June Team Challenge: "Inspired By"

Welcome to RNEST's June Team Challenge! The theme for this month was 

"Inspired By" 

For this theme, we were inspired by each other!  

Earlier this month, we asked our RNEST members to get creative and submit items they've made that were inspired by another RNEST member's work...and now YOU, our loyal blog readers, get to pick the winner!  Here's the list of our contestants!

Hand-Stitched Red Fox Wool Felt Softie by Swurme

(Inspired by KiraArts' Fox Nubbin)

Hand-Stamped Fabric Nubbin Keychain by KiraArts

(Inspired by Jackbear's Hand-carved rubber stamps and HeatherVitticore's Printed Animal Pillows)

Giraffe Cards by MFcrafts

(Inspired by PapersaurusCreative's Zoo Animal Prints)

You Are My Lobster - Felt Bunnies Couple by MoyaLazyFactory
(Inspired by PapersaurusCreative's You're My Lobster Print)

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,  June 12th)

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

Make-it Mondays: Go YouTubing with Etsy

Did you know that Etsy has it's own YouTube channel? You did? Well I didn't and for those of you who didn't as well, it is worth a rainy afternoon. When you're in a rut, you can search through topics including Handmade Portraits which highlight profiles of Etsy sellers and Process which follows the step my step production of an Etsy seller's object. Here's one that I especially enjoyed from the makers behind Spruce Home.

Make-it Mondays: Get Inspired by TED

Feeling like your in a rut with Etsy or the whole creative process? There are days when I can't find any motivation, but TED never fails to inspire me to do more and be more as a maker. TED is a non-profit group that hosts talks from the greatest minds in the world on technology, entertainment and design. The TED website offers videos of every talk they host FOR FREE, a great brain boost in under 20 minutes.

Videos are categorized by adjective like "beautiful, inspiring and fascinating" or by genre's like design and business (both good for Etsians I might add). One of my favorite talks is by Eva Zeisel, 94 years old and a ceramic designer for over 75 years. If we could all have her creative longevity...

Eva Zeisel on the playful search for beauty | Video on TED.com

Make- it Mondays: What Exactly is Original?

From: Buenahelena

In the land of Etsy originality is a coveted if not abstract quality to have. Catch phrases like OOAK (one of a kind) and "I took the handmade pledge" are stated often with pride. At our last team meeting we pondered the idea of originality and the dread problem of copyright infringement. (*Note: This post is only covering issues about handmade items)

Here is what Etsy has to say about copyrights: "Your content and your use of Etsy shall not: Infringe upon any third-party's copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other proprietary or intellectual property rights or rights of publicity or privacy (see also, Etsy's Copyright and Intellectual Property Policy)"

So what does this mean? Where do we draw the line? In my philosophy there is nothing truly original anymore, but out and out misuse is obvious. Below are some questionable examples from Etsy. Although they are in fact handmade, and many times well made, they are skirting that line of infringement:


The picture above is from Craftsquatch. He has been featured on Etsy and several other online publications. His work is handmade with love. His icons are...well...completely stolen...and nowhere in his profile does it say with permission. These icons were made by a designer somewhere who is not getting paid for their use on Craftsquatch's pillows. Mmmm...


The next item is from Simplybitten. In her store banner and descriptions, she makes it known that her work is inspired by Twilight. A smart idea, as inspiration can't really be owned. She does use copyrighted characters names, but uses them in her own designs as fan art and gives props to Stephanie Meyer with each item. Her Got Twilight? decal, however, could be infringing on two different enterprises....

So how can you be safe? Here are some simple guidelines:

1. Give credit where credit is due.
2. Take inspiration, but not exact patterns, logos or photos. Make a 25% change to the item/image to keep yourself in the clear.
3. Don't assume that something is such a huge phenomenon that it is automatically public property.
4. If you knit/crochet and sew from a pattern say so. Be careful though! Many patterns from magazines have a disclaimer that they are for personal use and not for you to sell with or without credit.
   
5. Research like items out there in Etsy-land and see how you can tweak them to make them more distinctly yours.
   

P.S. I would love to keep this dialogue going, so comment your ideas and knowledge. I am also not saying that I don't break the rules sometimes....unintentionally.
P.P.S My Our Lady of Vogue wall piece...

Make-it Mondays: DIY Envelopes and Advice

From: Buenahelena!

A few days ago the Etsy newsletter featured fun ways for sellers to package and ship their goods. (Check out the Storque article connected to the newsletter.) I loved the idea of reusing old paper, gift wrap, newspaper etc...to create envelopes and mailers and have shown you how I did a couple below. There are many tutorials out there with templates, but I found it was simple enough to deconstruct an existing envelope to create my own pattern. Enjoy!


I collected some illustrated pages from discarded library books, found 2 different sized envelopes for templates, an acid-free, strong bonding glue stick, and pencils and sharpies for tracing.


Next I used a letter opener to take apart both envelopes. Laying them flat over the vintage illustrations, I traced the outline of the envelopes then cut them out.


I used a ruler along the fold lines of the new templates to create sharp creases, folded them and glued them together as the original envelopes had been.


And there you have it, fun handmade envelopes! Consider adding your own mailing labels featuring your Etsy address along with the return address (not shown here for privacy). I also added a stamp featuring the words: "Handmade, because you're worth it." We should always let our customers know that they are indeed. Smaller envelopes can hold your card or street team members for promotions within a larger package. It's always fun to get a package and feel like it's your birthday and customers will remeber that in the future.

Start collecting things around you for packaging, like tray liners from diners, old magazines, or the cute, printed paper wrapped around cuts of vinyl. Be creative with what you've got!


On another note, I want to recommend a book. I recently picked up Creative Time and Space: Making Room for Making Art, by Rice Freeman-Zachery. It never feels like there is enough time to make art, especially when it's not my primary source of income. Rice has compiled rut killers, time makers and the studio profiles of several working artists, to ease that "never-enough-time" anxiety and get you working. Pick it up whether you're a full time artist (lucky ones you are!) or an artist with a day job.