Storque articles by julieincharge

News from the Etsy Labs: 11/24 Craft Night

2008-11-19T13:13:00Z

Have plans on Monday night? Well, you do now! Dust off your crafty pants and come join us for our weekly Craft Night at the Etsy Labs in Brooklyn. Craft Night occurs every Monday from 4-8pm EST at 325 Gold Street, 3rd floor in Brooklyn, New York. Craft night is a time to make things, learn new skills, and hang out.

This week, on Monday, November 24, we're hosting an open craft night! Instead of an organized project, this week we are throwing the doors of the Etsy Labs wide open and letting you work on any project that suits you. Bring along any project to work on during this week's craft night: that half-finished scarf you are knitting, paper you would like to bind into books, an embroidery-in-progress, a skirt you would like to alter, a jewelry project, a holiday gift you're making... The sky's the limit!

If you need help with a project that you are working on, we are happy to put in our two cents and share our expertise. If you learned a skill in a past craft night or class, here is your chance to develop that skill further. As always, our tools and supplies are available, so join us for a crafty free-for-all.

Not in Brooklyn? At 7pm, we will be turning on the webcam for a Show and Tell for Sellers in the Lounge room of the Virtual Labs. Come share what projects you are working on! Everyone will get their own time to talk about a project they are working on and get feedback. Come with links to pictures of your work in progress, or if you have a webcam, you can show us live! Craft night participants at the Etsy Labs will also have a chance to share their projects with the online community.

Want to learn more about the Labs? Check out our FAQs. Want to receive email updates? Join our Etsy Labs mailing list.

Will we see you Monday? What will you be working on? Let us know in the comments!

Holiday Shopping Lists: Warm Winter Accessories

2008-11-16T22:50:00Z

It's getting to be that chilly time of year again. Now is the time to start gathering gifts to keep your family and friends warm from head to toe this season! Peruse the gallery below for some classic — and cozy — holiday gift ideas: mittens, scarves, hats, leg warmers, slippers, and the latest in cowls. For more, search accessories in the Crochet Category or try clothing in the Knitting Category.

Holiday Shopping Posts | Seasonal Fashion Gift Guide | Accessories Category

Any readers in the Southern Hemisphere? Give a shout out in the comments below. We want to know what's hot where you are!

News from the Etsy Labs: 11/17 Craft Night

2008-11-12T13:40:00Z

Have plans on Monday night? Well, you do now! Dust off your crafty pants and come join us for our weekly Craft Night at the
Etsy Labs in Brooklyn. Each craft night is also broadcast live into in the Treehouse room of the Virtual Labs. All demos will be shown both in the Labs in Brooklyn and in the Treehouse online.

Craft Night occurs every Monday from 4—8pm at 325 Gold Street, 3rd floor in Brooklyn, New York. Each week the Etsy Labs organize a skill-sharing project. We provide supplies, tools, snacks, and know-how. Participants are also welcome to bring their own project to work on independently. Craft night is a time to make things, learn new skills, and hang out.

This week, on Monday, November 17, we will be making lip balm! (We had so much fun at our past lip balm craft nights that we decided to do it again!) The lip balm we use for demos will be given away at our booth at upcoming craft fairs to help spread the Etsy word. Come help us make this happen! All participants will also take home their own completed lip balm tubes, as well as the knowledge to make lip balm independently. We will demonstrate the melt-and-pour technique of lip balm making that is perfect for creating fun promotional items for your own Etsy shop, as well as gifts for friends and family. We'll also cover tips on labeling, sealing, and packaging your lip balm containers.

If you are joining us virtually for Craft Night this week and would like to make lip balm along with us, you'll need a few supplies: lip balm base, essential or flavor oil(s), pipettes, a microwave, a glass measuring cup, spoons, lip balm containers, shrink bands, paper towels. Or, just be ready to take some notes and see if this is a project you'd like to try out later on.

Would you like to lead a craft night project? Send your ideas to labs@etsy.com with "Craft Night idea" as the subject line.

Have you participated in Craft Night? Share your photos with the Etsy Labs Show and Tell Flickr group!

Want to learn more about the Labs? Check out our FAQs. Want to receive email updates? Join our Etsy Labs mailing list. Will we see you Monday? Let us know in the comments!

News from the Etsy Labs: 11/10 Craft Night

2008-11-05T12:02:00Z

Have plans on Monday night? Well, you do now! Dust off your crafty pants and come join us for our weekly Craft Night at the Etsy Labs in Brooklyn. Each craft night is also broadcast live into in the Treehouse room of the Virtual Labs. All demos will be shown both in the Labs in Brooklyn and in the Treehouse online.

Craft Night occurs every Monday from 4-8pm EST at 325 Gold Street, 3rd floor in Brooklyn, New York. Each week the Etsy Labs organize a skill-sharing project. We provide supplies, tools, and know-how. Participants are also welcome to bring their own projects to work on independently. Craft night is a time to make things, learn new skills, and hang out.

This week, on Monday, November 10, Wendy, a regular craft night superstar, will be teaching us how to transform junk mail into snazzy envelopes and mini matchbook-style notebooks. These techniques are great for making eco-friendly holiday cards and small gifts. This project is open to everyone, regardless of crafting experience. Please bring along your finest junk mail, including old envelopes with security lining and old greeting cards or postcards. All other supplies will be provided. We'll start demos on this week's project at 5pm (rather than 4pm). If you're an early-bird, you are welcome to participate in open crafting from 4-5pm.

If you are joining us virtually for Craft Night this week and would like to craft along with us, you'll need a few supplies:

old envelopes from credit card, utility, bank companies with security lining on the inside (make sure not to include private info!)
old greeting cards or post cards
scrap paper, envelopes or copy paper that's been printed to make pages for the notebook
paper scissors and craft scissors (the kind that cut interesting shapes)
stapler and staples
glue sticks
templates (circles or different shapes) to make designs to collage onto envelopes
trimmings, glitter, beads, sequins to add onto notebooks

Or, just be ready to take some notes and see if this is a project you'd like to try out later on.

Upcoming Craft Night Projects

11/17: Making Lip Balm

11/24: Open Craft Night

Would you like to lead a craft night project? Send your ideas to labs@etsy.com with "Craft Night idea" as the subject line. Have you participated in Craft Night? Share your photos with the Etsy Labs Show and Tell Flickr group! Want to learn more about the Labs? Check out our FAQs. If you'd like to receive email updates, join our Etsy Labs mailing list.

Will we see you this Monday? Let us know in the comments.

News from the Etsy Labs: 11/3 Craft Night

2008-10-29T15:00:00Z

Craft Night occurs every Monday from 4-8pm EDT at 325 Gold Street, 3rd floor in Brooklyn, New York. Each week the Etsy Labs organize a skill-sharing project. We provide supplies, tools, snacks, and know-how. Participants are also welcome to bring their own projects to work on independently. Craft night is a time to make things, learn new skills, and hang out.

This week, on Monday, November 3, we'll be creating our own rubber stamps. This technique is great for printing your own notecards, art prints, fabric, and more. We will demonstrate how to carve linoleum and rubber stamp material. This project is open to people with all levels of printmaking experience. Please come with image ideas for your stamp. If you have a particular paper or fabric you'd like to print upon, please bring that along too. All other supplies will be provided.

If you are joining us virtually for Craft Night this week and would like to sew along with us, you'll need a few supplies:

pen/pencil
linoleum carving tools
newspaper (for under workspace)
blockprinting inks
surface for rolling inks (such as plexiglass)
brayer
wooden spoon or wooden doorknob for burnishing
paper of fabric to print upon
linoleum blocks or E-Z Cut or Mastercarve or a similar type of printing block

Or, just be ready to take some notes and see if this is a project you'd like to try out later on.

Upcoming Craft Night Projects:

11/10: Recycled Envelopes and Mini Notebooks with Wendy

11/17: Making Lip Balm

Would you like to lead a craft night project? Send your ideas to labs@etsy.com with "Craft Night idea" as the subject line. Have you participated in Craft Night? Share your photos with the Etsy Labs Show and Tell Flickr group!Want to learn more about the Labs? Check out our FAQs. If you'd like to receive email updates, join our Etsy Labs mailing list.

Will we see you this Monday? Let us know in the comments!

News from the Etsy Labs: 10/27 Craft Night

2008-10-22T14:25:00Z

Have plans on Monday night? Well, you do now! Dust off your crafty pants and come join us for our weekly Craft Night at the Etsy Labs in Brooklyn. Craft Night occurs every Monday from 4-8pm EDT at 325 Gold Street, 3rd floor in Brooklyn, New York. Craft night is a time to make things, learn new skills, and hang out.

This week, on Monday, October 27, we're hosting an open craft night! Instead of an organized project, this week we are throwing the doors of the Etsy Labs wide open and letting you work on any project that suits you. Bring along any project to work on during this week's craft night: that half-finished scarf you are knitting, paper you would like to bind into books, an embroidery-in-progress, a skirt you would like to alter, a jewelry project, a costume you'd like to stitch together, a pumpkin to carve for Halloween... The sky's the limit!

Note: We do have some pumpkin carving tools and templates on hand, since Halloween is just around the corner. So, if you'd like to carve a pumpkin, it is B.Y.O.P. (That is, Bring Your Own Pumpkin.)

Not in Brooklyn? At 7pm, we will be turning on the webcam for a Show and Tell for Sellers in the Lounge room of the Virtual Labs.Come share what projects you are working on! Everyone will get theirown time to talk about a project they are working on and get feedback.Come with links to pictures of your work in progress, or if you have awebcam, you can show us live! Craft night participants at the Etsy Labswill also have a chance to share their projects with the onlinecommunity.

Want to learn more about the Labs? Check out our FAQs. Want to receive email updates? Join our Etsy Labs mailing list.

Will we see you Monday? What will you be working on? Let us know in the comments!

News from the Etsy Labs: Sock Monkey Workshop!

2008-10-19T10:00:00Z

Join us for an afternoon of creating original sock monkeys for fresh art's sock monkey program. fresh art is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing expanded artistic, personal development, and entrepreneurial opportunities to New York City artists with special needs. The sock monkeys we create this afternoon will be sold to raise funds to support fresh art's programs. All skill levels are welcome, though basic hand sewing skills are helpful.

When: Saturday, October 25, 2008; 10am-3pm
Where: 325 Gold St, 3rd floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Who: Ages 12 & up are welcome

Brought to you by fresh art, the {NewNew} York team, and Etsy Labs.

Please RSVP at rsvp@etsy.com for this free workshop.

Not in Brooklyn? Join us on Thursday, October 23 at 6:30pm EDT the Treehouse room of the Virtual Labs for a chat with AnnMarie Harris from fresh art. In this online workshop, we will discuss how to use crafts to fund your non-profit organization.

See more posts about crafting for good in our Craftivism section.

You might also enjoy this chipmunk project!

Seller How-to: Want to Meetup?

2008-10-16T11:49:00Z

"Let's use the Internet to get people off the Internet. Let's be a group. Let's be a real group. Let's find the others. The ones that want the same thing. Let's meet in real time, in real places, and make a real difference. Let's Meetup." That is just a small, juicy slice of the community-building site, Meetup.com's manifesto.

Meetup.com is a website devoted to using the internet to bring people together in real life. So far Meetup has been a catalyst for 46,315 local groups, in 4,916 topics, in 3,601 cities across the globe. That sounds like a lot of new friendships, collaborations, and meetings to me! Meetup is a great tool for finding like-minded people who live in your area, making lasting connections, and getting off the internet and learning something new.

