Who Am I?

The question, "Who Am I?" is a powerful question that burns within each one of us. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are so blessed to have a knowledge of our divine heritage.

"I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are achildren of the most High." Psalms 82:6

"The Spirit itself beareth awitness with our spirit, that we are the children of God" Romans 8:16

"All those who receive my gospel are sons and daughters in my kingdom." Doctrine and Covenants 25:1

I believe that God is literally the Father of our sprits. We are His children. He loves us and cares about our lives. He wants the best for us. We can pray to Him and He will hear and answer us.

Sometimes the world tries to make us forget this important truth. The media makes it appear that our true value lies in how we look and how much money we make, but this is not so. Our real value lies in our character.

Says President Monson in the June 2010 Ensign:

"In our world, moral character ofttimes seems secondary to beauty or charm. But from long ago the Lord’s counsel to Samuel the prophet echoes: “The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7)."

Isn't that wonderful? We are children of an all loving and all powerful God who loves for who we really are. May we always remember our infinite worth and divine potential.

Sincerely,
Sal

How to Make a Treasury on Etsy

One of the rules of our team is to make a team treasury once a month. Leisa from Can Do Stitching is our top treasury maker! You can be, too. If not knowing how to make a treasury is holding you back, here is a five-step tutorial to help you. (Click on photos for a larger view.)

How to Make a Treasury

1. Sign into Etsy. Scroll down the home page to "More Ways to Shop" on the left sidebar and click "Treasury."

2. On the right, under "Curator Tools," click "Create a List."

The draft page looks like this:

3. Open a new window or tab and find items you want to put in your treasury. Once you find something, copy the url. Do this by right clicking the title under the item's photo and then clicking "Copy shortcut" (or "Copy link location"),

or you can click on the item, right click the url at the top of the page, and then choose "Copy."

4. Paste the url into a box where it says "Listing URL" by right clicking and choosing "Paste." Then click "ok" and the item will appear.

5. Repeat steps 3 & 4 until the treasury is complete. Rearrange the order of the listings by dragging the boxes around. Remove an item by hovering over the top of the box and clicking "remove." Make sure you have included a title, description, privacy settings, and tags (add "lds team"). Remember to feature at least 4 team members. You can feature sellers from other teams as well if they allow it. For our team, make sure all items meet LDS standards. When you are done, hit "Save" at the bottom.

For even easier treasury making, check out shmetsy.com, which allows you to click on an icon next to an item to send it to the treasury instead of copying and pasting, to save a draft to finish later, and to send a mass message to all the featured shops.

After You Make a Treasury

Your published treasury will look like this:

The curator is you, the person who made the treasury. Stats will show you how many views, listing clicks, and admirers the treasury received. There are buttons to share the treasury on Facebook and Twitter. You can also edit or delete your treasury.

Post the treasury in our team's discussion thread by copying and pasting the url as explained in steps 3 & 4. The treasury will also show in the activity feed of those who follow you and of those who are featured in the treasury.

People can comment on the treasury. Those who are featured will have a yellow "featured" box under their photo, allowing you to see which sellers appreciate treasuries they're featured in so you can keep featuring them instead of those who are not supportive. Sending sellers a message that they are featured is helpful in gaining support.

To access other treasuries you've made or make new ones, go to the right on the treasury you just made and look under "Curator tools". To make a new treasury, click "Create List." To see your treasuries, click "Your Treasury Lists."

You can also click on your name at the top of any Etsy page and see your treasuries on your profile if you have it set to show them.

If you have not and would like to, click "Edit Profile" on the right of your profile page. On the bottom of the settings page under "Include on Your Profile" choose "Treasury lists" and hit "Save." Now they will show up on your profile!

I hope this tutorial was clear and helpful. Leave a comment if you have any more questions. I hope to see more team treasuries now!

Featured Seller: Emma from E Hernandez Designs

This week's featured seller is our wonderful team leader, Emma from E Hernandez Designs. Here's what she has to say:

I took some design classes in college and loved it. I thought maybe I could do something with my own business, but decided in the end to become an elementary school teacher. After giving birth to my 2 girls and becoming a stay-at-home mom, I decided I needed a personal outlet. I convinced my hubby to buy me a new Mac computer and I started designing again. I love it!

I have a friend who owns a shop on Etsy and she was having a ton of success. After sharing with her my ideas, she took a look at my designs and convinced me to open my shop. 

Art is the creation of the artist. For that reason, there is a bit of the artist's soul in every piece created. I think the gospel influences my work because it influences me as a person. I am a better person for knowing and living the gospel and I hope the peace and light I feel shows in my art.

Check out E Hernandez Designs for more delightful designs!

Featured Seller: Alaina from Loving Hands Crochet

Alaina has a beautiful shop of crocheted items that you can definitely tell are made with loving hands. Here's her story in her own words:

My mom taught me to knit and crochet when I was 11. She was always knitting or crocheting something. It was one of the few things that my mom's then husband allowed us to do on Sundays, so I learned so I wouldn't be bored on Sundays. After a while I came to enjoy crocheting. Knitting was too slow for me so I switched exclusively to crochet and have consequently forgotten how to knit.

I love beautiful things, and making my own is immensely satisfying. Crocheting is relaxing for me. It is also something relatively mindless for me to do while listening to my kids (making sure they're not teasing one another, hitting one another, etc.) and while watching TV.

