Blogs you should follow!

You should really check out By Hand Giveaways Blog and Aulani Photography Blog. The author does a great weekly feature where you can enter one of your crafty items for a public vote. I participated last week and I won! I was featured in both of her blogs, will be featured in one of her upcoming Etsy treasuries, and will have a button featured (yay free ad space) for one month on her blog. Check out the blog and like her!

Here is the Treasury :) Please go show it some love!

'Top 16 entries from HCS' by AulaniPhotography

These were the top 16 entries off Etsy from Handmade Creation Saturday. Be sure to enter your item every Saturday at my blog for free exposure and a chance to win. http://aulaniphotography.blogspot.com/

SALE The Owl Style 4 LittleSnugglie... $21.00	Spencer Red Garnet Necklace jenniferliz $50.00	Fossil Critter Needle Felted... FeltBugg $22.00
Stunning Sapphire Blue Pearl... PineberryBouti... $10.00	Deluxe Rustic Travel Journal... christinemarie... $75.00	OOAK Embellished Denim Shoul... DragonDiscount... $19.99
Intertwining Seahorses Neckl... DemetersCloset $85.00	Club Lucky fine art print 8x... patrickshousep... $24.00	Gulf Sunset Montagyoo $15.00
Flame Fruit Round Bead Wove... CallOfEarth $16.00	Pink and Blue Vintage Flower... frangipanipala... $5.00	Reversible Pink and Black Sk... Aprons2tie4 $36.00
White Flower Earring upcycle... kristibasket $17.00	Cherries on Blue Apron with ... RitasCreations... $18.00	Handmade Sachet with Vintage... ButterflyInThe... $19.95
Floating Tiger Eye Byzantine... ShadowCutter $25.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

Treasury of the Week

I will be creating a treasury every week from here on out featuring some items that I think are extra special on Etsy. This week I chose items related to the military. After all I'm married to the Air force. I have found that a lot of the artists behind these items are directly related to the military in one way or another as well. Please show their shops some love! If you have been featured I ask that you show some love for my shop as well.

You can click on an item if you would like to find out more and you will be taken directly to the Etsy shop. Without further delay,

'I <3 the Military ' by LittleSnuggliesbyVal

A treasury of some of my favorite items of the week. This weeks theme is anything related to the military. I blog about this treasury in my blog, www.threelittlecrochethooks.com, as another way to give the featured artists some exposure. Please show these shop owners some love!

Custom Military Stuffed Anim... mysweetbabylov... $30.00	I Love My Soldier Army Wife ... TheDODandMe $35.00	HALF MY HEART IS AT HOME. Pe... OutsideCatArt $12.00
ACU/ABU/NWU/Desert Marpat Di... craftsbychrist... $15.75	ARMY WIVES Deployment Talism... princessbydesi... $39.98	BOYS Personalized ACU tie sh... BeesBowtique $32.95
DADDY can't wait to HUG ... FForrestCreati... $8.00	Adult Size S ACU "ARMY ... cherishedbows $20.50	Home is where the Air Force/... sarahagreen $13.00
I'm on DUTY While Dad ... ButterfliesnDr... $7.50	Army ACU key chain U.S. ARMY mybraggbag $9.99	ACU Toddler Backpack (made f... MyLittleKing $25.00
Genuine Custom Military Dog ... chriscustomcre... $7.00	Chubz Military Wedding Cake ... gingerbabies $39.00	Your Soldier and his girl ph... myart2cherish $49.00
Baby Booties Camouflage Kimo... BriannaBeansBo... $18.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

New Photography Find!

Thanks to my Etsy Blog Team Blog I found a great app for my iphone pictures! Diptic is a great photo uploading device that lets you create collage type pictures easily from your iphone photo library. You can do some basic photo editing as well. I have seen several listings on Etsy with a type of photo collage. This is great for your main thumbnail photo as it showcases your item in a variety of ways so viewers don't have to click the listing to scroll through all your pictures. Diptic is a free download from the itunes app store as well. Here are a few of the collages I came up with today. Check the out.

Owl Style 14

                                

Owl Style 4

Classic Girlie Beanie

Does the Weather play a role in your craft mood?

