Simply Shiny Life

New green and lavender etsy treasury, featuring the Starving Artist Team members.

If you click on the image, it will take you directly to the treasury list on etsy, until it expires.

Hi everyone.  The blog has been renovated.  And, why, you ask,  did I need to completely refurbish?

I wanted a newer, fresher look for a new, fresh year.  I also hated the URL of the old blog. I didn’t realize when I set it up that the folder I chose, /wordpress, would always be part of the blog url. DOH. So I changed it to better connect with the blog itself.  In addition, I upgraded my blog software. I was 6 or 7 versions behind. eeps!

For the most part, the content you are used to will still be here. But, expect more personal posts too. I think version 1.0 ended up sterile and impersonal and I’d like to avoid that this time around.

I’m a mom. The mini Smith, and his shenanigans are a big part of my day, and I’ll probably start posting about them a bit more.
I have opinions.  I’d like to be able to blog about them.
I’m kinda geeky. Fortunately, or unfortunately, you will most likely hear a bit more about that as well.
I make jewelry.  Ok, so, well, you already knew that and are used to that content.

Is experimenting ok with you? I think for awhile that’s exactly what this will become until a nice rhythm develops.

I’d love your comments. And your notes about broken links. (I’m still working on them. There’s a LOT!!)

Updated March 2, 2011

I thought it would be interesting to create a list of sites that one could sell their handmade goods. I use Compete.com’s metrics to track traffic numbers over time for these online venues.

You’ll note columns for a site’s latest rank, as well as its previous rank and a column for actual site traffic.

An M means millions and a k is thousands. (4M is 4,000,000 and 4k is 4,000.) If a number is listed without either an M or a k, you can assume this is the actual number of visitors per month.

I’ve sorted the sites in this list from most to least trafficked.  You can click on each site name to visit that site directly.

The LOWER the rank number the HIGHER the number of visitors a site receives. LOWER numbers are BETTER.

Does more traffic mean more sales? Maybe, but it’s not a given that larger traffic numbers equate to larger sales revenues for a site’s member sellers. Do your homework: visit site forums, Google for feedback and user opinions, ask questions.

Note: Some of the sites listed allow vendors to sell commercial AND handmade products. Also, sites that have moved more than 3 slots since the last review are highlighted in red text.

Looking for an etsy competitor? Seeking another venue to sell you handmade items? Asking what other sites are out there to list your handmade artisan work? This list may help.

What sites did I miss? What do you think of the sites you use? Please share your experiences.

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I’ve updated my list of sites to sell your handmade art, crafts, etc.  You can find the entire updated list here:   Where to Sell Handmade Online

I use Compete.com to rank site traffic.

You should note that an M means millions and a k is thousands of visitors per month. So 4M is 4,000,000 and 4k is 4,000. If a number is listed without either an M or a k afterwards, you can assume this is the actual number of visitors per month in hundreds.

Note: Some of the sites listed below allow vendors to sell handmade as well as commercial products.  For instance, buyers will find handmade as well as retail products on ebay.

Here are the top ten for November.

You can find the entire update list here:   Where to Sell Handmade Online

If you missed it previously, here is my list of venues to sell handmade online.  I’ll be updating it with June’s numbers soon.

I loved the Carol Burnett show. Comic genius. This is a classic outtake.
FFFNORKA…

Happy Friday everyone.

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I’ve been a fan of Orion Designs for a while now. Vicki, whom I’ve profiled previously, is a fellow member of the Etsy Artisan Beader’s Street Team. While she creates lovely, classic handmade gemstone jewelry, my favorites are her funky and eclectic mixed media pieces.

She uses metal, like patinated copper, mixes in a bit of decorative paper and an acrylic topper to create original works of art like the Expect More necklace  pictured below.

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This one made me cry I was laughing so hard. If you haven’t seen it yet, make sure your volume is turned on.  So which clip was your favorite? The roll over in the entry? Trying to park? Trying to fill up at the gas station?

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From “Knot Comes Loose“, by My Morning Jacket

Baby, baby, can’t you see that I’m smilin’?
Can’t you see, there’s a part of me that’s brand new?
Used to be, was a part of me felt like hidin’
But now it comes through

Deep in my heart
That’s where the knot comes loose
Deep in my heart
I will remember you...

Love this song, and it inspired these super cute handmade sterling silver knot hoop earrings.  I’ve knotted the wire and then hand hammered each one. They are available as oxidized  or shiny, and both are buffed to accentuate the knot and the texture.

You can find them at ShinyAdornments at artfire and ShinyAdornments at etsy

I was listening to Norah Jones tunes online and ran across “September Rain”, her cover of the classic Al Dubin tune :

The leaves are brown, came tumbling down, remember
That september, in the rain
The sun went out just like a dying ember
That september, in the rain

To every word of love I’ve heard you whisper
All the raindrops seem to play a sweet refrain
Though spring is here, to me it’s still september
That september, in the rain

The leaves are brown, came tumbling down, remember
That september, in the rain
The sun went out just like a dying ember
That september, in the rain

To every word of love I’ve heard you whisper
All the raindrops seem to play a sweet refrain
Though spring is here, to me it’s still september
That september, in the rain
That september, in the rain

It inspired this handmade umbella pendant necklace. I’d made a similar version with a heart attached a while back. This one is much simpler, made from black onyx rounds and sterling silver.