This and That

I have a lot of favorites on Etsy. Many things I could never do myself, but some I can actually, more or less, reproduce. Not saying the final result is as amazing as the "original" but it's highly satisfying.

Here's what I was able to do lately. Liked this, made that... Left, the original. Right, my humble try.

inspired by Branchbound's bracelets

inspired by EcoShag's upcycled accessories

inspired by Divina Locura's bracelet

On my way to 100

For 2012 I decided I want a double 100. To have 100 items for sale in my online shop and to reach at least 100 sales (I'm actually at 67).

I started my production, photo shooting and listing... I wish I had more time to reach my 100 items for sale more quickly! Almost half way there - I have 45 already and maybe 30 ready to list. I also added a new setting for my photos: I re-created an eastern Canada beach with black sand, pebbles, sea wood, seaweed... It gives a new look to my listings of usual grey background photos.

If you want to help me on my way to 100 sales, please share!

Adorn Your Ears

I have 4 pairs of earrings made of seaglass that I'm going to list on Etsy. Have a look!

Magnets are back!

They are new, they are ready and they will be available in the next days on Etsy: my 12 new sets of painted pebbles magnets. A first kit is already available and the rest will follow - I just don't want to list everything all at once, not a good marketing strategy!

Make sure to have a look at my shop every once in a while to see the whole collection...

New items on Etsy

Told you about the magnets, how I wanna finish them up to list them on Etsy... I'm just about to do that, only need to take a few more photos and they will be ready. I also started to make new mirrors, the previous ones sold so quickly, I never had time to put them online! I listed the first one today.

Some more to come, incha'Allah!

Me want

With pregnancy comes a bunch of false needs, crazy desires and a weakness for everything that is cute.

Diaper Clutch by PurseNMore

Deluxe Chenill Set by The Red Pistachio

Cocoon by Phylphil

Loafers by Crochele

Mobile by Lovely Friends

Couldn't resist

...so I'm back on Etsy. It was just too tempting! I wanted to give it a try. We never know. It seems that customers are more comfortable with Etsy than iCraft in general so... incha'Allah it will work better!

I was not always satisfied with Etsy, and you can read a lot about what's wrong with it elsewhere. But hey, do we have a lot of options when we want to sell online?? As long as I don't have my own shop and can't generate my own traffic, well, I guess that's the option. Let's see now if I can sell something despite the millions of other items that will probably bury mine :).

What about iCraft?

Do you know iCraft.ca? Anyone selling there? If you never heard about it, what is your first impression? I'm considering trying to sell from there. I'm very reluctant to start back with Etsy. I really feel like starting anew. ICraft is Canadian, and doesn't work exactly like Etsy. It seems much more easy and simple. If you want more details, this review by EtsyBitch is nice.

I took loads of photos in the last few days, I'm ready to launch my 'new' shop and I'm very excited. I'm also planning to contact some physical shops where I could sell my sea glass jewelry and pebble magnets.

Will keep you posted!

Wondering

Photo credit Reigh Sierra

if I should think about re-opening my Etsy shop, again.

Things are going so well for me these days and I have lots of requests. But Etsy is very demanding too. Taking photos, croping, adjusting and uploading them, creating listings, going to the post office a few times a week... Would it be worth it?

Maybe I could just try to have my 'own' shop, not linked to Etsy or the like...

Comments, suggestions anyone?

Make your price!

Decisions were made. Actions are taken. My Etsy shop will close its doors as soon as all my items will expire.

I have loads of stuff in my workshop and would like to sell off most of it if possible. I wanted to state sales prices on Etsy but I'm so not into it, I prefer you make me an offer and if it's reasonable I will let it go.

I have some nice painted wooden mirrors, about 70 painted pebbles magnets, glasses, boxes... If you would like to see some photos, send me an email to zamzamdesign (at) sympatico (dot) ca. Otherwise you can go to my Etsy shop and if you like something, again, convo or email me and state your offer. And pass the word...

Many thanks to all of you who believed in me and in my business. And don't worry. I'll still create and paint. For me.

Summer creations

Summer is a very creative period for me. I feel inspired and stimulated by the life in nature all around me. My ideas are clearer, I use brighter colors and I work faster, enjoying more what I'm doing.

Lately I worked on many new glasses sets. Here are some photos of my latest stuff.




I particularly love that patchwork tray. I'm proud of the result, as I'm often scared that I'll make a blunder when I make big pieces!

I'd looove to hear you about my new creations. What do you think? The designs, the colors, what does it tells you? What kind of color combo do you like? I have a lot more to do and I'll use all your suggestions for my coming work!

Boxes and stickers

I'm preparing for a 5 days exhibit in August and ordered last week some custom pillow boxes from LilithEvy and ZD stickers from Pixel by Pixel. I received both and they look awesome - all orangy and fuchsia! 

