← How to Sell Your Stuff on Etsy
How to Sell Your Stuff on Etsy
Ep 232 | How Her Original Art Got Her Invited to Etsy HQ - with Melissa Mary Jenkins
01:01:04
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- [00:01]
A
Hey, my name is Lizzie Smiley and I absolutely love helping people connect with their calling and all the tools they need to kick roadblocks and excuses right out the door so they can cultivate the life they dream about. If you want to launch, grow, pivot, or scale your Etsy shop, or you've always wanted to develop the mindset and skills to run your own business, then I'm your girl. I've had that entrepreneurial spirit going strong since my very first lemonade stand. And now I'm a work at home mama with multiple online companies and a full time Etsy shop, all while being present with my kids for the everyday chaos and most important milestones. On this podcast, we'll talk about all things business, mindset, Etsy, creativity, dazzling our customers, and so much more. There's plenty of room at this table for you, so scooch on in and let's go. I'm holding nothing back. Welcome to how to sell your stuff on Etsy. I'm so glad you're here. Hello, my friend, you amazing human, you. I'm so excited that you clicked play on this. This is one of those episodes that has left me giddy. Like, not only did I get to speak with my very dear friend Melissa, who has been on the podcast before, you guys know her, you love her. I reference her because she's doing amazing things. But we're getting to hear all about the inside of Etsy and that feels so surreal and special. So I'm really, really glad. If you've had any skepticism, if you've ever wondered if you've ever just been like, huh? Like, I only interact with this company through a screen. What is, what's, like, what's really going on? Like, what are those people actually like? You know, are they all about the money? Is it all about the numbers? Is it like all about the shareholders? Or like, what about the human side of it? They say, keep Etsy human. What does that mean and what does it look like? And so this is wild. I'm just, I'm super excited to share this with you and I feel very satisfied by everything that we got to learn from Melissa today. Let me tell you about her in case you missed the last episode. You're going to want to for sure check that one out after this. Melissa lives in rural Ontario, Canada. She was a high school teacher until 18 years ago when she had her own twin daughters. They're getting ready to go off to school. So I'm like, oh. Melissa has been an etsy seller since 2010, launching her current art shop in 2013. As an artist and a natural ink maker, her landscape and still life paintings reflect the beauty and natural world surrounding her home studio and her love of all things vintage. This spring, Melissa was invited to celebrate International Women's Day at Etsy headquarters in Brooklyn, along with five other Etsy shop sellers, where she spent the day with Etsy female leaders, including Etsy CEO Kruti Patel Goyal. And we get to hear all about it. So if you are just Etsy curious and want to know more, yay. If you are already a passionate Etsy seller and you just like the idea, like me, of just getting on the inside a little bit, if you are an artist who's been thinking about getting started on Etsy and you're just not quite sure, my gosh, Melissa is your girl because that is her story. Let's go. Let's dive into it. This is a long. A longy but goodie. Is that a thing? Please help me welcome Melissa to the podcast. Melissa, hi, how are you? Welcome back to the podcast. I'm on the edge of my seat. I need to hear everything. How are you doing?
- [03:27]
B
Oh, I'm so excited to tell you I'm doing great. It's a nice sunny day here in Canada. There's no snow and it's starting to warm up, so it's feeling very hopeful.
- [03:39]
A
I love that. I mean, okay, so you've lived, I feel like 10 lifetimes since the last time we talked. And of course I get to hear about it, right in the DMs. I get to hear all about it, but no one else does. I mean, other than the fact that I name drop you regularly on the podcast. Okay, so like, everyone needs to go back and listen to the our last episode. It'll be linked below and it's going to talk all about your story and what you sell. You're an artist, and so you're one of my, like, amazing artists who does well on Etsy because a lot we talked last time a lot about how that's really tricky to break out as an artist on Etsy and some of the, some of the tips about that. But, like, can you just unpack for us? Your, like, celebrity status has just gone through the roof. Like, what has happened? And you've got to start with, you've got to start with the, the sardines.
- [04:25]
B
Oh, my goodness. So the last time that we talked, I think you suggested that I add sardines. If it was, might not even have been sardines. It might have been Fish. But maybe it was sardines. Anyway, you suggested that I paint a few, so I did. And then I just started being recognized by Etsy. I found out from. I got an email from Etsy Marketing in Canada that they wanted to use it for the. I believe it was for the summer trend report. And then they did some learnings on Etsy and I saw it there pop up in one of the workshops they were doing. And then every so often, I'll open up the Etsy Success app and there, there are my sardines again. And every time I'm like, lizzie, it's amazing. It' the trends. And I'm sure there's more. Even it just seemed to like, continually be happening, that the sardines were just doing so well.
- [05:18]
A
It was so interesting because you were like, you paint a lot of moody. And I have some. I've. I've. Back here on this wall, I have one of your pieces. And then in here I have one I've got to get a little frame for because it's one of the minis. Yeah, but you do a lot of. I should let you describe it, but like landscape, kind of impressionist. Would you describe? Like very moody?
- [05:35]
B
Yeah, kind of moody. Vintage. Inspired, I would say.
- [05:39]
A
And I use.
- [05:40]
B
I do something that I don't think anybody else in the world is doing. I. I paint my paintings in acrylics. I use a mixture of traditional acrylics and natural earth acrylics. And then I hand make my own walnut ink from the walnuts on our farm property here. And I put. I let my acrylics painting dry and then I put a coat of walnut ink on it and wipe it off. And it just seeps into the paper or the canvas and it makes it look like an old world vintage painting. That's what I do for my still life paintings as well, like of pears or things that were lemons. And one of those paintings actually did make it into the trend report as well for Chateaucore, by the way.
- [06:25]
A
We need to clarify. You mean Etsy's trend report? Not my trend report.
- [06:28]
B
No, Etsy's trend report. Yes, yes.
- [06:31]
A
Like what?
- [06:33]
B
And it's just like, it's popping up and it's just so. It was just so exciting because it was like, it was just kind of like every. Everything that you've been saying, like, it really worked. Right. I just, I went with the trends. I didn't go outside of what I like to paint.
- [06:46]
A
Yep. We stayed aligned with your aesthetic my way.
- [06:49]
B
Like, it's still in my esthetic. It's still using the same art supplies that I, that I use. It's just kind of looking at the trends and going, oh, I could try that. And then as long as I use the proper or not the proper, but the best CEO that I can use for the list listings, then it does actually, it does actually work. It's so exciting. It's so cool. And it's fun to talk about it on here because most of the people in my regular life wouldn't under. Even wouldn't understand what in the world like, I try and explain it. Oh, I use, you know, five keywords here in this range of like a niche, you know, and, and people would just glaze over. So it's so exciting to talk about it here.
