Getting to Know You #30, Ireland says Thank You

What have the Choctaw Nation, Germany and an Irish American lady got in common? The answer lies in the fibre of this month's Getting to Know You treasury.

'Ireland says Thank You to our Friends' by byAMOR

This month, Etsy Ireland Team shares our Getting to Know You spot with Auld Irish Artisans, UK & Ireland Team plus special friends who have helped us this year. See our blog Thursday 13th to find out more ... http://etsyireland.blogspot.ie/index.html

Keep Calm - I Can't Keep... DustyShamrockS... $20	Ancient Irish Bog Oak Bog Ro... MayFlyEtsyShop $69	Bracelet leather green 4-row Charmecharming $15	Home Decor, Zen Garden, Vint... ArtGlamourSlig... $96.33
Rose - cross stitch pattern,... evascreation $2.99	vintage soup plates. Shallow... Carraigmore $15	Gross grain ribbon lilac, gr... FEANORcrafts $0.6	Resin Bangle. Eco Resin. Bot... LostForestJewe... $60
Child's Winter Cap LynnsCreativeC... $8.95	Steampunk Gothic Ornament De... AlteredEras $10	Apple Green Silk and Alpaca ... rubystarknits $48	Untreated Natural Raw Black ... LittleIndiaHol... $1
Hand Polished Dalmation Jasp... BlackBearsBaza... $6.99	Victor the Frog - fabric toy... ToysAndHomeDec... $47	Art Deco Choker by JAKOB BEN... ArtDecoratif $320	1998 Irish 50 Pence Coin Bir... BridgetFainne $22

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In honour of St Patrick's Day, this month's Getting to Know You spot is dedicated to some of those who have acknowledged and supported our team alongside two teams that also host many of our members; The UK & Ireland Seller Support team and Auld Irish Artisans team. This is a thank you to you  all from Etsy Ireland team.

Here is the breakdown of who our featured guests are and why they were chosen to share this treasury...

  

Martina and Regina 

Let's go back to one crazy weekend last summer and the hugely successful treasury blitz with our German friends, Promo Team De. Over two days, between us we produced more than 200 shared treasuries. Martina of Art Decoratif was the driving force behind the German efforts. Regina of CharmeCharming was proclaimed challenge Champion not only for participating but for tirelessly clicking, sharing and commenting on as many treasuries as she could. (Lets not forget our own Champion, Petra, who turned out a whopping 35 treasuries!)

Lynn

Lynn Corrigan of Lynn's Creative Crochet has to be one of the most prolific treasury makers on Etsy. This warm and friendly Irish American lady is a great promoter of Etsy shops around the globe churning out list after beautiful list. I'm personally grateful for being included regularly. I often spot fellow team members in the mix. Thanks Lynn!

Many of our team are also members of Etsy's Uk & Ireland Seller Support Team. If you are not, it may be worth considering. This huge team, almost 5000 members strong, is there for Etsy shop owners located in the UK and Ireland. It provides a space for us to exchange information and help each other out, while avoiding self promotion. Find the team on Facebook HERE and you can sign up to the team newsletter.

 
Paula and Nuala

Representing their team, we have included Paula of Altered Eras, who is based in  England and is a team leader. And please say hello to Nuala of Little India Holistics in Belfast.

In January we said hello to the Australian Wandarrah team.  Our greeting was returned to us with a gorgeous treasury by their member Little Grey Mouse. It is not often that our Getting to Know You treasuries are reciprocated and it was much appreciated. If any of you know of any other payback treasuries to our team do please mention them in comments.

At this time of year it is nice to give a nod to the Irish diaspora, including the Auld Irish Artisans on Etsy. Many of our team are also in this growing group. This team welcomes Irish and non-Irish Etsy people who love Ireland and all things Irish. Well, you can't go wrong with that ;-). You can also find them on Flicker.

  
Kate and Meagan

Representing this team, we have Kate of Bridget Fainne, one of the team leaders and Meagan of Dusty Shamrock Studio (She's the one who can't keep calm because she's Irish and sure, would you blame her? Neither can we, we're so excited it's nearly Paddy's Day!)

This brings me to our last, unusual guest and that is Grace of Black Bears Bazaar. I say unusual as I included her just for one treasury, True Irish Treasures, sent to us from across the pond. Or rather, it was because of her story and our shared heritage. Grace has Irish blood in her veins but also is Choctaw. She reminded me of the link between her ancestors and ours. I thought it a heart warming story to end this article.

During the Great Irish Famine  (1845-50,) the Choctaw Nation, who are known for their generosity and commitment to helping others, heard of our plight - or better said, blight 

Though they did not have great wealth, in 1847 the Choctaw people of Oklahoma took up a collection to help the starving Irish millions of miles away. The (then) grand sum of $170 was sent on to the US Famine Relief organisation for our fore-bearers' benefit. This was one of the most significant single donations made to the relief fund.

In 1992 a plaque dedicated to the Choctaw Nation was unveiled at the Mansion House, Dublin. Scroll down through this link from the Mansion House to see the plaque.

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Again, thank you to all who have supported Etsy Ireland team in any way to date. May I wish a Happy St Patrick's Day to all of you, wherever you are in the world! 

Thank You Notes: A Simple How-To

Thank You Notes: A Simple How-To

This is republished with thanks again to Ruth from Nice Day Designs!

I include thank you notes with all of my online orders. I always make them in bulk though so I have them ready to hand when I get orders. It's a nice little touch that makes my work stand out from the crowd and makes it more personal. People shop on Etsy for these little extra handmade touches, it's part of what sets it apart from buying from faceless multinationals.


In an effort to keep costs low I make my own rather than buying them. I always take notice more of a handwritten card, rather than a business card thrown in with the order. Here is a simple how-to for how I made my most recent cards: 


You will need:
Scissors
Ink pad (two colours preferably)
Clear stamps of your own choosing
X-cut corner cutter (optional)
Blank Cards (small) I used something similar to these
Envelope (optional but it makes it nicer)
Printing sticker paper (optional)

1.  Since I make cards I also have a lot of odds and ends or cards lying about the place. I have chosen to cut them in half so I can get better value for money. For a neater finish cut either side on the centre crease, making two cuts. 

2.  I love rounded corners on cards, I think it adds something elegant to them, I know it's more work but it's worth those extra few minutes. You can get one here at a reasonable price, and it's great value for money, I use mine all the time. 

      3. Since I sell crafty items I chose a scissors and thread stamp from my               collection (I also like that it kind of matches my tattoo). I've been building up my collection over the past year because I make cards, but you can easily pick these up in your local craft shop. I first stamped my image using black ink. I then found a thank you stamp and used red ink for the lettering to make it stand out more.

4. It's always important to keep on branding yourself. I made up these little stickers in Photoshop in a few minutes. I added my website address below my logo, and also the Facebook, twitter and blogger logos so people know they can search my business name and find me. This is a lot tidier than typing out all the addresses, handy when working with a small space. Weirdly I picked up a pack of 10 sheets of sticker paper in my local €2 shop, and I can use them in my printer at home which is really handy. I fit about 40 of these stickers on a sheet, the sheet costs €0.20, so that works out cheap as chips!

5. I put the sticker on the reverse of the card, and write my message of thanks to my customer just below it. 

I hope you all found that as useful as I did. Much thanks again to Ruth for allowing us to republish it.

If any of you have any information that you would like to see included in this blog or if you have any articles, advice or tutorials that you think might be useful please get in touch with me, Caroline, through my Etsy Shop Cari Design. 

Thanks again

Caroline