Rumor has it September is National Breakfast Month. Are you ready? We can think of no better reason to pretty up your kitchen. If you need a little handmade inspiration to wake up early, we've got you covered. Save us a seat. We'll bring the coffee.
DIY Hair Clips by Holly: All the Deets!
Tune in for More Crafty Fun with Etsy Dallas and The Broadcast
Tune in Monday to The Broadcast. Regina with Regal Cottage will be stopping by to demonstrate creative ways to add pizzaz to a locker, refrigerator, or bulletin board with easy to make glitter flocked magnets.
And on Tuesday, you won't want to miss Holly from Freckled Chicken. She will show us how to make these adorable headbands and flower clips too.
Find your channel to catch all the crafty viewing fun here.
Regina will show us how to transform ordinary magnetic letters, toys, and broken jewels into dazzling treasures that would be great as a back to school gift for students or teachers.
And on Tuesday, you won't want to miss Holly from Freckled Chicken. She will show us how to make these adorable headbands and flower clips too.
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Fall fashion 2013
The September issues have hit the stands. Etsy Dallas has
you covered, as always. Check out our on-trend finds perfect for Fall 2013. We’ve
found something for your closet, office, home and more. Click the image to browse our treasury.
Etsy Dallas Takes TV
Some exciting news for Etsy Dallas! This morning, Etsy Dallas will debut a (LIVE!) crafting segment on KTXD's The Broadcast. We are so excited to have an opportunity to bring some great crafting projects to the air--tutorials that will help you avoid the Pinterest Pitfall (oh yeah, we've allllllllll had one).
We are committed to bringing you tested tutorials that are proven to work with materials you have on hand--or can get easily. We'll also offer variations on each project--so whether you're a crafting novice or crafting pro, you can craft with confidence.
Regina and Jenni will open things with a Green Your Lunchbox segment featuring cute (and easy!) ways to help your family reduce waste: a no-sew fabric sandwich wrap (none of that yucky and questionable plastic hanging out on your food) and some ways to make a bento box the star of the lunch table.
If you've already seen the segment, we're thrilled you came to visit the blog! If you haven't seen it, check it out.
Hope to see you back with a new Etsy Dallas member each week!
We are committed to bringing you tested tutorials that are proven to work with materials you have on hand--or can get easily. We'll also offer variations on each project--so whether you're a crafting novice or crafting pro, you can craft with confidence.
Regina and Jenni will open things with a Green Your Lunchbox segment featuring cute (and easy!) ways to help your family reduce waste: a no-sew fabric sandwich wrap (none of that yucky and questionable plastic hanging out on your food) and some ways to make a bento box the star of the lunch table.
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| Written tutorial forthcoming! |
If you've already seen the segment, we're thrilled you came to visit the blog! If you haven't seen it, check it out.
Hope to see you back with a new Etsy Dallas member each week!
Etsy Dallas meets Pouf
From handbags for special occasions and everyday, cutie-pie clothes for your littles, jewelry and gifts for you and your groom, sweet enclosure cards and fine photographic prints, to accessories to style your 'do la la, you'll find something you'll fall in love with at the Pop-up Shop @ Pouf.
Take a peek at some of the gems you'll find in the sweetest pop-up shop in Dallas.
Take a peek at some of the gems you'll find in the sweetest pop-up shop in Dallas.
Pop-up Shop at Pouf
Our long-time Team Etsy Dallas fans will remember
distinguished alumna, Maryam, the creative force behind the lifestyle blog and
shop Pamplemousse1983. She’s recently put her blog on hiatus, and closed her
cutie pie Etsy shop some time ago, but she hasn’t been sitting idle, that’s for
sure.
Together with her business partner Nas, Maryam opened Pouf
at the end of April. Pouf is Mockingbird Station’s best blowout spot—and I
daresay the best in Dallas. This jewel box blowout salon is so luscious it
makes you want to move right in or at least schedule a weekly appointment. It’s
luxurious, stylish, and locally owned: three of our favorite words here at Etsy
Dallas.
So when Maryam contacted us about hosting a Pop-up Shop at
Pouf, we said yes so fast our perfectly-coiffed tresses shook. (Okay, when she
called, our tresses were not perfectly coiffed, but they will be when you see
us next because we booked an appointment ASAP.)
On Saturday, August 17, 2013, from 3-7pm, Pouf and Etsy
Dallas are hosting a Pop-Up Shop featuring five Etsy Dallas artists, carefully
curated by Maryam to reflect the vibrancy of her Pouf clients.
We hope you’ll join us on Saturday and pop in for some shopping and
maybe some ‘do la la! Check back tomorrow for feature on the five Etsy Dallas artists who'll be joining us on Saturday (K8 Made, The Freckled Chicken, YLK Photography, estieMade, and Silla Soup).
You'll look fabulous, dahling!