Several years ago, I decided to start selling my things because I couldn't come up with enough people to give things to nearly as fast as I wanted to make things. I tried selling on my own for a few years with very little success. Once I heard of Etsy and what it was like, I decided to sell here. I started out with slow sales, but things have improved significantly since I started designing my own patterns.

I don't really think about the gospel influencing my work, but I suppose it does in a way. The gospel is a huge part of who I am, and who I am influences what I do. At times I dismiss making certain things because they're symbols of evil influences, even if I know they'd sell well. Mostly, I just like to make pretty things and tend to stick to that.

Check out Loving Hands Crochet for more pretty things!

How to Create an Etsy Mini

Let's start with what an Etsy Mini is: it is a photo gallery of items in your shop that you can post on your blog (or anywhere else you can paste html code). Then readers can click on it and be directed to the individual listings featured or to your shop home page.

To make an Etsy Mini:

1. Sign into Etsy and click "Your Shop: [shop name]" at the top. On the left sidebar under "Promote" you will find "Etsy Mini."
2. Select the option to show items from your shop. Decide the size: thumbnail is small and only shows the photos; gallery is large and includes the listing titles and prices. Then choose how many rows and columns. A preview will appear. Make any desired changes.
3. Once you are satisfied with the preview, copy the html under "Paste this code" by highlighting the code and either pressing Ctrl + C or right clicking the mouse and choosing "Copy."

To put it on your blog (Blogger only):

1. Sign in to Blogger and click on your blog title. Choose "Layout" from the left sidebar.
2. Click the "Add a Gadget" box where you want your Etsy Mini to be located, though you can always move it around.
3. Choose "HTML/JavaScript" and paste the html code by pressing Ctrl + V or right clicking the mouse and then "Paste." Title it, save it, and you're done!

Here is an example (to put it in a blog post like this, paste the code in the post after selecting "HMTL" on the top left of the draft page instead of "Compose"):

Discouragement

Discouragement. That is a big, ugly word with a capital “D.”  All of us from time to time have felt it. That dark, deep-down feeling that we are nothing, have no worth, and will never amount to anything. It’s that feeling of despair and hopelessness that nothing will ever work out.

If I were talking face to face with you right now, I would look you directly in the eye, grab your shoulders and shake you (Okay, so I might be more gentle than that, but you get the idea J), and firmly tell you that those feelings are not true. But, don’t just take it from me. Here’s what President Uchtdorf says:

Another way Satan deceives is through discouragement. He attempts to focus our sight on our own insignificance until we begin to doubt that we have much worth. He tells us that we are too small for anyone to take notice, that we are forgotten—especially by God.

Have you ever felt that way before? I certainly have. Sometimes it seems that we are of no value because we’re not famous, not rich, don’t feel like we’ve done anything worthwhile, and this list goes on. Especially for those who are women, sometimes it seems like the day-to-day tasks that we accomplish are so minute and that they will never make a difference. But, once again, these discouraging thoughts are wrong. President Uchtdorf continues:

The Lord doesn’t care at all if we spend our days working in marble halls or stable stalls. He knows where we are, no matter how humble our circumstances. He will use—in His own way and for His holy purposes—those who incline their hearts to Him.

God knows that some of the greatest souls who have ever lived are those who will never appear in the chronicles of history. They are the blessed, humble souls who emulate the Savior’s example and spend the days of their lives doing good.

May I emphasize this statement one more time: “God knows that some of the greatest souls who have ever lived are those who will never appear in the chronicles of history. They are the blessed, humble souls who emulate the Savior’s example and spend the days of their lives doing good.”

lds.org

Wow! How cool is that? God knows us, loves us, and sees the good that we do, even though the world tries to tell us that what we accomplish isn’t worthwhile. Our loving Father in Heaven wants us to trust in Him and realize our true worth as His sons and daughters. I hope that we will all take the time to remember who we really are and cast awful feelings of discouragement out the minute they come into our hearts. Remember: those despairing feelings are not true. Through the infinite power of our Father in Heaven and Christ’s atoning sacrifice, there is always hope.

-Sal

You're Not Alone

I remember sitting in the car as my mom played "You’re Not Alone" by Michael McClean over and over again. I cringed every time the CD was put back on that track and soon started making fun of my mom’s constant hitting of the back button on the stereo.  Although at the time I didn’t appreciate the repetition, I do now for one reason—the song has stuck with me.

Here’s a little song to help you get along

It will see you through when you’re feeling blue

And though it’s not profound when you’re feeling down

So down

Sing this little tune and you’ll feel better soon

You’re not alone, even though right now you’re on your own

You are loved in ways that can’t be shown, your needs are known

You’re not alone

And when you cry you’re just letting go a heartache deep inside

So tomorrow there’ll be sunshine and sky and love close by

You’re not alone

Well I know that it’s not easy, but I know that it won’t last

Cause one who loves you more than me

Is sending blessings fast

You’re not alone…say it one more time, “I’m not alone”

And even when it’s hard to find the words

Your prayers are always heard

You’re not alone

I love those comforting words. “You’re not alone. . . . You are loved in ways that can’t be shown, your needs are known.” I have found those words to be true throughout my life. I know that we never have to face anything by ourselves. God, our all-powerful, loving Father, is always right by our side, holding our hand, and leading us home. He doesn’t give us hard things to punish us or condemn us, but rather to teach us and help us to reach our full potential. I know that if we turn to Him in humble prayer and make a sincere effort to make Him a part of our lives, He will fill us with a knowledge of His love for us.

-Sal