Fort Remington Handcrafted Wood Spoons, Kitchen Utensils & Gadgets On Etsy

DJ Remington is the driving force behind the Etsy shop Fort Remington where she sells Fort Remington handcrafted wood spoons, kitchen utensils and gadgets.

She has a company website www.fortremington.com, the etsy shop www.etsy.com/fortremington and a Three Sisters Marketplace shop at www.threesistersmarketplace.com/fortremington You can also find DJ and her heirloom quality spoons and utensils at local central Florida craft shows as well as into Gerogia and one in Tennessee. 

Fort Remington on Etsy opened in January of 2010 based on the advice of DJ's awesome cousin who creates in glass at Heart and Soul Studios www.threesistersmarketplace.com/heartandsoulstudios. By March of 2010 DJ was getting busy enough (working craft shows) that she quit my job and Fort Remington became her full time job.  DJ stated, "It was very scary at first but the best thing I ever did! After several months I remembered I should be paying attention to my Etsy shop and I am so glad I did! I met some amazing people on here and started getting sales. I wish I had paid attention to Etsy sooner! Etsy is now a major part of my day even though I have very little computer time. Consistency is what's important here."

If you ask DJ what makes Fort Remington on Etsy stand out she will tell you that although there are a lot of wood spoon carvers on Etsy she has not seen one that has as many different utensils as she creates. At present, Fort Remington has over 50 different utensils and gadgets.

DJ's inspirations come from cooking for her large family. She uses a utensil and figures out a way to make it better. She has also realized that people are very serious about their cooking and want the perfect utensil to prepare that meal. Everyone cooks different and everyone thinks a different utensil is the perfect one for cooking a certain food and she loves making the perfect utensil for the serious chef!

When asked what the top seller is at Fort Remington, DJ replied, "I am very happy to say that my best seller is one I designed myself....the Bent Tip Stir Fry. I love the way it is curved at the end and shaped to fit in the corners of frying pans or pots. My Pothanger is right in there with that one. It has a similar shape but has a notch to sit on the edge of the pot so there is no need for a spoon rest. Fun stuff!"

When asking DJ about her creative process that she goes through to fabricate her fabulous designs she said she loves to find a new board, noticing holes, grainlines and burls and cutting the best utensil out of that spot and loves to see the different colors of the cherry wood.

Story shared by DJ:
"My favorite utensil I made was my first one. My husband is an amazing cook and wanted to make a big pot of a local favorite - chicken pileau. He was going to use an old boat paddle and I wouldn't hear of that! I made a paddle for him (with a food safe finish) and couldn't wait to show him. He loved it and and I started replacing the old, cheap wooden spoons in my kitchen....then my friend's kitchen....and then I had spoons everywhere, so I decided I should start selling them so I could make more!"

Words of wisdom from DJ at Fort Remington for someone opening an Etsy shop: 
"When you first open an Etsy shop, join a team, especially one like Central Florida Etsians.....you can learn so much and have someone to turn to for advice. You will be constantly learning....don't give up!!"

Bead Lovers Korner On Etsy

Bead Lovers Korner LLC is a fabulous Etsy shop where you will find jewelry and accesory items created with beads and various other jewelry findings. In addition to wonderful jewelry, Bead Lovers Korner LLC also sells beads, clasps and findings. Bead Lovers Korner LLC is also an authorized seller for Carlo Biagi Jewelry and Landmark Travel Beads which are compatible with Pandora, Troll, and other European style chains.

What I noticed first about this Etsy shop is not only does this shop have a really nice shop banner creatively showing the name of the shop, Bead Lovers Korner LLC has a gorgeous handcrafted jewelry selection illustrated in excellent photographs showing every wonderful detail!


When I spoke to Gari Anne the owner of Bead Lovers Korner LLC I found out how she got her start on Etsy.  Gari Anne stated, "Over the years I had many people tell me that I should sell on Etsy, but at the time I was working a full time job and then managing the Ebay and website sales when I got home, so never looked into Etsy. Then about a year an a half ago I had an incident on Ebay that caused my sales to drop dramatically so I opened an Etsy shop to sell my handmade items and also to be in another location on the web." 

