Spoonflower

Monday, June 30, 2008



There is a project that I have been meaning to share with everyone for a while now.
I discovered Spoonflower a few weeks ago and instantly wanted to make use of this fabulous idea. The site is in Beta so it is fairly new but they have a very informative blog they have been keeping. The company will upload your patterns and print on demand your very own fabric! You can pick what size from swatches to yardage.

I will be looking to print a yard as soon as I decide what pattern I want to have printed. I think I will be making use of my Palinoia project and put some leaves together for my submission. I have already signed on since you have to apply for an invitation.

There is also a Flickr Pool that you can check out which is of course very inspiring so get going and see what it's all about. That is where I spied this beautiful print done by Juneprints.
Spoonflower prints
Image credit: "Golden Forest" from Juneprints on Flickr (click on image for more.)

A Mad Tea Party

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Mad Tea Party
Hosted by the lovely and very creative Vanessa of A Fanciful Twist.
I only have time to post about it as it turns out. My party presentation would have paled in comparison to the spread that our lovely hostess has already put on so I will just say that you have to see it to believe it! It is truly amazing.

I will leave you with my teeny tiny contribution in the form of my miniature tea set which I love so dearly. In my mind I am completely decked out in my blue party dress and pinafore apron a la Alice for the fabulous fete going on.

Mad Tea Party
Oh the internet is so full of fabulously creative types.

LOOK! To the Right!!!

Friday, June 27, 2008


So just in case you are new here, please take a moment to appreciate the pretty BLANK advertising spots on your right.

They are the Project Wonderful spots that I posted about and guess what......They are brand spankin' new so they are FREE!!!!

***UPDATE: My very sharp friend with the great name, Stacey pointed out that my ad box was not activated but it is now.

My Other House is a Palace

Thursday, June 26, 2008

I know what you are thinking; "In her dreams!"
Well you are right there. In my dreams I live in a palace in Europe somewhere with sweeping views of both green pastures and blue waters.
When my millions roll in I will be actually shopping for real estate, not just surfing aimlessly. And I'd settle for a chateau or a villa. Heck, I'd even settle for a thatched roof cottage if there were a remote possibility of finding a princely neighbour nearby.



Anywho, I digress. I found this page on WISTS and had to check out some lavish homes fit for "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, Millenium Edition".

Below is my personal favourite. It's just a "Maison Bourgeiose", fairly typical I would imagine for the wine region it is situated in. It has a certain je ne sais quios about it that I just really like. But not the pricetag of course which is a cool million.



I don't think they will be fooled with a bag of Monopoly money either.
OH well.... a girl can dream.

Wednesday Wonderful

Wednesday, June 25, 2008



I know I was supposed to be blogging about a giveaway but things have just been a little hectic around here with the frenzy of end of school ritual.

I did want to post about Project Wonderful which I have been contemplating for a while now. The program is a solution to affordable advertising for small businesses and it uses ads that are on a bidding system so that you can really get some big exposure for very little funds.

I have put a few bids out to some smaller sites and I will see how it turns out. I have also signed up to have an ad bar on Psilology which is subject to approval of course so stay posted on the status. Great ads at rock bottom prices coming soon so stay tuned!!!

If anyone has some feedback about their experiences with Project Wonderful I would LOVE to hear about it.

New Store!!!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008



I found this rad new Paypal feature. It is still in Beta but I thought I would try it out so have a look.

A Paypal Storefront widget! I'm still not sure how it works but hopefully it will refresh when I update it. One downfall to it is that it is too wide for my sidebar columns so I will have to try and find a way around that. Also it includes some Flash which tends to mess with my computer so we'll have to see.

What do you think? Should I keep it?

An Apple a Day - My First Treasury!

Sunday, June 22, 2008


Apples in green, mostly!

Check it out it is so awesome! My very first Etsy treasury. I wasn't expecting it but it just appeared. I have tried to get one before but never could figure out the magic and this morning, it just happened!
Needless to say I was completely unprepared so I just slapped this together.

What does everyone think?

Saturday, June 21, 2008


Since this blog has become a "go-to" place of late for people searching out alternatives to Etsy I thought I would conduct a small survey to see if anyone would like to see more detail about the posted alternatives.

