Featured in Etsy Finds!!!

I was wondering why I had 3000+ Etsy shop views today - I'm so glad Edi of MemoriesforLifeScrapbooks kindly let me know that my Paradise Pajama Set was included in the Etsy Finds shopping guide! It was included in the "find a unique gift for Mom now" section. Wow, this is my first time ever to be included here since opening my shop in December 2010 and I'm so excited!

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Ich hatte mich heute morgen echt gewundert, dass mein Etsy Shop 3000+ Ansichten hatte! Zum Glück hat mich Edi von MemoriesforLifeScrapbooks aufgeklärt. Mein Paradise Pyjama war wohl gestern im Etsy Geschenkefinder! Ich fühle mich total geehrt und ich bin sooo happy!

Paradise Dreams PJ Set

Also, it's been included in this beautiful feminine Etsy treasury by Roselle of SeasideRoseCreations !

Außerdem wurde es in dieser wunderschönen Etsy Collage von Roselle von SeasideRoseCreations aufgenommen!

Now that all this attention is on my shop, I better get down to sewing :)

Hope you are all doing great! See you soon,

Liebe Mädels, wenn es die nächste Zeit etwas still wird hier heißt das nur, dass ich am Nähen bin, denn jetzt wo so viele Leute in meinen Shop gucken, muß da auch ordentlich Ware rein ;-) bis bald...

Retro Plaid Shorts

Hello friends! Thank you for your well wishes :) I do feel better today, thank goodness, and I even managed to sew a new item for my shop!

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Hallo Mädels! Vielen lieben Dank für eure lieben Worte zum letzten Post! Die Migräne ist zum Glück vorbei! Habe sogar ein neues Teil für meinen Etsy Shop fertig bekommen!

This is such a fun plaid fabric. It's got green, pink and red stripes and they come together nicely on the sky blue background. I edged the pant legs with ruffles in a coordinating floral/birdy fabric! Wish it was summer already :)

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Ist das nicht ein süßer Retro Plaid Stoff? Grün, pinkfarbene und rote Streifen auf hellblauem Hintergrund, abgesetzt mit femininen Rüschen mit Blümchen-und-Vögelchen Druck!

This style is the most popular of all the bottoms in my PeriDot line. I've sold these to UK, France, Australia, Germany and of course my number one customer USA! I really love the international experience on Etsy!
I'm expecting a bulk delivery of roseprint fabrics in the next few weeks. I'm really excited about these and hope to make an assortment of French knickers (as time permits).

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Dies ist von meiner PeriDot Linie das beliebteste Modell! Kunden aus England, Frankreich, Deutschland, Australien und besonders USA sind stolze Besitzer dieser Rüschenhose! Ich find's toll, dass Etsy so international ist!
Freue mich auch schon auf die neuen Rosenstoffe, die in den kommenden Wochen eintreffen sollten...die dann zu weiteren Rüschenshorts verarbeitet werden (so wie ich's zeitlich schaffe).

Take care everybody, have a wonderful day!

Macht's gut ihr Lieben, habt einen schönen Tag!

Fun Laundry Bags!

As mentioned I was going to stock up on some more laundry bags, because 1. I only had three left and 2. it seems to be a popular search term on Google and Etsy! Plus, they are so much fun to make!
Wie versprochen habe ich neue Wäschebeutel für meinen Shop genäht, denn 1. hatte ich nur noch drei übrig und 2. wird dieser Begriff auf Englisch sehr gern in der Google Suchmaschine sowie auf Etsy eingegeben! Es macht total Spaß diese zu nähen und sie sind eine willkommene Abwechslung zu meinen anspruchsvolleren Teilen! 

Of course there are plenty of other uses for these bags ~ as one customer wrote ~ she stores her kids' stuffed toy animals in them. What a cool idea!
Diese Beutel sind natürlich nicht nur für "dreckige Wäsche" gedacht ~ wie eine Kundin mir neulich mitteilte  benutzt sie sie als Aufbewahrungsbeutel für die Kuscheltiersammlung ihrer Kinder. Nette Idee, oder? 

Etsy Germany is going live in a couple of weeks. I'm working on translating all my item descriptions right now. I'm excited for this development and hopefully more German-speaking customers will find me :)
Etsy gibt es bald auch auf Deutsch! Ich arbeite schon fleißig an meiner Shop Übersetzung. Ich finde diese Entwicklung ganz spannend und hoffe dadurch meinen Bekanntheitsgrad (besser gesagt, der meiner Produkte) in deutschsprachigen Ländern zu erhöhen. Ich würde mich freuen, wenn ihr mich dann besuchen kommt :)))

Happy Friday!

