RNEST Holiday Show Dates

Come check out the amazing talents of RNEST artists this holiday season!

Shop small, shop local, shop handmade!

Every Saturday before Christmas - Holidays at the Hungerford, Rochester, NY 10a-3p
- Francesca DeCaire


12/2 - RIT SAU Building, Rochester, NY 9a-5p
- LimeMade


12/3 - Cobblestone Creek Charity Guild Holiday Boutique, Victor, NY, 5:30p-9p
- On Hand Lotions


12/5 Holiday Shopping Fair, University of Rochester, Wilson Commons, Rochester, NY 10a-4p
- LimeMade
- JackBear Stamps
- Moya Lazy Factory
- Sunshine on Water
- Papersaurus


12/5+6 - Metro Justice Alternative Fair at First Unitarian, Rochester, NY, 12/5 5p-9p 12/6 10a-2p
- On Hand Lotions
- Papersaurus
- Puccoon Raccoon
- CM Goodenbury Photography 

12/6 - East Canyon Artisan Sale, Wyoming Arts Council Bldg., Perry, NY 12p-
- MFcrafts


12/6 - Eastside YMCA, Penfield, NY 9a-3p
- Sunshine on Water
- Moya Lazy Factory


12/6 - Bethany Gardens Bazaar, Rome, NY, 10a-4p
- KiraArts


12/7 - Holidays at the Market, Public Market, Rochester, NY 9a-3p
- Sunshine on Water


12/9 - RIT SAU Building, Rochester, NY 9a-5p
-LimeMade


12/12 - RIT Fireside Lounge, Rochester, NY 10a-4p
-LimeMade


12/12+13 Last Minute Holiday Panic, WNYBAC, Buffalo, NY
- Fly Rabbit Press


12/13+14 Brainery Holiday Bazaar, Rochester, NY 10a-6p
- Making the Nest of It
- Artful Creations
- Moya Lazy Factory
- Christine & Co. Design
- KiraArts
- Puccoon Raccoon
- CM Goodenbury Photography


12/14 - CRAFTACULAR, Best Coffee, Public Market, Rochester, NY 9a-2p
- Fly Rabbit Press


12/20 Mini Mayday
- CM Goodenbury Photography
- Puccoon Raccoon

December 2013 Team Challenge Winner!

Congratulations to RNEST's Team Challenge winner for 

December's "White Christmas" theme...

White Sparkle Small and Sweet Square Glass Pendant by ChristineandCodesign

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

Be sure to check back on Sunday, January 5th for our next Monthly Team Challenge!
The theme will be "Spin Me A Yarn".

December Team Challenge: "White Christmas"

Welcome to RNEST's December Team Challenge! The theme for this month was
"White Christmas"

Let's take a look at the contestants...

White Sparkle Small and Sweet Square Glass Pendant by ChristineandCodesign

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer Bangle by SecondLifeStrings

White and Silver Sparkles Wine Hat and Scarf Set by MFcrafts

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

(Deadline to vote is by 11:59pm on Sunday, December 15th...you get an extra day to vote since I got the blog post up late!)

The artist whose item receives the most votes gets their Etsy Mini on the top spot on the blog!

Treasury Tuesday: It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

The title says it all!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!
by KiraArts, featuring SewIndieShop and MFcrafts

Be sure you click on the other links to see more treasuries! (I can't picture them all so you have to click on them to see!  If you don't, you're missing out!)

Featuring RNEST Members:

• Enjoy featuring FrecklesAndFrizz
• Romantic Gifts For Her featuring KelleysBeading
• Small Business Saturday featuring PandaWear
• In The Frosty Air featuring MFcrafts
• Blue, Blue, Blue Christmas featuring MFccrafts
• Wintery Holiday Fun featuring MFcrafts
• Purple, No Rain featuring MFccrafts
• On A Pink Cloud - Pink Gifts Under 50 featuring MFcrafts

Curated by RNEST Members:

• Feeling Girly by BeadworkByAmanda
• Recent Favorites of December by KiraArts

* 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!

