A craft supply problem that is...
Last week I took pictures of my egg crafting area. It may not be state of the art, but I think it looks respectable. I decided to take pictures of my second crafting area for fun. This turned out to be a disaster! I found it impossible to clean up!
Why may you ask?
I have a craft supply addiction. I get a paycheck, and within 24 hours I am begging to go to a Michael's Craft Store... Thankfully I do not have a car, and I rely on my boyfriend who refuses to take me most of the time.
However, when I do make it to a craft store, it is impossible for me to leave without making a purchase. I look for great buys and sales. Every time I find some unbelievable sale, at least in my head. Even though I try to use the items I buy, my craft area continues to expand.
See for yourself...
Pretty bad right? In my defense, this is not all my fault. No... It's my mother's. She reads my posts, and I feel it is important to point the blame on her.
My mother is a crafter herself. She has a much larger area dedicated to her projects. She was and is involved with so many projects and organizations where her projects are useful. However, her involvement cause myself and my sisters to be very creative. In addition, we had unlimited items for crafting as kids. It is only natural to expand from that starting point.
So mom, this is ALL YOUR FAULT! (but I'm glad, because it's a lot of fun)
I normally clean this entire area so she never sees the crafting area in full force. This will be her first time seeing it. And I guarantee a phone call from her tonight. Oh well, it was worth it.
Want a close up
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Since I am placing blame today. I blame my eldest sister Mary as well. She crafts gorgeous items (CHECK HER OUT)
Why is she also to blame? She and I give each other items we think the other would enjoy. However, she also gives me stuff she may have too much of. I LOVE IT!!! And she has great taste! But, you see the pictures... I have a problem :P :P What to d, what to do. I think I
will go shopping if I have a successful craft show and see what is on sale. **NOTE** MOM... this does not mean I don't need craft supplies.... i totally do!!! :P LOVE YOU!
Here is a new card just made in this mess of a craft area!
I am so lucky to have a creative and sensational mother and sister. Both have helped me with building this madness. But most importantly, they helped me to have fun crafting and creating. Whenever I get a little bit of ribbon or paper in a care package from my mom I am overjoyed! The possibilities of what I could make on a card makes so happy and ready to dive in.
Though I am a student first, having this unorganized sanctuary has helped me not hate the boring and tedious of law school.
Anyone else have a messy area and too much stuff to craft with.... but wouldn't want it any other way?
After being taken out of the Martha Stewart magazine, they Put me into their craft blog! Check it out!So excited!!
Let's hope that people look at the blog on the Martha Stewart website... :) :)
Treasuries are becoming more and more important on Etsy. They are now one of the most used marketing tools. A curator picks items from favorite shops, team members, or items that conform to a preconceived theme in the curator's head. The items are arranged and given a title.
After completing a treasury, the curator as well as the seller whose items were picked, try to show off the treasury. You may have seen people advertise treasuries on Facebook, blogs, Twitter, and the like.
Today I am showing of treasuries made this week by the Helping the Hectic Etsy Team! Members have either made treasuries only featuring items from team members shops, or made treasuries for fun with a specific theme!
Here are a few:
Materials of Spring
Spring Fever
Relaxing in a Hectic World
Friendly Critters
Semper Eadem
Hope you enjoy these great little numbers! Please click around and comment!
Also consider joining the Helping the Hectic Team. There are no harsh requirements. Instead, we are a group of people who love Etsy but are also busy with school, work, life, and the like.
A major goal is to help one another with questions. No one is too new of a seller or too seasoned to be part of this team. And above all, no one is too busy! You will not get kicked out for not participating is weekly challenges.
Welcome to Egg Central Station! Above you will see the numerous eggs, most dyed and ready fro action, with several also etched and waiting for a home. Here at Egg Central eggs are continually emptied and dyed. The goal is to have as many colors available as possible to etch. All sizes and kinds of eggs are made available in the egg purchasing process.
