...supporting artists and crafters worldwide
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See below for older blog posts
Sneak Attack Schedule:
Date |
Time (EDT) |
Sponsor |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Th | Sep 24 |
7:00pm |
|
| M | Sep 28 |
7:00pm |
|
| Th | Oct 1 |
7:00pm |
|
| M | Oct 5 |
7:00pm |
(Click here to go back to page 1)
The Handmade Movement Blog
(continued)
April 16th '09: Confessions of a Sneak Attack Addict- Part 1
Taken from an forum thread entitled "What is a Sneak Attack?", Etsy seller
Parasox aims at demystifying the concept. She writes:
"So for all the newcomers who want to attend a sneak attack and might feel a little shy - don't feel shy! :)
"I'm a sneak attack addict, and even though I haven't been around *that* long, I've developed a wonderful batch of friends through it. The people talking on the sneak attack thread always welcome new people - just pop in and say hi, and someone will respond to you, and likely check out your shop as well. Keep in mind it's not a forum for advertising your shop - the primary focus is to do something nice for someone else! However, you don't *have* to buy, although it's great if you can, and usually the shop picked as the "victim" has very reasonably priced items for sale. You come away from a sneak attack knowing you've had a lot of fun, met great people, gotten new ideas, and done something NICE for someone in the process!
"So come on in, the water's fine! :) "
April 3rd '09: Past Attacks
Would you like to see the 100+ shops that have been victims of Sneak Attacks in the past several months? In the upper left corner of the site you'll see a link for "Past Attacks". There you'll see the shop names, who sponsored the Attack, and how many sales were made. It's also interesting to see who's gone on to selling more on Etsy since their Attack.
March 24th '09: Sponsor Tips
The Sneak Attacks would not be possible without the Sponsors- those who choose the shops and promote the individual attacks (see the FAQ for how to become a sponsor). Choosing shops is harder than it would seem. Thanks to Kelli of www.myunrulysun.blogspot.com for some helpful tips on how to find a qualifying shop!
March 17th '09: Let's make some Stone Soup!
The last two shops that were Sneak Attacked are part of the Stone Soup Challenge, which couldn't go better with what we do at the Handmade Movement. In their own words:
"The Stone Soup Challenge is a grassroots movement founded by artist Laura Bray. The goal of the challenge is for artists and crafters to help one another by promising to use a portion of their monthly profits to invest in a fellow artist's shop. To join us in helping artists everywhere and to read more about the challenge, please go to this post.
Remember! If we all contribute a little to the pot of Stone Soup, we will all feast."
March 10th '09: Pop-u-u-lar...
Etsy's blog article about us is currently #1 according to their "Most Popular this Week" list on the Storque homepage. Thanks to everyone for their very supportive comments! Hope to see you tomorrow for our next event!
March 9th '09: Sneak Attack tips #1 and #2
This is the first of many tips designed to help make the Sneak Attack experience even better.
TIP 1: Although it's fun to show up right when a Sneak Attack starts, it's also great for a shop to get second and third waves of "attackers". Sometimes a shop will be emptied or greatly reduced in size in minutes, but other times things start of slowly and rely on people coming "late". There really is no "late"! Stop by when you can!
TIP 2: Sure, you can participate in a "Sneak Attack" from your laptop in the back of the deepest, darkest closet in your house and it's still appreciated! But if you feel so inclined, it's also helpful when you come say hi in the related Etsy forum thread. It's usually linked right here at the top of the page with the other information. By doing this you're "bumping" up the thread for more people to discover, as well as helping to add to the sense of community. It's also great to stop by after and post a link to what you bought!
March 5th '09: The Sneak Attack featured in Etsy's official blog: The Storque!
Many thanks to Etsy for featuring the Handmade Movement in the This Handmade Life section of their blog. You can see the article as it was printed here: Featured Buyers: Sneak Attacks from the Handmade Movement
Here is a reproduction of the article, featuring ADDITIONAL featured "attackees" at the end, which unfortunately had to be cut out of the official article for space reasons. Enjoy!
Do you know how to do the happy dance? You will soon! Today Michael Phipps of phippsart.etsy.com shares his inspiration for the "Sneak Attacks" community project. Read on!
After several years of filling vending machines and stacking cans of food, I quit my job so my constant desire to create could be unleashed. Now on any given day I might be climbing scaffolding to work on a mural or using a microscopic brush on a book cover painting. When my sister introduced me to Etsy that first year as a full time artist, my mind started racing with ideas, and I decided I wanted to screenprint artwork onto shirts. Having screenprinted in college and then later in a friend's studio (where my darkroom was also the bathroom for an indie rock venue), it was a natural transition. I still remember making those first few sales on Etsy. Even now, EVERY sale is a thrill, but those first several were special. The feeling back then was powerful enough to positively affect my entire day.