Treasury Tuesday: Creatures & Christmas

Sorry I missed Treasury Tuesday last week. I was feeling a bit under the weather. To make up for it, I'm featuring 2 treasuries this week! Both treasuries both feature and are curated by RNEST members.

Black Red and White Christmas

by k5art, featuring Buenahelena, Missrie, aDifferentView, SunshyneSilverwear, PoetCharms, & KiraArts

RNEST Creatures

by SoftShellCrafts, featuring an all-RNEST cast!

Be sure you click on the links below and go see more treasuries that feature some of our other awesome RNEST members! (if you don't, you're missing out!)

Featuring RNEST Members:

• Wonderful pieces from Rochester, NY featuring OldFamilliarWay & PeachesProducts
• Enchanting featuring HeatherVitticore
• Zoological featuring HeatherVitticore
• Rested and Ready featuring HeatherVitticore
• Watt Are You Talking About? featuring k5art
• 12 Days of Christmas featuring k5art
• The Geek In Me featuring k5art
• Gifts Under $30 featuring k5art
• For Kids 1-92 featuring MFcrafts
• From Russia With Love featuring MFvintage
• I Am the Walrus featuring SoftShellCrafts
• Christmas Cocktail Party featuring FlyRabbitPress
• Geschenke für Judith -1 featuring FlyRabbitpress
• Mad For Plaid. Red Plaid Is Rad featuring FrecklesAndFrizz
• Clean Burning Fun! featuring Buenahelena
• Cocktail Party featuring Buenahelena
• On The Fourth Day of Christmas featuring LoveAndWhiskers
• A Burst Of Light featuring FaerieTails
• FabUlOuS FaUx's to MuSt HaVe!...or just so cool! featuring PeachesProducts

Featuring and curated by RNEST Members:

• I'll Have a Blue Christmas Without You featuring an all RNEST cast!
• Crazy Cat Lady by k5art, featuring Buenahelena, GocksFrocks, & FrancescaDeCaire
• We Are An Ocean by k5art featuring PeachesProducts, Missrie, SoftShellCrafts, Kurpisz, BMegDesigns
• Bluebird Holiday by k5art, featuring PinLady, SunshyneSilverwear, and MervAndDelores

Curated by RNEST Members:

• Sneak Attack! 11/28/2011 by k5art

I think one of our newest members, k5art, wins the prize this week for making the most treasuries! (the prize is extra "coolness points"!) ;)

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

Treasury Tuesday: A Woodsy Handmade Christmas

Woodland themes have been big this year! Owls, woodland creatures, trees, faux bois, natural colors/materials and mossy green tones... this treasury features items from a number of RNESTers!

A Woodsy Handmade Christmas

by KiraArts, featuring PeachesProducts, JustIceJewelry, TheQuiltedHouse, Buenahelena, HeatherVitticore, and aDifferentView

Be sure you click on the links below and go see more treasuries that feature some of our other awesome RNEST members! (if you don't, you're missing out!)

Featuring RNEST Members:

• It's all Rosie, It's all rosy, It's all rosey! featuring FlyRabbitPress
• Robin's Egg Blue featuring MFcrafts
• Fun and Games featuring MFcrafts
• This Is How I Feel Sometimes! featuring MFcrafts
• For Sarah featuring SarahGOrtiz
• Gifts For Travelers featuring SoftShellCrafts
• Match Made In Heaven featuring Buenahelena
• Once Upon A Time featuring HeatherVitticore
• Sandy featuring k5art
• Sneak Attack 11/21/11 featuring k5art
• Sloths Need Love Too! featuring PeachesProducts

Featuring and curated by RNEST Members:

• Memories of Aunt Grandma by KiraArts, featuring TheStitchingStudio
• Grandma Johnson by KiraArts featuring InMyHeadStudios
• Crazy Cat Lady by k5art, featuring Buenahelena, GocksFrocks, and FrancescaDeCaire

Curated by RNEST Members:

• The Cheese Stands Alone by SoftShellCrafts

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

Craftmas Events are on Facebook!

Craftmas Events are now on Facebook! Click the links below to RSVP, then share with your friends!

