members

2016 Membership Drive



Hooray! It's time for our annual membership drive!

If you have a handmade Etsy shop in the immediate Dallas area and want to build your business while having tons of fun with local artists, apply now at http://etsydallas.com!

Applications are open for two weeks, January 15th through January 31st, and then, they will close for the entire year.

Why become a member?

  • Be a part of a really supportive team of fellow Etsy shop owners
  • You can help spread the word about the handmade movement and get involved with your community
  • We know how to party (have you been to one of our Bashes?)

Hello My Name is....Vote for Your Favorite Name Tag Contest


Well, hellooo there, Etsy Dallas blog readers! Last weekend the Etsy Dallas team got together for our Annual Membership Event, and we decided to include you in on a little friendly competition. We each were asked to create a handmade name tag to represent our shop. We need your help to decide which is the Official Best Name Tag. 

Please take a look at all of the gorgeous entries and post your vote below in the comments or on Twitter with the hashtag #EtsyDallasWinner. There will be two lucky winners of this competition: one for the winner of the Official Best Name Tag title and one random voter. The prizes up for grabs are a $10 gift card to a local establishment (such as, Starbucks, Target, Whole Foods, or Barnes & Noble) for the Best Name Tag and $10 in Spring Bash Bucks for the luckiest voter. 

Kelly from Local Honey

Brandon from Honeycomb Print Shop

Rori from Made by Rori

Anne from Modest Ambition

Jeff and Laura from Butter Design Lab

Mere from Mere Designs

Silla from Silla Soup

Lynn from Both Hands Studio

Esther from estieMade

David from Ferrochie

Sabrina and Jenny from The Pig and The Peacock


Christina from Midnight Snack

Maggie from maggiemayi

Yony from YLKphotography


Cyndy and Randy from Yellow Bug Boutique


Kate from K8Made

Rachel from ReGEARED

Stephanie from 3dot4

Emilie from Gildem


Traci from ArtTdolls

Jonathan from Napkin Art Studios



Dylan from Dowdy Studio
Pamela from Dowdy Studio

Jenni from Jenni20 Designs

Regina from Regal Cottage

Maryum from Pamplemousse1983

Christie from Christie Cone Ceramics
Decisions, decisions...Which one will you choose?  
One vote per person please. Voting ends March 15, 2012.

Member Spotlight: Signifying Not


Magical, creepy, beautiful and mysterious: those are the words that pop into my mind when I look at the amazing work of Signifying Not. Summer's gorgeous illustrations are not only available as prints, but t-shirts, accessories and cool gifts. Read on as Summer Ortiz answers a few of our questions...

ED: How did you get started selling your art?

SO: I had taught myself to screen print and had been making shirts for myself and friends since high school. People had been encouraging me for years to sell the shirts, but I never took their advice until last January when I had a little bit of extra cash and took the plunge into running my own business.


ED: What kind of products do you sell, and what materials do you work with?

SO: Clothing, prints, magnets, plush creatures, really anything we have the time and imagination to create. Work with all kinds of materials, but mainly tees and paper.

ED: What are your future plans for Signifying Not?

SO: We are always expanding and creating new things, but this year I am hoping to have some new tee designs and think of some new ways to display our designs - more prints, bags, etc. We are also looking to expand and sell our wares in more shops around Dallas and possibly elsewhere.

ED: What are you most inspired by?

SO: I am inspired by all things weird/odd/strange - Victorian traditions and fashion, unusual historical figures and events, wunderkammers, fairy tales (original versions), literature, vintage illustrations and prints.



Summer lives in North Deep Ellum with a chihuahua named Oliver, and works as a designer for the Texas Woman's University. You can find her products on Etsy as well as Dolly Python.


Member Spotlight: Karma Crochet

Patricia of Karma Crochet is one of the most prolific crafters you'll ever meet... just check out the amount of items up for sale in her etsy shop! From cozy blankets and scarves, to jewelry, notepads and magnets, Patricia offers something for everyone.





