The Handicrafter

Kimberly Ferrugia, owner of Beautiful Bridget, has a delightful shop bursting with handmade crochet scarves, cowls, scarflettes, hats, accessories and more. Kimberly pours lots of love and attention to detail into each product. If the completed item doesn’t come up to the standards of what she considers perfect then she won’t sell it - it’s that simple!

Her items have a fun and funky flair to them. Her color choices are divine! Kimberly adds unusual details to her items so they are each truly one-of-a-kind!

Beautiful Bridget opened on Etsy in May 2008. All of the items available in her store are handmade by her and can be made in various colors. If you see something you like but want it in a different color just let her know! She welcomes custom orders.

Shipping is completely free to the US and Canada! Beautiful Bridget ships internationally as well. She also offers gift certificates in her shop in case you would rather let your loved one pick their own gift or you just cannot decide because her creations are all so wonderful.

Die, Die, My Darling - Scarab Scarlet

Nichole Jeske is the owner of Paw and Claw Designs.etsy.com.  Nichole creates a mix of many different types of jewellery from traditional earrings to fun, geeky necklaces for “one-of-a-kind people with one-of-a-kind taste”. Her shop, Paw and Claw Designs, is filled with necklaces made from 20-sided dice, stamped sheet metal earrings, wire and beaded pendants, and earrings.

There is definitely something for everyone can in her shop which has been open on Etsy since October of 2006. Paw and Claw Designs offers free shipping worldwide on all items.

When asked where she gets her inspiration from Nichole said, “I’m most often inspired more by the materials than anything. I’ll see a beautiful die, or notice a random bend in some scrap wire, and just run with it. I’m a bit of a ‘geek’ and I love to incorporate that into my work. Little elements, 20-sided dice, and other obscure pop culture references make me happy. Since making jewellery makes me happy, too, it was only natural to me to mix the two.”

“When you buy something I made, you are essentially buying a part of me. I would never sell something I was not 100% in love with. If I wouldn’t present it as a heartfelt gift to my best friends, you won’t see it in my shop. I pour my heart into every piece, and I think it shows in each and every item.”

Nichole was asked how she makes Twitter work for her and her shop and she replied: “I’m a HUGE fan of TwitterFeed. I have it set up to automatically tweet when I list an item in my Etsy shops, upload a new image to flickr, and post a new blog post on either of my blogs. Basically anything I can RSS gets put onto TwitterFeed. This frees me up to tweet about ME. The ‘promoting’ is automatic.”“On Twitter, everything has ‘been done’. I worry less about getting people to look at my shop and more about making friends.”

When asked how Nichole promotes her shop, she pointed to an Etsy forum thread where she outlines her daily, weekly, and monthly promotional plans. If you need some promo ideas, read this thread for some great information.

Paw and Claw Designs’ Special for this week:

Use the coupon code “Twitter” in “Notes to Seller” for an upgrade to free gift wrapping with every order.

Order and shipping deadlines for Valentine’s Day:

Domestic - February 6th;
International - January 31st

As a member of the Etsy Twitter Team it is with great pleasure that I introduce you to the very first “Shop of the Week”. Each week a different Etsy Twitter Team member will be featured.

 The very first Shop of the Week is Flying Zoo Toys. With everything from flying ladybugs to flying fish, this shop is filled with handcrafted fun! Each of the flying wood mobile toys has wings that flap when set into motion via a tug on a string. 

The artist, Monika Mrozkova, originally from Czech Republic, has been making these wooden mobiles for more than 15 years. She is a full time artist whose work can be seen in galleries across the USA. She has been selling on Etsy since April 2008.  Currently, she only ships to the US and Canada.

To receive your purchases for Valentine’s Day, order by February 6th. 

Everything in Flying Zoo Toys is 15% off for this week. A refund will be issued through PayPal after completion of your purchase. Take advantage of this offer – you won’t be let down by the magic of these toys. 

(Photographs © Flying Zoo Toys/Monika Mrozkova) 

This week’s featured artist is Jennifer C. a.k.a.  My Magic Me. 

In addition to artwork, Jennifer offers to transform your ordinary photograph into something wildly imaginative and delightful.  Browsing through her shop I felt like I had fallen into the world of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream.  

Jennifer offers a number of different styles and designs which she will apply to your photo. One of the styles that fascinated me was the cat.  Another beautiful design is the Magical Unicorn.  

This is a very creative idea and would be the perfect gift for that difficult to buy for person on your list. Jennifer is holding a $6.00 sale right now so go on, go check out My Magic Me. 

Each week I’ll be featuring the work of a new artist or craftsperson. I’ll be covering almost all genres and styles (nothing that could be considered x-rated). Whether you make soap, doll furniture or paint like Jackson Pollock it would be a pleasure to consider featuring your work.  

If you would like to be considered for an upcoming feature, simply leave a comment on this article about this week’s featured artist or craftsperson and then post the link to your shop or website here.

Please note this is a 2 step process.

 I will make the drawing for this feature on Monday evenings.

Welcome to the Handicrafter’s first featured artist / craftsperson blog. Starting this week a new artist or craftsperson will be featured here at the Handicrafter.  I hope to highlight for you some of the wonderful talent that is available when you shop handmade.

The first craftsperson is Judy Jem, owner of Kid Knitz shop on Etsy.

Judy has a wide variety of crocheted items for adults and children. Her shop is well stocked with pincushions, beanies, purses, fingerless mittens, amigurummi and a whole lot more.

She says she loves custom orders and by the look things she is a fast worker as well.

Judy is located in Woodbury, CT and ships to the USA and Internationally.

She has been an Etsian since December 2005.

A Sample of Kid Knitz Beanies:

A Sample of Play Food:

Two Dashing Amigurummi Mushrooms:

To visit Judy’s shop, Kid Knitz, please click on the link Kid Knitz

Each week I’ll be featuring the work of a new artist or craftsperson. I’ll be covering almost all genres and styles (nothing that could be considered x-rated). Whether you make soap, doll furniture or paint like Jackson Pollock it would be a pleasure to consider featuring your work. If you would like to be considered for an upcoming feature, simply leave a comment on this article about the current week’s featured artist or craftsperson and then go and post a link to your shop or website  
here.