Several months later, the memory of that exhilaration got me thinking of ways I might help other shop owners feel the same excitement, so I started a thread in the Etsy Forums entitled "Make Someone's Day," encouraging others to find shops without sales and to be their first sale. This went on for a few weeks and was even carried on by other Etsy sellers, some of whom went on to form the Etsy Patrons Team. I also figured that if it were a thrill to get one sale, how great would it be to suddenly have a whole swarm of business in just one day?
Thus the Sneak Attack was born. I started a thread asking if anyone wanted to take part in a "Sneak Attack" and explained the concept. It didn't take long before we already targeted two shops and had two more in the works. The excitement on the part of the shop owners AND the shoppers was so great that I knew I wanted to make this a regular occurrence. I quickly threw together the bones of a web site, which included a schedule of upcoming "attacks." (The site's now been completely revamped.) The response was overwhelming. For about a month we held Sneak Attacks every weekday, but that proved exhausting! So ever since we've been doing them Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
The Sneak Attacks are no one-man operation. I couldn't do this all by myself — not even close. In fact, each "attack" is sponsored by another Etsy seller or buyer, who chooses the shop and coordinates it all. They start a thread in the forums, which serves as a sort of pre-game party before the appointed time. My biggest help through all this has been VintageEmbellishment. She's done more to promote and support the movement than one could even imagine. There's a long list of others who have made all of this possible.
I'm often asked how shops are chosen as "victims" of the attacks. First and foremost, no one should volunteer to be at the receiving end of a Sneak Attack. That's about the best way to NOT be chosen. It wouldn't be a "Sneak Attack" then, would it?! The shops need to have few or no sales, have been around for at least two weeks (preferably longer), they need to have some recent activity evident in their shops, and they need to have a good amount of quality, affordable products. We sadly pass by a lot of shops because they have blurry or dark pictures, incomplete descriptions, or nothing has been added or renewed for months.
Since the end of September, The Handmade Movement has sponsored 67 attacks on a total of 81 shops, resulting in 973 sales! That amounts to about $6000 worth of products bought from these up-and-coming shops over the course of just over four months. Here are the stories of just a handful of those shops.
Rachelherzog: "I had started my Etsy shop, Tickleworm, in September 2008. I put up seven items and kept working and adding more from there. (You check your shop like you check the phone for messages when you are expecting someone to call.)
In October, I was adding items, checked back and one of them was gone — at first I thought I didn't load it correctly (operator error), but then more items were gone. I saw I had a convo message, checked it, read it, and still it took me a second...I just couldn't believe I went from zero sales to a bunch in 10 minutes. I checked the thread and was reading what everyone was saying about my items...I couldn't believe it! It felt so great! Even if people didn't buy, they were saying such nice things! I honestly had tears in my eyes! PEOPLE WERE BUYING MY THINGS, THINGS I MADE!
The 'Sneak Attack' was my big break, so to speak. It kept me making more, better, different items! So now, I return every so often to buy from a shop that is being 'Sneak Attacked' because, well, it feels so good to do that for someone — and you get a great product."
Desertnana: "For almost three years I was a more-than-merry Etsy shopper. I finally took the plunge and opened my shop, but felt like a resident of Whoville in Horton Hears a Who. Desert Nanas Retro Ranch was full of goods, and I was like a Christmas elf reading, shooting, and uploading. (On dial up, mind you...) Then on December 8th, after an hour of shooting more items for the shop, I clicked on Retro Ranch to see 5 new orders! As I read the first order, I suddenly thought 'Wait-just-one-second...Did my sister do a big sympathy buy after listening to my repeated 'Steven Colbert fist-to-the-heaven' laments...??!' But no: the buyer's name is Heather (aka Winemakerssister), and in the message to the seller, it said, 'SNEAK ATTACK.'
My personal orbit shifted its axis, and I danced the desert happy dance! I shouted like Sally Field in her infamous 1980s Oscars Speech, 'They like me!' All of the hours and days of banging my head against walls of technological confusion were not in vain! I have customers!!! WinemakersSister was the first of this 'mysterious group' (Hautetotes, VintageEmbellishment, The Copper Cauldron, KreatedbyKelly), to respond to my mail, and I was not surprised to learn that a volunteer group of Etsy folk do this as a weekly hobby to surprise and encourage new shops!
With this wonderful burst of encouragement I went forth, forever changed by the kindness of these lovely ladies, having gained a dear friend (love you Heather) and wanting to share and give the same kind of boost to new and struggling beginners."
