Shop Crafty application deadline: 6/17 at 5pm!

The Lone Star Ladies are bringing Austin another amazing show, Shop Crafty! If you are an Austin-area artist, crafter, maker or teacher, check it out! The deadline to apply has been extended to Fri, 6/17 at 5pm. Don't miss out!

The Lone Star Ladies Present: Shop Crafty
 is a family-friendly celebration of the Handmade Community from Austin and all over the Nation!

Saturday, October 16th, 2010, 10am to 5pm
The Marchesa, 6406 N. IH-35, Ste. 3100, Austin, TX  78752

This one day festival will feature Austin-area Studio Sponsors in our exclusive Craft Lounge - teaching you how to make crafts, jewelry, sewing projects and much more!  You can also shop unique items handmade by over 60 artists, crafters and designers from across the US.

Shop Crafty is also a charity shopping event to raise funds forCrafting Comfort, a local organization that provides comfort to those in need through gifts of handcrafted items.

EtsyAustin at E.A.S.T. - 2 Weekends!!!

Don't miss this amazing stop on the East Austin Studio Tour. In addition to Flatfork Studios and the other permanent art galleries and studios which make up this locale, over 40 EtsyAustin Team Members will be rotating over the two weekends selling their art and handmade wares. Sip on Tito’s, nibble on food, shop, and of course, fill your heart with art. Live demonstrations will be held each day. Mark your tour map and we will see you there!

Etsy Austin @ E.A.S.T
Saturday & Sunday Nov 14th & 15th
Saturday & Sunday Nov 21th & 22th
10 am to 5 pm

Smith Road Studios
1406 Smith Road
Austin, TX

map

Demo schedule:

Saturday, 11/14

1 pm
Upcycle It! Creating Handbound Notepads
presented by Pigsey Art
Learn a quick few ways to turn old paper, leather or wallpaper into miniature handbound fun. See a demonstration by Brandy Davis showing how you can upcycle your vintage into small notepads using only a needle, thread and a little creativity. 30 minutes

2 pm
A View Outside the Flock - Hands-on Crochet Workshop
presented by Pixie Worx!
Looking to begin or advance your modern day crochet skills or simply see how it's done? Get a unique peek into the world of this handmade art like never before! Julia Chambers will be on hand to answer questions and demo on a variety of crochet art, tools, fibers and ideas, including her "half-stitch technique," as well as basic crochet skills. 45 minutes


Sunday, 11/15
1 pm
Upcycle It! Creating Handbound Notepads
presented by Pigsey Art
Learn a quick few ways to turn old paper, leather or wallpaper into miniature handbound fun. See a demonstration by Brandy Davis showing how you can upcycle your vintage into small notepads using only a needle, thread and a little creativity. 30 minutes

2 pm
Making Porcelain Beads
presented by Tina Lewis Pottery
A demonstration of various techniques of making and decorating porcelain beads. Tina Lewis will demonstrate methods of creating beads with wet porcelain clay and show decorating and glazing techniques that can be used on bisqued beads. See examples of the beads in all stages leading to the final result. 1 hour


Saturday, 11/21
1 pm
Jewelry Making Made Simple
presented by Merritt Gade Fine Handmades
Merritt Gade will teach simple techniques used to make earrings and necklaces. Many different possibilities can be made from just a few designs. 30 minutes

2 pm
Metal Fabrication Lesson: Cool Oxidized Hammered Earrings
presented by Adorn Modern
Lori Hooks will demonstrate how she incorporates various fabrication techniques including punching out shapes from sheet metal, shaping and filing, hammering, and oxidizing to enhance the texture and create a dramatic, edgy look. 30 minutes

Sunday, 11/22
1 pm
Jewelry Making Made Simple
presented by Merritt Gade Fine Handmades
Merritt Gade will teach simple techniques used to make earrings and necklaces. Many different possibilities can be made from just a few designs. 30 minutes

Join us at KGSR's Blues on the Green!

Marcia Ball at KGSR Blues On The Green, 6-25-08
Photo: Carlos San Miguel

We are very excited to announce that EtsyAustin will have a team booth at Blues on the Green this summer! This totally fun, free concert series will be held at Waterloo Park this year, every other Wednesday, all summer long. Come on out to enjoy some great music & a chance to shop locally! We'll have a different group of team members selling their unique, handmade wares at our booth at each show. Here are the concert dates:

June 3 - Ruthie Foster
June 17 - Cyril Neville
July 1 - Jimmie Vaughan
July 15 - Marcia Ball
July 29 - Carolyn Wonderland
August 12 - [TBA]

Declare Your Craftiness & Support the Team!

Meet Beth A, one of our awesome team chicas, shown here peddlin' our team stuff at the Austin Handmade Market last Saturday.

Beth designed the nifty team t-shirt she's wearing, as well as these fabulous new totes screen-printed with "I make stuff." They are so cool! They're really roomy & only $20 (only $18 for members!), which goes toward operating expenses for the team.

These totes will soon be available in our team Etsy shop, but if you want one right now, you can contact Beth & order one. Be sure to check out her other adorable tote bags, stationery and gifts in her Paired Hearts shop!

etsyaustin mini: the winter blues

Hi all! Kristen from Pommes Frites here to introduce a new feature for Team Etsy Austin. While we've had a few lovely treasuries and Etsy Austin round-ups made, we wanted something that constantly displayed an assortment of items from Team Etsy Austin. This feature is our Team Etsy Austin favorites mini - a rotating assembly of great items from the best little shops in Austin, often based around a theme or color. Kim from Broken Ear Productions and I will be updating this feature here twice weekly. It was also be shown (in smaller form) in the sidebar of our blog at all times.

