Etsy Treasures: Pouncing on Mother's Day

Mother Canvas $10 | redpaintbrush

Mother's day is only two weeks away. There's still time to purchase your gift from Etsy for your mother, grandmother, favorite aunt, godmother, or friend. Here are a few selections found through the Pounce: Undiscovered Shops feature on Etsy. So pounce on these beauties and be the first to buy from one of these burgeoning sellers.

Love Necklace $25 | TheHeartShop

Gold Flower Bobby Pin Pair $14 | empressbarrettes

Little Pouch $25 | stbthreadworks

Blush Earrings $120 | MozJewelry

Written by Hannah Spencer

Why Have an Etsy Shop?

photo by madeinlowell 

Etsian MadeinLowell wrote a nice post about the benifits of having an etsy shop, even if you don't have TONS of sales.  A big thanks to @esty for passing this along through twitter!  View the blog post here , and don't forget to stop by the MadeinLowell etsy shop .

Etsy Treasures: Eco-Chic

Protect our Earth Short Sleeve Onesie $13 | potatopatch

My sister recently gave me a beautiful pair of lime green socks, reading “ECO-CHIC” in bold print. We both got a good chuckle out of the socks, as “eco-chic” is one of the funny catch phrases that I have been guilty of over-utilizing. However, when I examined the socks more closely, I noticed that they were 100% polyester! No bamboo, cotton, or hemp, or even recycled polyester – just 100% of unsustainable, petroleum-produced material.

This little incident started me thinking: how much do I take for face value? If a product reads “eco-friendly,” I am more likely to buy that item rather than the one sitting next to it despite the fact that I really do not know how friendly this product is for our world.

Thankfully, we consumers have the entire world wide web to research for more ideas on how we can fully live out those three “R’s” – recycle, reuse, and reduce! We also have Etsy artisans who make some beautiful and truly eco-friendly products. Here are some Etsy products to help you live a more sustainable and eco-chic lifestyle. 

Be sure to check out Etsy's Voter Storque article on Eco-friendly products this week as well as their Environmentally Friendly gift-guide selection. Don't let eco-chic become just a phrase!

Recycled IBC Root Beer Glasses (Set of 4) $20 | YAVAglass

Hand Cut Recycled Glass Soy Candle $16 | autumncomfort

3 Reusable Le Petit Sandwich Bags $15.99 | evelynfields

European Market Bag (made of Jute) $22 | vasilizia 

Glide Repurposed Envelope Set $5 | maidenlove

Written by Hannah Spencer

Swag #73 - Dingbat Press Thank You Cards!

Swing by one of our favorite places - the dingbat press blog - to win a set of these butterfly thank you notes.

Enter by Tuesday April 21st!

Design Freebies - Textures

Lately in my own work I've been exploring textures.  I'm not quite ready to bring any of my creations to my etsy shop yet, but adding this new dimension to my digital art has been intriguing.

This journey has led me all around the web looking for high-res resources to create textures from.  Today I stumbled upon a very interesting site called Lost and Taken.  The thing that sets Lost and Taken apart from the myriad of free texture sites out there is the obvious thought behind the textures they offer.  Most sites will only have the old standards, concrete, paper, fabric.  Lost and Taken offers unique, inspiring, textures such as light blurs, and bubbles.

Download this light blur texture pack at lostandtaken.com 

Download this bubble texture pack at lostandtaken.com 

They also have a lively blog that contains links to all kinds of useful resource sites for digital designers, check it out here .

And just for fun, here's a few more of my favorite texture finds today.

Free Texture Tuesday: Concrete @ bittbox   

Denim Textures @ Six Revisions 

Wood Texures @ HRS 

Clay & Concrete Texures @ HRS

Happy texture hunting! 

Etsy Find: Leaf Silhouettes by Jenny Lee Fowler

These hand cut silhouettes by Jenny Lee Fowler made my morning.  I have always loved silhouettes, and these pieces have been taken to a new level of texture and color by the variety of materials Jenny uses in her etsy shop.  Her prices are amazingly decent as well!  

Photo by Jenny Lee Fowler

Photo by Jenny Lee Fowler

Photo by Jenny Lee Fowler

 

Twitter Friend Find - ArtMind

On grey and rainy Chicago days, like today, I need a little more than green tea or coffee to get my creative fires stoked.  Often I'll turn to my twitter feed for inspiration. It never takes more than moment to find an exciting artist with amazing work.  

photo by ArtMind 

It took me about three seconds to stumble into Artmind's etsy shop from my twitter feed. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found when I got there, small 3" ceramic sculptures that are made to order, each representing a feeling.

photo by ArtMind 

I try to resist the urge to buy a slew of "feelings" right then and push on through Artmind's shop. A few moments more and I find these amazing translucent greeting cards.   Each card contains a small stuffed felt creation . . .

photo by ArtMind 

photo by ArtMind 

I would absolutely treasure receiving this card if I were sick, being the sentimental old softy that I am.  Artmind has a whole range of topics for these cards, such as the "new home" version I plan on purchasing for a friend who just bid on their first house - check them out here.  

