Think Like a Madison Avenue Mad Woman and Get Your Treasury on Etsy's Front Page!

I love the show Mad Men, it takes place in the sizzling sixties on Madison Avenue...where it all happens! To be sensationally successful in advertising and gettting your treasury on Etsy's Front Page, you've got to be on the cutting edge of the hottest trends and put out an ad (in our case: a treasury) that brings forth the pizazz our client (which is Etsy) is looking for! So in other words, the monthly Merchandising Desk article that Etsy posts on their blog every month is our guideline to fulfilling the desires of our client: Etsy.

The elements of a treasury that set apart ordinary treasuries and Front Page treasuries are as follows:

• The treasury MUST "flow". There needs to be a cohesive theme presented throughout the entire treasury. The BEST themes are those chosen by Etsy featured in their Merchandising Desk article...Give the client what they want! For instance, a popular theme right now is the upcoming holiday "Halloween"; in a treasury with this theme, you want to make sure that you depict the spirit of this holiday such as Ghosts & Goblins or Pumpkin Patches...Just remember not to feature an item that doesn't fit with the theme.
• Complementary Colors: Feature a color or an array of colors that complement one another and are presented throughout the entire treasury. I notice that a lot of curators don't seem to take this in consideration...BACKGROUND color. So many of us are focused on making sure the colors of the items flow, but are not necessarily thinking about the background color of the item listings; these colors are just as important for the flow of your treasury. Below is an example; it is a treasury by Etsy Recyclers Guild Team Leader Andrea of Storybook Artifact. Notice how not only are the item colors of purple, red, and green depicted throughout the whole treasury, but the bright white background color is shown in every item listing in the treasury. This makes the treasury really stand out and POP! It seems to me that a bright white background is the most popular background color featured on Etsy front page...but I have also noticed charcoal grays or an ecru or beige. I would also like to add that not all Front Page treasuries feature all items with the same background color, but these types of treasuries REALLY have color flow. If most items featured have a white background with gray colored items, then it is not unusual to see a gray colored background featuring a bright white-colored item in this treasury.

"Mischievous is My Middle Name" by Storybook Artifact

• Have an eclectic assortment of item categories featured in your treasury! Don't just have a treasury with a bunch of clothing and jewelry. Try to integrate furniture, kitchenware, men's interests, bath & beauty products, as well as handmade AND vintage items. Etsy likes for their front page treasuries to feature ALL sorts of items so their customers will have lots to choose from!
• I know it is easiest to appeal to woman with all of Etsy's feminine clothing, jewelry, etc. However, Etsy is wanting to feature more and MORE masculine and/or unisex treasuries...so keep this in mind; creating a manly treasury might be the one more thing you need to get a treasury on Etsy's Front Page!
• I find myself creating treasuries that depict a character; male or female, I enjoy trying to capture a personality within my treasury. I feel this also helps the flow of my treasury as well as fascinate the viewers. I like for my treasuries to tell a story and when I create a character, I can do just that! If my treasury is about a woman, I will often give her a name (which I sometimes feature in my treasury title) and I show item listings that portray a similar-looking woman with the same hair color...this helps capture a true singular character.
• Catchy Treasury Titles! Whether you pick song lyrics, movie titles, or are just being creative; pick a treasury title that is catchy and will intrigue people to click and view your treasury.
• Even more importantly...the first four items you feature in your treasury are the MOST IMPORTANT because this is what Etsy and other viewers will see before they click on your treasury. These item images need to be bright, bold, and very eye-catching...as well as capture and set the tune for the entire theme of the treasury.
• Lastly, make your treasury easy to find by using ALL of the available room for tags. Pick popular searched tags by using terms found in the Etsy Merchandising Desk article of the month that fit the theme or characteristics of your treasury.
  

Go ahead, impress your clients with your Mad Woman Marketing Skills!

This blog article was contributed by Etsy Recyclers Guild Team Captain Jessica of Eco-Friendly Freckles

Apple Cider Vinegar Diets when Fast Food Has Taken Your Soul

Photo Courtesy of Edopter.com

I was recently reading this great Etsy article on The Importance of Diet Diversity, and figured I'd share my story of how I stumbled upon Apple Cider Vinegar.

I miss my garden. Photo from ScoutRegalia.com go there to see this garden kit.

On the Go and Eating

This summer I've just felt horrible, I've been a lot sicker than usual (I'm usually never sick) and frankly more out of shape and run down that I've ever been. I had to stop and think what may have changed this summer versus every other summer.  The main factor is I have been nonstop traveling due to a heavy workload.  My diet has changed in the sense that previously I could spend more time preparing fresh fruits and vegetables from my garden and eat healthier.  When I did have a non-vegetarian dinner I made sure it was low fat, lean or organic.  On the road however, is a bit different story.

