Gift Guide: Cool Mom Must Haves

Mother's Day is just around the corner, and you can find some of the best gifts for cool moms at the 5th Annual Spring Bash.


Guest artist, Anna Tovar, paints amazing custom watercolor portraits. A mom who is always behind the camera and never in front would love a portrait of herself or maybe even the whole family!


Every mom appreciates nice jewelry, and this Gold Feather Necklace from f. is for Frank is a versatile piece that would dress up any outfit.


Stylish moms will love this Market Tote by Butter Design Lab. Made from reclaimed leather and Kantha quilts, it is both eco-friendly and gorgeous. It's large enough to carry all the essentials and still have room for the kiddos' tagalongs. 


Busy moms on the go can get their work done in style with an iPad Cozy from Jenni20 Designs. 



A Nature Textured Mug by Christie Cone Ceramics is a functional piece of art for the tea or coffee loving mom.


And, how about a Lace Embossed Pocket Planter from Both Hands Studio? Succulents are all the rage, and they are so stunning in these terra cotta planters. These can even be hung on the wall. 

So whether you are shopping for your own Mother, a new Mom, or a Mom-to-Be, the Spring Bash on April 27th is the place to find gifts that she is sure to love!

Calling all volunteers!

Attention awesome people (yeah, we’re talking to you!):

Etsy Dallas is on the search for volunteers for this year's bigger and better Spring Bash. This is a great opportunity to share in the fun and get a super-sneaky look at the behind-the-scenes operations of a Bash.

Come hang out with some crazy, crafty people. The Bash happens 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 27 at the Shops at Park Lane. We need volunteers for the following shifts:
  • 9 a.m. to Noon
  • Noon to 3 p.m.
  • 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
  • 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Sign up HERE to volunteer. Please let us know your preferred shift(s). If you have a preferred job preference, please indicate that as well.

Please also provide your T-shirt size when you respond. This is one of the many perks of being a Spring Bash volunteer. (Not to mention various and sundry goodies and everlasting Etsy Dallas love...) 

We would be super-excited to have you on board and make this the very best Etsy Dallas Spring Bash ever!

Spring Awakening: In the Pink

It's no secret I love pink. Just take a peek at my logo and many of the things in my shop, Jenni20 Designs.

And though spring means cute baby animals, tender shoots of plants pushing out of the dirt, trees blossoming in riotous colors before leafing out in green, green, and more green, spring is also a great time to bring back pink. After all, pink and green are great partners, no?

Even if pink isn't your thing (although I can't believe it!), I'm sure you know and adore someone who loves to live life in the pink. Perhaps you can share some of these blushing beauties with them.

Click on the photoset below to find out which Etsy Dallas artist made these lovelies!

etsy dallas

Weekend Guide: April 5 + 6 + 7

The DIME Store Grand Opening

Date: Friday, April 5th and Saturday, April 6th
Time: Friday: 6-9pm, Saturday: 10am-6pm
Location: 510 Locust St., Denton
Participating Etsy Dallas Member: Fuzzy Muffins, Christie Cone Ceramics



Urban Street Bazaar

Date: Saturday, April 6th and Sunday, April 7th
Time: Sat 11-8pm, Sun 11-4pm
Location: Bishop Arts District, Dallas
More Info: http://makeitindiegenius.com/vendors/
Participating Etsy Dallas Member: Dowdy Studio



A peek in the studio (Fuzzy Muffins)


Emily, of Fuzzy Muffins, is ready to take you on a tour of her studio...

When I moved into our current Dallas home, I knew I needed to have a cohesive workspace, which really just meant I needed to put all of the things I use while creating Fuzzy Muffins in one area. I’m a graphic designer by day, so I wanted to integrate my design workspace with my crafting workspace. I quickly learned that involves a lot of shelving and drawers. 

Cue: IKEA. I purchased a dresser/drawer storage system for my piles and piles of fleece, a paper organizer for all my graphic design goodies and plush tagging supplies, and a massive bookshelf to house my design books and other plushie supplies (sewing box, baskets of yarn and baskets of excess fabric). All in all, everything is within reach!



