist. Great shop. Come see Marsha's work at her shop.

While you are at Etsy come by and see what we have - already for Valentine's Day!

Craft Show Wisdom

A question that we have heard often from those about to do their first craft show is how much inventory should I bring to the show. Our best advice is generally, if you can carry it bring everything that you have. In actuality the answer can be quite complex, because the underlying question is "how much do I need?".

How much do you need? This depends on the type of show that you are doing and the length of the show. A week long show at a mall or a week long festival is going to require you to bring much more than an afternoon church show. Many work for months to have inventory to make a week long show worth while. The answer to it all lies in the end of that last statement - "to make the show worthwhile". One of the questions that you must answer for yourself is how much do I need to sell for me to be satisfied at the conclusion of the show. If the show costs you $300 to enter, will you be satisfied if you sell $1000 total at the show? Would you be satisfied at $600 - doubling the show's entrance fee (which is quite a common occurrence if the show is good)? Now with that magic number in mind - the amount that you would be happy to make at the show - how many pieces do you have to sell to make that figure. If your average priced item is $10, you will need 100 items to make $1,000 - and it is highly unlikely that all of your items will sell - not everyone likes everything - so some of those 100 items will remain unsold - so perhaps a more realistic inventory for your $1000 goal is going to be 200 items. Also, the more variety that you have to choose from the more opportunity you will have to make a sale. Bottom Line - If you expect to make a certain amount of money at the show, you must have items to sell that will bring that amount in sales.

After you have been doing shows for a while you begin to know just how many of a certain item will sell at a show. We try to go into a show with at least six of each of the popular characters of Ma Bears (tm)(c) that we sell. Generally, this will cover us at a one or two day show. Other things we will make throughout the year and keep inventory up - just so that when we have a show we don't go into last minute panic making things.

A large folk festival in Pennsylvania lasts a week and features a lot of high quality craftspeople. One of the things that they have said to prospective applicants is to make sure you have enough inventory to bring to the show because many first timers have no idea how much they will really need - and most bring too little.

We did a mall show that ran a week and worked throughout the show making things at the show just to keep up with sales - some items were sold as they were coming off the sewing machine in our booth. We went into the show with a large inventory and it was not enough. Then again, we have been at shows where no one sells a thing.

So, the best advice is if you have it, bring it. Don't put it all out at once and crowd your display. Fill in as things are sold - but here is another tip - always make sure there are some empty spaces. Make it look like your items are selling. Don't give the customers the impression that if they walk away they can come back in an hour and know that an item will still be there.

Featured Artist

We are featuring another glass artist. This glass artist specializes in making glass beads. These beads are beautiful - and while intended to be added to jewelry creations, each of these beads stands out as a piece of art on its own! Come with me to speak with the artist, Michael at his shop -



Describe what you make?

I love working with glass. I make beads using a technique known as lampworking. It is the oldest form of glassblowing that dates back as early as Mesopotamia.

What mediums do you enjoy working in most?

I use glass, silver, copper, platinum, and CZs.

How long have you been creating craft?

I have been working with molten glass about 2 years.

How did you get started?

15 years ago I bought all the equipment, but i was in college. My roommate couldn't believe that I left several hundreds of dollars worth of equipment sitting in the basement and started teaching himself. He spent 7 to 10 years learning and I watched. Two years ago, I took a break from fiber arts to play with the torch. I have been hooked ever since.

Where does the name of your shop come from?

Because I feel Carl (Flamekist) has established master status, I frequently saw myself as his Protege, thus the name.

What would you most want people to know about your work?

I am always striving for growth. I feel that I can only get better. I take care to make sure that the work I put out there is quality.

What words of advice do you have for other artists?

Don't be your worst critic. If you don't like something you have done, put it away for a while. You might be surprised by what you have created if you take a step back. I give work away all the time that I felt was disappointing, only to see it later and wish i hadn't!
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There you have it! This is a great shop. You must see this beautiful glass work! Please visit Protege.

Featured Artist

Our featured artist is eclectic in what she offers in her shop - much like our shop. She has some great things to offer and some interesting things to say. Here is our interview with the artist, Gwynne.

Briefly describe what you make?

In my shop, you will find many different items! I have original drawings, prints, cards, t-shirts, messenger and tote bags, and jewelry. I enjoy drawing more than anything because it is my therapy and I love to see what my illustration becomes when I complete it. When I begin to draw, I usually do not have a theme in mind and just start drawing with my Sharpies or Prismacolor markers. I have dealt with depression on and off and this is why my art is so important to me. By being able to create something gives me some peace and relief from the struggles I have had with depression.
What mediums do you enjoy working in most?

I prefer to use Sharpies and Prismacolor more than anything! Although, I recently have been purchasing numerous jewelry supplies to begin creating jewelry. I will feature vintage and retro jewelry in my shop soon! Many sellers would open a second shop for this, but, I have decided to keep everything in one shop to show the different sides of my art and of me.
How long have you been creating craft?

