Loving this pretty beach calendar from Etsy seller Carolyn Cochrane.  I’m not going to lie… pretty sure I am drawn to the lovely beach scenes mid-winter!

I mean, look at this close up of January’s photo pictured below.  I could use a beach vacation right about now!

I first heard about Carolyn’s shop via an Etsy Item of the Day shop submission.

“I’m a 34 year old self-taught photographer with a BIG passion for creating beauty out of simple subjects,“ Carolyn told me.  ”I love expressing myself through the use of color and light in my photography. I’m a nature girl, there’s nothing better to me than spending time outside with my camera looking for beautiful things to photograph. My favorite subjects are flowers, weeds, grass, birds and the beach.”

“I’m married to a very supportive husband,” she continued, “and for now our little doggie is our “child.” I spend most of my time working on my etsy shop and photography, I get so much pleasure from working on my passion everyday. I’m usually jumping out of bed everyday so excited to check my email to see what’s going on in Etsy-land.”

When she’s not taking stunning photos for her Etsy shop, Carolyn told me she likes to spend quality time with her husband, puppy, family, watch some of her favorite shows and movies, and go for walks on beautiful days.

I asked Carolyn where she likes to shop on Etsy.com and she told me about an Etsy shop called AliciaBock.

“I love Alicia Bock’s well-known photography shop. I especially love gazing at her gorgeous water photos, they’re so calming to me. I love her simple style, her use of tones and the moods her photos have,” she told me.

Carolyn shared some advice with me for other Etsy sellers:

“Since I’m still fairly new to Etsy I’m not sure if I should be giving advice yet,” she said.  ”I have learned a few things though. For one, I’d recommend getting on a few treasury teams. They’re a great way to get your items out there to the public. The other advice is to have excellent customer service, be on top of emails. I think the most important thing as a new seller is to find your own unique niche so you have a shop and product that really stands out from the rest.”

So what’s coming up next for Carolyn’s photography shop on Etsy?

“I have a few things on my to-do list for my shop,” she told me.  ”I think my biggest goal is to take and edit more photos so I can add more photographs to Etsy. I love color and want to have as wide a range of color options for people browsing my shop. I’m also working on some framable photo postcards and would also like to create some bookmarks with my photography.”

Love Carolyn’s work?  Be sure to peep her entire Etsy shop by clicking her shop name (CarolynCochrane) at the top of this feature.  You can also connect with her on social media sites by liking her Facebook page and following her on Twitter @CarolynCochrane.

- Jackie

Meet Etsy seller Rebecca Fitkin, an artisan I met via my Etsy Item of the Day shop submission page.  When I visited Rebecca’s Etsy shop (called RebeccasWhims), I fell in love with her listing for a custom logo stamp.  This would be often-used for my budding small business I launched January 2011!

“My name is Rebecca. I call my shop, Rebecca’s Whims, because I am constantly trying to mediums to practice my creativity with,” she told me. “Once I learn something, I usually abandon it for something new, but there are a few things that continue to rotate through the wheels in my head. I love to paint, but find little time to commit to it, with four children to chase around. One of my children is severely disabled and requires constant monitoring. I have to be able to tend him at the drop of a hat. My youngest is a fourteen month old cyclone! Luckily he spends the night with Grandma and Grandpa once a week! I work at night when everyone is asleep, and ‘between the rain drops’ as my husband says. I love all aspects of running a business, save for the constant need to market my wares from my home. If people could just see my things, they would sell themselves! I love making jewelry too. I am frequently surprised that I made something so pretty! Maybe I’m just easily impressed!”

“I love having the opportunity to create from my home, and I love having the ability to market online. I love my customers and really love special orders!” she added.

Rebecca’s Etsy shop has a wide variety of items – from great gift items for teens to art and sundry supplies.  With all this crafting, I wondered what Rebecca liked to do in her free time – if she has any!

