Friday Finds: Back to School

When it comes to fashion and accessories, the first day of school is one of the most important days of the year. Whether we want to admit it or not, this is one of the days where trends are tested, created and judged the most.

Luckily, handmade and vintage is always in style, and the Oh Canada team can provide plenty of fresh back to school ideas for everyone!

Senior Girl Threads

Handmade Bamboo Poncho
by Anny May

Sleeping Late Upcycled Top
by pondhopper

Eco Canyon Bamboo Top
by Heidi the Artist

Mini Houndstooth Skirt
from The House of Hearts


First Day of Kindergarten

Rock Girl Cloche Hat
by Tres Belle Knits

Recycled Jeans Coloring Bag
by La Chiffonniere

Hand Painted Owl T-Shirt
by Leah Jane Designs

Monkey Bow Hair Clips
by Footprint Designs


Bookworms

Silver Moth Blank Notebook
by Farren Square

Unakite Beaded Bookmark
by Ocean Pearl Jewellery

Howling Wolf Gift Card Holder
by The Backyard Bear

Bees Photo Bookmarks
by ennadoolf


Around the Dorm

Coneflower Lavender Sachet by bstudio

Batik Blues Photo Memory Board
by Jen's Dream Decor

Delish Red Apple Lip Balm
by Bubble Tub

Rhodonite Heart Pendant
by Magnetic Creations

To find more back to school essentials by Canadian artists, add the tag OhCanadaTeam to your searches on Etsy.com!

Copyright 2010 Oh Canada Team

New Adventure Treasury Challenge Finalists

The first ever Oh Canada Team treasury challenge has been a great success, with 14 beautiful treasuries submitted! Our judges narrowed these down to six stunning finalists, and now we’d like your help to decide which is the best in show!

Have a look at each of these collections, and then cast your vote in the poll at the right!


Wake Up and Bon Voyage! - Fresh Horizons, New Adventures


New Adventures and Some of Life's Exciting Times


New Beginnings and The Unbearable Whiteness of Being

Special thanks to our judges who selected our finalists: ennadoolf and Simply Naif.

Voting is open until Tuesday, August 17th. We will announce the winner, along with our next challenge theme on Thursday the 19th. Good luck to all of our finalists, and thank you to everyone who participated! You can see all of the entries in our Treasury Challenge album.

Copyright 2010 Oh Canada and Etsy.com

Tag Workshop: Crystal Verdigris Necklace

Once we have created, photographed, and described our latest creation, we come to the toughest part of listing an item on Etsy. Choosing tags that will accurately describe a design, and help it turn up in searches can be a difficult task. Every week, the Oh Canada Team shares some examples of which search terms shoppers and sellers use to locate different types of products.

Crystal Verdigris Neck Tangle
by Dark Ride

This week, our Tag Workshop will focus on a lovely verdigris necklace by Dark Ride. The description reads:

These crystal clear rondelles are treated to a soft Picasso finish of delicate verdigris-like colours -- soft blue/green/sienna -- that gives the un-faceted tops and bottoms of the beads a very soft sort of look. The sides of the rondelles are clear, crisp and faceted, allowing the light to shine through. They really are beautiful. I couldn't bear to cover any part of them with a bead cap!

I’ve arranged these seven beauties on a double strand of silky smooth antiqued bronze hammer chain. One of the strands is a few links longer than the other in order to achieve a relaxed and tangled effect.

Stuff by Steph suggests these tags:

jewelry, jewellery, necklace, antiqued,
bronze chain, clear crystal, Czech glass,
verdigris, toggle close, dangles,
DarkRide, ohcanadateam, free-shipping, niagaraetsyartisan

UxCritter recommends:

jewelry, necklace, chain, bronze antiqued,
czech glass, verdigris colours, soft blue,
green, sienna, 19 inch, hammered chain,
free shipping, darkride, ohcanadateam

The Sage’s Cupboard suggests:

jewelry, necklace, wire wrapped, czech glass beads,
bronze chain, double strand, cascade, dangles,
picasso green, verdigris style, toggle clasp,
elegant, delicate, free shipping

The Merriweather Council recommends:

jewelry, necklace, multi layered, strand,
vintage, dangle, glass, bronze, antiqued chain,
beads, green, sienna, ohcanadateam, free shipping

And the actual tags are:

jewelry, necklace, robins egg blue, verdigris green,
layered multi, antiqued chain, summer, whitewashed,
crystal clear, vintage appeal, tantecaroline,
ohcanadateam, niagaraetsyartisan, free shipping

Each list has a unique interpretation of the materials and techniques. Because every shopper has their own tastes, needs, and product knowledge, tags are an important tool for reaching out to them.

If you find that your new item views aren’t what they should be, try changing them up a little. Experiment with different descriptive words and synonyms to see what happens. Remember that when making moderate or drastic changes to a listing, you should renew it to get the fresh aspects to the top of the pack.

For more help with Etsy tags, check out:

Tag Wars Keyword Comparison Tool
Alternatives to Renewing
Increasing Your Item Views
Etsy DOs and DON’Ts

Visit Oh Canada every Tuesday for more help with your Etsy tags!

Copyright 2010 Oh Canada Team and Dark Ride

Friday Finds: Gypsy Nights Earrings

Summer nights filled with beach parties, the smell of the ocean, and bare feet because I had kicked off my sandals much earlier that night. We would float, like a gypsy, night to night, no set plans, no set rules, living life each day and loving the nights that seemed to go on forever...

