Let's Talk Etsy~Interview with Doble Ele

Hello, dear readers! Well, it's Tuesday again, and I've got a special surprise for you!:) I am really happy to introduce to you, one of my favorite Etsy shops. 

{Click button to visit shop}

*Sigh* The first time I stumbled on Lingke's shop, I swooned!:) Such beautifully crafted items are treasures to come by! Browsing through her shop, is like stepping into a whimsical, magical little forest, filled with beautiful items!

~The Interview~  

What a delight it was to be able to chat with the Etsy owner herself!

Me: Hello, Lingke! I am so happy to have you here in my garden on this lovely day! Do you think you could please tell us a bit about yourself?

Lingke: Thanks for having me, Grace!
I live with my family and 2 pets, Pixie the Springer Spaniel & Brownie the Hedgehog in a tiny little city - Hong Kong. 
I'm in 125 circles and enjoy searching & sharing new finds with friends in my circle!
I love making treasury list, I made over 400 treasury list and still counting! It's fun to share your finds with others and grouping things under a theme!
I also love to create & capture things I like via handcraft & photography.


Me: What inspired you to start an Etsy shop and how long has it been in full operation?
Lingke: My sister-in-law introduced Etsy to me 2 years ago, since then I’ve been a regular! Browsing & buying from different crafters and it was a blast.
I always wanted to have a shop selling hand-made stuffs and Etsy is a really great platform, so after half year preparation, Doble Ele was born.
It has been operated for almost 9 months now!

Me: What special items might one discover in the lovely shop of yours?

Lingke: You will find a great variety of goodies in my shop, from push pin to cotton bag, pet scarf to earrings. I hope everyone will find something they like in my shop!


Me: The name of your shop is very unique. Do you mind telling us the concept behind it?


Lingke:
 Sure! :)
Glad you asked about the name :)
I took a few lesson in Spanish a year ago, and I really like how "W" sounds in Spanish, "doble uve", which means double v.
It inspired me to named my store "doble ele", pronounced as [do'-blay] [ay'-lay], it means double L.... which is my initial (LL).

Me: What is your inspiration for your products?
Lingke: I get inspirations from traveling and browsing around. I always look for new materials for my creations, I’d go to the crafter supplies to see different materials, and see if I could create something new out of it. Or maybe some existing materials, try to mix and match and create a brand new collection. Like "Chloe" (www.etsy.com/listing/62576768/c-h-l-o-e) to "Les Chloe" (www.etsy.com/listing/65550470/l-e-s-c-h-l-o-e). 

Me: What is perhaps, to you the most enjoyable part of being an Etsy owner and crafter? 

Lingke: Hmmm… I enjoy reading feedback from my customers 'cause they made me feel flattered.
One of my customers brought a really nice pair of earrings for her girlfriend (Page 2 of my feedback,www.etsy.com/people/dobleele/feedback?page=2) , besides the wonderful feedback, he also attached a picture of her wearing my {now her:)} earrings! 
And another customer purchased some lunch bags for her 3 boys, and she gave me chance to surprise her by not knowing what she’ll receive. And turn out, they all love them! There’s also a picture attached with their BIG BIG smile with the bags they pick! (Page 1 of my feedback, www.etsy.com/people/dobleele/feedback) 
This is truly priceless to me!

Me: Name your best selling item{s} in your shop.

Lingke: The flower earrings had always been the best sellers since shop opening, and the custom orders of cotton bags & lunch/snack bags is getting more and more popular now! Eco-friendly reusable is a trend now!

Me: Tell us, what are a few of your favorite Etsy sellers/shops?
Lingke: I've over 250 pages of favorite shops! It took me a while to find out some of my favorites of the favorites!
- minifanfan (www.etsy.com/shop/minifanfan): love the characters and love the way the crafter applied their artwork! 
- lacravatteduchien (www.etsy.com/shop/lacravatteduchien): love the colors and the characters!
- decoylab (www.etsy.com/shop/decoylab): love the non-ordinary shape of their creations!
- the old red hen (www.etsy.com/shop/TheOldRedHen): LOVE LOVE LOVE the way she took her product shots! The picture itself is an art!
- honey and jam photos (www.etsy.com/shop/honeyandjamphotos): She took STUNNING pictures! Especially pictures with food, the blueberries pancake is mouth-watering art!

Me: I know it's so hard not to heart every Etsy shop you stumble upon!:) 
Do you have a goal for your Etsy this year?

Lingke: I’d like to introduce more variety into my shop and thinking about inviting some of my talented friends to join Doble Ele.