When I was a child, I began creating and knew that my dream for the future was to be an artist. My degree is a B.A. in Art although, I was raised to consider a career that would help support me financially. When I graduated, I began a job in sales and continued in sales for many years. Over the years, I continued to create...mostly when in a depression and then recently decided to share my art with others when I found Etsy.

How did you get started?

I left a job in May after 18 years and decided it was time to live my dream and that is when I began posting my art on Etsy. For several years, I kept telling friends..."I am going to start selling my art" yet, I kept putting it off. I am thankful that I found Etsy when I was looking for something to buy several months before I began selling.

Where does the name of your shop come from?

PenGwynne Art is a name I came up with several years ago when I was telling everyone I was going to start selling my art. My name is Gwynne and when I was in junior high someone asked me "Do you have a pen Gwynne?" and then they noticed that (pen Gwynne) was like penguin so,from that my nickname became pengwynne! My Mom even started me a penguin collection. And the best part of it all is I draw with pens!
What would you most want people to know about your work?

My work is my therapy, as I stated earlier, and it has truly been a blessing to be able to express myself through my drawing. I am a loner and enjoy being by myself. My art is a result of different things I have gone through over the years. Some of the work in my shop is from 2003 when I was in a very depressed state. I remember creating over 110 drawings within about a 3 to 4 month period. I still have many pieces I have not added to my shop from that time. I guess what I want people to know about me through my work is that I have survived some tough times and without my art, I am not sure if I would have.

What words of advice do you have for other artists?

My advice to other artists is to live your dream! Do not be afraid to create what is in your mind. It may not be something everyone loves, but, it is something that you have created and it is a piece of you. If you suffer from frustration, anxiety, depression, etc. your art is your best therapy!


Wonderful! Please be sure to visit Gwynne's shop!

Craft Show Wisdom

Politics and Craft Shows - odd topic? Well, not really. It has been our experience over many years of craft shows during several presidents' administrations that overall craft sales for the year have been higher in years with a Democratic president in Office than when a Republican president is in Office.

Now , this has no bearing on our personal political preferences - which I am keeping to myself. I make no implications or attempts to influence. I am not sure why this is the case, but it has been consistently true.

Featured Artist

This week's featured artist is


Here is our interview with the artist -

Describe what you make.

I had a hard time coming up with a word or phrase that would serve as a catch-all description for what I make. I even asked for suggestions on Etsy’s forums. Some said ephemera, paper goods, stationery miscellany, paper notions, sundries, even “A plethora of potpourri!” None of which really struck me. I finally decided upon “Delightful Etceteras.” And that is what I make.

I started the shop to showcase my photography. I make gorgeous cards with my photographs. However, I love to craft and I soon started adding other items to my shop: waterdrop magnets, bookmarks, squash books, and mini cards. Then I added more. And more. And more. And now I have a beautiful little Etsy shop full of delightful etceteras!

What mediums do you enjoy working in most?

I have an addiction to paper. I always have. I love going in to a store and looking at all the beautiful papers that are available. It causes me physical pain to leave a store without buying paper!

I am inspired by these papers. I prefer the elegant, heavy, pearlescent papers I find. However, I have learned that not everyone prefers to look at these wonderful papers, so I have added other designs as well.

How long have you been creating craft?

I have always loved arts and crafts. I always loved art class in school. I always had crayons and markers and paper and coloring books around me. I always had some crafty project going on whether it was making enough Christmas ornaments to fill our 9 foot tree (I make a new and different set every year) or crocheting a blanket or simply making a card. I only recently narrowed my passion to use what I truly love…paper!

How did you get started?

I bought too much paper! I wasn’t doing anything with it. I started taking classes at a local stamp store as an outlet for my creativity which was stifled by working long hours. As I created more and more, I wanted to create more and more. The ideas were flowing! But I held back because I thought, "Why should I make all this 'stuff' if it’s just going to sit here?" Then I discovered Etsy and was thrilled that I could sell what I love to make! Every sale I have means that I can create more!

Where does the name of your shop come from?

It is my name and the first part of my email address. When I got married I wanted to use jenniferboston for my email address but it was taken! So, I had to add the “a” which is my middle initial. I actually didn’t know that my Etsy username was going to be my shop address. If I had, I would have probably used something different. However, I was in such an excited hurry to start that I might have just used what I have now!
What would you most want people to know about your work?

That I love making absolutely everything in my shop. I enjoy every project and all the work that goes into each item. I use materials that really speak to me and strike me esthetically. I would buy the items I make and that’s saying a lot!

What words of advice do you have for other artists?

I would advise not expecting too much. I know, it’s a pessimist’s point of view. But if you think about it, it makes sense. Do what you love. If others don’t love it also, then who cares? Work as hard as you can and do all you can do. If you have done all you can do, then that is all you can do! Sounds redundant, but it’s true. You’ll be able to sleep at night knowing you did your best and that’s always enough!