Showing posts with label The Artists Synchroblog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Artists Synchroblog. Show all posts

Sunday, August 18, 2013

The Artists Synchroblog (August)

The Artists Synchroblog (August) – The Artists Synchroblog is a group of bloggers who post every other month on the same topic, sharing our experience or perspective. On alternate months we undertake a Pinterest Project where we each take inspiration from a pinterest picture, create something (art, a meal, a DIY project, etc) and then post about it.

Hello peeps! This month it's time for another Synchroblog "Pinterest Project." I think you'll find this one very useful yourself. It's an "Etsy Treasury Posting Tool" I found on Pinterest by Stylish Home. This cool tool allows you to easily display your Etsy treasuries on your blog or website. You can promote your etsy team members by creating and featuring their work in a treasury, and then showcasing it on your blog. You can express your personal style by putting together treasury groupings by color, theme or topic, and then sharing them via your blog. And you can easily exhibit any treasuries that other people have featured your work in. Below is a screenshot of the post I found on Pinterest.


 One of the awesome features of this tool, is that when you share a treasury on your blog, all of the treasury items have active links back to their original stores! This is great news for everyone involved, because MORE links = MORE traffic! And who couldn't use more traffic to their shops!?

 Another thing I like about this tool is that it gives you three layout choices. 1) Traditional -- gives you the standard Etsy treasury look, with the item title, shop name and price displayed. 2) Images-Only -- gives you a "cleaner" look without displaying the titles and shop names below the items, but instead shows the info upon hover-over / roll-over. 3) Tiled-Image -- might be my favorite look. It gives a more stylized look, featuring all items grouped together in a tight artsy collage. And, as with all of the layouts, all links are built-in and link back to the artist's shop. Very cool!

 Stylish Home's instructions are clear and easy to follow. You just copy/paste part of your treasury's url into the Stylish Home tool, choose your display format, image size, how many columns you want, and hit "submit." The tool automatically generates the HTML markup that you need. Just copy/paste the HTML into your blog's HTML editor, and BOOM, you're done! Below is my first attempt at using the tool, on a treasury I created yesterday for my "Amy in The Arts" team! Just click on each image to visit each artist's shop!
'Amys in The Arts' by AmyEstelleMetalworks

A collection of my fellow Amys in The Arts teamies! Go Amys!

Into The Woods - Bunting 470cm - Orange, Mustard, Green - AimeesHandmadeHoard Handcrafted Photo Greeting Card Nature Photography White Pumpkins in a Road Side Farmer's Market Greeting Card - overthefenceart Summer Day Bead Pair 8mmx12mm - Handmade Lampwork Glass Earring Pair - Blue, White, Yellow, Orange - SRA - lampworkbyamy Santa Monica Pier original screen print on hand made wood box. Green, blue, yellow, black grunge - ArtbyColorScape
20" Decorative PIllow - amyswindleenglish Bowl- Wood Mosaic Inlay - EtzRon Black Flower Headband - Wool Felt Flower - Peony Headband - Statement Hair Accessory - FoldingChairDesigns Centered Throughout the Day - AMYoung3
Tomobako Handmade Presentation Box - GriggFineWoodwork Kindle Fire eReader Cover Sleeve in Taupe Beige 100% Cotton Crochet - Ready-to-ship - TheChickOfAllTrades Window - LilaCheedles SALE Cute Pillowcase Dress size 12 mos (in R. Kaufman Kitchey Kitchen fabric) FREE SHIPPING - amyzingcreations
Grey Flower Bobby Pins - Muted Color Flowers - Grey Bridesmaid Gift - Bridesmaid Jewelry - Hair Clip Ons - Hair Accessories - OneUglyUnicorn Weekend Sale - Teal Hobo - Turquoise Vegan suede slouch bag - Handmade handbag - Pick your COLOR -Made to Order - ACAmour Chakra Stone Tree of Life Necklace - SpiritualPathways Beaded Wrap Bracelet, Champagne Colored Fire Czech Crystal Beads, Pearls, Cream Waxed Cotton Cord, Silver Sunflower Button Closure - ForYouBYamy


A big thanks to Stylish Home for their awesome Etsy Treasury Posting Tool! I hope you find this tool as useful as I do and that you get much enjoyment from it!

 Now, take a few minutes and check out the other Synchroblogger's "Pinterest Projects" at the below links. That's what I'm about to do myself! :)

 Enjoy!
Amy Estelle



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Tuesday, July 16, 2013

MORNING BIRD vs NIGHT OWL

The Artists Synchroblog (July) – The Artists Synchroblog is a group of bloggers who post every other month on the same topic, sharing our experience or perspective. On alternate months we undertake a Pinterest Project where we each take inspiration from a pinterest picture, create something (art, a meal, a DIY project, etc) and then post about it.
Hello all. I can't believe it's already July, and time for another Synchroblog entry. July's Synchroblog topic is "Are you a morning bird or a night owl?" We can discuss when we think we are most productive, most creative, and/or what a typical day looks like.

