Thank you for your support!

Today we have reached nice milestones that I would like to share with you!

HanjiNaty has now more than 1,500 followers on Pinterest!!
Are you a Pinner, yourself? You can find us here : https://www.pinterest.com/hanjinaty

On Etsy, I personally have now more than 1,000 followers! My shop, HanjiNaty, has over 1,300 admirers, too! That's simply amazing!

Thank you so much for your support!

Here are the other social media platforms where you can connect with me :

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/HanjiNaty/
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/hanjinaty/
Wanelo : https://wanelo.com/store/hanjinaty
Keep : https://keep.com/hanjinaty
Polyvore : http://hanjinaty.polyvore.com/

The Big 2 !!

This month we are celebrating the second anniversary of Hanji Naty! Yay!

On February 24, 2013 I was opening my own online boutique, on the website Etsy.com, specialized in handmade and vintage items. It's been a great adventure so far, and I am so thrilled when I think of the future of my business!


Last year, when my online shop turned one, I made a recap of some amazing moments that happened in my first year. It is fantastic to see that my progression has continued, and that new doors keep on opening! 2015 is going to be an exciting year for Hanji Naty !


Developing my online business

• I sold 60 items in my second year (compared to 24 items in the first one), for a total of 84 sales!;

• My items have been sold in eleven different countries, including the USA, Canada, South Korea, Ireland, Sweden, Australia, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Israel;

• My shop offers now a wider range of products, including hair accessories, key chains, brooches, pen holders, coasters, magnets, earrings, trays, boxes, etc. More than 175 items are currently for sale in my online boutique;

Creating New Products

• In the fall of 2014 I created a series of unique and colorful patchwork coasters. They have been very popular items in my shop this year, as well as in my booth in the Wonju Hanji Festival;

My Hanji patchwork coasters are among
the most popular items in my Etsy shop.

• I have expended my offer of hair accessories, adding mini barrettes and long thin hair pins to please different types of hair;

   

• You can now find Hanji brooches in my online shop :

   

• I am constantly creating new styles of Hanji paper earrings, to please all tastes and styles. Recently I added new round and oval earrings; the earrings are made of wood, and are covered with hand-cut Hanji paper :

     

Participating in my very first Festival

• In September 2014 I took part in the Wonju Hanji Festival, in the city of Wonju (Gangwon province, north-east of the South Korean peninsula). What an experience! 

• I had the chance to present and sell my creations in a complete different setting, but most importantly, it was a golden opportunity for me to be in direct contact with my customers;

• It was also a beautiful occasion to meet and connect with my fellow Hanji craftsmen and craftswomen; 

• After a wonderful encounter with a couple of Japanese art gallery owners, some of my patchworks coasters are now for sale in an art gallery in Seoul, Capital city of South Korea!

Being a part of the Etsy Community

• In the second year I continued to be more involved in the Etsy community, participating regularly in the promotional activities and games of different Etsy teams;

• Since January 2015, I am the proud Captain of the Strategic Promotion for Success Team (SPS Team). I am extremely happy and grateful to have the opportunity to work with a great group of Leaders, who are dedicated artisans and artists who spare no effort to help our teammates thrive and succeed;

Being more visible on social media platforms 

• In the last few months I have deployed more energy to increase my presence on different social media platforms :

• I am now more active on more social media platforms, such as Facebook, Pinterest, Keep, Wanelo, and Polyvore;

• I regularly participate in the Crafty Saturday Show and Sell on The Chilly Dog's awesome blog www.thechillydog.com;

• I write blog articles for the SPSTeam Blog;

• I am a sponsor for the February Giveaway, hosted on the Serendipitini blog (www.serendipitini.com) and on the Hanji Naty blog !

A special discount to celebrate the second anniversary of HanjiNaty!

• I am thrilled to offer you 20% OFF on all the items in the online shop to celebrate the second anniversary of HanjiNaty!

• Use the coupon code "THEBIG2" at check-out to enjoy a nice 20% discount!

• The coupon is valid until March 31, 2015;

• Check the online shop now :

Shop Unique for the Holidays!

Dear Holiday Shopper,

We, the sellers of Etsy want to share one simple reminder . . .

Shop unique.

Shop Etsy for the holidays!

Etsy is a marketplace where people around the world connect to buy and sell unique goods. We know you have to go “big box retail” to buy the flat screen TV or iPhone that is on your sweetie’s list. Just remember, for all the other gifts on your list, you can shop on Etsy. We are the real sellers on Etsy – some of us are running our shop as a side-business, while others are selling full-time. We are moms, dads, sons, daughters. You see us selling at craft shows and boutiques. We are entrepreneurs, risk-takers, and passion-sharers. We want to share our creativity with the world and help connect you to real-life makers – not a robot or a disconnected manufacturer. On Etsy, you can shop by all of these categories: 

accessories, art, bags and purses, bath and beauty, books and zines, candles, ceramics and 

pottery, children, clothing, crochet, dolls and miniatures, everything else, furniture, Geekery, glass, holidays, housewares, jewelry, knitting, music,needlecraft, paper goods, patterns, pets, plants and edibles, quilts, supplies, toys, vintage, weddings, and woodworking!

Regards,

The Sellers of Etsy 

****************************************************************************************************

HanjiNaty is thrilled to join the SHOP UNIQUE promotional campaign, an inventive and dynamic social media

promotion wave,  initiated by Jason from Etsy-preneurship and Timothy from Handmadeology.

The idea is to work together to promote Holiday shopping on Etsy ! 

All the Etsy sellers are invited to take part in this massive movement!!

How can you participate?

Visit the Shop Unique page : http://www.handmadeology.com/shop-unique-shop-etsy-for-the-holidays/

Click on the banner "Click Here to Join the Shop Unique Promotion"

Follow the instructions : you must use Facebook to like and share the post, and to invite other Etsy sellers to join the movement! There are six (6) easy steps to add your Etsy shop to the list, and to participate in this massive effort to bring shoppers to our Etsy shops!

1. Submit your shop by filling out an online form
2. Like the original post on Facebook
3. Post your Etsy shop link in the comment section (on Facebook) along with a brief sentence about what you sell
4. Comment and like 3 other comments on the Facebook post
5. Share the post and tag at least 5 other Etsy sellers to invite them to join the movement! You can also tag some of your biggest fans to invite them to support the Shop Unique initiative.
6. Spread the word : Tweet, blog, talk about it in Team Forum, etc.!

Spread the word!

The sixth and last step is very important!! We have to beat our drum loud and clear to make sure people remember to visit Etsy when time comes to do their Holiday shopping!

Please please share this post on your personal blog or Facebook page! Leave a link to your blog in the comments below, so we can all stay connected!

Together we can make a difference!

   

ON SALE!

HanjiNaty ON SALE! by hanjinaty on Polyvore

Green Gold Hanji Paper Earrings OOAK Dangle Earrings Handmade...
etsy.com

Rainbow Hanji Paper Earrings OOAK Delicate Stripe Dangle Ear rings...
etsy.com

Striped Handmade Hanji Paper Dangle Earrings OOAK Striped Pink Red...
etsy.com

Triangle Green White Hanji Paper Dangle Earrings OOAK Handmade...
etsy.com

Rainbow Hanji Paper Dangle Earrings OOAK Striped Hypoallergenic hooks...
etsy.com

Striped Hanji Paper Dangle Earrings OOAK Striped Brown Green Red...
etsy.com

Tiny Blue White Hanji Paper Earrings Dangle Navy Silver Designs...
etsy.com

Striped Handmade Hanji Paper Dangle Earrings Parallelogram OOAK...
etsy.com

Purple Pink Hanji Paper Dangle Earrings OOAK Striped Patchwork Pink...
etsy.com

Your Online Tool box!

As an Etsy shop owner, I am discovering everyday new ways to promote my work and my shop.

Here is a non-exhausting (and non-pretentious) "Online Tool Box" that I have put together for all the Etsy shop owners out there! I will make sure to update it as soon as I hear of new tools, apps and websites that can help us all make our shops more successful !

Making and Promoting Treasuries                                                   

One of the great tools on the Etsy website are the treasuries. A treasury is a 16-item collection curated by Etsy members. It is a great way to showcase your work!

Here are some interesting tools that will help you make your treasuries faster and more efficiently, as well as promoting them on different platforms.

