Merry Christmas from Betani's Bureau!

David Bowie, I ain't...

Craft sellers! New Yahoo Group!

Do you sell your handcrafts online, whether through Etsy or your own site? There's a small new Yahoo Group forming, and we need more members! It's called 'Selling Our Handmade Crafts', and we're getting together crafters to support, promote, encourage, and sometimes commiserate with each other about our business.

Come check us out at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SellingOurHandmadeCrafts/!

New Product! Great Hostess Gift!

Do you need a hostess gift for an upcoming Christmas Party? These new stemware coasters may just fit the bill! Just slide them onto the foot of your glass before pouring, and your coaster stays with your glass as you mingle!

What happens when an ADDer finds a hobby?

Bear in mind that these are only the projects currently on live needles. I still have more that are off the needles that need to be pieced together and/or felted.

These also are only the knitting projects in progress. There's also the sewing, beading, spinning, and unfinished wood.

Attention Last Minute Crafters!

Do you make your own gifts for Christmas? Still need ideas or elusive supplies?

If you live in the continental US (probably even Canada) there's still time to rummage through my destash section for lots of beads, embellishments, fabric, and more.

Won't you give these adorable Christmas beads a loving home this year?





Even if you're done making things for the holiday season, I've got plenty to choose from for future projects, and I'm adding more frequently.

Happy Crafting, everyone!

Christmas Shipping Deadlines

It's Christmas Shopping Season! And what better way than to buy handmade things online and have them delivered to your door?

I will do my absolute best to get all packages out ASAP, but if you want to be on the safe side, place your orders no later than December 17.

International customers, I cannot guarantee Christmas delivery, but I will do my absolute best.

For both domestic and international customers, I am more than willing to ship priority or express, provided you contact me prior to purchase so I can revise the shipping in your desired listing(s).

Happy shopping, everyone, and spread the joy of handmade gifts this year!

How'm I doin'?

Just a quick update on the weight loss front.

Last night I officially reached the ten pound mark! Just fifty to go now ;)

And so far $16.67 from store sales has been raised for Locks of Love. When worn in pigtails, I have five inches of hair to donate so far.

Fifty pounds of fat and five inches of hair to go. Think I can do it?

Featured Friend -- LilMouse Creations

Allow me to introduce you to my dear friend, LilMouse. She is an excellent chain mail artisan, and I've patronized her shop many times myself. I'm sure you can find something in her shop for yourself, or to give someone as a gift, so please check her out!

Buy Handmade!

I'd like to encourage everyone to Buy Handmade not only this holiday season, but whenever the opportunity arises. When you buy handmade items, you are buying from someone who takes pride in what they do. Love and care go into each item, giving you quality you just can't get from mass-produced assembly line products.

Everyone wins when you buy handmade. You get a unique, quality, and often one-of-a-kind product, and you support talented artists and craftizens, enabling them to continue creating wonderful things, and contributing to the happiness and well being of everyone involved.

Listing Explosion

Keep an eye on my shop in the next couple weeks. I've got quite a backlog of products, and I'm going to bite the bullet and list as many as I can so people can see them for holiday shopping.

Remember, after October 21, I won't be able to take custom orders again until December 3 due to the upcoming NaNoWriMo. So, if you want anything in a specific color, speak now!

Featured Friend

I've got to brag about one of my fellow Etsy sellers, Bibelots. She makes wonderful jewelry, handknits, and polyclay creations.

I purchased these handmade beauties from her a couple weeks ago:



And turned them into this necklace:



She really has mastered faux effects in polymer clay. Here are a couple more examples of her gorgeous work:







Please do check out her shop. You're in for a real treat!

A Personal Challenge

My bill paying job is quite sedentary, and let's face it; knitting doesn't burn many calories. The last couple years have been very unkind to my waistline, and I very recently hit my highest known weight.

A couple weeks ago, I bit the bullet and bought a 3 month subscription to Weight Watchers Online, which has helped get me back on track. I lost 6 pounds of water weight right off the bat.

Now I need a motivator to keep me going. The reward system works sometimes, but not always for me. I need something that is a constant reminder, yet will make me feel good about myself when I'm done.

