Tuesday, September 29, 2009

In The Box

Today, I would like to introduce DianaDesignsNY:


Hi Diana, please introduce yourself:

My name is Diana. I am married to a wonderful man, have 2 great little dogs, and 7 grand children!

I have always loved crafts - crocheting, knitting, sewing since I was 7 yrs old.

Even as a little girl, I had always signed all of my “art work” Diana Designs. So when I opened my own on-line shop it was only natural that I maintain that name.

I am a country girl at heart, even though I have never lived in the country. If I did, I would probably have so many animals. I LOVE animals. No, I am crazy about animals.

What pets do you have and their names?

I have 2 dogs, Giupetto and Gianna. Their breed is called a Toy Mi-Ki (pronounced Me Key). They bring such joy to my husband and I.

I also have 4 birds. A Sun Conure parrot, named Sinbad. I have had him18 years.

I have a Spectacled Parrottlet, named Giacomo. He thinks he is a tough guy, standing at only 4 inches tall.

I have 2 little Zebra Finches, Sonny and Cher, who have had lots of babies.

What is the name/location of your Etsy shop?

I have 2 etsy shops. My first is DianaDesignsNY.etsy.com , which I started last April 2008. This May I added an additional shop, StylinDogsBoutique.etsy.com.

How did you happen to start selling on Etsy?

I started selling at groomer shops, fairs and on eBay. When a friend told me about etsy, and I set up shop there, many new things started happening, and opening up for me. I love etsy, and all the events I am now involved in, and other etsians I have met. I no longer have the time to sell at the groomers’ shops, or on eBay, but I still enjoy selling at the fairs. There is something very special about meeting people face to face and chatting about their dogs in the open air at the fairs.

What's your favorite item in your store?

Oh gosh, that is a tough one. I sell a lot of holiday items. Currently Halloween has taken over my shop. My favorite Halloween item is “Spider Hugs”.

My favorite girl’s sweater is “Lil Mermaid”. My favorite skirt-ter is “Skulls So Sweet”.

I also have a special affinity to my “Fuzzy and Friends” line. I just keep creating more characters, and I have taken Fuzzy through all the holidays as well.

What's your most popular line of products?

The sweaters specifically are my most popular.

My Halloween costumes have been a big hit this year.

During the summer, I sold a lot of harness vests. I was so pleased when these finally started to take off. I had come up with the idea of this little shirt/ vest look for my boy to match my girl’s dresses.


Where do you get your inspiration/ideas for new items?

First, I would say my dogs, also known as my kids.

My sweaters were created just for them. I wanted a sweater that was comfortable, that would fit them right, and one where you could access their harness from under the sweater. So I created my own.

The designs jump into my head at the strangest time. I could be sitting eating dinner when an idea pops into my head and I must sketch it right there.

Many times a fabric will trigger an idea, or a fancy yarn.

My Fuzzy and Friends line was created around this eyelash yarn that I bought, and then the characters grew from there.

What do you want us to know about you as a person?

I love all animals, but especially those wonderful creatures that God put on this earth for us to love and enjoy - dogs. All sizes, all breeds.

I have always loved to craft, knitting, sewing, crochet, wood burning, leather crafting, and the list goes on.

I love fashion design. My favorite show is Project Runway. I believe I have combined all of these loves into one, with my shop on etsy.

But the most valuable of all, is all of the wonderful people I have met, and all the stories and photos I have shared with fellow animal lovers.

What do you want us to know about you as a crafter/artist?

With me it is first and foremost about the pet. I am dedicated to the comfort of the dog. It is also important that I provide quality and originality. I put a lot of love and attention into each and every outfit I make. It is important to me that the customer be happy. I therefore provide an exchange on any item that does not fit their dog perfectly.

What do you want us to know about your shop?

My first and primary shop is dedicated to providing a unique variety of clothes for toy breeds, in tailored sizes, as well as custom designs. I create and sell sweaters, costumes, dresses, vests, bandanas and my own creation - skirt-ters (skirt with sweater combo).

