Something to Treasure
If somebody is not familiar with them, Etsy Treasury (as well as Treasury West) are collections of items, created by the members, which you can view and comment on here. IF they’re good, they get lots of “views” and might (or not) end up on the coveted Etsy Front Page.
Treasuries are great for so many things… They are certainly fun to make (cause you have to go looking at some awesome stuff in the process), they are great for making friends and introducing yourself to other similar-minded Etsyians. Not to mention that making a treasury is a wonderful creative exercise! So, if you’re registered on Etsy (you don’t have to be a seller for that, btw), 1-2-3, start creating!
The Theme – Well, that’s the most interesting of them all, isn’t it? Because it can be literally anything, the possibilities are endless, yet you still need that special something to get your started… I usually make the Poster Sketches, whenever I see something I can build treasury around and save it for later. It can be somebody else’s product or my own (did you know you’re allowed to pimp 1 of your own products in each treasury?) , something I saw on my way to work, or a book that I just finished reading… You can base it on the seasonal stuff, holidays, personal events, color, texture, material, style, or just your list of favorites.
The Name – In this case, name is super-important, cause in the long list of treasuries, yours needs to stand out. Literally. Be your clever self, use your sense of humor, play with words. Simplicity works too 
Lots of times I actually make a treasury based on a clever phrase I come up with, kinda backwards, I know…
The Images – Ok, that’s the hard part. Remember, it’s YOUR treasury, you pick whatever you think looks best. BE PICKY! Only take best of the best, whether it means representing your theme, or matching the hues. There are certain things you really should consider. Complementary colors are nice… Contrast is great too… If the collection consists of muted tones, sometimes throwing in a little “splash” of color does wonders. Pay attention not only to the product itself, but also to the background, it should match everything else as well (many times I had to regretfully reject some “candidates” even if they seemed perfect, because of the gaudy background or lousy lighting in the pic…) Try to avoid watermarks/signatures in the area visible in the product window. Speaking of which. Even if the full image looks great, you have to remember that you’re getting only what’s showing in the “cropped” horizontal window, and sometimes it’s not the best part… Overall, Etsy staff seems to have a certain aesthetics, when they pick for the FP, and it’s for the most part this airy, vintagy, artsy stuff… They do pick seasonal and by the color occasionally, but for the most part it’s neutral, IMHO. Do make a point to peruse screenshots of the Treasuries past, just for the reference and to learn from those who’ve been there, literally
The Hunt – That’s actually the easy part nowadays. You don’t have to go barefoot up the hill both ways in the snow out of your way to snatch a treasury. All you have to do is visit the Treasury Clock and plan around it. Have your creation ready (you can email the list from the Poster Sketch to yourself, you know but keep in mind that this clock is no Swiss made – it’s good for a general reference, but is not precise. So just give yourself some extra time to sit and wait in the Treasury for the next opening. DO NOT REFRESH while you’re there. You’ll loose your turn – Treasuries are self-refreshing and window on the bottom of the page will open automatically for a few seconds when it becomes available.
The Aftermath – You thought you’re done, right? NOOOOoooo. For your Treasury to raise to the top of the red hotness, it needs to be seen. And loved. and explored. So, don’t be shy, spread the word! Convo (starting with the people who’re actually in the treasury), Twitt, Email, blog, visit the Chat rooms talk to strangers! The more the merrier. Remind people to click on each item and comment!
Tools:
• Color Search
• Poster Sketch
• Front Page Screen Shots
• Treasury Clock
Great Post! Thanks for the advice! See you on etsy
!
Fellow team etsychai member.
The treasury is fabulous and I love your blog.
Your teammate,
Linda B