Featured Friday PaperWhiteJewelry

Tell us who you are-

Hello! My name is Cara, I am living in Michigan (and consequently a member of MICEtsy) but I am a Utah native. I like red, turquoise, pearls and The Office.

Other than creating things for etsy, what do you do?

I work at a University in my spare time. :)

What first made you want to become an artist?

I guess I've really thought of myself as an artist more just a person who likes to make jewelry.

Describe your creative process and the materials you use

My creative process is waiting for inspiration to strike and then working on things for a couple of days/weeks and then waiting for the next inspiration to strike! I mostly use semi-precious stones and silver but lately I have been enjoying glass beads as well.

What handmade possession to you prize the most?

Probably the necklace I made for my wedding. It is really what got me into making jewelry and I love it. It brings back memories every time I wear it.

Top 5 websites you visit besides etsy?

http://www.foodnetwork.com/- I love that I can find a recipe for almost anything here.

http://www.marthastewart.com/- I love finding recipes and gardening tips here.

http://www.paperwhitej.com/- My blog, I spend a lot of time here...

http://www.facebook.com/- I spend a lot of time reading what other people put up and playing Pathwords.

http://www.wikipedia.org/- I use this probably every day to look up things I get curious about.

Any advice you have for new etsy users-

Use the forums, that is the best way to meet people and find opportunities.

What are your favorite features of etsy, and what new features would you like to see?

I like that they finally made it so we can use Google Analytics to track traffic. I would like to see a section on blogging, so many Etsy users blog now, especially about Etsy and Etsy sellers. It would be nice to have a seperate place to find and highlight these blogs.

How do you promote your shop/work?

Blogs, blogs, blogs and blogs. I have found that free giveaways and sponsoring highly visited blogs to be a great marketing tool.

In ten years, where would you like to be?

Somewhere west of the Mississippi, with a lawn, garden and 3.5 kids (I have exactly 0 right now). And still having fun making my jewelry.