Thursday, August 14, 2014

Meet our Members! -- Vicky from VLL Designs, Fabric Muse and SoulFILLed Expression

The SPS Team is an international team of artists, artisans and creators working together to promote their finest work!

Every week we are happy and proud to introduce a member of our outstanding team! They come from different backgrounds, countries, cultures and artistic horizons, but they all have one thing in common : they are driven, creative, dynamic, and dedicated to their Etsy business and to their team, SPST!


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Today we are thrilled to introduce Vicky, a very busy Etsy shop owner from Idaho USA who actually has... three shops! 

⇛ Fabric Muse is a shop offering a wide range of textile products : fabrics, handmade goods, quilts, linens, crochet, and their vintage counterparts

 VLL Designs is a mix of handmade jewelry and components, housewares, and their vintage counterparts.

Fabric Muse and VLL Designs is summed up “Something old . . . Something new” products both purchased and handmade by this old vintage soul with a little touch of french thrown in and a few family treasures.

 SoulFILLed Expression is a mixed media, photography, stamping supplies shop.

Let's meet Vicky and learn about her Etsy adventure, and how she manages to handle three separate Etsy shops, along with important family obligations.



     



Why do you sell on Etsy?

I sell full time. I chose Etsy because it always came up in my Internet searches! I'd also read good things about Etsy on the Web.


Tell us the story of your shops.

In 2013 it was determined that my husband, who has been fighting cancer since 2010, needed stay at home care 24/7. I was laid off 6 months earlier and my unemployment was quickly coming to an end; the need for income was a strong reality. I began weighing all my options, including the “dream” I’d always held dear at the back of my mind - owning my own business. My first option was to sell everything we did not need. I began cleaning looking for items to list in the classifieds. One day while cleaning out a closet, I came across a box of vintage items that had been made by myself, my mother, and my grandmother. As I began looking through this box, that “dream” started churning, plans started coming together and Fabric Muse was born, followed by VLL Designs 3 months later, and SoulFILLed Expression shortly after that.

The excitement of gleaning and posting products was abuzz in or home. As I researched and uploaded products I shared them with my husband showing the photos and reading the descriptions. One day while sharing I could see his brain literally churning like a washing machine. Then he asked me to get a box from one of his drawers and he started giving me items and telling me stories of how his father had given them to him. His treasures were added to mine, along with their stories, and three shops were born!

Most days you will find me taking care of my husband, immersed in fabrics, linens, jewelry, and photography - creating and/or bringing new life to old things. (and promoting on SPSTeam).

Our days are numbered and we treasure each moment as we walk this journey together with God strengthening and guiding us.



I opened my shop July 11th. I checked it religiously, several time a day for sales. I believe I joined at least one team a couple of weeks after the opening. I started promoted daily, but nothing happened for several more weeks. Then just when I was felt like giving up, my first sale happened and it took off from there. I will say this much, being on a team that promotes, promotes, promotes and participating daily makes a big difference in your sales. You have to keep your products out there and the hearts coming in.


What are the difficulties and benefits of having more than one shop on Etsy? How do you manage your different shops?

This is a difficult one. With everything I have going on in my life, three shops is a bit difficult. Promoting is very difficult. Imagine promoting three times what you do and on multiple teams! 

I make it a point to always promote two of my shops on a daily basis on multiple teams and threads. I try to rotate between the three shops as much as possible.



    



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

I am a buyer, though not to often. I'm usually looking for supplies for my products. However to keep costs down I am after the best value for my dollar.


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

Although I like the changes Etsy is making, I've found it really slows me down. I don't have time to waste and want to immediately get to what I want i.e. the shop, not the highlights. Give the first page of the shop with the highlights at the bottom. 






Which is your favorite social media to use and recommend to other sellers for cross-promoting and why?

It would have to be Twitter and Pinterest. I can get a tweet out pretty fast and keep working. Blogs take longer to create. And, Etsy made it easy by giving us the icons for Twitter and Pinterest.


How does a team like SPS Team help your Etsy businesses?

Immensely! When I'm having a difficult day and have to chose one team to use it's always SPSTeam due to the multiple threads and the participants. SPS has strong participants daily and easy to understand threads!



Thank you so much Vicky for your insight and great generosity !

Visit Vicky's shops today : 
⇛ Fabric Muse (Textile Products) : www.etsy.com/shop/fabricmuse
⇛ VLL Designs (Jewelry, Houseware) : www.etsy.com/shop/vlldesigns
⇛ SoulFILLed Expression (Mixed media, photo, supplies) : www.etsy.com/shop/soulfilledexpression


You can also connect with Vicky on different social media platforms : 
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/pages/VLL-Designs/1421421818076825
Twitter : https://twitter.com/VickyVLLDesigns
Pinterest  : http://www.pinterest.com/vickyvlldesigns/

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If you are a member of the SPS Team and wish to be featured on our Team Blog in the series of articles 'Meet our Team Members' do not hesitate to contact our Leader, Natalie!




Read some other amazing stories from our Team Members :

- Ellen from The Chilly Dog




PRESENTED TO YOU BY OUR LEADER: 



 
My name is Natalie. I am a French-Canadian gal, but I live in South Korea. My passion is called "Hanji" : sumptuous Korean paper made of mulberry pulp. Hanji has been used for a thousand years in Korea to create decorative or ceremonial objects. For me, it is essential to offer useful and practical objects, that can enjoyed on a daily basis. Tissue cases, pen holders, jewelry, fridge magnets, hair accessories: let the beauty and unique character of Hanji paper make our everyday life objects irresistible!


  


www.etsy.com/shop/HanjiNaty

Follow Natalie's Blog For The Latest Updates To Her Shop:


www.hanjinaty.com


4 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  2. Love your shops, Vicky! Best of luck to you!!

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  3. Thanks so much Natalie for the wonderful feature. Shared on all three facebook accounts and Blogger.

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  4. Nice feature! Great getting to know fellow teammates better too!

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