- [07:27]
A
I love that you even try with like with Muggles. I love that you even give it a, that you even give it like a trend though. Even before that like you had, you did something with a co coquette bow that did well.
- [07:38]
B
Yes, yes, I used the coquette bow in a tiny little miniature painting. And I already do miniature paintings. So it wasn't like I was creating something outside of my comfort zone or outside of something that I enjoy doing or that is part of my aesthetic for my brand. So I did a little bow in a heart shaped miniature frame with a little ribbon on it and it did well. So.
- [08:02]
A
And that was like two years ago. So what I want to stress is like two years ago, coquette everything. And it still makes, it still makes appearances. But yeah, it would be hard to sell like a, a painting now that is just coquette. Probably it'd be harder. Last year, 2025 sardines in the springtime started making their appearance and then they went wild over the summer. So you got to ride that wave. And now it's going to be actually really easy for you because vintage and grand Millennial, which is already your esthetic, is so, so hot. That's all you've got to lean into right now.
- [08:33]
B
Yeah. And it's exciting too because I love. One of my passions is looking for vintage and antique frames. So my whole studio is filled with frames. I actually need a better storage system for them. And so what I do is I will paint specifically for the frames. That's like. Because most vintage frames are odd sizes. But I also started something new. In my listings was in one of my listing photos, I write the. This is a print that is not framed. Because I used to get some responses saying, oh, I thought this was. This print was framed when I bought it. But it wasn't. So I make a listing just saying, this isn't framed. But if you would like it framed. Melissa has a whole collection of vintage and vintage inspired frames that she would love to share with you and we can work together to frame your print. And that's actually brought in a lot of people sending messages to me saying, you know, I would really love this framed. Do you have any options? And then we go through the options and. And then I feel justified for having all the frames lying around studio slash into my.
- [09:39]
A
It's an upsell. It's a, it's a brilliant upsell. I love that.
- [09:44]
B
I take it to my local frame shop, which is also my print shop, and they're so wonderful. I take in these vintage frames. They kind of, they kind of look and go, okay, it's really, you know, it's kind of thin. I'm like, no, it's okay. We're going to do this. And they do it every time for me. And they put anti reflective glass in it or a museum glass quality glass.
- [10:03]
A
Wow.
- [10:04]
B
If people choose that option and then they frame the back of it so it looks professional, so it's professionally framed. So I used to do it myself and then I just realized I would rather be painting than framing. So. And it's one stop too.
- [10:17]
A
You get the profit margin then why not? Right?
- [10:20]
B
Yeah, yeah.
- [10:21]
A
But Melissa, what I really want to be nosy about, like, I'm like, really can't wait any longer is like, what else happened? Because you like hit Etsy's radar with that, with the sardines. But like, since then, every single DM is more like extravagant from you. Like, it's more ridiculous in the best way. Tell, tell us what else happened.
- [10:39]
B
In March, I received this message in my Etsy messages and it said it was from the Etsy seller program. And they said, we want to fly you out to New York to Brooklyn to our head office to celebrate International Women's Day.
- [10:54]
A
Did you ask me, were you like, is this spam?
- [10:57]
B
That's. My mom was like, is this real? Granted, I'm so blessed that my mother, like knows that, right? Because some people get scammed as, as they age. But anyway, my mother was like, are you sure? So I looked into it further and it was so exciting. So five other shop owners, women shop owners, we are from all over. I was the only Canadian and the other five women were from the U.S. we all were flown into Etsy headquarters. And yeah, it was a dream. It was so amazing. We got a tour of the building. We oh, there's so much I don't even know.
- [11:34]
A
I want all of it. No, like, like, like talk, talk to me about it for the next hour. Like I want all of the details.
- [11:40]
B
So we, we signed ourselves in, met a few wonderful, like just everybody was so lovely, so welcoming. We went up to a conference room and they had a beautiful, beautiful breakfast for us. And then we, there were all these women in leadership and Etsy in the room and they all told us their story. And then we went around and did, talked about ourselves and then we did a tour. We got to like, so the building itself is incredible. And then we ended up at the, on the top balcony overlooking the city. It was, it was like, it was life changing. It was so amazing. And oh my goodness, what did we do? What do we do after that? We had a lunch where we spoke with, we were all kind of paired up with different women in leadership at Etsy and they were just kind of picking our brain.
- [12:28]
A
Wow.
- [12:29]
B
Yeah, like all those questions that you have as a seller, like we got to personally ask those questions and it was just, it was. Well, there's so much to say about it, but I guess I'll leave that to the end after our schedule here. So we had the lunch and then we did a workshop. One of the women who was one of the shop sellers, she did a paper flower workshop. And we were in, we were on a little table, the six of us, with the CEO of Etsy. Actually before that we went into her office and she was so lovely, so well spoken and so kind and she showed us all of her, all of the things that she's, you know, that is special to her from Etsy from over the years and she was incredible. And then we got to sit and do a workshop making paper flowers with her and she just picked our brains. Like she just asked us, you know, any difficulties you're having, like, how are you inspired? You know, all the things that, yeah, it was just, it was mind blowing. And then we got photos with her and oh, this was amazing. You would have loved it. We were paired up with one other shop owner and then two of the Etsy see two women who would work with our shops, so and, and optimize, help us optimize our shops. So we got to sit down and actually have advice on what to do with our shop and how to. Some ideas outside of our, you know, you kind of see your shop every day and they just had some ideas of how to optimize your shop. It was amazing.
- [14:13]
A
Was it like SEO related Or branding related. What did they really.
- [14:16]
B
Actually was speaking about you the whole time. And I was like, well, this is what I do. And they were like, wow, you know, like, I have this whole worksheet that I use and this is how I choose my. And so they. They were amazed by you. I dropped. Oh, I dropped your name several times. So, I mean, it was. It was incredible. Yeah.
- [14:38]
A
And so am I doing it right? Like, so am I doing it right?
- [14:42]
B
Of course you are.
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A
Like, hey, I am willing to be wrong. I am so ready for you to tell me.
- [14:48]
B
I was spouting all the SEO to all the other. I was like, sitting in a group with them and I'm like, oh, my goodness, it's so nice to have other shop owners here who can understand this, you know? So that was just. It was incredible. And then we did a little photo shoot at the end, which, for something that's coming up, I think where we. I don't know. I was. And in the end, I was lying on a table doing something strange. But anyway, so we were in front of a green screen, so they. Yeah, so that was wonderful. And it was all videotaped. And it's on. You can watch our workshop on the Etsy Success YouTube channel. And it's.
- [15:19]
A
I'm gonna link it below because you mentioned. I didn't even know that happened until you told me before we started recording. I'm gonna link that workshop. I. I want to see it. I'm sure others will as well. Like, just. What? Okay, keep. Keep going. Because I could drill down on so many things. Keep going.
