Showing posts with label ETSY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ETSY. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Holiday Merchandising

Holiday Merchandising Guide


by  Mary Andrews, Etsy's Merchandising team
As things ramp up for the busy holiday season here at Etsy, we’re excited to share our updated Holiday Merchandising Guide. This comprehensive report is intended to provide information and planning resources for the holidays. We recommend bookmarking the page for easy reference in the coming months.
Throughout the guide, you’ll find information around key marketing campaigns, strategies for promotion and dates to remember, as well as our forecast for holiday trends. You’ll also find an overview of popular item categories and tips for merchandising your existing products to make them appealing to holiday shoppers. While reading, think about how you can use your own artistic voice to infuse these merchandising themes throughout your shop — in your item listings, photos, shop announcements, descriptions, tags, titles, social media promotions and more.

Think Like a Shopper

One of the best strategies for holiday merchandising is to update your existing listings by getting in the mindset of the shopper. Generally speaking, shoppers are looking for gifts by type, price and recipient — or some combination of all three. To capture their attention in your item descriptions, emphasize why your item would make a great gift based on their needs and highlight examples of potential recipients in your product descriptions. Below are some tips to get you started.
Gifts by Type: Help shoppers understand how your line of products fits into their gift list by describing the types of categories they’re looking for. Holiday shopping categories typically include the following: Décor and Entertaining; Fashion; Gadgets and Games; Useful and Utilitarian; Keepsakes, Novelty and Stocking Stuffers; and Party Favors and Thank Yous.
Gifts by Price: Having a range of price points in your shop will allow you to expand your target market. Popular pricing buckets include $25 and under; $50 and under; and $100 and under, in addition to higher-priced custom and luxury items. Read 3 Ways to Refresh Your Product Line for tips on diversifying your offerings with different types of materials and modes of production to appeal to different budgets.
Gifts by Recipient: Help shoppers check off everyone on their list by describing the type of person (or groups of people) your item would make a great gift for and why. The majority of gift recipients fit into the following categories: Women, Men, Parents, Grandparents, Teens, Children, Hosts and Hostesses, Coworkers and Bosses, Extended Family, Friends, and Workforce. Take your merchandising to the next level by describing the creative persona your product would be perfect for; do you make items perfect for the fashionista, tech lover or entertainer? Play up these creative personas in your item descriptions to help shoppers visualize their perfect gift.

Check the Trend Forecast 

Take advantage of holiday gift trends by putting your creative lens and unique spin on ideas that resonate with your line of products. If you’re not interested in developing new products or following trends, think about adding props or styling elements that appeal to trend-savvy shoppers. Here are 10 holiday trends on our radar.
Mobile Accessories: With the release of the latest mobile devices, new ways to accessorize, store, travel and stay plugged into our favorite gadgets are at the top of gift lists this season.
Social Media Tie-Ins: While we’re talking tech, everyone’s upping their social game. Unique ways to capture the conversation are oh-so-of-the-moment. We’re seeing clever spins on everything from Instagram photo gifts to hashtag wall art — how will you keep it social?
Geometric Prints: We’re taking note of different plays off of geometric shapes, graphics and patterns.
Wordplay: Clever turns of phrase will be big this season, on everything from hand-lettered mugs to vintage signs.
Materials: Finishes and materials we’re taking note of this year and into 2015 include marble, agates and geodes, copper, natural wood, concrete, porcelain, stoneware, enamel, waxed canvas and wools.

Map Out Your Holiday Marketing Strategies

Once you have a good handle on your target customers and seasonal offerings, consider key shopping holidays. It can pay off to prep and list relevant product lines a few months in advance, since many press outlets start planning holiday coverage in late summer and early fall. Etsy also plans out promotions and works with media outlets in advance. Use Etsy’s Holiday Planning Calendar to create your own to-do list and deadlines. Check back on the Seller Handbook blog in the coming weeks for more information on Etsy’s holiday marketing initiatives.