✔ Brittany's Best Treasury Box

The Treasury Box is an extension that can be installed on Google Chrome only. It is very useful to make treasuries, send group convos (to the shop owners featured in your treasury) and to save an image of any treasury on Etsy. It's free.
brittanysbest.com/treasurybox-chrome-extension/

✔ Shmetsy

Shmetsy offers three convenient tools : Shmetsy Sketchy (that allows you to save your treasuries as drafts), Treasury Maker (that allows you to create treasuries more quickly and efficiently) and Convos Sender (you can send convos to the shop owners featured in your treasury in one click). It's free.
shmetsy.com/tools.html

✔ Enhantsy
Enhantsy is a convenient extension that can be installed on your Internet browser and that offer different features to make treasuries and send convos much more easily. It used to be free, but now you have to pay about $3 a month to use it, after the 7-day free trial period.
enhantsy.com/

✔ Treasury Pin
Treasury Pin is a great tool that allows you to pin your treasuries onto Pinterest, with a customizing tool to pin collages of all the items in the treasury, rather than the first item only.
treasurypin.com/

Monitoring Traffic                                                                            

Another important aspect of our Etsy business is the monitoring of traffic. How many views and favorites do my items get? Where are the visitors from? How are my items positioned compared to the other shops' products?

✔ Heart-O-Matic
This tool gives you the detail of the hearts (favorites) your shop and your different items got. You can also access a complete list of the people who favorited your shop.
craftcult.com/heartomatic.php

✔ Are my Listings relevant?

You can check the relevancy of your tags and titles with this online tool.
tools4etsy.com/Wall-e/Relevancy/Keyword

✔ Are my Listings trending?

Are you items trending? You can find out with one click, using this tool.
tools4etsy.com/Wall-e/Trending

✔ Craft Count
You can take a look at lists of the top sellers on Etsy, and see how your shop is positioned compared to the best sellers out there.
craftcount.com

Improving SEO and Tags                                                                   

✔ Tag Wars
This very useful tool gives you a chance to compare different tags and see which one has the highest relevancy, popularity and probability rates. This is a great way to choose the best tags to be found in searches.
tools4etsy.com/TagWars

Boosting up your Blog or Website                                                         

There are some great tools out there to boost up your blog or website.

✔ Shop Widget
This tool will give you a chance to add a dynamic shop widget (with integrated slide show) onto your blog or website. Easy to use, and free!(You can see an example of the widget at the bottom of this page)
craftcult.com/shop_widget.php

✔ Etsy Mini
The Etsy mini is a direct gateway to your shop! You can generate your code and paste it in any webpage or blog HTML. Any change you make in your Etsy shop will be automatically updated in your Etsy mini. You can customize your Etsy mini to suit your needs.
etsy.com/your/mini


Managing your Business                                                                      

✔ Etsy Seller's Worksheet
You can download this convenient seller's worksheet that will help you keep track of your items and optimize your business.
mdmproofing.com/iym/products/etsy/sellers-worksheet/

Offering discounts and coupons                                                           

✔ Etsy on Sale

This website is dedicated uniquely to discounted and on-sale Etsy items. You can use it to promote your items that are on sale, but you will have to purchase credits in order to post on this website.

www.etsyonsale.com


Be seen and heard on social media platforms                                       

✔ Wanelo (wanelo.com)
Wanelo (that stands for Want - Love - Need) is a great site for Etsy shop owners to promote their items. Check it out, and claim your shop today! Someone might have already posted one of your items on Wanelo.

✔ Pinterest (pinterest.com)
It's next to impossible to avoid Pinterest when promoting your Etsy shop! Joining group boards is always an excellent idea to get your items out there.
✔ Facebook (facebook.com)
✔ Tumblr (tumblr.com)
✔ Twitter (twitter.com)

More apps and tools                                                                            

✔ More Etsy apps :
You can browse here to find more Etsy apps. You can arrange the different apps by popularity, newness  or alphabetical order to find what you need :
www.etsy.com/apps


Interesting reads                                                                                   

✔ 8 ways to keep your social media updates fresh :
http://socialmediatoday.com/salman-aslam/2059286/8-ways-keep-your-social-media-updates-fresh

Happy 1st Anniversary, HanjiNaty!

Almost a year ago, on February 24, 2013 I finally gathered enough courage to open my very own online shop, on the mega website Etsy.com.


Since the opening of my Hanji craft shop in 2013 a lot has happened!