It’s nice to be able to finish up a design project, then just roll my little chair on over to my sewing machine to make a huggable dino. But the main plus? Natural light. The entire office is surrounded by windows, which means I can really tell what color fleece I’m working with. There’s no, “Wait, is this navy or black?” Whew!

 
In my last “studio” I had a massive desk, which seemed like a great idea at the time, but after a while a realized... too much surface space = a very messy surface space. If anyone out there is looking to redo their office/studio any time soon, my recommendation: get a desk that allows you enough room to work comfortably, but doesn’t allow you to accumulate clutter. In my experience, a cluttered desk leads to a cluttered work process. You don’t want too many distractions when it’s craft show season.

For tiny pieces, like plastic safety eyes or noses, I use magnetic boxes to keep everything separated and organized. This would work great for jewelry makers or anybody else who needs to keep small parts in order.




It may be a small space, but it gets the job done. In the meantime, I’m off to go make some more Fuzzy Muffins! See y’all around.

 

Studio snacks


Miranda, of Emm8Apparel, has some tasty tips for studio-appropriate snacks.

According to science, chewing stimulates brain activity. (I thought I had made this up but turns out it’s real. Look it up.) So I can’t think of a better time to eat than creative time! 
 
There are just a few guidelines to follow when snacking in the studio: nothing drippy, sticky, greasy, stain-y or crumbly. For me, this means mini wraps. Here are a few of my favorites with clever titles just for you guys.


The Classic Kid-Comfort: A crunchy roll up fluffer-nutter


Ingredients: flour tortillas, marshmallow fluff, natural peanut butter, Cheerios
Spread a spoonful of marshmallow fluff in the center of the tortilla. Spread half a spoonful of peanut butter just beside the fluff. Sprinkle with Cheerios. Roll and engulf.


The Do What Now?: Random ingredients = yum


Ingredients: flour tortillas, cream cheese, chocolate chips, craisins, chopped walnuts (optional)
Spread ¾ of the tortilla with cream cheese. Sprinkle chocolate chips all over (I usually use about a tablespoon per tortilla). Microwave for 10-20 seconds. Sprinkle craisins and walnuts on the cream cheese/choco chip meltyness. Roll and devour.


The Healthy: Eat your vegetables


Ingredients: flour tortillas, hummus, spinach, chopped bell pepper, shredded cheese (optional)

Spread the whole tortilla with a thin layer of hummus. The spread helps to keep bits from falling out of the roll while you eat. Layer on spinach, pepper and cheese like you are making a taco. Add shredded cheese if you so desire. Roll and feel good.

Curbside crawls that inspire

Earth Month is just days away, and Liz of Creative Input By Liz is sharing a little bit of her upcycling inspiration.

Reduce, recycle, reuse. I hear these words a great deal, maybe because I am totally immersed in the movement. I started recycling when I would have to lug a trunkful to any place that recycled. Luckily, today we have curbside pick-up. Speaking of curbsides, I do a curbside crawl on trash days looking for items people consider disposable. My son’s solid wood dresser is from one of my hunts. If I can’t use it, I donate it. 

This habit of hunting for recyclables or items to repurpose has transferred to my art. My favorite sources are estate sales, resale stores, Etsy, and eBay. I also gather inspiration from my search. I consider my ventures to be of divine providence since I have no idea what I will find that will spark my imagination. 

I look for metals in silver-plated trays, copper, brass, and colorful tins. I haven’t stumbled upon anyone with well-priced sterling but I keep my hopes up. I cut up these metal finds to create upcycled jewelry. I also search for pre-vinyl records, books, broken jewelry, belts, vintage wallpaper, and anything I can cut up, use for texture, put in resin or use as a tool.


The photo above is of a piece made from a cookie tin with some great designs and colors. The circular bracelet below was made from a belt and what used to be a copper vase. The cross piece is riveted onto a portion of a brass planter.