Written by: Mary Andrews helps lead Etsy’s Merchandising team. She’s passionate about helping independent businesses creatively leverage their brands. When she’s not exploring the depths of Etsy for unseen treasures, you’ll find her nerding out over data, taking on a new DIY project or researching plant varieties to try growing with her husband in their urban garden.

Find the entire article here:  https://blog.etsy.com/en/2014/2014-holiday-merchandising-guide/



Saturday, October 4, 2014

How to use Tumblr to Promote your Shop



Using Tumblr to Promote Your Shop
What is Tumblr?  Tumblr is a blogging and social media platform that has small groups that are focused on a specific topic. Some of the groups of interest to our team are vintage fashions, DIY, and crafts. Each group has followers communicating with each other and sharing each other’s content.

In order to promote your Etsy shop successfully on Tumblr, you need to join the communities relevant to your items and then post consistently. Here are five tips for making the most of Tumblr’s features to drive traffic to your Etsy shop.

1. Design You Page 
Tumblr offers some great, customizable templates. Select a theme that goes well with your posting formats. Make your photos pop by using a background that doesn’t distract the browser from the post.  If you don’t like the template that you chose, change it! You aren’t locked into a template. You can change it anytime. However, remember that you want to keep the focus on your posts so don’t change things around too often.

2. Your Tumblr Page Name
When you are signing up, chose your name carefully. Branding is important. If you can use your shop name, that’s great! That isn’t always possible though. Try to use keywords that are relevant as well as catchy.

         3. Be Creative - Images
When other Tumblr users follow you, your posts will show up on their Dashboards. As they scroll through the posts of all of the blogs they follow, what is going to make them pause or even click on your post?
·         If a listing has an interesting detail, post a close up of that detail. Peak some curiosity!  Sharp, colorful photos with clean backgrounds can grab someone’s attention. Photo editing can be an advantage on  a visual blog. The best size for Tumblr is 500 x 700 pixels. View the (Tumblr Etsy tag) for more photo ideas.

  

    4. Don’t Be All Business!

Look What I Made! 
         Using social media as a promotional tool is the main purpose for some of us. However, you are a human and showing your human side can be appealing to your followers. Share what you like to do, some life facts, what’s up! You can gain more followers that will take an interest in your shop if you diversify your posts. Did you make something cool? Did you cook a great dinner last night? Take a picture of it and share!

Great Hair Day
         Get personal!  Post some details about the creative process and materials, or even just a text post about how your day was. Post a picture of you! There are those days that your hair works, the make-up looks great – post one of those! Let people feel they know you. They are more likely to visit your shop if they like you.  


Remember to have fun. Discover other people with similar interests, help your team mates by promoting their posts and they can do the same for you. 



Wednesday, September 3, 2014

SEO TIPS -





THIS SERIES WAS WRITTEN BY THE CAPTAIN OF THE ETSY FELLOWSHIP SOCIETY TEAM, JEN











Week 1-4 whats ahead

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Why Search Engine Optimization is Important for Online Sellers
Understanding Etsy Listing Options 
Listing workshop -Keywords
Listing workshop -Tags
Listing workshop -Descriptions

Get holiday ready ! Holidays and Etsy
Profiles And About / shipping and payments
Links
Relationships and why they matter
Teams as a tool
Networking on Etsy
Etsy and Social Media 
understanding why it's important
Social media networking and set ups to work with your online stores
Twitter
Facebook
Pinterest

Advanced marketing skills and networking how to's and information
And more!!!

PART 1 GETTING TO KNOW YOUR ETSY LISTING OPTIONS-

Shop Sections

How do I create and manage shop sections?


