Treasury THURSDAY: November Catch-Up

Apologies for being SO behind on Treasury Tuesdays!  This week's is a Treasury Thursday instead!  The major Holiday Craft Show Season is upon us, and November was a busy month for many!  To try and make up for it, I will feature a treasury from each category this week.  Enjoy! (and don't forget to click the links for the other treasuries!)

Featuring RNEST Members:

Woodland Fairy Tale - Nutcracker Inspired Gifts featuring MFcrafts

• Hoot If You're Cute! featuring PeachesProducts
• Christmas featuring MFcrafts
• Stocking Stuffers Under $16 featuring MFcrafts
• Berry Christmas featuring MFcrafts
• Christmas and More featuring Swurme
• Little Red Etsy Hood featuring HeatherVitticore
• Paper Artistry- The Bright Collection featuring InMyHeadStudios
• Geeky Chic featuring BeadworkByAmanda

Featuring and curated by RNEST Members:

Needle Felted Menagerie by ManicMetals, featuring PeachesProducts

• Put A Bird On It! November Team Challenge by KiraArts, featuring an all-RNEST cast!

Curated by RNEST Members:

Punchy by BeadworkByAmanda

• Greyscale Nerd by BeadworkByamanda
• Red and Blue by ManicMetals
• Typewriter Love by ManicMetals

* If you make or find a treasury that features an RNEST member, post the link on the wall at RNEST's Facebook Page. Your treasury could be featured on the next Treasury Tuesday!

November 2012 Team Challenge Winner!

Congratulations to RNEST's Team Challenge winner for 
November's "Put A Bird On It!" theme...

FlyRabbitPress with her November Bird 11x9.5 Print!

Thanks to all the artists who participated 
and to everyone who voted!

Be sure to check back on December 6th for our next Monthly Team Challenge!

(December's theme will be "Woodland Winter"!)

Monthly Meeting! (November 2012)

Monday was our Monthly Meeting for November!

Here is Casey (PeachesProducts) modeling one of the hats made by one of our newest members, Mary-Anne of The TaylorShop.

This was Mary-Anne's first meeting with us! And she got to do the honors of picking the "Featured Member" for November. 

(we also used one of her handmade hats to place the slips in!) 

Jina (MoyaLazyFacory) was the winner this month!  So her shop gets to be featured in the nifty little CraftCult widget at the top of the blog sidebar!

At the end of the meeting, we did some "secret critiques" on some items...including this big plaid barn owl made by Kira of KiraArts (which she had brought in for John of JackBear Stamps as a trade for one of his hand-carved stamps)

They way we do the "secret critiques" is, the artist asks a question about their item, then everyone at the meeting writes their answer on a piece of paper anonymously, and puts it in a hat.  Then all the slips are given to the person whose item is being critiqued.  And they can either keep the results to themselves or share them with the group (which is more fun!).

We also did a critique of this lovely 3-color, letterpress-printed bicycle poster by Chris of FlyRabbitPress.
Usually the question is about the price of the item..."What would you pay for this?" or "What would you expect it to cost?".  It is hard for an artist to price their work.  It's a constant battle for an artist between what the work is really worth and what people will pay for it.  These critiques are a way we gain some insight into how much people are willing to pay for an item...which is sometimes more than we realize!  

Of course, our group has a unique appreciation for the amount of work it takes to produce handmade items!  But one of our goals is to spread that appreciation and knowledge to others!

First Friday Shop Hop Winner

Congratulations to #26, Francesca DeCaire for winning the First Friday Shop Hop giveaway from Beadwork by Amanda!!

Thanks to everyone who entered! Check back in December for the First Friday Shop Hop featuring Jackbear Stamps!!

November Team Challenge: Put A Bird On It!

Welcome to RNEST's November Team Challenge! The theme for this month was 
"Put A Bird On It!"