Gari Anne runs Bead Lovers Korner LLC as her full time job and when I asked her what inspires her and where do you get your ideas from she replied, "I am half whacked and always have been, so sometimes I just come up with hair brained ideas and images in my mind. In the past year though I have noticed that challenges from Teams and the Etsy marketing plans will help me to think creatively about what I have and how I can put something together that fits that scheme. I give thanks to my Higher Power for most of my inspirations!"

The top selling item in this shop are Landmark Beads because they are highly detailed 3-D replicas of the coolest spots in the world. They have a large 5mm smooth hole which makes them compatible with all the major brands of European style bracelets today. 

While discussing jewelry items that she especially enjoyed working on, Gari Anne said that several years ago when all the huricanes came through Central Florida and power was out for many days, her husband set her up with flashlights (some really cool big ones that were kind of like lamps, with rechargeable batteries) and she made a bunch of items including this necklace:
www.etsy.com/listing/81656317/rainbow-moonstone-pendant-necklace

Bead Lovers Korner LLC has a wonderful internet prescence and can be found in the following locations:


Web: www.beadloverskorner.com
Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/beadloverskorner
Ebay: stores.ebay.com/Bead-Lovers-Korner
Facebook: www.facebook.com/beadloverskorner
Twitter: www.twitter.com/beadlovers
Pinterest: pinterest.com/beadlovers/
Blog: beadloverskorner.blogspot.com

Gari Anne's words of wisdom for readers who are considering opening a shop on Etsy...

"You have to be determined to succeed. Which means you have to learn and read about all the ways to get found and noticed. List, renew, reshoot, learn marketing ideas, stay focussed, be active in teams, read Etsy blogs and marketing plans, etc. It seems that my whole being is all wrapped up in my busness 24/7. When something doesn't work, try a new idea! List and they will buy!"

Plumeuphoria On Etsy

PLUMEUPHORIA on Etsy is a unique shop which features handmade jewelry and accessories usually adorned with feathers. Shop Owner Nicole of Plumeuphoria is a valued member of the Central Florida Etsians and currently only sells her products on Etsy.   

Plumeuphoria got started on Etsy a little over a year ago, providing only feather hair extensions and has expanded the line by adding handmade jewelry.  Nicole tries to incorporate trends in her shop's pieces in order to appeal to a fashion forward audience.

When asked what inspires her, Nicole easily stated she is inspired by my surroundings, my culture, and mother nature. The most popular item in Plumeuphoria currently are the ear cuffs. Nicole feels they are really popular within the younger crowd and thats why they've become best sellers.

For Nicole, Plumeuphoria is her full-time job as well as her hobby.  She states, "My creative process works strangely. I create as I go. It's almost spontaneous." 

When asked what her favorite products to work on are, Nicole said she really enjoy making the ear wraps, they're fun and bold. According to Nicole, "They're great statement pieces and I spend a lot of time on each and every precious ear wrap I make."

To market Plumeuphoria, Nicole tries to use almost all the social media available - Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest. She tries to follow those who are interested in her products and then invites them to see her shop. Aside from Etsy, Nicole can be currently found on Tumblr - plumeuphoriabynicole.tumblr.com

Nicole's words of wisdom for readers who are considering opening a shop on Etsy are, "Don't be afraid. If you want to be successful, then you must work hard. You have to target a specific audience and let your creative juices flow! It will be worth it in the end."

Visiting Plumeuphoria on Etsy is definately worth the small amount of time to peruse approxiamtely one hundred gorgeous designs. At the time this blog post has been created, Plumeuphoria is offering this great special: 

ENTER COUPON CODE: FEATHERLOVE FOR 15% OFF!

In addition to being a talented artist, Nicole is trying to raise awareness for the Invisible Children. Please take a moment to watch the video below.

Joseph Kony - a horrible human being who abducts children from their homes and forces them to be part of the L.R.A. to commit horrendous acts of violence on people. The boys are forced into the army while the girls are forced to be sex slaves.

This year, 2012, is our year to make a change and help change the lives of the children in Uganda. We must raise awareness in order to have justice.

Please watch this video and share:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc

This bracelet which can be purchased from Plumeuphoria symbolizes our hope for change and your charitable donation to Invisible Children. For each bracelet sold, $5 will be donated to Invisible Children.

Thank you for your contribution. Knowledge is power.