Etsy Weekend Feature- Hunter to the Hunted

This week I'm featuring Amy from Hunter to the Hunted. She has a wide array of items in her Etsy shop from brooches (pins), to collars, to designer fabric covered buttons. Read on to find out some more information about Amy's work.
I am based in... Torquay, a sea side town about an hour from Melbourne in Victoria, Australia.

I work from... Our Office/Craft Room/2nd Guest Room. And the kitchen table. And the couch...

My inspiration comes from... All over..especially other artists, nature, music, books..

The things I hold most dear are... Family, friends and my sanity...which comes and goes.

The 5 words that describe me are... Obsessive, excitable, quirky, sensitive, honest.

The 5 words that describe my work are... Unique, eclectic, evolving, raw, myself.

In the next year I... Hope to broaden my range further, whilst refining techniques. I also hope to broaden my following!

You can also find me... on twitter at http://twitter.com/HunterOnEtsy

Etsy Weekend Feature- Whitefly

Hi everyone,
As promised (and a little early) here's the second weekend feature from an Etsy seller. Amanda from Whitefly makes the most beautiful jewellery by casting directly from real vintage lace, ribbon, satin or string into solid sterling silver and gold.

Enjoy the interview!
Victoria




I am based in... Los Angeles

I work from... my home studio

My inspiration comes from... I enjoy the inherent beauty of natural materials, and metals. I love balance and the expression of ideas in a clear and simple manner. For example the idea of remembering special friends or relationships with a knotted string.

The things I hold most dear are... friends, family, experiences.




The 5 words that describe me are... loving, open-minded, creative, enthusiastic, ambitious.

The 5 words that describe my work are... elegant, clever, unique, precious, balanced.

In the next year I... hope to continue to grow my own business and transition to working full time for my own company.

You can also find me... Southern Weddings, thebrightsideproject.com, jewelryrevelations.com, indiecraftcorner.blogspot.com, hotcolddesert.blogspot.com

Etsy Weekend Feature

Every weekend, I will be featuring one Etsy maker on my blog. I'm looking for items linked to Japan, zen or the Japanese design ethic. If you are interested in being featured, please post a message on the forum thread here.

This week I am featuring EcoChicHandknits. Barbara makes beautiful crocheted nesting bowls from 100% organic cotton yarn.


Read on to find out more about EcoChicHandknits

I am based in... Stony Brook, New York - which is located on Long Island.

I work from... My couch! I have a very small house that I plan on moving out of in a few years *hopefully* but its really the only place for me to work from. I have all my yarns stored in boxes in the closet and keep a few skeins out at a time. Its worked out well for me so far but I dream of the day I can have my own craft room.

My inspiration comes from... things that I would want and need myself. I started making these bowls because I wanted set. I needed a way to organize my dresser and my desk that would still look great. My shop is still very new but I am planning on adding a lot more items in the future based on things that you use everyday and I also try and create things that I can reuse to replace items that I would use and then throw away. I plan on having a line of coasters (so you would use these instead of a paper napkin each time) as well as a washcloths/dishcloths (rather then using paper towels). I like creating simple practical items that will brighten up your day each time you look at them. I am also inspired by our environment and try to do my little part to help out which is why I only use 100% organic cotton yarn (although I am looking into a wonderful new yarn that is made from recycled cotton so keep an eye out for that!).

The things I hold most dear are... my family and friends. I would be no where without them. I am especially lucky for my boyfriend who has been wonderful and very understanding as I have been starting my business. He has put up with many hours of being ignored while I crocheted on the couch trying to get items to post and filling orders and still encourages me to do more to help my business grow.

The 5 words that describe me are... creative, determined, perfectionist, caring, and fun .


The 5 words that describe my work are... organic, eco-friendly, practical, lovely, meaningful.

In the next year I... hope to have many more sales and have a very successful business. I hope to have a lot of different products to offer and hope that they sell steadily and eventually get that craft room ; )

You can also find me... Since my business is still so new I haven't had time to start anything else yet (like facebook, twitter, etc). I am working really hard to get some more items up in my shop first but I am going to look down all these avenues soon. Keep checking my store for updates!

Thanks Barbara for such an interesting interview. Check back next week for a new feature.
Have a great week all.

