Featured Seller: TheDecoratedHouse

Well GOOD MORNING Cottage Style Street Team! Hope you are
all enjoying the upcoming preparations for the Holidays.
This week our featured seller is Donna from
TheDecoratedHouse.etsy.com. Her shoppe is absolutely
wonderful and as many of you know...I am in love with
one of her featured characters...Beau the Bunny!!! He
makes me smile as he goes through the year in his
fabulous transitions and of course he is now playing
SANTA!!! Donna and her hubby are creative artists and
their work hangs all over the world. Not only is their
work imaginative, spectacular, creative and precisely
executed...they have decided to spread some of their
success with the less fortunate. 10% of all sales is going
to Charity until Christmas: Salvation Army, Food for Hungry,
Second Harvest, Mercy Corps. We thank you for your
artistic talent...your friendship and your open heart.
We are proud to count you both amongst the Cottage
Style Street Team Family. Everyone...stop by
TheDecoratedHouse.etsy.com...say hello and send your best
wishes to Beau the Bunny...you will be so glad you did!

Featured Seller: Sosorosey

Good Morning Cottage Street Team and HAPPY First Day of
December! Time to Kick off the Holiday Season once again.
Well to help brighten your day...I am happy to announce
our Featured Seller of the Week...SOSOROSEY.etsy.com.
Jen is such a sweetie and a fabulous talent. She adds
a fabulous dimension to the team with her unique crochet
style. She creates lovely treasuries and has been a
supporter of our CSSTEAM sine I started with this
incredible group of ladies.

Now I usually write a bit more about the artists creations,
but I have to tell you, Jen's description in her profile
is so precious...i have to share it with you.

Grandma Copeland taught me the fine art of crochet when I
was 10, and I have been "hooked" ever since. Doing the math,
it appears that I have been at it for 75 percent
of my life!

Crocheting with different materials and textures of string
and yarn, and matching or combining them with strips of
unique fabrics make Jen's creations so special!!! She invents
new creations by reinventing and repurposing and it makes
for a sensational and oh so unique product!

Come on over to her shoppe...SOSOSROSEY.etsy.com and take a
peek and leave her a little comment and say hi...I know
she would adore that! Hugs and thanks to you Jen...the
cottage spotlight is on you today! hugs...pops

I'm Dreaming of a PINK Christmas

Good MORNING all of you fine Cottage Ladies! Just dropping
in to fill you in on a little promotion the CSSTEAM is having.
It is easy and fun and hopefully it will give us a little bit
of exposure. We will be doing many more promotions and
activities in the New Year but for now this one is easy and
oh so PRETTY!

I'm Dreaming of a Pink Christmas...Starting December 1st
when we list something pretty in pink for Christmas we will
tag it...Pink Christmas and of course use your CSSTEAM tag
in the mix also...that is oh so important. That's it...
just that simple. It will run till the end of the season.
What I am really hoping for is some GORGEOUS Treasuries...
hint hint hint to all of you marvelous creators of treasury
art! Would love to wake up in the morning and have the
twinkle of CSSTEAM PINK on the front page!

Hope you all can join us...it will be fun to see everyones
creations...that is for sure! Here's wishing you all
a perfectly "pink" day! hugs...pops

Featured Seller: Tiedupmemories

It's that time again everyone! Indroducing this weeks
Featured Seller: Tracy from Tiedupmemories.etsy.com
Well this fine lady is special to us all...she is always
happy...friendly and thoughtful...posting her little
heart away on the forums each and remembering us all...
we want her to know how much she is appreciated...so
from everyone...thank you so much.

Tiedupmemories.etsy.com is filled with such wonderful
cottage treasures. Tracy creates beautiful and unique
jewelry from vintage pieces...she reinvents them and
WOW the results are outstanding! From necklaces...to
earrings...to bracelets...she does it all with flair.

Tracy also makes lovely tags, paper posies and oh so
much more. A true talent and we are honored to have
her as a part of the Cssteam Family! Please take a
moment out of your busy day and drop a little message
here for her....I know she would appreciate that.
Once again...thank you for all you do! Take a peek
into the world of tiedupmemories.etsy.com ... you will
be glad you did! hugs...pops

Featured Seller: Cottage In The Sun

Well it is that time again...time to announce our Featured
Seller of the week...drum roll please...our friend
Annette from Cottageinthesun.etsy.com! What a fabulous
lady and friend to the Cottage Style Street Team and the
whole Cottage community. She delights us each day with
her lovely posts on our forums and let me tell you ...she
is a treasury QUEEN! She goes so far out of her way to
include a wide variety of cottage sellers and their
pretties in her treasuries...they are truly a little
12 piece work of art and we all thank her for her hard
work!