- [15:33]
B
Well, I guess I was. What I wanted to come back to was that for me, I felt like it was just the acknowledgment of all of the hard work that I put into sticking with this and persevering. And it was so nice to be acknowledged. You know, I think there's something like 6 million shops in on Etsy right now. And to be chosen was just.
- [15:54]
A
It was incredible. Insane. I can't believe I get to talk to you. Like, this is freaking crazy.
- [16:00]
B
It was just, you know, when we were doing the workshop, they asked us, you know, they were asking us beautiful questions. And of course, at one point I broke down crying because it was just. My daughter had sent me a text the night before saying, I'm so proud of you, Mom. Like, I'm gonna cry now. But, like, it was just. It was just so nice to be acknowledged for all the work that I've put in, you know? So, yeah, it was incredible.
- [16:24]
A
So like, you and I are the type of people who I think usually assume the best. I mean, we have our healthy. We're friends, right? We have our healthy dose of skepticism, but, like, we are optimistic, positive, assume the best people. A lot of people are super skeptical. So, Melissa, if you look at it from that lens, could you, like, are there any myths that were super busted for you about Etsy Corporate? Like, think or not for you? Because we're both. We don't assume the best. But, like, what do people need to know about Etsy Corporate that just. They might not know, but you saw firsthand.
- [16:58]
B
I think it was brilliant on their part to do this because we got to see, you know, people can be, you know, I'm on some Facebook groups where, you know, there's a little bit of negativity.
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A
Sometimes Facebook groups are like, oh, gosh.
- [17:16]
B
I think it was brilliant on their part because we got to see that the women that are working. I mean, we only saw women because it was for International Women Women's Day. But the people working there were so passionate and so lovely, and we got to hear their stories. Like, one woman, she's been there since the beginning, and when it was just, like, in a small office with a homemade desk, like, it was just so wonderful to put the human part of Etsy to be exposed to it. And I think for me, I can always remember, like, you know, if you get frustrated about different things, to just remember that there are people who care at Etsy and care about the shop owners. And I. And I think that was just a brilliant on their part for. For, you know, and it was only six women who. They. Who they brought there. But all of us have such a wonderful, genuine, like, genuinely felt like they cared about us, you know, and I thought that was wonderful. And it's always good for me to remember that, yes, it is a big, you know, corporation. Yeah, I guess if that's the word you would use. But, like, the people working there that we saw all really cared about our stories and wanted to know more about each of us. And, you know, we're still in touch. So it was amazing to see. And it was also just really neat to see how at one point when we were doing the tour, I said, the. The window frames are all green. And they said that's because. With intention. We want every view in the Etsy building to have something green in it. Like, in terms of, like, just like the environmental impact, the. The. The health. For the health aspect of having that. It was really cool. So. And hearing the stories of the women who worked at Etsy, who also have shops and who also like are passionate about what they create outside of their job. So that was really neat too.
- [19:02]
A
Can you tell us a little bit about the CEO Crutis? Because she just took over this year, so a lot of us don't know much about her yet. She seems lovely, but she was. Yeah, tell me about her.
- [19:12]
B
We went into her office and she brought us all in there and she told us her story, a little bit of where she's been. You know, she told us about her daily life. She said, I'm going to go home and tell my kids the stories that you have told me today. Just to remember the human side of all of the work that we do here. I mean she was just, I could have sat and talked to her for hours. She was just genuinely interested and genuinely cared about all of us. So I really, really enjoyed meeting with her.
- [19:42]
A
What's her personality like?
- [19:44]
B
She's just warm. Warm and friendly and so well spoken and the way she used her hands was just a good communicator. Genuine. Yeah.
- [19:52]
A
Is she like, is she like a bold or is she more soft spoken?
- [19:56]
B
Soft spoken? She is, but such power in her soft spokenness I would say because so she's so. She articulated with such ease and grace. I mean I, I mean I sound like a fan girl here, but I
- [20:13]
A
really appreciate translating for us. Melissa, we have no grid for this, you know what I mean? And I'm out here, this is like super vulnerable vulnerable for me. I am out here like advocating this company, believing the best. And I have no, I'm just going by my personal experience, you know what I mean? So like this even just for me is so special to be able to extract the humanness because we interact through, with them through a screen and maybe we can't even get interactions. So like that's why I hope it's okay with you. Like, I am just so curious, like what. You know, it's really nice having it validated that this, this company that has changed my life, that made my family hundreds of thousands of dollars, that has now given me this platform to help thousands of other people. I care obviously about men and women, but like those other moms who were in my shoes, who just wanted to be home with their kids and Etsy was the way after so many failed attempts at other things, like I am, I, I could suck. I am covered in goosebumps right now.
- [21:14]
B
Like, and that was the moment, like it was all. And sitting at that table, this round table, all of us were mothers. All of us were doing this so that we could be with our family. Right. And also, you know, make something that we're passionate about. So that was. It was really amazing. You know, in the. One of the shop owners beside me, she said, like, I'm gonna tear up. She's like, I'm the breadwinner of my family now because of it. Right. So, yeah, it was. Yeah, it was really meaningful.
- [21:48]
A
What do you think? Like, after sitting there, I'm. First of all, I love that they were just sponges, and they were just asking you guys so many questions, and without, like, I don't know what kind of confidence. I want to respect any confidentiality, but I'm very curious what they wanted to know from you guys. And I'm very curious, as the second point of, like, what you extracted. Like, what are they focused on? Are you. Are you okay with sharing either of those kinds of things?
- [22:10]
B
Yeah, I'm just hoping I can remember. I. There is a YouTube video where they. They are asking us questions.
- [22:17]
A
Okay.
- [22:18]
B
One of the questions was, you know, I think my answer was the. My clients are always giving me the best ideas. So they were asking us where we're inspired, and I said, you know, it's. Most of my amazing ideas are generally from my customers. And so they asked us that. They asked us who inspired. Yeah. Who inspires us? They did ask about if we had any problems that we wanted to talk about, which was great.
- [22:45]
A
Were you, like, terrorists? I was like, we all.
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B
We have a joke. I'm actually in, like, a little Etsy fancy chat group on Instagram now with all the women that were there, the shop owners that were there, and so all we. All we have to say is shipping. Like, we had so many shipping questions. Right. When I was at the lunch, I was talking to someone from the marketing area, and she was asking about. Oh, she was actually asking about markets. She was asking about.
- [23:12]
A
Oh, like, in person, handmade markets.
- [23:15]
B
That was really interesting. Oh, I wish I could remember more. Yeah, I don't know if I could. It'll probably come out as we're talking later.
