Friday, April 1, 2016

Etsy Treasuries: Becoming a Curator



In all honesty, I am completely hopeless at Social Media. After all these years, I still refuse to join Facebook, only have a vague idea of what Instagram does, and have absolutely no clue what that Periscope stuff is all about. It's all a mystery to me!

Back in my day (which wasn't all that long ago, oh the irony!) we didn't have a 150 character limit, and tweeting was something only cute little cartoon birdies did.

I am, to put it mildly, wildly behind the times. And I'm mostly okay with that LOL ;P

However - a friend of mine is really getting into home decor lately and we've been doing a lot of window shopping in real life, just checking out different ideas.

I truly think when it comes to finding your own style in anything - be it throw pillows for your couch or paintings for your wall - it really helps to just browse around! If you keep an open mind, I guarantee that you will find inspirations that will help you narrow down and refine your vision so that you can go looking for what you actually do want, and it greatly increases the probability that you will find what you want.

These days, the best way to find unusual and nifty things is online. Now, I much prefer to shop locally, and I don't have much experience shopping online, but I have been doing a lot of virtual window shopping this week and it's super FUN! I think the biggest platform for this is Pinterest, but the site is so huge that it's overwhelming.


So I decided to start off a little smaller, and joined Etsy instead. My Profile is under AureliaEglantine. There isn't a "Friends" function that I can see, but you can Follow other users. The main advantage of having an Etsy account, if you aren't a Buyer or Seller, is that you can become what they call a "Curator".

This means you can "heart" or Favourite items you like. These are automatically saved to an "Items I Love" list, but you can set up other lists with your own titles and sort listings your own way. Setting up categories makes it easier to find things later.

And you can collect up to 16 such items into a little collection called a Treasury!

Most Treasuries have some sort of theme, usually indicated in the title, and include items from different shops. Although you could have all 16 listings come from one shop, it seems to be frowned upon, as is self-promotion (which is linking to an item in your own shop if you are a Seller). Treasuries are fun and easy to make, and the best part is that the thumbnails of the images take you directly to the full listing.

So if you see something you love and really want you can actually buy it, if the listing hasn't expired. This is very convenient, especially compared to Pinterest where you can end up spending a lot of time trying to trace an image back to its source and often hit dead ends. And Etsy is also great for thrifters, as there is a lot of Vintage (you can filter your searches by Handmade or Vintage) too, although the values vary widely.

The Treasuries look a little different on the Etsy site, and you can view a list of all of them on my Profile here (or click on the titles below to go directly to that specific Treasury). But thanks to a neat free tool from Toastie Studio, you can also add Treasuries to your blog, so here are three full of interesting stitchy treasures:

Stitchy Goodness: Light & Lovely

Soft, lovely colours perfect for Spring stitching!
Modern quote Cross Stitch KIT-Be Happy Be Brave Be Kind -Floral Happy Modern Funny typo graphicCOSMO Sparkle Embroidery Thread Floss Set of 5 Colors | Metallic Embroidery Floss, Metallic ThreadNeedlework Silk ThreadsDMC Embroidery Floss 6 Stranded Cotton Embroidery Thread cross stitch bright vibrant red pink fuchsia Hand dyed embroidery thread variegated
10y Antique French Early Flat Pink Metal Metallic Embroidery Thread Floss Restoration Ribbonwork NeedleworkHand-dyed Silk Embroidery Threads with short colour changes14 Count Cross Stitch Kits ;Victorian Heart (Pastel Pinks) ; A sampler with a Twist! Beautiful Kits By Maggie Gee Needlework StudioHand dyed, hand painted cotton thread for embroidery, cross stitch, point de croix - 'Rainbow'
Pack of 4 Mettler Poly Sheen Multi Variegated Threads Pinks Plums Lipstick Gems Girlie Girl Brights Quilting Embroidery Thread PaintingDIY Crewel Embroidery Kit Gift Pouch zinnia flower heart on blue tealOne Off, Thread Selection, Hand Dyed Thread, Embroidery Thread, Cotton Thread, Viscose Thread, Canvaswork, UK Seller, Colour No 39 PistachioSilk Ribbon Embroidery - Miniature Wreath of Silk Ribbon Flowers - Full Kit
Embroidery kit, DIY kit, Hand embroidery - Circle of flowers - Embroidery hoop art, Broderie, Modern hand embroidery, Craft kit, Tamar nahirSleepy Fox - Cross Stitch KitFloral Garden 1 collection - Perle No. 12Cottage Garden 4mm Silk Ribbon Collection

Powered By Toastie Studio - Etsy Tools

Stitchy Goodness: Bright & Bold

Strong, gemstone colours perfect for dramatic stitching!
Vintage Metallic Embroidery Thread in Green Merry-go-round Horse Candy TinDIY Kit  Crewel Embroidery Kit butterfly butterflies on a white wash boardSilk  Embroidery Thread for Needlework, Embroidery, Stumpwork hand dyed in BriannaSix Strand Embroidery Floss | 127 - "Bifröst" | Hand-Dyed | 100% Cotton | 9 yds
October Silk Fiber Collection #9Rainbow mix - 21 metres of 2mm variegated silk ribbonHand Dyed Embroidery Thread Pack (10 colours) - Brights CollectionMediterranean, Hand Dyed Cotton Machine Embroidery Thread, Machine Quilting Thread, Tatting, Crochet, Creative Embroidery/Quilting
Rainbow Pear Cotton Set - Finca Presencia Perle Cotton - Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, PurpleSpool Rare Antique French Ombre Pink Copper Gold Grn 4-Ply Twist Metal Thread Metallic Embroidery Sewing Thread Ribbonwork MillineryBlackwork Lovebirds Embroidery Kit - Just the Two - of Us Beginners Hand Embroidery KitHand Dyed Embroidery Floss, Embroidery thread, Cross Stitch Thread, hand embroidery, cotton floss, sewing thread, needlepoint, quilting
Pack of 4 Mettler Metallic Thread Quilting Embroidery Thread Painting Turquoise Sapphire Lime PurpleHand Dyed Fabric & Thread Collection: Chakra Colors - 7 Fat Eighths + 7x10yds Perle Embroidery ThreadSet of 8 DMC Satin Floss Radiant Treasures Collection Embroidery Cross Stitch NeedlepointNorthern Expressions Needlework - Twisted Rainbow Sampler

