Metzli's Updates

I am still doing Tarot Readings, on Etsy: www.metzlislight.etsy.com ; at my own website: www.metzlislight.com ; and I am pending an approval at keen.com/metzli .

What is the difference between all these sites.

Keen.com/metzli is meant as a pay-per-minute service. You ask me questions, I give you immediate answers, we move on. You get highly specialized information. Of course, you can ask as many questions as you wish - but most customers here want info - fast.

On Etsy: I give you the opportunity to browse different questions, and I respond in an email format. This method gives me time to take more elements into consideration and give a more in depth answer. I offer follow up questions, and it gives us both more space to breathe. Sometimes these conversations span hours - all included in the same price. The lowest priced service here is $5.00.

On my personal site is my favorite type of reading. Here you already know that you need a chunk of time, and we give it to ourselves. We give ourselves time for meditation, reflection, space, and quietness. 

Prices are comparable.

Thank you for your interest. Hope to hear from you soon. 

Weekly BNS Shopping Guide

BNS 247 Round 262

Thank you for visiting!  This week's shopping guide will be broken up into two sections:  one for Mother's Day Gifts (there is still time), and one to entice you to start your own DIY project :)

Here is a tip for when you are (NOT) late with a gift:  Choose a wonderful, well though out object, almost anything from Etsy will do.  Print out the picture of the item, and write a note telling the special person all about what they will be receiving in the mail.  When you are writing your note, write something unique about the person who is making/sourcing the gift.  Make a big deal about how the item is getting hand crafted/specially sourced as you speak, adding special magic to your item.  Tell the person a little about HOW the item is made, and where the materials come from.

This week our feature shop is Smartkin.  I featured this as a Mother's Day Gift, because Smartkin likes to choose her mealtime napkin, depending on her mood.  My mind went wild with glee, imagining my family being able to tell my mood, depending on what napkin I was using.  It would be so much fun.  I even clicked around her shop for a while, imagining what mood I would be in, while eating with her different napkins.  Because I liked the idea of variety,  I featured a 5 pack of 1 ply super soft and absorbent napkins, all with white surged edges (something fancy you do with a sewing machine).  Smartkin uses these napkins herself, she keeps a bag under her sink, and puts the napkins in there as they get dirty, which makes managing using reusable napkins easy.  Once the bag is filled, she washes it - no biggie.  Make sure to check out her new line of snack/sandwich bags, perfect for lunch boxes.

Other equally impressive gifts in the jewelry department are a  Red "Steam Punk Flavored" Acrylic Heart Necklace with a stunning, hand made 18 inch chain by LexiGirlCreations; a yoga necklace made of a clay disk with a plain back, perfect for adding essential oils, by DomansVintage; and a summer inviting wire wrapped adjustable freshwater pearl anklet with a lobster clasp, by CaveGemstones.  For dog lovers WhimsyBags had introduced mini canvas totes into her shop which are mini wristlet baggies.  They are 6 x 6 inches, and the one featured here has a Pug Dog pictured.  MWBTRFundraiser with a 16'' round crochet Boston Terrier Pillow is also a great gift for dog lovers as 20% of their profits support animal shelters.  Are you a size 7m in shoes?  If yes, go buy these Giannin Bini Peep Toe Ladies Pumps with a 3 inch heel from OceanofFlowers.  

For those of you who are all done with Mother's Day Gifts, how about making a craft?!?  Perhaps you want to make something elegant with 4 yards of black lace from SweetieFluhr (she suggests making anything from lingerie to a greeting card), a Tiny Die Cut dancing fairy by littlescrapshop, and HAND CRAFTED "shaved ice" lampwork bead by Donna at Roxemarie.  Maybe you want to make 25 simple necklaces with 25 mystery charms, links, and small pendants from MarcenzJewelSupplies and 15 yards of red twine from TK Co?  How about getting a Large Handmade Crochet Flower, from CrochetGrannyforU, and adding it to a boring headband, or pinning it to your shirt to proudly display your love for hand created art pieces?  My mind already created a beautiful bow with Vintage Ribbon with Bears and Balloons from TheNewFrontier, and that vintage Retro Turqoise button at FriendlyWrenJewelry, I used a glue gun, and attached it to an alligator clip.  The project is purely in my mind, so the items are still available :)  Goodbye now, I'm leaving you all to make butterfly stickers with my special butterfly washi tape.  I figured out that if you accordion fold the parchment paper before you add your washi tape, then removing the backing off the stickers becomes a cinch.  I made SO MANY washi stickers this weekend...

BNS247 Round 261!!

BNS 247's ROUND 261

Welcome to my blog!  I am happy to write about all the wonderful shops who are being featured in this week's Team BNS.  Our feature shop this week is GreenLioness who is owned by Katharine.  Katharine has been on Etsy since 2010, and originally got started by selling reusable snack and shopping bags.  She is a self proclaimed "old hippie" who has a knack for creating with reusable products.  Today, I featured her Pink Baby Rag Quilt, it is handmade and soft, measures 32 x 36 inches, and looks adorable.  It has a 100% cotton center, and pink minky fabric alternated by soft flannel.  It looks very sweet, and I wish I could cuddle in it.  As cute as her quilt is though,  what I REALLY have my eyes on are those pre-cut, squares, perfect for ME to sew my very own quilt...  