I was a bit upset at myself because I forgot to mention I wanted round stickers and ended up with squares, but they still look good. I'm wondering now if I'll just cut some of them in circles... Prefer round than square in everything!

Moroccan Treasury

My painting is featured in an amazing treasury! You still have 2 days to view it and click on each item! Imight buy the Moroccan Lamp + Mosaic prints... They would go well with my Moroccan style kitchen...

Welcome to Artsyville!

Have you seen these amazing drawings? I'm so crazy about them - the colors, the doodles, the messages... Everything is perfect in my artistic eye. 

I found Aimee's art through her Artsyville blog first, then discovered her Etsy shop and thought all her doodleprints are  interesting. This is the kind of stuff that really catches my attention. Very inspiring, too. Triple love!

Here comes the sun

Weather in Montreal is grey. If you've been following me for a while, you know that I'm allergic to this color (well, at least when it's the color of the sky) and that somehow, it has a huge effect on my mood. Today I decided sun will shine, at least on my blog. Searching for fun, bright and colorful items helped me pretend it's really summer...  Until the sun shines outside, or even if it shines in your part of the world, enjoy!

Going green

Small changes can make a big difference if we all make our effort. I'm trying to get rid of old habits and to replace them with good, green new ones.

You too can help the environment, and here are a few suggestions that I personally tried.

1. Replace paper towels with cloth towels 

You can find these nice UnPaper towels on Etsy. Not only it saves trees but it also helps reduce trash and chemicals in the environment.

2. Use eco friendly bags

 

Not only shopping bags, but also produce bags (the ones we put fruits and veggies in). I bought these reusable mesh bags a couple of months ago, they are just fantastic. Resistant and washable, they are perfect to replace grocery produce plastic bags. I get lots of comments when I shop, people asking me where I found these wonders!

3. Trade your disposable sponges for reusable scrubbies!

 

I talked about these scrubbies before, they still are a favorite item for dish washing. They are eternal (well, almost!), dish-washable, they scrub perfectly without scratching and again, they make less trash.

4. Re-use and upcycle

Whenever possible, I'm trying to give a second life to disposable items. It's a good creativity exercice and it can give surprising results. I'm upcycling bottles and glass objects a lot. I clean them and paint them, et voilà, original and useful new items!

5. Make your own cleaning products.

I'm making my own multi-use cleaning product with vinegar, soda and essential oil. I also tried making my own lundry soap with grated pure soap, washing soda and again, essential oils. It is very easy to make, cheap, efficient and.. green! You can find many sites with recipes for natural clening products on the net.

What about you? What do you do to make our world greener?

Finally!

Here they are, my brand new magnet sets!

I painted over 25 pebbles, added to the ones I already had, to create 13 different sets of magnets. I started to list them on Etsy, and will put more in the next days.

Beach pebbles are so fun to make, I just love to paint them. I'm running out of nice ones to use, I guess that will be a good excuse to plan a trip to the nearest beach (which is actually not near!).

I tried... making hijab pins!

I love to wear nice hijab pins. Problem is I find, most of the time, sparkling ones, with swarovsky stones and bling charms or golden ones with uninteresting dull beads. So what do we do when we don't find what we want?? Tell me? Yes, we create our owns!! 

I wanted to give it a try so I bought some closing stick pins (safety caps are essential for me as I usually loose the pin when it's not closing). I finally decided to keep one for me, for now, and to sell some of them on Etsy. I'm proudly wearing mine - it changes from the dollar shop sewing pins!

Trop Chouette!

Rose Tutu has a shop full of fresh ideas that make you want to smile and be audacious like when you were 5 years old. I mean, how can you resist that delicious fleur orange felt necklace? This is exactly the kind of thing I would buy for my daughter (if only I had one!) and borrow once in a while - or forever :) Everything is so nice and cute and pink and... cheap! 

I was glad and proud to see that Genevieve is also a stay at home mom with two young kids like me - and that she's also from Montreal... Thanks to my friend Douce Amelia who found her Etsy shop!

Gloomy?

Lighten up!

Yeah, I find something to help me... on Etsy! I bought a blend of essential oils from Crystalwood and received it a couple of days ago. I was a bit skeptical about it but because it is harmless and natural I gave it a try. And... yes, it works. Helps a lot. I'm sniffing the bottle every time I think about it, and I feel I strange relief. It's addictive!

I saw that Crystalwood has many other interesting blends that I might try, like the 'Get Creative' or Get going' blends. Money very well invested :) - costs a fraction of what AD (that I stubbornly refuse to take) would cost me.

Good for me. Good for you, maybe? If you have any other natural suggestion, tell me about it!