Then the perfect idea came to me. I will not cut my hair until I reach my goal weight, and when I do, I will donate it to Locks of Love. With a total of 60 lbs to lose, I should definately have a 10" ponytail by the end. And I know it will definately keep my mind on task, because I HATE having long hair ;)

And, as I type this, another idea has occurred to me, and I'm going to commit myself to it openly right now. Starting October 1, 5% of all my sales will go toward a monetary donation to send along with my hair.

Now, is that a motivator, or what?

Silent Auction

Fellow Etsian Melanie's Originals is hosting a silent auction to benefit a program at the local Boy's and Girl's club that encourages children to read. I've donated one of my Tiny Totes to this great cause. Please check it out! All doners are fellow Etsy sellers. Bidding starts Tuesday the 25th, but items are being put up for you to preview.

Click here to check out the auction

In Mourning

I am still a bit in shock as I write this. This weekend, there was a great felting disaster in my washing machine, with many casualties. I lost a potential $200 worth of merchandise. Most of them would have been a brand new product to introduce into my store, and one of them was a custom order.

Please join me in a moment of silence.

..................................................

Thank you.

Why I'm never allowed to buy supplies ever again for the rest of my natural life

The answer is, No. This is not my entire stash. There is more of everything, and I haven't even taken pictures of the unfinished wood.

My Street Team

This is my street team. I'm very proud and pleased to be a part of this wonderful group. They've helped me with my visibility quite a bit, and one of my Tiny Totes even made it into a Muncie Newspaper!

This month we did our first seek and find type game on Etsy, and I'm currently working on a prize for an upcoming game.

Freshly Spun!

Fresh from my drop spindle! I got the roving for this from fellow Etsian TheArtAtEaglesFind. It was sooooo soft, and an absolute dream to spin. I'm still deciding what to knit with it. Likely one of my Tiny Totes, but I'm also considering playing with a small purse design that's been floating around in my head. It's hanging up to dry as I type this, having just been twist set. I will dive right in the moment it's knitable!

A fabric that needs a destiny!

I bought this fabric for a steal of a deal. It was originally $10/yard, but it was mismarked for clearance at $4/yard, and they honored the lower price. Now I need to figure out what to do with it! Most of it is going to be a pareo for me, but I will have about 1/2 yard left. The butterfly motif is too large to use for my photo wallets, so I'm looking for ideas.

Destash crazy

Sorry for the extended absence. I was going though my bead supplies, and I discovered lots and lots of things I just don't use anymore. I invite any and all crafters to sift through the destash section of my shop and give these supplies a good home! Everything is at or below cost!

What does Elise do for a living?

If you were to ask that question at this very moment that I write this, my answer would be that I beat Harry Potter fans off with a stick. I work at a public library in the technical services department. I get to unpack, invoice and receive all the new materials the library gets. Lousy pay, decent benefits, and co-workers I wouldn't trade for the world. Dealing with the vendors is another story, but I guess everyone needs a nemesis. ;)

I'm trying to turn Etsy into a supplementary income. I've yet to break even, but hopefully the upcoming shopping season will change that.

Where did the name Betani come from?

Betani is not my real name. That's Elise. When I signed up at Etsy, I was a buyer only, and Betani is a commonly used handle for me. When I decided to open a shop and found out that I couldn't change my username, I just worked it into my shop name.

Going further back, the origin of Betani stems back a few years ago. I always had disdain for my name being mispronounced all the time. I always thought Bethany was a pretty name, and sometimes wished my name was simpler like that. When we bought the online role-playing game Everquest, I created a character and wanted to use the name Bethany, but in order to stay in character with the lizard people, I needed it to sound more exotic. So, Bethany morphed into Betani, with the accent on the 'a'.

So, Betani has since become my more adventurous alter-ego. And since starting an Etsy shop took much courage for me, and has been an adventure in and of itself, I think it fits quite nicely.

Welcome!

Hello everyone!

Pardon my dust as I set up shop. This blog is for my Etsy store, http://betani.etsy.com. I'll be sharing my new products and ideas here, and I welcome any feedback and constructive criticism. So, stay tuned, and thanks for stopping by!