During this tour of the Egg Central Station area, I will explain some exciting information of the egg process. First, eggs must be purchased. The grocery store is a great place to start. For more exotic eggs, local farmers as well as the internet can provide additional resources. However, the most purchased etched egg is the traditional chicken egg.
As a result, when a sale on eggs occurs, Egg Central Station launches its egg 
procurement forces...
The state of the refrigerator is one of egg domination! Though several dozens have already been emptied and consumed, there will be many more quiche to go before returning to a non-egg dominated diet.
As eggs are emptied and consumed (we try our best NOT to throw away eggs needlessly)
new colors are added to the egg army at Egg Central.
All eggs stay together in order to keep in mind what color is running out and what color would next go best with the current tenants of the egg cartons.
Though Egg Central is a small station, production stays at a steady 3-4 eggs nightly. However, when the Card Making Factory, a sister company to Egg Central, is in full swing, some production decrease can occur.
Efforts have been made with the head organizer of Egg Central to boost the reach of Egg Central's products. Craft shows in Pittsburgh as well as North East Pennsyl
vania has made this production shift into overload. In the next 4 weeks or so, Egg Central will be cranking (hopefully not CRACKING) out eggs for over 5 shows!
Speaking of cranking out eggs, Easter is soon coming, making this the most important time of year for Egg Central! The Easter Bunny will soon need eggs for decoration, gifts, fun, and more! To stay with the spirit of the season, Egg Central has its own MASCOT!
Not quite the Easter Bunny, but excited for the work, Sir Didymus is the symbol of fluffy fun here at Egg Central! She hops all over the place, excited to be a part of the egg production. She sometimes forgets her floppy ears at home, but we are glad to have her as a part of the Egg Central Family.
As time moves closer to Easter, the eggs will continue to move from the food stage to colored to the final etched stage!
**Most packaging materials are packed away daily in order to keep the residual munching from Sir Didymus to a minimum.
Thank you for visiting Egg Central Station and We hope you had a lovely tour!
I have been using ever minute of spare time scratching eggs! Some new designs and some old! In the next two weeks I will have 2 craft shows here as well as 2 to 3 in my home town. In other words I will have to mail half my inventory home to my mother who will be selling for me there as well.
This is exciting, because Etsy is a little slow right now. I hope to make some great Easter sales instead at the shows. However, I am behind... I have over 50 eggs created, but I have a sneaky feeling that dividing that in two and over 5 shows will not be enough.
I planned for this however. If you have been reading, you'd know I bought 
about 25 to 30 dozen eggs when they were on sale! Here is round 2 on that buying frenzy:
I also have 5 dyes going at once right now, red, blue, lilac, golden wheat, and patina.
I hope to star a mushroom soon. Last night, Rob (boyfriend) and I bought 3 more pairs of tongs to hold the eggs in the dye. Hopefully that will make the dying process go a little faster.
Right now my fridge is filled with eggs. We ate 4 quiche so far, and will be making another round of them in order to get me some shells without wasting the egg. I should take a photo of my fridge so you can see what I am talking about.
My goal is to get 4 eggs done a night in addition to card making and h
omework. I lucked out and a paper draft that would have been due tomorrow has been extended until next Tuesday. Thank God!
I hope to be able to send 3 dozen to my mom and still have at least 3 dozen for myself as well.
Also I have cards to make. I wonder if people would rather see Spring themed cards or more Birthdays and thank you cards. I never know how to gauge themes of cards people may want.
I will also be working on ideas for advertising online as well as in Pittsburgh. I currently am toying with the idea of advertising on facebook with a paid ad. Has anyone ever tried it? If so, what are your thoughts? Anyone advertising online somewhere? Any thoughts?
Wish me luck on the egg crafting adventure! I'll post more as I get more done. For now, Here is a new egg design or two I did this weekend and love! All are for sale on my Etsy Shop!