Jacky Sylvie with Hi Fi Jewelry brings her love of music to the world of upcycling with her fantastic necklace made from vinyl records. The records I use come from the early 1900s, before vinyl, and are much thicker. I picked up a batch from an estate sale thinking they were worth a bundle. No such luck. Somehow I decided to soften them in the oven and cut them with cookie cutters to create pendants. The one below is my favorite.
The metals I scour for are anything from trays and vases to brass planters. There are some silver plated pieces that are plated onto copper. I particularly remember large compote I found with a beautiful bird and flower design. I raced home to cut it while preserving the design. It will make a beautiful necklace for the Etsy Dallas Spring Bash in April.

Some Time Summertime


Hey there. I’m Miranda and this is my first Etsy Dallas Blog post. Hooray! My shop, Emm8Apparel, sells contemporary clothing that takes classic silhouettes and adds a little rock and roll. 

I built a playlist around the theme of running away and I listen to it in the studio. It keeps me totally pumped, inspired and focused on what I’m creating.


  
The theme of my summer collection is Running Away. I was really captured by a song on My Chemical Romance’s Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys called Summertime. It’s about two people running away from brutal enemies in a post-apocalyptic California. Or more generally, and for my own purposes, it’s about two people leaving their problems behind in search of a better life elsewhere.

Here's my playlist:

My Chemical Romance- Summertime
Arcade Fire- Keep the Car Running
Something Corporate- Woke Up In A Car
Sarah Jaffe- Clementine
Milo Green- 1957
The Killers- Runaway
Passion Pit- Take a Walk
Frank Sinatra- Come Fly With Me

Enjoy!

Weekend Guide: March 14 + 15 + 16 + 17


Custom Green Dowdy Tee Week

Date: March 13th-March 15th
Time: Wednesday 12-6pm, Thursday 12-8pm and Friday 12-3pm
Location: Dowdy Studios, 10025 Garland Rd #G, Dallas,TX
More Info: http://dowdystudio.blogspot.com/2011/03/wheres-that-wagon.html
Participating Etsy Dallas Member: Dowdy Studio


Dallas Arts District Spring Break Block Party


 Date: Friday, March 15th
Time: 6pm - Midnight
Location: Flora and Harwood Streets, Dallas, TX
More Info: http://www.thedallasartsdistrict.org/events/spring-break-block-party-2
Participating Etsy Dallas Member: Dowdy Studio
Four Corners Brewing Brewery Tour

Date: Saturday, March 16th
Time: 12:30 - 3pm
Location: 423 Singleton Boulevard, Dallas, TX
More Info: http://www.fcbrewing.com/
Participating Etsy Dallas Member: Dowdy Studio

From Chaos to Creative

It’s time for a peek inside the studio with Liz of Creative Input By Liz.

I get distracted easily, an understatement to be sure.  With my creative endeavors strewn all over 2000+ square feet, two children, three dogs and a husband, my wheels were spinning and I was frustrated ‘cause I couldn’t settle down to work without looking for something or tripping over a mammal from my household.  If I was in the bedroom working, inevitably I would need a thingy in the office on the opposite side of the house.  Then I would forget what the heck I was looking for by the time I arrived in the office.  Ugh.

Enter my friend, neighbor, and fellow jewelry artist, Jean.  I will call her simply, goddess of get-it-done.  She offered to help me make a studio in the garage.  I thought she was crazy.  She is just one of those people who enjoy helping the overwhelmed people do the undoable.  So, when she arrived with her get-it-done crown on and her words were, “There are only two things that should happen in a bedroom.”  I guessed correctly that making jewelry wasn’t one of those two. We got buzzy.
 
I was already parking my car outside the garage so I could store my curbside “treasures” that I was going to restore/repurpose into wonderful objects of beauty and awe.  Needless to say, the garage was full and no projects were completed. The first step was to create the creative space. Since I already had my big-girl pants on, I loaded up my mom van and gave the treasures to charity.  On the way home, I felt lighter; a van load lighter.  Space created, check.  
The kiln and a work table were already in the garage.  Everything else, everything, was taken from all over the house.  After a solid eight hours, Jean left me with the bones of my new studio and a sense of accomplishment. I wouldn't say all my stuff is arranged, but every day, I organize. Every day I find something I was looking for and/or find two of what I was looking for a month ago. Every day I have a place to go that is mine. 

