blog

Perfect Iced Coffee

Thu, 27 May 2010 17:51:20 +0100

Morning Coffee Fine Art Photograph by Kristybee

Warm summer days are just around the corner (though maybe a little further away in the Pacific NW than for the rest of you) and with them return my craving for icy cold iced coffee. Running to the nearest Starbucks every time the craving hits gets spendy, but luckily this delicious, refreshing beverage is cheap and easy to make at home.

The best way to make iced coffee is to start out with cold coffee. Not the left over coffee from the day before that sat on the burner for 4 hours, but cold brewed coffee. Why cold brewed you ask? Well, it comes down to simple science, as all well-brewed coffee does. Coffee contains oils and acids which are extracted during the brewing process. The oils are very delicate and can become burned and bitter during hot brewing methods, which is more noticeable when the coffee cools. Also, more acids are extracted during hot brewing methods than are using cold brewing methods. Cold brewing may take more time (12 hours, to be exact), but it results in a richer, smoother beverage ideal for iced coffee.

The following method requires no special equipment and produces a coffee concentrate meant to be diluted before consumption. As the cold brew process yields a much higher caffeine content than traditional hot brew methods (heat destroys caffeine, which also means lighter roasted coffee will have a higher caffeine content than dark roasted), I do not recommend drinking more than one glass of this coffee a day.

You Will Need-

large jar or pitcher with lid
large wooden spoon
strainer lined with cheesecloth
good quality coffee, ground to a medium-course grind (courser that standard drip grind, not quite as course as you would use for a french press)

Step 1-Measure out the amount of coffee and water to be used. There should be 1 part ground coffee to 4 parts of water (ex ½ cup of coffee grinds to 2 cups water). Place the ground coffee and water into the container and stir to ensure that all the coffee grinds are in contact with the water. Put the lid on the container and let it sit at room temperature for 12 hours.

Step 2-Strain brewed coffee through the cheesecloth lined strainer into a clean lidded container. Discard or compost the strained coffee grinds.

Step 3-Mix equal parts of brewed coffee concentrate and water or milk. Serve over ice or blend with ice and flavored syrup. Sweeten if desired. Store any unused concentrate in the refrigerator.

See, super easy! This concentrate can also be used to flavor foods or added to mixed drinks to lend a rich coffee flavor without watering the drink down. It also makes a great base for home made kahlua (remember to dilute the concentrate before using in this recipe).

Etsy Picks-Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 16:20:39 +0100

We're well into April which means, between birthstones and the beginning of wedding season, diamonds are in. Here are a few of Etsy's diamond offerings, including a few "diamonds" for those of us who can't afford the real thing.


Long Organic Rough Diamond Necklace by LexLuxe	tattoo inspired blue and grey sparrows holding diamond necklace by wickedminky

Baby Bling Earrings by BlancheNoire	Handmade Art Deco antique look diamond engagement ring by Brillanti

Champagne diamond cuff in sterling silver with 18k gold by sarawestermark	Neil Diamond (05 of 100) by AutumnAndEve

Rough diamond earrings - 22k yellow gold by Onestonenewyork	Diamond Soap by karenssoap

Pillow Fight Metallic Diamonds Deep V by pillowfightdesigns	The Rock by christinawilliams

Etsy Picks-Tax Day

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:20:27 +0100

Tomorrow is tax day, and I'm suddenly very grateful that I filed back in February (phew!). In celebration of my victory over procrastination, here are a few tax day inspired picks.


Hollow Book Secret Safe (Wealth of Nations) by SecretSafeBooks	Cash Ledger (Gold on White) by orangebeautiful

ACCOUNTING OFFICE STAMP - PAID - Sterling Silver Charm on Sterling Silver Chain by charms4you	Vintage Tax Time Ledger and Change Dish by gumbygirl

Gold Abacus Ancient Calculator Pendant Necklace by morikaty	Tax Time...Handmade Mini Envelope Pouch...Set of 3 by relove

Lil' slow by Slowshirts	Swiss Bank Account by ReUnited

I heart taxes 1 inch pinback button / magnet by Gnipmac	Vintage Throwback Adding Machine Pre-Calculator Style by sassboxclassics

2010 North Willamette Wine Trail Weekend

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 22:30:40 +0100

As my blog banner promises ramblings about wine, I feel the need to deliver. This weekend, we participated in the second annual North Willamette Wine Trail Weekend, in which 21 vineyards offered tastings, food, live music, and wine education the northern portion of Oregon's largest growing region, Willamette Valley.

Click here to see where we stopped and what we drank.