She says she's been knitting and crocheting for as long as she can remember, and began selling what she was already making in 2008. Not only is she an avid crafter, she also works full time as a tech and support manager. After her her work day is over, she heads home to start her crafting. Patricia says, "My cat , Sam appreciates that I stay home and provide him with hours of entertainment with the supplies. Sam loves to play with my measuring tape. He thinks he's helping me!"



Find lots more of Patricia's unique handmade goods online at karmacrochet.etsy.com, as well as at the Trinity Audubon Center. Happy shopping!




Weekly Blog Walk!

Bee Things is being featured on The Working Proof. Their lovely animal themed print benefits the Jane Goodall Institute, here's the post!

For tips on marketing and pricing your craft, visit Tefi's blog.

Hi Fi Jewelry is making their debut in several new locations, even Berlin!

If you are looking for some studio inspiration, the Ruffly Owl shared some really fabulous and practical creative spaces.

Dowdy Studio is having a “big, huge sale for awesome people!” Be sure to check it out!

And, Napkin Art Studio gave us a sneak peek and some behind the scenes info on his new book, “We Are Modern."

Thanks for blog walking with us! Enjoy the beautiful weekend!

Ain't No Party Like a Crafty Deco Party!

It's pretty well known that the Etsy Dallas members like to party... we even make our craft shows into parties, you know? Each spring and fall right before the Spring Bash and Jingle Bash, we gather at Larry's house & home studio to put decorations together for the event. Larry lets us craft until the floor is covered in tissue scraps, yarn, and at least one person is literally wearing a glass of wine.

This year was no different. Our members got together with some of our guest artists and a few of the best volunteers on the face of the planet to make enough tissue pom poms to fill a house and get our free Make&Take craft table completely stocked for all your DIY desires. Fun was had by all and no one lost any fingers in the antique paper cutter. I'd call that a success!









We hope you'll come party with us at the Spring Bash and enjoy our handmade decorations. Stay tuned to hear more about the DIY crafts we've prepared for you to do at the Make & Take table!

Etsy Dallas Weekend Guide: March 12 + 13



Dowdy Studio Wagon Debuts @ Gypsy Wagon's Handmade Market

Artists and married couple, Dylan and Pamela Dowdy, will reveal their custom-built mobile art shop dubbed the Dowdy Studio Wagon where shoppers can find a variety of one-of-a-kind handmade art lining the shelves. Visitors will receive a free Dowdy Studio Grand Opening T-Shirt (while supplies last). Come be the first to see the exciting and innovative Dowdy Studio Wagon!

Date: Saturday, March 12
Time: 10am-6pm
Where: Gyspy Wagon, 5211 Bonita @ Henderson Ave
Participating Etsy Dallas Members: Dowdy Studio, 2nju
Cost: FREE!!


White Rock Local Market

Date: Saturday, March 12
Time: 8am-1pm
Where: The Green Spot, 702 N. Bucker
Participating Etsy Dallas Member: La Alicia
Cost: FREE!



3rd Annual Funky Finds Spring Fling

Date: Saturday, March 12 + Sunday, March 13
Time: 9am-4pm (Sat), 11am-4pm (Sun)
Where: Poultry Barn, Will Rogers Memorial Center, Ft. Worth
Participating Etsy Dallas Members: Harrilu, maggie may i, childsPLAYdesign, and For the Love of Joy,
Cost: FREE!


posted by Stephanie a.k.a. tefi

We Like to Party!

As a close to 2010, we had a little member shindig over at Larry/the Kessler Craftsman's house in Dallas. We invited all our fellow Etsy Dallas members and their families to celebrate one more year of crafty fun with each other, and the end of 2010. Unfortunately, in the lives of busy artists and crafters, we can't really celebrate the holidays or the end of the year before the end of the year, so naturally this party was held in mid-January.

In celebration of the post-holidays, we had our very own Etsy Dallas style white elephant gift exchange. Each member brought one item from their Etsy shop to play with, and we had a great time politely stealing people's gifts in the game.

When you see Etsy Dallas, you know there's gonna be a photo booth somewhere. We took the photo booth in a totally DIY direction and made all our talented artists create the photo booth backdrop with their own self -portraits. This way it evolved and changed overnight as more pictures were added.