Now...a few words about her art, it is just magnificent,
she takes wonderful vintage tin ceiling tiles and creates
sensational shapes and makes them into their own art
form. They are a must see...so make sure to stop in and
check out her marvelous creations...also take a moment
to send her a little comment here...I am sure it will
brighten her day! Thank you for being such a great
friend to us all...sending you hugs from all of us on
the CSSTEAM!!!! hugs...pops

Featured Seller: Yippeevintage

I am so happy to feature one of our dear Cottage Style Street
Team members...Yippeevintage.etsy.com. Yippee is a delightful
and fun part of the Cottage Family. She is adapting to city
life right now, so she is in the process of revamping her
studio to surround herself with more of that country feel.
Wherever she creates her work always comes out picture
perfect and with heart. She loves giving old items NEW LIFE
and wow does she accomplish that in her marvelous jewelry
creations...rings...bracelets...necklaces and so much more
that will add life and love to anyone's life! Yippee is
a very active member of the CSSTeam and has just joined us
as a weekly hostess and we are excited about that! Please
drop Yippee a little comment and visit her this week...I am
sure she will love it! Thank you for everything!...hugs...
pops!

Featured Seller: DUCT TAPE AND DENIM

Hi there fellow Cottage Style Street Team Members! Hope
all is happy in your world. I would like to announce
this weeks Featured Seller...it is Ann from
Ducttapeanddenim.etsy.com and her FABULOUS second
shoppe (perfect for the winter season ahead)
ComfortAndJoyCrochet.etsy.com. Ann is a complete and
utter delight and her ducttapeanddenim shoppe is filled
with cottage treats that would fill a delicious
goody bag! Her tags are just over the top fabulous and
every thing that she creates has the magic touch
that is signature Ann! Check out both of her shoppes...
you will not be disappointed!



Ann is also an active member of our group and is
always willing to lend support to all of our
members. Hats off to Ann! Please drop by and
send her a little note...I am sure she would love
that! Congrats Ann and here's wishing you all
the best that life has to offer! hugs...pops

Featured Seller: THE Seasonal Cottage

Good Morning Cottage PEOPLE!!! I take great pleasure in
announcing our featured seller of the week:
The SeasonalCottage.etsy.com. Also known as:
TheArtistCloset.etsy.com, DionDesign.etsy.com and
her newest SimplyFrenchDesigns.etsy.com. Her shoppes
are filled with amazing art, supplies, die-cuts, French
Creations, Cottage Creations and so much more! Please
drop by and experience her world...you will be so glad
you did.

Denise is a valued team member, she is one of our
hostesses with the mostess and she does such a wonderful
job of promoing us ALL! Always willing to lend a hand
and always gives 110 PERCENT. A purely delightful lady
and friend to us all. I am honored to have her with us.

I have had the good fortune to get to know Denise a little
bit better and I am thrilled to call her a friend. Please
drop by and say HI! check out all of her amazing shoppes
and post a little comment...I know she would love that.
I want to send a BIG thank you to Denise for being her!
take care now everyone...have a wonderful and CREATIVE
week...sending hugs...POPS!

Featured Seller: Misseskwittys

We at the CSSTeam would love to introduce you to one of our
wonderful members: Misseskwittys.etsy.com. What an incredible
lady and artist! Karen has the most delightful shoppe on
etsy. It is filled with cottage treasures abound. Her
special little trademark...her absolutely ADORABLE little
birdies! You can't resist them when you see them...you will
instantly fall in love.



Karen...our dear MissesKwittys is such a delightful lady,
a dedicated CSSTEAM member and a hostess with the mostess.
I am honored to be able to call her a friend!
We all love her and thank her for her constant devotion to
our team! Take a peek into the world of Misseskwittys and
drop by and post her a little note and say hi! ENJOY and I
am sure you will!