I'm not lying when I say I've probably been at home about 3 weeks out of the past four months.  My job makes me travel, work long hours, live in hotels where the complimentary breakfast is bagel and sausage links.... and eating fast food on the road has really taken a toll on me. 

Fast Food is Not Your Friend 
 
Fast Food is not your friend. I don't just mean McDonald's, I mean just about anywhere out that you can buy something.  Even when I tried to choose the healthiest thing on the menu, it was loaded with sodium. Just eating like this over several months, it gave me high blood pressure, packed on the pounds, and made me feel awful--sluggish, tired, run down.  I felt like I had low sugar, so I'd grab a Fountain Soda and well, what a mistake. The biggest problem I found, is that the average item I consumed has about 30 grams of fat, tons of sodium and fountain sodas loaded with sugar.  See the full list here, for those of you who love to grab a bite on the road!

MY SAVIOR!

Apple Cider Vinegar Diet to the Rescue
 
I ended up having to make a change.  I knew I couldn't go on at this rate.  So, I tried fasting for a few days, resting up and cleansing my system of the impurities by using an Apple Cider Vinegar diet.   Now let's just say I was a bit scared of what the cider vinegar would do to me, as it never went over well on my fries, but it has been a sheer wonder. I felt better and am hopeful when my blood pressure gets checked again, it should be down.

Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits

It is said that it's an old folk remedy for lowering blood pressure, increasing energy, and cleansing your system.  Here are some things I noticed when using the Apple Cider Vinegar in my diet.

• I didn't feel as sluggish, as if my energy level was increasing.
• I felt like the apple cider was washing way the impurities. 
• I didn't feel that there were so many highs and lows in my metabolism--I felt more stable.
• I didn't get those sugar crashes like I was on the road.  I think it stabilized my sugar.
• I lost a few pounds already, which is probably thanks to lowering my sodium intake and getting rid of excess fluids.

In actuality I have nothing bad to say about it, although the initial shock of drinking a bit of it each day sort of freaked me out. You get used to it because the benefits certainly outweigh any unpleasant tastes. (Hint: add the required dose to a glass of semi warm water and chug down) Although many health food stores sell cider vinegar , I have been using grocery store bought versions with no problems.  
A friend of mine who used to work with a doctor on a Holistic Therapy show actually turned me onto it and I can't thank him enough.  You should really read up on it if you too want to Cleanse and Purge the impurities out of your system using a natural remedy.

See a full list of real benefits here.

Celery or bust!

Tips for Eating on the Go

Now I take dried fruits, granola bars, bottled water, and juice on the road.  If I am near a grocery store I'll buy a bag of baby carrot, some celery and go to town on some fat free veggie dip. Some ice out of the hotel lobby into my carrying pouch will usually extend my leftovers until the next meal. Anything is better than eating fast food, even if you have to not eat at all.  ♥

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Post by Ira Mency of Retro Chalet. 

Etsy's Front Page, A Pipe Dream or Not?

Creating a treasury that makes it to the front page of Etsy doesn't have to be a pipe dream; however, I totally believe that it takes group effort among all things.  This "group effort" can be that extra nudge needed for your treasury to skyrocket into fame, and can be achieved by fellow team members viewing, admiring, clicking, commenting, and promoting your treasury.

Furthermore though, what does it take?  A PRETTY COLLECTION OF TREASURES!  Having a treasury that flows along a theme or color-scheme is always a good start.  Challenging yourself is fun; however, the broader the theme is, the easier it will be to achieve it.  With a broader theme, the more likely you'll be to finding a pretty item to feature from each shop you choose to pick from.  For instance, the color-scheme "blue" generally has more options per shop than the theme "Huckleberry Finn", but if you are able to pull it off, (i.e. HuckleBlueBerry Finn) all power to you.  CREATIVITY ROCKS!!!

Choosing bright lighter toned images for your treasuries is easier on the eyes than dark bold images.  Also, let your treasury images flow; I generally try to have the center images fade into the lighter-toned edges, but whatever works for you is what is important.

  And don't forget to feature team members to get their support.

  TAG YOUR TREAURIES!!!  Go hog wild with your tagging privileges; fit as many words in there as possible, and try to use keywords mentioned in Etsy's Merchandising Desk for the current month.

Most of all have fun with it, and let the treasuries work for you!  I have stumbled over a phenomenon that works for me: I like to feature items from people's shops who have recently favorited my shop, its items, and/or my treasuries.  It is always nice to see these friendly Etsians (some team members) return to say "thank you for the feature".  I also thank them for their favoriting by providing my shop's coupon code in the description of these treasuries.  My challenge is to go along the theme of "pay it forward", which I have lots of fun with. :-)

This article is a contribution from Andrea of Storybook Artifact.