Wednesday Wellspring: Summertime/Picnic

Congratulations winterbabe 98, mogrill, and Hbomb for winning last weeks triple Christmas in July giveaway!

And now, the Reserved Parking Spot is once again up for grabs in this our July monthly challenge: Summertime/Picnic!

Cast your vote for your favorite on the poll on the upper right corner of the blog sidebar. Voting will end August 3rd, with the winner announced on August 4th!

And now, in no particular order:

Picnic Set by Duncan Creative

Crochet Butterfly Pins by KiraArts Lampwork Glass Summer Food Beads I by Kelley's Beading Red and Blue Cotton Napkins by MF Crafts Bumblebee and Blossom Tic Tac Toe by The Quilted House
Now, help us choose a winner by voting for your favorite summertime/picnic-themed craft!

Trash & Treasures Tuesday: Quick Hit

Hi all! This weekend was a little crazy, so I didn't get to the project I had in mind to share.... instead, I thought I'd share an amazing upcycle project I found on one of my favorite blogs, How About Orange.

From everyday newspaper to one-of-a-kind gift bag:

Photo courtesy of How About Orange.

This tutorial, like all of HAO's tutorials, is easy to follow and fun! Check this project out and some of HAO's other awesome upcycle projects.

Have a happy week!

Peace & thanks,
Kaitlin

Make-it Mondays: Get A Critique

This is a great idea! Critiques allow us access to another individual's perspective of our work, revealing the strengths and weaknesses we might not otherwise see. They wake us up to possibilities and make us reconsider why and how we create. If you are in a slump, find someone to critique you today or go and critique a shop that you really love.

How do you critique an Etsian?

• Similar to Feldman's model for Art, but with selling in mind.

1. Describe what you see. Your initial feelings about an item. Your overall sense of a shop front. The overarching theme of a blog.
2. Analyze how an item, shop or blog is put together. What materials are used most? What is the photo quality of the seller's items? How does the seller get traffic to their shop, blog or fanpage?
   
3. Interpret what you see. What message is the seller sending? Does the shop cater to a particular audience? Do the items align with their price point? Would you shop there?
   
4. Evaluate. What needs to change? What should the seller keep up or enhance? What products are strongest? What can the seller do to make his or her shop more cohesive, attractive and successful?
   

Where can you get critiques online?

• Our RNEST Ning site critique thread
  
• On the Etsy forums under 'critiques'
  
• At CRITIQUE MY BLOG

Tips?

• If you are the critic, be helpful, not hurtful. If you receive a critique, realize that the comments are about things not you.
• Go on your initial responses. If you have to spend time explaining your items, shop or blog your message probably needs clarity.
• You don't always have to listen to a critique. If a person thinks you should go in a direction you don't feel comfortable about, DON'T. Find critics you trust.
  

Jack's Pick: Duncan Creative's Crochet Necklace

Each Friday I select an item created by a member of the Rochester NY Etsy Street Team(RNEST). What criteria do I use? I look for great looking items that I think are well made offered for a great price!

So I am used to crochet scarves. Hats and gloves, yup...got 'em. But I have to admit, crochet NECKLACES are a new thing to me. I'm sure they have been around, but I'm not usually following

the crochet scene. But the Lavender Fields Crochet Necklace that was handmade with love by karenswimmer of Duncan Creative

looks awesome and novel to me.

So I'm a dude, and probably wouldn't wear this one, but I still think this kicks rear end. Why? Function...that's

why. Maybe you are the kind of person who likes to wear scarves in the winter...hey...I do! But come summer, you got to put that stuff away...too hot. Well a gem like this crochet necklace is perfect...still get that soft look, but not all that heat. I dig that. Next is style...it looks sweet, and who else you know who is rocking this look! Also, you don't have to mine all the gold, silver, and rocks out of the earth to have this accessory.

Karen, if you make one of these for a dude, I might wear it myself. Oh yeah, and one more thing, in July Duncan Creative is having a buy one get one half off sale, so grab a couple of these yarn bombs.

Wednesday Wellspring: Christmas in July II

Thanks for all the lovely entries in the Christmas in July quardruple giveaway and congratulations to Ms. Verymarried, Wolf Girl, Krista, and Donna!

Don't lose heart, though! We have so much fun giving things away that we've decided to extend the Christmas in July festivities with another great giveaway - a triple this time!