Me: Being an experienced Etsy owner, do you mind sharing a few tips to those among us who would like to start an Etsy soon?

Lingke: I think letting others know more about you and your shop is very important! Besides writing your profile, you could also share & let others know about your taste via treasury list. And sometimes it's also a wonderful way to get exposure too! Especially if the list could make it to the front page, it makes a HUGE difference!

Oh! And one more tips! Taking great pictures! Picture worth a thousand words! It’s true, as there are too many lovely items in a search result, you have to make it pop-up to your potential customers! Taking great pictures might be time consuming but definitely worth it and very rewarding too.

I agree! I have seen a few Etsy shops, where the products are beautiful, but so hard to see the true potential through a blurry picture. 

Thank you so much for allowing me to interview you! I had a delightful time becoming more acquainted with you!

~A Peek into the Shop~  

I am squealing just to share this shop with you!:) There are so many woodsy, whimsical delights that may be purchased, I don't know where to start {nor if I can choose my favorites}!


Doble Ele is filled with: 

Cute necklaces...

Beautiful Bobbies...

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And gorgeous hair candy!:)

Too cute, right? 

I LOVE LOVE her 'Dancing in the Spring' collection!

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Beautiful earrings...

{The names of her items are so pretty! They range from whimiscally foretsy:) to Italian!}

Ahhhh!!! I <3 Paris!!!:)

Bella...

{She does beautiful photography!:)} 

She also sells....

Pet scarves!

And the cutest {not to mention eco-friendly;)} snack packs. 

I love this!

AND, last but certainly not least, she sells the most beautiful, the most gorgeous rings you have EVER seen!:)

These {along with the 'Dancing in the Spring' bobbies} are my ABSOLUTE favorite items in her shop.

You certainly do not run out of options.

And all of your purchases will come in your re-usable, muslin snack bag:

{Bonus!:)}

I could seriously post a hundred different items {if I have not already;)} from her shop that I could call my favorite, yet you will have to go linger through her shop yourself!

~The Giveaway~ 

Lingke, such a sweet person, has generously offered this lovely set of rings for one of you blessed ladies out there!

*Squeal* Too cute {and elegant}, no? 

Special, SPECIAL heart-felt thanks to Lingke, from her beautiful shop, for generously contributing this prize and sponsoring this blog. 

~How to Enter~

{Please READ CAREFULLY!!!}

~Mandatory Entry {counting as 1 entry}~

{Failing to complete mandatory entry will not permit you to earn extra entries}

Follow this blog {only if you want to, not just for the giveaway;)}

and

Visit Shop Doble Ele {such an elegant name}, coming back here to tell me what your favorite item is.

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~For Extra Entries~

Note: Leave separate comments per entry you complete. I use random.org to draw giveaway winners; therefore, if you do not leave separate comments per entry you complete, extra entries will not count. 

After completing the mandatory entry you may earn extra entries to:

1. Heart Doble Ele ~2 entries {leave two comments}

2. Heart your favorite item{s} from her shop, and let me know!~1 entry

3. Add Lingke to your Etsy circle ~2 entries {leave two comments}

4. Like Lingke's facebook page ~1 entry

5. Put my personal blog button on your blog's sidebar, or "Good Reads" {does not count in giveaway post}. If you do not do blog buttons, links also count, as they do all my giveaways. ~1 entry

6. Follow my photography blog {if you want to} ~2 entries {leave two comments}

7. Let me know what your favorite Etsy shop is, and give me the link
or
Tell me what giveaway item{s} you would like to see~1 entry

8. Blog about this giveaway, and leave me a link~2 entries {leave two comments}

9. Purchase something from Doble Ele, and of course tell me what it is!~25 entries
{leave twenty-five comments;)}

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~For girls who do not keep a blog only~
All you need is a way for me to contact you!

1. Complete the mandatory entry, leave a comment.

2. Email three friends about this giveaway ~3 entries {Leave one comment per person you email}

3. Let me know what you would like to see here on my blog, and/or if you are a usual reader;)~2 entries {leave two comments}

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More info:

Giveaway only open to US young ladies.

This giveaway starts now, and ends Tuesday, March 15th at 12:00N Pacific Timing {precisely a week running time}. Late entries shall not be accepted past noon.

Winner shall have 48 hr. to claim their prize after winner announcement.

I wanted to make this CLEAR: Anonymous users who do not leave their name in their comment {nor link to a blog or contact info} will not be published. Also, people who are not publicly following my blog{s} without commenting or contacting me, will not be entered.
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I know that you are all eager to enter, so you may....BEGIN!