A Little Gift For Me

Contributor post by Mairi from mairidesign

All too often, we spend our time thinking of others and buying gifts for family and friends and, we all know, the next few weeks are going to be hectic. Perhaps now, is the time for a little self-indulgence before the chaos. The Christmas In July team would like to share all their fabulous items with those who are looking to buy themselves a little gift.

Margie Sarrao from ZenCatPottery says

At only $11.00, these small earrings are a perfect way to gift yourself! Featuring lampwork glass and Czech glass beads, they will add a pop of color to your day. The beads are wired separately, so they will sway prettily as you move.

Red Czech Glass & Silver Dangle Earrings

Karen Hafel from timetalentjewels says

My treat would be a cute little bracelet! This little bracelet is made of Turquoise Russian Amazonite which has Silver Plated Shells between the beads. I feel like I am ready for the beach and but I live in the Midwest, which is about 3000 miles from the ocean. Maybe some day! But this one is for sale!

Turquoise Gemstone Beaded Bracelet

Elisabeth Perez from LizPOriginals says

My treat would be a nice book mark to go with a great book for relaxing times.

Pink Gemstone Bookmark

mistycat1234 from carolinagirlz2 says

I think any crafter would love a new pack of purple beads to stitch up into something wonderful…maybe peyote, cross stitch, jewelry, or something else?

Antique Glass Beads

Richard and Tatiana from DesignstheLimit says

Give the gift of personalization, especially when shopping for yourself. It is better to enjoy a glass of wine less often and in style, than to overindulge. At Design’s the Limit, we encourage the responsible enjoyment of spirits from the safety of your own home. Design a wine glass which suits your personality, we have a variety of glass and crystal stemware and stemless glasses to choose as a canvas for our designs. Once you have selected a glass, choose the font and design which suits your tastes and include any text you wish to including name, monogram, single initial, or popular sayings in the public domain!

Stemless Personalized Wine Glasses

Sue and Misty from shabbyshopgirls says

Enjoy some “me” and “family” time by reading your favorite verses from The Bible and sitting down with the family to fill out the numerous pages for recording wedding information, birth records and your family tree! A great way to spend some down time before the Holiday season arrives!

Precious Moments Bible Family Edition

Cindy Humphrey from Cynhumphrey says

All of us experience the concept of the yin and yang in our daily lives. It always seems there is something positive pulling against the forces of something negative and we are forced to pull it together in unity and “work things out”. I also think that “making it through” whatever comes your way on any given day largely depends on your frame of mind and attitude about life in general. So, with this little butterfly yin and yang compact (pill) storage jar, you would have the constant reminder that no matter what happens, things do get better and can become beautiful, just as the bling this item offers!

Pill Storage Box

Carola Bartz from CarolaBartz says

I would buy a hand knitted hat to keep me warm in winter. It’s such a nice accessory.

Hand Knitted Slouch Beanie

Photos From The #CIJLovesJuly Photo Challenge – #CIJParty 2018

Contributor post by Michelle of EviesToolEmporium

During the #EtsyCIJ 2018 event the Etsy Christmas In July team has been hosting a photo challenge.

Many team members shared their photo during day of the challenge. Please join us as we celebrate their photos!

1. CIJLovesJuly Photo Challenge 2018
2. Emily from OrnamentationShoppe Instagram: ornamentationshoppe
3. zizzybob from zizzybob Instagram: zizzybob
4. Linda from LindaBrittDesign Instagram: brittdesign2
5. Heather from MooseintheMint Instagram: mooseinthemint
6. Cristal from DesignsbyCristal Instagram: Creativedesignsbycristal
7. Alissa from PoppyAndPeonyDesigns Instagram: poppyandpeonydesigns
8. Arlene from ThisandThatCrafter Twitter: TandTCrafter 
9. Britney from LitByBrit Instagram: litbybritmelts

1. CIJLovesJuly Photo Challenge 2018
2. Claudia Marie from ClaudiaMarieFelt Instagram: claudiamariefelt
3. Rebecca from OrnamentsbyRebecca Instagram: ornaments_by_rebecca
4. Judith from FabriArts Instagram: fabriarts
5. Clara from elliottsplayground Instagram: elliottsplayground
6. Diana from joliefemmebydiana Instagram: joliefemmebydiana
7. Peggy from christmaskeepsakes Instagram: peggyrhuff
8. Mairi from mairidesign Instagram: mairidesign1
9. Judy from PiecesOfMePaperCraft Instagram: piecesofmepapercrafts

Thank you so much for joining us on our #CIJLovesJuly photo challenge!

