AN INTERVIEW WITH TWILLYPOP

Twillypop

Sara of Twillypop has taken a relatively simple idea and expanded it into some of the most stunning jewelry on Etsy. She has spent a lot of time improving her product, photography and image. Those of us who have watched her shop blossom are amazed with what her hard work has yielded.

What brought you to Etsy?

I wanted to see if my little necklaces would be of interest to anyone, and Etsy seemed like the best venue in which to do that.

Tell us a little about your shops Twillypop and TwillypopGirl 

My shops are both based around a single idea for ribbon jewelry and then just expanded upon.

Your jewelry is beautiful. Please tell us a little bit about how you started and what you did to improve your product.

Twillypop

Thank you! Believe it or not, I only just started even toying with the idea of making these necklaces one month before I opened shop. I had never made jewelry or taken and edited pics up until August/September 2009. AND I had NO internet/blogging/social networking experience whatsoever! This year has been a veritable whirlwind!!

As far as improving my product, it has just been a matter of trial and error. The more confident I feel, the more ideas seem to come to me. The more freedom I give myself to just be "me" with Twillypop, the more creative I feel.

Your photography has gone from ordinary to absolutely Stunning. What inspired you?

I have to confess that I had no idea that my photos would cause the stir that they did. The whole thing started because I wanted to have photos of my jewelry on a model. 

My only option right now is for me to be the model, which means someone else has to be the photographer. I recruited my 10-year-old daughter who stands on a chair and takes pics of me. The photo editing effects came from a need to pretty up pictures that were snapped by a child! Voila! My pictures were transformed out of sheer necessity! (you know what they say about necessity :D)

I know you're a member of Curation Nation Team. Can you give us some advice on how valuable teams are and how they can help sellers?

TwillypopGirl

Being part of the team has helped me to find a niche in the vast sea that is Etsy. It is easy to get lost in such a huge marketplace. Through the team I am building friendships, discovering many shops I otherwise may not have, and also having my shop discovered by others.

Do you have any other suggestions for struggling sellers to “shape up their shops” ?

I feel so new to the whole thing and I still have so far to go that I feel a bit funny offering advice......
I will say that when I spiced up my pictures, my shop got a ton more exposure through people using me in treasuries. I would also tell anyone starting out that I feel like social networking is HUGE where Etsy is concerned. I only had one sale in the 2 months prior to getting on Twitter and starting my FB fanpage.