Here's a recap of some amazing moments of the past year for me and my tiny boutique :


Slowly Building a Business

• I have sold 24 items from my Etsy boutique in the last twelve months;

• I made my very first sale the day of the shop opening, on February 24, 2013! The first sale I made was a set of four Hanji coasters;

• I made my first International sale on November 19, 2013! This sale was extremely meaningful to me because the lovely client who purchased one of my Hanji hair barrettes was in no way related to me. A real sale to a real stranger, it's a big deal!;

• So far, my Hanji creations have been shipped to England, France, Italy, Canada and the U.S.A.;

Crafting New Products

• In July  I started fooling around with cardboard scraps and stainless steel hair barrettes I found in a craft supply store in Seoul and I made my first Hanji barrettes;

• In October, I decided to experiment with tiny pieces of cardboard and strips of colorful Hanji paper and that's how my whole line of Hanji earrings was born! So far they've been my most popular items;

Being a part of the Etsy Community

• In September 2013 I decided to get more involved in the Etsy Community, in order to promote my shop in a more pro-active fashion. I join two dozens teams, mainly dedicated to promotional games and activities;

• In October, I was invited to join a promotion team called Strategic Promotion for Success Team (SPS Team). After accepting their invitation, I became more and more involved with the team and met some great artists and shop owners;

• Less than a month later I was offered to join the Leadership team of SPS Team. What a nice challenge! I accepted without hesitation;

• Since mid-November I am co-captain of the SPS Team!

• In February 2014 I created a brand new team, called "Planet Korea", for the Etsy shop owners and buyers who live in South Korea or simply love all things Korean!

• It is absolutely obvious that my involvement in Etsy teams has greatly increased the visibility of my shop, the number of visits and likes and, ultimately, the number of sales that I made. On top of that, I have met some awesome Etsy shop owners who are unbelievably creative, driven and motivated to succeed. I learn from them and with them every single day!

A special discount to celebrate the first anniversary of HanjiNaty!

• I am thrilled to offer you 20% OFF on all the items in the online shop to celebrate the first anniversary of HanjiNaty!

• Use the coupon code "1YEAR" at check-out to enjoy a nice 20% discount!

• The coupon is valid until February 28, 2014;

• Check the online shop now :

A series of articles on Hanji on the SPST Blog! (Part III)

http://strategicpromotionforsuccess.blogspot.kr/2013/11/the-art-of-hanji-western-approach.html

The third article of my series on Hanji paper is now online on the Strategic Promotion for Success Team blog!

In this part I am presenting my creative process, and how my "Western eye" brings something new to this ancestral Korean craft.

Click here to read the third article!

You have missed the first ones? No worries!
Click here to read the first article!
Click here to read the second article!

http://strategicpromotionforsuccess.blogspot.kr/2013/11/the-art-of-hanji-western-approach.html

SPS TEAM SALE NOVEMBER 3-9 !

Start your Holiday shopping early this year!

More than 40 shops members of the SPS Team on Etsy are offering you awesome discounts on truly unique handmade and vintage items!

Handmade jewelry, scarves, home decor items, beauty products, vintage books, Christmas ornaments, posters and more : you can find the most amazing gift ideas for all those you love!

The sale is on from November 3 to 9 : do not miss this chance to save up on amazing presents from amazing artists and artisans!

HanjiNaty is offering a 15% discount on all items in the online shop!

Click to view SPST SALES NOV 3-9 on GLOSSI.COM

Down the Etsy rabbit hole...

In February 2013, I opened an online shop on Etsy.com. After much hesitation, self-doubt and lame excuse finding, I finally dove into the Etsian world.

What is Etsy?

For those who are not familiar with Etsy, it's a gigantic and fascinating website where you can find all kinds of fabulous objects, stories and people. The main point of Etsy (and why I chose this platform, on the enlightening advice of my friend Gowoon, whom I thank and salute!) is to offer handmade items. To be sold on Etsy, an item has to be made by hand. There is also a vintage section (where you can find some amazing things, by the way!), as well as a craft supply section.

One of the interesting aspects of Etsy is the possibility to literally build your own shop. Each shop owner has the means to personalize his or her boutique, with their own banner, an "about" page that allows you to introduce themselves with pictures, customized policies, etc.

For the banner of my site I chose a picture of the gorgeous rooftop of a Korean Buddhist temple. The colors and designs are just stunning to me, and it remains an inspiration for me when I choose my designs, colors and patterns.