At the end of the evening we flooded Larry's studio with glue guns in hand to a table full of colorful craft supplies. Our mission was to make the most beautiful modern Texas-style mums as possible.
We then had a mum-off. what!?

We picked out 3 favorite mums and gave our winners super Etsy Dallas prizes. Our winners were Keith from Midnight Snack, Laura from Butter Design Lab and Jacky from Hi-Fi Jewelry.

Beautiful job everyone!

Cheers to what we did in 2010, and cheers again to what we can do in 2011.

2011 Member Applications Open!

Apply to the first and oldest city team in all of Texas! Founded in 2007, Etsy Dallas is a cooperative all-volunteer group of artists, crafters and designers living and working in Dallas who sell their work on Etsy.com. The team boasts talent from a range of mediums and crafts, and is independently run by its members. Read more about the team...

2011 Membership applications are available
January 1st - January 14th



Overheard in the Team Forum

One of the advantages of being a team member of Etsy Dallas is having access to our private forum. We chat about all sorts of things crafty and not-so-crafty. Read below to gain a bit of insight into the fun things we here at Etsy Dallas like to chat about!

Any craft gossip you'd like to share with the team? New shops, cool shows, great online resources, etc?

Laura says: Has everyone heard of Spoonflower? It's an online fabric-printing service... pretty awesome.

Carrie says: Here's a secret: I love glitter! It may be the 'herpes of the craft world' (as Pam calls it) but gosh darn it, it makes me happy.

Pamela says: This just came down the pipeline.

What are you working on right now?

Sabrina says: Jenny and I are headed down to Austin this weekend for an ice skating competition-wish us luck (we need it!!).

Cheyne says: I'm hoping to design an entirely new large handbag pattern because I'M TOTALLY GOING TO THE 8TH ANNUAL RENEGADE CRAFT FAIR in CHICAGO!

Patricia says: I'm already starting to list new items for fall/winter and knitting/crocheting at least 6 hours a day so I'm in full production mode.

Laura says: I'm mostly working on work-work stuff, which means upholstery designs for Lilly Pulitzer to come out in the fall.

Larry says: I've just installed a huge 24 x 24 inch pro-level glass kiln....very exciting!

Tefi says: Lots of new jewelry made with rainforest nut beads my mom brought back from Colombia.

Pamela says: Helping Dylan redo his studio for a little photo shoot on Thursday.

Erin says: I plan on doing a lot of jewelry and sewing once my new craft room is up & running. Finally I won't have to hijack the kitchen table when I want to get creative.

Maggie says: Right before I took a break to hop on the computer I was pricing items for the Supplies Me! sale.

Summer says: Got commissioned to paint a big backdrop illustration!

Jacky says: Working on filling an order for the new JFK museum.

What are you looking forward to this year?

Tefi says: Getting drunk at Pam + Dylan's wedding.

Carrie says: Getting a 'real' faculty job.

Laura says: My 30th birthday!

Pamela says: Tefi getting drunk at my wedding.

Kelly says: I am trying to open a retail sewing boutique. I just had about 250 lbs of fabric delivered to my house. I want to cut into all of it!

Chet says: Spending every waking hour preparing materials for my booth at next
month's San Diego Comic Con.


Which celebrity would you totally freak out about if they stopped by your booth at a show and bought your goods?

Tefi says: Colin Firth (apparently, I missed my chance with Bradley Whitford)

Carrie says: David Lynch

Laura says: Zooey Deschanel or Jack White

Patricia says: I'm not big on celebrities and if one comes to buy something probably I will not recognize him/her at all.

Cheyne says: I'd pee myself if I got to meet Bill Murray.

Erin says: Sarah Jessica Parker

Silla says: Henry Cavill from The Tudors. YUMMOLA. He needs him some silla soup up in his hair. (then Tefi says: Uh-uh Silla. No way. Back. Off.)

Larry says: Klaus Moje ..but y'all probably don't know who he is. He's a glass guy.