My second shop is where you would go to get a ready to ship pre-made item, and dog and cat toys.

What would you be doing/making/selling if you weren't doing what you're doing now?

I have a full time job as controller of a contracting firm. If I did not have to work full time, I would dedicate even more of my time to pet items and branch out to other areas, perhaps dog beds. Patio furniture for dogs has been in the back of my mind for some time. LOL

Where else can we follow you (twitter, flickr, facebook, blog, other online stores, etc.)?

Right now, it is only my blog – DianaDesignsNY.blogspot.com , which I call “Gianna and Giupetto Tails”, where I share mostly pet photos.

What do you have in the Pet Sampler boxes?

I am having so much fun creating my new line of dog and cat toys, and have chosen these as the items I include in the pet sampler boxes. The month of October they are Halloween toys. Also included with the toy, is a coupon good towards a dog outfit in my DianaDesignsNY shop.


Monday, September 28, 2009

Have A Look:

Lots of updates here this morning. Please visit our Furbabies page for the winner of the September Pet Photo contest.

Check out our entries so far for our Fall Challenge. The challenge is open to everyone, so please consider participating. Next month we'll have a vote and the winner will receive a free PetsJubilee mini Pet Sampler Box.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Safety: the GPS and the Cellphone

I know this isn't pet related, but a friend of mine posted this on her facebook page and I felt it was very important to share:

Safety

GPS
A couple of weeks ago a friend told me that someone she knew had their car broken into while they were at a football game. Their car was parked on the green which was adjacent to the football stadium and specially allotted to football fans. Things stolen from the car included a garage door remote control, some money and a GPS which had been prominently mounted on the dashboard. When the victims got home, they found that their house had been ransacked and just about everything worth anything had been stolen. The thieves had used the GPS to guide them to the house. They then used the garage remote control to open the garage door and gain entry to the house. The thieves knew the owners were at the football game, they knew what time the game was scheduled to finish and so they knew how much time they had to clean out the house. It would appear that they had brought a truck to empty the house of its contents.

Something to consider if you have a GPS - don't put your home address in it. Put a nearby address (like a store or gas station) so you can still find your way home if you need to, but no one else would know where you live if your GPS were stolen.

MOBILE PHONES
I never thought of this........

This lady has now changed her habit of how she lists her names on her mobile phone after her handbag was stolen. Her handbag, which contained her cell phone, credit card, wallet.... Etc...was stolen. 20 minutes later when she called her hubby, from a pay phone telling him what had happened, hubby says 'I received your text asking about our Pin number and I've replied a little while ago.' When they rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the stolen cell phone to text 'hubby' in the contact list and got hold of the pin number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account.

Moral of the lesson:
Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list.

Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mom, etc....

And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, CONFIRM by calling back.

Also, when you're being text by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don't reach them, be very careful about going places to meet 'family and friends' who text you.

*PLEASE PASS THIS ON
* I never thought about the above!
As of now, I no longer have 'home' listed on my cell phone.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

In The Box

This is a new series called "IN THE BOX" where you can get a more in depth look at the artisans who contribute to the Pets Jubilee Box. Today we're talking to SassySashaDoxie:

Introduce yourself:

Hello. My name is Athena and I am owned by Sasha, who is a very spoiled wiener dog. As a hobby we do a little "pawmade" shop on ETSY called SassySashadoxie.ETSY.com. On there, we are devoted to giving our fans and customers a little bit of pet related humor and sharing the joys of relationships with wiener dogs.

What pets do you have and their names?

Sasha. She is a spoiled rotten dachshund and you will all get to know her sassy attitude soon enough. She is my diva girl. Charlie is my mom's dog. He is a rescue foster that came to become a part of the family when we couldn't find the right home for him. Turns out that he had found his forever home with us, and new it before we did. He is a Jack Russell cross breed.

What is the name/location of your ETSY shop?

http://SassySashadoxie.ETSY.com

How did you happen to start selling on ETSY?

