Happy (Belated) Birthday to Early Bird Creations

The final November birthday tribute goes out to Kylie, the brains and talent behind Early Bird Creations and Lil Egg Jewelry. Kylie, a jewelry maker since she was 14, creates a unique collection of necklaces, earrings and keychains made primarily with resin beads. You will see more fresh water pearls and glass beads in her Lil Egg collection. She's been seriously making jewelry for about 4 years, and making those wonderful resin creations for two.

Fen, of Bead Flora Jewels, gave Kylie the invitation to join the Challengettes when they were both participating in an upbeat business topics thread on the Etsy fora, and we're so glad she did.

Kylie is our girl Down Under, living in Forster, New South Wales, a beach town about 4 hours northeast of Sydney on the east coast. So when I asked her where her favorite place in the world is, it's no surprise that it's somewhere exotic! She says, "The first is Kota Kinabalu in Malaysian Borneo. I visited there earlier this year and it is the most magical place. Possibly because it has very little in the way of tourists and the fact that the people are just spectacular....oh and the beaches and resorts are awesome...Tequila Sunrise - that's all I have to say! The other favourite place is my local main street. It is really beachy with some gorgeous cafes and clothing shops. Lucky for me I get to spend a bit of everyday down there when I do my mailing and errands." Of course, we would all love to go visit her!!

She loves to try new foods, and her favorites are what she calls "picky" foods, "like antipasto platters, with goats cheese and sundried tomatos and marinated mushrooms." Yum!!

Kylie has three great tips for Etsy sellers... list every day so your visibility stays high, constantly work on your pictures, and finding some etsy buddies to ask questions, bounce ideas off of, and generally get support. With 100 sales just short of her Etsy anniversary (on Dec. 14), I would say that she knows what she's talking about!

I own one of her resin necklaces and it is beautiful! Check both her shops out and her blog!

Happy Birthday to iWunder

The third November birthday challengette is Jennifer of iWunder and iWunderVintage. She actually celebrated last weekend, so I'm a little late here! Jennifer knits, crochets, and finds amazing vintage deals to pass on to the Etsy community. In her "spare" time, she is a graduate student, studying science-y stuff. She's our resident expert on all things science.

Jennifer joined the Challengettes in July when she was recruited by Celeste of Cricket's Creations. Both members of the etsyfast (fiber arts) street team, when Jennifer commented that she wanted to list things every day, Celeste pointed her in our direction. And we are so happy that she did!

Her grandmother taught her to crochet when she was 7 and she taught herself to knit when she was 21. She says she has "kinda always been doing it, making something, hoarding yarn around the house, so when I found etsy it gave me a source for all the projects I have going with no intended recipient."

And Jennifer's favorite places in the world? It's a toss up between the salt marshes of southern Georgia or the Grand Teton mountains of Jackson, Wyoming.

Jennifer will always try new foods, but that was not always the case. She's "learning to eat dang near anything the older I get. Currently, my favorite food is any really good kind of German sausage on the grill."

And finally, her best tip to fellow etsy sellers... list something every day, and learn to take good pictures without the flash.

It's been so great getting to know Jennifer! Check out her shops for adorable scarves for both men and women, cute crocheted flowers for embellishing, and some surprising vintage finds!

Happy Birthday to go2girl

Lots of birthdays in November for the Challengettes, and next up is Kila of go2girl and copperlocks boutique. Kila is a stay-at-home mom of 2 who loves to make jewelry. In copperlocks she also makes hairclips, and refurbishes vintage pieces into new jewelry. And you can see how copperlocks got its name in the picture below of the water lily barrette.

This southern California girl stumbled upon the Bittersweets Challenge thread, and felt right at home with all the optimistic, warm and friendly girls already there. We have certainly enjoyed getting to know Kila, and are so glad she joined us!

Kila is a mostly self-taught artist, beginning her crafting "career" during her summers spent with her grandmother. This pictured bracelet is one she made when she was about 11, and she still wears it. Recently she has really tried to focus on developing her own style and has steadily worked on her wire wrapping techniques, among others. Still self-taught, she looks to the library and online sources for help.

While Kila would love to have the opportunity for wider travel, her favorite place in the world is the central California coast that includes Big Sur, Monterey, Morro Bay, Cambria and Carmel. She says, "Nothing is as beautiful, fresh, invigorating and full of inspiration in my eyes as a long drive up Highway 1."

This go to girl is quite the adventurous eater, and will try all kinds of things. Though she has tried escargot, it's not included in her list of favs. This list does include "tried and true staples" like "chocolate, coffee, popcorn, wine and veggis." Mmmm, I love that chocolate is first in the list.

Her tip for new Etsians is to have fun because if you love what you do, it will show! "You will want to tell everyone about it. Your shop will beam with the same excitement you feel!," according to Kila.

I've certainly enjoyed getting to know Kila, and I hope you have to. She is also a member of Etsy Bloggers and you can read her blog here.

Happy Belated Birthday, Rainy Day Art

In an effort to get to know all the One a Day Challengers, also known as the Challengettes, I'm featuring each one during their birthday month. Except, oops, somehow I missed Melissa's birthday on October 30, so here is her feature. You can find Melissa at Rainy Day Art, where you'll find all sorts of fiber arts, and some other goodies like magnets and mirrors, a scarf pattern, and even a stoneware vase.

Sunshine Cotton Lace Scarf (Pattern available, too)

Melissa was one of the original Challengettes, and she joined because she wanted to list more often and it seemed like a good way to accomplish that goal. She had a busy summer, changing jobs and moving from St. Louis to Chicago, so we don't see her as much any more, but she still keeps in touch.

Aviation Chart Magnet -- Champaign-Urbana, Illinois

She started knitting when she was a child, and is mostly self-taught. When she was in college, her interest in fiber arts deepened, and she read lots of books about knitting and crocheting, and took classes in spinning and felting. She liked spinning so much she bought her own wheel and continues to experiment. You can check out her blog, to learn more about Melissa and her craft.

Stormy Weather Pin Cushion

A couple of fun facts... Melissa does not have a favorite place to vacation, but really likes the Pacific Northwest. And she is not a picky eater. She loves sushi, and Italian foods.

Her best tips for a new Etsy seller... take the best pictures you can. An expensive camera is not as necessary as paying attention to your lighting. Melissa also suggests having different payment options, and really organizing your sections well, so that buyers can find what they're looking for.

There are 4 more Challengette birthdays in November, so stay tuned for more features, plus the Etsy Blogger featured seller, StoryBeader.

Happy Birthday, Heather

I've decided to feature Challengettes in their birthday month, and before September ends, I want to introduce you to Heather of BeadifulBaublesSC, and wish her Happy Birthday! Heather is one of the jewelry makers in the One a Day Challenge Team. She joined just this past July, and shortly after she joined made a move from Michigan to California, so she has been one busy girl. She has 2 small children and a husband with a budding country music career, so life can be hectic, but she finds time to make some beautiful pieces. Here's a couple to tempt you with: