October, 2010


31
Oct 10

Halloween 2010

Gunner & Nola

Gunner Nola

Pumpkins


30
Oct 10

New Etsy App: The Favoritizer by Checklet

I was recently contacted by Etsy user ericj about a great new Etsy app that he has created:

Hey there! My name is Eric. I am a buyer on Etsy and my wife runs a shop here as well (Paisleyannhome). I saw your comments on the Etsy thread regarding ‘the dream tools that you would like Etsy to develop.’ There were so many good ideas that I went ahead and developed one of them. After hearing so many sellers voice their frustration with how difficult it is to find an item that is in their favorites, I created Favoritizer. With just two clicks, you will have all of your Etsy favorites in front of you and will be able to organize them into different lists by merely dragging and dropping the items into each list. If you want to check it out go to this link: http://favoritizer.checklet.com. Again, thank you for the feedback! I would not have been able to do this without it. On the website you will find a “Feedback” button and “A Real Human” button. If you have any feedback or have any trouble using the app, please, please let me know. Cheers!

So of course I had to check it out! How could I resist? Y’all know how I love sortin’ things ;) I went straight away to the website and started playing around with it. I ran into a problem at first with importing all my favorites (because there are so many) but that was quickly resolved and I haven’t had an issue with it since.

Overall this app is incredibly easy to use; simple features, drag-and-drop interface. When you import your favorites, they automatically start in an “Uncategorized” folder waiting to be sorted. The items are displayed in reverse chronological order, just like on your Etsy favorites view. As far as I can tell, you can make as many lists as you’d like. To get to the items on Etsy, you click the item image and an info bubble pops up with the item name and link, shop name and link, price, and a short description.

The Favoritizer

Since I’ve started using this app, they’ve also added more features as they’ve recieved feedback from users. The major important addition is the ability to “log out” (clear the session) or switch accounts, which are really handy. Another cool new feature puts “SOLD” banners on items that have been sold, and “ON VACATION” notifications for shops that are in vacation mode. The vacation notification is really nice, because otherwise when you try to view an item from a vacation-mode shop you would get Etsy’s Uh oh! page.

When you close your browser window, it clears your session and you need to give permissions to the app and import your favorites over again. But don’t worry! The lists created and sorting done are saved! There’s just technically no “login” option for the app to save your session when the browser is closed.

The biggest problem I’ve run into is that you can’t share your organized lists with others! This is the main reason I’ve always wanted an app like this for Etsy; to be more like Amazon wishlists, where you can send a link to your family or friends (or post it on your blog) where your items sorted into the different lists can be viewed publicly. I use Amazon wishlists specifically for Christmas and birthdays, for myself and my husband and the kids. If I were able to use The Favoritizer for this with my Etsy favorites, it would be fantastic! Perhaps they’re working on it? I can only hope!

The Favoritizer

Until then, I would give this app a super-happy B+ for awesomeness! There’s really just that one tiny detail that I really-really would like to have, and if (when?) it happens, then it’s an “A”-all-the-way! Thanks so much to everyone who has worked to make this app happen!


5
Oct 10

Pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer

Pile o' pillowcases

I decided to participate in CraftHope Project 9 and make some pillowcases for the ConKerr Cancer foundation, and they’re finally finished! Not quite in time for the CraftHope deadline, but that’s okay since ConKerr collects pillowcases year-round. It was so much fun making these! They were super-easy to sew up — I couldn’t believe how quick it was to sew up 15 pillowcases! It gave me a chance to use up some fabric that had no plans from my stash…although I also used it as an excuse to visit the fabric stores.

Personal Favorites! and the rest IMG_2721 IMG_2720

I especially like the unicorns/rainbow pillowcase, and think I’ll make one (or some) for myself. Seriously. I also love the rocketships/outerspace fabric and I think I’ll make Gunner some curtains for his room with that. I’m definitely going to put more pillowcases on the agenda; we really could use some new ones around here. I’ll probably be making some more for ConKerr next year. This is a wonderful charitable organization and a good project to bust out every six-months-or-so. I really hope these pillowcases can provide some comfort to kids during their hospital stays.

Packed and ready to go!