Etsy Dallas Weekend Guide


This is the week to party it up in Dallas! Get your artsy crafty shopping on all over the place at these fine events happening in your area.

The Girl Show - Arlington, TX
F6 Gallery is opening it's doors March 28th for the Girl Show, an exclusive all female
artist show. Come and see our very own Etsy Dallas member, Cut Out & Collect, with her handmade handbags, wallets, and pillows. This is a designer you don't want to miss.

Date: March 28th
Time: 8:00pm - 11:00pm
Location: South of 1-30 on Division St, Arlington, TX

Allen Early Childhood PTA Garage Sale and Vendor Show - Allen, TX
Etsy Dallas member Pink Lemonade Boutique Bags cordially invites you to the Allen Early Childhood PTA Garage Sale and Vendor Show Saturday, March 28th.

Date: March 28th
Time: 8am-2pm
Location: Lowery Freshman Center, Allen, TX (at the corner of Greenville and Jupiter)

Contemporary Art Dealers of Dallas - Dallas, TX
CADD Art Lab will be open late this Saturday to coincide with the photography exhibition openings around town. CADD is currently showing the exhibition "Flash: Photography from Dallas Galleries".

Date: March 28th
Time: 11am - 8pm
Location: 1608 C Main St. Dallas, TX
Tele: 214.741.1075

Member Spotlight: Om Clay Artist

Jill Whitfill creates and sells gorgeous Asian influenced pottery on Etsy under the business name, Om Clay Artist. Her experiences as a hospice nurse have made her keenly aware of the delicate nature of life. As a result, Jill strives to make every moment count. Art allows her to be connected with the Earth and to herself in a wonderful and peaceful way.


Jill has always enjoyed all aspects of art. As a child, she fondly remember art classes in school, and creating own homespun creations only appreciated by my family. As an adult she studied Asian art forms and admired the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright and Greene and Greene. She finds beauty and grace in the minimalist design and use of natural colors in these works. On vacation to New Mexico about 7 years ago she had the great fortune to meet Betsy Williams who is a renowned potter. Jill fell in love with her work and story; Betsy left a comfortable job to live in Japan for 5 years to study under a great pottery master. What courage! Jill was inspired by Betsy to see art more deeply, and possibly professional pursuit from woodworking and woodturning.

When a shoulder injury forced Jill to give up working with wood, she was inspired by Betty's influence and set out on a new journey. She enrolled at a local community college and was hooked! She has also studied with Janet Rodriguez another wonderful potter, business woman and community leader. Along with this training she has done several workshops with well known potters.



Jill really enjoys working with clay ; she loves the quietness and meditative aspects of throwing.. It has has helped her focus and express herself through clay art.

Clay has a way of letting you know whether you’re ready for a serious workday or not, and I’ve found that a sense of humor really helps.



She enjoys being a small business owner and gets involved in the community by sharing, teaching and learning. Please check out more of her work at Rimrock View Studio.

Posted by Randi/DallasDesigningDiva

Weekend Guide: Local and Austin


Whether you're planning on staying in town this weekend or traveling down to SXSW in Austin, there is plenty of crafty loveliness to experience all over the place. Mark your calendars and plan to attend some of these killer handmade events.


What to do in Austin for SXSW:


Etsy Austin Street Team will be heading out with free goodies to promote their Etsy stores during SXSW. Not only will they be selling their wares on South Congress, but will also be giving out free craft demos and hitting the streets with hundreds of handmade bags full of free stuff for whoever wants it!


Where: S. Congress in front of Hill Country Weavers
Date: March 20th and 21st
Time: 12pm-7pm






If you're on S. Congress, you may as well swing by the Handmade Austin Market, put together by Tasty jewelry. This is a 4 day show, running March 19th through the 22nd chocked full of handmade goodness with different vendors each day.


Where: Gueros Taco Bar parking lot, South Congress, Austin, TX
Date: March 19th - March 22nd
Time: 10am -5pm






Flatstock 20 will display the works of more than 100 artists from across North America and the globe. Posters representing decades of styles, colors and techniques will be on display and for sale as well as aditional merchandise. Show up early and be ready to be overwhelmed with amazing posters. (You might want to bring some dough since you don't want to leave empty handed!) See all the artists attending here.


Where: Austin Convention Center
Date: March 19th - March 22nd
Time: 11am - 6pm






Craftster and Standard Recording have teamed up to bring you a free day party on Friday March 20th. Stop by the party for some free drinks and eats, nine live bands, and fun free craft demos.


Where: The Art Project - 301 Chicon St, Suite F, Austin, TX
Date: March 20th
Time: 11am- 5pm


What to do Local in Dallas:






Artscape is the Dallas Arboretum's fine art and craft show and sale. This two-day art fair is happening in spring this time around when the gardens are in full bloom. This is in MSNBC's top ten things to do this weekend. So really not something to miss. Artscape will feature artists from around the country, wine tasting, entertainment, and food and fun for everyone!
Be sure to visit booth #80 and say hello to our very own Beading Genie!


