it's in the bag!

I entered a giveaway on HautTotes facebook - Melissa of HautTotes.etsy.com invited participants to choose a bag for a friend, and say why. I entered twice!

One entry was for my daughter Sarah and the second entry was for Lenny, my son's girlfriend...and we were so thrilled to hear that Lenny's name had been picked!



Lenny chose this gorgeous cowgirl bag, she said "The fabric is lovely, cowgirls and pinups is a winning combo in my eyes! Fun and just the right amount of rockabilly, yay!" (Looks like the meerkat likes it too!)

I couldn't leave my poor daughter bagless - so she's getting her choice too.



The bags are beautifully made, really strongly constructed, nice and roomy, and so so pretty. I didn't know there were so many fabulous fabrics out there!

Check them out in HautTotes and if you're like me, keep a close eye on Melissa's facebook page and Twitter

Let's meet...Lilipadcreations

It's always a pleasure to interview a fellow member of ETTEAM, so let's meet Beth from Lilipadcreations!

Cats or dogs?
Dogs

Star Wars or Star Trek?
toughie....Star Wars
Fruit or chocolate?

chocolate



Favourite colour?
purple (right now!)

Favourite meal?
tapas of any kind, not a big "meal" girl

City break or weekend in the country?
hmmmmm....when I lived in the city, it was too the country...now that I live in a town, its off to a city!


Soaps or documentaries?
documentaries for sure!



Bath or shower?
bath


Now we’ve got you warmed up…
What brought you to Etsy? Tell us about your shop (or shops) Do you sell anywhere else?

I came to etsy after being berated by many for years to do so. I thought it was something like a craft show online, and was really unsure of the variety and quality of the goods as well as the community that came with such fine artisans and craftspeople alike. I am thrilled that I finally did it and can't say enough about my experience and all of the wonderful people I have been fortunate enough to cross paths with. After I started with etsy I checked out a few others, but really put a lot of efforts into my b & m shoppe as well as home parties and events at my store.

What’s the favourite item you’ve made so far?


Well, I would say my Betsy bag. I can't seem to move on from it in my own preferences...but more new bags coming soon, so who knows!


What has been the most useful lesson you’ve learnt (about Etsy) so far?

I have learned that just as in my brick and mortar shop, promotion and marketing is everything. I try to keep up here on etsy, but have much work to do.
That kind of leads to the next question...

If you could start again, is there anything you’d do differently?

I would have hit my blog a little more frequently as well as visiting others. I tend to spend a lot of time on social networking sites, to promote as well as to connect with old friends.



How do you see your store developing?

I am hoping more people visit from the greater etsy community. I have sold the majority of my things to already existing customers, so that remains a goal of mine.

What have you been doing today that I’ve interrupted?

Well, earlier it was stopping me from stopping my three year old from demolishing my shoppe! Now I am relaxing sans kids having a nice wheat beer(they are at their grandparents for the weekend! first time, yeehooo!!)!

What’s your top marketing tip for today?

Top marketing tip for today....well it would have to be get bloggin! That is what I am hearing!

oh, I guess I can include my unused blog....
http://lilipadcreations.wordpress.com
got to get working on that!

Thanks for pandering to my nosiness, Beth! If you're in the market for a bag, this is where to go:
Lilipadcreations
If you're in the market for a meerkat, you could win one for free here