Victoria

bikudesigns event in November

Hi everyone,

If you are living in Japan and more specifically, in the Tokyo area, I would love to meet some fellow Etsians at my next event here in Tokyo.

Here are the details:

bikudesigns jewellery and greeting cards
Saturday 7th November 2009
11.00am- 6.00pm
Addis Restaurant and Cafe
Toritsu Daigaku
Meguro-ku
Tokyo

10% discount for Facebook fans:)

I hope to see you there. Please let me know if you are coming along on my Facebook fan page. If you're not a fan yet, why not join up?!

bikudesigns event

Sorry it's been so long since I last blogged but life has been pretty busy. I just wanted to let you all know that I will be having an exhibition of my jewellery and greeting cards just in time for holiday shopping.

Saturday 7th November 2009
2.00-6.00 pm
Tokyo, Meguro-ku

I may have the exhibition in a gallery or I'm thinking about having an open studio exhibition. I'll let you all know nearer the time. If you would like to come along for a browse and a glass of wine, please join my fan page on Facebook for more details.
Hope to see some of you there:)

Featured on Found Handmade Blog

I just found out that my Bamboo Pinky Ring was featured on Found Handmade's blog today. Some lovely shops on there...have a browse when you have a moment:)
http://foundhandmade.com/news/itemize

Cup ring sold

Well, it has been in my Etsy shop since the beginning with lots of interest and love (quite a few hearts) but until now nobody has been brave enough to buy it. And now it's on its way to the other side of the globe to its new owner. I now have to consider if I want to make more of these rings or just make one for myself so I don't miss this one too much:)
Should I continue to make more? Let me know your thoughts...

Have a great Thursday.
Victoria

Etsy Treasury

Thanks to lilyja for including me in her lovely treasury today. Check out the lovely beaded jewellery she has in her shop.

If you don't know what a treasury is, here's brief summary. Etsy members put together a selection of their favourite items based on a theme. They make the treasury online and sit with fingers crossed that the treasury they made will be selected by Etsy admin and make it to the Etsy front page.

Click here to view the treasury

Have a great day:)
Victoria

New work featured first on Facebook

I've been working on adding some colour to my work in the last couple of weeks. I gave my Facebook fans a sneak preview of some of these pieces already and none of them have been added to my Etsy shop yet.
Would love to hear your thoughts:)

Victoria

Ikebana for a sunny day

One Lovely Blog Award

I received the 'One Lovely Blog Award' from Gems by Gerri. She has a wonderful shop that sells beaded jewelry at Gems by Jerri Etsy Shop.

I will gratefully accept this award and pass it on to others.

But first here are the Rules.

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who gave it to you and a link to their blog.

2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you have newly discovered.

3. Contact the bloggers you award to let them know that they were chosen.

Now here are the blogs that I am awarding the One Lovely Blog Award.

Leet Gallery
My Gypsy Goods
Izile's Oddities
Fabulously Funky
Momspective Reviews
Ask Ms Recipe
1 Blog and 2 Sides
Jenn Cooks
Theresa's Treasures
Mommy's Little Corner
Out of the Pink Sky
Lenox Knits
Unique You
Fun Jewelry
Sand and Sea Design

Become a fan of bikudesigns jewelry

Hi everyone.
Just a couple of weeks ago I created a Facebook Fan Page for my jewellery. I am slowly but surely gaining fans and I'm finding it's a great way to quickly get in touch with people who are interested in my work. I even invested in a 24 hour ad campaign yesterday which has helped a lot:)
If you are interested in becoming a fan, I would love you to drop in for a visit.

See you all on Facebook.

Victoria

click the link to connect to my page:
bikudesigns jewellery on Facebook

What a day! Featured in The Storque

Woo hoo!

Well, it had all been going a bit quiet on the Etsy front lately, until today! I just found out from Jacqui at Meeabee via Twitter that I was featured in the Etsy Storque today. It was my nest wrapped silver ring that made the cut and several sales have occured since the feature.

You can check out the Storque here: Etsy Storque Locally Grown

We all use numbers every day....!