I really had to give this question some thought. Since I work a busy full-time job by day, I basically have to be somewhat of a morning person -- or at least learn to be a morning person Monday through Friday. Up early, and out the door to my day-job as a Web Production Designer. Fast forward to the evening, after a busy day, and I'm pretty pooped. I enjoy unwinding at home with my Hubby -- dinner, tv and some surfing online. The evening is also a good time for me to check on my shop, my business & personal social media, and maybe catch up with some metal peeps. Oh, and fill the occasional order too. :)


Now, bring on the weekend! My favorite time! I always feel most free on Friday night, with the whole weekend ahead of me. That's when I start to feel creative and full of ideas. I start thinking about all I want to do over the weekend. (Whether I accomplish all I want to is another thing entirely, but I enjoy thinking of what all I could do.) The weekend is always best for bench-time. That's when I work on new pieces, photograph new work and update my shop. As for morning vs night, I think it's more of a question of weekday vs weekend for me. I am most creative when I feel relaxed and free from a schedule -- when I can do what I want to do. :)

How about you? When are you most creative? Check out the following links to see when the other Synchrobloggers feel most creative and inspired.

As always, thanks for visiting!
Amy Estelle



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    Sunday, June 16, 2013

    The Artists Synchroblog (June)


    The Artists Synchroblog (June) – The Artists Synchroblog is a group of bloggers who post every other month on the same topic, sharing our experience or perspective. On alternate months we undertake a Pinterest Project where we each take inspiration from a pinterest picture, create something (art, a meal, a DIY project, etc) and then post about it.
    Welcome to my 2nd-ever Artists Synchroblog post. This month we are all supposed to pick a Pinterest project to complete and then blog about the process and outcome. We can pick any topic—art, metal, food, whatever. At first, I thought I would pick a metal project, but then I thought it might be fun to pick a food/recipe to complete instead. I mean, how many beautiful food photos have I "pinned" and NEVER even tried to cook?! A ton! 
    Seeing that I'm not a cook, I chose something pretty easy to make—little mini quiches. They're a great grab-and-go morning food, they're healthy and full of veggies, and WHO can mess up breakfast, right!? :)
    Here's the original pin I found on Pinterest. It links to a lovely blog called Kalyn's Kitchen®, where Kalyn shares healthy home-cooking recipes. I'm definitely going to be frequenting her blog. Click this link to visit her blog -- Kalyn's Kitchen®.
    photo via Pinterest - source: Kalyn's Kitchen®

    Using the idea and recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen®, I then went off on my own and altered it a bit. The fun thing is that you can add anything you want to the little mini quiches. I chose to use mushrooms, zucchini, vidalia onions, peppers (from my Hubby's garden), and FF cheese. I sautéed all the veggies in some light virgin olive oil, because I didn't want them to be too crunchy. (I might have over-done it a bit) And I added some dried chives and black pepper while cooking.


    Next, I beat a dozen eggs, added a little milk and some dried chives. 




    Then I spooned some of the cooked veggies into each section of a greased muffin tin, and topped each with FF cheddar cheese. Next I poured in the scrambled egg mixture to a little over 3/4 full, and stirred a little so that the veggies wouldn't all be on the bottom. 



    I baked at 375 for 20 minutes, and that was that. Oh, they puffed up while baking, but settled back down after I removed them from the oven.









    I think they turned out pretty good, for my first try, and I already know what I'll do differently next time. Next time I think I will get one of those fancy silicone muffin tins like Kalyn uses. I think I'll leave out the vidalia onions and use green onions instead (like she did). I'll also decrease my cook time, and I'll add a dash of salt to each muffin tin mixture before cooking. All in all, I'm calling this one a success!
    A big thanks to Kalyn's Kitchen® for the great idea! And a big thanks to my Hubby for being my taste-tester/guinea pig!
    As always, thanks for visiting,

    To see what Pinterest projects the other Synchrobloggers chose, check out the following links:


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      Wednesday, May 15, 2013

      WORDS HAVE MEANING


      The Artists Synchroblog (May) – The Artists Synchroblog is a group of bloggers who post every other month on the same topic, sharing our experience or perspective. On alternate months we undertake a Pinterest Project where we each take inspiration from a pinterest picture, create something (art, a meal, a DIY project, etc) and then post about it.
      I'm excited to have been accepted into The Artists Synchroblog group! May's Synchroblog topic is "WORDS HAVE MEANING." So we are all posting about words that have meaning to us. Maybe a favorite quote, some words of wisdom, a poem, something that speaks to you.
      So, here's mine:
      "She believed she could, so she did."
      --Unknown
      Image via Erika of Stitched Simplicity 

      You've probably heard this one before. And it seems to be all over Pinterest and Etsy at the moment.
      I like it. I like the possibilities it represents. I like that it reminds me to have more confidence in myself. It reminds me that I can accomplish what I set out to do. I can set goals and actually reach them — all things I really need to remember in my daily life, things I need to keep reminding myself.
      Yes, I can do it if I try. I can make my small business successful. I can learn all kinds of cool, new metal and jewelry techniques. I can advance in my day-job. And yes, I can and will succeed in leading a more healthy lifestyle and eventually get to a healthy weight! I can even help inspire my family and friends to do the same! I need to remember that!
      I hope you are inspired too! :)

      Now, take a moment and visit the other bloggers and see their "words with meaning."


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