The Sew Craftiest Time of the Year [in photos!]

First of all - SUCH a big thank you to Sarah and her little elves at Sew Crafty for hosting such a fun night :)

and an ENORMOUS thank you to the lovely and talented Ellen, for photographing the event!

our photographer extraordinaire:

don't see your picture? no worries!

sift through the rest of the amazing photos taken by ellen.

if you use any - please make sure you credit her accordingly!! 

thank you to everyone who helped and came out to

The Sew Craftiest Night of the Year! :)

etsy houston representing at st. andrew's!

this past saturday was the st. andrew's bazaar - we represented pretty well! :)

 

kristen of frilled&feathered

 

erin of gamiworks

patty and ashley of littlebirdboutique

and me! roxy of feisty fabrik

[smelling one of my booth-mate's delish candles :) ]

and we can't forget allison and andria, who stopped by to say hey! [and buy some goodies!]

down the street at 1st saturday you could find lora of bbags and

emily of emilee rose designs!

i was too pooped to stop by - sorry ladies!

coming up on december 3rd.....

etsy houston presents: the sew craftiest time of the year!

stay tuned for more info!

a very fun meeting :)

our last etsy houston meeting was at allison's house. we were supposed to carve pumpkins but got so carried away with ideas and plans that we never got to cutting those pumpkins up...

but it was definitely a blast and we got so much accomplished! i look forward to many more meetings! :)

ana maria and emily enjoyed hanging out with our new mascot, stella :)

andria, our new-member-leader, also enjoyed the company of stella - they discussed some show ideas...it was pretty cute.

 

 notice the winning logo??

thank you to our lovely hostess, allison :)

 

those of you that didn't make it missed out on a lot of laughs, wine, goodies, and some awesome productivity :)

p.s. stay tuned! the membership requirements are about to get TWEEKED.

Emily of Emilee Rose Designs

Name: Emily
Shop: emilee rose designs

Where are you from? Houston, Texas

Where do you live? Houston Heights

What types of things do you make/sell? All things paper...paper dolls, illustrations, and stationery.

How long have you been crafting? I've been mad crafty all my life. Growing up, my mom would always plan craft projects for my brother and me to do. And I've never stopped.

When did you decide to open up a shop? I opened shop in July of 2008 after a friend of mine needed vendors at a craft show she was organizing. After the show, I decided to make an entire line of products to sell. 

Do you prefer to sell your crafts online or in person? Or both? I like both, but I get excited for on-line sales. It's fun to see people all over the world interested in your products. 

Do you have a second job?  If so, what is it? I work full time as a graphic designer for PH Design Shop. It is so much fun and a perfect way to spend my day creating.

What inspired you to start crafting? In college, I worked at a stationery boutique. I always admired the artist and designers of the products that we carried. Many of them started small, just them working away in their living room. While drooling over the greeting cards, I thought "I should do this." 

Have you learned anything along the way, as far as your business is concerned? I have learned that it is not as simple to sell your product than it is to make it. Making my dolls and stationery are fun...selling them is work!

What other hobbies or interests do you have? Besides painting and drawing and crafting, I love decorating and redesigning spaces in my house. I also love practicing yoga and going to the movies. 

Who inspires you? [blogs, etsy shops, etc] Besides a slew of design/craft blogs, I am mostly inspired by other illustrators. Belle and Boo, Sarah Jane Studios, and The Black Apple are my favorite!

Do you have any tips to share with newbies? Since I'm a designer, I am pretty into the visuals. I think it's important to have a single brand or look to your products and your shop, so that when customer's go to your shop page, they feel like they are in YOUR store, and not etsy's. Even after doing this for 2 years, I still feel like I'm learning and absorbing other tips!

decisions, decisions!

alright etsy houstonians!

our lovely member, emily rose, created the most beautiful logos!

please do not vote in the comment section.
members will receive an email soon indicating how they can vote :)

Choice #1

Choice #2

Choice #3

Choice #4

wanna see more of emily's work?

she will be featured next monday on the blog - but if you simply can't wait... :)

and make sure you scroll down a little ways to check out this week's Etsy Houston Profile :)

Etsy Houston Profiles - Sharon of ArtL8dy

Name: Sharon Hendry

my shop: ArtL8dY

Where are you from? Niagara Falls, New York

Where do you live? Houston (Timbergrove Manor)

What types of things do you make/sell?