Thanks for looking! Have a great day! And as always, comments are appreciated!
coupon code TNKS25 for 25% off as a thank you for reading my blog!
I found that if I blog more often, I think I will feel better about my progress in my Etsy shop regardless of a drop in expected sales. I more designs I come up with the happier I am. I no longer am just repeating the 3 dozen or so designs I have been doing for years, but now in addition I am trying new styles to scratch. Recently I scratched this cute blue bird about to fly off a branch. I was so pleased with him, I am now trying to find new bird designs I can use to attempt to place on an egg.
I have so far five colors ready to dye. It's Red, True Blue, Patina, Lilac, and Golden Wheat. I hope to do a Mushroom or something else as well in the near future!
Good news! I have over 30 dozen eggs in my possession! I bought about 35 dozen in the grocery store this week because of a wonderful sale they were having! Now, We are at quiche count 4 and will be making more this weekend I hope.
I will have to post again with some quiche recipes were have been using and pictures of the quiche we made. It's a yummy perk to egg scratching!
Here is the first feature for the "Helping the Hectic" Etsy team!
Nickala Best is a bio-chemistry student using crafting as her stress relief! Her items are wonderful and a great shop to check out for Spring! Here is some insight into a new and wonderful craft shop working studying and crafting 24/7!
1.Where do you get your inspiration from?
Magazines, clothes, the internet, people watching at university/the city (this one is my favorite!)
2. What is your age:
20yrs old
3. What is your shop(S) name:
Acidmousse
4.Do you only sell on etsy or do you go to craft shows as well Only on etsy
5. Is there an item you have made that has significant meaning to you and why.
Anything that I make for Nammar (my grandmother) as she has such an ecclectic and intersting style, I love making crazy combination things for her, and she fully appreciates a one of kind hand made item.
6. How did you first get the idea to make what you are making now?
I have just always made things. Jewellery, clothes, I've even attempted furniture. I don't think I can pinpoint a time when I got the idea.
7. Do you ever change your “craft style”? Example jewelry to ceramics?
I've changed my style over the years, and so my craft has followed that. I used to use a lot of beads when I was younger, now I prefer to use different metals and fabric and ribbon and things that I find.
8. How do you feel about buying and selling handmade items?
Everyone should do it! Not only do you get something awesome and unique, more often than not its of a much higher quality and you are supporting someone who is doing what the love.
9. What is your favorite material to work with?
There is a big variety. Ribbon, metal, fabric, I really love my glue as well. I've also just discovered sculpy, and it's very quickly gaining favour!
10. How long have you been in your craft?
Forever, but only selling on etsy since 2008.
11. What is one message you would like to get out to the world about what you do?
That it is one of a kind, and no one in the whole world will ever have one like it again. That it is something truly unique.
12. Do you have a “day job” and if you do… what is it?
I am a Biochemistry and Chemistry student, moonlighting as a bed linen saleswoman.
13. How has your work developed throughout the years?
I include more materials, and am better at coming up with ingenious solutions to getting something to stay where it should!
14. Did you ever feel like giving up before you got to where you are today?
With etsy, definitely. Between university and work fitting even a small amount of making in is soo difficult, sometimes I just couldn't make it happen.
15. How do you feel when people interpret your work differently than you?
Excited! Makes me wonder 'why didn't I think of that'!
16. What advice do you have for aspiring artists?
The hard work is rewarded when you see someone excited to have something you've made. Totally worth it.
17. Who first inspired you to begin crafting?
All the women in my family, who are the most creative nut jobs I know. Never, ever a dull moment with any of them and you couldn't ask for a better bunch of women.
18. Do you have a space for your work area or do you craft anywhere?
At my desk when I clear up the textbooks. It's in a lovely sunny corner of the house.
19. What are your favorite childhood memory involving arts?
Running around my grandmothers work and looking at the nudes, my Mum making a horse letterbox, and my brother and I sitting down to make trum
pets and pirate ships out of toilet rolls and egg cartons. And there are sooo many more...