Where: Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Rd. Dallas, TX
Date: March 21st - March 22nd
Time: 9am - 5pm

Member Spotlight: Three Yellow Starfish

At Three Yellow Starfish, it's good to be a baby! As one of the newest members of Etsy Dallas, we are proud to spotlight Margaret Weimer's shop. She offers adorable baby and kids clothing in a variety of fabric designs and styles. In fact, she just got in some lovely new fabric designs just in time for Spring!


Don't forget to take advantage of her monthly giveaways at her blog http://threeyellowstarfish.blogspot.com/.

Visit Three Yellow Starfish in person at the upcoming 1st Annual Etsy Dallas Spring Bash on May 16th. Stay tuned for more info and visit http://www.etsydallas.com/!

photography by Misty Jones

posted by Stephanie of Tefi Designs

Eco•Ideas: Get Organized The Green Way

The time change has happened, spring is approaching and it's a great time to give your crafting corner a green spring cleaning. Begin by thinking about how you'd like to organize your tools and supplies. In many cases you can reuse things like shoes boxes or cereal boxes and other everyday packaging to organize your work space. Reusable gift bags can come in handy for storing projects in progress. Small gift boxes are great for storing things like beads and jewelry findings while glass jars from food products can be washed out and reused to store spools of thread, buttons, sequins, etc.

As you clean up consider donating things you haven't used in the last year to a charity or trading with a fellow craftie. This is a fantastic way to redistribute the things you haven't used while letting someone else enjoy something new to them.
As the tidying continues, keep a shopping list for supplies that are getting low.

Happy Spring Cleaning!

posted by: Alicia of Alicia Colina-Ashby

Spring Bash Applications Available until March 19th

It's here! The Spring Bash Application has finally arrived. Please read the following info carefully before applying and direct any questions to SpringBash09 [at] gmail.com

CALL FOR ARTISTS & CRAFTERS
You must have Adobe Reader to fill in this application. Please click here to download a free copy of Adobe Reader.

ABOUT THE SPRING BASH
Kick off the spring season! Etsy Dallas, who first brought you the famous Beer-B-Q trunk show and the Jingle Bash in 2008, is doing it again - even bigger and better this time.

The 1st Annual Etsy Dallas Spring Bash will be held at the historic South Side on Lamar in the hip and up-and-coming Dallas neighborhood known as The Cedars on Saturday, May 16th from 11am to 5pm. The show will feature local handpicked artists and crafters, DJ tunes, Make & Take crafts, a free Etsy Dallas-sized raffle, and 50 free swag bags chock full of handmade Etsy Dallas goodies. This event is FREE to the public!

While this show will be family-friendly, the vibe will be a fun bash full of handmade love and good times. Think of it as a party - not your typical craft show!


Stones & Bones Workshop


Treat yourself to something fabulous!

In the Stones and Bones workshop you will be making one of the following: a pendant, cufflinks, or a brooch. You will be using pewter with the option of incorporating natural stones, rhinestones and bones. You will create your own one of a kind design using stones and clay. Shannah and I will then take your clay design and create a mold. We will then cast your design into pewter, polish and then glue the stones into place. We will be giving a demonstration so you can see firsthand how all these processes work. Your piece will be ready for pick up within two weeks.

Cost: $50
  • all stones and supplies are included.
  • ages 15 and up.
  • limited spaces
  • call 217.749.0709 or email casey@fisforfrank.com for reservations

February 26- Stones and Bones Pendant,Brooch and cufflinks
(incorporating natural stones, rhinestones, bones) 6:30- 8:30 pm (adults only) $50

March 15- Bracelet Workshop

(incorporating leather strap, beading and pewter center pendant) 1 pm- 3 pm (adults only) $75

April 19- Mother's Day Gift: Prints of Love

(finger print gifts) 1 pm - 3 pm open house (all ages) Pricing $35 and up (depending on the number of prints)Link

April 26- Sand Casting Pewter
1 pm- 4 pm (adults only) $65

June 7- Father's Day Gift
1 pm - 3 pm (all ages) $5o includes 2 finished pewter castings of 1 design... one for dad and one for grandpa

2009 Team Members

We here at Etsy Dallas are super-duper excited about the new member line-up for 2009. While there are still a handful of veteran ED members, we are so happy to welcome some newbies to the fold! Among them are Superchica, Dreamy Starry Night, Haute Hardware, and Om Clay Artist, pictured below:


Check out our members' page at our web site to browse the shops of all the fantastic talent Etsy Dallas has to offer this year. Enjoy!

posted by Stephanie of Tefi Designs

Member Spotlight: Texas Tarts


This week's member spotlight shines on Jacky Tart the Texan behind etsy shop TexasTarts1. She lovingly cuts, shapes and sands each jewelry piece by hand out of recycled vinyl records. Her jewelry is a lovely mix of old vinyl with a modern stylish twist. She loves creating new uses for discarded objects. Jacky is a super example of making recycling fun.