We have fifteen other shops featured alongside GreenLiones.  In the Jewelry Department, Glamazone shows off a Huge, Rose Quarts necklace, sure to help you surround yourself with love, SmallPotatoesJewelry invites you to brag of your love for Bassets, PamMaggio, blends Lapiz Lazuli Beads with Sterling Silver beautifully, while TheBigBlueBead offers a green and gold bracelet ON SALE, and SnowingStars adds glitter to key chains.  

Our other handmade goods include Solid Colored Hair Ties, by TkCo, a stunning alligator figure by FuzziesBandStand (i've seen her kids' work in person, who knew you could make sure cool things with tiny little rubber bands?), Mini Salt Dough Tags stamped with LOVE by IndieGirlCreations, and X Ray Technician humor by SparklingHope.  Of course, we also have another cute dog pillow by HappyDogGoodies, her new pillows featuring dogs have been decorating my virtual home for a while now, the same home who's altar is now adorned with some of Susan, from TheNewFrontier's ceremonial daggers, you really should take a look :)  

Our Vintage Shops this week boast an enamel-ware pot, adorned with beautiful flowers by OceanofFlowers, and a Limited Edition 1974 Porcelain Plate by PoetTreesPromise.  As far as supplies this week, check out Metzli's new washi tape collection and Rustic Mason Jar Tags by Fireflydesigns.  I hope you enjoy this weeks features!  Comments welcome!

Don't Washi Your Money - PSA

This is a Public Service Announcement, by Metzli from Metzlislight.

DO NOT WASHI YOUR MONEY!!!

I spent a lot of time researching washi tape, so that I could sell it in my shop.  Part of the research of course was BUYING TAPE.  Here is some of what I have learned.

Three of the washi rolls available through MetzlisLight.

1) You really can't buy washi tape for less than $1.00 a roll, unless you are buying in bulk.  Sure, there are exceptions, like when an Etsy Shop is de-stashing, or, when a larger company is going out of business, but, don't be fooled, you pay for what you get for.

2) This stuff is made in China, or at least, all the stuff that is advertised in the first pages of a Google search, comes from China.  It's no surprise, but don't be fooled, even your small Etsy shop ultimately sources from China.

3)  The title AND the description of the tape should say: Washi Tape, Paper Tape, or Masking Tape.  Be weary of titles that say washi-like paper tape or decorative tape, this usually means that the tape is plastic and therefore NOT as fun as "real" washi tape.  Many of the decorative tapes that are not washi, come with paper cores, which can be misleading.  Paper core does NOT equal washi tape.

4) Check the sizes: the tape from my shop measures 15mm x 10m that converts roughly to .6 in x 32ft.  That's a lot of tape.  Many of the discount tapes are either thin, or come with a very small amount.

Here, just for fun, are pictures of some of the jokes I have received.

These rolls from Ebay were a joke.  Sure, they were cute, but they were also plastic, non-tearable, and came in very small quantities.  I couldn't even decorate one card with one roll.  Sad, I will be using them more like stickers.

These were bought in bulk for my shop.  50 rolls came.  Turns out they were decorative "washi style" tape.  That's just regular plastic tape with decorations, doesn't reposition well, and becomes permanent, relatively fast.  I don't want to sell it in my shop as I feel it cheapens my other products.  Decorative tape is cool, its just not biodegradable, reposition able, colorful, awesome washi tape.  

Here's a little tower of tape:  plastic decorative tape, then "real" washi tape, that eBay 10 rolls for less than a dollar with free shipping tape, and the tiny thin tape up top.   That top one came in a set of 10, with FREE SHIPPING.  They were very small rolls.   I've learned, that with washi, free shipping usually means...  not a deal.  The colors were pretty cool though, rainbow like, just really small amounts. 

These plastic lace tapes are actually pretty sweet and I will keep them for personal use.  However, for Etsy Shop purposes, the rolls are too short, run out too fast, and are too expensive to keep in stock.

Thank you for your time, happy washi tape buying.  Remember that I have rolls available at my shop for $2.25 a roll, shipping on additional items is only 10 cents!!!

How To BNS 247 Style

Welcome to Metzli's officially unofficial guide to having a successful BNS experience, 247 style ;)  As a leader at the wonderful BNS247 Team, I've gotten the privilege of seeing many shops successfully promote their business via our BNS rounds.  How do they do it?  Well, they network.  Happy BNS'ers know that BNS Treasuries are all about seeing and being seen.

This is Libbie, she LOVES to be seen :)

Getting Started: You're on a board :)  Congratulations, you've been featured!  What now?

