Item: Child’s Apron
Seller: juliemarieshop

Isn’t this child’s apron by Etsy seller Julie Burns darling?

Here’s another photo of it to show some more detail:

“I love to sew. I am not afraid to sew most anything,” Julie told me in her shop submission to my site. “I love making purses, scarves, pillows and other home accessories along with skirts and dresses for my daughter. I am married 5 years and have a daughter age 5 and a son age 3, they are my world. I am a stay at home mom just trying to get my online business going until I can get enough money saved up to have an actual store front. I love living each day to the fullest with a great big smile.”

Julie told me that when she’s not working on items for her Etsy shop, she enjoys going for drives with the family through the smoky mountains and taking lots of pictures.  ”Or I am in a fabric store (aka heaven),” she adds.

I always like to ask sellers where they like to shop on Etsy.com.

“The shops I love are RedbirdJewellery, AllSoCute, and shawnaerback,” Julie told me. “I love the photos and simplicity of her designs of redbirdjewellery. I can’t enough enough of the little creatures of Allsocute and its something about the dreamlike paintings of Shawn’s store that inspire me. Each of these artists inspire me in their own unique way. I feel motivated to continue in my craft whenever I visit their store.”

Julie shared some advice to other sellers with me:

“Don’t give up. Try to become friends with other sellers on Etsy because they are what keeps you motivated and inspire you. Also, join Etsy Success Team and constantly check out the Etsy blogs to get selling pointers,” she suggests.

Connect with Julie online! Visit her on Twitter @juliemarieshop, view her Facebook Page, and check out her blog here.

- Jackie

Item: Keep Calm Wine Glass Charms
Seller:  locksofpizazz

Meet Etsy seller Emily Bittner, the crafter behind Etsy’s LocksOfPizazz.  I first met Emily via my Etsy Item of the Day shop submission page.

“I am a polymer clay artisan obsessed with classic imagery such as damask,” Emily told me.  ”I design trendy and unique patterned jewelry and hair accessories by method of image transfer. I often accent pieces with recycled vintage rhinestones or buttons. I also have a line of whimsical and personalized wine charms -great for hostesses, weddings and girls nights out.”

Emily’s line of girls night out items are really cute.  My favorite are these fun KEEP CALM wine glass charms featured above!

When she’s not crafting for her Etsy shop, Emily stays busy.

“I like to read, and like trying out new (vegetarian) recipes. I am always happy to go thrift shopping or flea marketing and look for great old findings for my jewelry. Always comes back to that!” she said.

I like to ask Etsy sellers where they like to browse on the site, because oftentimes I am introduced to really awesome shops this way.

“There are so many talented people on Etsy with beautiful shops,” Emily told me. “I like items that tell a story and love visual dichotomies. For jewelry I love Victory Jewelry Design and My Broken Art.  I also love Emily Balivet’s work, as well as Savoy Faire’s lovely shabby chic clothing.”

Emily shared wonderful advice to other Etsy sellers:

“Invest in a good camera. Pictures are key,” she suggests.  ”Have patience, and don’t be shy when it comes to promoting your work. Look at trends, but don’t be a slave to them. Spend time perfecting your techniques.”

So what’s next for Emily’s shop locksofpizazz?

“I am working on a line of chokers now which will be more of a gothic style than I’ve designed before,” she told me.  ”I hope to get my work in some more boutiques for 2012.”

Loving Emily’s work?  Say hi to her on social sites! Peep her Facebook page here, read her blog, or follow her on Twitter @LocksofPizazz!

- Jackie

Item: Lovebird Lidded Pitcher
Seller: Ninainvorm

I heard about this shop via Etsy seller Julia Staite when I featured her darling handmade alphabet blocks the other day.  Julia said she really loved the items listed in Ninainvorm, so I thought I’d check this shop out.  Turns out I’m a fan too!

Here are some of my favorite colorful items listed by this handmade seller:

Thanks for pointing me this shop’s way, Julia!  I love when I get great recommendations from other Etsy sellers for new shops to peep!

- Jackie

Item: Elephant Screen-printed Tea Towel
Seller:  CyanideStitches

Leading up to Thanksgiving, I wanted to share a couple things I am thankful for.  There are so many things to pick from (I’m a lucky girl), but one of the things I am most thankful for is my relatively recent love of cooking.

For most of my life, I didn’t have much of a desire to cook.  Honestly, I think I figured I probably wouldn’t be so good at it, so I never tried.  I’m sure we can all point to someone in our lives who makes cooking look really complex and difficult.  If you’re like me, hearing people talk semifreddo (in a snarky foodie tone) doesn’t really make you think you can conquer the kitchen anytime soon.

However, after getting some delicious recipes under my belt, I found out that I’m not too bad in the kitchen. Plus, it’s really relaxing and a lot of fun!

I think one of the most important things to remember when starting out is that you need to have an open mind about new tastes and unique ingredients.  I cannot tell you how many times I looked at a recipe with 10+ ingredients and thought I couldn’t hack it.  One of the most valuable lessons I learned is that it’s important to at least try.  I’m not a picky eater (which helps a lot!) so it’s not that I’m against adding saffron or other unique spice to a dish — I just get intimidated by the long list of ingredients.  It took awhile to learn that more ingredients does not necessarily equal a more difficult dish!  Deciding to give the new recipe a whirl is sometimes the most difficult part.

Lucky for me, there are so many great kitchen items on Etsy.com.  Without fail, I can always find something I would love in my kitchen just by doing a quick search on Etsy.

On of my favorite things to check out is the vast handmade tea towel selection.  The shop I am featuring today (called CyanideStitches) has a darling selection.  Just click the shop name at the top of the post to view all of the lovely towels!

- Jackie