Celebrate Halloween with cool EtsyNJ items!

With Halloween just around the corner, I would like to highlight all of the cool EtsyNJ shops that have Halloween items.

Seahorse Designs has these cool Season of the Witch Assymetrical Earrings:


Jewelry for Fun has these Halloween Confetti Earrings:


Gin Gin's Goodies has this Spooky Halloween Card:


Made by Melissa has these Candy Corn Earrings:


Check out all of the EtsyNJ Halloween items by clicking here or simply visit Etsy and search for "EtsyNJ Halloween"

Happy Haunting!!

EtsyNJ Featured Artist of the Week - Jewelry for Fun

Who are you? Jane MacArthur

What is your Etsy Shop Name/link? http://jewelryforfun.etsy.com

What tag categories do you specialize in? jewelry, beads, glass, stone

Do you create for children or adults, women or men? women

What do you like about Etsy? Camaraderie with other crafters. Everyone is very supportive and helpful on everything from how to set up your site, critiques, where to find other products and just generally friendly.

Where do you find inspiration for your products? I find nature inspiring, but have always been crafty and usually just create things off the top of my head. This goes for anything from decorating my house with and eclectic mix of unusual objects that I find at flea markets to mixing beads together and thinking “hey, that looks like ____!” I like to buy mixed beads in bulk from e-bay or other places, sort through them and see what bubbles up.

What do you love about your business? It keeps me busy, but with a goal. I tend to go overboard when crafting and make way more of whatever I am working on than I will ever need. I am excited to have an outlet where I can sell my creations.

What is your favorite product right now? I love making earrings and have just expanded into making some bracelets as well. I have a “Hippie Chick Bracelet” and “Hippie Chick Earrings” that I love.




What makes you unique at Etsy? I create my jewelry based on things that I would like to wear, which I find difficult to find in retail stores. I try to make each set of earrings or bracelet different from the next. Since I purchase mixed beads in bulk, it would be difficult to replicate most of my designs, because I only have a few of each type of bead.


What other street teams are you a member of? NJ, that’s it so far.


What are some other sites to find out more about you and what you love to create? www.myspace.com/jewelryforfun shows off some additional photos of gifts I have made for others, tells a bit about my background, and shows off pics of my hubby and four legged friends.

I browsed Jane's shop while preparing this blog, and my favorite item is this:




Blog written by: Made by Melissa

Lemoncholy's "Blog Candy" Giveaway

In honor of her upcoming birthday, Lemoncholy is having a contest at her blog. Want more details?? Click here to visit her blog!

Visit her shop here

First Ever: Etsy NJ Theme Challenge!

Theme: Good-bye Summer / Hello Fall!

NJ team member challenge: Come up with any sort of handmade item that somehow represents the theme. OR take a current item and somehow picture it so that it relates to the theme. Be creative! List a picture of your item on our Flickr group (with the tag EtsyNJFall07) as well as listing it on Etsy!

Don't forget to comment back here with a link to your themed item on Etsy so that we can post a picture/link to it. If we get enough entries this could make a GREAT treasury as well!

Visit our Flickr group at: http://www.flickr.com/groups/429661@N24/ to see what we have come up with! Or search EtsyNJ at Etsy.com!

Written by: Kate

EtsyNJ Featured Artist of the Week - Kat Crociante

This week's featured artist of the week is Kat Crociante.

Who are you?
Kat Crociante, soon to be Kat Lambrix. Jewelry designer extraordinare. Okay, make that jewelry designer in-her-off-hours.

What is your Etsy Shop Name/link?
http://katcrociante.etsy.com

What tag categories do you specialize in?
Jewelry! Everything is sterling silver with Swarovski crystals, natural beads, or lampwork (usually created by another Etsy seller).

Do you create for children or adults, women or men?
I make most of my jewelry for women, but I have done a few little girls' pieces in the past. They sold very quickly, so perhaps I should make more!

What do you like about Etsy?
I love the community on Etsy. I'm inspired by so many sellers, both by their design skills and their hard work. I also love having a marketplace to seek out handmade goods that I would have otherwise wound up buying at the store.

Where do you find inspiration for your products?
Glossies, mostly. And nature. I try to make glamorous pieces that are right for every day. I rarely look at other jewelers' work, though I do love an exchange of ideas.

What do you love about your business?
I love that making jewelry is “me” time. I can be quiet and sit in my corner studio while my brain goes crazy designing. I also love the chance to make commissioned pieces for specific recipients.

What is your favorite product right now?
In my line? I'm loving lampwork now...and the Nina Bracelet is one of my favorites (it's named after my mom!).

On Etsy as a whole, I've really been into letterpress stationary.

What other street teams are you a member of?
EtsyBEAD and the New New (the NY street team, since I work in New York)

What are some other sites to find out more about you and what you love to create?
My current blog will be up for rennovation soon, but currently it's katcrociantejewelrydesigns.blogspot.com

I browsed through Kat's shop as I was preparing this blog, my favorite item from her shop is this:


Blog written by Made By Melissa