- [23:22]
A
Yeah, that's fine. It's a lot. It's. I mean, it must have been so overwhelming.
- [23:26]
B
Yeah, it was overwhelming, but in, like, a gentle sort of, like, I don't know, generous sort of way. Like, it was just. We all just kind of, you know, were just in awe, but also, like, felt really comfortable there. The questions they were asking weren't questions that we couldn't. Like, we. We all of us had answers Right away for them. So I just really wish that I could remember more.
- [23:51]
A
No, that's.
- [23:52]
B
When you watch the videos, you'll probably see a few more of them that
- [23:55]
A
I. I love that they put like. Like I said, I didn't even realize. I'm so. I'm just like, busy over here helping sellers. I'm not even like, that's why this is so fun to get to actually, like, focus on it. What do you feel like they are focused on? Did you kind of get a sense of like, I don't know, when you. When you were able to ask about certain things for your shop, did they give you anything groundbreaking or did they reaffirm anything you already believed?
- [24:16]
B
Well, they were asking because I think they just released. And you'll probably remember the details. They just released something new about listings.
- [24:24]
A
Yes, the listing. The listing. What do you want to call it? Structure has changed.
- [24:29]
B
Yeah. And I know we often see Isabella on the Etsy success. She's so lovely. She. She was. She. I think she just did an Etsy Success Instagram story or Instagram post about it. So, yeah, they were really excited about making tools that make it easier for us. And I. I do believe they were asking us about the stats. Like, you know, they were asking us what do we like about the platform? And we were, you know, saying, we like the stats. We like that we can look and see all the different things. So they were really excited about releasing this new way of list. I haven't really actually explored it too much, but yeah, they were excited about that. Sorry, I forget your question now.
- [25:07]
A
No, no, that's okay. Like, what are they really focused on? Like, did you feel like they're leaning super hard into handmade? They probably. Probably because of who was there.
- [25:15]
B
Yeah, they had a really big sign at the front of the office and it. I think it was. And we took photos in front of it. I'm trying to think it was keep. Keep Etsy handmade or something like that. So, yeah, they were. I think they're really focused on that. And I think that was another brilliant part of having us all there was that we were all makers and that we were all people. Yeah. Who make. Who are. Oh, sorry, my computer's making this noise here.
- [25:43]
A
No worries.
- [25:44]
B
It's actually my Etsy women from that group.
- [25:47]
A
No way. It's like they knew we were talking about that.
- [25:50]
B
It was really great. So, yeah, they were. They really. You know, I think that that's something that they. With this like, huge mural on the front of the building, basically saying keep Etsy handmade kind of a thing. So. And they really wanted to know our stories. I mean, I think that was a huge part of it. Definitely.
- [26:06]
A
I just. What do I want to say? Like, they just couldn't have picked better. Melissa, I'm so glad it was you. I'm so glad you got like, how well deserved.
- [26:16]
B
That's so kind of you to say. And it's funny, when we, when we were there, I think I might have asked like, so how, how, how did you pick us? You know, and they said, well, we've just had our eye on you, you know, and it was just, it was just nice to see and it was really nice when we were going through the optimization so session to say, like you, everything looks great here. Like the only, you know, one of the pieces of advice that they had was for me to look into doing the Frame TV artwork for Frame TVs. No way.
- [26:47]
A
Really?
- [26:48]
B
Yeah. So we talked about that a bit because I, I have kind of stayed away from doing the, from selling my. I, I sell my prints. Like I pr. I print them locally and. And you sell prints, you don't sell
- [27:00]
A
digital so much, right?
- [27:01]
B
Yeah. And so for me. But we did talk a bit about doing the frame TV art because you can't just take that art and like, because it's, it's sized for a big frame tv so people aren't going. Because my worry about if I just sell the files to people where they can print it themselves is that my, the quality of my prints, I don't want, I want really nice quality of prints out in the world. Right. And the prints that I use are on a really thick watercolor textured paper. And so. But using the TV frame idea, I think I could, I could. I'm thinking about doing that because someone wouldn't take that file and just go and print it because it's meant for, for a specific size.
- [27:43]
A
Yes.
- [27:43]
B
I mean, I guess people could resize it themselves, but there'd be less of a people. I don't think that many people maybe would think of doing that. But I've been, I've just keep my prints to. I print them locally and send it to them so I don't sell them the actual file.
- [28:01]
A
You guys know I am constantly testing strategies and frameworks on Etsy, so I can tell you what's actually working and what's just noise. And one thing I have noticed over the years is this. Most Etsy sellers aren't stuck because they're lazy or they're not doing anything. They're stuck because they're second guessing everything, what to work on, what matters right now, whether they're even on the right path. I hear this all the time and that feels exactly exhausting. So after years of teaching Etsy Sellers through courses and workshops, the trendspotting membership coaching and this podcast, I built something that brings everything together in one place. It's called Scaling Society. Scaling Society is my all inclusive Etsy membership for sellers who want clarity and a clear plan without hopping between programs or wondering what to focus on next inside. You get my Etsy Seller roadmap so you know exactly what to work on and when with direction on what resources will help you master it. You also get every single one of my courses and my workshops. You get access to trendspotting and the weekly Trend reports my template drop, which means a weekly template that you can resell in your own shop. SEO training, a bunch of done for you resources like prompts, SEO and branding templates. You get a coaching group with real support and that's where the magic happens. You also get access to two live coaching calls with me every single month. You'll also get automatic access to all of the new trainings and resources I have planned for this year, including special guests. It's designed to meet you right where you're at, whether you're brand new or you're ready to scale and help you build intentionally instead of guessing your way forward. And honestly, the biggest feedback I hear from members isn't just about sales, it's relief. They finally know what to focus on. So if Etsy feels harder than it should, if you're putting in effort but you want more clarity and direction, or if you're ready to treat your shop like a real business and have actual support behind you from people who know what they're doing. You can learn more about Scaling Society at the link in the show notes. There's monthly and annual options and you can cancel anytime. So just pick what's right for you. I'd love to support you inside. What's exciting for me is that that's actually a space that I identified in the last six months has a lot of opportunity. It's one of those kind of unicorn keywords places where there is demand for it and there's not a ton of competition. Now I will say you can't sell crud like people. You're not going to sell them if you sell not I don't mean you Melissa, I mean other people listening like that's why they're asking you is because you're actually a high end artist that could do it properly. When I hear, when I hear what you're saying, my take would be since you're not, you're not going to be selling that as a, like that size in a physical product. It's not going to dilute your, your actual paintings value with prints value because it's not competing with the digital. It's a totally different product. Just in your esthetic. Just my. Just two. Two cents.
- [30:56]
B
Two cents made a lot more sense than what I was trying to say. That. Yeah, I, I think that makes sense. Definitely.
