Interview with a Star - Yelena (Lazo)

Today, we are sharing Yelena's story who runs Lazo shop on Etsy.com

Please tell us a little bit about yourself
My name is Yelena. I was born in city of Khabarovsk, Russia. I am married and have 2 kids.


How long have you been creating? How did your journey in art and creativity begin?
My mother showed me how to knit and crochet when I was about 12. I always loved flowers, and the first projected I've finished was gray pullover with white roses. Over the years, I've made small items. I came to USA in 1998 and got married. I discovered many different patterns and my interest had grown from doilies to children pullovers, cardigans and then to crochet jewelry with wire.

I found Etsy from the cashier at yarn shop. I started with hats, children pullovers and crocheted jewelry. After a year of learning and trying to sell on Etsy I received a request for just a flower from the hat I was selling, and that how I became a shop supplier .


What items do you carry in your shop?

Because of my love for colors i offer crocheted flowers in different colors. I have new line of multi color 1.5 inch flowers made from 100% Egyptian cotton by Lizbeth thread. Plus I use hand dyed cotton thread from Canadian seller on Etsy Lizbeth dyed by CustomCottonEtc.etsy 

What items in your shop do you most enjoy making and why? Do you take custom orders?
I enjoy making flowers and working with colors. Flowers variegated or multi color threads may look so pretty in the ball but when you make a flowers they could look so different from the thread it like a mystery. I do take custom orders for flowers.

What is the most important about your work?
Work with the buyer till they like they color and shade of flowers.Present as many different colors as I can to my buyers.

What are your main sources of inspiration?
I like shopping at the yarn stores or online and I am always looking for new colors that hand dyers offer. Inspiration could come from a TV series. Colors are all around our daily life.

Do you have a favorite item you have made?
My children cherry blossom t-shirt embellishment.I had that idea for many month i look at the real trees to get an idea for the branches .When i was making small flowers my son (5 years old)come up to me and put light pink flower on top of pink flowers and said i like it this way and i like that to.


Do you use any special techniques or tools?
My tools are my hook and my needles.

Any sales or promotions?
For repeat customers I offer free shipping.I have discount section in my shop.

Name 3 things you can’t live without?
I love yarn, flowers, colors.

What are your best marketing tips?
Use tags (color of your work, what or by who it could be used or where, etc).

Ideas for upcycled supplies

By upcycling you can make your life and the life of your customers greener. Why not making craft and at the same time changing world for the best? Here are some ideas about where to get alternative supplies for your craft and what to do with your own unnecessary supplies.

1. First of all, check vintage and second hand shops in town - many of those offer amazingly cheap old and tired items. Give them another chance! Moreover, in many second-hand shops one can find leftovers of yarn and other supplies - use it :)
This ring is crocheted with red yarn I have bought in a charity second hand shop and is embellished with a turquoise bead from a vintage necklace.

Old and tired wool sweaters can be easily felted into beautiful new accessories. Just as tiny bit of unwoven wool can make a stunning felted flower.

Check out the tutorial of TonyaUtkina on how to create a felted flower

Moreover, youtube is full with video-tutorial on what to make out of old woolen sweaters.

2. Find soulmates! I regularly post on a local blog an advert saying that I exchange my products for a bunch of old jewelry, even broken or torn (anyway I will upcycle it), leftovers of yarn etc'. You won't believe it, but MANY people are happy to get rid of things they do not need - especially if they get a handmade designed item in exchange. Besides local online forums you can find handmade clubs in town or designs faculty in university or college and simply put paper advert on their board. Believe me, you will be surprised by result!

That's the treasure I got lately from such exchange for only one of my necklaces.

That red broken necklace is made of real red corals. Good bargain, isn't it? :)

3. Revise your old stocks.
Every craft artist has a bunch of old supplies, those that are not colorful enough, shining enough, those that cannot be incorporated into any of your designs, or those little bits that are simply left over and are not enough for a new design. What do you do with them?

- Change them!
Color them, crochet around them, reshape them :)
I have a lot of amazing buttons. Many of them are absolutely unique and vintage, other more common and dark.

In my designs I mainly use happy colors, so brown and black buttons will have hard time finding their way to my necklaces. But I still love them, and I have an idea what to do with them - I will crochet around them and make necklaces out of them. Just wait and see!

- Exchange them!
Yes, your boring leftover supplies maybe a real treasure for someone else. Find your local fair and forum - give advert that you want to get rid of them and see what people can offer you in exchange - their leftovers can be a real find for you.

- Sell them!
yes, as simple as that. List them in your shop and sell.
If you have them for couple of years, you haven't used them until today and still don't have any idea of how you will use them - get rid of them!

- Combine the leftovers.
do you have a bunch of old beads of different size and color! paint them in one color or crochet around them with similar yarn - and then they will make a nice necklace or other accessory. Their different size will only add uniqueness!

In this particular necklace most of the beads come from different other necklaces. Even the yarn I used to crochet over is of different shade. And yet, this necklace is charming, isn't it?

As I said, I love seeing old and sad things getting new life and starting sparkling again.

I hope this can inspire you to reuse and recycle. You can both make crafts and make the world better. So why not simply doing that? :)

Story by Irene (TomBjorndesigns)

Christmas in July

It is happening to us every year – as soon as we are saying goodbye to a red and yellow leaves and pumpkins we are thinking Christmas! Friends and family, business partners, teachers – we are looking for a perfect gift for someone special in our lives! The hunting for gifts is a pleasant chore. Do you remember the long lines at the post office last year? Or a traffic to get to the shopping mall? Last-minute purchases?

We do, that’s why we like to shop early!

July is a perfect time to start shopping for the ones you love. You will avoid the pre Holiday rush and have more time for yourself during the best time of the year!

The holidays will be here before you know it, so why not get the best deals around today?

The Christmas in July sale is taking place from July 15th through July 25th and many stores are offering free shipping, great sales and store discounts. So check this out:

Sale! Sale! Sale!

10% to 30% discounts on selected items, please browse through our in-store SALE sections:

Allmadewithlove

Arctida

AroundBeadsFineEmbroideryFunEmbroideryEverything in a store is 15% off, please see store for details:

LanadeargFree worldwide shipping - please see store for details on this offer:

BeautyspotRosemaryManufactureSocksandmittensFree worldwide shipping on purchases over $10:

AgShop

Have fun shopping!

AQUA REFLECTIONS on the Etsy Front Page!

Our team's azure treasury EPL Summer Contest - AQUA REFLECTIONS created by our teammate FineEmbroidery was featured on the Etsy Front Page! Fresh azure and water colors and amazingly beautiful items hand crafted by our talented teammates made a great Etsy Front Page! Congrats Lana from FineEmbroidery and the featured!

Curator: FineEmbroidery

The following unique and beautiful Etsy artists were featured in this treasury:
FunEmbroidery, katrinshine, MyWayToSay, socksandmittens, JaneBoFelt, daimblond, ArctidasSupplies, alatsupplies, lanadearg,

Supplies

Russian Artists Team shops in Supplies category
(in alphabetical order):

ArctidasSupplies

graphicland

GraphicMarket

KarisaGraphic

MayaHoney