“I love to walk with my daughter and our cameras. I love to instruct her on composition and lighting,” she told me. “I write, but am putting my writing aside, to get this business off of the ground. I love to chat with my friends and I love to pour over artwork by the masters. I love to read, and escape in a good love story. I love stories of great humanity and struggle, and I love when I feel as if I have learned a life lesson from a novel. I love to learn new things, and I am always looking for the next project. I’m a ‘glass is half full’ kinda woman, and I’m always trying to see the best in everything and everyone. I’m a bit naive and idealistic… but that makes my creations a little whimsical!”

Rebecca shared a great list of Etsy.com shops that she likes to frequent. Be sure to check these shops out – supporting local artists is really important to Rebecca.  ”Eugene has a gazillion jewelers, painters, and potters!” she said.

She also loves to look to Etsy for inspiration and things for her family.  ”Good handmade components inspire and and dimension to my creations!  And because I have to buy things for myself and my family sometimes!” she said.

Here’s the list:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/dinglewear – This is a local Etsy seller living in Rebecca’s city Eugene, OR.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/danielsfamilypottery

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BROOMCHICK

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ickadybag – Rebecca says this seller is really friendly to work with.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/casienipper

http://www.etsy.com/shop/GardanneBeads

http://www.etsy.com/shop/UnkamenSupplies

http://www.etsy.com/shop/abbyandellie – This Etsy shop has tons of hand-dyed ribbons if you are looking for supplies!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/SLArtisanAccents

http://www.etsy.com/shop/pontomimi – “Lovely family owned farm with chickens and twins and a beloved german sheppard,” Rebecca told me.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/momsblankies – Rebecca likes to shop here for sweet shoes for her disabled and wheelchair-bound son.

Rebecca’s advice to sellers is simple, but really valuable to sellers of all handmade products:

“Use quality components. Take terrific pictures,” she suggests.  ”Be recognizable – use the same image on all of your online accounts. Brand, brand, brand!”

So what’s next for Rebecca’s shop (called RebeccasWhims)?

“I plan on phasing out some of the less expensive items, and am going to introduce more sterling silver and genuine and semi precious stones in my jewelry!” she told me.

It looks like she has already started to list great jewelry.  You can find some of these items in her “Bec’s Boutique” section of her Etsy shop.  Just click the shop link at the top of this post (RebeccasWhims) at the top of this feature to peep the shop!

Long term goals for her pretty shop?  ”I hope to be able to introduce more paintings at this time next year, when the youngest heads off to preschool!” she told me.

Be sure to connect with Rebecca online!  Check out her blog here, visit her Facebook page, and follow her on Twitter at @LilMissChevy!  Why get to know Rebecca?  Well, judging from her awesome list of favorite Etsy shops listed above, it seems that she’s a great Etsy friend, supporter, and shopper!

- Jackie

When I left my office job to go full-time with the company I helped start, I knew one thing would really throw me off.  Access to office supplies.

I love, love, love office supplies.

If a gift card for Staples or Office Max came my way, I would be just as happy as if it was for Nordstrom or Saks.

Not sure where the love started, but I have a feeling it’s here to stay.

When I saw this cute vintage stapler selling at an Etsy shop called UsedAndAbused, I got pretty excited.  Isn’t it so cool?

Bonus: the seller says in the Etsy item description that this vintage beauty actually works!

Do you guys have any secret passions?  Come on, I came clean as a dork…

- Jackie

I am loving these darling handmade magnetic jars being sold on Etsy.com.  I think they would look great in my home office, alongside these other great handmade office supplies and decor.

This set of ten magnetic jars would be a great way to organize the old workspace.  They are selling for $45.00 and I love the pretty blue color!

The jars are small (measuring 2 inches by 1.75 inches) and fit about a quarter cup of material.  Strong neodymium magnets keep jars from sliding.

“Caps are embossed with names of your choice!” the seller writes in the Etsy item description.  What a great idea!!  During checkout, you can indicate the names you would like printed on the jars.

- Jackie