Jack's Pick: Hex Diamond Pendant by Creative.Hodge.Podge

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!

OK, so I'm a guy, so maybe I'm totally biased on this pick, but come on I mean creative.hodge.podge is using hex nuts here! Working hardware like this into jewelry is RAD with a capital R! That purple coated wire really wraps it all up, and the little beads are just the cherries to top off this metal sundae. Hex Diamond Pendants rock in my book.

I love seeing simple everyday objects made into something totally new, and being used for something other than the original purpose.

Don't miss Creative.Hodge.Podge at the Mayday! Underground Craft + Art show on Saturday, May 1 from 10-6 in Rochester, NY.

Wednesday Wellspring: MayDay!

Congratulations to The Quilted House for winning this month's Earth Day team challenge with her upcycled denim bowl! (Yes, that's me! Yippee!!) Next month's theme is Mother's Day, so, team, get to creating!

Now, bubbling up from the well this Wednesday is the event no local Rochesterian will want to miss this weekend: MayDay! Underground Art + Crafts!! This promises to be the coolest, hippest, most with it show Rochester has ever seen and I think I can speak for the rest of the RNEST participants (as well as the other vendors) when I say we're all bringing out best, funkiest crafts that you really won't want to miss!

We'll see you all at 416 St. Paul Street, 10 - 6 this Saturday. Grab a coupon and don't forget that the first 30 guests will receive a free swag bag full of goodies from many of the vendors - I know I offered up some real goodies, so you'll want to be sure to come early!

Trash & Treasures Tuesday: Thrifted Dresses Turn Couch Cover

My stylin' friend Jess has been a big influence on me, my love of thrifting and my obsession with all things vintage. Jess always snags the best items and has a great eye for "what could be." Not many people would see a dress and think, "Hm, this would make a fabulous sofa cover!" Jess did and she made it happen to boot!

From the crafting queen herself:

"I bought two women's plus size velour dresses (well, really more like 'stretch velvet') in the same shade of chocolate brown - I looked for ones that didn't have any adornment/ pockets/ buttons so that all of the material could be usable... I used a scrap piece of cotton (rectangular shaped) that I already had as the center..."

Jess then cut the dresses into the largest symmetric strips possible (all the while keeping them even) and sewed them (right sides together, of course) to the cotton base.

"Then, since it's a cover and can be tucked, I just eyeballed how to finish the sleeves of the couch cover... I ended up just tucking in a lot of the uneven seams, and it appears to be working well."

The results, pretty amazing.

She hit a few snags here and there, but since the material was inexpensive and the end product didn't need to be "perfect," she kept rollin' with the punches and ended up with a great repurposed cover. Love the drapping of the velvet over the arms.

Jess recommends hitting up a store like the Salvation Army or Goodwill for the best deals. Much less expensive then buying new fabric (or buying a new cover).

Thanks to Jess for letting me share her awesome dress-to-couch cover project!

Peace & thanks,
Kaitlin

Make- it Mondays: RNEST Garbage Plate

Happy Monday everybody. Today marks blog post #100. How amazing for burgeoning team and blog just over a year old. The blog, along with the team meetings, really started to expand this past September and we've gone from a handful of followers (mostly ourselves ) to 176! Awesome sauce.

Garbage Plate 3.0

Anyhow, I want to update you on the status of our garbage plate project. Not from Rochester? Find out what the heck that is here. So far we have a plate (the quilted house), a veggie burger (duncan creative) and some nasty meat sauce with onions (buenahelena). We are looking for RNEST members to volunteer to continue filling up the plate.

Possibilities include:

1. Sliced french bread
2. A red hot or a white hot
3. Macaroni salad
4. A pickle
5. Home fries
   
6. And baked beans

These can be made from any area of craft expertise, it just so happens that the first few contributors were fiber-licious. Leave a comment if you want to jump on this project. We will eventually turn it into a fun promotional giveaway.

Jack' Pick: Circuit Cuff Links from Beadwork by Amanda

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 month RNEST has been focusing on Earth Day. We have been making and looking at lots of "upcycled", recycled, and earth friendly items.

One of my favorite RNEST sellers has been Beadwork by Amanda. She does jewelry of all types, but one line that she has been very successful with on Etsy is her circuitry resin jewelry. Pendants, earring, and cuff links, like the ones I have selected for this week's Jack's Pick, are incredibly made and have a beauty in something so industrial.

Amanda describes the item as, "Pieces of recycled circuit board, with green and gold colored strips have been cut and ground to fit into small silver plated oval bezel cups." The circuits are then covered in a glossy resin. They even come in "manly" gift wrap...I like the way that sounds!

If you want to see Amanda's beadwork in person, she will be selling her jewelry at the Mayday Underground Art and Craft Show on May 1, 2010 in Rochester, NY. Lots of other RNEST sellers will also be there. For more information visit the Mayday Underground website.

Wednesday Wellspring: Earth Day

Congratulations #38, sarahmtw, for winning Kelley's Beading's gorgeous bracelet!

And now, the Reserved Parking Spot is once again up for grabs in this our April monthly challenge: Eco/Earth Day crafting!

Cast your vote for your favorite on the poll on the upper right corner of the blog sidebar. Voting will end April 27th, with the winner announced on April 28th!

And now, in no particular order:

RNEST Eco Nest by Sarah's Amiables

Recycled Shopping Bag Purse by Something from Nothin'

Earth Love Recycled Adjustable Ring by buenahelenaUpcycled Pop Top Purse by Something from Nothin'Eco Cables Cowl by Sarah's Amiables

Due to a mistake on the part of this humble blogist, one entry was left out: Secret Notebook by creative.hodge.podge. Since voting has already begun, the poll cannot be edited, so if you would like to vote for the Secret Notebook, simply leave a comment on the post. One vote per person, please. Thanks!

secret notebook by creative.hodge.podge
Upcycled Denim Quilted Bowl by The Quilted House determined by inky star shop Earth Day VHS Tape Clutch Bag by Duncan Creative

Now, celebrate Earth Day with us by doing something nice for Mother Earth and voting for your favorite Eco-friendly craft!

Trash & Treasures Tuesday: Earth Day

Since April's team challenge is to create something inspired by Earth Day and/or something Eco-Friendly, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite finds when using the key search words "Earth Day" on Etsy.

So many great "green" items on Etsy - can't wait to see all the April submissions from my fellow RNEST members. And this just proves that tagging your item is a big part of people finding your work! Share your favorite green items in the comments!

Peace & thanks,
Kaitlin