I live in Tucson, AZ. The warm sunny desert. Well.... this morning... I woke up to... SNOW! Snow covering the ground. It was 70 degrees yesterday. Today, cold, dreary and snow. This is so odd for Tucson. Makes me want to stay inside and be crafty. I have found a design for an owl purse for a little girl. It is so super cute! Thinking that I may have to whip up a prototype this afternoon under a cozy blanket on the couch. Cold weather makes me want to crochet, maybe a blanket even!

This was one of my first craft passions. Making baby blankets:

What are your hobbies or craft projects when the weather looks like this??

Help Me Please!

Please go to the following blog and vote for my little Owl hat. If I win I will get some free publicity and possibly some ad space! Please Please Please Click here to vote!

Cross Promoting Blogs

Hi readers!

Would anyone like to cross promote blogs? Meaning, I type up a blog about others blogs asking my readers to follow them, and vice versa? A great way to get some new followers and hopefully some more traffic to Etsy shops, Facebook pages, etc. If this interests you leave a comment and we can work out the details!

=) Valerie

Rush Orders and Keeping those fan's coming back!

 What do you do to keep your fans happy? I've been blogging about incorporating fan suggestions into my shop policies, item styles, etc., but I'm looking for some reader input here. I have a few tips on how to keep your shoppers happy and coming back for more. Please comment with some of your own!

1. Create easy to understand Etsy shop policies detailing your turn around time, shipping policies, etc. This makes it super easy for shoppers to know what they are getting when they make a purchase from your shop. If you will offer express shipping to get items to a purchaser in a hurry specify, and specify the price. If you don't ship on weekends, specify this. If you have a specific turn around for items not in stock specify, and if you have a sort of rush fee policy to get an item quicker specify this as well.
2. Create listings with pictures of your items in use, if applicable. For my hats for example I think a shopper likes to see what a hat looks like on a person. This is something I can improve on is having photo models representing my hats in all of my listings. 
3. Answer Convo's and emails in a timely fashion. Let's face it, if a person is trying to decide on an the same type of item from two different stores, the person who responds the fastest to a question will more than likely get the sale. 
4. Aim to please. If your customer needs something in a hurry try and work with them. If its something you custom make and they need it to match something, ask for a picture of the item. If they are unsure if the item will work with their need, be honest. Don't just tell them something they want to hear, honesty is key.
5. Send tracking info when your items ship. As an avid Etsy shopper I love to know when my purchase is on its way. Paypal makes it very easy to enter a tracking number for a purchase, and then sends an email to your customer with the number and information.
6. Finally, treat other shop owners the way you want to be treated. Leave feedback when you purchase an item, leave feedback for your customer's. Sometimes when I go into an Etsy shop I won't buy an item if they don't have many reviews/sales. I like reading good feedback about an item I'm interested in, makes me more likely to take the plunge.

This whole thought came about when a customer contacted me about a rush order yesterday. I don't do a lot of them but she was a dear to work with. I only had a few little Owl's in stock and she needed something for her son's picture appointment early next week. When she asked if I thought what I had in stock matched the picture of the outfit she sent me I was honest, it did but it wasn't a great color combo all together. I had some time and offered to do a rush order on a custom hat to match her little boy's outfit much better. It shipped out this morning, and I can't wait to see the little guy! Hope she posts a fan picture! Here is his little hat:

Hope these help all my fellow Etsian's out there. At least give you something to think about!

The Latest In Little Owl's

My Little Owl's are my best seller through Etsy, Facebook and at my local consignment shop. Here is the latest news on the Owls!


I'm always open to fan feedback and one fan suggested I number my hat designs. I have started this with my little Owls, if you want to view all the styles I have created thus far please visit the facebook fan album here:Owl Hat Design...

You can always email to place a custom order and now give a style number to simplify the process. Or, you can go to my online Etsy Shop (Etsy) and look for the Owl with the same style number and checkout in a flash! Just specify your size in notes to seller at checkout.