FartsyArts: "The 'Sneak Attack' is one of the coolest ideas to support new shops. KitsandCaboodles sponsored my 'Sneak Attack.' I am sure a lot of beginner Etsy sellers can relate when I say it takes a lot of hard work and outside the box thinking to get your shop noticed. Having a handful (or more) of people visit the shop AND purchase an item is a double bonus!! When I got the e-mail that I was going to be a 'victim' of a 'Sneak Attack,' I ran to my boyfriend in utter excitement and screamed, 'I don't know what this is but it's going to be FUN!' Once I realized what the whole game was, my eyes were glued on the clock and my finger was on my mouse ready to reset my browser!
...I am a regular visitor to the site to see who the next 'victim' is. It is a great promotional tool and so much fun to partake in as a seller and a buyer. I have participated in a past 'Sneak Attack' and the thanks you get from the seller spells happiness and it feels just great, and you get something cool for yourself too!"
Monkeysalwayslook: "I was, of course, completely thrown off guard when I finally realized that I was a victim of a sneak attack. I can't really describe the feelings I felt except amazement, joy, surprise and overwhelming gratitude. Before the sneak attack, my store only had two sales. In my feedback to my buyers I said that this little gesture brought tears to my eyes, and when I think about it now, it still brings tears to my eyes. The generosity of complete strangers and the purchases that they made gave my little store the momentum and boost that has carried on to this day. Since the sneak attack, my store has had a steady stream of sales.
Because of the boost — and more importantly, the amazing generosity — of these people, I check in now and again at www.handmademovement.com to see who is up next — knowing that just a tiny purchase can make all the difference to the store's success, and [that it brings] motivation and joy...to the store's creator. I think this is what the handmade movement is all about: sharing in each others love, hard work, and care that is put into each and every item."
warpeDesign: "Being 'Sneak Attacked' caught me completely by surprise. I'd only been on Etsy for a month and was still on the low end of the learning curve. It was a challenge to figure out how to make my cards look special and if I could catch someone's interest among the ton of other cards that were posted every day. My cards are subtle, so it's hard to make them jump out from a tiny thumbnail. The 'Sneak Attack' was a wonderful affirmation that I had something special and that I was showcasing it the right way."
WontonLove: "It was a complete surprise. I was fairly new to Etsy at the time and never did I expect such craft activism to take place! The fundamental part of the idea touched my crafty heart. It's nice to think that anyone can sneak up on you, from around the world, when you least expect it, and you get a bunch of sales to boot!"
BigHelmetHead: "After having my shop open for 3 months and only one sale, I was getting discouraged. Then one evening, my cell phone's continuous beeping (notifying me of incoming email) was weird. It was from all the orders I'd received, a total of 15 in one single day! I was exhilarated and panicking, the good panicking :)
I hardly got any sleep that night, I was so excited. I worked like crazy to fill the wonderful orders!
I am grateful that the Hand Made Movement promotes artists like me and specifically a shout out to Casandra from AGOODWITCHTOO who sponsored my attack. And of course, the generous customers and artists that participated in this heart-wrenching/exciting heart-wrenching venture. The Sneak Attack was just the push I needed to get my business going and give me confidence in my skills."
KaraMiaSofia: "I opened my site and received my very first convo... I was being warned about a "Sneak Attack". What is it, I wondered? As I sat there questioning, I went to my site and there it was: SALE after SALE after SALE. I sat motionless and stunned. At that point, excitement, nerves and adrenaline couldn't stop from shooting through me. Then the conversations kept telling me "SURPRISE" and "enjoy your Sneak Attack"! I was so thrilled and excited to be part of this unforgettable and extraordinary experience. It is certainly one I will never forget."
Now it's your turn to help create more stories like the ones above (and get some cool items in the process!). Check out http://www.handmademovement.com for the schedule of upcoming Sneak Attacks and join in on the fun!
Now it's your turn to help create more stories like the ones above (and get some cool items in the process!). Check out http://www.handmademovement.com for the schedule of upcoming Sneak Attacks and join in on the fun!
March 1st '09: Not your grandmother's knit sweater
I mean no offense to your grandmother, I'm sure she knits beautifully. No doubt the reindeer sweater she made for you is a sentimental favorite. It took 20 pounds of yarn to knit that, so I hope you've taken advantage of the topographic nature of Santa and his sleigh by fitting it out with a few extras. If not, might I suggest giving Rudolph an LED nose and transplanting the electronics from that musical Christmas card that still goes off in the middle of the night. If you're feeling really adventurous, how cool would it be to have a whole anamatronic sweater?