Our Friend in Need: GypsyMermaid

Hi everyone, hope you are having a wonderful weekend. I just
wanted to let everyone know that our CSSTEAM Friend
Sarah Huckman from Gypsymermaid.etsy.com lost everything in the
terrible storm known as IKE. She lost all of her crafting supplies
and everything else. As posted by faeriewindow.etsy.com (Lori : )
it would be a wonderful idea if we could all put together some
crafting goodies for Sarah if at all possible...I am sure she
would love it and it would be greatly appreciated. Here is the
address that Sarah can have mail sent to...also included is
her flickr account, her etsy shoppe and her blog. You can see
what kinds of goodies that she needs to create her art.
As always...thank you for being the best groups of fabulous
people i know! Take care...hugs...pops

Sarah Huckman
1551 Lake Lincoln Drive NE
Brookhaven, MS 39601

here is Sarah's flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12265215@N03

and her etsy shoppe:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5281249

her blog:
http://gypsymermaidlife.blogspot.com

Featured Seller: MyEuropeanTouch

We at the CSSTeam would love to introduce you to one of our
wonderful members: MyEuropeanTouch.com Her shoppe is filled
with sweet cottage treats, absolutely FABULOUS mosaics,
hand sewn pretties, tussie mussies and oh so much more.
Please stop by this week, pay her a visit, drop her a convo..say
hi and ENJOY!




Monika is a precious little gem in the world of Cottage.
Her shoppe is filled with such gorgeous goodies that
are like candy for the eyes! She has to rate 5 stars for all
the promoing she does on our forum...she is always there for
any of our team members and always ready to lend a helping hand.
Please take a peek into her world this week and leave her a
little comment : ) ENJOY!

Featured Seller: Alisa Jane

We at the CSSTeam would love to introduce you to one of our
wonderful members: AlisaJane.etsy.com Her shoppe is filled
with sweet cottage treats and a ton of new whimsical creations.
Please stop by this week, pay her a visit, drop her a convo..say
hi and ENJOY!



Alisa is a pure delight. Everyone smiles when they see the bluebird of happiness on her avatar. Her shoppe is filled with hand made beauties and she certainly has a way with journals of all kinds...from Paris to Beach! Cottage Delights abound! For all of you creative artists out there. Alisa has a second shoppe called: AlisaJanesPocket.etsy.com filled with the most wonderful creativity kits that will certainly act as your muse. Please take a peek at her world!

Featured Seller: Valise Queen

We at the CSSTeam would love to introduce you to one of our
wonderful members: ValiseQueen.etsy.com. Her shoppe is filled
with sweet cottage treats and a ton of new whimsical creations.
Please stop by this week, pay her a visit, drop her a convo..say
hi and ENJOY!




Cheryl is truly a sweet person, as I have come to know via her
generosity to me and convo's we have shared on etsy. I hope
you will stop by and visit her shop today. She really has been
hard at work making darling new creations, I just love her new
wands. Cheryl also has adorable vintage finds: there is a lovely
little doll and figurine in her shoppe right now that have caught
my eye. For the make it yourself girls, Cheryl has you covered
too, her supply category is brimming with goodies. Go. Shop.

Wishing you all A Wonderful Holiday Weekend

Good Morning Everyone. Just wanted to drop by and wish
everyone in the Cottage Style Street Team a Safe and
Wonderful Labor Day Weekend. Once everyone is back-to-
school and all settled in there will be some fun activities for our
fabulous team to celebrate the FALL Season. Take a peek
back next week to see the new Featured Member of the Week.
Here's wishing all the best and ENJOY the weekend!
hugs....pops

Featured Seller : Gypsy Mermaid

We at the CSSTEAM would love to introduce you to one of
our wonderful members: Gypsymermaid.etsy.com. Her
shoppe is filled with sweet cottage treats and a ton of new
and fanciful Halloween Surprises. Please stop by this week,
pay her a visit, drop her a convo..say hi and ENJOY!

Gypsy Mermaid
gypsymermaid's Shop Announcement
Gypsy Mermaid Is getting ready for Fall and Halloween!
So out with the old and in with the new! Everything is on
sale and has been marked down! I will combine shipping!
So fill those boxes up!!! Contact me before purchasing So
I can alter the shipping charges to one low rate one!! HAVE
FUN!!! hugs


Come by and visit my blog sometime to see all the things I
create! http://gypsymermaidlife.blogspot.com

♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥

SHIPPING COST and SPECIALS:
If you would like to purchase more then one item please
contact me before purchasing and I will change the cost of
the pricing. I can ship for one low cost.

♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥

If there is anything you do not see that you would love to have
made Please dont be afraid to ask me. Most likely I have made
it and if not I will love to try!

HAPPY SHOPPING!

Thank you SadieLouWho

Dropping in to say hello to everyone in this fabulous team. Hope all
is well with everyone. I want to thank Sadielouwho for all of her
hard work and dedication to this group. We will miss you but we all
wish you tons of success in your new venture: Lollishops. I am sure
it is going to be fabulous! It is certainly not good-bye, we know
where you are and so many of us will be joining you in your new
venture. We are sending you a group (((((HUG)))))! Thank you!