Let’s Go Galactic

Contributor post by Mairi from mairidesign

Let’s go Galactic! The team is taking us on a journey into space with their celestial and sci-fi inspired beauties. You’re sure to become starry-eyed browsing this gift guide.

Stock Lane Studio from StockLaneStudio says: 

Our galactic line of prints and party signs are out of this world! The background design was a labor of love and I really put my heart and soul into the multi layered twinkly sky.

At SLS we love to customize and our personalized night sky prints and printables are a big hit. They are often ordered for nursery decor or baby shower gifts and can include sweet quotes or the new baby’s name. Party planners and parents also love to purchase printable or printed table signs and posters for girl’s and boy’s space-themed birthday parties. We can add the child’s name, age and a big birthday wish.

Custom Printable art

Diana from joliefemmebydiana says:

Robots and aliens in space! These fun wallets make a great gift for boys to keep their change, gift cards, or earbuds. Brightly colored prints make a very memorable gift for any space or sci-fi lover! Created especially for science and tech minded kids!

Gift for Boys Robot Wallet Case

Judy Merashoff from JAMsCraftCloset says:

National Geographic says…”Compared with the billions of other stars in the universe, the sun is unremarkable. But for Earth and the other planets that revolve around it, the sun is a powerful center of attention. It holds the solar system together; pours life-giving light, heat, and energy on Earth; and generates space weather.”

People are drawn to the sun and moon for their decorating purposes. This sun candle holder was a great find and would brighten anyone’s galaxy.

Candle Holder Glass Sun

Gari Anne from beadloverskorner says:

Raised on SciFy, Star Trek and the like you can almost always find at least one UFO in my shop! These sterling silver earrings were made with miscellaneous beads, and in the words of David Childress “Could this be some kind of Alien Spacecraft?”

UFO Earrings Spaceship Sterling Silver

Nancy Duncan from EponasCrystals says: 

A galaxy of stars for your wrist. Actual photo of a galaxy transferred to a brass cuff bracelet.

Galaxy Brass Cuff Bracelet

Sherri from ButterflyFeetDigital says:

Starry skies were just catching my eyes – tv commercials etc. And of course for many years we have been fans – Star Wars, Battle Star Galactica, Star Trek – all fun stuff. So I decided to make a set of starry skies paper but instead of a full set of 12 x 12 inch papers, I decided to go with a few and make it stationery / journal pages instead.

Stardust Printable Lined Journal Pages

Rita Szöllősi from RitzySelection says:

Three big pompoms make this cushion more sweet, making it a sympathetic alien spacecraft.

Meditation Cushion, UFO pillow

Let’s Make It Personal

Contributor post by Cindy Humphrey from Cynhumphrey

As special as a gift may be, it becomes even more special when it’s personalized. Personalized gifts show the recipient put some thought into the gift and those types of gifts also suit any occasion.

Our Christmas in July team members were asked to share a link to something in their shop that would qualify as a personalized gift. It could have been something that had a name added or boosted a personal connection to a special person.

Here are some special gift ideas that were shared.

Stock Lane Studio from StockLaneStudio says:

Whether as partners or best friends, true soulmates don’t come around often, but when they do they can last a lifetime. Our custom ‘Sole’ Mate cards are a great way to reach out to your ‘Bestie’. Let SLS make it personal by adding your names and the date when your friendship began. Did you solidify your friendship on the shores of Camp Kawabunga during the summer of 6th grade? We can add that too!

