Please check out my latest creations! Feedback is much appreciated:)

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I'm Terri Walton and I've been doing art ever since I could hold a crayon. I create jewelry with whatever I can get my hands on, including vinyl records, glass and plastic beads, charms, paper, dominoes, shrink plastic, and anything else that is fun, funky, and colorful. I'm also a cartoonist and fine artist with a slant towards the abstract style. I'm married to Bob and he's really cool. We live in Massachusetts with our two crazy cats, Tricky and Little Byte. When I'm not crafting or blogging I work as a pharmacy tech. I have another shop on Etsy (yep I'm on of those 2 shop people!) called Impybat. Check out my blog at http://impybat.blogspot.com.

Grooviest Pharaoh Vinyl and Turquoise Necklace

Coral and Vinyl Earrings

Chakra Charm Bracelet

I'm being featured today here:

http://impybat.blogspot.com/

Please check it out and leave me a comment:)

Thank you!

So I'm having one of the worst days ever, etsy probs, sick hubby! And then I look on myspace and my friend has made me this...

Thank you to KattzzMeow for proving not everyone sucks! Everyone check out her other work here, very cool retro customized tees, buttons, and other promos. And I think you might recognize one of the etsy shops she advertises for....

The KattBoxx

Thank you Kristie!

Welcome to our Weekly Etsy Treasury! This week's theme is GOTH

Here's some great etsy picks;

Glittery Velvety Spiderweb Bag Gothic

Beaded Fishnet Gloves - Black Red and Purple

Skull-y

skulls and roses bracelet

The RowleyPocket Custom Diapers and Wipes Travel Pocket and Burp Cloth Set

Hard Days Work

This week the 'Nice' Sale is teaming up!!We are celebrating Earth Day with a Green Sale for Saturday Only!!Earth Day is about Cleaning Up and Keeping Clean so this week we teamed up with another Etsy shop to bring you

Clean:http://www.uniquedeb.etsy.com

and

Shiny:http://www.jewelrybytara.etsy.com

Green Sale includes $2.50 off ALL GREEN items in either store.The Green Sale will go until Sunday at 11:59PM PST - Due to site maintenanceTo take advantage off this great sale put GREEN in the notes to Seller when checking out and wait for a revised invoice.Enjoy and Happy Shopping!

Open Letter to Etsy Admin:)

Dear Admin,

Could we please have our forum where we exchange ideas w/eachother and post our personal information closed off to customers? I think a seperate chat room for customers that we could also post too would be more professional.

This would definitely promote a more positive etsy vibe for all customers, including the ones that are easily offended. Thus, giving etsians less to argue amongst eachother about.

I appreciate your consideration in this matter.

Thank you very much,

Tara
http://www.jewelrybytara.etsy.com

cc: All Etsy Shops (Please Comment Here)

The JBT weekly treasury theme for this week is...

"Peace"


Here are some great examples from some wonderful etsy sellers;





Doves For Peace

Smiley face peace groovy earrings

Rose Lily Earrings

Peace Love and Rainbow Butterflies Necklace

paz pace peace

This weeks JBT item of the week is... Rainbow! So here's some great etsy artists picks for today:)

knitschmidt's shop

HyuugaMewMew's shop

MFcrafts's shop

knittingguru's shop

tangerined's shop

twinklemytoes's shop

divadea's shop

Thoughts on Etsy Treasury

I feel this is a relevant post today, in regards to who we pick for the etsy treasuries we curate. This is written exactly as sent to me by http://www.localcolorist.etsy.com
Check out her shop, her cranes are amazing!


" I don't think Etsy is a place that will ever be fair to the satisfaction of many, in terms of the echelon of artistry, and whose works gets picked when and how. Some people are new to their craft and some people have been practicing for decades. Is there a higher level quality of art work made by a person who has worked on their art for many years? There is a great deal of difference and it shows..even digitally. As a member of CCCOE I will try to get treasuries into the future because I really love curating. Professionally I have curated for many years. Every other treasury I will dedicate a treasury to CCCOE artists. I would not have any fun at all curating if I just curated CCCOE artists when there are ETSY artists world wide. That would be torture for me. And no fun at all.

Art is one of the most competitive fields to play on there is. You have to develop a pretty tough hide to play on ETSY. You have to get tough to participate in any art arena that involves the public. Who gets picked to be in treasuries will never be fair. The choices are due to natural selection... legislating curatorial choices on ETSY to be any more fair than it already is, will never work, people would stop playing."

"Defending My Life" (I mean my shipping prices:)

"It's My Shop and I'll Charge What I Want To"
or "A Study In Etsy Controversy"

There is no longer a need to deny it, you want to call me out! Yes, I charge shipping! Is there a 12 step program on etsy I can attend that will convince me I'm wrong?? I absolutely love my customers and I feel the need today to defend my shipping practices.