20. What does your personal style (living space clothing ect…) Reflect anything you make?
My personal style definitely, I don't make anything I would wear/use myself.
21. Do you have any sales coming up?
I'll have a 21st birthday sale! May 16 only, 50% off!
22. What are your favorite shops on Etsy?
Oh, I don't want to pick! Some I love to look at are GothFoxDesigns, TaylorSays, wickedminky, UntamedManagerie
23. Do you have a blog, Twitter, Facebook Fanpage?
I have a recently created facebook! www.facebook.com/Acidmousse, I would love to see everyone there! Thanks very much for the interview!
THE GOOD NEWS!
I have been featured on I Made it Market! in a video explaining how to etch eggs. Check out the video HERE . Please LIKE the video and comment if you can! I would appreciate it!
The video explains a little on how to actually etch eggs as well as how I personally got into the craft.
You can also see several of my eggs!
Now for the Not so great News
THE BAD NEWS
Martha Stewart took me out of the April Edition magazine. I was asked over two months ago to send them eggs to be featured in their great finds section. I worked hard to get them what they needed while I was going through finals and paid a lot of money to insure the items and get them mailed next day delivery. The editor did not see it important to inform me until the magazine was already published and received by some people to tell me I cut cut because of lack of room.
The crappy thing is I spent every day of those 2 1/2 months preparing my store for sales. I also agreed to not chnage my prices, making me not want to make any price changes until after the date I agreed to.
In short, I feel that I was contractually bound with Martha Stewart Living and they reneged on their agreement with me. I felt crushed and just wish they would have told me earlier when they actually decided to cut me so I wouldn't have wasted so much time preparing for this magazine release.
So, for anyone I told I would be in the Martha Stewart Living Magazine, I'm sorry for the let down, but they did not tell me until after people already started receiving the magazine. They confirmed my spot months ago and affirmed it with emails and a basic contract, but then threw it all away.
I hope to get in one in the future, but I now wonder how many other pople they screwed along the way.
Easter is coming quicker and quicker. Any egg crafter will tell you that the preparation for Easter is harder and stranger than any other holiday. Most people are excited for the coming of Spring and the end of the hectic Christmas season. Several crafters are settling into an easy paced routine but most are not over exerting themselves.
Not the egg crafter! This is our Christmas! Now is the time for new colors, new designs, different techniques, and producing many many eggs! Now is the high productivity mode where one design should be made in several colors and it couldn't hurt to make the design in the same color a few times as well.
I and so many of egg crafters are busy bees right now, balancing life, the coming of spring, lets not forget Spring Cleaning, and the constant production of Easter eggs.
I have been working on some new colors and designs lately. I hope to break out some "Golden Wheat" eggs today (I took the day day of to study for an exam, clean, and etch several eggs!) and then a new color, perhaps "Mushroom."
Here are some of my newly added creations:
This is my M.C. Escher egg! The fishes fit together up and down just like one of M.C. Escher's works of art. I have a lot of fun making this egg, and it always seems to go on a duck egg better than a smaller chicken egg. 
This is my geometric egg I made up while at a show. I hope to make it in blue and purple before the Easter season flies by.
Now that I feel the need to make new designs for my shop I am not sure what designs would be best received. I find so many people like flowers, but the traditional designs also draw a steady crowd.
I wonder if people would want to see more modern designs like dog faces, scenes, and other more modern designs that are rarely seen on egg art.
Does anyone have a suggestion for a new design? A new color? Maybe you would want to see a different flower, like a hyacinth or Bleeding Hearts. I appreciate all comments and feedback to help me branch out more and more during this Spring Easter preparation!
As always, thanks for reading!
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will go shopping if I have a successful craft show and see what is on sale. **NOTE** MOM... this does not mean I don't need craft supplies.... i totally do!!! :P LOVE YOU!