--Jenni
Make this the best semester yet
Back to school means shopping for your backpack, closet and home. Here's a treasury with a little bit of something for everyone gearing up for the new semester. Click the image to go directly to the treasury.
Beats for Beckham
Five-month-old Beckham has been through so much including
open-heart surgery. He was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS)
meaning the left side of his heart did not develop. His mom and dad, Lindsey
and Beto, say they are hoping for a miracle.
Life in Deep Ellum, a local cultural center built for the
artistic, social, economic, and spiritual benefit of Deel Ellum and urban
Dallas, has organized Beats for Beckham. The city-wide garage sale, festival
and fundraiser takes place 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. July 20.
The goal for the event is to raise money to help with Beckham’s
hospital bills, with 80 percent going to help the family and 20 percent going
to a foundation that researches HLHS in Beckham’s name. Find out how you can help, and be sure to get your tickets for Beats for Beckham.
Etsy Dallas is a proud sponsor of the event, which will
feature 10 bands and DJs on two stages, zip lines, food trucks, The Dallas Mavs
Dancers, bounce houses and lots of shopping. Etsy Dallas will have a team
de-stash sale with all proceeds being donated. We will also have a
make-and-take table set up. Come say hello.
We love you, Beckham!
Artist profile: The Kessler Craftsman
Larry Pile, The Kessler Craftsman, has exercised a lot of
different creative muscles to hit upon his niche in fused glass and
woodworking. He is a full-time
artist with a straightforward approach to remaining self-supporting by
producing quality work at reasonable prices.
He recently took part in a Q&A session with Liz Day.
Liz: When did you start creating?
Larry: I’ve been creative all my life. First musically. Then
painting. Then photography. Then music again. Then furniture, stained glass
and, of late, fused glass and sterling silver.
Liz: What brought you to glass and furniture making?
Larry: I took a stained glass class so as to build windows
for my 1926 Tudor home. It
blossomed from there. I needed frames for my stained glass pieces and so bought
some small woodworking tools. Then I tried to make a piece of furniture. First
a pair of crude Adirondack chairs, which I still have and still love, and then
a fine Mission-style sofa table, which I sold for $600 at my very first art
show of all time.
Liz: When did you start calling yourself an artist?
Larry: Last week? Who knows? Calling oneself
an artist takes courage and confidence; both of which have evolved over time.
Liz: Was it a defining moment?
Larry: My defining moment was during an interview with a
newspaper reporter, in advance of ArtFest, 2009 or 2010. She asked me about my
evolving fused glass work and I realized at that very moment that I’d moved
from stained-glass-style geometric pieces with defined shaped to a much more
free-form, interpretive, evocative and courageous style – something that
happened so slowly that even I didn’t see it!
Liz: What would you tell an artist starting out?
Larry: Listen to your inner voice. Don’t underprice your
work. Don’t think you can’t be an artist until you do it full time and make a
living at it. I know very, very few artists who make their sole living (and
without support from a spouse, etc) at art. It’s always been that way!
Liz: A discouraged artist?
Larry: Get objective advice from people who will tell you
the truth. Listen to that advice and heed it. If you thoroughly enjoy your work
but it won’t sell, try to cease defining yourself by sales. Many successful,
starving artists didn’t sell well during their lifetime. However you define
yourself as an artist, YOU are responsible for pulling yourself out of
discouragement. Don’t expect anyone else to do this for you. In fact, no one
else can do this for you. This is true for all aspects of life.
Liz: What is your best marketing advice?
Larry: Simple: Market your work. Most folks love to create,
but they don’t like to market. Figure out how you’re going to market and do it
more than is comfortable. Stretch
your boundaries in marketing. Be okay with “no thanks.” Ask gallery owners,
shop owners, other successful Etsy sellers what works for selling from their
perspective. And then try it. If your work is decent and fairly priced, if it
is not selling, you’re not marketing it the right way. If you ever expect to
sell to galleries, gift shops, etc, you have to price ALL of your work so that
you can give wholesale (30-50 percent discounts) on your work. You can’t raise
the price just for gift shop/galleries. Owners watch for that and will not work
with you if you do this. This comes down to valuing and measuring your time,
materials and, ultimately, your worth.
Scenes from our Craft Party 2013
This year we were delighted to team up with CityCraft for one extraordinary Craft Party! We had such a blast making and meeting. We made all sorts of merit badges and some of the more adventurous hopped on the sewing machines to give them a whirl. Yony from YLK Photography took these amazing photos and is sharing even more shots from this wonderful night on our team flickr page.
Craft On!
Ready to Craft Party!
We are finishing up the final details for our local Etsy Craft Party, and all we need is you! We hope you will join us this Thursday night at CityCraft where we will come together as a community to create.