I'm selling unique mini fiber art which I call "les petites images cousues" (translation: small sewn pictures). I also sell fabric cuff bracelets.

How long have you been crafting? about 10 years

When did you decide to open up a shop?

This summer (summer of 2010)

Do you prefer to sell your crafts online or in person? Or both?

Online

Do you have a second job?  If so, what is it?

I teach at HCC. I'm a digital communication professor at the West Loop campus

What inspired you to start crafting?

Houston Quilt Show (held every year at the George R. Brown in late Oct/early Nov)

Have you learned anything along the way, as far as your business is

concerned?

Time, patience, tenacity

What other hobbies or interests do you have?

Anything related to art

Who inspires you? 

Teesha Moore

DJ Petiit

Terrie Mangat

Do you have any tips to share with newbies?

There's a lot of helpful hints on the Etsy site. I like the Community link where you can connect on the forums and virtual labs.

Etsy Houston Profiles - Jo Claire of Groovy Gal

Name:  Jo Claire

Shop: Groovy Gal Designs Online

Where are you from?  Native Texan--born in Austin, raised in Baytown

Where do you live? Clear Lake

What types of things do you make/sell?  I create original artwork on canvas, drawings, boxes, totes, cards, pendants, etc...

How long have you been crafting?  About 4 years

When did you decide to open up a shop?  I was browsing Etsy one day, looking at ACEO's, and I thought, "I can do that!"  So I did. 

Do you prefer to sell your crafts online or in person? Or both?  I like both.  In person, it's interesting to hear the comments and get to see the person who's going to enjoy your craft.  On line, I find that instead of purchasing what's available and ready to ship, I get a lot of custom requests.  Sometimes that can be overwhelming, but it's still fun to create something to a person's specifications.

Do you have a second job? If so, what is it?  I'm a classroom teacher and an online teacher--high school English.  2010-2011 will be my 18th year in the classroom, so art/crafting is actually my 3rd job.  LOL

What inspired you to start crafting?  I wanted to participate in a local Christmas street festival, so I had to come up with something to sell.  I started out by painting rocks--kind of like Pet Rocks--and they sold like crazy!  Go figure.

Have you learned anything along the way, as far as your business is

concerned?  If you don't "work it," no one will know that you exist.  Blog, tweet, pass out business cards to all that you meet, talk about your art.

What other hobbies or interests do you have?  I'm an avid reader and movie buff.

Who inspires you? [blogs, etsy shops, etc]  I want to be Amy Giacomelli when I grow up! LOL

Do you have any tips to share with newbies?  Don't be afraid to try new things.

Etsy Houston Profiles - Jag & Nevie

Cherie Duge Paul, Jag & Nevie

I hail from many places from California, Colorado, Arizona, Michigan, but currently Houston, Texas!

I design and make eco-chic clothing and accessories for women and children.  This includes organic t-shirts , skirts, halter & tube tops, bibs, "blankies", purses, jewelry, you name it!  All of them feature applique or hand work with vintage & recycled fabrics.

I have been making things since I was a wee child!

I have slowly built up a shop from the early days of eBay and now sell through boutiques and Etsy.

I prefer to sell online, but I do enjoy doing shows periodically.

My "real" job is as a full-time mommy to Jag & Nevie whom are 8 & 4 respectively.  My artistic side squeezes through the gaps in their daily demands;-)

I am inspired by the drive to just make things.  I HAVE to make things.  I get very excited when I see extraordinary work from other crafters, the big fashion designers, fine artists, and girls that put themselves together in unique ways.  Animals inspire me with their innate elegance and beauty.