I also want to thank all of our members for your dedication and help.
I am new at this end of the world and it is great to have the support
you are all generously offering. The blog will be updated regularly
in just a little bit...so check back next week for more news!

Take care everyone! Hugs to all...pops

Handing Off the Torch...

As many of you already know, I am very sweetly busy with my brand new marketplace, LolliShops...The froufrou friendly marketplace which you are all invited to apply for (if you haven't already and a lot of you have).

So, being as how I am so sweetly busy--I have decided to pass the torch of leading the Cottage Style Street Team, to a VERY responsible and capable member, Popalicious. I wouldn't just give this job to anyone--I really had to stop and think about who would step in with lots of ideas and a willingness to devote attention to the role.
We spoke on the phone the other day and my mind was 100% set at ease.
So from now on, she will be responsible for anything having to do with the Street Team. The best way to contact her would be through her Etsy Shop which I have already linked to.
I wish the team tons of continued success! I will be be keeping an eye on it and rooting for you behind the scenes...
(all blog posts from here on out will be written by Pops too)
...Goodbye,
Love,
Sadie Lou
( It's not really goodbye though--you all know where to find me!)

Today is Christmas!

In July...

Featured Seller: PinkButterCreme

When you look at Tami's creations over at PinkButterCreme two things come to mind:
Tami has the best handwriting ever!
And...
The girl paints a delicious cupcake!
You'll love the pink, glittery goodness over at her BLOG. I stopped in for a visit the other day and was so drawn in by her photographs. I particularly loved this one...


I have one glass cake stand--but I think I need some more. What a cute way to display a collectible!
I suggest finding Tami on Etsy or in Blogland, either way--you'll come away feeling like you've sipped tea in a rose garden with a friend!
~Sadie Lou

Protect Yourself on Flickr

Ladies,
We have had a rash of people stealing your photos on Flickr and making use of them! I have spotted your images being used on Etsy Shop banners, MySpace Backgrounds and uploaded to other Flickr accounts without the proper credit being given back to the artist.
We must protect ourselves!
If you're going to use Flick--here are 2 ways to help protect your photos and images.
You can block any user and you must set the proper license for your photos.

Blocking a user is a must. If someone adds you as a contact and they have no photos available to you, no profile information and they just mark your pictures as favorites--they are probably working on copying you or ripping off your images.
I had a user come through and mark 3 pages of my photos as favorites. I blocked them.

Just move your mouse over the person's icon picture and a drop down menu will appear--click on the last option "block".

A new page will open that says...


Next, set your account to post pictures with "All Rights Reserved"


This will protect your images from being saved as targets to someone's desktop.

I hope this helps!
~Sadie Lou

Christmas in July!

July 25th is coming this Friday!
I will be listing some One of a Kind ornaments as well as a few surprises! Make sure you tag your Christmas creations with the following tags:

cssteam
csst
christmas
july

That we can find your special goodies and promote one another!
Here are some inspiring photos!

Featured Seller: Sunshine and Ravioli

I first heard of this shop when I was reading a blog post from Holiday Jenny. I instantly contacted the shop's owner to become a member of our Cottage Style Street Team! Everything about this shop is so whimsical & delightful!

Shop owner, Stephanie, says...

I'm Stephanie Butler, a self-taught folk artist, and I don't remember a time I didn't like to draw, color, paint, etc . I run my business from home so I can be here when my two great kids get home from school. Painting is my "girl cave" (They will tell you-don't mess with Mom when she's in her studio!) I also write instructional patterns so that other decorative painters can do it themselves. Many of these patterns have been featured in Create and Decorate Magazine,with a country/primitive style. I will occasionally offer patterns here, but my whole line can been seen on my website:
Sunshine-n-Ravioli

You can also visit Stephanie on her blog:
Right Here

You'll love Stephanie's heart shaped, hand painted ornaments and her antiqued tags!
Stop by and say Hi!
Love,
Sadie Lou

CSST Bridal Gift Baskets Featured Here:

Our friend at the Vintage Kitchen on Etsy, recently asked if she could post an article about our Gift Baskets on the Vintage Indie Wedding Guide.
How very thoughtful. The Indie Wedding Blog is also very cool. Take a look around while you're there.
~Sadie Lou

Featured Seller: Little Pink Studio

Nobody packages quite like Cerri of Little Pink Studio. I am one of those consumers that is all about the packaging. An example would be my make up--I will buy anything that BeneFit puts out because of the Retro Packaging. They know who their target audience is and they design their look around it. It's just smart business.
Cerri knows what I'm talking about! Not only is Cerri a great seller of beautifully packaged supplies but she's a talented artist too!
You can visit her Flickr to see photographs of her lovely creations and you can also visit her Blog to see shop updates and posts about Cerri's life.
Cerri just launched her new baby into the World Wide Web and she did an amazing job! Here's the link!
Little Pink Studio
Enjoy!!