Printable Personalized Quote

Judy Merashoff from JAMsCraftCloset says:

These little chalkboard buckets can be used as Table Numbers or fill with something special and give as a gift with their name written on it. I found a bunch of these at an Estate sale. At the time I had no idea what to do with them, but I had to have them. Then I thought…wedding or party…chalkboard paint…Voila! I now wish I had more of them. I only have this one set left and would love to make more.

Tin Pail with Oval Chalkboard

Ilda Pereira from lililapt says:

The Baby Boy Burp Cloth is personalized and gives a much more personal touch to the Baby´s objects. It is unique and there isn’t any other like it.

Baby Boy Burp Cloth

Susan Fowler from SSFDesigns says:

This pillow which has the saying “always kiss goodnight” is personalized with names and wedding date to make it a perfect gift for a bride and groom.

Always Kiss Goodnight Pillow

Mairi from mairidesign says:

Personalized wedding horseshoe candle holder, with the couple’s initials. Made from gorgeous iridescent stained glass and curled wire, and comes with a display gift box-bag. Decorative, yet functional, this lucky horseshoe symbol can be a lasting keepsake of the happy couple’s big day, and they can light a candle each year, on their anniversary, in celebration of their love for one another.

Wedding Horseshoe Candle

Przemila from CanisArtStudio says:

I think that the best personalized gift is a portrait.Over time, this is a great memory that never loses value. I offer oil paintings of people and animals. So you can order a portrait of a person with her favorite pet. You can choose the dimensions that are best for you. The finished image can be sent framed.

Custom Dog Portrait

Richard and Tatiana from DesignstheLimit says:

We specialize in personalized gifts for every occasion and celebration. Turn your gift giving opportunities into a gift giving experience your recipient will never forget. We recommend our top shelf gifts including one of the newest to our shop, the Spiegelau lowball tumbler.

Choose from our designs, submit your own images, or have us create an inspired design for any idea you have in mind. We offer gift wrap and additional gift services to make your gift giving as unique as the personalized gifts we create @DesignstheLimit.

Personalized Spirit Tumblers

Introducing The #EtsyCIJ Small Business Spotlight

Contributor post by Alicia from AliciasFindings

We are thrilled about our first #EtsyCIJ Small Business Spotlight – a showcase of small businesses on our blog!

We have a fantastic line up of Christmas In July team member shops for you to get to know. These shops are here for you and they are looking to interact with you here on our blog!

Each shop at our #EtsyCIJ Small Business Spotlight will be individually introduced, so please come back!

Let’s start shopping!

1. Kelly / ColourscapeStudios / #EtsyCIJ Small Business Spotlight
2. SLS / StockLaneStudio / #EtsyCIJ Small Business Spotlight
3. Richard and Tatiana / DesignstheLimit / #EtsyCIJ Small Business Spotlight

Please use #EtsyCIJSmallBusinessSpotlight on social media as you visit all the fabulous shops.

Thank you so much for joining us at our first #EtsyCIJ Small Business Spotlight!

Best Friends

Contributor post by Sheila of BeadyEyedBird

Do you love the Beatles’ song ‘I get by with a little help from my friends’ as I do? It’s so true, because as we all know, it’s tough to be successful without the love, support and help of others. What does this theme mean to you in the context of your Etsy shop? Some of our CIJ Teamies shared some wonderful Friends stories and items with us.

willowvalleyvintage from WillowValleyVintage says:

I started chatting with Pam at Giddies over some vintage beauty salon “Hairstyle of the month” art in her shop.

She told me the story of the art–how she had bought one in a frame and later found a stack of prints inside–a nice surprise! She’s a Team Leader and invited me to join Teamkitsch. We’ve chatted nearly every day since. I was new to social media, so she told me step by step how to post and participate on the threads. She encourages me, gives expert advice and always has fun stories to share!

Little Red Riding Hood’s cheery face, along with her basket of treats and flower bouquet, represents sweet gifts shared with a friend.

Little Red Riding Hood Doll Keychain Vintage 60s 70s Novelty Toy Key Ring Molded Rubber Figural Girl Retro Collectible Gift

Woolly Momo from WoollyMomo says:

“I’ll get by with a little help from my friends…” in my case that would be my ‘Hubstar’ who is also my best friend.