STEP 1:  Stop by the treasury and give it a big, fat, heart.  Done?  Now, go into the comments, and write something.  Your comment can be a simple hello, a flashy "sales dust fairy," or a blatant advertisement such as:  "Thank you for featuring my Washi Tape!  I just received fun, floral, Spring patterns."  Remember, you are here to be seen AND start letting other Shop Owners get to know you. Etsy Sellers are Etsy Shoppers too, so be the person your customers want you to be:  You.  

STEP 2:  Interact.  Take the time to know the shops you are featured with; click on their listings, heart listings you like, read about their shop and process, policies, and other media.  How many sales do they have?  How many listings are in their shop?  Are their sections clearly defined?  Do they have good tags and titles?  What do you like about their shop?  What are they doing right??  What can you learn from them?    This is a good time to Pin and Tumbl, Tweet or otherwise promote your peers.  The button for these social media pages is right on their listings.  Hopefully, you'll start to see why Shop Owners keep buying into BNS Rounds.  You'll find some REALLY nice, well priced and useful wares.  Learn from the positives, avoid duplicating the negatives.  

Example of really nice wares by TkCo

Be graceful during this step.  There is no rule that says you have to promote items and shops you don't like or are misaligned with your beliefs.  Take what you like, leave what you don't.  

STEP 3:  Contact your warm market.  Are there some shops you have been interacting with lately?  Maybe you were working on a trade but it fizzled.  Perhaps a sale was being nurtured but the ball was bounced around to much and now is stuck in the air.  Remember that possible repeat customer who needs a little nudge.  Here is your nudge.  Message them saying something like:  "Hi _____, My _____ is featured here _____.  Come take a look!"  Make the message as personal as appropriate.  Some shops I work with create treasuries, then they message everyone on the treasury.  This is considered spamming by some, so make sure you are only contacting those who have invited communication.  NOTE:  Someone hearting your item is NOT an invitation to message them.

Cute tags from TheNewFrontier

STEP 4:  Respond to your fan mail!  You are going to get lots of favorites.  You are going to get lots of views.  You will be promoted on social media, and you might be featured in some blogs.  Acknowledge, acknowledge, acknowledge.  Sometimes, the faves come so fast that it feels impossible, but for the most part, if you are participating in a BNS, returning the favor is a must.  Remember, you are here to network, find your target audience, and build a warm market.  Comment on the social media sites (did you know you could comment on Pins??), and track where your views came from.  Also, if you are featured in a blog, thank the blogger, a note to their inbox is nice, but a comment on the blog is like chocolate cake on your anniversary :)

Vintage Wares From PoetTreesPromise

STEP 5:  Reflect.  Did this promotion help you?  Did you meet new people?  Did you get some ideas for your shop?  Were you forced to rethink your policies?  Are your listings more clear now?  Did you reach your target audience?  Where can you improve???

STEP 6:  Repeat.  Of course.  Here's some tape to entice you into the next round ;)

Washi Tape from MetzlisLight

Thank you for your time :) See you at the BNS!!

Valentine's Day Swap Event

I participated in Simple Trading Team's Valentines Day Swap, and received a wonderful package from, Amol, at Personalized Writings, an Etsy Shop.  When the package came in the mail, I was laughing hysterically, thinking that Amol had posted a picture of himself on my envelope.  He hadn't. The man you see there is actually A.R Rahman, an Indian Celebrity.  My oldest daughter loved the parcel we received decorated with writing, stickers, and A.R. Rahman.

Inside the package were two publications for Planet Education Digest, where Amol is Editor-In-Cheif.

I also received stickers, cut outs, scatter, erasers...

a beautiful card with a handwritten note, soap samples, candy, tattoos and crystal decorations.  The handwritten note was beautiful, and referred to a baby addition as "adding two little feet." His writing has a natural poetry that comes out while reading it.

My favorite part of the package was this cute little keychain book, its bright, red, glittery, small AND HAS MIRRORS!!

If you want to visit Amol's Shop, here is the link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/PersonalizedWritings.  Maybe if you message him, he'll be nice enough to send you a package too :)

Vintage, No Sew Doll Clothes Patterns

I bumped into Mary's Shop after she participated in Simple Trading Teams 100 Views or a Trade Thread.  I love seeing all the shops owners who stop through that thread, helping other shop owners promote.  I always take time to visit participants' shops.  Her listing for No Sew Doll Clothes really caught my eye, I was intrigued at what it would be.  I laughed when I opened the package, filled with patterns for doll clothes.  You cut the clothes from fabric remnants and GLUE them together.  So simple, yet fun :)  Im not sure when the patters will be used, but, the vintage patterns, with typed instructions were still worth the price.  I love looking at vintage ephemera.

The package is mailed in a simple white plastic envelope, through USPS.  It had tracking, of course.

Inside the plastic envelope was a simple manila envelope with a picture of what was inside glued to the front.

Here is the back of the envelope.

And here is a picture of all the patterns.  They are super easy to follow, with instructions written right on them, and instructions easy enough for little hands who can handle sharp scissors to follow.

Thank you for reading my blog post!  If you want to visit the wonderful shop who sold me this pattern, please visit: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SocialmarysTreasures