The Etsy Teams have been ramping up for big holiday success, with lots of events, contests and challenges. The Etsy Teams are an amazing asset to Etsy because they're constantly coming up with innovative ways to become involved in their communities, and creatively encourage people to shop the site and buy handmade.

Marie from Marimello is working in several ways to provide some relief for those affected by the fires in Southern California. With help from the area Etsy Teams, she is drumming up donations and relief for victims of the fires in SoCal. She hopes these actions will not only provide relief, but also inspire other ways to use Etsy for the greater good. The new blog for these current events is witch-fire.blogspot.com and since she knows others have used Etsy for good causes in the past, she plans to highlight other Etsy shops that are doing craftivism. The disaster hits close to home for Marimello, as her parents have been evacuated and 15 other family members have also been evacuated from seven of their homes since the fires began. 

The Etsy Mud Team's Autumn Challenge is now over, and this week is "Mud in the Trees" — participating members of the Etsy Mud Team are creating Christmas Ornaments for sale on Etsy. 

The Visual Artists Street Team has a challenge going on for November! The challenge is open to anyone who'd like to create a small art work (less than 14" in any one direction), with the theme of "Greening Up Together." The art work could be created with recycled materials, could be your representation of how we humans can help to green up the world around us. The work must be created and listed on Etsy in your shop during the month of November and tagged "GREENINGUPTOGETHER" as one word. If the listed item sells before the end of the contest, please convo dmriceart to make sure your work is on her list. At the end of the month, all entries will be placed in a hat, and a winner will be chosen! The prize for is an artbook and a few other surprises, worth over $20.00!

For November and the beginning of December, the DoG MAFiA HoliDOG Raffle is Something To Bark About! The DoG MAFiA is excited to announce their Holidog Raffle starting November 1st and running thru December 10th.  You could win over $200 worth of DOGtastic goodies donated by mafia members just for shopping with the mob. Every purchase you make of a DOG related item from a participating mafia member shop gets you 1 ticket per item. There is no limit how many tickets a person can have... so the more you shop the better your chances of winning! Buyers will automatically be entered w/each purchase. See all the wonderful donations on Flickr. For details, see the Etsy Dog Mafia's blog.

The Etsy Glass Artists have created a special shopping website for the Holiday season.   It'll be updated often by the members of the Etsy Glass Artists team to reflect new items in their shops.  It's a really elegant way to find glass gifts for all your family and friends this season, be sure to check it out.  When you sign up for their newsletter, you're automatically entered in a monthly give-away.  

Is your Etsy Team doing something newsworthy?  Tell us about it!  We're looking for events that the whole Etsy community can get excited about — things that are happening online or making a difference in the world somehow.  The pitch form can be located through the link in the left-hand column of The Storque.  Also, if you're on an Etsy Team, please consider signing up for the Etsy Teams Mini-Mailing.  It's the best way to keep up with all the things you'll need to know this holiday season.