That is the inspiration behind these gorgeous sterling silver and amethyst earrings. The simple design and youthful shimmer makes them perfect for a late summer night out! To see more high quality handmade designs like these, visit Bella-Bijou Jewellery.

Also in the spotlight today, are a handful of Oh Canada Team members chosen by Etsy Finds:







Copyright 2010 Oh Canada Team

New Adventure Team Treasury Challenge

The Oh Canada Team is trying out a fun new team challenge idea using Treasury East! This fun activity is designed to bring new exposure to our team and individual shops, as well as bring us all together in the spirit of beautiful treasuries!

The contest is open to anyone, and we invite all Etsy members to participate, even if you’re not an Oh Canada Team member.

The winner will receive the opportunity to select the theme for our next challenge. It could be an idea, a color, or even an item from their shop, or a favorite shop, to be featured in our next Treasury Challenge.

The Rules

1. Make a beautiful treasury in Treasury East.

2. Your treasury must incorporate the challenge’s theme, and include at least 8 Oh Canada Team members. Check out our team roster for members, or search for the tag OhCanadaTeam on Etsy.

3. You must include the words “OCT Challenge” somewhere in your treasury’s title.

4. You must tag your treasury with “ohcanadateam” and “OCT challenge”

5. In your treasury’s description, let viewers know that it is an entry in an Oh Canada Team challenge, invite them to join, and provide a link to our blog.

6. If any item in your treasury sells or is removed, please replace it with another item from the same shop.

7. Please do not use your own shop(s) in your entry.

How to Enter

To enter your treasury, share a link to it in the comments section of this post.

The deadline for the “New Adventure” challenge is Tuesday, August 10th. Our judges will select 6 finalists, and voting will begin on Thursday, August 12th.

Voting for this challenge will close the following Tuesday, and the winner will be announced along with our new challenge theme on Thursday, August 19th.

All entries will be archived in our Oh Canada Team Treasury Gallery.

The Theme

In the spirit of our first trying-it-on-for-size treasury challenge, the theme for this challenge will be about new adventures, fresh starts, and exciting beginnings. You can interpret the theme any way that you are inspired, and get curating!

Challenge Helpers

Not ready to make a treasury yet? We will also be looking for guest judges to help narrow down the finalists. If you would like to participate, let us know in the comments section of this post, along with a link to your shop. The first two volunteers will be contacted by our Treasury Challenge admins.

Following the contest, we’ll open a discussion on our Facebook page about how it went. That way if we need to tweak anything, or if any concerns come up, we can get them ironed out before we begin the next Oh Canada Team Treasury Challenge.

If you have any questions, contact our Team Oh Canada admins.

Good luck!

Copyright 2010 Oh Canada Team

Tag Workshop: Wishbone Embroidery Circle

Once we have created, photographed, and described our latest creation, we come to the toughest part of listing an item on Etsy. Choosing tags that will accurately describe a design, and help it turn up in searches can be a difficult task. Every week, the Oh Canada Team shares some examples of which search terms shoppers and sellers use to locate different types of products.

This week, our Tag Workshop will focus on an item from our guest tagger, The Merriweather Council - a pretty embroidered wall-hanging.

Hand Embroidered Wishbone Stitch Circle
by The Merriweather Council

The description reads: Six beautiful colors - navy, light blue, red, light purple, yellow and light yellow - are hand stitched onto soft sea foam colored cotton fabric. If you look closely you might see why I call this the Wishbone stitch!

100% cotton floss and fabric!

Stretched in a 3 inch wooden embroidery hoop, this embroidery is ready to be displayed and can either be hung or placed. Hangs just like artwork, all you need is a pin or nail! The perfect addition to any collection of small artworks, works well in groups, plays nicely with others.

Can easily be used as a Christmas or holiday ornament by adding a small piece of ribbon to the closure!

All of my "wishbone" embroideries are one of a kind! No two will ever be the same!

Dark Ride suggests these tags:

needlecraft, cross stitch, circle hoop, embroidery,
navy blue, red, yellow, wishbone, ornament,
home decor, merriweather,
sea foam, cotton, free shipping,

Stuff by Steph recommends:

housewares, home décor, ornament, wall art,
needlecraft, hand embroidery, cotton, circle frame,
multi color, bright, ooak pattern, wishbone stitch,
merriweather, free shipping

Ux Critter suggests:

needlecraft, embroidery, framed, wall art,
hanging art, rainbow, colorful, hand stitched,
wall hanging, wishbone, artwork, ornament,
merriweathercouncil, free shipping

The Sage’s Cupboard recommends:

needlecraft, embroidery, wall, ornament,
cotton floss, wooden hoop, sea foam blue, multicolor,
wishbone stitch, small, round, ooak,
free shipping, delicate

And the actual tags are:

needlecraft, embroidery, ornament, wall,
circle, hand embroidery, danielle spurge,
cotton fabric, colorful, fiber art, art,
multiple, repeat, ready to hang

Each list is quite unique, with different interpretations of style and substance. When trying to tag an item that has many searchable elements, it helps to remember that no word needs to be used twice. If you can manipulate descriptive words so that each term is unique, you’ll get a lot more tag value on each line. As always, it is very important to stick with words that describe what your item is, and not what it could be.

For more help with Etsy tags, visit:

Tagging for Maximum Exposure
Increasing Your Item Views
Guidelines and Tips for Tagging on Etsy
Etsy DOs and DON’Ts

Visit Oh Canada every Tuesday for more tagging tips!

Copyright 2010 Oh Canada Team and The Merriweather Council