We will have 3 fun projects provided by Etsy, Inc. and CityCraft will have the sewing machines set up for us and give us access to their glorious scrap collection. (YES!) We will also have snacks, desserts, beer, and a photo booth to add to the festivities.
This event is free and all ages are welcome. So come on down to CityCraft at 5460 W. Lovers Lane on Thursday, June 20th from 7-9pm.
We will have 3 fun projects provided by Etsy, Inc. and CityCraft will have the sewing machines set up for us and give us access to their glorious scrap collection. (YES!) We will also have snacks, desserts, beer, and a photo booth to add to the festivities.
This event is free and all ages are welcome. So come on down to CityCraft at 5460 W. Lovers Lane on Thursday, June 20th from 7-9pm.
Weekend Guide: June 8 + 9
The Dime Summer Bazaar
Date: Saturday, June 8th
Time: 10am-4pm
Location: 400 E. Hickory Street, Denton
More Info: https://www.facebook.com/dimehandmade
Participating Etsy Dallas Members: Dowdy Studio, Christie Cone Ceramics, Fuzzy Muffins
Hello, Summer!
A few finds to sweeten your summer. 
Mer-Jack Ladies Tee by Dowdy Studio
Sweet Citrus and Lavender Body Scrub by The Pig and the Peacock
Obsidian and Coral Chevron Necklace by estieMade
Travel Laundry Bag by Jenni20 Designs
Red Bicycle Notebook by MadebyRori
Blue Yonder Photographic Print by YLK Photography
Weekend Guide: May 30 - June 1st
Design District Market
Date: Thursday, May 30th
Time: 6-10pm
Location: 300 Cole St. Between Dragon and Slocum, Dallas
More Info: http://designdistrictmarket.com
Participating Etsy Dallas Members: Regal Cottage, Dowdy Studio, estieMade
Etsy Pop-Up at West Elm
Date: Saturday, June 1st
Time: 1-6pm
Location: Mockingbird Station, inside West Elm store
More Info: West Elm blog
Participating Etsy Dallas Members: YLK Photography, Honeycomb Print Shop
Date: Saturday, June 1st
Time: 4pm+
Location: Gexa Energy Center, Fair Park, Dallas
More Info: KXT's Summer Cut website
Participating Etsy Dallas Members: Dowdy Studio
CRAFT PARTY! June 20th at CityCraft
It's that most awesome time of year again--the time of year we celebrate Etsy's birthday!
This year, we are pairing up with the fun folks at CityCraft. The theme is CRAFT FOR COMMUNITY, so we knew Callie & the CityCraft gals would be the perfect partner as they are also dedicated to crafting for good.
Please join us for an evening of craft and fun, June 20, from 7-9. Please RSVP (though the event is FREE!) so we can make sure there's enough crafty goodness to go around. http://etsycraftparty-etsydallas.eventbrite.com/
Daily Discoveries: all that glitters ...
Add a little shine to your week. Go for the handmade gold with these lovely finds from the Etsy Dallas team. (Clockwise from top left): YLK photography, Jenni20 Designs, estieMade, Creative Input by Liz
Weekend Guide: May 23 + 24 + 25
Etsy Handmade Gifts and Mini Market
Time: 6-8pm
Location: West Elm at Mockingbird Station, 5307 East Mockingbird Lane, Dallas
More Info: Mockingbird Station website
Participating Etsy Dallas Members: K8made, Two Clay Hands
Pegasus Plaza Market
Time: 11am-3pm
Location: Main & Akard, Downtown Dallas
More Info: http://deepellummarket.com/
Participating Etsy Dallas Member: Dowdy Studio
Farmers Branch Liberty Fest
Date: Saturday, May 25th
Time: 12-9pm
Location: Farmers Branch Historical Park, 2540 Farmers Branch Lane, Farmers Branch
More Info: http://fblibertyfest.com
Participating Etsy Dallas Member: Regal Cottage
Spring Bash recap
If you made it to the 5th annual Etsy Dallas Spring Bash, you know how awesome it was. If not, check out the photos below for a little taste. We had perfect weather and a great turnout. Thank you to everyone who came to show their love for handmade greatness!
Weekend Guide: May 17 + 18 + 19
Fort Worth Music Fest
Date: Friday, May 17th & Saturday, May 18th
Time: Friday 3-11pm Saturday 1-11pm
Location: Panther Island Pavilion, 395 Purcey StreetFort Worth, Texas 76102
More Info: http://www.fwfest.com
Participating Etsy Dallas Member: Dowdy Studio
Renegade Craft Fair
Time: 11am-7pm
Location: Palmer Auditorium, Austin, TX
More Info: Renegade Craft website
Participating Etsy Dallas Member: Both Hands Studio
Brew Riot
Time: 4-8pm
Location: Bishop Arts District, 400 block of N. Bishop Ave, Dallas, TX
More Info: http://www.brewriot.com
Participating Etsy Dallas Member: Dowdy Studio