Promoting Each Other

Are you looking for ways to get involved with our Cottage Style Street Team?
I have a couple things you could do every day, once a week, once in awhile or whenever the mood suits you!

First, we do a daily promotion thread in Etsy's Forums and you can visit the one for today by clicking HERE
The first page always has an introduction like this:

We have different members running the threads every day. Here's where you come in! It is really easy to come to the daily promotion thread and promote your shop and the shops of other members for a little while. You can donate 2 minutes-5 minutes--10 minutes--whatever!
Posting in this thread helps bump the thread to the first page of the Promotions section. To find the thread each day, go to "Promotions"
and then put "CSSTEAM" or "CSST" in the Forum's search engine and the most current thread with pop up.
It's that simple and like I said, someone is there everyday. The host of the thread tries to keep the thread going all day but lately, the hostess has been doing much of the posting by themselves.
I think if the daily promotions keeps getting any slower, we'll just retire it for the summer. So this is just a friendly reminder to see if we can encourage any helpers!

Another way you can help promote our team is to blog about it once in awhile. Just a small shout out once every so often will generate awareness.

Also, did you all notice that we can use clickable links in our Shop Headers?! Yes! As long as the link goes to another Etsy location, the link will be hot! So you can promote the Cottage Style Street Team by having a hot link to our profile, Flickr Pool or CSST Shop in your Shop Headers!

Thanks for all the hard work many of you do to help spread the word about our humble team!
~Sadie Lou

A Word of Wisdom Concerning Flickr

Hi Ladies!
So as many of you know, we are all blog buddies and Etsy Friends as well as we are Flickr Contacts.
I see many of you on Flickr and it's fun to stay on top of all the lovely creations you photograph and then list on Etsy.
However,
I see some of you in direct conflict with Flickr's community guidelines and Terms of Service.
I want to share this information with you to spare you the heartache of having your account removed from Flickr's website. They have a warning in the guidelines that state very plainly:

Here’s the deal: In most circumstances, we like to give second chances, so we’ll send you a warning if you step across any of the lines listed below. Subsequent violations can result in account termination without warning.

Here are the 2 violations I see most often from The Cottage Style Street Team:

• Don’t use your account to host web graphics like logos and banners.
Your account will be terminated if we find you using it to host graphic elements of web page designs, icons, smilies, buddy icons, forum avatars, badges, and other non-photographic elements on external web sites.
• Don’t use Flickr for commercial purposes.
Flickr is for personal use only. If we find you selling products, services, or yourself through your photostream, we will terminate your account. Any other commercial use of Flickr, Flickr technologies (including APIs, FlickrMail, etc), or Flickr accounts must be approved by Flickr. For more information on leveraging Flickr APIs, please see our Services page. If you have other open questions about commercial usage of Flickr, please feel free to contact us.

So if you feel you might have violated those two guidelines, then I suggest you go back through all your photographs and make the changes. Many people just link to their shops or blogs in their profiles.
I hope this has been useful info for you!
~Sadie Lou

Free Shipping!

Mention you saw this ad and you can receive FREE SHIPPING on a Cottage Style Bride Gift Basket!
Visit our official Street Team Shop to purchase!

~Sadie Lou

Romantic, Elegant Inspiration Treasury

I really love the colors of this treasury--so romantic, soft and elegant. It inspires me to drink a glass of French Chablis in my vintage, silk nightie and put on some gorgeously rich movie like Dangerous Liaisons...

Treasury

Cottage Style Street Team's Christmas in July!

