Friends of Hears and Hands United!

Some friends of the HHU Team! Remember to thank WomanWithTools (also NouveauxRetro) for this lovely Collection!

'Amber Glow In Autumn's Gray Dusk' by HeartsandHandsUnited

Items from the talented friends of Team Hearts and Hands United

Fall dark Olive and... sewsouk $8.00	Beautiful Brown Rou... KCowie $10.75	Silver and black sw... TopazTurtle $75.00	Are you talking to ... KPTography $3.50
Jewel Bright Glass ... WHSKR $20.00	Chai Tea - Shea But... belleskincare $4.50	Two Sided Soldered ... classyandsassy... $12.00	Steel blue and leop... RobinsFlight $30.00
Kitchen Set / Oven ... AubreyMade $26.00	Lampwork Bead Neckl... justByou $7.00	Grey Silk Nuno Felt... BeljaysFeltnAr... $150.00	Triple Threat- Dang... MadLook $18.00
Dead Goth Bag (Alic... jarg0n $59.37	Recycled Postage St... TheHoWideWorld $1.50	Cream and Amber Col... underanewlight $30.00	Destash-Magical Mys... SusanEknits $6.00

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Team Project No. 5, Going Green, Part 2

This week we finish up our Going Green challenge from the month of August. Take a look at what some of our creative team members and friends came up with.

Take a look at this great magnet board by MooreMagnets. It is made with recycled paper, recycled steel, and sustainable wood. Environmentally friendly and adorable at the same time.













RitzeeRebel is doing her part to remind everyone to recycle with this fun pin. The pin is made with eco-felt which is made with recycled plastic bottles.











Next week we will post the first of our entries from our September challenge. Come back then to see what great items were made featuring some very distinct fall colors.

Presenting - The HHU Team!

So, Normally on Monday's we present you with a collection of the friends of the Hearts and Hands United Team. However, this week we thought we would dazzle you with some of the best of our team! This treasury has been carefully selected by WomanWithTools (also NouveauxRetro). Enjoy!

'Color Your World' by HeartsandHandsUnited

A rainbow selection of some of my favorite items from members of Team Hearts And Hands United.

Set of Original Min... teeheeproducti... $50	Black Cat Emerald E... HeadchangeCrea... $5.39	Fabric earrings - L... earjeans $14	Pixie Necklace - Gr... AnikasArt $22
Tea Light Holder wi... ConfectionsInG... $15	Small Fleece Squeek... puttinonthedog... $2	Kindle 1/Kindle 2 C... OpossumHollowR... $27.5	Original Fox Painti... artbytrudy $50
Chunky Knit Cowl Ne... JeanieBeanHand... $48	Abstract, stained g... DesignsStained... $67	Orange Jade Hoop Ea... jewelrybyjakem... $12	Silver Foil Millefi... JewelsbyTrish $22.25
Autumn Colors, Fall... lterrill9 $17	Pumpkin and Leaves ... RitzeeRebel $11	Glass bead stitch m... marlan $6.5	Texas Longhorn Viso... MaisondeTerre $20

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Team Project No. 5: Going Green

Team HHU Goes Green this Friday!
The instructions for this particular project was to make eco friendly items. This means that the items must be made out of at least 75% re-used or recycled material.
This Friday and next we'll present to you the fruits of this project.

"A light heart lives long", a quote from William Shakespeare is printed on this quilted post card from FabricGreetings. The card is made out of tiny scraps of leftover fabrics.

This denim clutch purse from NancysBagsEtc is made of recycled jeans. 

This necklace comes from JewelryByJakemi and the pendant is made of an upcycled Rummikub game piece. On the game piece a picture of the sun and moon is attached and covered with two layers of resin.

Next Friday the rest of the Going Green entries from the HHU Team will be posted. Welcome back then!

How Are Your Pictures?

I think all of us struggle with taking the best pictures possible. There is no doubt the learning curve goes on and on and on. So let’s give this process a little thought. After all the picture really does have to sell your product.

I am going to approach this problem from the aspect of advertising. One of the greatest forms of advertising on etsy is being included in a treasury. People who might never enter your shop check out the treasuries. The old saying “A picture is worth a thousand words” is very true.

When curators are selecting items for a treasury, they are looking for a cohesive look. That means all backgrounds should blend together well. So your best bet is to go for a neutral background. It is amazing how many sellers use a very busy background or an odd color for the background. Maybe the solution to this problem is to have your main picture be one with the neutral background. Then your other thumbnail pics can get creative.

Does that mean the background has to be plain white? Not at all. You can still use a prop or a texture. I have seen some wonderful pics taken on a piece of wood, a rock, a tea cup or even a branch. But the background remains neutral.

The other big problem is the darkness of your photos. Your photo needs to pop. And that is done with a photo editing program. There are several very good free programs on the web. One of them is Picasa and the other is Picnik.

Your camera does not need to be an expensive one. There was a very good forum post by Bomobob -a photographer on etsy. His advice is very helpful and you can learn some great tricks. This is the link:

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6563885


He also wrote a very interesting post about making your pictures pop. I think if you follow his advice, you will be surprised with the results. That link is:

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6563885

Good luck and don’t be surprised if you find yourself included in more treasuries because of these changes.
Article by Alyce of Fabric Greetings

Friends of Hears and Hands United!

Some friends of the HHU Team! WomanWithTools (also NouveauxRetro) is on hiatus for a couple weeks, but this week you can thank FabricGreetings for this lovely collection!

'the colors of fall' by FabricGreetings

Fall arrives bringing with it a wonderful rainbow of colors from the friends of the HHU Team. Enjoy!

Mulberry and chocol... TopazTurtle $21	Nuno Felt Scarf in ... BeljaysFeltnAr... $55	Bead bracelet in fa... sewsouk $6	Field of yellow and... KPTography $3.5
Goltone and Natural... DoubleLOrigina... $25.00	Vintage Eiffel Towe... KCowie $11	Sounds Of Life - Il... JayHell $20	Olive green and bro... RobinsFlight $65.00
Autumn Maize Corn -... EyeShutterToTh... $18	Good-Vibe Beaded Fa... dreamwings $12	hand painted dish w... thepleasureofp... $32	Grandma's Kitch... veryprettythin... $7
Yarn, JoAnn Sensati... SusanEknits $3	Autumn Annie with S... SnowyCreations $22	Two Sided Soldered ... classyandsassy... $12	Green Apple Barrett... CutiebugCreati... $5

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