- [31:03]
A
Wow.
- [31:04]
B
So. And I mean we talked earlier in August when the tariffs were all set.
- [31:10]
A
Please.
- [31:10]
B
Over 90% of my business is actually from the U.S. so I'm so grateful for, for all my U.S. customers who continue to shop with me. And so I'm really grateful for that. But one of the thing, one of the options was that I could go to selling my. What is the word that I'm looking for? So I sell physical prints. But you had, there's always the option of selling your five what? Digital?
- [31:36]
A
Yeah, digital art. Digital wall art is what you would be selling.
- [31:40]
B
But I didn'. When the tariffs came in, I actually just shut down for a few days because I couldn't, I couldn't fathom what in the world I was going to do because that's pretty much all my. It was most of my business. And then I regrouped. I stuck with the idea that I do want to just sell my physical prints. And then I just, I just put my head down and tried to figure out how in the world this was going to work. So artwork luckily doesn't have tariffs, but it's getting your artwork there. That was the problem because I had to figure out, you know, the HS code and I had like. It was just a whole big mess of technical work that was very overwhelming. But I just put my head down and I figured it out and I found a company that. Well, I actually don't use them much anymore, but I use them for, up until January. And so I would just put all of the shipping info into it and then they would give me the best price based on UPS, FedEx or whatever and then they would pick it up at my door. But I had to print off this Kusma, I guess you call it file and I had to actually print it off and put it on top of the package and make a digital file explaining how it was this original or prints so that it wouldn't have tariffs, which was a whole work. It was a whole lot of work and it was more expensive than using Canada Post. Anyway, January comes around after my big rush of the Christmas orders and I get a huge bill from the shipping companies that I didn't know about that was. Must have been in very fine print. So I was charged, I think $4.83 for each package I sent as a brokerage fee that I didn't know about. So I had to pay that for all my.
- [33:28]
A
Oh my gosh, that was like, okay,
- [33:30]
B
here we go again. And that's why being invited to Etsy was like, I've been persevering through so much. And so now I actually use Canada Post and Zonos, which is like a brokerage thing that they set up to work with the tariff. So and it does it all digitally. I don't have to print it off and put it on. Then I don't have to create a whole nother file. It's just right there. I just do the code. And it's cheaper than using the other companies as well, like UPS or FedEx or any of those. So anyway, so that's now what I'm. But it's still not connected. I used to be able to use Canada Post, get special more affordable pricing through Etsy to send to the U.S. with Canada Post, but since the tariffs came in, they cut that off. So I can use Canada Post shipping labels in Canada for my Etsy for my Canadian customers, but I can't use it for my American customers. So getting the special shipping labels and the discount through Etsy, but I can still use Canada Post in this brokerage firm to send it.
- [34:28]
A
So I hope like so many Canada sellers just got to hear that because talk about like a niche topic that people desperately need.
- [34:37]
B
So when I'm in the Etsy building and I'm the only Canadian there and I'm just like, so can we talk about tariffs and shipping? Right? Because it's had such a huge impact and I've actually had to. I actually realized one of the. In the optimization session at Etsy, I also realized looking at it, my shop through someone else's view, not mine, within my account that I had, I had had free shipping on because years ago Etsy said that you need to have free shipping. And so I was like, oh, I better follow the rules and do the free shipping. But that, oh gee, I can't remember. Some of them did and some of them didn't. Anyway, so I realized after that that like, oh, I better get this all sorted and that I don't actually. And you don't actually have to have free shipping to have your shop do. Well.
- [35:22]
A
Yes.
- [35:23]
B
Us and, and so what I ended up doing is I actually don't say free shipping anymore. I say I have a five dollar fee for American, five dollars Canadian. So I don't know what that is in America to cover that brokerage fee.
- [35:35]
A
Okay. It's like an add on okay for handling.
- [35:38]
B
Yeah, I took off the free shipping, realized that like it was all just kind of mixed up because I wasn't looking at it from somebody else's perspective of my shop. I got that sorted out. So yeah, I got some shipping issues sorted out and I'm still. I'm sorry I'm sounding so confusing because it is a confusing mask.
- [35:53]
A
It is confusing. It's not you that's confusing. It's what this has done for. Yeah, for sure.
- [35:59]
B
I will say that I've had so many more problems with my packages will make it to the US they'll actually make it through the tariff, the customs and then they'll just sit in a warehouse for a week. Nobody knows where it is. And that never happened before. But I can't even imagine how many people they had to hire to do all these tariffs. Like to me it's just, it's mind blowing what a letter or a package has to go through now to get to my customers. And it's mind blowing that my customers are still purchasing from me. So I'm really grateful for that.
- [36:31]
A
Okay, well so this is like a perfect segue to what I want to spend some time on. This is the thing when someone creates products that are in that people want, that are in demand, that have something special about them. You know, in your case it's that it's original artwork by an incredible artist.
- [36:51]
B
Oh, you're kind.
- [36:52]
A
It's very true. You know, for others it might be this is something that's to going personalized. I was just talking with my handmade coaches before our recording today and we were talking about how important it is for, for handmade sellers to find ways to be able to personalize their products for shoppers or customize them. Because it will literally it will, it will massively increase your sales to offer any of that. But the point is price becomes much less important when you are that kind of a seller. When you have created something. It's that it's what we talk about is emotional connection in the scaling society. When you create something that has high emotional connection which means when the shopper sees it in the feed they go oh, wait, that's me. That's. That's perfect. They, you know, like, I understand. I don't want to discount for a second that people are going through hard financial times and that that affects things when we're at least favoriting it. Right. But, yeah, it still crosses this barrier of, like, oh, I've got to get that. You know, Like, I. Even if it's going on my Christmas list, I've got to have that, you know, and. And pricing becomes much less strenuous when you. When you get into that category.
- [37:59]
B
It's a good way of saying it. Yeah.
- [38:01]
A
Yeah. What I would love to unpack with you for a few minutes, Melissa, is, is you are now what I would call, like, the pinnacle artist selling on Etsy. Okay. You are the bar. You are the example of what people want to attain. Okay. Like, beyond. Honestly, people would be ecstatic just making the income you've been able to create, let alone getting the recognition from Etsy. Can we talk about, like, what does it feel like in 2026, being an artist selling original art on Etsy? Like, especially maybe in comparison to how it's felt in years past. Is it different? Has it changed? Like, what is that? What is that experience?