Summer says: David Sedaris

Jacky says: Lady Gaga

photo credits: Glitter by DorisDotz, Renegade pic by Renegade Craft Fair, Bill Murray by unknown

Compiled and posted by Stephanie "tefi" Hindall

Monkey Love for Our Own ChetArt

An Etsy purchase transforms into an "Automagical" experience.
by Chet Philips of ChetArt

Back in late December I was greeted by a super sized order of 20 prints from my Etsy shop - all monkey-related images. I noticed the buyer was Ben Chestnut, co-founder of email marketing company, MailChimp. I was proud to learn that he planned to pass them out as Christmas presents to his company's employees. Monkey like!


A few weeks passed and it became apparent that the collection of ChetArt Etsy prints lounging in cubicles and on walls around the offices of MailChimp were starting to work some subtle monkey magic.

In January, MailChimp's video impresario extraordinaire, Joshua Rosenbaum, contacted me with details of a project they thought would be just right for me. And how! The job was for a long mural banner to be used for MailChimp's presence at the annual South by Southwest conference in Austin. It would serve as a large announcement to the world of a variety of "Automagic" features the company offers. Read my blog post about the mural.


Their art direction was very straightforward: Invent a whimsical environment with a Rube Goldberg sprinkling of silly devices, add in some monkeys, Steampunk flavor to taste and… a unicorn. The resulting composition was greeted with happy Chimp screams from the entire crew. Read Ben Chestnut's blog post about the mural.

The folks at MailChimp were a total pleasure to work with and the job was satisfying fun. A job, I have to say, would not have happened without Etsy bringing Ben and me together in the first place!

The Couples of Etsy Dallas



Aw, February... Etsy Dallas is by no means immune to the month of LOVE. In fact, many of us believe our significant others are a part of Etsy Dallas, too (and in some cases, they really are team members themselves). We'd love to take some time to introduce you to a few couples of Etsy Dallas.

Erin, of Haute Hardware, and her husband Rod have been together for four years (top left). Erin swears she knew he was a keeper when he helped her at her first craft show, which just so happened to be an outdoor, weekend-long event in the cold of December. And wanna know a secret? Turns out Rod is pretty talented in jewelry making, helping Erin however he can. We're always thrilled to see this pair at our parties and events.

Shay and Jeff (top right) make up Bee Things, one of our most recent additions to the team. The name "Bee Things" comes from Jeff's nickname for Shay - he used to tease her about her things around the house, saying they were her "bee things." They work very closely, dreaming up ideas and then executing each one. Welcome to the team, love birds!

Laura of laura davis/ design lab has been with Etsy Dallas since the First Annual Spring Bash and we feel like we've seen just as much of her boyfriend, Jeff, as we've seen of her! This super cute couple (seen second left) met in a woodworking & metals shop. Jeff comes from an architecture background and you can see some of his diagrams pop up in a few of Laura's drool-worthy embroidery. Although she loves to use super-snarky anti-love phrases, I'd bet there aren't too many of those phrases thrown around their home.

Stephanie, of XY Factory, has been married to her husband Aaron for six years. They work back to back in their little studio - Aaron just recently opened an etsy shop of his own, called Berserk Shirts. Check them out in the second right photo.

James and Carrie (third left), of OneUpDesigns, met in Portland and have been together thirteen (they swear it's lucky) years! They were very sneaky in their interview - it seems they have some top secret colloborative work to unveil at the upcoming Spring Bash. A lucky year indeed!

Our Etsy Dallas founder, Stephanie Hindall of TefiDesigns, has been with her boyfriend Jason since May 23, 2001 (which Stephanie points out is Bonnie & Clyde's death anniversary). Jason has continued to be hugely supportive of Stephanie at shows, when she's working on her jewelry, and of the team. I don't even think he minds us calling him "Tefi's Baby Daddy." Did you see cute baby Ian in the third right photo?

PamelaMichelle and Dylan of DowdyStudio (seen bottom left) are both Leadership Team Members of Etsy Dallas. You can find them sharing a booth and displaying together at local shows. Pamela has even worked a bit on using some of Dylan's art for her jewelry. We can't wait to see all the collaborations to come out of this pairing... 'cause they're totally gettin' hitched in October!!

If you've ever purchased from Harrilu at an event, there's a good chance you met both artist Megan and her husband Michael. It's fairly obvious that she's proud to have such great support: turns out he's pretty handy when a screen need re-stretching or some paperwork needs attention. They stand as proof: you can actually meet the love of your life at a bar on New Years. Who knew!