One of our members wrote me an email this morning and it was so funny how we were totally on the same page!
Jenny, otherwise known as Be Cheery aka Lollipop Workshop suggested that the next promotion the CSST does should be a Christmas in July!
It was so weird because I was thinking the same thing!
I have been making Betsy Girls, getting ready for Christmas, and I would love to list some as part of a promotional event!
So there you have it! Now here are the details:

Start making some lovelies for Christmas and then we will all list our goodies on July 25th, 2008!
Tag your Christmas Creations with "CSST" "CSSTeam" and "July Christmas" Then we will be able to find all the wonderful CSST goodies!
I'm so excited!
I will be uploading the picture I used here in this post at the Cottage Style Christmas in July Flickr Pool. Feel free to use it on your blogs!
If you have any questions, contact me directly through Etsy or just ask in the comments.
Have a wonderful week!
~Sadie Lou

Featured Seller: The Pink Tulip

Two words:
Spun Cotton

I never knew I loved spun cotton until I found The Pink Tulip.
This piece is totally amazing:


Maryanne's profile reads:

"I taught myself to knit, crochet, and sew by the time I was eighteen years old. I've been gardening since about eleven years old. Flowers and sewing are my favorite things !!! With sewing I love to mix antique or vintage fabric, buttons, anything old with new. And I enjoy making my own patterns. "

I am so captured by Maryanne's little world; her magical creations. Stop in and see for yourself!
Love,
Sadie Lou

Silver Bella 2008

If you haven't heard of Silver Bella before this year, you will never forget it after this year!
I first discovered Silver Bella last year when all of the sudden, all of my favorite Flickr contacts were talking about this event in November that they were all attending.
Look at pictures from last year's event HERE
So what is it? A Paper Arts Event Hosted by Teresa McFayden

Where is it? Omaha, Nebraska Brrrrrr!

When is it? November 11th-13th, 2008
Just because I am a total cheerleader at heart sometimes, I am going to post last year's who's who list of people that attended, instructed and set up vendor booths:
Here is a Who's Who List of the Vendors and Artisans:

* Hodge Podge by Amanda
* Cheryl Strait
* Tony Pastory
* Poppy Ink
* Beth Quinn
* Manto Fev
* Princess Lazertron/Megan Hunt
* Frost Creek Charms
* Present Past Collection/Heather Bullard
* Candace Carpenter
* Olive Juice
* Tammy Gilley
* My Favorite Things/Melissa Danner
* Doojes/Stephanie Hirschberg
* Inspire Company
* Kathy Jacobsen
* Little Melfie
* Paper Relics
* Raised in Cotton
* The Red Door Studio
* Marilyn Nouvelle
* Stephanie Rojas
* Charm School Jewels
* Speckled Egg
* Debby Schuh
* The Vintage workshop
* Missalayneeah
* Colleen Moody
* Becky Sherwood
* Cari Kraft
* Dede Warren
* Susan Jacoby Designs
* Vintage Diva/Kelly Jacobs
* Lulubellas
* Rebecca Sower
* Charlotte Lyons
* Teresa McFayden
* Carolyn Peeler
* Corrine Ayers
* Pam Garrison
* Sis Boom/Jennifer Paganelli
* Everyday is a Holiday/Jennifer Heid & Aaron Neiradka

Have you noticed that SEVERAL of our fellow team members are on that list?? What a great way to get to meet one another and do what we love--which is oggle each other's creations! I felt so out of the loop last year that I am going to make a serious effort to go this year, if my finances are in order.
Anyhoo, check out some of the links I provided and feast your eyes on the best Paper Event all year!!
Love,
Sadie Lou

Featured Seller: Faerie Window

Who are we kidding here? We all know Lori of Faerie Window! She is a regular blog Author and blog reader! Her creations are always of perfect quality & imagination.
Lori's blog profile reads...

"welcome to my little world where i am loving my family, cutting up paper, and making whimsies from clay and mache..."

Probably my favorite, signature creations are Lori's ceramic bunny shapes perched on little handcrafted boxes. Lori "sugar coats" those creations with German Glass Glitter...

All of the items in the Faerie Window shop have this magical, timeless feel about them.
It's one of my favorite places to shop!
~Sadie Lou

The Cottage Style Bride Baskets Are HERE!!

The baskets are being listed today! Look at the listing right
HERE
Everyone really put their best foot forward!
Thanks to all the contributing artists!
~Sadie Lou

(Good Luck to Us!)

Featured Seller: Out On a Whim Studio

Kathi Robinaugh's shop Out On a Whim Studio is really inspiring to me. With over 70 items for sale, you instantly get the feeling Kathi *LOVES* what she does.
Kathi's BLOG is so much fun! It's just as full of wonderful things as her Etsy shop! I saw some really great ideas.
Kathi says,

"Welcome to Out on a Whim studio...where the past meets the present! I am an Altered Artist, Junker, Vice President of our private ambulance service, Mom of 4 boys and wife, not necessarily in that order! I began creating as a child, and have done Primitive painting, sewing, and stitchery, and my current obsession, altered art! I've done shows, consignment, mall booths, antique booths and a little wholesale. I am now primarily selling online! After several years of scrapbooking the kids' pictures, I began to do other papercraft type projects! I am currently focusing on primitive and whimsical altered art, such as handmade journals, prim tags, and anything else I can find to alter!"