Sections are a useful way to organize item listings in your shop. Your sections are displayed as links in the left sidebar of your shop. You can use sections to group together item listings by type, size, or any other category you’d like. You may have up to 10 custom sections, as well as the default All Items section that is available in every shop.
To add or manage your Sections, click Your Shop and go to Sections on the left.
To add a new section, click Create new section, type in the name of a new section, then click Save. A section's name is limited to a maximum of 24 characters.

for mobile viewers this is especially important to their shopping experience!
(***Sections left empty.. will not show up in your shop - USE EVERY ONE 
use all sections available // in mobile view it shows sections with one listing each, so your store looks empty if all your sections are not used. )))))))

To edit your sections' names, click the pencil link next to a particular section.
You can remove a section by clicking the trash can icon. Removing a section does not deactivate the listings within that section. These listings will now appear in All Items.
To put your items into Sections, choose All Items on this page. Click the checkbox next to the listings you want in a specific section, then select the section name from the drop down menu and click Save. 
You can also move or remove listings from a section this way. Sections that do not have any item listings will not appear on your public shop page. You can only place a listing in one section.
Drag and drop the move icon to change the order in which the sections appear in your shop.
You can also add an individual item to a section when creating or editing the listing. There is a drop down menu for your sections below item description.

Homework:
Now GO TO YOUR STORES AND SEE IF YOU HAVE USED ALL OF YOUR 10 sections.. 
IF NOT.. make sure you have represented all the types of items you sell and edit as needed!


SHOP SECTIONS TIP: 

Want to know what the best name for your shop sections are or just might be? 

Just go to your store STATS and select ALL TIME VIEWS and then scroll down and take a look at what your most searched items are under KEYWORDS. 

This is a great tool That totally is worth looking at often - to know what others have typed into their search engines to find you in the past searches- (especially informative for those who have been on Etsy awhile) 

I have all my 10 sections now in place and feel pretty good about it - 
How about you. ??



ADDING PERSONALITY TO YOUR SITE BY USING BANNERS AND PROFILE PICTURES

EASY BANNER MAKING WEBSITE for Making Etsy Banners

check out this program I found for easy banner making.. Oh my gosh I love it.. it's easier than the way I do it in Photoshop even.

all you need is the image you want to upload or use their blanks.. add your text and details, and know the size of your banner you want to use

First, to display correctly, your Etsy shop banner will need to be exactly 760 pixels by 100 pixels in size.

- Profile pics: 75 x 75

- Item Listing photos: 800-1000 pixels wide.

- Team logo: 170 x 100 

Make sure you save your banner image as .jpg, .png, or .gif file format.

To upload your banner, go to Your Shop > Info & Appearance. Click the Browse button to locate the file on your computer. Be sure to click the Save button at the bottom of the page.

bannerfans.com/banner_maker.php


How well do You KNOW Your - STYLE? 



Most of you already know your own style, but do you know your art style or that your style may fit into multiple styles. Here's a great lot of information to help you decipher where your work fits into the mix

So buckle yourself in, sweethearts! Here's my basic breakdown- I'm sorry it's very long but there's a lot of genres! Even with some help it's taken me many hours to put this together! 
_________________________________
Etsy Style Descriptions 
_________________________________
Gold Africa Necklace Golden Brass Heart Africa Ethiopia Pendant  Adoption Necklace  Ethiopia Ciondolo Africa Heart Necklace
AfricanDreamland


African - fairly straight forward- anything that has a style of Africa. Animal prints, safari fashion, primitive shapes and natural materials in deep rich earth tones. Elephants, sari's, hair wraps and jungle style.

Art Deco - 1920s-1930s, geometric designs, stylized figures, straight lines. The Chrysler building, Miami hotels, flapper girls.


Comics Alliance
Art Nouveau - rich flowing lines, earthy colours, beautiful women, insects and flowers. The most widely known (and pure example) of Nouveau style is of Gaudi's buildings and Mucha's illustrations.

Asian - pretty straight forward, Red and black, feng shui symbols- think Chinatown., Japan town.. Fishing communities of asia, chinese medicine, buddahs and chopsticks, sushi related items, silk dresses and lots of RED and Gold.. lucky number 8

Athletic - Just think of the local sports shop, that's athletic. Tight fitting, simple lines, little in the way of pattern. Hiking and Action Clothing. yoga wear, leggings and gym bags would go in here. 

