About me: I am 27 years old and I live in Helsinki, Finland. So yes, I live in the country of snow, cold and Santa. Me, my husband and our dog Kaveri (Buddy) live in a lovely neighborhood on the western edge of Helsinki. Kaveri is a rescue dog from Russia and he is so sweet! We have some relatives in San Diego, CA too.
I have always loved doing things by hand. Since I was a little girl, I made things from clay and drew a lot and enjoyed it. I continued that all the way through school, so now I have a Master of Art degree in Applied arts. My favorite material is clay, but at home I use polymer clay to make my creations. I don't have my own studio yet. I also collect handmade coffee/tea cups and my biggest one is as big as a cereal bowl!
I started my shop about a year ago when I heard that Etsy is a great place for handmade items. I have had my shop a bit over a year now. First six months I didn't really do anything in Etsy and I think I got like one sale during that time. My first items were all handmade earrings from recycled or upcycled materials. I didn't know anything about promoting etc. so the summer was really quiet for me. When the fall came I started to read the forums and getting more items in my shop; I also started using polymer clay as my material. After graduating I took a job that wasn't creative at all so I really needed to blow off my creative steam. That's why I started looking for a material that's close to clay so I can put my hands in it. Polymer clay is perfect for making things at home.
I used to work fulltime in a broadband company. I quit that job and I'm now looking for a new one. I have to admit, that working fulltime does take off the time from Etsy. I'm still hoping that miraculously I will start getting so many sales that I don't need that new job. I would LOVE to make my stuff 24/7 and it's what I've been working on lately since my new spare time.
I love to make items that become a part of a story when you wear them or use them. My earrings will definitely get some comments for you, and start some discussions. Many times people comment on my animal earrings, that they want to give them to a friend who is in need of cheering up. That's just perfect! The first cute pair of animal earrings that I made were some penguin earrings with hats on. That's how I decided to make other animals and birds as well, because the penguins melted some hearts. I do most of my sales through Facebook because Etsy isn't very big in Finland and only a few people know it (or use Paypal).
I also want to recycle as much as possible, so I offer some jewelry with recycled materials too. One day I hope to come up with an idea where I can add polymer clay to my recycled jewelry in a fun way. I'm always looking for new ideas and ways to make my items so if you have any suggestions please contact me. :)
I have many favorites in my shop all for different reasons. Some of my cute bird earrings are so nice that I had to struggle to put them on sale (but I realise I can't possibly wear them all myself!). For example, this pair:
Then again I really like my bookmarks, as they're not so cute but they're actually really awesome looking and useful too. I like items that I can use somehow. And the black cat bookmark is my alltime bestseller so far.
I get my inspiration from the world around me; animals, sounds, smells, colors, patterns. I took part in a one year pattern design project and after that I see patterns and repeat patterns _everywhere_. My trips to Japan are the source of my cute animal earrings inspiration. Randomly I meet an animal so cute I want to recreate it, but they usually don't end up in Etsy. I just think that everyone should have a pair of funny, cute earrings so they can wear them and be a little less serious that day. That's what I do! (and it works!)
Lately I have been working on creating an exclusive collection with more high design and handmade factor to them. So far I've made three unique necklaces and I am in the process of making at least one more.
My biggest accomplishment is getting a few regular customers who always return to my shop when they need some gifts for friends. It is so nice to have them trust me and order something new from me too! Happy customers make me happy.
Check out these other cute items from Nellin Shoppi! And don't forget to check out her special discount code located below!
Here is a special coupon code for the blog readers: 15% discount with coupon code NEWBUYERS1
Here are my links:
twitter.com/Nellinshoppi (this is new, I need some followers :) )
www.facebook.com/NellinShoppi
ossumopossum.blogspot.fi/
pinterest.com/nellinshoppi/
Thank you so much Nelli! What an adorable shop you have!
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