9,885: Views on this blog
7,735: Etsy item views
1,694: Twitter followers
374: Etsy shop hearts
269: Etsy item hearts
91: Blog followers
47: Flickr contacts
30: Flickr groups I belong to
34: Facebook fans
7: Times on the Etsy front page

Wow! When I see the numbers like this, I can't believe that I have managed it all in 6 months!
If you are interested in following me on Flickr, Twitter, Facebook etc. just click the links above. I'd love to hear from you:)

New work on its way

Before I move on to new work, I thought it was time to view my collection as it stands.
Hope you like it:)

Hiroshima Trip-The Food

Some of the wonderful food we had on our trip to Hiroshima this year.

Peaceful Images from Hiroshima

Hubby and I took a trip to Hiroshima earlier in the year and found the experience very moving. When days are stressful, I can easily recall these images to mind and realise that I have a very lucky and fortunate life.

Ikebana for a rainy day

It's been a while since I had a moment to blog lately. But I'm back!
Two ikebana arrangements for a rainy and miserable day in Tokyo:(
Enjoy!

Meet Cyrus: Japan Team Featured Item

This week I had a browse around the toy shops in the Japan team and found this cutie called Cyrus. I love his fluffy tail too! Ayumi Kinoshita's work is so cute and beautifully made.
Why not have a look at some of the other soft toys in AYMK's shop too?


Oh no! I just found another really cute item!

Featured on the Etsy Front Page

Wow! I wondered why my hearts and views had gone through the roof when I checked today. And here's the answer. No sales from the feature, but it's still nice to see that I'm still being noticed occasionally:)
Happy days.
Thanks to naventin jewelry for choosing me.

Japan Team Featured Item- Easter Sunday

Now my hectic giveaway is finished, it's time to get back to normality:)
This week's featured item is from Japanese Temari.
I really love the washi eggs that Barb Suess has painstakingly made from a real egg and Japanese paper.
As it's Easter Sunday today, this is even more fitting to kick off the Japan Team Featured Item again.


Happy Easter everyone!

Victoria

And the winner is...

Introducing Bonnie and Bella the Springboards (Border Collie/ Springer Spaniels) who helped me to fairly administer my giveaway today.

I gave them two envelopes full of the competition entrants' names and asked them to choose one envelope. The names in the envelope they chose were then split into two and put into two envelopes and they were asked to choose again. We carried on doing this until we were left with one name.

I thought this was going to be a tricky task but Bonnie and Bella did what they were asked and came up with a random winner at the end (with the help of a few biscuits:)).

Are you ready girls?

On your marks...get set...GO!

Let's choose this one Bonnie! OK, Bella... Good choice.

Why didn't Victoria put some biscuits in here for us? What a meanie!

I'll take this one please. I get to choose first as I'm the big sister.

Is it OK if I choose this one Big Sis?

Yawn! We're getting tired now. We need some biscuits to keep our energy up.

Yes, this is the one I wanted to choose. I knew this one would win (because I'm the Big Sis). I knew all along that this one would be the winner.

What does it say, Victoria?

And the winner of the first bikudesigns giveaway is...

Sandie of ZaftigDelights

Thanks to everyone who entered the competition. Over 80 of you entered and left wonderful comments on my blog. I appreciate your support for my first giveaway.

I'll be in touch over the next few days to let you know about your free gift!

Victoria

Three Days left to enter my giveaway!

I'll be making the draw for my giveaway on Monday 6th April at 12.00 pm UK time. There's still time to enter if you haven't already:)
Don't forget, if you want to give my giveaway some publicity on your blog or website, I'll enter your name twice more so that you can up your chance of winning.
See the post below for details of how to enter or click the link above to find the info.

Only three more days to go:)

Only 9 days to the end of my giveaway competition!

Don't forget to enter if you haven't already. Still 9 days to go to the draw.

Would you like to up your chance of winning?
I will enter your name twice more if you advertise my giveaway on your blog. Just copy the photo and the text below with a link to my Etsy store on your blog and send me the link when you've done it!
Good luck.

BIKUDESIGNS GIVEAWAY STARTS TODAY!

The First bikudesigns Blog Giveaway

Signature bikudesigns Nest Wrapped Silver Ring (choose your size)

Saturday 21st March- Monday 6th April


Conditions:
Open to anyone, anywhere in the world.
The winner will be drawn on Monday 6th April when I'm in Scotland.
The winner will be contacted directly and the results posted here on my blog on Monday 6th April.

How to enter:

1. Go to my etsy shop here


2. Find your favorite item, write me an etsy convo naming it and saying why you like it. Leave your full name and address.