Jenna, of Wrap Couture, and her husband Justin are always the life of an Etsy Dallas party. Justin helps Jenna out at shows and she returns the favor by helping him out in his photography business. They just celebrated their third wedding anniversary!

We hope you have some special plans for Valentine's Day - whether it's going out, staying in, being with the one you love, or just treating yourself. And if you don't have a Valentine this year, we hope you'll be ours!

- With love from Etsy Dallas
(post written by Cheyne of Cut Out and Collect, who can be seen kissing fellow Etsy Dallas member Thomas, of DowntownRoasters in the bottom right photo).

Meet the 2010 Members!

We are so excited to finally unveil the line-up of our 2010 members. This is one awesome-ly talented group of local Dallas artists and crafters - we couldn't be more pleased! The competition was fierce, and we truly thank everyone who applied. The task was not an easy one! So without further ado, we bring you the 2010 Etsy Dallas Members!


P.S. Check out the following Valentine's Day gift guides to see some of our talented newbies' handmade work!

Apply NOW for 2010 Membership


Now is the time to get your applications in for 2010 Etsy Dallas membership. Before heading over to complete the application form on our website, please read over our initial guidelines and criteria for membership consideration. We're super excited to see all of your shops! Stay crafty, Dallas!

Apply for 2010 Membership to Etsy Dallas

Only 50 spots available for 2010! Applicants will be juried for quality and uniqueness of work and good online presence. In order to qualify for membership, you must:

  1. Live within 30 miles of the center of Dallas TX. We use Google maps for this criterion. Sorry, no exceptions.
  2. Have an active, well-stocked Etsy shop with at least five (5) handmade products listed at all times, unless you are on vacation.
  3. Handmade only! No vintage or supplies sellers, please.

Please consider the above guidelines carefully. If you do not meet the above 3 guidelines but apply anyway, we will not be able to consider you for jury. We also will not be able to contact you individually as we predict over 200 applications!

Etsy Dallas expects members to play an active role in the team. This includes participating in the Google group forum, sharing your knowledge and friendship, organizing and coming to gatherings, contributing to the team blog, and promoting and/or volunteering at our team shows.

If accepted, you must pay $25 in annual dues by 11:59pm February 5th, 2010 after you receive your acceptance email. These dues pay for this web site, team parties, and promotional activities. Acceptance emails will go out by February 1st, 2010.

Benefits of joining Etsy Dallas:

  • Be a part of an active craft collective whose mission is to help each other out and promote the handmade lifestyle in Dallas.
  • Get your shop listed on our team web site and your blog listed on our team blog. Both sites receive tons of hits daily.
  • Get listed on our team profile on Etsy.com.
  • Get a team discount on booths at the Spring Bash and Jingle Bash.
  • Guaranteed spot in the 2010 Bashes so long as you apply and meet all appropriate deadlines and criteria, AND provided there are spaces available (first come, first served).
  • Gain access to our members-only Google group forum where you'll get notices of upcoming shows, selling opportunities, advice on running a handmade business, and forge new friendships!
  • Get invited to our members-only meet-ups, parties and crafty gatherings.
  • Participate in members-only promotional activities to promote and grow your handmade business.

Sound like you qualify? Click here to go straight to the application form!

Scaring Up for Halloween

Etsy Dallas Member BBQ + Silent Auction

















Last month we held a silent auction in conjunction with an Etsy Dallas Member BBQ to benefit the La Reunion Art Chicas Unidas program. Dallas Etsians donated and purchased handmade items from each other to raise money for this wonderful program. We finally got everything settled and checks collected and sent to La Reunion. I'm happy to announce that we raised and donated $200. A big thanks to everyone who participated.

A special thanks to members Carrie and James of OneUpDesigns who hosted the event.

Photo above: Erin/Haute Hardware & Mr. Haute Hardware peruse the silent auction goodies Photo below: Allison Gillies/Fine Artist, Jodi/Jodi von Rotten, Susan/Sadie's Things, Stephanie/Tefi, and Mia/Mia Maria enjoying the BBQ.