She's always looking for new ways to wear music and insists that "No good music was harmed in the making of these items."

I first enjoyed seeing and touching her vinyl jewelry at the Jingle Bash in December and later discovered that her pieces are also available at Make Studio in the Bishop Arts District.


posted by: Alicia of Alicia Colina-Ashby

Get Ready!


Get set to kick off the spring season Etsy Dallas style!

Etsy Dallas, who first brought you the famous Beer-B-Q trunk show and the Jingle Bash, is doing it again - even bigger and better this time.

The first annual Etsy Dallas Spring Bash will be held at the historic South Side on Lamar building in Dallas on Saturday May 16th from 11am to 5pm. The show will feature handpicked artists/crafters, music, a Make 'N' Take Crafts table, an Etsy Dallas-sized raffle, and all the fun of Etsy Dallas. There is no cost to the public for admission or entertainment. It will be a family-friendly environment with a hip, fun vibe full of handmade love and good times. Think of it as a party - not your typical craft show!

Check back later for more information.

Love,
Etsy Dallas

Eco•Ideas: "Green" Valentines Day


Each year at Valentine's Day there are millions of cards bought, given, mailed and received. That’s a heck of a lot of virgin paper that eventually goes to the land fill. Instead, read the back of cards before purchasing -- look for cards that are FSC certified or that contain post consumer paper. By doing this, you are purchasing paper products that are recycled or made from trees harvested by entities that have a tree replanting program. This helps us all be a little easier on the earth.

Flower giving is wide spread tradition on Valentine's Day. Check out the beautiful organic flowers available at Organic Bouquet and be sure to compost them after you've enjoyed them. Their flowers are sustainably grown and certified organic. They have several bouquets available that donate 5% of the purchase price to charity. A definite win-win. Chocolate is another popular gift for Valentine's Day. This year try giving Endagered Species chocolates which are ethically traded, kosher and come in a reusable box not to mention delicious.

article by Alicia of Alicia Colina-Ashby

Apply for Etsy Dallas Today!


Hello potential Etsy Dallas member! Thank you for your interest in joining our team. Please read over the following guidelines. If you meet them, we'd love to have you apply! Applications for 2009 Membership are available January 15 through January 31. That gives you two weeks to submit applications and dues.

The team will begin accepting members once a year - in January/February, with the option to add members throughout the year on an "invitation-only" basis. Membership will be limited to 60 members, give or take a few depending on the "invite-only" clause.

$20 annual dues will be in effect. This will cover the cost of our web site, Flickr page, promo card swaps (you won't have to pay for them yourself anymore!), promotions, marketing, deposits on event locales, etc.

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BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

Get access to the Google group where advice, questions, team plans, and general crafty know-how is posted daily.
Get listed on our web site, which receives numerous hits each day. (We've even had to purchase more bandwidth several times due to high traffic volume.)

Be included in blog postings such as Member Spotlights and Category Spotlights.

Get a guaranteed booth space in our team shows, so long as booths are still available once you apply. Members will get first crack at applying to shows before non-members do.

Get a member rate discount to shows. Non-members will have to pay a higher booth fee, but will be welcome to apply and participate in our shows, if space allows.

Your $20 annual due will pay for itself and then some!

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MEMBER GUIDELINES

1) Have an active Etsy shop with items listed for sale.

2) Sell your own handmade goods, following Etsy's policies.

3) Live within a 30-mile radius of the center of Dallas. To find out if you qualify: go to Google maps, type in your address, and get directions to Dallas, TX, USA.

4) Make an effort to be active in some way - either remotely by participating online via our Google group, blog contributing, etc. and/or actively in our shows and get-togethers.

5) Be juried in to the group. We will be looking at quality and variety of work and past group participation (if applicable).

6) Pay $20 at the time of application in order to be considered for membership. If you are not juried in or miss the deadline, you will be refunded the entire $20.

7) Meet all requirements and submit complete applications. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

8) Meet the deadlines. Sorry, no exceptions!

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MEMBER APPLICATION

Fill out all fields, using "N/A" if not applicable. Paste + Copy and email completed application to our Member Email Address. Once you submit the application, send $20 payment to Etsy Dallas Treasury via Paypal. No other form of payment will be accepted.

Name (first and last):
Address:
City, State, Zip:
Phone Number:
Primary Email Address (submit only one):
Etsy Shop (link):
Web Site (link):
Blog (link):
What do you create? (2-3 sentences max)
Have you been a member of Etsy Dallas before?
If so, what things did you do to participate in the team? (Google group, crafting circles, team shows, card swaps, promoting the team on your blog, etc.)
How do you see yourself participating in the team in 2009?
Are there any specific volunteer roles you'd like to take? (blog contributing, planning meet-ups, helping out at our shows, etc.)
What do you expect to get out of being a member of Etsy Dallas?

Thank you for your interest in joining Etsy Dallas!