Baby Quilt Included. . .

'Welcome, Baby Girl!' by MoonBeansGifts

Baby stroller afghan pu... lovinghandscro... $40.00	Hand-quilted Baby Quilt... CalliesCraftCo... $50.00	Sweet Baby in Blue Bugg... Periwinklesky $28.99	Pink Embroidered Pillow... CanDoStitching $22.00
Felt Flower Baby Headba... Mylittlelovely... $7.75	Pink Baby Booties - Ma... Madebyfate $14.00	Pastel Rose Baby Photog... BabyBirdz $65.00	Strawberry and Watermel... preciouspatter... $3.99
Owl Baby Blanket Girl B... abbycove $80.00	Pink Elephants Feng Shu... RomeoShop $30.00	pink bunny slippers si... jdbaby $25.00	baby quilt- wall art qu... moonspiritstud... $245.00
Little Girl's Room ... TheWallaroo $15.00	Organic Nursing breastf... MagazinIL $15.00	Baby Month Stickers Mon... LittleBabyBumb... $9.00	Lavender bunny the darl... goldenneedlecr... $18.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

Raiders Of The Lost Art - The Abandoned Attic

My next Featured Seller is Susan Hoerth, hailing from McAllen, Texas. I ran across her Etsy shop today while searching for Unusual things. It was her Altered Books that captured my imagination. The following is information from her shop profile:

"Collecting bits and pieces from my travels around the world and assembling them into a fine art collection of Curios, is my passion. I have an eye for collecting vintage items to retell stories of the past, bring new life and preserving memories. Each piece that I design includes a mixture of the discarded, and forgotten ordinary moments in everyday life. As of late I have had an obsession with restoring and creating pieces of art with antique books that have been discarded. 

"If you have a favorite book that you would like sculpted, I do consignments. The book should be old and unusable as a book, and have a few illustrations in it. I am open to style and prices are flexible. Contact me through Etsy for details and of course it will be listed reserve. You can see more of my works on my Blog. I feature direction on how to make Altered Book popups. Check it out!!!"

Treasury Feature #5

'Looking Through Rose Colored Glass' by CalliesCraftCottage

Hand Painted Glass Vase... ColoredGlassBy... $61.00	Mixed Media Stained Gla... LowBridgeArtwo... $145.00	Shades of Purple Fused ... GoodGriefGlass $39.00	Mosaic Candle Holder- B... BeadedGlass $58.00
Flame Motion, handmade ... karmelidesigns $34.00	Crystal Ball - romantic... dominicas $24.00	Petite Vintage Earrings... ParisienneGirl $16.00	Lampwork Rose Glass Pen... KateDW $125.00
Glass by Olimpia Alphon... GlassByOlimpia $3000.00	Vintage RS Germany Rein... CinfulOldies $75.00	Recycling Glass Greetin... biancadenise $4.75	FUCHSIA hot pink glass ... abergiecreatio... $21.00
Pink Flower Lampwork Ea... GlassRiverJewe... $22.00	Brown Coral and Rose Gl... barbvegter $25.00	COPPER ROSE Glass Lea... pearlsbaublesn... $12.00	Red Rose Glass Ornament... melbecreations $15.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

What Type of Customer/Consumer Are You?

1. Are you the type of person who can't wait to go buy the same thing your friend just bought because you think it's so cool?

2. Are you the type of person who hates big box shopping, where everyone and everything looks alike?

3. Are you the type of person who believes that the validity of an item is measured by how many brick and mortar stores that item is available in?

These questions are at the extreme positions of my thoughts today, but provide some insight into the mindset of potential customers.

Customers who want to buy exactly what their friend just bought aren't necessarily fans of handmade items. You see, handmade, by its very nature, is unique. Many items are one-of-kind. Others would be a limited run based on resources available, but certainly not available in the thousands or millions of identical items like you would find in a traditional store. If most crafters/artisans are like me, they don't want to make the same thing over and over. Once I finish an item, my creative mind is already thinking of the next thing I want to try, not thinking, "I can make that same item again and again!" Of course, if the demand is there, and it's selling, I would make it, but that is (or was) a story for another day.

On the other hand, if you hate going to the big box store, where everyone and everything looks just alike, no matter where the store is, handmade is for you! If you want that "just right" gift for someone special, Etsy has a variety of ways to find that special gift. My favorite is is the Etsy Gift Ideas for Your Friends. When you click on it, it brings up your Facebook friends, with suggestions of what they might like based upon their Facebook Profile.

The third question, regarding the validity of an item, can be a tricky thing. In the past, I have found myself in that camp of people. However, because I am a crafter, I also know that handmade can be higher quality than items mass produced. I find myself conflicted when I know I can get an item cheaper at the store, than paying for items at a craft fair, or online directly from a crafter. 

As I wrap up my thoughts for the day, I encourage you to define what type of customer you are, and start shopping accordingly.