Avant Garde - this is tricky- it's sort of art fashion. It literally means 'the new guarde' and it's anything hyper-modern and a bit out there, stuff you look at and think 'woah, that's...different.' If you consider yourself ahead of your time, then your stuff goes in here! The avant-garde is considered by some to be a hallmark of modernism, as distinct from postmodernism


Boho Peasant Blouse Pattern Vogue 9704 Vintage Sewing Pattern Size 12 Bust 34 inches
AllThePreciousThings
Boho - Boho is short for bohemian, it means long romantic dresses, beads, big handbags, ethnic prints, sun hats, 70s sunglasses, long hair, sandals... it's a sort of glamorous hippie with gypsy undertones.








Rodeo Chic Country fashion 1970s Overalls and Long Maxi Jumper Size 10 Bust 32 1/2 Retro Sewing Pattern Vintage Boho Fashion McCalls 3835
ViennasGrace
Country Western - Ranches, Horses, Cowboy hats, 10 gallon hats, holsters and leather chaps. Cowboys, cowgirls, cow kids. The boots, the hat, the longhorn skulls, cactus, blue jeans, fringed leather. Yippee Ki-Yay! Think Texas and Country western Movies. Another great name is Rodeo Chic

Fantasy - anything with dragons, fairies, pixies, unicorns, dwarves and elves (oh my!). Think Lord of the Rings, Labyrinth, disney, Alice in Wonderland, . You can add romantic, tribal, gothic or steampunk to this style as well, it's quite broad.

Folk - folk art is primarily utilitarian and decorative rather than purely aesthetic- Folk Art is characterized by a naive style, in which traditional rules of proportion and perspective are not employed. Closely related terms are Outsider art, Self-Taught Art. Many folk art traditions like quilting, ornamental picture framing, and decoy carving continue to thrive, while new forms constantly emerge., decorated, mom and pop art, small figures and toys of wood while toys made from wire and recycled materials. Also African Folk Art - Pottery is made all over the continent of Africa for functional and ritual use. Pottery, along with basketry vessels, was essential to carry and store food and water would be included.


Gypsy blouse black goth boho puffy sleeves
PaperCatsPL
Goth - black black black. Dark, Usually with skulls and crosses as motifs, think Addams Family, The Craft, The Cure... goth is emo with drama. Goth has a million different sub-genres but there's usually something particular about a piece- you can have boho goth, industrial goth, romantic goth, Victorian goth, kawaii goth... apocalyptic themes, pale looks, cemeteries, and black makeup are also associated with goth

High Fashion - designer wear, tailored forms, good quality materials and excellent craftsmanship. High Fashion is like a delicate way of saying 'very well made and very expensive'.

Hip Hop - Think Tribe Called Quest, Snoop dog, older - Run DMC, The Beastie Boys, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Hip Hop is 80s and 90s street style- bright colours and sportswear brands paired with over-the-top gold jewelry and the most expensive Nikes you can find.

Hippie - hippie is boho with the addition of tie-dye, acid bright colours, big floral prints and ethnic prints. Think Long Hair, Woodstock and 60s Haight/Ashbury. 

Hipster - Think new trends, barnwood, mustaches, black triangles, geometrics in primary colours, pared-back native style, nerd glasses, bikes, etc. If you make something that's hipster, you will know. Other attributes that go along with this can be trendy, Industrial, New Age, tribal, woodland and Edwardian. 


Elizabethan Corset Pattern: Quilted Pair of Bodies Multi Size Historical Sewing Pattern, 1500-4
MantuaMaker
Historical - Anything that looks of a time period, usually pre-1920s. It's more specifically Victorian, Georgian, Elizabeth, Tudor... If you're going to label something historical it should be accurate for it's time- i.e. a Victorian style corset is not historical if it's not accurate to a decade (1880 for example), it's just a Victorian style corset. Most people who use/search historical will probably be looking for re-enactment gear and they want accuracy, accuracy, accuracy!