Check out each of the following three shops and enter for your chance to win one of the fabulous prizes - three lucky participants will win! You'll get one entry for each of the following (leave a separate comment for each):

1. Mandatory Entry #1: Follow this blog - or leave a comment saying you're a faithful follower.
2. Mandatory Entry #2: Check out each of the shops and give them a heart, then leave a note here with your favorite item from each shop.
3. Become a fan of RNEST on facebook.
4. Blog or tweet about the giveaway.

Duncan Creative:

Sale: Buy one, get one 50% off thru July 31st!

Giveaway item:

Lilac White Truffles

KiraArts:

Sale: Order a custom Nubbin at no extra charge

Giveaway item:

Red & Green Heart Nubbin

The Quilted House:

Sale: 20% off any item in the shop

Giveaway Item:

Your choice of any wallet in the shop

The giveaway is open to US and Canada and ends Tuesday, July 27. Winners will be chosen by the random number generator and announced in the next Wednesday Wellspring!

And don't forget the Christmas in July Sales announced last week are still ongoing through July 25th:

Beadwork by Amanda - 20% off any item

buenahelena - 15% off any item + free shipping to all NY state residents

Crafter's Haven - 20% off any item

Trash & Treasures Tuesday: My favorite thrifting spots

For this week's edition of Trash & Treasures I thought I'd share some of my favorite thrifting spots in Rochester and online.

My all-time favorite spot for vintage jewelry and accessories is Far Out Vintage in Village Gate. I've gotten some of my favorite pieces there and they always have a fun $1 table.

Another great store for vintage jewelry is Echoes Consignment Shop in Honeoye Falls. This place is always filled to the brim with unique pieces. I could spend hours in there!

I like looking through the clothes and shoes at the Goodwills in Rochester. They have a good blend of new and old items (although, it seems to lean toward the new end lately... which isn't my preference).

Utter Clutter is another fun place to poke around... but you'll need a good amount of time to look. The place is packed!!

The best place in Rochester for vintage house ware items is the Craft Antique Co-Op. I freakin' love this place! I could spend days drooling over all the amazing furniture and collectibles. Love it!

And, if you can't find anything in stores, Craigslist has a ton of deals!

Far Out Vintage - vintage scarves; $3 each. 

 Far Out Vintage - bee pin, $1; gold & white flower pin, $1; gold circle with pearl pin, $1. 

Echoes - gold hummingbird, $3.
The rest were gifts!

Echoes - flower pin, pink oval and bird $7 total.

Goodwill on Ridge Rd. - boots, $3.99!

Craft Antique Co-Op - clock, around $7. 

 Craft Antique Co-Op - lamp, under $20.

Where do you like to thrift? Share 'em in the comments!

Peace & thanks,
Kaitlin

Make-it Mondays: Boulderfest Review

It has been a whirlwind. Three days of Boulderfest, along with fellow teamies Beadwork by Amanda and Textile Treats. I think it's time for a beer and a

review...

The view from my tent, day and night :)

The Pro's of Boulderfest:

1. Great music! A lot of reggae from the likes of John Brown's Body and Buddhahood , indie rock and blues. My personal favorite was Benjamin Jameson Morey and the Wallpaper Singers who performed upbeat danceable songs all about death and fear in its various forms.
2. Hosted by a sweet coffee shop that also serves beer and liquor.
   
3. Talented, helpful and friendly artists. There was awesome variety.
   
4. Very easy going coordinators who withstood the longest hours to make their fest successful.
5. The fee was $35 for all three days. Not bad when most one day events are more.

My booth after I ditched my cheapo tent for the EZ-up

The Con's of Boulderfest:

1. Parking was sketchy. If you got in early there were a handful of on site spots. Otherwise most of us street parked. Switching times were funny and it wasn't a neighborhood I'd like to walk around alone at night to find my far off parking spot. As it was I got a parking ticket that cut into my profits.
2. Long hours. We came before the music started stayed until the music stopped. That makes three 10 hours days in a row. I have to say though, that I was never bored.
3. Low sales for many artists. This was the first run of Boulderfest with artists, so it is possible that people weren't coming with the mindset to buy art. The sales, for myself at least, went up each day though and I did profit fairly well.
4. My crappy tent and a windy Saturday. Both of these things are totally NOT Boulder's fault. In fact this could be a pro in disguise, because I learned a lot of about outdoor vending practicalities. RNEST has a great thread on this right now.

