ETSY

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Etsy Christmas/Holiday Gift Guide 2018 - A DIY Christmas

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Gingerbread House Kit by Pinkcocoashop

Gingerbread House Kit by Pinkcocoashop

Spending time with family and friends makes the holiday season so special. This year I’ve selected Etsy items from UK sellers that you can create yourself and get the family involved with!

These DIY kits make unique gifts too (the gift of creativity!) and you’ll find projects to choose from for all ages, skill levels, and tastes.

Click through the images to see the listings on Etsy.

There is another great way to give the gift of creativity and a new skill! A voucher for one of the fantastic courses or workshops offered on Etsy.

To see my 2017 Nordic Etsy Christmas gift guide inspired by my Finnish family traditions, lookie here!

Wishing you all a happy, healthy, creative Christmas!

A wee note: while my post does contain affiliate links, this does not affect which items I choose. It simply means if you purchase something via one of my links I receive a small commission to top up my tea jar!

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Etsy tests announcement - what new features is Etsy testing?

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Etsy Announcement - Etsy new features testing.jpg

Etsy is testing new ways to inform shoppers of what’s popular and unique on Etsy. Here's some insight into what Etsy is testing, and new features you may notice:

Etsy is currently testing:

  • The functionality of 'favouriting' and adding items to a list from the search and listing pages. "We’re testing favouriting and adding items to a list from the search and listing pages to help Etsy shoppers keep track of items they’re interested in while browsing or searching." They are testing this to "understand how shoppers interact with favouriting and creating lists while browsing or searching."
  • Different ways to highlight a shop’s sale when buyers are shopping on Etsy. "We’re testing different ways to highlight a shop’s sale when buyers are shopping on Etsy to help give information most relevant to their needs. For example, letting buyers know when a shop’s sale is ending." Their goal is to "understand how to better communicate sales and how different approaches may affect a buyer’s purchase."
  • A limited-time offer to potential new buyers. "We're testing special offers to new buyers on Etsy. For example, a limited-time credit for their return purchase when they spend a designated amount on their first." The goal here is to "incentivise new buyers in making their first purchase as well as coming back again to Etsy for a return purchase."

    Etsy notes that:
  • "Not all buyers who visit your shop will see what we’re testing. This is because Etsy often displays experiments to a small percentage of buyers." 
  • "We recommend not making changes in your shop in response to a test. The experiment you’re seeing might not result in a permanent change."
Etsy testing announcement

See my blog posts about Etsy seo for tips on optimising your shop and listings:

Keep an eye on the forums (and my social media posts) for updates! What are your thoughts on the tests? How do you think they might impact your shop?

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Etsy Mother's Day Gift Guide 2018 - What a Mum Wants

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It's Mother's Day on Sunday March the 11th this year. While every day is a great day to celebrate your mum(s), step-mum, grandma, or a new-mum friend; Mother's Day is an extra special opportunity to spoil them and/or let them know you're thinking about them (and their sleep-deprived nights of times past or present)! If you shop small and local for Mother's Day treats on Etsy, you're supporting small businesses at the same time. Warm-fuzzies all round!

Number 1 Mother enamel pin badge by OldEnglishCo

Number 1 Mother enamel pin badge by OldEnglishCo

Etsy invited me to create a Mother's Day gift guide of Etsy items my mother might like to receive. I've curated a collection of Etsy items that take into consideration what my mum loves.
Criteria:

  • She doesn't like me splashing out on expensive gifts (prefers token gifts).
  • She likes garden and bird related things.
  • She likes contemporary design.
  • She likes personal, thoughtful gifts.

Click through the images to see the individual items:

I hope you like my selection of gift ideas for mum and the wonderful women in your life! I'd love to know which are your favourites and why?

See Etsy's own Mother's Day gift guide picks here.

A wee note: while my post does contain affiliate links, this does not affect which items I choose. It simply means if you purchase something via one of my links I receive a small commission to top up my tea jar!

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Etsy Christmas/Holiday Gift Guide 2017 - A Nordic Christmas

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Nordic Christmas tree gnome decorations by Littleromadecor

Nordic Christmas tree gnome decorations by Littleromadecor

Sometimes it's the little things that make the festive season special. Etsy invited me to create an Etsy Holiday gift guide that holds tradition or meaning for me. Christmas is mostly a traditional Finnish celebration for my family, due to my mother being a Finn. We celebrate on Christmas eve with a home cooked evening meal, some Finnish Christmas music, gift giving, and glögi (mulled wine). I've curated a collection of Etsy items that are reminiscent of our Finnish/Nordic traditions at home, with decorations, gingerbread, and elves included in my finds!

Traditional Christmas Decorations

What I love about traditional Finnish Christmas decorations is they instantly transform an English house into a Nordic style home. There are some tasteful contemporary interpretations of the traditional designs on Etsy, along with authentic vintage items. Click through the images to see the individual items:

See more Nordic/Scandinavian Christmas items from Etsy sellers here.

Delicious Gingerbread

Mini gingerbread house, handmade by my Finnish mother.

Mini gingerbread house, handmade by my Finnish mother.

Every year in the run up to Christmas, my Finnish mother could be found kneading gingerbread dough, cutting shapes, filling our house with divine baking scents, building little houses, and decorating them beautifully by hand. Not only was her creativity inspiring, but we got to ruin all her hard work and eat it as well, eventually! There was that one year I'm told we snuck downstairs and demolished most of it in one sitting before Christmas, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't do anything that naughty ...

There's an impressive selection of giftable gingerbread products on Etsy if you're looking for cookies, fudge, gingerbread tea, marshmallows, or a variety of other delicious goodies. Click through the images to explore gingerbread items on Etsy:

Explore all gingerbread edibles on Etsy here.

Christmas Elves (Finnish "Tonttu")

A tonttu girl - Finnish elves feature in my own work often. Yeah, maybe I still believe in them after all!

A tonttu girl - Finnish elves feature in my own work often. Yeah, maybe I still believe in them after all!

As a child I believed in tontut (Finnish Christmas elves) and quite frankly I'm not surprised, as I'd hear the bells on their hats tinkle as they ran past the house, and see a quick flash of a red hat as they'd peek through the window.

No, I wasn't imagining things - my parents orchestrated this display using broom handles with hats, and bells. I have never been so well behaved as around Christmas time when tontut, the 'spirits of the homestead' were keeping watch!

Our houses are decorated every year with the little folk; you will find a tonttu anywhere you look, from wall decorations to tableware, to ornaments, to textiles, and they are created with a variety of different materials. Here are a few of the folkloric friends I found on Etsy:

Discover more little elves on Etsy here.

I hope you've enjoyed learning about some of my 'Finglish' Christmas traditions. What holiday traditions are meaningful to you? Share with us in the comments!

A wee note: while my post does contain affiliate links, this does not affect which items I choose. It simply means if you purchase something via one of my links I receive a small commission to top up my tea jar!