Working on a romper/Prototyp Kurz-Overall

Rompers or one-piece-suits seem to be all the rage for summer this year! I feel ambivalent about this particular style. On one hand I get that I need to cater to customers wishes to some extent, on the other I'm not sure this style is as comfortable as everyone makes it out to be! And that is really my priority when I'm creating my pieces. The feedback I hear most often about my clothing is "wow, this is so comfortable", and that is music to my ears. Anyway, I'm hoping to perfect my romper pattern to make it not only feminine, but comfy to wear too! The armholes need adjustment and I will add a self-belt to complete the look.

Prototype/Prototyp

Der Kurz-Overall ist allem Anschein nach der Trendartikel des Sommers! So ganz überzeugt mich dieser Schnitt aber nicht ~ trotzdem arbeite ich seit einiger Zeit an einem Modell für meine Homewear Linie, da ich mich ansatzweise an die Kundenwünsche anpassen muß! Nach wie vor hat für mich hoher Tragekomfort Prioriät, deshalb hat meine Version des Kurzoveralls keinen zentralen Reißverschluß (oder eine Knopfleiste), sondern eine elastische Taille sowie ein legeres Oberteil in Wickeloptik, welches beim Tragen geschoppt wird (wie ein Blouson). Eventl. füge ich vorne zwei Brustabnäher hinzu und mindere die Armausschnitte. Ein Stoffgürtel vollendet dann das Outfit. Mal sehen ob ich es bis zum Sommer hinbekomme :)

till then,
bis bald mal wieder,

Work in progress - Pajama Set

Many a customer asks me how long it will take to have a custom pajama set made. Well, excluding ordering, pre-washing, ironing and cutting the fabric (and not working on anything else) it will take an entire weekend.

Also, all seams are professionally finished or serged as we say in the sewing biz. All of my handmade items take time, and before I list anything the pieces are scrutinized before being put up for sale. That is probably the reason why I'm hesitating to outsource, although I could really use some help at this point.

Currently, I am offering sizes small, medium and large per style. I would love to have three sets of each size. At the beginning of this year one of my goals had been to have 50 items listed in my shop by the end of April. Didn't make it. Anyhow, unless I outsource, it will take weeks, if not months. But isn't that distinctive of handmade products?

Btw, which wig do you prefer? Brunette or Blonde?

Why I joined Etsy

print by the olive bird on Etsy

Recent changes on my new selling venue Etsy have led to animated discussions in the forums. Some of my readers will know that Etsy is rolling out individual homepages for UK, Germany, France and Netherlands. I have mixed feelings about this, because part of the attraction of joining Etsy was the international flair the site presented and the feeling of being part of a huge global, crafty community.
I also liked the fact that everyone everywhere saw the same frontpage - always a topic of conversation between me, my international friends and customers. Moreover, my stats show that 70% of visitors to my shop are from USA. Followed by UK, Canada and Australia. Italy and Germany tie in fifth place.
I tested the local (Germany) homepage, and the front page items on there is made up of just a handful of European sellers (not me) over and over again picked by admin. Sounds a lot like DaWanda to me (where I am gradually phasing out my stuff), where favouritism is the order of the day! Plus the German version of the Storque (blog) leads out of Etsy altogether! On the flipside there are US sellers who market to Europe extensively, and will most likely become invisible once European buyers set their language and homepage preference. Most of my teammates feel exactly as I do. We've put in our two cents hoping that we will be heard by the powers that be over there in Brooklyn, NY. I'm just glad I've built a strong connection to my US customers and the USA in general via my blog! Here's hoping I won't fade into obscurity...

It's Euro Week on Etsy

From March 21st - 27th Etsy will be celebrating European art and artists with special home pages full of products from throughout Europe, craft events held in major European cities, information for doing business globally, and much more. All Euro Etsians are encouraged to curate treasuries, as these will be featured on the front page. Here's my contribution. It's all about  "spirals"

GIVEAWAY *WIN* handmade French Knickers in YOUR size!

Hi everybody!

here's your chance to win a handmade pair of French Knickers in your size! Yes, that's right! I will make one for you in either small, medium or large just like the one you see in the picture! These are made from pure cotton and trimmed with black eyelet lace and a cute polka dot bow!

Here's how to enter:

1. For one entry go to my shop and let me know in a comment which item you love most!
2. For an additional entry you can tweet about this or share it on your Facebook!
3. For 5 more entries please join my mailing list (see subscription form in the right column)! Your benefits: free shop updates, special shipping deals and discount coupons! NOTE: I totally respect your privacy and will NEVER disclose or sell your email address to a third party.

*update - you only need to join my mailing list once (equals 5 entries). You won't be getting a confirmation, but rest assured that I can see your email address through my account with the subscription service!

This giveaway is open to everyone around the globe. Giveaway ends Tuesday 15th March. Don't forget to let me know where to contact you should you win!

