Monday, December 2, 2013

25 Days Of Christmas Celebration # 7 - Interview With Amy From Amy D's Crochet

God Jul! 


Happy Holidays, everyone :-) Ready for Day 7 of our 25 Days Of Christmas Celebration?

Let's meet Amy of Amy D's Crochet! 

Amy is another one of our awesome leaders and is the Team Events Manager as well as Team Twitter Manager for SPST :-)



How did you come to decide on your Shop Name?

I wanted something that would reflect my craft, something that would be easy for people to remember, and something that would be easy for me to spell. I'm a terrible speller and I didn't want to end up misspelling my own shop name.  I came up with the crochet part 1st.  I had a few other ideas of what to pair "crochet" with but decided to keep it simple and go with my name.


What inspires you for your designs?

I get my inspiration from a lot of places.  Sometimes I'll be shopping in a store, see a crocheted item and think " I could make that but I could do it better."  I'll think of ways of how I'd change it to improve  it.  Sometimes I'll get ideas from a picture in a magazine.  

I also find vintage crochet pattern books useful for ideas.  I'll look at the vintage pattern & find ways to change it to make it more modern.


Excellent Customer Service!

I try very hard to make customer service my top priority, and try to do what I can to make my customers happy.   I once had a customer ask me to make them a custom baby afghan for a baby shower that was in 6 days.

They didn't want to pay extra for priority shipping, so for them to get it on time I'd only have 2 days to make it.  The afghan they wanted is normally a 4 day project.

So I spent the next 2 days working 12-14 hours a day crocheting.  By the time I got it finished I was exhausted.  My body ached, my hands were killing me, and my fingers were bandaged due to the soars that had developed from the yarn constantly  rubbing on my skin.  But my customer got the afghan in time & loved it.  She later came back & ordered 5 more.

 
What was the most happiest moment you had since opening your Etsy shop?

When I reached my goal of 100 sales.
Is there anything you wish you could have done differently?

I wished I signed my shop up for PayPal sooner.  I read so many horror stories about PayPal that I wasn't sure if I should use it or not.  In the beginning I had my shop set up for Google Wallet , money orders & checks.  Once I added PayPal I realized how much easier it make people to do checkout from my shop.


How do you use Etsy Teams to help you promote? 

I love being on teams.  I remember when they 1st came out & how a lot of people complained about Etsy creating teams.  But now I don't know how I'd make it without teams.  I've meet so many wonderful people & developed close friendships because of teams.

One of my favorite promotional tools is playing the different games that are on the teams.  I try participate in many games as possible  It's great because many of the games are set up so everyone gets promoted .  It's a win- win situation.  You help other shops & they help you at the same time.  Some of my favorite games are the fav 10 game, pin it threads, treasury threads & the twitter threads.


What is the one thing you would like to change most on Etsy to accommodate your business?

Advertising.  While I understand Etsy can't advertise my shop directly I wish Etsy would do more to advertise to bring in more shoppers.  When I tell people that I sell on Etsy it would be nice to have people know what Etsy is instead of hearing "What's Etsy?" all the time.


What are the top 3 tips you would like to share with new sellers?

1.  Be patient.  Sales aren't going to happen right away.  It can take weeks, even months to get that first sale.

2.  Join teams.  Find a few good teams that will help promote your shop; help you get views and sales.  Don't be lazy.  Partipcate in team threads.  Being on a team isn't going to help you if all you do is sign up.  Get out there & ge t to know your teammates.  If you need advice you'll find many great people who will help you out.

3.  Get on social media.  Even if it's just one site.  Social media is a great way to promote your shop & it's free.  Don't know how to tweet?  Pin an item?  Use Facebook?  This is where being on a team comes in handy.


Let's get to know some fun facts about Amy! :-)


What is the strangest thing you have ever created?

Without going  into too much detail.  It was a custom order.  It was for a piece of clothing that was for a newborn baby- except I got asked to make it fit an adult male.  It was somewhat of a challenge to rewrite the pattern but I found a way to make it.  Later I got a nice convo letting me know it was perfect.


Water, Milk, coffee, or tea?

If I had to choose I'd go with water.  Though I'd prefer it to be flavored water.  Not a big tea drinker, don't like coffee and hate the taste of milk.


Does your family help you with your Etsy business?

My sister sometimes helps with pictures if I need something modeled.  It's too hard for me to model something & take pictures of myself.  I also sometimes ask for advice when coming up with tags.


Are you a buyer on Etsy as well? What do you usually look to buy?

I mainly buy gifts on Etsy.  If it's for myself I usually buy craft supplies- especially things that are hard to find at craft stores.  As a treats for myself I usually by earrings.


Where is your favorite place to craft?

My bedroom.  I enjoy crocheting while watching t.v.


Best Time For Creativity - Morning, Afternoon, Evening?

Evening.  I'm a night owl.  I like to work on a project at the end of the day when everything else is done.  Like to be able to sit & relax with out getting interrupted. 




Amy, Thank you so much for a magnificent job organizing our Team Events and
for the friendly support you give to all of us.

Spread Some SPST Love And Visit Amy's Etsy Shop Today :




PRESENTED TO YOU BY OUR TEAM CAPTAIN: 

Unique Christmas Gifts for the home or office. A Gift Of Nature features adorable miniature landscapes and aquascapes. Our love of nature brings about our vision for these mini Winter Terrariums. Beautiful as Christmas Ornaments, these Terrarium Kits are perfect for holiday gifting. Experience the beauty of nature at your fingertips!


  

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