• Craftmas: Etsy Style! First Friday Holiday Craft Sale
  (Friday, December 2nd, 5pm-9pm & Saturday, December 3rd, noon-4pm)
  A Handmade Holiday hits the Hungerford Building! Come shop from a selection of quality items made by local artists. Give the gift of handmade this holiday season!
  
  
• Clothing Swap
  (Monday, December 5th, 7pm-9pm)
  

  It’s time to clean out that closet!

  Bring in your unwanted clothing and take home some new-to-you pieces for your wardrobe...all for free! RNEST artists will also be available to teach demos with techniques for altering and upcycling your clothes into fun, new items!

  *Any clothing left over at the end of the night will be donated. Nothing will go to waste!
  
  
• Creative Play Session
  (Saturday, December 10th, 7pm-8:30pm)
  Creativity boosting activities and exercises to spark your artistic inspiration and get out of a rut. Come with an open mind and leave with ideas for new projects! (For ages teen and up)
  
  

• Open Craft Night: Etsy Style!
  (Thursday, December 15th, 6pm-9pm)
  Demos: glass pendant soldering, knitting, bead weaving and MORE! Everyone is invited for a handmade, fun-filled evening of simple planned projects and unstructured time with RNEST artists. Bring your crafty works-in-progress, share our supplies, experiment with our tools, and ask us about tips and techniques. A small sampling of our works will also be available for sale.

We hope you can make it to at least one of these events! They should be a lot of fun!

Treasury Tuesday: White Christmas

Christmas is this weekend and so this will be the last holiday gift guide of 2010. Whether you're dreaming of a white Christmas or wishing the white stuff would go away already, you can enjoy these bright and white items from our RNEST members.

Under $35 Gift Guide from RNEST (White Christmas)

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Season's Greetings!...and all that jazz! See you next week with some shiney New Year's items!

Make- it Mondays: Short and Sweet

Happy Holidays!!! (image of Wreath by RNESTer, VictorianPetals)

The Monday before Christmas is hectic for everyone, especially myself as a teacher. From last minute gifts to tying up lessons at school I can barely keep up. Even if you don't celebrate Christmas that feeling of frenzy is in the air. Everywhere besides Etsy that is. For many sellers the rush of sales are long gone, as shipping this week is already too late. I would expect low sales to continue in the following weeks as people play with all of their new toys and get their credit card bills. Yikes! In this down time I suggest a few ideas for Etsy sellers to ring in the New Year.

1. Organize your Etsy budget/sales/purchases/ bills from 2009. See what you made. What worked and what didn't? Get something prepared for the taxman to see.
2. If you have never kept an Etsy account, resolve to start now in 2010.
   
3. Make a new banner for your shop. I know I fall for all those ''New Year, New You" gimmicks. Why can't your shop get a lift too?
4. Take one of your vacation days off to to edit all those posts with the descriptions and tags like holiday, christmas, stocking stuffer etc...
5. Put obvious holiday items at a discount and rename them with SALE in the title. I know a lot of people who do all of their decoration shopping at high discount after the season.
6. Think ahead to Valentine's Day. What can you make in warm colors? Do you have actual vintage Valentines? Pieces for couples or gifts that one might give on a romantic date? Start putting those things together.
7. Give yourself a pat on the back and sleep in. That's an order!

Make-it Mondays: Beer Coaster Ornaments!

From Buenahelena!

As the holidays come around I sometimes find myself driven to drink. Why? To celebrate. To gripe. To commune. To escape. Capture all those merry bar visits by making your very own beer coaster ornament!

Here's How:

1. Swipe some amazing coasters next time you're at the bar OR search them out on Etsy from great shops like SalvageSuppliesPlus. I got my collection from a combination of both.


2. Punch a hole into the upper center portion of the coaster.


3. Gather glitter, rhinestones, ribbons, trims, metallic pens etc...to jazz up those coasters.

4. Add a ribbon through the hole and you've got an ornament!

I had the most fun researching the breweries and brands as I began posting these in my Etsy shop. For example, did you know Stella Artois was born on Christmas? Awesome! Don't drink too much though, because you don't want to forget to enter Giveaway #6 from Lauren's Lovelies below and the grand, Mother of All Giveaways next week. Enjoy!