Nature Manipulated - visual and wearable art: Featured EtsyBlogger - Rose Works Jewelry and Kindred Spirit Treasures

As many of you know, I am a member of the EtsyBloggers Street Team and each month we have a new featured EtsyBlogger that we all write about on our blogs. This month's featured EtsyBlogger is Ruthie of Rose Works Jewelry and Kindred Spirit Treasures. As I did with the last few featured EtsyBloggers, I asked Ruthie some questions about her shop. This time though, I also threw in some questions about her blog. Enjoy the read!

1. How would you describe your jewelry?

I have an eclectic mix of jewelry. I do everything from simple strand work, to working with wire, to bead weaving, to hemp! I'm always pushing myself to learn new techniques and to stretch myself.

2. How long have you been making jewelry for?

A little over 10 years.

3. How did you get into this line of work/hobby?

I was originally taught a few things by a friend of mine. I loved working with beads, but didn't really have the money at the time to pursue it. I went back to it from time to time over the years, making things for myself and friends, and a few years ago I started to make it on a more consistent basis. All my friends and family were telling me I should try to sell my work, and since I needed a way to support my hobby, I eventually did!

4. What is your favorite item in your shop? Why?

Gosh, it's hard to pick one favorite! I really love this piece: Saffron's Firebird Necklace because it's the first one I ever made like it and I played around with adapting patterns to make it.

5. What are some of your favorite Etsy shops or items?

Oh goodness - so hard to pick! I love so many shops! But here's a couple of my top ones : )

spottedcowsoaps.etsy.com
leathermadenice.etsy.com
thechainmaillelady.etsy.com
phippsart.etsy.com

6. How do you attract people to your shop?

I run a blog that I try to post in daily, and I participate in both Project Wonderful and Entrecard through that blog. I have a radio show through Block Head Radio, so that also puts my name out there. I use Twitter and try to build relationships through that as well as to announce new items. I also try to go into the Etsy forums and post when I have spare time... Oh yes, and of course there's the traditional passing out my business card to random people I meet!

7. What advice can you offer other Etsy sellers to boost their sales?

Make friends. Yes, I've made sales to complete strangers, but the majority of my sales have come through connections I already had or relationships I've built online.

8. Are your items available anywhere other than Etsy?
Not at the moment, but it's in the works!

9. Tell us a little about your blog.

I use my jewelry blog for a variety of purposes. I showcase my own work and talk about life as a business woman, but I also use it to promote my radio show and to share what I've learned about running an internet business. Right now I'm working on a series with my friend Theresa of tiltcreations.blogspot.com where we are researching the different selling venues available online. It's a lot of work but it's a lot of fun too!

10. How long have you been blogging for? What do you primarily blog about?

I've been blogging in different venues for about 5 years now. I have three blogs right now. There's my jewelry blog that I talked about above, a blog where I feature other artists exclusively - roseworkstreasury.blogspot.com and a personal writings blog - ajedismusings.blogspot.com.

11. What advice can you offer to other bloggers or people thinking about starting a blog?

Ask yourself what your purpose is in writing a blog and build it accordingly. Also, posting consistently is important. Even if it's consistently 3 or 4 times a week, that's still important to building and maintaining a following.