This is also a great reminder for you guys to tag your items with the "teametsyaustin" tag, and also anything else (colors, textures, holidays your item is great for) that might help us find it.

For the first Favorites Mini, I decided to celebrate our period of mercury retrograde with an homage to the Winter Blues (and teals!)



1. Turquoise and Black Crocheted Hat from Fifty Acorns: This vintage-inspired hat makes me (almost) wish it were cold for longer in Texas!

2. Mint Green Mini Wallet from AnneMarieBeard: I love the striped mint green fabric used for this mini wallet.

3. Grapeamelon Squish Handspun Yarn from Natural Obsessions: As if you needed another reason to knit in the winter!

4. Profile Necklace from LUSTERcreations: I love this modern cameo made from a shrinky dink.

5. Peter Picket Pin Handbound Journal from Pigsey Art: Great one of a kind journal bound with the hardcover from a vintage children's book.

6. Marie Antoinette Plaques from Mariposa Luna: These unique plaques collaged with French paper dolls and text from an old book would cheer up any dreary walls.

7. Cerelia Earrings from Bowerbird Design: I love the length and the vintage lucite heart charms of these pretty earrings.

8. Awesome Tote from Paired Hearts: This silk-screened, eco-friendly tote is just totally awesome. Seriously.

If you'd like the code to feature this twice-weekly updated Etsy Mini on your blog or website, email pommesfritescraft@gmail.com

Team EtsyAustin proudly announces its first-ever Holiday Bazaar!

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS for EtsyAustin team members! Priority deadline is Nov. 2nd. Click the above image to download a PDF file with more info & the application.

VOLUNTEERS WANTED, TOO! Contact beth@snuggleherd.com

We anticipate a great turnout and a very exciting event because of the unique vibe and indie spirit of The Broken Neck. This skate and punk rock venue located in East Austin is definitely not a typical location for a holiday bazaar - this ain’t your grandma’s craft show! However, we think it will be a wonderful opportunity to create an affordable holiday gift-buying experience for people looking for something different.

Our bazaar will be open to a wide range of vendors, such as local artists & crafters; clothing designers; vintage clothing & home goods resellers; record collectors; and bakers & cooks. Aside
from all of the great vendors, we will also have live music throughout the event and a skate demo. It promises to be an entertaining weekend that will draw a diverse crowd!

New & Improved Team Card!

Leah has changed the card a bit to be more specific for people who aren't familiar with Etsy. Download this card & print it out - let's leave 'em all over town at coffee shops & such, pass them out at shows, send with our Etsy orders, etc. etc. etc. Also, put it on your website or blog with a link to our team tag search results! Click on the image of the card on the right over there to see how it works - awesome, no?

Babes in Business meeting recap by Beth

Last night I attended the Babes in Business meeting at Trudy's Tex-Mex & had a blast! The Babes in Biz are a group of Austin small business owners who generally work in craft, art, or other creative fields. The Babes are organized by Anne Marie, who has her own handbag line as well as a brand new events company {which is holding a craft show in April! Bearded Ladies link below!}. All of these gals were super-friendly & we had a great time! I picked up lots of tips on thrift stores in the area (my main materials source) & enjoyed hearing about everyone's experiences. I highly recommend you join this group if you're interested in networking & meeting people in the craft & local business scene. Go to their Yahoo Group page to sign up.

The Babes I met:
1) Anne Marie Beard - annemarie and The Bearded Ladies Present
2) Cathie Fuentes - Sweet Wolf
3) Curlin Reed Sullivan - The Pipping Tooth
4) Heidi Schlenk - Essence Photography & Art
5) Jenifer Bryan - Lucy Blue Studio
6) Jenifer Nakatsu Arntson - JNA Designs
7) Jessica Fields Dunlap - Rose & Duke
8) Laurie Wisbrun - Scarlet Fig
9) Rachel - Average Jane Crafter
10) Wendy - Ballistic Sweater Girl

Wow! 10 Babes! Join us next time, won't you? The Babes meet on the last Thursday of each month.

It's Official! Etsy Austin Street Team is Here!

I was recently invited to join an exciting new Street Team on Etsy called Etsy Austin. It was started by Beth Hempton of Snuggle Herd. It’s just in the beginning stages, but I’m super-excited to be a part of this team! If you live in or around the Austin area, and you sell on etsy, then convo Beth on Etsy or send her an e-mail.

Here’s what she sent me:

Hi there fellow Etsy Austinite!
Want to help promote fellow Austin artists while drawing positive attention to yourself? Want a group to bounce ideas off of & be inspired by? Want to meet some new artsy-fartsy friends? SO DO I!!! Let’s join forces.

I would like to start an Austin-only Etsy team. There are so many great artists & crafters here that I would love to meet. Please pass it on to any fellow Austin crafters you are in contact with. If you are interested in joining this brand-spankin’ new Etsy team, please reply.

Thanks for your time & I hope you’ll join me!
Best wishes,
Beth

–
Beth Hempton

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
———— The Snuggle Herd ————
.. handmade, upcycled t-shirt toys ..
…. & other earth-friendly kid stuff ….
—– www.snuggleherd.com ————
—– www.snuggleherd.etsy.com —–

So, after i joined our our Etsy Austin ning group, and became and Admin for it, I decided to create our logo and banner since i’m a graphic designer. Our REQUIRED Yahoo group will be our main form of communication. So be sure to sign up so you can be in the loop.

I love how it turned out!!! Simple, yet memorable. We also have an Etsy Austin Flickr Group. So if yuo wanna join us: Visit the temporary Team page, and scroll down to the bottom where it says Etsy Austin, and it’ll explain how to join! I am so excited to be a part of this team & I can’t wait to see what’s in store from the creatives living in & around the capitol of Texas!