Meet Candice of The Candy Shop!

Name: Candice Ware
Birthdate: May 14 1987
Location: Toronto Ont. Canada
Shop Name: The Candy Shop

When and why did you first join Etsy? I joined etsy in aug. 2008, I joined becuase I had just started making miniature food jewelry and a friend had told me that it would be a good place for me to sell my work.

Did you open your shop right away? Yes I did.

Why are you a member of EtsyTeaParty?
I have a love of lolita, I really feel at home in the chats with everyone, I feel that my work really fits with team well. I'm just happy to be here.

Easy one, what is your favorite color(s)? Blue :D

How did you choose your shop's name? My brother helps me hehe I'm soo bad with names and he thought it works well for me because of my name.

What is your favorite item that you have listed in your shop and why?
My Tea and Sugar Bowl Ring, I am in love with tea and anything sweet hehe

Do you have any other hobbies besides crafting/creating gorgeous handmade things for Etsy? Yes I do I love to draw and paint I went to school for animation so I think it all fits together.

Do you have any pets? Yes I do! I have a cat named Snowflake, a bearded dragon Leonides, and 2 guppies I have always loved pets.

What is your most cherished possession and why? My kitty. 

What is/are your favorite item(s) that you bought from Etsy? 
This popsicle top from my friends :)  and this swing style dress I love all her dresses.

Tell us about your family members. 
I have a mom and a dad that are both into art my dad used to draw and my mom used to do pottery art and now helps out with caribana every year. I also have a twin brother that is in to music and can play the guitar bass and keyboard.

If you were stranded on an island and could only bring three things, what would they be? My boyfriend, a good book and my stitched book.


What things inspire you to craft/create? 
My love of sweets and desserts, also cookbooks.

What advice do you have for fledgling Etsy sellers? To never give up and that things take time and that if you love it to just keep with it :)

Meet Annais of FrostedCrossbones!

Name: Annais
Birthdate: Dec. 28th 1988
Location: North Lake Tahoe, Ca
Shop Name: Frosted Crossbones

When and why did you first join Etsy?
I started in November of 2008 under a different name. I originally heard about it on an episode of Martha Stewart's Weddings.

Did you open your shop right away?
No at first. I started by just poking around and then realized it had to be done.

Why are you a member of EtsyTeaParty?
Because cute and fun is right up my alley, plus many of the people in the group have shops that I stalk.

Easy one, what is your favorite color(s)? 
Rainbow. Pink and black are close runners up. I've always really loved all things rainbow including organizing things into rainbow order.

How did you choose your shop's name?
It took some soul searching to figure it out. My husband calls me a hardcore cupcake and at some point I started saying that Every Hardcore cupcake has a pair of Frosted Crossbones.

What is your favorite item that you have listed in your shop and why?
At the moment it is my Piece of my Heart Floap or floating soap. They smell so good and are fun in the tub. Plus I love anything heart shaped!

Do you have any other hobbies besides crafting/creating gorgeous handmade things for Etsy?
I'm actually a stand-up comedian in my spare time. I picked up doing comedy when I was 18 after bumping into a local booking agent and he said that he would try me out. Now I do comedy for random local functions.

Do you have any pets?
I have one super cutie rescue pup named Sox. He is a random mutt mixture of collie, Shepard and Corgi. My husband an I picked him up from a family that had to get rid of him due to his loud bark. When we first got him we were afraid that he wouldn't be able to hold up to the cold and snow. It turns out he loves it. Not to mention he actually let me make him a hoodie and I used him as a doggie mannequin. He is so well behaved.

What is your most cherished possession and why?
Probably my baby blanket (yes, I still sleep with it. It has the cast of Sesame Street on it). I actually stole it from my brother when I was 5 but I never loved anything quite like it.

What is/are your favorite item(s) that you bought from Etsy?
In no particular order: My custom stamp By sjane. Isn't it cute? I got it to use on receipts - I'm a bit of a stamp freak. My Neapolitan Rocket Pop Scarf BY TwinkieChan. I've always been a bit obsessed with Twinkie and the stuff she makes, it's food themed so why not? And last but not least This great underbust corset BY SugarKittyCorsets. She custom fitted it with pink fabric - LOVE IT!

Tell us about your family members. 
I'm actually not super close with my family. However, I do have a great group of friends that I consider my family. I am married to a great man who is a recording engineer. My best friend Lisa is like a sister to me, she makes feather earrings and is a fantastic cartoonist. I wish I could talk her into joining etsy. We'll see! And then there is Van. He's a chainsaw carver who specializes in carving bears. He also paints abstract paintings. He's kind of like the group father, prankster and wise ass.

If you were stranded on an island and could only bring three things, what would they be?
Sox for scaring off the oogy boogies. My leatherman for hunting and carving and whatnot. And a magnesium flint bar to start fires.