How did I get off on that? Forgive me! The real reason for this post is to show off the cool (yes, cool) knit patterns of Spacefrog.etsy.com. The undulating waves of the image above (which has nothing to do with its adjacent paragraph) easily caught my eye. And how about the 3-D effect of the "Tumbling Waves Scarf"? I can just see Qbert jumping up and down those blocks.
The prices are low enough that even though the scarves and other items would be shipping from down under, the total is still very reasonable. Thanks to Helena for the tip. Nothing more to read here- off to the shop! Spacefrog.etsy.com
Feb 24th '09: On Cloud Nine
Just last Friday, HappyElephantDesigns was the victim of a Sneak Attack, but she lived to tell her tale. When she first came upon a slew of Etsy-related emails in her inbox, she thought it was a malfunction, and then wondered if someone was sabotaging her Etsy shop.
From her blog: "Okay...breathe...breathe, what the heck is going on!?" she wondered. But then a message in her inbox explained things a bit. "When I clicked on HappyClouds e-mail and read that I was a 'victim' [of a Sneak Attack] I was estatic, floored, and flattered. As an artist, you want your things to be admired by others, to be validated some way. And this little message showed me that I had a product out there that people wanted! ... I was floating on cloud nine!"
A few more blog posts about the Handmade Movement-- Find out why Smilemonsters likes being sneaky, and how The Handmade Movement can sooth marketing-myth-induced headaches at Finding Jimmy Macinko.
Feb 23rd '09: More Exposure!
A few more mentions of the Sneak Attacks out in Cyberspace: I love how FishPrincess Designs runs with the metaphor, saying Sneak Attack participants are "a bunch of crazy kamikaze shoppers, rogue buyers...". Carol of ZendotStudio finds a place for us in her article about generosity. Have you mentioned us in your blog? Let me know and I'll share it here. (Well, it does of course depend on the nature of your comment...)
Feb 20th '09: For your blog...
People often tell me that they have blogged about the Sneak Attacks, and I am always VERY appreciative! Becky of "The Fab Miss B" did a nice little write-up this morning, showing us the two shops she's Attacked. There's also a very informative post about the Sneak Attacks at "Awesome Chicks of Etsy" today. Over the next week or two I will make a mention here of your blog as well if you post about the Sneak Attacks- (assuming you let me know!). I've also made some buttons and badges for you to put on your web site or blog:
Link to http://www.handmademovement.com
Sneak Attack Button:
Copy and paste this code in your site:
<a href="http://www.handmademovement.com" target=_blank>
<img src="http://www.handmademovement.com/images/sneak-attack.png" width="80" height="15" border="0"></a>
Sneak Attack Badge:
Copy and paste this code in your site:
<a href="http://www.handmademovement.com" target=_blank>
<img src="http://www.handmademovement.com/images/sa_badge.jpg" width="250" height="125" border="0"></a>
Sneak Attack Large Image For Fanatics:
Copy and paste this code in your site:
<a href="http://www.handmademovement.com" target=_blank>
<img src="http://www.handmademovement.com/images/sa_banner.jpg" width="455" height="174" border="0"></a>
Feb 18th '09: A Brand New Site!
If you frequent The Handmade Movement you've already noticed that things have changed dramatically. The original (unremarkable) site was put up in a matter of a few hours in order to get something up quickly. This new site has taken a bit longer and hopefully it shows. It's likely there are a few bugs, so please let me know if you run into any! Sadly, if you have Internet Explorer 6 or earlier, things won't look so good, althought it should still all be functional. (Maybe that means it's hight time to upgrade to at least IE 7 or switch to Firefox.)
Former content such as contests and a list of shops that donate to charity may yet see the light of day again, but for now it's stripped down to the main feature (The Sneak Attacks) plus this new blog portion. (Right now it's more "announcements" than a real blog, but it should soon be improved with an RSS feed and places for comments from you!)
So thanks for stopping by! Make sure to come by again when the next Sneak Attack is announced (see the top of the site) and to join the mailing list (upper left).
Feb 18th '09: Sneak Attack Stats
The first two Sneak Attacks happened on September 24th of '08, and for the first month happened nearly every weekday! Now we're at a slightly more sensible (slightly less insane is more accurate) schedule of three times a week. Just as on the old site, you can see a list of ALL the shops that have been Attacked. The link- 'Past Attacks"' is at your upper left and will show you every shop that has been chosen as well as the number of items bought during the Attack.
New to the site is a quick summary of the total outcome of all the Sneak Attacks up to this point (find it under the links to your upper left). At the time of this writing, there have been 67 Sneak Attacks on a total of 81 shops, resulting in 973 sales! That's approximately $6000 in sales. Behind these numbers are many many wonderful people who have helped make this all possible. This is only the beginning...