 Part of making the studio a place for designing, is having color, inspiring books, pictures, words, and meaningful tchotchkes around me. 

Walter Soza has a print called "Barcelona, Espana" that would hit the color aspect. I enjoy the way the colors overlap each other.




And, under my inspiring words category I would love to have the print, "Don't put off being creative" by Brandon Griswold of Honeycomb Print Shop. My point is to construct a space that is a reflection of me, for my spirit. Thursday, my mission was to get a TV in the garage so I wouldn’t feel like I was missing my shows, mainly Dallas Stars hockey.  I got a ginormous TV for cheap from CCA and picked up a set-top box.  Mission accomplished. The kids have watched more on the TV than I have, but now I am not missing anything. My studio is perfect for me.




Today, I sit at my desk in my studio typing this post.  I have music on, a dog by my feet, and my coffee cup close.  I am sure this is Heaven for me.  Check back in the summer, I may be singing a different tune.

Spring Break

Whether you're lucky enough to actually pack your bags this March or just need a little mental Spring Break, here are some great handmade travel goodies curated by Jenni of Jenni20 Designs. (She knows a thing or two about travel, y'all.)

***

The sun was warm yesterday as I sat on a patio with good friends sipping good brews. We might have left our wild and crazy school days behind to work 9-5 jobs, but who says we have to leave SPRING BREAK behind, too?

Here are some hand-crafted items from fellow Etsy Dallas members and a few travel tips I've picked up along the way.

1. Being organized doesn't have to be boring...
Tuck your passport into an oilcloth passport cover and never fumble around in the bottom of your bag for it when it's your turn to step from behind the yellow line.


passport cover by Jenni20 Designs
 

2. Postcards are so 20th century...
Send along some snail mail they'll actually love. (Wish you were here, dear!)


hello dear by PaperBeatsRock


3. Leave your pet sitter with a fashionable key chain they wouldn't dare lose...
Of course, it might be difficult to get your keys back when you return because it's so awesome, but that's for another blog post.

leather key chain by Gildem


4. Hotel amenities can be hit or miss...
Have sensitive skin or just like to shower with your favorite scent? It's best to bring your own soap.


handmade glycerin soap by The Pig and the Peacock


5. People like interesting vacation stories...
Meet a celebrity on the beach? Need to reflect on the interesting encounter you had with a handsome stranger in an art museum? Keep all your wicked thoughts in one place--and then tell me when you get back!


hand stamped moleskine by Made by Rori


6. Always eat where the locals eat...
Always. Trust me on this.


print by Squint Photography



Etsy Dallas Announces Handmade Bash for 2013

We here at Etsy Dallas have been on a crafty roll lately. We've welcomed back many old friends as members and have gathered a crop of new ones, too. And our board members have been working on secret stuff that we can now share with you!


That's right: our 5th Annual Spring Bash will be held on April 27, 2013, just in time for all of the spring and summer weddings you'll be attending, graduation gifts that you'll need to send off, and of course we can't forget Mother's Day and Father's Day!

Everything that makes the Spring Bash the best (FREE!) ticket in town will be available this year at our new venue: The Shops at Park Lane. Our shop + party + art + craft will be held on the green, a gorgeous tree-lined green space right off Central and Park Lane.

We hope you will make plans now to spend the day with us under the big white tent. Our famous BASH BAGS will be available for the first 50 shoppers, there will be DIY crafts at make and take tables, along with great jams playing, excellent food available, and free and plentiful parking!

If you're a vendor (you don't have to be a member of Etsy Dallas!), check out our application packet.

Gift Guide: Loveliest Wishes

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and it's time to think about your sweeties. Today, Regina from Regal Cottage shares her loveliest wish list from the Etsy Dallas team. Hope her lovey dovey is tuned in...