Powered By Toastie Studio - Etsy Tools

Spring Flowers: Needlework Kits

Stitchy kits and patterns perfect for Spring! The designs use all kinds of different needlework techniques but all feature pretty flowers :)
Hand Embroidery Pattern, Flower Embroidery Hoop Pattern, Embroidery Supplies, Beginner Hand Embroidery, Flower Embroidery Design, Flower ArtMaud (Brights) ; Discovering Woven Stitches **TRY SOMETHING NEW!** Beautiful Embroidery Kits From Maggie Gee Needlework StudioSilk ribbon embroidery Garden flowers - full kitFloral Monogram Embroidery Kit - Personalized Gift, DIY
Textile Heritage Floral I Cross Stitch Needle Case Kits in a Variety of Designs-Violets, Tudor Rose, Orange Blossom, Poppy MeadowSpring Flowers Needlepoint Kit – vintage Sunset Designs Jiffy Basket Full of Daffodils, Betty Miles printed canvas 80s pattern, small 4 x 5”Silk Ribbon Embroidery Pendant Kit, pink rose necklacePDF Spring Garden Silk Ribbon pattern
Floral Finch cushion cover modern cross stitch kitGarden Gate Canvaswork PatternTime for Tulips Mini Cushion Cross Stitch KitKIT Floral Heart Cross Stitch Sampler - Modern Heart Cross Stitch - Retro Feel - Contemporary Palette - Perfect Gift for Mother's Day
Needlepoint Dimensions Kit FLORAL Splendor Bouquet Flowers 14x14 NEW -Free US Shipping!!!Ox-Eye Daisies Beaded embroidery, beading on needlepoint kit, DIY beadpointDIY Crewel Embroidery Kit Gift Pouch daisy heart on blue tealOrchid Silk Flower Needlepoint Complete Kit

Powered By Toastie Studio - Etsy Tools

Also, is this not amazing?



This is the "Canvaswork Embroidered Minihoop Pendant No. 2 Kit" by the shop Beautiful Stitches, which is located in Australia. It looks like an interesting project.

The amount of creative talent on Etsy alone is just awesome! And very inspiring.

Hope you find something to enjoy here, and if you curate some Treasuries of your own I'd love to see them! Feel free to leave a link in the comments :)

Are you a Buyer, Seller or Curator on Etsy? Found anything that you love lately?!

4 comments:

Katie said...

I love Facebook. I'm new to Instagram. I only use Twitter to follow people mostly local news channels. I glanced at Pinterest once and ran away screaming haha. Etsy is very new to me but I've already placed my first order haha. I can bet I'll be back. Love all the things you shared. The Bright and Bold category is my fav!!

rosey175 said...

Facebook is for family and friends, otherwise it gets too overwhelming! I use twitter a lot though; mostly inane babble about cats and crafts and completely random nothingness haha. I don't use Instagram or Pinterest because too many images overwhelm my Internet sometimes. Love/hate relationship with Etsy. There's some truly creative stuff on there yet sometimes I am like "YOU DID WHAT TO THAT BEAUTIFUL VINTAGE THING?" and ragequit the site LOL.

Of course I clicked on the daffodils. Of course. I'm so glad florals seem to be "in" this year.

Jo who can't think of a clever nickname said...

I am on FB, it's good for support groups and keeping up with campaigns. It's also a great way of connecting with my favourite designers and their fans. However it is also full of DRAMA which drives me mad!
Pinterest has too many thieves for me, I would spend all my time reporting copyright theft to the designers I am friends with on the aforementioned FB.
Twitter - you think I can stick to 140 characters? Ha!
The Etsy curator thing sounds good but I think I'd buy too much, I'm supposed to be stitching mainly from stash!
No, Blogging is the life for me. It's where all the nicest people are too.

Aurelia Eglantine said...

Thanks for the great comments ladies!

Katie: Wow, I'm so happy that you found some new stitchy stash to buy! I love the bright colours too :)

Rosey: I can totally understand the ragequitting LOL There was a listing for what looked like crochet edging - and it turned out this lady was buying perfectly good embroidered doilies, cutting OUT the "old fashioned" embroidery part (?!) and selling the edgings separately. I'm all about reusing and upcycling and all that cool stuff but some people just have no clue (and don't seem to want one) about vintage craft and it's a little heartbreaking :)

The silk ribbon Daffodil is amazing. Expensive beyond all belief no doubt, given the material, but so pretty! *sigh*

Jo: Yes indeedy the nicest people - as you so frequently demonstrate - are bloggers :) I'm not good with Drama so FB is probably out for me, and the copyright thing on Pinterest is tangly. I don't think I'll be jumping into Social Media anytime soon LOL!