Monday, January 9, 2012

Artisan Spotlight -- BeadedTail

 Seven questions is our spotlight on our favorite artisans. Please welcome. . .
Sharla of BeadedTail!
Sharla & Sadie
1.  What do you sell in your shop?
I sell beaded and beadwoven jewelry with a portion of all proceeds going to animal charities. 
beadwoven bracelet by BeadedTail

2. What is your favorite thing about etsy?
My favorite thing about Etsy is my teammates on both my BBArtisans team and my Etsy Angels team!  I have been blessed with fabulous, caring teammates that have made my experience on Etsy way more than I could have ever imagined. 

3.  What is your least favorite thing about etsy?
I get frustrated with getting lost in the huge sea of jewelry designers on Etsy.  It's so hard to find the right tags, etc. to get noticed.  I also really don't like having to take photos of my items.  That whole process gets very tedious. 

4.  What does your studio/workspace look like?
My workspace is our dining room table.  I try to keep my supplies controlled since I always have furry help from my cats Angel and Isabella but it can still get rather messy!  I do my beadweaving while sitting on the couch and it never fails that Angel wants to sit on my lap so I have to put everything down until she decides to get up.  Heaven forbid I should move her!   My dog Sadie helps me with photos and sometimes even models for me.
work in progress with important assistant



 5.  What do you do to relax?
Since my day job is as a CPA, beading is my way to relax!  Besides that I enjoy going on hikes with my husband and Sadie, going to the Oregon coast or just reading with, again, a cat or two laying on me! 


6. What accomplishments are you the most proud of?
I'm proud of the fact that I've been able to donate over $2,500 of my shop proceeds to so many charities over the past four years.  I'm also proud of the fact that I've been able to blog every day (with maybe one or two off) for the last nearly four years despite whatever life and work threw my way.  And finally, I'm also proud that I was able to learn how to beadweave.  When I first saw those teeny tiny beads I thought there's no way I could do anything with them plus have to do it with a needle when I can't sew a thing!  It may take me 6+ hours to make a caterpillar bracelet but I am always proud of myself when I finish. 
Sadie the model
 7.  What are some of your goals for next year?
My first goal is to first make it through another tax season!  For my shop my goals are to have 100 sales in my shop and to expand my horizons by creating new, non-jewlery related lines.  I'm also working with a fellow teammate on creations that I've always wanted to be a part of so I'm so excited about this venture!   I'm looking forward to a wonderful New Year!

BeadedTail (Sharla): Beaded and beadwoven jewelry benefiting animal causes
Shop: beadedtail.etsy.com
Blog: www.beadedtail.com
FB: www.facebook.com/BeadedTailShop
Twitter: www.twitter.com/BeadedTail

15 comments:

Erika said...

You are a great teammate and person, Sharla! Good luck with your plans for the future.

Erika

Duni said...

Great feature! Sharla's commitment toward helping animals in need is highly commendable.
Reading her daily blog posts is a ritual I need to start my day!

p.s. I hope to be able to join this fabulous team later this year...

Memories for Life said...

Great feature...and great photos :)
That's awesome that you've donated SO much and kept your blog SO active!
I wish you the best with your goals for 2012 :) I can't wait to see what new items you have in the wings!

PS...We hope you can join us too Duni :)

silky said...

Great Feature!!!!

Rose Clearfield said...

I second Edi that we really hope that you can join, Duni!

Sharla, that's awesome that you've been able to raise so much money for charities! Best of luck with your sales this year. It is tough to stay noticed on Etsy, but thankfully we have an awesome team to help a little bit. :)

I love reading your blog everyday, too. :)

myminimocs said...

needless to say hubby is GA-GA over your model!!! great post Sharla...loved reading more about you! :D

Sewinggranny - Mona said...

Sharla.. is a wonderful artist and lady.. we are so proud to have her on our team.. Congrats on those super donations!!

BeadedTail said...

Thanks for the feature and for the wonderful comments above!

I'm hoping Duni joins us too! :)

Jenny said...

Great feature! Sharla is so cool. I am constantly impressed with her great love for animals.

storybeader said...

what a great looking model! Perfect for those special beaded pieces. I'm amazed at the amount you have raised for animal charities. You're a special person and a wonderful teammate (and I'm looking forward to Duni joining us too!) {:-D

Splendid Little Stars said...

excellent feature on Sharla, her work, and her assistants!
How awesome that you've donated so much to charity, Sharla!
And blogging nearly every day is quite an accomplishment!
It's wonderful to be on the same team with you!

Here's to looking forward to having Duni join us!

Karen said...

Awesome post about an awesome lady! I'm honored to be your teammate - but do you have to be sooo ambitious? Just kidding, of course. You're an inspiration to us all! (My Sadie says to say hi to your Sadie, btw!)

Lisa said...

Great feature on an amazing gal! Can't wait to see what your new venture is Sharla. Love & Hugs to you, Sadie, Isabela and Angel ♥

Marg said...

Great interview Sharla and wow, good for you to give so much to the animals. We love that part and we know it is a lot of work but we also know that the animals really appreciate the help.

Judy Nolan said...

I loved seeing both you and your workspace, Sharla! Isn't it funny how many of us use the dining room table to work, even when we store out items elsewhere?