- [38:34]
B
Well, I think definitely. And this is not. I wasn't asked to plug you, but since. Since, you know, I've been listening to your podcast for years and since applying the things that you're teaching in my shop, it's exciting because it's exciting to be recognized and to know that. Because it can be overwhelming. If there's 6 million shops on Etsy, you kind of, you know, in. On your. On your rough days, you can say, well, no one's going to see, like, how in the world are people going to see my art? But then applying all of the strategies with SEO and focusing on trends. Trends, yeah, definitely. I think the trends is. Is. Is so exciting, and it's just thrilling. But it's also, I think, for artists to know that it's not like I'm taking, you know, I feel like I have my own personal esthetic. I'm not. I'm not putting that aside to say I have to do sardines, because that's the only way I'm going to make money. No, I put it within my esthetic. Like, I love interior design. I love vintage. I love filling your home with vintage items. And so I'm framing my sardines in vintage frames. So I'm doing what I love, what I'm passionate about, but I'm just kind of leaning into the trends that. That appeal to me. Like, I'm not making.
- [39:45]
A
Yeah, you're not doing leopard print.
- [39:47]
B
You're not.
- [39:47]
A
You're not doing 90s yet.
- [39:49]
B
No. And right now, like, I love. I'm a huge reader and, you know, I have, you know, all the withering heights. I have, like, all the classics around my house. And so I'm painting. I, you know, read Wuthering Heights this or Wuthering Heights this this fall. And so I painted paintings to go with it. Like, and that's a trend, right? Morecore, you know, like, it's a trend, but that's what love. And so I'm not putting aside my own aesthetics and what I. What I really want to paint for trends. I'm actually just incorporating them. And it just happens to be that, you know, maybe, you know, it just happens to be what I love, just happens to be in. Integrated into the trend. So it's not like you have to. I don't know what the word would be, but go against what your heart is telling you to. To paint. I'm just, I'm doing what I love, love to do and working within those. Those. It's not constraints. It's actually just exciting in my mind.
- [40:43]
A
For anyone listening who's an artist, you want to go back and listen to that last episode that I've linked below with Melissa, because we got to talk about that a lot more. Like, the focus was much more about what does an original artist need to know about selling on Etsy. And she did break down her. How she has, like, created an incredibly unique process. And that's really fun. But I think it's also really practical for artists to hear about how Etsy is a marketplace and people are coming with the intention of using it as a search engine. And so making sure that you're creating things that are in demand. Like, Etsy is not the best place to just create whatever you feel like, unless you're going to drive your own traffic to it. Because otherwise, if you want to depend on Etsy sending you traffic, sending you shoppers, you need to be creating what people are searching for. That's the kind of thing that I teach on. So, okay, so given that, let's talk about your primary traffic driver, because I love this. Like, you kind of blew my mind. So, like, what's happening? Are you getting organic Etsy sales? Are you using Etsy ads, or are you sending traffic to your own shop? How is it working for you?
- [41:45]
B
Well, I discovered when thinking about this today, I discovered that let's see, etsy brings in 70% of my traffic.
- [41:53]
A
Okay. So hence the demand. Right? Yep.
- [41:56]
B
Yeah. And I brought in 30% of the visits, and of the visits that I brought, direct traffic accounted for 40% and social media accounted for 60. But listen to this. Print Pinterest within that, social media brought in, what was it, 96% and Instagram brought in 3% and Facebook, 1%. Now, I will tell you, I have not put a lot of effort into Pinterest. I've listened to lots of. Lots of podcasts about it. I've. You know, I. I do have a Pinterest account. I do have pins in there. I did do create one recently, but I have not focused on it. Where do I focus if I. I mean, I'm on Instagram and it's doing 1%. It's doing 1%. And I don't even. To be honest, I want to just be painting as opposed to, like, putting. I don't make a lot of reels. I don't. I do a lot of stories because I feel like that's part of my, you know, I. I have, like, kind of like a slow pro, like a. I just want to create my presence on Instagram. I want to be slow and creative and inspired by nature. And I think stories is a really nice way of doing that.
- [43:06]
A
She has 11,600 followers on Instagram, and it's accounting for 1% of her.
- [43:12]
B
So that was mind blowing today.
- [43:14]
A
So you have 180,000 views on one of these reels. I.
- [43:20]
B
Yes. So that has just blown my mind today. So I need to obviously be looking into Pinterest. But also, once again, as an artist, that's not a horrible thing for me to do because I love creating beautiful pins. Like, I love being inspired. So once again, I'm not selling out to. To have to be. To be successful on Etsy. I'm not selling out of my artistic ideas for my. My vision because I can go onto Pinterest and. And create beautiful pins. I'd love to do that, you know,
- [43:48]
A
so thank you for teaching that lesson for me, guys. Melissa, so here's the thing. I think in your case, Melissa, you should continue posting to Instagram because you are building a brand, and that brand is what Etsy recognized, and that is why you got that opportunity. Okay? However, people listening who are artists, who are sellers, who are absorbing this, a lot of you want to go, and I get it, you want to build a brand. So you're like, I got to. I've got to do instagram I've got to do TikTok. I've got to do Pinterest. I've got to do all these things. I've got to build my own website. I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, skirt. Wait. I don't want you doing any of that until you're at like 500 sales. I want you to learn how to, like, get money coming in first. Figure out Etsy first. If you follow the demand, it will send you the traffic. You will not have to do anything else, you know, around approaching 500 sales. You're going to want to start building an email list if you want to. If you want to challenge yourself, start building an email list right away. Get links or get pictures in your photo gallery that have a QR code to join your email list and get like a 10% off coupon, something like that. Get people that are. Build your own audience with an email list and then email them at least twice a month because otherwise, if you never email them, they're going to mark you as spam when you do and they're not going to remember you because we are all busy people and 60% of us have ADHD. So. So build your email list. And once you hit about 500 sales, if you're like, hey, I'd like to scale this, I'd like to go beyond Etsy and build a brand. That's when we talk about social media and our own website and all of that. This is what we get into inside scaling society. Guys, if you want to have your handheld with this, some of this stuff, but when it comes to social media, please don't burn yourselves out. Look at. Melissa has a successful account. She's got over 10,000. She's 11,600 followers. She has reels that have gone viral. It is bringing in 1% of her traffic. She has done nothing with Pinterest. She has thrown up a couple of pins here and there and look at what it's done. It's sending 99%, 96% of that traffic. Now here's the great news. Melissa, you are like, this is wild because next week we are doing a Pinterest episode. You have opened. You have opened the can of worms for us. You have proven why we need it. And for the first time, guys, I have found someone who's an Etsy Pinterest expert. She's one of us, actually. She's been on this podcast over a year ago. She, you. I'm not going to spoil the story, but she has done incredible things with pinterest and now she's become a Pinterest expert. So she's coming in like, just like teaser, guys. She's coming into the how to Sell Yourself Coaching family to be our Pinterest expert. We're about to get our work. So next week, Melissa, you're going to want to listen and hear this whole strategy because it doesn't need to take a lot of time. It doesn't look at, look at what it's done for you doing next to nothing.
