As the name of this shops suggests, Annie is a big lover of cats!  And in particular, her own rescued cats.  All proceeds made from FeroshKittyDesigns go towards supporting them.

Annie’s shop is absolutely beautiful and the best part is the prices.  Seriously, you should see it.  Earrings for $6.50, bracelets for $12.50 etc etc.

When you’re checking out her shop, have a look at her great use of widgets.  We of course love the ability of browsers to instantly connect to your shop and brand via Facebook, however, we also LOVE how she’s used Google Adsense advertising to gain extra revenue from her shop.  She will be paid each time that ad is clicked and will keep ALL the money.  Just another way for our Premium members to monetize their shop if they wish.

Enjoy our interview with her…

1. Tell us a bit about yourself?

   My name is Annie, and I live in Tampa, Florida, where is it amazingly hot right now.  I’ve been making jewelry since 2001 but have stepped it up recently in hopes of using my shop, Ferosh Kitty Designs, to help support my rescued cats, who provide me with hours of entertainment and save me from having to set my alarm clock. All proceeds from my store go directly to support these rascals, so they want me out of bed and making jewelry! I love to cook though I don’t do that so much anymore since I live alone, so a big chunk of my time is spent working on jewelry and coming up with new ideas.  And also drinking coffee.

2. Apart from being ‘creative’ what do you do?

   As a survivor of domestic violence, and having a few issues connected with that, I spend a lot of my time just trying to maintain a positive attitude and keep on with the recovery process. Being able to cross things off of my “to do” list is a big accomplishment. But I write, take photos, and make music when I can, and I also love to read. Spending time visiting with my parents is very important to me as well. And taking care of my cats is paramount.

   

3. What inspires you to do the kind of work you do?

   One of my grandmothers made jewelry, tumbling her own rocks and gemstones; she died when I was very young, but her beautiful work and her dedication to it is an inspiration to me. I’m also inspired by the lovely costume jewelry I’d see in my other grandmother’s jewelry box,  and by my mother’s taste in jewelry, and by the glamour of old films and the screen sirens of times past. As a teen I also haunted thrift stores and vintage shops and those had a big effect on my aesthetic and what I‘m always reaching for in my designs.

4. Do you look up to anyone? Who? Why?

   I look up to my parents because of their impeccable integrity, and their ability to always look at the bright side of things, even when times are hard. And they’ve been married for over fifty years and still hold hands in public, which is just so incredibly sweet. They’ve also always reached out to help those less fortunate than themselves, even during times when our family was not doing particularly well. They didn’t wait until some magical day (that never comes) when they were “well off” to help others. Throughout my life they have always made donations, helped others  and showed compassion for their fellow man.

5. What other passions do you have in your life?

   I’m very interested in how the brain works, and I’m also interested in animal rights and the rights of the elderly, and making sure that elderly people - and people who are ill - can afford their medication. I’d also like to see the stigma surrounding mental health issues fade so that more people will seek help.

6. What do you like most about Zibbet?

   I love that Zibbet is run by incredibly friendly and helpful people. Zibbet also has a fantastic layout: the thumbnails for the products are nice and big so they are eyecatching, and there are plenty of spaces for all the important information about an item, so a seller can be very thorough when listing an item. I also love that as a Premium Seller you can show up on the front page without having to pay for placement. That is a perk that is extremely attractive to me and really adds value to my experience here. Also, when you send in a support question, you’re answered right away. The staff here cares about what is going on with you and your shop. I don’t feel buried under the masses here like I did at other sites I tried, which is why I started posting listings here exclusively.

7. What ‘new’ things would you like to see added to Zibbet?

   I’d like the ability to be a part of Google Marketplace/Shopping, as I think it would bring us all more buyers. I also think it would be neat if we had the ability to switch the order of pictures in our listings after they are uploaded - say, we decide picture number 1 should really be picture number 2 and picture number 2 should be picture number 1. It would be nice to switch them without having to reupload the pictures.

8. How do you promote your work?

   Usually I post a notice about my new listings on Twitter, and I’ve started to post my new listings on my Facebook page for my shop. Other than that, I’ve been trying to come up with new ways to promote that aren’t spammy and would be demographic-appropriate. I have a lot of other crafters on my Twitter page, so sometimes I feel like I’m preaching to the choir by posting there; I’m not sure if these postings go out to Google search or not, really.

9. How would you recommend other Zibbeters make the most of Zibbet.com?

   Keep on listing in your shop for sure, and be sure to fill out your profile and policy pages, and upload an icon for yourself. Make sure that your banner works if you have one. Check your stats and see what’s getting hits. Appraise your photos and see if you can improve upon them. Read the newsletter and the blogs and see what the latest news is, and follow @Zibbetscoop on Twitter. And I’m a believer that perseverance is the new black!
   A Premium Account has been worth it for me because it lets you list more than 25 items at once, and if you refer other sellers to Zibbet, you’ll get $1 credit off your account for each person who signs up for a Premium account.

10. In the future I’d like to be…

    …Financially self-reliant thanks to my Zibbet store. I am working very hard toward this goal. I have about sixty pieces of jewelry waiting to be photographed and listed at the moment, with more on the way. My kitties want catnip!

Tags: featured zibbeter, FeroshKittyDesigns