Friday Feature - MelissaGill

Once again I have scoured our team blog to find a great member of our team! So with out further ado here is another "Friday feature" featuring (wait you can not use feature twice) Melissa from MelissaGill. Melissa's shop announcement starts out saying "100% of the proceeds from this shop will go to mission work around the world." Find out more here http://www.etsy.com/shop/MelissaGill# Could you describe one of your typical workdays for me? Mother Teresa once said "love begins by taking care of the closest ones - the ones at home." I agree. I’m a wife and mother and I believe those “jobs” come first. And to be honest they have been the most challenging, stretching and demanding jobs I’ve ever had but also the most satisfying and rewarding. My days are full with homeschooling one son while keeping his little brother entertained ,blogging, taking care of the house, our animals, and neighbor children that love to hang out at our house fill my days as well as cooking and cleaning and taking time to cherish these moments. My photos usually come from these kinds of days. There are so many precious moments and things of beauty around us if we will just open our eyes to see things in a new way. I like to try to capture them with my camera to remember always. What part of owning a etsy shop do you find most challenging? I love photography and I love connecting to people through the Etsy teams but the thing I find the most challenging is marketing. It’s hard for me to promote myself. I find it so much easier to advertize for someone else. What do find most enjoyable? I could spend all day browsing around Etsy admiring all the craftiness. I am always so impressed with the talent of these shop owners! Amazing! Right now we offer mostly photo canvases but I’m working on getting greeting cards into the shop and more poster prints as well. If you see a photo you like and want it as a poster or cards please write me and let me know and I can get that up for you. Do you have a favorite hobby? (not what you sell on etsy) Does enjoying a cup of coffee with a friend count as a hobby? ;) Nothing relaxes me more than being outside with my camera but if I can’t do that and I have some free time you can find me settled down with a good book. Or baking, I love to bake goodies for my family and friends. Blogging would be something else I’ve come to love. It started out as a way to stay connected with our family in Northern Ireland. My husband is from that beautiful country and the blog was a way to share our lives with them over the miles. It’s turned into so much more through the people I’ve meet and come to know through the blog. People I’ve never met “in real life” but now count as dear friends. You can find our blog here: http://geoffandmelissa.blogspot.com/ We have giveaways every once in a while too! :) How many hours do you spend on (your etsy craft) in a typical week? My camera is always out and ready for me to grab it and shoot. There’s the time it takes to edit the photos but I enjoy that too so I don’t keep track of the hours. Some weeks more than others, especially if I’ve had a photo shoot then that adds a lot of extra time working with all the photos from the shoot. How long have you been (doing your etsy craft) for? I’ve always enjoyed photography but I would have to say it was when my husband bought me my first DSLR camera not long after our first son was born six years ago. It was a Nikon D40x and I love it and am still using that same camera.

How did you get into your etsy craft? Just by taking pictures of everything and everyone around me. People expect me to always have my camera now and be the one to document the occasion. Is this the only craft you do? Pretty much, I’m not very crafty. Although I’ve done some scrapbooking in the past. What is your favorite item from your shop and why? (Please link it) (optional) Do you have any sales or discounts for your shop at this time? I would say the photo of my son carrying his new kitten over his shoulder would be my favorite. I’ve never seen a kitten be as patient as this one has been with my rough and tumble boys. https://www.etsy.com/listing/93134480/photo-canvas-kittens-and-curls-8x10-free You can use coupon code “FRIDAYFEATURE” for 20% off. Most of the items have free US shipping. Also I would like to ask this one for the discussion board... How long have you been crafting (stuff you sell on etsy and even before)? How long have you been selling on etsy? I’ve been a member of Etsy since 2009 but it was only earlier this year that I started my own shop. As a mom of two young boys I desire to raise them to be caring and considerate of others and to have a heart for the world.

The reason I opened my Etsy shop was to bring in some extra income so we could sponsor a child through Compassion International. 100% of the proceeds from this shop will go right back out to people around the world. Compassion International’s website - http://www.compassion.com What is your favorite color? Teal, blue, green… the colors of the ocean. Any advise to our team? I’m the one that needs to learn from you but the one thing I would say is to be yourself and try to look for ways to give back.