The idea of "Put a Bird On It" has become something of a tongue-in-cheek joke this year in the craft community, due to a sketch on the IFC comedy show "Portlandia".  But, come on!  Putting a bird on something can sometimes make it prettier!  (If you don't understand the joke because you haven't seen the sketch, click here to watch the video on YouTube and get a laugh.)
Earlier this month, we asked our RNEST members to get creative and make items representing an interpretation of "Put A Bird On it"...and now YOU, our loyal blog readers, get to pick the winner!  Here's the list of our contestants!

Lampwork Bead Miniature Glass Bird by FrancescaDeCaire

Put A Bird On It Cross-Stitched Towels by MFcrafts

November Bird 11x9.5 Print by FlyRabbitPress

Killdeer Rubber Stamp - Hand Carved by Jackbear

Love Birds Card Set by kaseyAjohnson

The Party Bird Domino Pendant by InMyHeadStudios

Blue and Green Hair Clip by TribalTrends

Love Birds Embroidery Hoop Home Decor by FrecklesAndFrizz

Oliver The Owl Pillow by HeatherVitticore

Turquoise Blue Bird Silver Viking Knit Necklace by Kurpisz

Put A Bird On It Special Edition Nubbin by KiraArts

Cast your vote for your favorite on the poll in the upper, right corner of the blog! 

(Deadline to vote is by midnight on Wednesday, November 14th)

First Friday Shop Hop featuring Beadwork by Amanda

Welcome to the November First Friday Shop Hop featuring Amanda from Beadwork by Amanda and Azure Seas!

During the monthly shop hops, you'll get a blog's eye view into the shop, get to know the artist, and get a chance to win something awesome!
 

A blog's eye view of Beadwork by Amanda and Azure Seas:

Meet the Artist:

RNEST: Tell us a little about yourself.

Amanda: I’m also a chemistry graduate student, which is likely the most improbable occupation people think of when they meet me. I’ve always been split between art and science, so I choose to do both! A lot of chemistry deals with boring clear solutions or white powders, so it’s pretty exciting that the crystals I synthesize and characterize change color based on their size.

RNEST: What's your favorite part of being an artist?

Amanda: I love having the ability to transform ideas into tangible items.

RNEST: You've been at this for a while. Any advise for someone just starting out?

Amanda: Treat your Etsy shop more like a real craft show; if you want sales, you need to have a decent amount of stock available for the shopper to choose from. Likewise, have at least several pages of items in your Etsy shop to give shoppers something to browse through. Another point- keep thinks fresh! Constantly add new items and get rid of the old stuff.

RNEST: Any coupons or promotions at your shops?

Amanda: Use code RNEST15 for 15% off your entire order in either shop!

RNEST: How about shows coming up? Where can we find you locally?

Amanda: I only have a couple of shows that are local: Mayday Underground on November 3 (TOMORROW!!) at the Rochester Main Street Armory and Second Storie on November 24 at the Visual Studies Workshop on Price St.

RNEST: So, tell us about your giveaway item.

Amanda: I'm giving away any round circuit board necklace in my shop.

 

The Giveaway - Open worldwide:

Winner's choice of any round circuit board necklace.

To enter:

MANDATORY ENTRIES:

1. Follow this blog.

2. Stop by Beadwork by Amanda and/or Azure Seas and give it a heart.

If you're already a fan, just say so in the comments.

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:

1. Pick a favorite** piece in Beadwork by Amanda and/or Azure Seas and:

Tweet it using the Twitter button on the listing. (one entry)

Like it using the Facebook button on the listing. (one entry)

Pin it using the Pinterest button on the listing. (one entry)

**{multiple favorites = multiple entries!!}

2. Tweet the contest using the Twitter button at the bottom of the post.

3. Share this contest on Facebook using the Facebook button on the bottom of the post.

4. Like Beadwork by Amanda's Facebook page.

5. Like the RNEST Facebook page.

This contest will run until November 8th.

The winner will be selected using a random number generator so anyone can win!

Good Luck!

* Please post all entries below and remember to comment for each entry so that your multiple entries are counted.