Hollywood Regency- part old Hollywood Glamour, Moroccan bazaar, part Georgian townhouse, part Art Deco palace. Think 20s/30s/40s old-school glamour, Spanish architecture, silks and satins, creamy jewel colours and opulent rooms. Modern Hollywood Regency seems to have lost a lot of the Moorish influence but still carries the elegant glamour of big old 1920s houses. Marilyn Monroe, Movie stars home decor, high end art.

Industrial - this is a sort of modern look, but with very factory-style lines. Industrial is a very simple almost severe look, and is most often comprised of vintage salvaged things like steel-topped tables, trestles, product moulds from factories and big signs. Industrial has the feel of a big old factory, with lots of metal, chunky wood and hazard colours. 


Cheeseburger plush toy hamburger sandwich novelty kawaii plushie
Plusheez
Kawaii - this is a Japanese fashion term, meaning 'cute'. Anything girlish and romantic with a serious addition of kitsch. Big eyed girls, anime, baby animals, candy colours. Anything a 14 year old girl would look at and think 'oh that's soooo cute!!!!' A hefty dose of pink.

Kitsch - Kitsch is retro tacky. Think of your grandmother's donkey shaped salt and pepper shakers, 1970s tourist souvenirs, 1960s paintings on velvet etc. Anything 60s/70s, colourful and humorous. Think Hairspray, Pee-Wee Herman and old-school Disneyland. 

Mediterranean- a sort of rustic with a dose of preppy nautical and a touch of high-end resort. Mediterranean is hard look to pin down- it's usually white, terra-cotta, and bright blue. Nautical themes, summer style. Think of the Greek Islands and 1990s Ralph Lauren.

Mid-Century - Pure 1950s! Everything that was modern and clean lined in the 1950s. Soft colours such as lemon yellow, aqua, baby pink and sea green are used. There's not much pattern but when their is it's usually shapes like atoms, kidneys, arrowheads and boomerangs. Dior's 'new look' (despite it being 1947!) and the TV show Mad Men are perfect examples. A lot of stuff that's mid-mod is also called Eames era and atomic age.


size 8 1/2 R Men's Vintage Combat Boots Dated 1972 / 70's Black Standard Issue Military Boots
RabbitHouseVintage
Military - army style! Khaki greens and browns, brass buttons, soldiers uniforms, big black boots, tailored shapes, earth tones. Think M.A.S.H or the movie Stripes.

Minimalist - following the mantra 'less is more', this is modern with the most simple terms. Natural materials, stainless steel, straight lines, smooth textures, functional. Think of old movies when they show people in heaven. (Though ironically it's most people's idea of hell!) Minimalist style contains objects and fashion that does little more than serve it's function- all adornment is shunned.

Mod - sharp graphics, black and white, tight fitting clothes, geometric shapes, Mod is a sort of Mid-Century avant-gaurd. It was the stuff in the 60s that was diametrically opposite to the hippies and predominantly a UK style. Micro length shorts and skirts, knee high go-go boots, Perspex jewelry, tailored lines and sharp cuts. Think Austin Powers, The (original!!) Italian Job and model icons like Twiggy.

Modern - Modern is a sort of generic term for anything that's made now and is the typical example of it's time. something that didn't exist in years past, or re invented to have a new up to date look.. The thing about the modern attribute tag here is that it will put a modern angle on anything else you choose. Use modern with tribal if you make runway style, use modern with traditional if you've taken an antique dresser and painted it pink, use modern with Romantic if you've made a necklace that's a tea cup shape cut from white perspex, etc. 
Toddler Sailor Suit Coat and Hat McCalls 5930 Vintage Childrens Sewing Pattern Lined Double Breasted Coat Sailor Collar Matching Tam Size 2
FindCraftyPatterns

Nautical - nautical is black, blue and white, tailored shapes and anything you can attribute to yachting, so anchors, grommets, rope, etc. It's preppy at sea. Think Ralph Lauren, Miami Vice, The Love Boat. Nautical was huge in the 80s and 90s. Ocean and Sea themes, fish and water.