I've learned to stick to my creative vision over the years and stop being apologetic for it!  I've learned not to be insulted when something I make doesn't sell or gets negative comments when people see it.  I've learned on Etsy to renew all the time (at different times a day) and that I need to take much better photos - much more "fashion" photos.  I would say one of the most important things for newbies is to try to be able to ship within 2 weeks, minimum.   Also, manage money well so you don't get caught, like I often do, with no available funds to buy raw goods because everything you have is tied up in inventory!  Other than that - just work hard and be proud of what you do!

I also paint, sculpt and love to cook vegetarian food!

Name:  Alejandra

Shop: reigrücheStudio

Where are you from? 

The great state of Texas

Where do you live? 

Houston area

What types of things do you make/sell? 

Original paintings, commissioned portraiture, pet portraits, prints, crochet sterling silver and 14kt gold-filled jewelry, upcycled jewelry, and wearable art.

How long have you been crafting?

I would like to say I started when I was a young girl.  My mother and both grandmothers were always creatively crafty ladies, and I remember being so mesmerized by all the different colors and textures, skills and techniques they had fun with (I wish I could sew!).  When I was younger I used to make polymer clay food, figurines, simple pillows, graphite drawings, journals, painted jars.  I studied painting and jewelrymaking in college.  I'm ALWAYS excited to learn new skills and experiment.

When did you decide to open up a shop?

I have been an Etsy fan, buying handmade and oogling all of their eye candy since 2007.  I painted and made jewelry for myself and for friends occasionally, but I didn’t have a shop or anything like that.   Eventually people began to ask me for a business card or asked if I had a website, a price list, etc. and my answer was always, "Oh, sorry, no/not yet…”  A few years later I was inspired by the awesomeness of creative blogs and all the neat stuff Grrfeisty was up to and I was hooked!

Do you prefer to sell your crafts online or in person? Or both?

Both!  I heart the internet and I love observing people’s reactions and comments in person.

Do you have a second job?  If so, what is it? 

I am in the process of becoming an art teacher.

What inspired you to start crafting?

Observing the women in my family, my love for wearing and admiring interesting jewelry, the beauty of handmade multicultural goods and art, and perusing Etsy shops really does it for me!  I am inspired daily. The way a sack of deep saturated yellow turmeric power looks in a photograph, the smell of chopped cilantro, the glow of a pretty faceted glass briolette bead in the daylight, the pattern on someone's blog wallpaper, a crowded little shop filled with handmade ethnic goodies… I must say the power of color and pattern is appealing; it’s so fun to visit neat looking blogs and shops (I can look for hours!). 

Have you learned anything along the way, as far as your business is concerned?

I haven’t been doing this for very long, but I have learned that if you surround yourself with other like-minded people in your community, sharing your gifts, the things you admire and love to do, you will find that it is such a good way to stay informed, inspired, confident, and learn pretty much everything you need to know along the way.  You never stop learning!  Start with baby steps; put one thought into action.  No one is born knowing how everything works or how things will turn out, but once you decide to jump in and begin doing one little thing, you will see how it will all fall into place.

What other hobbies or interests do you have?

I love to prepare food, look at food, smell food, photograph food, share food (and eat it too :)  I think this is connected to many of my other interests because of the strong sensory perception thing that is definitely a source of inspiration for many artists and crafters.  I also love animals, watching indie and foreign movies with my hubby, going to museums of all sorts, and spending time making memories with family and good friends.

Who inspires you?

There are also so many awesome people out there, I can’t begin to name how many people inspire me daily.  Kelly Rae Roberts is one very inspiring lady!  Having a support system of family and friends who encourage you along the way is also important.  But I would really like to thank my best friend Grrfeisty for being the one to inspire me to start it all with a blog J

Do you have any tips to share with newbies?

Be yourself, do + share  what you love, and believe that you have the ability to make awesome stuff happen.