My booth neighbors: Paul Taylor Glass, Beadwork by Amanda (fellow RNEST teamie) and Seredipity Photos. Thank you Paul and Jason for helping me with my tent!!!

Summary:

If you love music, a festive vibe and have good stamina, this is a fun show. With more advertisement and word of mouth about the vendors, I think sales will increase as well.

Wednesday Wellspring: Christmas in July Giveaway

Join us in celebrating the holidays a bit early with Etsy-wide Christmas in July sales! RNEST members are jumping on board with a few great deals of our own. The sales will run from July 15th through 25th and we're launching the celebration with a quadruple giveaway!

Check out each of the following four shops and enter for your chance to win one of the fabulous prizes - four lucky participants will win! You'll get one entry for each of the following (leave a separate comment for each):

1. Check out each of the shops and give them a heart, then leave a note here with your favorite item from each shop.
2. Follow this blog - or leave a comment saying you're a faithful follower.
3. Become a fan of RNEST on facebook.
4. Blog or tweet about the giveaway.

Beadwork by Amanda:

Sale: 20% off any item in the shop

Giveaway item:

Key to My Heart Necklace

buenahelena:

Sale: 15% off all items + FREE shipping to all New York State Residents

Giveaway item:

Vintage Button Ring

Crafter's Haven:

Sale: 20% off any item in the shop

Giveaway item:

Wire Crochet Necklace in Shades of Red

The Quilted House:

Sale: 20% off any item in the shop

Giveaway Item:

Mini Gift Tote - Green Flower Power

The giveaway is open to US and Canada and ends Tuesday, July 20. Winners will be chosen by the random number generator and announced in the next Wednesday Wellspring!

Make-it Mondays: Help us Make a Team Logo

Next month will be the 1 year anniversary of our street team officially meeting in person. It's about time we got a logo don't you think? A clear graphic representing our team could have applications on team websites, business cards, art market signage....possibly even t-shirts!

So team, we would like you to help out. Put those graphic design skills to use and submit logo for RNEST:

• Please submit your design to Jackbear's forum thread on the Ning site
• It should be clear and simple enough for print and website
• At least 300 dpi
  
• It should somehow include the name RNEST or a combination of the words "Rochester NY Etsy Street Team"
• All submissions are due by Sunday, August 8th, so we can vote on them as a team at our (1 year anniversary!) August 8th meeting.

Want to be a voter? Please come to that meeting or check out the thread and give us your two cents. Ready, set, go!

Jack's Pick: Chai Soap by FuzzyBunny

Each Friday I select an item created by a member of the Rochester NY Etsy Street Team(RNEST). What criteria do I use? I look for great looking items that I think are well made offered for a great price!

This week I bring you Chai soap made by FuzzyBunny!

I love Chai tea. All those flavors just feel so cozy. Chai to me is a warm blanket. What a relaxing way to enjoy a bath or shower with that smell of chai. The only problem with this is I might want to eat the bar before the bath time is over.

Not only do I like the flavor of this soap, but I like what Fuzzy Bunny stands for. From Fuzzy Bunny's profile on etsy:

The Fuzzy Bunny began as an experiment in sustainability. We use only vegan ingredients, a soapmaking process that results in no waste, and local botanicals as soap additives. We strive to create enjoyable natural products while minimizing our impact upon the earth.

Fuzzy Bunny gets her name from her two rabbit compainions, Lenni and Oxtoby.

Great work Fuzzy Bunny!!!

Trash & Treasures Tuesday: Updated Treasure

Remember that super cute vintage patio set I scored on Craigslist?

It got a little makeover last week!

While I loved the vintage feel of the orange seats, they were a little weather-worn. I decided to recover with some outdoor fabric on super clearance from Joanne's. It would have been nice to use some of the fabric laying around the house, but I wanted to make sure it was weather-proof.

We popped the seats off, folded the fabric snug and stapled away! I think they turned out pretty well. And, the set still cost a fraction of what I would have paid in the store.

Any fun summer projects planned? Share in the comments!

Peace & thanks (and a belated Happy 4th!),
Kaitlin