- [46:19]
B
Yeah, yeah. It's so exciting. It's. And, and I think, I guess the other side of this too is that that's the wonderful thing about Etsy as well, is that, like, what are they saying? Etsy's bringing in 70% of my traffic, but Etsy's bringing that in because I've applied all of the knowledge that I've learned, you know, basically from listening to you. But, you know, like, it's, it's kind of a full circle thing we're having here. Right. Is that there's always new things to bring in.
- [46:50]
A
Yes.
- [46:50]
B
But the basis of it is, as you were saying, you don't have to have the brand, you don't have to have the website, you don't have to have all that. Like, you focus on what will make your shop the best shop and then you can enhance it through Pinterest as well. Right. So. And Instagram and all those things. Although I will say, since I've got back from New York City and all the inspiration that I had there, I am so excited to paint and I've been painting for the past two weeks and selling on Instagram instantly. Like, that's been my dream is to just have, you know, and it's working. I mean, I've been learning a lot and teaching myself a lot. And I listen to audiobooks, I, I read novels, all about artwork. So I know that, you know, I put a lot of hard work into it, but it's also, it's, it's just. Yeah, it's, it's, it's a good place right now, even though I will say my sales are down.
- [47:49]
A
Yeah.
- [47:49]
B
In my Etsy shop. And I don't know whether that's, you know, something that's going on.
- [47:53]
A
June 1, 2026. Yeah. Yeah.
- [47:55]
B
I don't feel down about that at all, number one, because I was just, you know, I just went to the Etsy headquarters and. But also because I know, like, there's always new things to apply. There's always, there's all, you know, and I Do I do do sales outside of Etsy, I work with shops, local shops, and. And I work with companies in the US as well. So, like, it's not like Etsy is my everything, but it's most of it.
- [48:19]
A
But you know what? I think it's so grounding for you to say that. Can I just. Can I just, like, have a reality check moment with everyone? Entrepreneurship is cyclical, and in a way, Melissa's at the very top of her game and her field, right? She just had this incredible opportunity happen. Alongside it, her sales are a little slower. This is the nature of entrepreneurship. And the number one skill that you can learn as entrepreneurs is to develop the mindset where that dip in sales doesn't mean, well, Etsy's going down the tubes. There goes my business. We're done. It's all over. Game over. Wow. What a sham. No, you go, huh? This is the nature of the world. Everything goes in cycles to everything. There is a season, and what goes down must come up. What goes up must come down. Like, it's. It's going to. I think it was correct that second way. But my point is, like, things ebb and flow and we have to, just like you said, we have to keep testing and we can try new things. We can add new. New criteria, or we can add new approaches to things. You know, there's more that we can be doing.
- [49:20]
B
Well, especially if now that I've realized that printers Pinterest brought in 96% of my. My direct traffic, that's amazing. So, I mean, there's some. Something new to focus on there. I mean, there's so much to do. I have so many ideas, I have so many things I want to paint. There's so much. But when it comes down to it, it's really good to actually do. What I did this morning was go through my sales, go through my stats, go through all those things where I can see the success that I've had or even just remember that in the last week, like, I've sold so many paintings that I don't even have room in my studio for all the paintings that I've garnished. I have had to use my dining room now to have all my paintings out there. So, I mean, there are. There are always, you know, it's. It's resiliency and it's remembering that success isn't always measured the way that you might see it on Instagram, you know, or it's not necessarily looking at the stats and, oh, my favorites are down, or this, you know, like, those things, right? Valuable to see. But also it's once a quarter.
- [50:21]
A
Look at them. Once a quarter. Like.
- [50:23]
B
Yeah, yeah. So, I mean, the other thing I need to learn about is Etsy ads. I kind of dabbled in last week and made a mess of. I don't understand it. And I need. I would like to understand it, but then my heart just goes, oh, I'd rather paint. So, you know, it. It's. It's always the. The balance of learning new things. You know, maybe I just need to focus on Pinterest for now and maybe do ads next, you know?
- [50:47]
A
Okay, so I love that idea for you because one thing at a time, like, little bites. But as I was telling Melissa before the call, you guys, that I have a free Etsy ads masterclass that was done by Hannah Gardner, who's. She's the one who created Profit Tree, which is like, great with the data.
- [51:03]
B
She.
- [51:03]
A
This is something I want to dig into later, but she explains it so well that I just. I'm going to link that masterclass for you guys. I already told Melissa I'd send it to her. Let me make a note. But here's the deal. First thing about ads, if you don't have any sales yet, don't touch ads. Only start running ads once you have sales. And then, so, Melissa, you're a perfect candidate for this to be working in the background. And then, you guys, the next step can be to watch that it's a free master. Like, watch all of her data, how she does all the data, how she figures it all out.
- [51:30]
B
And that's what I need to. I need to focus on. But I know.
- [51:34]
A
While you paint.
- [51:36]
B
Well, there you go.
- [51:37]
A
Listen.
- [51:38]
B
While you paint.
- [51:38]
A
Okay, but I didn't realize you were such a big reader. So now we have a whole new topic that we need to DM about. As an artist. Have you read. I just finished a book called Theo of Golden. Have you read that book?
- [51:48]
B
Oh, my goodness. I am looking for it.
- [51:51]
A
The library doesn't.
- [51:52]
B
My library doesn't have it. And so, yeah, it's on my list. It's at the top of my list, definitely. So I. I wish I had it because I love to paint and listen to audiobooks, but also I'm in the middle of a couple novels, so it's on my list and hopefully my library will get it soon. If not, I may just need to purchase it.
- [52:12]
A
But, you guys, everyone should read Theo of Golden. It's a. More. It's not. I wouldn't call it slow because I literally got so swept up into. Literally changed me, like, in such a good way, in such a tender way. It was just like the exact hug in a book that I needed. I don't know, girl. I can't. I need a deal.
- [52:32]
B
I've heard about it and I'm so excited. I'm so excited to read it or listen.
- [52:35]
A
Anybody would like this book. Like, it is not. It is not spicy. It is not political. It is not. It is just heartwarming. Humanity is what it like. I can't. And as an artist, you're gonna freaking flip your lid. I can't wait. I'm gonna need a play by play. I'm gonna need you to get that book. Okay. Melissa, what would you tell an artist who's wondering if they should start selling on Etsy?