When I started on etsy at the end of January, I was coming off a 2 year run on my own site. I had learned the ins and outs of internet promotion and pricing the hard way. Looking for a community to host my site and give me a better sense of belonging, I turned to etsy. Now etsy is not like having your own site or listing in an auction. But, you still call the shots for the policies and services you offer. Therefore, I thought it would be perfectly reasonable to continue charging my usual shipping fee that I had done for 2 years previous to this move. Unfortunately, etsy sellers felt that because they knew the actual postage for every single time zone on the planet, that I was overcharging. Nevermind that everyone else on the web is charging triple what most etsy sellers are. Or that all the high end jewelry sellers on etsy are completely outraged by low prices. How dare I ship for more than $1 at the most???

So now, I'd like to break it down for any of you that care to hear my side. I am here to please my customers and hopefully that will always include the wonderful sellers on etsy. However, I do have huge overhead costs. Let's take shipping a $2 pair of earrings for example.

Bubble Mailer - .35
Silk Pouch - .25
Plastic Bag - .05
Business Card - .05
Thank you Card - .05
Sticker - .05
Other etsy seller promos I insert - .05 (Exta Postage Costs)
Actual postage to U.S. (w/out etsy promos) - .39

So just my mailing materials alone cost me about $1.24. I am only charging $2 and this is for unlimited items! Most of my packages require more postage than this and supplies have cost me up to $8 out of pocket.

Let's consider my other costs in general,
Listing on etsy - .20
Materials - anywhere from .75 - $20.00
PayPal fee ?
Etsy selling fee ?

Would I be making any money at all were I to charge less than $2? Definitely not and there would no longer be a way for me to continue selling my jewelry.

I've also had some complaints regarding my overseas charge of $5. Well, let's be honest, you really have to make sure something is packaged well and shipped correctly when going to a different country. Since my prices are already more than reasonable, do you want to take the chance of the Post Office losing your item? Or would you rather have your jewelry at reasonble prices and reach you in tact?

Finally, I'd just like to say that a lot of people on etsy have sent me convos when I started regarding my prices being too low and my shipping too high. I am not trying to make up for my prices with higher shipping costs. If I did that, I would have to charge $10 to all U.S. customers! The reason for my low prices is simply this, I have been making jewelry for over 7 years now, I have great wholesale suppliers and I don't like to overcharge my customers. You can expect the same quality of jewelry in my shop as in a higher priced one.

Thank you for listening and Happy Crafting!
Tara

Butterfli's Designs

JBT Featured Artist

Butterfli's Designs

A trendy mix of jewlery designs, with something for any taste. Featuring many earings and bracelets and sure to compliment any style or occasion, I work with mainly glass beads and crystals and also enjoy doing custom orders for proms, weddings and other special occasions. I also carry a wide variety of wire rings , which are very popular and make great accessories for the spring and summer. I also incorperate alot of dragonfly beads into my work, they are a favorite of mine and are requested in my work quite often.

I have decided to combine my two blogs into one:) Just makes it easier to keep up w/all the latest JBT and etsy happenings!

So http://www.onlyjewelrybytara.blogspot.com is no more:( RIP

The Dirty Dozen

Treasury brought to you by St. Joshua

CCCOE Rocks!

By http://www.uniquedeb.etsy.com

The Pretty Blue Sky

By: http://www.quiltedblessings.etsy.com

Newest JBT Sexy Treasury

I know what boys like... and sometimes girls too!!!

Newest treasury made by yours truly! I love sexy vintage pin-ups and everything related:)

Fight For The Cure

This was just sent to me by one of my best friends... It is an issue that effects us all and I thought it would be great if everyone would spread the word:)

Dear Friends,
I have been deeply moved by the thought that I might make a difference in the world.
Breast cancer runs in my family and I want to do what I can to help find a cure. So, I have decided to do something wild and crazy....
I am going to be walking 60 miles!!
I'm walking in November for a cause devoted to helping women discover breast cancer early enough to beat it and committed to finally finding a cure.
I have a lot of training to do in the next few months and I will be letting you know how it's going from time to time.
However, as a condition of participation, I must raise at least $2,200. Proceeds benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund.

That's where you come in.....YES! , this is a plea for your emotional and financial support. J
Just a dollar for every mile that I'll be walking would be wonderful and help me reach my goal. However, I thank you in advance for whatever you can give.

Just click the link below to go to my personal fundraising webpage and donate online.

www.the3day.org/sandiego07/heatherbryant

If you’re curious how the fundraising is going, Click the Link!

Sincerely,
Heather

I am very excited to announce that Jewelry by Tara has been picked for a feature on Indie Quarter. To read our little blurb please follow the link:)

http://www.indiequarter.com/

New Treasury

people on etsy I love:)

*NEW* Etsy Artists Featured Items of The Week

Thought it would be a great way to show off the talented artists on etsy by giving them a weekly theme showcase on my blog.

This week I am running "Skulls" as the theme.

Toddler Shirt

Postcard Quilt

Skull Halter Top

Love Is Redrum Sterling Silver Charm Bracelet

Sunday CCCOE Treasury

Groovy Kind of Love

Thanks to http://www.localcolorist.etsy.com