3. Write a comment on my latest blog post.

You have to post in both places to qualify for the prize draw:) Good luck everyone!

BIKUDESIGNS giveaway starting soon!

Only 40 hours left to the launch of my first giveaway. On your marks, get set.....

COMING SOON! bikudesigns giveaway

Watch this space for my first giveaway starting on Saturday 21st March!

You could own a bikudesigns signature piece, custom made for you in the size of your choice.

Kreativ Blogger Awards

I have been a bit snowed under since feeling under the weather, so now it's time to accept the two, yes two (!) Kreativ Blogger Awards I was given over the last week or so.


The first one I received was from Nancy at nfall2rt design studio and the second one was from Duni at Lovely Purses.

The rules are to:

1. Copy the award to your site.

2. Link to the bikudesigns blog.

3. Nominate 7 other bloggers.

4. Link to those sites on your blog.

5. Leave a message on the blogs you nominate.

Here are the blogs I think are fabulous:

Jacqui at Blooming in Nihon Japan
Rasa at Happyment
Nicole at Nicole Tattersall
Urbanekdesign
Above Happy Valley
Bizzie Lizzie
A Blond and a Torch

Japan Team Featured Item- Togei ceramics

This week's featured item is from Togei- Ceramics and vintage finds. As a collector of Japanese ceramics, I was interested in Dave's work as soon as I saw it. These cups would definitely fit in perfectly with my collection...just not enough space left in the cupboard:)

You can check out his other ceramics work and his vintage kimono collection in his Etsy Shop.


As always, the dynamic Japan Team blog can be found here.

Etsy Front Page Twice in Two Days!!

I haven't been able to blog at all this week as I was sick for most of the week. However, my Etsy Store still continued to grow despite me being unable to work on anything. You know what they say... a watched pot never boils!
Bamboo Teardrop Ring was on the Etsy front page twice in 2 days which earned me a couple of sales and LOTS of views and hearts! Thank you if you added me as a favourite.
Thank you to Michon for featuring me in her treasury which made it to the FP. Thanks also to Etsy admin for choosing me:)

Sunday Ikebana

Japan Team Featured Item

This week I have chosen a piece of work from one of my favourite jewellery designers in Japan. Yuji Kono makes fabulous organic-inspired pieces in silver often with enamel touches. This piece shows the commitment Yuji has to excellent craftsmanship and design. I really want to buy something from him but I'm so spoiled for choice and can't decide!

For more information about our talented team members you can check out the Japan Focus Etsy Team blog here.

Hiroshima Trip-The Food

We have been back in Tokyo for almost 2 weeks now, which is enough time for our Hiroshima trip to sink in. The amount of food we ate during our 4 night stay was INCREDIBLE as we opted to stay in Japanese ryokans complete with onsen (natural spring hotbaths).



Over the four days our tastebuds were assaulted with oysters cooked in numerous ways (and some raw ones too), grilled fugu (blowfish), four different nabe (hot pot) dishes, fish intestines, sashimi of all kinds all washed down with Japanese 'bin' (bottled) beer... Oh no! I'm starting to feel full all over again.

Spotted on Indiespotting

I submitted my oval bamboo ring to Indiespotting a couple of days ago and have just heard that it has been 'spotted'. Great news. Just thinking about what to submit next week!
Here's the link to Indiespotting. Good luck if you are going to submit your own item:)

Japan Team Featured Item

Time for Saturday's Japan Team Featured Item. This week's featured seller is AKjapan-Original Art from Japan by Andrea Kobayshi. This is a beautiful ink drawing on washi paper. Enjoy having a look in Andrea's shop. She has some beautiful work.

Etsy front page again!

Well, here's the treasury that made the front page this week. Thanks to Finchbird for creating it.
What a great feeling:)

Japan Team Featured Item

This week I had to work fast to get the Japan team item to you all. I've been in Hiroshima and Miyajima all week without internet access so today is the first chance I've had to have a search around for something inspirational.
This week's item(s) is from Blue Bonbon Yuuco. I love these prints as they remind me so much of a favourite Richard Scarry cat book I had when I was small. Ahhhh! Hope you like my choice this week. See you all next Saturday with another fantastic Japan Team Item.
If you want to find out more about the Japan Focus Etsy Team you can check out the blog here.