I am always creating new Owl designs and welcome custom orders with your own color creations. I am kicking the idea around of marking down all Owl Hats by $10.00 for one upcoming month as sort of a stock up sale for those of you that would like them for next year when it gets cooler. They would be discounted on Etsy and for special order as well.Think this would be a great deal for my fans! :)

Owl's are also my most popular item featured in Etsy Treasuries. These are lists of great items on Etsy all put together. For the latest treasury that my little Owl's are featured in go to the following Link.The Black and White of It Treasury

Look for new Owl news coming soon...

New Projects for Spring!

Hello fans! I have been so super busy which is so awesome! :) Today I am working on some new ideas, and again some fan inspired pieces. I had a wonderful fan ask if I could make a crochet handbag for little girls for easter dresses, etc. She even sent a link to what she was looking for. This was great because I had been thinking of creating something along the same lines. Today I'm working on the prototype for the spring girls bag. I'm so excited!

I've also been working on slippers for infants/toddlers and kids. The adult slippers seemed to be so popular that fans have requested versions for their kids as well. The infant slipper will be a type of Mary Jane inspired design. The toddler/child versions will be more of a moccasin with flowers added for a girlie version for little girls and a traditional style for boys.

I'm so excited to move into spring time and new creations, and as always love fan input! Do you have something you would love to see?Are you a Facebook fan to get a first hand sneak peak of items before they are available on Etsy? Like the fan page to get a front row spot. Onward to facebook fan world :)

Since I last posted the ballerina flat slippers have been listed in my Etsy shop. You can find them here: Slippers in the Etsy Store.


Thanks fans as always! :)

What Fans Want!

Do you ever have requests from Fans for different items? Maybe suggestions on how to make your items better? I have been kicking around the idea of making flowers that will attach to a beanie, then can also be used as a hair barrette. I have had some fans ask and have finally gotten around to posting what I have came up with. My girls have been testing them out in their hair the past few weeks and I think I'm ready to market them. More than likely as sets. Perhaps in the future I will offer a hat set with so many interchangeable pieces. What do you all do to better accommodate your fans?

The pictures of my prototype can be found here: Hat/Hair Clippie Barrettes

Hope you all have had a fabulous weekend! If you post some great ideas here I may create a post and then promote some of your shops!

Great Networking Ideas

Good Morning!
Are you all ready for a super weekend? We are here in my household! The forecast is calling for 80 degree temperatures this weekend and I can't wait! The thought of warm weather has me brainstorming some new ideas for warmer weather sun hats and for some summer inspired bows and headbands!

In order to make the blog posts easier to read I will be breaking up my posts into categories from now on so they are easier for you to follow and come back to in the future. :)

Deal of the Day
 Today's deal of the day over on Facebook is Buy 1 Hat Get 1 Headband Free. You can pick from any style and color combination! Only 1 spot so first to comment on the thread wins it! Go here to enter or to like the page! facebook.com/littlesnuggliesbyval

Facebook has made some very nice changes to its business pages! So excited that I can now be emailed comments on this page!

Networking
In the spirit of growing my fan base I have networked with a few more great websites. First off if your a military spouse who creates things join "Shop Military Spouse Made"! This is a great way to network with other military affiliated creators. Go here to like the page and see what its all about: Shop Military Spouse Made Facebook Page.

In the spirit of more military related networking I have joined the Etsy Military Wives Team! If your affiliated with the Military head on over and check out the page! Etsy Military Wives Team

I have also joined the Etsy Blog Team! This is a great way for Etsy shop owners who blog to find others that blog also. Follow someone from the team, they follow you and voila more exposure for all of us! You can find the Etsy Blog Team Page Here: Etsy Blog Team.

Okay, that's enough for one post eh? :) Hope you all have a fabulous Friday! Happy Networking!

Deal of the Day 2/10

Today's deal of the day over on Facebook is 3 headbands of your choosing for $18.00! Head on over to Facebook and like the page for a chance to win the deal!
Little Snugglies Deal of the Day!

Look for a longer entry coming soon!

BIG SALE!

Hi everyone! Staying warm where you are? It has been so cold in Tucson this week! Setting records even! Cold outside makes for lots of productivity inside. Have you visited the Etsy shop lately? Starting today and lasting the the weekend you can take an additional 25% off the up to 40% off markdowns with coupon code LOVE2011. Super bargain!! Please visit and share in your blogs!
Little Snugglies Etsy Shop