Treasury: It's Alive

I wanted to do another April's Army-driven treasury about Halloween. I figured I'd try to hit as many Etsy frontpage mainstays as I could without coming across as a parody. I think I managed it quite nicely.

For those keeping score at home, the Etsy mainstays are: 

• objects photographed on books
• objects photographed on library shelves
• framed objects photographed on library shelves
• stark white backgrounds
• babies modeling hats
• artists camping it up while modeling costumes
• barnwood
• things photographed on neutral backgrounds with a perspective line

This is not a commentary on these artists. I genuinely like all these objects. I was just trying to open up my mind to how to best appeal to a wider Etsy demographic with my more offbeat treasuries. It's working quite nicely so far. 

Don't be afraid of choosing items that fit the look of the frontpage. It might not guarantee a feature, but it could draw in some extra clicks, which could work their way back to your shop.

About April's Army

April's Army is a group of crafters, artists, vintage sellers, and shoppers on Etsy. We work together to raise money for artists in need through a big charity sale each month. We have all banded together because of a mutual love for the website Regretsy and a desire to help others. We are now one of the largest teams on Etsy and have raised over $7000 in the past few months for individual Etsy sellers. The amazing part about that: we're only open one week every month. 7 days to buy crazy crafts inspired by the whimsicle* Regretsy.

This month's proceeds go to help April's Army team leader Mary (who makes amazing soaps that you should buy right now). Unfortunately, I had a migraine earlier today when I meant to post this link to the April's Army store. They've practically sold out. There are only two pages of listings left and that's nothing compared to the roughly 300 items that were available when the shop opened at 12PM EST today.

Order now from the April's Army Shop. Share the link with your friends, family, and followers. Consider joining the army and submitting items for charity. Every sale counts and every little bit helps.

I would encourage you to focus your efforts on this listing. It's my photograph inspired by the shop's theme "Nature" for July. It's a 4x6 print for $5 where all the money goes to charity. It's also adorable.

*intentional misspelling. It's a Regretsy meme. Yes, we're big enough to have memes.

Treasury: The Myth of Jack of the Lantern: A Treasury Horror Story

So did you know there's a reason why we carve pumpkins around Halloween? Oh yes. A very real reason. A dark and looming threat that no one but the devil can explain.

One night, Jack decided to go out drinking. He ran into a man who wanted to speak to him. He offered Jack a pint of spiced ale and walked him behind the bar. The man turned out to be the devil, ready to collect Jack's soul for a lifetime of lies.

Jack was not ready to die. He bet the devil that he could beat him in a drinking contest. If Jack won, he would gain 10 more years of life. Being a sporting man, the devil agreed.

Jack, however, decided to cheat. He trapped the devil within a coin made of pure silver and held him hostage against a cross in his pocket. Jack would not let the devil go until he granted him eternal life. The devil agreed.

The devil led Jack into the woods behind the bar. He started a fire and began to chant. Jack was freezing. His body locked up and a strange light began to pulse inside him. The light burst out of his eyes, blinding him. Jack could only feel the light of his soul placed inside a large lantern made of a pumpkin.

The devil had granted Jack's wish for eternal life. Jack could never die until the devil forgave him for the trick. Only when Jack received his key to the afterlife could he know the sweet bliss of death.

He wanders still to this day, searching for an end to his accursed fate, longing for the warm smell of a spiced ale and the rattling of the keys to life. The only way to ward him off from searching for his next pint in your home is to scare his soul off with your own jack'o'lantern. Happy dreams.

What's Happening This Week?

First, let me introduce myself. My name is Robert and I run the arts and crafts business RJGOriginals for my family. I also work as a freelance/ghost writer with a main business hub at the media blog Sketchy Details. But this isn't about me.

This is about you, your interest in arts and crafts, and your web-based business.

This week, a really exciting project managed to get funded in just under 3 days through Kickstarter.com. The April's Army Tarot Project is an international effort to design and print a full (78 card) size tarot deck inspired by the website Regretsy.

Despite what you may have heard, Regretsy is actually a strong arts and crafts community filled with artists, crafters, shoppers, and humor enthusiasts who agree that not every hand-crafted item is automatically worthy of praise. There's a place for a swift dose of reality in the art world and Regretsy is not afraid to deliver it. Simply put: if you believe your work is above criticism, you shouldn't try to sell it because you will never win over everyone with anything you produce. Lighten up and remember that art is not life or death; it's just art.

However, beyond the snarky exterior, Regretsy has turned into a tight community of similarly-minded people.