I love Kathi's attention to detail. The use of small keys, die_cuts, ribbon, flower accents, gems & crystals...she's very good at creating a beautiful arrangement.
Stop by Out on a Whim Studio and welcome her to the team! She's new (and wonderful asset) to the Cottage Style Street Team on Etsy!

A Cottage Style Wedding: Coming Soon!

Chloe Rose made this GORGEOUS Cottage Style TREASURY! It's to tease potential buyers about our Cottage Style Bride gift baskets coming very soon! The baskets may not list exactly on the 1st--due to the holiday-but it will be close so keep watch!
Make sure to visit Chloe's treasury and click, click, click! All the visits and clicking get our lists noticed and MAYBE chose for the Front Page which is awesome exposure for everyone.
Enjoy!

Featured Seller: Raquel Castillo

I saw one of Raquel's necklaces in a treasury. I was hooked instantly! I clicked on the listing and then the shop and each creation was as delicious as the last.
When I look at this SHOP as a whole, each listing compliments the next one and they all have this very vintage-inspired feeling--like someone has gone through the estate of a classy lady, chosen her best pieces and revamped them for the 21st century.
The jewelry has a modern design but crafted with special attention to the vintage elements involved.
Just like many of us, Raquel is a stay at home Mom raising two young boys. Her profile states quite plainly,

"I spend most of my time raising my two boys, Mathew (5) and Luke (1). I love to sew, draw, and make anything possible with my hands...

I think you would agree that this shop ties in nicely with the Cottage Style we all love and cherish--Vintage, Romantic and sweetly composed with a delicate color palate-Raquel's creations are something to admire!
Take some time to welcome Raquel to the team! She doesn't have a blog yet but she aspires to do so in the future!
~Sadie Lou

Gorgeous Cottage Style Treasury!

Click Here to visit this gorgeous treasury. It expires in one day so make sure you 'click' 'click'!!
I don't think one of our Cottage Style treasuries has made the front page--but we'll get there soon enough!!
Here are some quick tips on how to score a treasury:

1) Click on Treasury from the home page
2) Notice the number of lists--count backwards from that number until 333 (that's when the new treasury opens)
3) When the lists tick down to 333-stay on that first page. DO NOT REFRESH!
4) Some lists will start to expire but the number of lists don't change--just be patient! Don't leave that first page. You can click back and forth between pages to watch the minutes tick down on that 333 Treasury
5) Have the title of your list ready to go! Copy and Paste it into the Title Box and hit "CREATE"
Yay! You got one! Make sure you don't put yourself in the treasury--that's considered taboo by Etsy admins and they won't choose your list for the Home Page

Good Luck!
This Treasury was created by Chloe Rose
Thanks Chloe!

Etsy's New Search Hurts!

In case you didn't know, Etsy changed their search.
Etsy Article

I quote...

Today, we launched some exciting changes to Etsy's search engine. These changes were requested by the community and we think they help improve the shopping experience on Etsy.

We've separated item search into three new searches: Handmade, Vintage, and Supplies. The default is Handmade, with Vintage and Supplies available in the drop-down. You can also select "All items" to search Handmade, Supplies, and Vintage all at once.

Hmmm...
I'm thinking buyers are not going to realize there is a drop down menu. In fact. my own supply shop Nickel Candy has already felt the after burn of the new search.
I recently took all my listings out and I will be listing supplies in my handmade shop. I have spoken to a few supply sellers and the feedback is the same--this new search hurts!
Popalicious Too
Caramelos

Here are some tips on tagging that might help:

Tag every, single item with your shop name. Buyers can sometimes remember the name of the shop they bought something but they can't always remember to use the drop down menu in the search to choose "username". If you tag all your listings with your shop name, people can put that name in any of Etsy's search functions and find you.

Tag all your handmade items with the word "handmade" so they are sure to show up in the default search.

Remember to use the "All Items" when searching for CSSTeam listings. This searches everything: Supplies, Handmade & Vintage.

I hope all of this helps! Buy handmade and support our fellow members by buying supplies on Etsy?!!
~Sadie Lou

Featured Shop: Little Things

Eunice runs a beautiful shop...



Her listings are always unique-always romantic-always an inspiration...
True to her shop's name, it's the Little Things that make Eunice's creations so magical.