I do the all the designing, knitting and photography for the items in my shop, but it is the ever helpful and endlessly patient Mr Woolly Momo who is the powerhouse behind the scenes. He’s always there to be my personal Post Office mail boy, expert-technology-trouble-shooter and all round assistant extraordinaire when needed. He even doubles as a somewhat reluctant model for some of my handmade items, as you can see in the picture I included!

Woolly Momo wouldn’t exist without him as he encouraged me to sell my handmade knits by opening my little Etsy shop and has been right there with shouts of encouragement from the sidelines ever since.

So here’s to the fantastic Mr Woolly Momo and all other loved ones everywhere who give so much for us to follow our creative dream and never get the credit they truly deserve. Hip hip hooray!

Knitted Beard available in all colours and sizes. Handmade and Knitted Beard for Viking and Santa Fancy Dress and Cosplay. Made to Order.

Linda from LazyYVintage says:

Jim is my husband and best friend. He is also our shipping department. I wanted to show a picture of a beat up box (see below) that was sent to me by a customer last Christmas. Even though the box was thoroughly battered, the 1940s glass bread pan arrived in perfect condition. But the system would not let me copy a .jpg here. It is amazing and I plan to do a shop update with it before the Christmas season this year. Most of our reviews mention how great the packaging was.And, that is what Jimmy brings to the shop. Integrity of doing a good job and making sure our glass items arrive safely and in good condition. And with over 25 years of knowledge in the shipping industry he has done it all; truck driving, loading, unloading, packaging, and distribution. He is a real asset to the Lazy Y.

And he has my back. In all parts of our life together. He is always trying to make me laugh and lightens the stress load daily. I truly love working with him on shop. It has added a new adventure in our lives together.

Stock Lane Studio from StockLaneStudio says:

I’ll have to say I’m really grateful for social media. It’s helped me feel connected to family and friends as I travel around from one country and state to the next. I remember writing long letters and waiting forever to get one back – now, with email and texting and Facebook and cheap phone calls and the like, it’s so easy to just say hi and tell my friends and family what is going on. And forget about phone calls back then – anything long distance was so expensive.

My best friend and I have been through it all – we have known each other for 40 + years and the coincidences in our lives makes it seem like we were destined to be best friends. We were born in the same hospital the same year in California, but didn’t need each other until we were 10 and living in another state! We both studied and lived in France and Germany, but didn’t really decide on doing that together, it just happened. She married a man from New York and I ended up living there. The list going on and on. Those are just little details though that make our friendship interesting. What keeps us best friends is the support we give one another the long talks and motivation and laughs. We’ll always have that no matter where we are.

Polkadot flower card blank inside, 4×6 floral modern art photo note card for her, fun French travel greeting friendship card for girl

Richard and Tatiana from DesignstheLimit says:

Tatiana uses her skills as a graphic designer and artist to provide the best combination of quality in both products and services. I love to be able to share her talents with the world and to provide customer service for all of our wonderful customers here on Etsy. As our friendship turned to marriage, our efforts to business, and our love into parenthood we “Drink to Good Health in Good Company!”

We are blessed to be able to operate our Etsy shop as a full-time job and working together has made us closer than ever before. From graphic design to gift wrap, the Etsy messaging system allows us to work with our customers to create uniquely designed gifts and provide the gift services are customers need to be able to ship their gifts in style. We offer our customers the option of choosing from our portfolio, submitting their own images, or having us create an inspired design for any custom order request. We also offer additional gift services including gift cards, gift wrap, and more!

Design Your Own Monogrammed Stemware Personalized with Our Monogram Design Options & Font Selection (Each)

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to everyone who participated!

Until Next Time,

Sheila

Treasury Challenge Winner September – BeadsandThreadsbyAmy

Guest Post By Kristy from KrystalKlarityBeads

On Etsy many shop owners curate treasuries. A treasury is a curated shop gallery composed of 16 items from any shop. Most of the time they are done by theme, color or anything you can imagine. These are done for promotional reasons and also are sometimes just done for fun by those that really enjoy making them.