What things inspire you to craft/create?
FOOD! I'm so utterly obsessed with food that it consumes my life. I can never get enough. Some times I'll just cook so that I can have something to replicate out of soap!

What advice do you have for fledgling Etsy sellers?
Create! Create! Create! - The more items you have in your shop the more views you can get and the more feedback you can receive. It's hard to keep going when you first start because you may not have any sales but you've got to stick with it. Join the chat rooms for inspiration if you need it. People in the etsy community are a wealth of help and knowledge.

Meet Luna of Dellamore!

Name: Emily Luna Meza
Birthdate: July 28th :D (Leo)
Location: 818 California Valley Girl
Shop Name: Dellamore

When and why did you first join Etsy? 
Late 2009, I signed up to buy supplies and fell in love!

Did you open your shop right away?
As soon as my supplies arrived, YES! :D

Why are you a member of EtsyTeaParty? 
It's like asking why a unicorn is so magical. I am a huge fan of the teams sellers, and thought it was so neat that they all supported one another. Networking, new friendships and the sisterhood of it all made me want to be a part of the team. It's truly amazing to be apart of a group of lovely talented people with the same interests as myself. :)

Easy one, what is your favorite color(s)? 
ooh any and every shade of blushing pink, soft lilac and barely-there peach. I love pastel colors!

How did you choose your shop's name? 
My favorite movie (Dellamorte Dellamore). My nickname/sn almost everywhere is Luna Dellamore. Luna... of Love, how sweet is that! ;) lol.

What is your favorite item that you have listed in your shop and why? 
I would have to say my St. Francis of Assisi prayer necklace. I take pride in my faith, It is a big part of who I am and have become. St. Francis is the patron saint of animals. As a child I took in every stray animal I found and fed every critter who followed me home. I have donated my time and love to a few animal shelters, non-profit animal organizations and opened my home to many homeless animals. I believe it's one of those things in life that I was meant to do.

Do you have any other hobbies besides crafting/creating gorgeous handmade things for Etsy? 
Yes, I love to ride my bike, read, cook/bake, draw cute stuff for my boyfriend, spend time with my family & friends and shop on etsy. :D

Do you have any pets? 
A tank full of cute little fish and he doesn't really count as a pet but I have a sidekick named Otis. He's a very rare intelligent breed of applehead chihuahua and human.

What is your most cherished possession and why?
I really couldn't choose anything materialistic, so I would have to say my life. :) Because it has everything and everyone I love in it! (bonus points for cheesy-ness, lol)

What is/are your favorite item(s) that you bought from Etsy? 
I buy a ton of organic and natural facial cleaners/toners, lotions, lip balms from Herbolution. I really couldn't decide but I will say all their stuff is AWESOME! :D

Tell us about your family members. 
I have a rather small immediate family. My older sister Rosie aka Cookie is the hip sassy one of the bunch, then there's me I'm the free-spirit artsy one (Yes, I am the middle child) and lastly Little Chella-nella-wella-bella my very eclectic and fashionable little sister Danielle (whom will be helping me design some new clothes in our new shop opening soon!).

If you were stranded on an island and could only bring three things, what would they be? 
My boyfriend for sure! He's a natural woodsman (very outdoorsy) so I wouldn't really have to worry about food or shelter, Otis and my bike. :D

What things inspire you to craft/create? 
I think most anything pink and fluffy inspires me. Like so many things/people/styles can inspire me to create certain items but ultimately it's just in my heart, the need to assemble jewelry or pull out my sewing machine... it's a very natural feeling.

What advice do you have for fledgling Etsy sellers? 
Be yourself. Have your own style and just go with it! :) Have fun.

xo: Luna / Dellamore.etsy.com

Meet Joyce of Zebracakes!

Vanilla Cherry Cupcake Necklace

Name: Joyce

Birthdate: March 15th

Location: Washington, DC

Shop Name: zebracakes.etsy.com

When and why did you first join Etsy?

I joined in November of 2007. I was looking for a site to buy handmade goods and boy did I ever find a goldmine! 

Did you open your shop right away?

No, not right away. I didn't think I could make it work, to be honest.

Why are you a member of EtsyTeaParty?

I started the team with Amber of Laceybabydoll.etsy.com because I wanted to be a part of a group where we could share our love for all things girly, sweet, kawaii, hime, lolita, dolly, and fun. It was my hope that we could come together to support each other, especially since Etsy is very popular and can be overwhelming at times.

Medium Vanilla Frosting Barrette

Easy one, what is your favorite color(s)?

I love black, gray, pink, and sometimes brown. 

How did you choose your shop's name?

My shop is named after my cat.

What is your favorite item that you have listed in your shop and why?

I love my frosting barrettes (in sizes small, medium, and large) because you can dress them up or dress them down. Since they are not too over the top, I think they can be worn by females of all ages. I wear my medium frosting barrette pretty much every other day.