Thanks for playing along and good luck to all!!!

Everything Etsy :)

So I figured out what was wrong with my FB widget, as judging by the comments to my previous post it only affected me. Turns out that it only works when I'm logged in as my profile - as soon as I log in as my page the widget goes blank. Whatever.

Etsy is being really, really good to me. What can I say? Ich liebe Etsy - that's I love Etsy in German. An assortment of my products have been included in five more treasuries - I'm not going to list all of them here - just my favourite one by MySuperSweetBoutique.

My French Knickers are in the second row, far left. Also, I listed some sleepmasks, including this lovely Vintage inspired birdy one - and it's the last one! Hurry, if you want it. Remember - I reduced international shipping to only USD 6,- on small items.

Up next - A giveaway! Stay tuned to find out more soon...

cheers,

Two fabulous new treasuries

Two of my PeriDot by Duni items made it into these new treasuries on Etsy!

A bright and colourful treasury by  bijouxdellostregato a.k.a. Priscilla, who lives in Rome...

...and a spring fashion forecast by Canadian mixed media artist WhisperingFen

Thank you so much, ladies!

Pretty in Pink

Pink is my favourite colour. It's cheery; it makes me smile; it's such a positive colour and brightens up the dark days of winter, which we (over here in Germany) are currently experiencing. I was delighted when my Pink Pajama Set was included in this gorgeous pink Etsy treasury curated by Anna of Anna's Adornments. This collection is put together beautifully. Thank you Anna!

While I'm waiting for brighter days - no, actually at this point I'll settle for a bright hour or two - in order to take adequate photos, I've been thinking a lot about my blog and the direction it's going. The title seems a bit off now that I've expanded my product line. New visitors will probably be a bit confused! Taking my cue from Erika, who has done an awesome job with hers (I learn so much from her), I will be making a couple changes to this blog in the next few weeks, starting with the blog title. I've been brainstorming a bunch of titles, but my favorite one "Duni Designs" is unfortunately copyrighted by a well-known German napkin supplier! So, I'll have to think a little longer on this one.

until next time,

For those who love blue

My shop is growing.

In addition to pj's, cosmetic pouches and sleepmasks I now offer large laundry bags as well! As with all my items they are made from designer cottons and have a myriad of uses - not only for dumping your dirty laundry. Think craft bag, fabric scrap bag, balls of wool bag; or like me keep your socks and lingerie stored in it!

The laundry bag with the heart appliquéd on it was recently included in this gorgeous blue collection made by enamel jewelry artist MapremIsha. It is called 'crazy about blue' :)

I figured out how to renew an item. Question to Etsians: does a renewed item show up in the specified category at all? Coz it seems like I'm not getting any new views on it, like I did when I originally listed it.
Just wondering...

And in case you haven't noticed by now, I am really taken with Etsy :) I should've started my shop there much sooner!

My first sale on Etsy

Yes, okay. I'm not exactly new to selling, but I'm so excited to have had my first sale on Etsy (my new selling venue) I just had to share. What a great thing to wake up to on a rainy Monday morning :)

And not to bore you with yet another treasury...but the item I sold was recently featured in this chocolate, lavender and blue treasury curated by bluebirdheaven.

Can you spot my item?

wishing you all a wonderful week ahead!

My Etsy endeavours

Hi all!

first off, I survived the procedure, but I wouldn't recommend doing it without sedation if you are prone to panic. The tube that goes way down to the duodenum is as fat as a man's thumb! Suffice it to say that I'm glad it's over and happy that I don't have a stomach ulcer after all.

Back to business. I've been building PeriDot by Duni steadily, following the advice given in the Etsy Success newsletter that I've subscribed to. I'm also a team member of the Etsy Germany Street Team, soon to be taking on the role of part-time blog administrator. I was interviewed recently by Eleanor of e.m. papers and if you're interested you can read the interview here.
There are about fifty members to this team and I've already connected with a number of them - too bad most live so far away. In fact, I'm the only member residing in Westphalia, the most western part of Germany.

I received the long awaited Tanya Whelan fabrics yesterday, however the popular Darla Rose is out-of-stock. Therefore I will only be offering the pajama pants in Amelie Rose, which is the new collection and just as pretty!
Oh, and with this week being pretty stressy I almost forgot that one of my pajama pants made it into this wonderful treasury by JenSanCandles!

Featured!

My cottage rose cosmetic pouch made it into this lovely treasury curated by victoriasenglishcharm titled 'a gentle start to the week'

Unfortunately, my week will not be as gentle...I need to have a gastroscopy done, and I have chosen to do it without sedation, because apparently recovery is quicker that way. I'll fill you in on how that went, just in case any of you ever need to have one done!