- [53:00]
B
Figure out what you're passionate about, painting about, or the aesthetic that you, you know, figure out what makes you wake up in the morning to paint. And then look into the trends, look into the niches, look into those things and see how you can incorporate them into what you're passionate about. And then once you've created the work, make sure that you're. That you are taking photos and creating like a whole aesthetic around your paintings that will draw in those people who are attracted to those. The trends or just what. What they're passionate about. And then work on your SEOs for when. Once you've got your photos, get your SEO so that you have your kind of like your finger on the niches and the trends and make sure that you can let Etsy know that you know what's going on and that. That you are someone who takes. How can I say it? When I was setting up my backdrop today, I was explaining to my husband, you know, because he does. He does these calls all the time for work, and I'm like, no, this is important to me. I want to do everything with excellence. I want to do everything that makes. Makes lets the world know that I want to create beauty and have beauty be my aesthetic. And so, you know, I think instead of thinking of, you have to sell out to sell on Etsy. Work with what you're passionate and what you are inspired about and work within the trends to. To show the world what you can create. How's that?
- [54:31]
A
I mean, utter perfection. I'm literally having my editor pull that excerpt out so I share it on Instagram.
- [54:40]
B
Oh, it's sometimes. Sometimes I can be articulate, and I think when I. The more passionate I get, the more that the words just seem to kind of flow. But Then when I start talking about, like, ads and, and how to figure out the data and the stats, you know, my words kind of stutter.
- [54:58]
A
I think any of us talking about math, with the exception of those who are really gifted in math or shipping or tariffs, should stutter because it's just a lot like, no matter what you think, like, it's, it's no matter how you, like, kind of fall, you know, in your belief system, I think, like, I just care about the small shop owner. Like, if there's an impact, there is an impact. And so it's, you know, we should be stuttering.
- [55:24]
B
Oh, my goodness. Yeah. But, you know, I just think, don't listen to the people who, you know, you can get on these. I mean, I've been on some really great Facebook pages to help with tariffs and help with all of that, but sometimes people just, you know, just have this impression that Etsy is just taking, taking, taking from us, and I just choose not to. Maybe it's a little naive, but I choose to focus on the fact that it's allowed me to be passionate and to learn and to create beauty in the world. And especially now that I've been to the building, I've been, met the women, I met the people at, in Etsy helping to make this work for all of us. Like, I just, I feel that they're interested in my story and me as an individual seller, and I think that's a much better way to live. And then to think, oh, they're just taking all their money. They're just, you know, throwing all these, you know, all the negativity that you hear. And I'm just choosing to be positive about it and to find the joy in working from home and working and going, creating things that I, that I love to do. So, and the connections through Etsy as well. Like, look at this connection. Look at the women that I met on my trip. Look at the people in the different groups that we all know that we can talk to and we can, we can give help to. And I think that's what I, I, we were actually joking in my Etsy seller trip. Women that I was proselytizing about using SEO, and they were all like, what is that word? And I'm like, well, it means that, like, I'm a little, you know, going over the top on explaining, trying to help people that, like, you can get your listings noticed if you just, you know, work on the trends and using the right keywords.
- [57:05]
A
So I just feel like we were handed the biggest gift getting to Sit with you today.
- [57:11]
B
Oh, I feel the same way. This was so exciting and it was so. Just uplifting. I can't wait to. To start painting and to think and process this while I'm painting. And I think that's the nice thing about, you know, a lot of makers is that you can, like, process your thoughts and process and come up with new ideas while you're being creative, you know?
- [57:29]
A
Yeah, no, you're the. You're the example. You're the. You're the. Gosh, I adore you. Thank you so much for your friendship and for sharing this with us. Like, this is profound. Thank you so much for, like, DMing me and keeping me posted on everything.
- [57:45]
B
It's so fun. Like, I know she's going to be excited. I'm just going to tell her right now, you know? So thank you from the bottom of my heart. You've changed my life.
- [57:53]
A
Oh, stop it. I need to start just sending you squealing voice memos is what.
- [57:57]
B
I
- [58:00]
A
cannot contain the excitement in this stratosphere. But also, thank you so much. Like, as an artist, you've been extremely generous with your. With your techniques, with your approach, with your. With. So just, gosh, thank you so much, you guys. I'm gonna link below Melissa's website and Instagram if you want to go. Give her a follow if you want to say howdy. And obviously she will be back on the podcast again. We're going to have to keep. Because, I mean, obviously, like, she's having all these crazy experiences. We need to be on. We need to be on the loop. What's your tip?
- [58:29]
B
Give me something so that maybe next year when I talk to you or in a few months, I'll be like,
- [58:32]
A
yes, thank you for telling me. Yeah, well, so, like, if you guys are watching on YouTube, she's got this incredible monochromatic grand millennial pattern background.
- [58:43]
B
Isn't it fabulous? I was influenced by this.
- [58:46]
A
Really?
- [58:48]
B
Yes. It's my tablecloth. And yeah, I. I bought it on Amazon and I love it so much that I actually want to make pillows and curtains out of it. So, yes.
- [59:01]
A
What I was going to suggest, because you're already doing the vintage grand millennial stuff that I would have told you to do. I don't. This might be too far off of your. What you like to do, but what if you took, like, scrapbook paper in that kind of a pattern and put it behind some of your art pieces?
- [59:16]
B
Like, oh, yes, it's definitely. I had a shop owner say, can you do this with pet portraits in front of it.
- [59:22]
A
Yep.
- [59:23]
B
Right. Thank you. It's been on my mind to do definitely.
- [59:26]
A
So, like, almost adding that scrapbook grand millennial element. But it would have to be monochromatic vintage pattern like that. So if it's not too far out, I would do that as a background. And I think that it's going to be your next big idea.
- [59:38]
B
There you go. I was just paint. Last week, I was just painting because we have PETA ducks. I was doing a pet duck with flowers behind it, you guys.
- [59:46]
A
Her Instagram with the. It's. I love it so much.
- [59:49]
B
Ah, tear. Well, thank you. I love that idea.
- [59:52]
A
Okay, guys, thanks for hanging out with us. Isn't she the most incredible human ever? I'm pretty obsessed, you guys. It's so magical to get to just, like, spend this time with you. I know you're busy. I know this is a long episode, and you choosing to be here means the absolute world to me. I am rooting for you harder than your mother. I don't even know if that's appropriate to say. Maybe she and I are neck and neck. But you need to know, I'm just, like, so excited for you. In your corner. Thank you for listening. And until next week, go make something awesome. Bye, guys. Thanks, Melissa. And that's a wrap on this episode of how to sell your stuff on Etsy. Thanks so much for hanging out with me today. If you're looking for more resources, head on over to how howtosellyourstuff.com where you'll find podcast show notes, all the links from today's episode, the blog, courses, coaching, and more. If this episode was helpful to you, awesome. The greatest compliment I can receive from you is a rate, review and subscribe on this podcast. Not only will it allow us to connect again on a future episode, it lets me know I'm providing you with value and helps other people find this content more easily. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your support. Have a great day and see you next time.