My First Sale

To show you how long it took me to find the courage to open that shop, I actually created my Etsy account (with the intent of opening a Hanji shop) in April 2012....! It's almost a full year later that I finally decided to press the "Publish" button.

The first item I sold on Etsy!

The opening of my shop started with a bang, as my first item was sold in less than five minutes! It's actually a dear friend of mine who bought my very first set of handmade Hanji magnets. I was so thrilled! I remember the rush I felt when I saw the pop-up window saying "Cha-Ching! Congrats Natalie! You've made your first sale - You're in business!"

Connecting with fellow artists and artisans

During the first months of my Etsian adventure I was more or less isolated. I was spending time creating Hanji items, but at a very slow pace, and I was struggling with self-doubt and with this awful feeling that I was lost in a sea of beautiful things and that no buyer would come and rescue me.

At the Wonju Hanji Festival 2013

I have made very few sales since the opening of my shop. I was starting to get discouraged and I slowly stopped making Hanji items, feeling that I would never make it in that world...

Then I visited the two major Hanji festivals in South Korea : The Jeonju Culture Hanji Festival in May 2013 and the Wonju Hanji Festival in September 2013. Those two visits were literally eye-opening for me! I had a chance to meet fellow Hanji artists and to get inspired by unusual and fabulous paper! It also gave me the desire to get more involved myself, maybe by taking part in a Hanji contest or even having a small booth at next year's festival!

After my visit to the Wonju festival in September, I decided to be proactive on the Etsy site. I realized that I couldn't stay alone in my workshop, hoping that traffic and business would magically come to my shop. I had to get involved and stop being so scared!

A Treasury features up to 16 items.
http://www.pinterest.com/hanjinaty/natalies-treasuries-on-etsy/

Treasure Hunt

First, I started by joining a few promotion teams. I began to participate in promotion games, and I made my very first treasury on September 2 (to this day I have made about 60!).

A treasury is a collection that any Etsy member put together. The items can be chosen by theme, color, price range, material, etc. Treasuries are a great way to draw attention to your items, and to connect with fellow artists and artisans on Etsy.... and they're a lot of fun, too!

I started to take part in promotional games and cross-promotion actions and I quickly noticed that the number views and favorites in my shop was madly increasing! I also get more and more followers on my personal feed on Etsy, which is very encouraging and motivating! Let's hope that these new connections will  bring me concrete business in the near future.

Being part of the Team

About a month ago I received an invitation to join the "Strategic Promotion for Success" team. I was already a member of about two dozens teams, but I decided to accept the invitation anyway, just to see what SPST had to offer. Oh my! Joining this team is one of the best decisions I have taken since I opened my Etsy shop!

After a few days only I started corresponding with the Captain of the Team, a lovely and very driven artisan named Anna. She asked me if I'd be interested in writing an article about Hanji paper on the Team Blog. I was thrilled!

One thing leading to another I am now a member of the Leadership Team for SPST! It is very rewarding and exciting, and it has given me great occasions to discover new tools, make new friends and, most importantly, it has really motivated me to do more, create more, get more engaged and involved in the Etsy world!

FB, SOTD, BNR, SEO.... OMG!

The more I became involved in the world of Etsy shops and teams, the more I discovered that those creative people speak another language! I won't lie, I had to look up quite a few acronyms and expressions that I just couldn't understand! 

For those who are curious, here's a recap of my discoveries (big and small) about the Etsian jargon and secret codes :

BNR : Buy And Replace Treasury

BNS : Buy And Stay Treasury

SOTD : Shop Of The Day

PIF : Pay It Forward
TRIF : Trade It Forward
OOAK : One Of A Kind
BOGO : Buy One Get One

To deepen your linguistic knowledge, visit techdictionary for more Internet jargon and abbreviations! Very interesting!

A series of articles on Hanji on the SPST Blog! (Part II)

http://strategicpromotionforsuccess.blogspot.kr/2013/10/the-art-of-hanji-with-korean-paper.html

The second article of my series on Hanji paper is now online on the Strategic Promotion for Success Team blog!

In this part you will learn more about the Hanji paper itself, how it has been used in Korea for centuries and why it is considered one of the best papers in the world.

Click here to read the second article!

You have missed the first one? No worries!
Click here to read the first article!

h

ttp://strategicpromotionforsuccess.blogspot.kr/2013/10/the-art-of-hanji-with-korean-paper.html