Advertising on the Cheap-Getting in Their Heads

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 18:25:23 +0100

Branding Package-Logo Design and 120 Business Cards by emileypaper

Today's segment is going to focus on one sole topic:branding. I mentioned branding in the previous segment, but I really feel it deserves more than a simple 3 line blurb. Branding is one of the strongest tools in the handmade sellers arsenal. Large global corporations take advantage of the power of brand recognition, and so should you. And, with a little bit of creative know how and an adequate camera, you can do it for next to nothing.

Let's start with the most recognizable of branding tools-the logo. Just about everyone in the world recognized the golden arches and the Nike swoosh, and for a good reason. These companies have done an excellent job creating a simple, distinctive logo that can immediately be associated with their product.

Your logo should be simple, unique, and evoke the personality that you want your brand to have. I wanted my brand to be soft and feminine, so I chose some simple, pretty flowers. But, flowers alone are too universal, so I included my shop name in the logo to increase association with the logo to my brand. Once you have the logo down, use it in everything you do-your shop banner, product packaging, blog page, business cards, custom invoices. The repetition of the logo creates a more professional look as well as ingraining the image into everyone's memory.

Branding doesn't stop at the logo. Your brand image should carry through to other aspects of your business, most notably your product photography. I was lucky enough to be able to attend an iheartart pdx class hosted by Etsy and PNCA and taught by Ryan McAbery of littleputbooks. She showed us a great example of how two Etsy sellers who both sold very similar bath and beauty products had used their photography to create two completely different brand images. The first was themorbidthemerrier, who use grungy, bizarre props in their product photography to create an edgy, urban personality for their products. The second was pipertate who incorporates bright flowers with soft whites to create a delicate and feminine feel to their products.


Fortuna-Perfume Oil by themorbidthemerrier macabre carnival	Sweet Mandarine and Shea Body Lotion by pipertate natural and wholesome

For months, I have been photographing my jewelry on plain gray backgrounds. This seemed to be the easiest way to get a good picture of the actual product itself. But, I kept hearing that my products had a completely different feel in person than they did on Etsy. The pictures have no life to them and are missing that soft femininity that I wanted my products to portray. I needed to put my products into an appropriate context for my pictures to really sell their personality. So, I got some light colored papers for backgrounds and started including some silk flowers and interesting dished as props in my photography. Very pretty, elegantly feminine, more the style I was looking for. I still have many, many pictures to retake, but in the end the effort will surely be worth it.

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Before	After

Another thing to focus on when developing a brand image is finding your voice while writing. If you're selling handmade children's toys, make your writing cute and playful. If you're selling off-beat humorous greeting cards make your writing quirky and snarky. Everything you write from your product descriptions to your shop policies should reflect the tone of your brand.

Finding the right words to describe your products in a way that reflects your brand personality can be tricky (I know its something that I struggle with daily). Luckily, the wonderful Nina Sabangan of youaremysunshine has put together an amazing list of descriptive words to use while writing product descriptions. The words are broken down in to categories, like luxurious, romantic, and wholesome, making it easy to find the perfect words to fit your voice.

Spring Cleaning

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 16:29:25 +0100

Looking around my studio, I'm realizing that I have lots of odds and ends left over from past projects. A few stray mismatched beads here, a couple of charms I no longer use in my designs there. Overall, these misfit components are all contributing to my serious disorganization malady. So, it's time for some Spring cleaning!

Over the next few weeks, I'll be sorting through my materials inventory and weeding out these neglected items and listing them for sale in my Etsy shop. They're all in small quantities and very reasonably priced, so they're ideal for a jewelry hobbyist. Check back often, as I will be posting new items each week.

xoxo,
Lisa

Where've I Been?

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 20:55:53 +0100

Italian Oven Roasted Veggie Panini
Recipe available at PDX Wine Snob

For the past few weeks, I've been posting installments of my Advertising on the Cheap series, but today I'm going to do something different. As you may or may not have noticed, my blog posts have been rather infrequent. Never fear! Its not that I haven't been blogging, its just that I've been focusing on my other website, PDX Wine Snob.

PDX Wine Snob chronicles my exploration into the world of wine (my favorite topic after crafting). I post reviews of wine, wine shops, wine gadgetry, and other various wine related topics as well as a calendar of wine events in Portland and the neighboring Willamette and Colombia valleys, the two nearest (and fantastic) wine producing regions. I've also decided to start posting my recipes over there, since food and wine go so beautifully together. In fact, I just posted a new recipe today!