Neo-classical- Neoclassicism is a revival of the styles and spirit of classic antiquity inspired directly from the classical period,[2] which coincided and reflected the developments in philosophy and other areas of the Age of Enlightenmenta bit tough to pin down, this is a sort of historical modernism. Usually Italian style of the 17th and 18th centuries with a fresh, modern twist. It's marble columns, Georgian features, pale colours and elegant forms. Think the great cotton mansions of the South, Italian Renaissance details, 80s country club decor. 


Vintage Sperry Topsiders Oxblood Penny Loafers
CapeCloset
Preppy- think upper class, All-American, 1950s society athletics. It's country club golf lunch, private schools, tennis, yachting, croquet and equestrian pursuits. Think well-fitting clothes, clean lines, blazers, loafers, slick hair. Pattern is limited but is usually Argyle, checks and plaid. Remember IZOD.. and the little alligator on your shirt.. very preppy

Primitive - from a style point of view, this is usually American primitive (also called 'prim'). Colonial furniture, muddy colours, rusty metals and faded prints. Harvest themes and simple solid farmhouse aesthetics. Other attributes that will go with this include Rustic, Country and Tribal (for when you mean primitive man). Also indicates few tools used to make the item. 

Resort - glamorous super models lounging by the pool. Kaftans, giant sunglasses, cocktails, swimwear (especially skimpy or classically tailored) and anything floaty and simple. There's a good dose of tropical in resort style.

Retro- I like to think of retro as 'kitsch vintage'. Retro is the period from the 60s to the 70s where things got a little out of control- think bold wallpaper, loud shirts, big patterns, wide flares and luminous colours. Disco meets Pop.

Rocker- this is sort of punk without the overkill. Rocker style is all about adding glam to a motorbike gang. Black leather, studded belts, cowboy boots, lightening bolts, skulls, electric guitars, stars and big hair. Colours are usually red, yellow, pink or lime green with a good dose of black. Think Aerosmith, 80s hair bands, Brett Michaels, Judas Priest, Ozzy, Iron Maiden. 

Rustic - texture! Anything that's rough, simply made and a little bit country. Raw wood, rusted metal, neutral colours. It's country pared right back and primitive without the colour.
Vintage Sci-Fi Poster - The Metal Murderer, Strange Worlds No 8 - Quality Reproduction.  Retouched, brand new condition!
NewAmericana

Sci-Fi - Think space, star wars, star trek, Buck Rogers... lots of white, silver, clear, plastics and chrome, universe and UFO's. Colour is rare but it's usually Black, Chrome, Greys, fire engine red and royal blue in luminous 'what does this button do?' tones.

Shabby Chic - I think we all know what this looks like. Lots of repurposed and refinished items here. I will delicately mention that Shabby Chic is a copyrighted term by Rachel Ashwell, and many people simply call it 'shabby cottage' instead (I would suggest Etsy changes this as soon as they can). It's white on white, lots of lace, cream tones, faded natural tones, pink, roses, chandeliers, zinc buckets... you get the picture. Other attributes that will go with this include traditional, rustic, Boho, some hippie Victorian and Edwardian.

Southwestern- Think Arizona desert, New Mexico indian prints and hanging skulls and horns on the wall. Way back in the olden days they used to call this 'tex mex' or Santa Fe. It's part cowboy, part Indian. Desert colours, Native patterns, natural materials., indian influenced beadwork, and the ranch look.