Do you have any other hobbies besides crafting/creating gorgeous handmade things for Etsy?

I don't really have any other hobbies, per se, but am currently working on my Ph.D. That's a little bit more than a hobby though. It's a whole other life. I like to keep it fresh by moving back and forth between my two lifestyles.

Do you have any pets?

Yep. One cat and one husband.

Marie Antoinette Palace Party Kitten Heels

What is your most cherished possession and why?

Health. If you don't have your health, all the beauty, youth, or money in the world is absolutely worthless. 

What is/are your favorite item(s) that you bought from Etsy?

I have purchased so many things on Etsy that it would be impossible for me to name just one, but I'm going to anyway: it's this awesome shabby chic kitty bed. The seller, lovenostalgicwhimsy.etsy.com, was kind enough to swap out the pillow case for a girly floral pink one.

Tell us about your family members.

I live with my husband, my cat Zebracakes, and our Roomba, Geno (named after Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins--the Roomba looks like a hockey puck).

If you were stranded on an island and could only bring three things, what would they be?

My husband, my cat, and a case of Islay Scotch. Hopefully my husband would choose to bring useful tools so we could feed ourselves. The cat would probably bring cat nip, cat nip, and cat nip.

Lolita Purse-Sold

What things inspire you to craft/create? 
Fancy clothes, furnishings, jewelry, and people.

What advice do you have for fledgling Etsy sellers?

I struggle with photography and I think that others have difficulty with it as well. Always aim to take good quality pictures with ample lighting. Make sure your listings are easy to read and double-checked for spelling and grammar errors. Be on top of your customer service and don't leave your customers hanging for convo or email responses. How well you treat your customers will greatly impact your business. 

Meet Chibi of PrincessChibi/Imperfect Kawaii!

Name: Chibi
Birthdate: Classified ;3
Location: Sunny California
Shop Name: Princess Chibi/ Imperfect Kawaii

When and why did you first join Etsy? 
I joined Etsy around Feb 2009 to buy something ^_^

Did you open your shop right away? 
Noperz, I just wanted to buy a lil plushie that I saw on DeviantArt. I didn't think I'd actually one day become a seller till later O_O

Why are you a member of EtsyTeaParty? 
Why not! I find it awesomely awesome that there are teams on Etsy to be a part of! I just love what we all have in common, our love to make and wear unique fashion with that cute girlie touch! I also love tea parties =^_^=

Easy one, what is your favorite color(s)? 
Baby blue...and then baby pink :] 

How did you choose your shop's name? 
Well since it was meant to just buy stuff before, I just went with the nickname my boyfriend gave me, Princess Chibi :] He treats me like a princess and thinks I'm chibi(mini) sized. My original shop name is Imperfect Kawaii, but I felt like keeping all my positive feedbacks, so I just went with my nickname ^_^

What is your favorite item that you have listed in your shop and why? 

I'd have to say these paopus. They're the first thing I have created to sell. First it was for my best firends as gifts for Valentine's Day, but I had left overs and decided to sell them. I just love it when customers tell me how happy they are with their paopus and that they can share it with their love one or friend :] Makes me awe. I wouldn't have started selling if it weren't for my friends and boyfriend who encouraged me to make more of these fruits and to also try new things.

Do you have any other hobbies besides crafting/creating gorgeous handmade things for Etsy? 
Well, for several months now, I've been getting into the lolita fashion much more to the point where I'm dressing up! I have several offbrand jsks, and aim to buy an Angelic Pretty dress soon this year<333 Asides from that, I enjoy having random adventures with my boyfriend, hanging out with my friends, and...eat. I love to eat a lot sweets x____x

Do you have any pets? 

I have my amazing crazy bleu Pomeranian GiZ! He's such a fluff ball and I love him ^.^! 

What is your most cherished possession and why? 
My jade necklace :] My mommy bought it for me when I was young on our trip in China. It's been on me for a long time ^_^ And of course GiZ is second. My boyfriend gave him to me and he's like a kid to us, except I have full custody ^_^

What is/are your favorite item(s) that you bought from Etsy? 
Oh please don't make me piiiiick! I love them all! ^_^; 

Tell us about your family members: 
I have a loving mommy and a kinda protective daddy. I also have my grandma on my mom's side with us :] I'm the only child and no, I'm not heavily spoiled :P

If you were stranded on an island and could only bring three things, what would they be? 
Cookies, milk, and a boat to get off that island >_

What things inspire you to craft/create? 

My friends, boyfriend, customers that requests stuff. ALSO fellow Etsians and crafters! I learned a lot from other polymer clay artists<333 

What advice do you have for fledgling Etsy sellers? 
Keep doing what you love to do! People that appreciate and love your work will buy and spread the word :] It may be a tough world out there, but never be discouraged by the numbers on your Etsy.