So, from here on out, if your looking for my recipes, pop on over to my other site. I love writing them and I hope you all enjoy reading them enough to venture a little further to get to them.

xoxo,
Lisa

Etsy Picks-Sun Shiny Day

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 17:04:01 +0100

Spring-time in the Pacific Northwest is more often than not a dismal affair. Heavy, overcast skies seem to bear down on you every day, cold, wind driven rain cuts straight through all those layers of sweaters your wearing. Aside from the longer sunlight hours is almost indiscernible from winter. I don't know about you, but I sure could use some bright, sunshiny yellow to brighten this cloudy spring day.


Magnolia Secretary Blouse by MoxieMadness	Nectar Drops with Pearls - Earrings by tinglow

Petunia in Sunny Yellow -- Fuzzy Plush Monster by mintconspiracy	Elongated orange lampwork earrings and pendant set Color Blast by lightkeeping

Into the Sun - Limited Edition Print by zukzuk	Sunny Side Up Egg Oreo Pops by friendlycreationss

Canary Yellow Faceted CZ Necklace with 14kt Gold Filled Wire Wrapping by alyssakaycollections	Silk Lined Yellow Birds on a Branch Frame Kisslock Clutch by BrianaEdelmanDesigns

Golden Celebration Yellow Flowers Table Lamp by OrlyMyLight	Crochet Pear Coasters - yellow set of 4 by MonikaDesign

Advertising on the Cheap-Odds and Ends

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:06:12 +0100

Anne's catchall office basket by JohnToftBasketry

There are several ways to promote your products that are a little more subtle than posting a blurb on Twitter or an ad on craigslist. But, sometimes subtle can be very effective. It seeps in to people's minds without them noticing, like a catchy advertising jingle. I've personally never bought Mennen, but that seemingly innocuous two word slogan still pops into my head every now and again...

Advertising for Free-Odds and Ends

Branding-I know that this doesn't seem like a place to advertise, but it kind of is. A strong, highly memorable brand image will stick in someone's mind, and what better way to advertise than in someone's head? If you have the artistic talent, create a solid logo yourself that can be consistent throughout all of your websites, packaging, and advertising. If you don't have the skill or know how, consider investing a little money into it or find a fellow artist who wouldn't mind helping you out for payment in goods (a lot of Etsians trade for their banners and other graphic design services). Keep your packaging, product photography, banner, product description writing, blog page, etc. all in a consistent style to form a memorable personality for your brand.
Link exchange-some people will put buttons/badges on their site or blog to other peoples sites in exchange for you putting their buttons/badges on your sites. It truly is amazing how supportive the Etsy community is of one another :) If you find a blog that you love and think that your items would fit the theme of their site and vice versa, don't be afraid to ask them if they'd consider a link exchange. You can also find threads in the Etsy forums for people willing to do link exchanges.
Flickr-this site doesn't quite fall under the category of “artist community” since it draws people of all types, include that newly wed couple who want an easy way to share their honeymoon pics with their family. That means that your efforts here will reach a much broader customer base than the artists communities or current Etsy users.

Giveaways-a giveaway isn't necessarily free. If you are hosting a giveaway for another seller, then it'll cost you nothing. If you're giving away one of your own items, then it will cost you a bit, so chose one of your less expensive (though still giveaway worthy) items. Overall, this is sure to drive traffic to your site because people LOVE getting something good for free. Set up your giveaway so that entries can be made based on people advertising for you (ie tweets, Facebook posts, following your blog, etc.). That way, its win-win for everyone! Also, be sure to promote your giveaway on any social networking sites you may belong to as well as the Etsy forums and sites like Etsy Givaways, so that more people are aware and get to participate.

Etsy Picks-Caffeine Nation

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:14:04 +0100

My morning doesn't start until I've had that first cup of rich, black coffee fresh from my french press. Its a true love affair between me and the roasted bean. Once upon a time, I even use to work for a specialty coffee roaster. Getting to sip and sample exotic coffees from around the world every day was truly bliss. As I sit here drinking my morning cup of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, I suddenly feel nostalgic for those days which led me on a quest to find the best coffee related products on Etsy.


Brazil Minas Gerais Cerrado Artisan Roasted Coffee by PeregrineCoffee	Espresso Bar - 8x8 Fine Art Photograph by AmeliaKayPhotography

Dark Roast - Coffee bean and sterling silver dangle earrings by LiciaBeads	Coffee Cups Polaroid by feaverish

A Pair of Brown Toned Mugs by MarkHudak	Coffee Stained Birds Note Card Stationery Set by seasonaldelights

Recycled Burlap Coffee Messenger Bag- Guatemala by clevercatbags	Coffee or Tea Cup with Spoon Ring- Sterling Silver Plated - Adjustable by MaryRebecca

Good day Coffee Stencil by Coffeestencil	Coffee Lover Lip Balm by Blushie