Cotton and Linen Clutch by K8made
Love Parasol by DCimaginations
Heart Pocket Planter by Both Hands Studio
Violet Geode Slice Necklace by estieMade

Saying Goodbye to a Creative Force and Friend: Patricia


It is with a sad heart that we share the news with you that a dedicated and beloved team member, Patricia passed away on January 23 following a long battle with cancer. Her creativity and kindness will be greatly missed. Back in early 2008 when Etsy Dallas was just getting its legs, Patricia of Karmacrochet joined the team. She jumped in with enthusiasm, never hesitating to offer help and advice, and always a little humor. Please join us in remembering Patricia:
Patricia in Advocate Magazine, image credit: Can Turkyilmaz
Patricia and Stephanie at the 2010 Etsy Birthday Party

“I'll always remember one Jingle Bash when a client wrecked her display (think items everywhere, a collapsed garment rack, the works) and Patricia just shrugged and laughed a big booming laugh...and efficiently went about setting it to rights without making the client or the rest of us feel awkward or in the way. It seems to me that's how she handled most things, with a laugh and a shrug that said things could be worse.” Jenni of Jenni20 Designs



“I remember being a newbie to the group years ago and going to my first Etsy Dallas meeting where I didn't know a single person. Patricia and I chatted for a while about this and that, and out of the blue she said, ‘I can tell you have a good heart and a good mind.’ I don't know why she said what she did, maybe she sought to comfort my unease...or if it was just Yoda-like encouragement. What I do know is that she was a big part in how I got comfortable here. I will miss her raspy laugh, her crazy accent and her presence.” Silla of sillasoup
“I remember meeting Patricia before we joined Etsy Dallas at our first ever show. We were a hot mess, and she took us under her wing and helped us make heads and tails of how to do a show. She even went out of her way once to help us plan a visit to Buenos Aires a few years back, giving us names to her favorite restaurants and drawing us maps!” Sabrina and Jenny of The Pig and the Peacock


Image: from L to R Pam (Dowdy Studio), Morgan (Etsy Inc.), Stephanie (tefi), Anne (Modest Ambition), Patricia, Dylan (Dowdy Studio), Cheyne (Etsy Inc.), Maggie (maggie may i), Regina (Regal Cottage)

Patricia was more than a teammate. She was my friend. We did shows together, traveled together, lunched together and, above all, laughed together – a lot. Patricia was intensely creative. She designed all of her knitted and crocheted items, never using a pattern.


Patricia and Sam

 Did you buy any of Patricia’s handmade items? Please share your memories and stories in the comments section. Help us pay tribute to an integral and unforgettable Etsy Dallas team member, creative force, and friend.

Stephanie of tefi
Etsy Dallas Founder

Oh, happy day!


 The 2012 Shop Hop: The Jammie Bash was our team's way of saying...

THNKS!


We know that you have tons of shopping options available at the holidays...and everyday...and we just wanted to say thanks for loving and shopping handmade!

All of our winning entries have been verified and the eight lucky winners contacted via email. So, if you're one of these lucky folks, check your email!

Adrianne D.
Leslie M.
Dolores T.
Chelsea G.
lynet w.
Colleen L.
Brooke C.
Elizabeth P.

If you're not one of these eight lucky winners, don't worry, we still love you! AND we have lots of exciting things in store for 2013!

So get ready to fall in love with Etsy Dallas all over again...



End of the Year Party: Deep Ellum Brewing Company


The Etsy Dallas Fun Squad organizes awesome social events throughout the year for our team, but they really outdid themselves for our end of the year party. Our team meeting included a brewery tour and tasting at the Deep Ellum Brewing Company. 

The weather was wet and dreary, but it didn't dampen our fun.

Inside it was cozy, and there were some great tunes too.

We can all appreciate the artistry that goes into these great brews.

Of course, we were able to squeeze in some important team business too. We had an eventful and productive year in 2012, and even more exciting things are already in the works for 2013.