The Christmas in July  team has challenges to create treasuries centered on themes of our choosing. We then pick a winner based on views, creativity and so on.

The September winner for our Back To School challenge is Amy Spock  who started BeadsandThreadsbyAmy. Amy enjoys several crafting areas; starting with beading and quilting it has led to a love for creating custom patterns for businesses and individuals. I asked Amy some questions about being on Etsy.

How long have you been creating and what first started your love for beading?

I have been beading for about 12 years now. A friend of mine is a beading fanatic, and put together a kit for me for Christmas several years ago. The kit was for a beaded ornament cover, and I have been making them ever since. I also create jewelry, but I always love those so much that I keep them for myself!

You also do embroidery. What got you started with your love for embroidery?

The embroidery side of Beads and Threads started with quilting. My small machine just wasn’t cutting it, so I started shopping around for a new machine. I got a great deal on a floor model, single needle embroidery machine. I loved it so much, that we ended up investing in a larger machine. Now, we are able to do hats, shirts, towels, bags, and just about anything else you can imagine!

 What do you think is most important for a new business owner to know; something that you wish you had known?

I think the hardest thing for me has been pricing items. I tried formulas and seeking advice from friends who also sell their crafts. At the end of the day, I had to decide for myself what profit margin I am comfortable with while still offering my customers reasonable prices and quality items. I would encourage new sellers to really scrutinize their costs and make sure they pay themselves a decent wage for their work.

 You do custom work also I see. What is the most rewarding thing about this for you?

We love custom orders! We have designed patterns for customers, digitized their business logos, and put together patterns for special occasions. It is so rewarding to work with our customers so closely to help them get exactly what they want.

 If you had to choose just one type of crafting, what do you think it would be?

Actually, if I could choose one type of crafting, it would be knit and crochet. My mother tried to teach me for years, and I have never been coordinated enough to actually do it. I would love to learn how.

What are your social media sites?

https://www.etsy.com/shop/BeadsandThreadsbyAmy

https://www.facebook.com/BeadsAndThreadsbyAmy

http://beadsandthreadsbyamy.weebly.com/

Let’s Get Personal

Hi everyone, Jules here from JulesMounteneyGlass

So Christmas is a coming! Probably the biggest commercial sucess of all time. Apparently it’s not all about the gifts but we spend a staggering amount on them each year and lets be honest, I’m sure we all remember at least one occasion when Aunty Flo got us that really dreadful gift that went straight to the charity shop as soon as they were open eh?

So how do you avoid the pit falls of Aunty Flo? It’s easy, just think about the person you are buying for, think about what they really like then get someting related that’s personalized, simples!

Here are a few ideas all made by members of the Etsy Christmas in July Team to get you started:

How about these beautiful monogramed coasters from CaffeinatedPapercuts

Custom Monogrammed Handmade Tile Coasters from CaffeinatedPapercuts

Todd From tmhofherr offers these wonderful custom paperweights

Custom Heirloom Family Photo Glass Paperweight from tmhofherr

Do you know a whiskey drinker? Check out these cool whiskey stones from Polarstones

Custom Engraved Whiskey Blocks from polarstones

What about a personalised print from ColourscapePrints

Personalized Couples Hand drawn Typography Print from ColourscapePrints

Or our very own Natalie from whenshuttersclick has these beautiful custom photo pendants available

Custom Photo Pendant from whenshuttersclick

Finally for something a little different you could always visit my store, JulesMounteneyGlass. Send me a glass bottle from a special event, maybe a Christmas party or birthday celebration, or even just an empty of somebodys favorite tipple and I’ll turn it into individual handmade beads and make them up into a gift or piece of jewellery of your choice. Like this handcrafted bottle stopper made from a recycled champagne bottle.

Wine Bottle Stopper from JulesMounteney
Glass

Don’t forget to share our blog with all your friends, that way they’ll have some great inspiration for buying your gift!

Happy shopping,

Jules