Spooky - Scary eerie horror movies, Halloween, gothic. Ghosts, spiders, haunted houses, graveyards etc. It's the more cutsey side of gothic, usually with bright colours of yellow orange and lots of black.
Victorian Steampunk goggles aviator victorian welding biker eye cup--gcg
UmbrellaLibrary

Steampunk - is a sub-genre of science fiction that typically features steam-powered machinery,[1] especially in a setting inspired by industrialized Western civilization during the 19th century. Steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the 19th century's British Victorian era or American "Wild West", in a post-apocalyptic future during which steam power has regained mainstream use, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power. Steampunk perhaps most recognisably features anachronistic technologies or retro-futuristic inventions as people in the 19th century might have envisioned them, and is likewise rooted in the era's perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, and art. Such technology may include fictional machines like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or the modern authors Philip Pullman, Scott Westerfeld, Stephen Hunt and China Miéville. Other examples of steampunk contain alternative history-style presentations of such technology as lighter-than-air airships, analog computers, or such digital mechanical computers as Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine.
Steampunk may also incorporate additional elements from the genres of fantasy, horror, historical fiction, alternate history, or other branches of speculative fiction, making it often a hybrid genre, lots of owls, octopus, clock conversions to jewelry and accessories., think air ships and the first flying machines.

Techie - relating to, or skilled in the use of technological devices, such as computers. handmade lights, industrial, inventions, devices like motherboards and things made of recycled computer hardware, rockets and clocks. Things made with moving parts/ phones and phone accessories, turntables and gadgets. Think Inspector Gadget, Engineering, Computer Science., sometimes geekery is included in this style

Traditional- Typically considered to be Georgian/Victorian, traditional is often a colonial look with handsome furniture, antique details and elegant patterns. Anything antique and grand usually fits the style perfectly. Relaxed dark colours and comfortable furniture, stately homes, gentleman's clubs and respectable hotels.
African Necklace, Men's African Necklace, Tribal Men's Necklace, African Mask Pendant, Abebi African Tribal Mask Pendant Necklace
KongoKollection

Tribal - much like African, tribal has a primitive barbarian feel to it. Bone beads, earth tones, geometric shapes like arrows and triangles, native style, simple construction, rough cast metal and natural materials.

Victorian - pretty straight forward- anything that's Victorian in style. You don't have to be accurate (that's what the historical tag is for!) but anything modelled to the last half of the 19th century is 'pure' Victorian, with the high peak being 1860s- 1880s. Though the Victorians were mad for colour, Victorian style now days is usually the ornate, lace-and-beaded black-on-black that was popular in the 1880s and 1890s, with high button boots, lace cuffs and cameo jewelry.
Wooden -Waldorf- Kids -Toy-Natural Wood- FLY ME Hand Kite- Over the Rainbow-  Waldorf Toy
AppleNamos

Waldorf- Waldorf items are inspired by Waldorf education. The early childhood classroom in a Waldorf school is filled with toys made from natural materials, such as wool and wood. Waldorf items are not necessarily toys, but are inspired by the natural and simple beauty of the Waldorf classroom. Waldorf virtues are goodness, beauty and truth, I think that can be found in our creations. 

Colorful Meditating Zen Buddha Statue
LTCreates
Woodland - Forest and Nature based, sort of folk meets fairy tale. Anything with forest creatures such as deer, rabbits, foxes, birds and bears as well as flora like acorns, walnuts, blackberries, ferns, ivy and birch. Woodland stuff is very sweet and old-fashioned, like a children's story. Think Hansel and Gretel, Bambi and Goldilocks, trees and mushrooms.

Zen- Peaceful, Meditation and Calm, Things that inspire relaxation, this is the Japanese side of Oriental. Clean lines, modern shapes and simple construction, Zen is clam, neutral in tone and almost minimalist in design, also has ties to eco conscious and sustainable art for the home, yoga and buddah.



So there you go! I hope this helps everyone. If you're still unsure which attributes suit your items, do pop it in a comment here and I'll see if I can help. If you have attributes that you think should be added to any of these leave a comment and we'll update it before we add this to our blog's SEO Feature that's up and coming ( It will be a great archive of this information that will be out there for you or your team members to go back to if needed in the future.
ed in the future.