I had mentioned doing a quick run-down of the various online storefronts to compare some basics in services like initial start-up costs, commissions, marketing and general membership information.

I still would like to do this but with the lists together now totaling more than 45 alternates I will have to break it down into posts featuring 5 each week. This will be a great summer project for me.

To help me out, see the poll at the left and add your 2 cents worth if you please.
As an added bonus I will be announcing a giveaway on Sunday the 22nd of June for anyone who votes in the survey and makes a comment.

See you all Sunday!!!

Some Google Firsts, F.Y.I.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Lately I have been trying to figure out how to get some better traffic and ranking for this blog and things seem to be improving. Everything I do with my blogging has all been DIY in nature so it has definitely been a steep learning curve.

Today I give you some interesting stats concerning my Google ranking on some search terms.
In fact, this blog is coming in #1 for two searches of particular note.

"Etsy Alternatives" and "Ye old hooters"!!!

I know what you're thinking. "How did she figure that out?" and "Why would anyone search that second term?"

The first question I can answer but not the second. I have no idea why someone would search "ye old hooters" though I am guessing the person who did probably has a good sense of humour (and no it wasn't me!)

As for the first question, part of this process of learning about SEO and PR and such means I keep a keen eye on my stats. I use Statcounter.com for tracking visitors and referring sites to my growing list of sites. I even use the Google Analytics tools. The searches my blog comes up on are getting interesting to say the least.

Being the number one spot for the Etsy alternatives search has been great because I really do get lots of people searching the term that land themselves here. If you take a look you will see that Psilology even trumps Etsy itself for that search so it makes me all the more happy. I only hope I am keeping it interesting enough to keep them coming back. I want to keep things fresh for the readers so I take requests just like the DJ! Please share your comments.

Front Page!!!

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

A FIRST for Tum Tum Tree Designs!!! Someone put my hemp tissue pocket on the front page!



Imagine my surprise this morning, going about my regular Etsy business when I spy my very own item on the front page. I just about fell off of my chair! I am so very happy to have someone appreciate my handmade goods and who knows, maybe someone will actually make a purchase.

Etsy Alternatives - Second Edition

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

The subject of Etsy alternatives keeps popping up in various places on the internet, most recently in one of Etsy's forum threads of all places.
I was actually surprised that the thread didn't get locked as it speaks openly of alternate selling venues that are obviously in direct competition with Etsy.

The outcome was very positive as there were several places brought up that I hadn't put on my master list of alternates to Etsy as an online sales venue.
So I got to glean a few more sites to add to the list. Some of them seem a bit more obscure and so there will be a few descriptive words next to the links.


Anywho, here they are. (For the original list of over two dozen links to Etsy alternates in some form or other please go here.)

Madeit - an Australian based site for artisans.
Erayo - "A Wholesale Marketplace for Retailers and Designers"
YouCraft.org - Site that offers freecraft listings.
YabbleBabble - "Handmade Fun" - site was sold (and subsequently closed) to an undisclosed buyer in August of 2007 but artisan links remain.
ArtsEfest - "Amazingly Creative" place to buy and sell handmade crafts.
Blujay - A 100% Free Marketplace.
Lunacraft - seems to be more of a marketing/community website than a selling venue.
Strictly Handmade - Low yearly fee for categories.
My Art Plot - Still in Beta so it's free, original arts & crafts
Veganica - For all the Vegan craft lovers out there
Craftfinder - Your premire resource centre for arts and crafts info and selling.
CraftMall - A fun and creative craft mall.
My Store - "Let's Shop!"
Yessy - A Gallery for art sales.

So that is it for now. I will update when I discover more of these types of online sales venues.
If you have any to add, please do !

**Added;
World Wide Crafters - "Changing the way people shop; One craft at a time."
WinkElf - "Handmade by Thems-Elves"
GoZabo - "Uniting those who design with those who desire."
Bouf - "The marketplace for extraordinary goods"
Thumbtack Press - "So Hip it Hurts" - printing "shop" for visual artists

A Site for Sore Eyes

Monday, June 16, 2008

So I found this awesome new site that is all about what I love to go on about.