I sent a friend's dog a birthday card that I had made using his photo, and she suggested that I start selling my computer made items on ETSY. I put it off for a while thinking what I do is not exactly something that would make any money because anyone with a computer and photo editing software could do it. Well, after situations in my life changed for me, I found myself pondering the idea more. With a little more encouragement, I signed up and put a few items up just to see what would happen. Well, I sold some items, and then a few more. So I was hooked on ETSY after that. I can have fun creating with all my wacky wiener dog ideas and make just a little bit of money while I am at it.

What's your favorite item in your store?

I have so many favorites. It is hard to pick just one. However, I really love the humor displayed in my corn dog cards. They are wacky and cute at the same time.

I also love several of my recent abstract paintings. They are actually painted on with my own hands and not a computer. I find that the painting process is so relaxing, and I never quite know what it will be in the end. Usually, with my computer projects, I have a bit of an idea and work with it from there. In my paintings, it is just moving and mixing the paint on the paper with various objects until it looks like something to me.

What's your most popular line of products?

Well, I had to look. I have so many different products that it was hard to tell. After checking, I believe my dachshund greeting cards and bookmarks seem to be very "PUP-ular".

Where do you get your inspiration/ideas for new items?

From my dachshund, Sasha, of course! I do believe she gives me thousands of ideas all the time. It is almost like a little doggy voice going off in my head. You really have to live with a wiener dog to understand how much they add to the creative process.

What do you want us to know about you as a person?

I am a kind person that loves pets and wiener dogs especially. Sasha and I found each other almost 3 years ago, and my life has changed so much in that time. I think sometimes you developed a special bond with an animal that is like no other. She and I started an ETSY shop to spread the love of wiener dogs around. Most of the items in my shop are inspired by her and what I imagine her thoughts or words would be. I really believe that animals are in a sense human, too. They just speak a different language.

What do you want us to know about you as a crafter/artist?

I love creating and taking pictures of my Sasha. I have combined my love of computer designed art, making usable printed items like cards, other crafts, and dachshunds all in one. It is truly like having your cake and eating it, too. I was once told to find a job that you would be willing to do for free and find people who will pay you to do it as the secret of success. Well, just maybe, this store of mine is that secret.

What do you want us to know about your shop?

My store is 99 percent devoted to dachshunds and about one percent to my recent hobby of painting. I do on occasion have a few non-dachshund items, and I can custom make printed items with people's pets if they wish. However, the personality that comes out in the items words is very Dachshund in nature. You have to be owned by one to know what I mean. The wacky sense of humor and my Sasha's expressions that she has in her photos are just too cute. My shop can easily be any dog or wiener dog lover's favorite store.

What would you be doing/making/selling if you weren't doing what you're doing now?

Well, I probably would still be making the occasional items for friends and family's gifts. I have grown so much over the last year on ETSY and my artistic style has developed in the process. Also, I have developed other skills through this selling process. I have learned about on-line selling, and have gotten over my fears of purchasing items on-line. There is so much that this ETSY experience has given me beyond just my crafting.

Where else can we follow you (twitter, flickr, facebook, blog, other online stores, etc.)?

http://sassysashadoxie.blogspot.com/

What do you have in the Pet Sampler boxes?

I have contributed to the sample boxes a wide range of my products like stickers, bookmarks, gift tags, greeting cards, and so much more. You just never know what might be in the box from me at anytime. However, you can pretty much guess that it will have a wiener dog on it.

Friday, September 4, 2009

30 PRIZES!!!

The Scrumdiddlyumptious Mega Giveaway features 30 Etsy sellers and 30 different prizes!!!

PetsJubilee is offering a gift certificate as part of the giveaway. Enter now by going to:
http://jewelrybysolange.blogspot.com/

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Win a FREE Sampler box!

Our Mini Sampler Box is being offered in a blog giveaway! Please stop by http://doubledippedlife.blogspot.com/ for all the particulars.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

September Boxes On Sale Now!

Get your pet sampler box now. We're offering a wide variety of "sizes", designed to fit every budget. Each box contains a selection of handmade items from the independent artisans of the Pets Jubilee Team of Etsy.