{Skincare Finds} 5 Luscious Scrubs You Have to Try

Facial Scrub - (n.) a mixture of goodness used to scrub the gunk off your face; an exfoliator; a mixture that evens skin tone and softens the skin; something you have to use to make your pores look less awkward

-definition made up from experience by Brittany :)

Scrubs should be an essential part of your weekly skincare regimen. Here are a few yummy scrubs made by our fantastic members: beijaflores, jensancandles, skinfolk, thesoapseduction, and purespa2.

Moisturizing Honey Butter Sugar Scrub w/ Organic Shea Butter and RoseHip Oil

LAVENDER Essential Oil Dead Sea Salt Body Scrub with Sweet Almond and Olive oils

Sweet Molasses Body Rub...Organic BlackStrap Molasses and Enzyme-Rich Papaya Seeds with Hydrating Babassu Oil

Creamy Sugar Scrub-Lemon Sugar

Shower Sugar Scrubs - Goats Milk - Pink Sugar

{Etsy Tips} 52 Ways to Improve Your Shop During Rainy Day

Hi, Brittany here! It's raining where I live, so I thought I'd use my first post to write a rainy day to-do list of sorts. I hope it helps you as much as it's helped organize my thoughts.

1. Connect your viewers to the handmade aspect of your business by adding a story to your descriptions that tells how you made each item.
2. Review the prices of your items to stay competitive.
3. Update (and use) all 13 tags to match current trends and holidays.
4. Read the Merchandising Desk Report for the current month (again).
5. Create a treasury. Include members from your various teams and notify them of being included.
6. Participate in the Etsy Success Team Forum.
7. Ask your teammates for a shop critique.
8. Update your titles to match your new tags (or vice versa).
9. Fotofuze your pictures to brighten your white backgrounds.
10. List your items on Tophatter.com or Dreamers into Doers.
11. Flip through the current treasuries and comment on the ones you like.
12. Comment on the current article on the Etsy Blog.
13. Clean out the unused stock in your workroom and donate it to another artist.
14. Blog.
15. Write a tutorial for how to make one of your items.
16. Organize your workroom to fit your current needs.
17. Add brief shipping details to your listings.
18. Keep people viewing your shop by placing links to shop sections in your listings.
19. Design a new item.
20. Learn a new method for making your items.
21. Visit your local thrift store for supplies.
22. Contact local shops about consigning your items.
23. Create a catalog of your current items to leave in doctors’ offices, banks, etc.
24. Work on your wholesale linesheet.
25. Take a bath and relax.
26. Read magazines in your industry.
27. Subscribe to a few craft blogs and add meaningful comments to a few posts.
28. Watch a tutorial video on YouTube.
29. Search for your items in Etsy and take note of the tags of the listings on the first page.
30. Sign up for Google Analytics to better track your search ranks.
31. Look for suppliers that hand make their items.
32. Ask your family members and friends to critique your store.
33. Design business cards specifically for your shop (without your personal address on them).
34. Sign up for, or use, Twitter – for your business J.
35. Sing up for, or use, Facebook – for your business J.
36. Read a few posts on handmadeology.com
37. Analyze, or create, your yearly budget.
38. Work on your Business Plan, or download and start the template from sba.gov
39. Sign up for Wanelo and list some of your items.
40. Start, or update, your own website.
41. Do something creative outside your field: paint, draw, sew, write, etc.
42. Find ways to cut costs in your daily spending.
43. Find a good non-profit organization that could use the items you make—and donate a few.
44. Create a MailChimp newsletter to send updates to your customers.
45. Work on making more stock for your shop.
46. Ask your friends for items they’d like to see you create. You might be surprised by what they suggest.
47. Make your best seller in multiple colors.
48. Start working on a holiday line.
49. Set goals for the rest of the month, or the next month.
50. Streamline your processes.
51. Check your listing views on statsy.org
52. Find websites, or blogs, to advertise on. 

For more information about me, you can check out my personal blog: The Lion Hair Blog. 

New Team Blogger: Made with Hope Jewelry.

We really happy to welcome EAOC Team Member Brittany of Made With Hope to our blog team.  Brittany is from Tuscaloosa, Alabama and creates fabric button earrings and accessories.  She also has a graphic design etsy shop called Bevie.  You'll be hearing from her soon so lets welcome her.   In the mean time here's two of my favorite pieces from her etsy shops.

Celebrating Black History- Ms Octavia Butler

EAOC Team Member Robert Trujillo is an mixed media artist and illustrator living in Oakland California.  Here's a special post written and illustrated by Robert Trujillo.


To celebrate Black history month I want to praise one of the greatest storyteller's to ever put pen to paper, Ms Octavia butler

“the thing that I want to build is so damned new and so vast. I not only don’t know how to build it, but I’m not even sure what it will look like when I have built it. I’m just feeling my way. Using what ever I can do, whatever I can learn to take one more step forward”

These were words coming out of the mouth of Octavia via her character “Lauren Oya Olamina” in the story “Parable of the Talents”. I was introduced to Octavia by my mother. My mom and I both share a love for science fiction, good stories, and nerdy things all around. She would always tell me I should read her, but like most teenagers I hated reading! It wasn’t until I was in my mid twenties that I picked up “Wild Seed”. I started it and could not fathom how or why I was done with it days later. I read Parable of the Sower, Clay’s Ark, again same thing; and I’m a slow reader. I have many people to credit for teaching me how to read and Octavia is one of them. I’ve read 6 or 7 of her books and the last one is read was “Fledgling”. Her work not only weaves present day struggles and ideas into futuristic planes; it dissects society, flourishes with love, and promotes character.

I asked my mother to describe how she came across Butler’s work. Rubbing her hands together she began to describe a teacher and a library at Peltan junior high in Hunters Point San Francisco where she went to school. She had a professor who was into science fiction and led her to Butler’s work. She went on to tell me that winning the Nebula and the Hugo for a black woman at that time was unheard of. Not only were there few women who had one the award, but few people of color who had won it. Also, MacArthur awards, which Butler also won are usually reserved for people in science? Wow.

After reading a little bit on Octavia on wiki, I decided it best to leave her beginnings and finer details to you to research. I ahvent read her story “Kindred” yet so moms told me that I still had some reading to do. She also said that she was interested in Butler’s work and that of other science fiction writers because it gave a glimpse into a world outside of what we know. There’s tons of information on her, even a scholarship for writers of color set up in her name. Happy page turning.

CARNIVAL - EAOC Monthly Team Challenge

It's that time of year again when around the world celebrations of CARNIVAL take place! "Sights, Sounds and Scents" was this month's team challenge theme and our talented jewelry artists show off their visions of CARNIVAL!

Polymer Clay Snow Cone
Charm Necklace "Free Shipping"

Polymer Clay Cotton
Candy Carnival Pie Charm-A La Mode. Carnival Themed Party
Favor

Hot Pink and Neon
Orange Faceted Crystal and Dyed Jade Gold Circle Charm Dangle
Earrings

 

My Little Ackee
Earrings Red Black and Yellow Glass Seed Beads Jamaica
Fruit

Carnivale Cha Cha
Bracelet

Lovely Pink CHA CHA
Bracelet