You can also find Eunice on her blog. I love her profile...
"Seventeen years ago I started The Little Things , I was a single mom and it was the best way for me to work out of my home and be a mom ! I created many things , sold in stores all over the country and at shows! I have six grown children now ( six grandchildren also )! God is a very important part of my life , without His guidence, love , grace and mercy I dont know where I would be today ! I love exploring different mediums in art . I have always loved cast off's , junk ,paint, paper ,fabric ,beads the list goes on !"

One of *my* favorites...

Cottage Style Blogging

Well, it had to be done.
*smile*
I started a private, social network for members to join if they want to be a part of that. It's actually a lot of fun.
This group is by invite only so you if you meet these requirements:
1. You are the author of a Cottage Style Blog
2. You are a member of the CSST
Then you may contact me ( sadie ) about joining and I will provide you with the invite.
You can either contact me by leaving a comment on this post or sending me a conversation through Etsy:
Right Here

Thanks!
~Sadie

Featured Shop: Cape Cod Cupboard

Visiting the shop Cape Cod Cupboard is like a trip through time. If you're like me, you sometimes feel sad about all the wonderful treasures of the past being lost on a dusty shelf somewhere. Fear not! Artists like the owner of Cape Cod Cupboard, take these antique findings and recreate their original importance by adding them into new creations!
I was looking at her blog and I read this in the profile:
"My dream as a little girl on the South Shore of Boston was to someday get married and live on Cape Cod, in a Cape Cod style house with weathered shingles, and have lots of kids. I may have forgotten about that dream, but it didn't forget me... I live on Cape Cod... in a Cape Cod style home with weathered shingles... with my hubby and kids... and I'm very happy!"

Happiness is like a magic glue--it holds all the elements together and I can see happiness and hard work in all of Cape Cod Cupboard's finer details...
...stop by and visit!
~Sadie Lou

"A Cottage Style Bride" Gift Basket

Here's the idea Girls,
I would like for the team to generate some funds so that we can start buying some prime real estate in some popular magazines! In order to do this, I have hatched a two-fold marketing plan. This idea will both generate funds and exposure. I need volunteers!
We will be putting together some promotional packs with a theme.
Our first theme (since June is right around the corner) will be "A Cottage Style Bride". I need CSST members to sign up to make 10 items for the gift basket.
The 10 items must be Cottage Style.
They must all be the same thing.
They should be "for the bride"-- Think: jewelry, soap, lotions, stationary, thank you cards, decorations, candles, things for the home...whatever! We are a creative bunch so I know we'll be able to make an irresistable gift basket!
If you sign up to contribute, you will be sending me 10 items for 10 baskets--all the same.
You will also include 10 business cards with a description of the item you made for the basket, written on the back.
The business cards will be put in a pretty envelope and will be included in each gift basket.
My contribution (besides what I make) will be the gift basket and wrapping. If someone wants to volunteer to make a decoration for the gift basket--like a banner that says "For the Bride" or a ribbon & Flower accent--sign up to do that.
These baskets will go on Sale starting June 1st.
All contributions must be mailed to me by Monday, May 26th so that I can get the baskets together, photographed and listed by June 1st.
This is a great opportunity for your shop to get noticed and for our Team, as a whole, to generate some money for advertising!
Sign up soon so you have plenty of time to create!
Love,
Sadie Lou

Congrats Autumn to May!

This listing from Autumn to May was on the front page this Sunday Morning.
Congratulations and Thank you for having a shout out to the Cottage Style Street Team in your shop's announcement!
~Sadie Lou

A Big, Important Post About Tagging

So in case you haven't seen the announcement on Flickr or the promo thread on Friday, we need to change our team's tag.
We are all so used to tagging with "CSST" and some of us have a lot of listings in our shops so this is going to be a small chore.
However, according to this Etsy article, it's pretty important that we change our team tag to "CSSTeam".

So let's get the change rolling this weekend. Alert your friends too because there is a limit to how many conversations I can send out before the spambot shuts me down.
*smile*
Good Luck & Thanks!
~Sadie Lou

Featured Shop: Birds of a Feather

Heidi Wallingford has a beautiful shop called Birds of a Feather
I have been especially impressed with Heidi's use of color. She has the most fabulous, ready to use, crepe paper garlands in yummy, yummy *COTTAGE STYLE* colors.
Be sure to visit Heidi's shop and see her delicious sense of Cottage Style...
~Sadie Lou

Cottage Style Treasury- April 29th, 08

I got a Treasury titled,
"Pink Butter"
You can visit the list and click on all the listings to support our fellow members!
CLICK HERE

Love,
Sadie Lou

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