The aptly named site is everything and anything about Etsy and it's glitches (to put it politely!) The site gets a big applause from me for highlighting things point blank, no holds barred with a healthy dish of humour on the side.

I encourage you to take a look at Etsy Bitch if you are interested in becoming an Etsy seller because there is a tonne of helpful info, including things like "How much does it cost to sell on Etsy" complete with FACTS and FIGURES that are invaluable.

Be forewarned however, there are more than a few "four letter friend getter's" to be found on the site so if you are offended by swearing, maybe you should steer clear. Really, they tell it like it is.

Happy Father's Day!

Sunday, June 15, 2008



To all the Dad's out there, but especially mine who is the #1 Dad, have a great day!!!

Are You Superstitious?

Friday, June 13, 2008


Yes, it's that special day again! Friday the thirteenth. Will it be good luck or bad?
We have our school Fun Fair tonight so hopefully the event will go off without incident. With 12 bouncy castles on the big field I am not too sure what to think.

Are you superstitious?

Etsy 101 - The Mother of all Lists

Thursday, June 12, 2008

I get quite a few hits from people who are looking for alternatives to Etsy as an online sales options due to my post way back when.

I never did get around to critiquing and reviewing the options that I posted but I still plan on getting to that one day soon. In the meantime, I am going to stick with it in a typical love-hate relationship that I have got going on here.

On that note, I get to the main topic of today's post;

Loosewire Studio has compiled an extensive and informative list of resources to use while on Etsy. I have been on Etsy for a while now but am by no means an expert and I really learned lots of great "insider info" on the thread about it over on the Etsy forum. If you are looking at alternatives to Etsy as a current seller, you might want to check out the "Mother of all Lists"target="_blank" for some insight into some essential tools that might help your selling experience.



One of the useful links provided in the list is for Picnik, an online photo-editing software that works wonders. Next week I will be posting a before and after of my shabby photos turned fabulous using the Picnik site.

Do you have any favourites from Loosewire's master list?

Update in the Etsy shop!

Wednesday, June 11, 2008


Finally! I know it has been forever. As usual there has been lots happening in these parts. I really have been letting the Tum Tum Tree Etsy shop get left behind somewhat with all the sales action going on around here. I will be changing that up from now on and listing more of my goodies.

Some of these lovelies will be going up in the next day or two so stay tuned!

Our Lovely Visitor

Tuesday, June 10, 2008


Lately there have been several sightings of our lovely little friend, the doe. She is so sweet however she has been doing quite a bit of damage to the smaller trees as the leaves must be fresh and tasty at this time of year. It's a good thing I am not much of a gardener!

Ye Olde Etsy Shoppe - Come and Get some Hooters!

Monday, June 09, 2008


Today is the big launch! Finally the Ella Cinders shop that I have been putting together actually comes together. The Ella Cinders blog has been up for a while but I haven't really posted much so you'll have to check back later. I am really excited about this as it is something I have been wanting to do for a while now.

My mom is also going to be contributing some items as over the years she has accumulated some really cool things and they are getting to the point where they are looking to unload some of it. Should be interesting. I will be doing all the administrative stuff for this little venture.

There is sure to be some great vintage finds as we ramp up the store this week. I will be listing a few items each day so keep looking.



These are one of the first items listed - a great pair of hooters! Cast iron mini owl trivets. There are a few more hooters in ye olde etsy shoppe too, so go check them out! (Honestly, what were you thinking?!!!)

Small Magazine - Summer Issue!

Friday, June 06, 2008


It's out! My favourite online magazine is now out for your viewing pleasure (and mine!) So head on over there and check out Small Magazine. It is filled with summery goodness for pint sized people and does not disappoint.

World Environment Day

Thursday, June 05, 2008

I didn't have a whole lot to write about today as I have been pretty busy. World Environment Day was established on June 5th in 1972 to "Provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations".

While I really like to get people thinking about environmental issues, there is always someone who does it better. Like Alain Robert. I think scaling the Times building in NYC with a banner to get people's attention will probably trump anything I could say on the subject for today so that is all for now.

Thanks to Treehugger for the initial story. See the climbing activist at thesolutionissimple.org for more.

Some Garden Eye Candy

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Enjoy!
A little floral interlude for all of you.