A peek into her profile tells me that ArtMind's creations are made by Mitsy, a belgim based artist who hates "snails and the slimy trail they leave behind," and loves "the smell of books."  As I read her profile I am struck by how well it fits the description of how to write your profile as recommended by etsy, informational, professional, yet unique. 


Now to figure out which feelings will make my son's bedroom complete.   Have a great find from your twitter feed?  Share it here.  

Crafty Reading - Snippets Magazine

There is a lot of crafting going on all over the world these days, but, crafting communites tend to be very local and a lot of wonderful media never makes it across the pond to the US. Here is a low down of some neat overseas crafing resources to keep an eye on.

Cut Out + Keep



This London based site has a lot going on. Their tag line is "Make and share step by step craft tutorials," and certainly their projects page is full of them. Think instructables but with a crafty flavor instead of the evil genius vibe. Cut out + keep seems to bring together a little bit of everything, in their blog you will find music reviews mixed in with their favorite DIY projects. But then you notice a nav tab at the top that says . . .

Snippets

Snippets is the online magazine hosted by cut out + keep, but it really seems like a beast of it's own. If you are wondering what's going on in the craft community in London this is the place to keep a pulse on. Music, DIY, artist interviews, and anything crafty fill the digital pages of Snippets.




Know of a far-flung site that all Etsians should check out? Share it with us!

Swag #73 - The FeltMeUp custom giveaway

Incase you are out of the loop when it comes to etsy's best felted artists, here is a little bit about FeltMeUp Designs. Based in Scarborough, UK, Mel makes wedding cake toppers, creatures, bags, purses, tea cosies, slippers, embroidered felt art works, and felt sculptures. If you have a soft spot for things fuzzy and adorable, this is your go to.



As a celebration of her etsy success Mel is having a contest and giveaway for the custom tweet of your choice. Swing by her blog and enter before April 14th.

Etsy News - The Etsy Voter

Etsy can be a strange place. As a seller it can be quite overwhelming to keep up on the features that keep rolling out, and there are even some *hidden places* like treasury west that still seem to befuddle me.

It was a recent storque article that turned me onto etsy voter , which rolled out sometime earlier this year. There doesn't seem to be a direct link in the "Buy" section to this little app - as far as I can tell you have to link to it directly like so .  Also, it seems for now that the votes are not user generated like the treasury, but created by admin.  Ah well.  But hey, who doesn't like to vote?  

(note from comments:  Etsy has users submit their items and the top(first) 60 are usually the ones that get listed so they are not always Etsy admin. picked.)

The "Get Down To Business" vote caught my attention, since I just moved into a new office. There was a nice mix of new shops and old ones, and a wonderful selection of items. Check the voter out here and get your mouse ready for some clickin.

Etsy Treasures: Shop for a Cause

Created by cutesieclips

One of the joys of buying handmade products is the knowledge that each piece has been crafted with such care and passion by the artist. This week, I would like to highlight artists who are helping make the world a better place through their passion for creativity. Mahatma Gandhi is famous for saying,

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

By supporting individual artists and their charities of choice, you can be the change you wish to see in the world.


10% of the proceeds from this piece by ZephyrWoods will go to benefit KIVA. This organization manages micro-loans for third-world entrepreneurs, providing them with a means for supporting themselves and their families. These pendants are a fantastic way to make a difference in someone's life as well as looking stylish and chic.


This ACEO (Art Cards, Editions, and Originals) made by LissaLushHelpingCats All the profits from this Etsy shop go to The Tenth Life, a local no-kill, cats only shelter and adoption center. ACEO's are a great way to buy art originals or prints at an affordable price. Wonderful for art collectors or enthusiasts as well as cat lovers.


This little guy is named Sofie the Displaced and was created by threeredtrees. 10% of the proceeds from this cute original sock dog will go to the Animal Humane Society of Greater Kansas City. I fell in love with this sock dog as she comes complete with a breed (English Foxhound and argyle socks) and history.


This post would be completely remiss not to mention EtsyforCharity. This "shop" is a conglomerate of different artists who donate their work to be sold to raise money for charity. These delicate heart soaps were created by BathNBeads. Each month, the shop supports a different organization. Past charities have included Save the Children, American Heart Association, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and many others.

There are so many shops on Etsy that raise money for charities. Click here for more shopping for a cause!

Written by Hannah Spencer