Meetup is also a great resource for local Etsy Teams. As an Etsy Team leader, you could start your own Meetup to schedule meetings, share photos and tips, collect fees, maintain a group message board, send out a mailing list for your Team and Meetup activities, and easily communicate as a group. The site offers tools finely honed for organizing the perfect meetings, workshops, lectures, and events.

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If you're not part of an Etsy Team, you can search for Meetup groups in your area that are centered around a topic of importance to you and your Etsy shop, such as Meetups centered around the medium you work in or small business topics, and much more. For example, if you live in Melbourne, maybe you'd like to join the Melbourne Small Business Meetup group to mix with your local community of entrepreneurs. Or, if you live in New York, you could join the New York Sewing & Fabric Meetup Group to meet other people who love to sew as much as you do, as well as scope out the best places to buy supplies in the city. If you live in Brooklyn, be sure to check out the Etsy Labs Meetup group. If the perfect Meetup group for you doesn't exist in your area yet, you can always step up to the plate and start one yourself!

Are you a member of any Meetup groups? If so, please share your tips & experiences in the comments below!

You might also be interested to read this interview we did with Meetup marketing guru and Chief Community Organizer Douglas Atkin. And of course, there's the trusty Seller Handbook at your service!

News from the Etsy Labs: 10/20 Craft Night

2008-10-15T12:06:00Z

Have plans on Monday night? Well, you do now! Dust off your crafty pants and come join us for our weekly Craft Night at the Etsy Labs in Brooklyn. Each craft night is also broadcast live into in the Treehouse room of the Virtual Labs. All demos will be shown both in the Labs in Brooklyn and in the Treehouse online.

This week, on Monday, October 20, we'll be creating Halloween coasters with Kimm of The {NewNew} York team and kimmchi fame. She will show us how to create Halloween-inspired drink coasters out of felt and thread. These coasters are perfect for fall decorations and Halloween parties. We will demonstrate how to cut and stitch these spooky household accessories. This project is open to people with all levels of sewing experience. If you would like to add a cork backing to your coasters, feel free to bring some sheets of cork with you. (That's optional.) All other supplies will be provided.

If you are joining us virtually for Craft Night this week and would like to sew along with us, you'll need a few supplies:

- Sheets of felt (mainly black + contrasting colors)
- Scissors or craft/exacto knife
- Embroidery floss + needle
- Sheets of cork (optional)
- Templates for the coasters. Download coaster templates here.

Or, just be ready to take some notes and see if this is a project you'd like to try out later on.

Next Week's Craft Night Project:

10/27: Pumpkin carving with Christine!

Want to learn more about the Labs? Check out our FAQs. Want to receive email updates? Join our Etsy Labs mailing list.

Will we see you this Monday? Let us know in the comments!

News from the Etsy Labs: 10/13 Craft Night

2008-10-08T12:30:00Z

Have plans on Monday night? Well, you do now! Dust off your crafty pants and come join us for our weekly Craft Night at the Etsy Labs in Brooklyn. Each craft night is also broadcast live into in the Treehouse room of the Virtual Labs. All demos will be shown both in the Labs in Brooklyn and in the Treehouse online.

This week, on Monday, October 13, we'll be performing a little eco-alchemy with seamstress extraordinaire Alexia of sakidesigns. She will show us how to transform old t-shirts into new totebags. These upcycled totebags are perfect for carrying your groceries, library books, and Halloween candy! We will demonstrate how to cut, hand-stitch and machine-stitch, and embellish these bags. This project is open to people with all levels of sewing experience.

If you have 2 old t-shirts of the same size that you would like to use to create your project this week, feel free to bring those along. Otherwise, we have everything you will need, including a big ol' box of t-shirts, thread, needles, and sewing machines.

If you are joining us virtually for Craft Night this week and would like to sew along with us, you'll need a few supplies: two knit t-shirts in the same size, hand sewing needle or sewing machine, thread for hand sewing (preferably embroidery thread) or for machine sewing (any thread is fine), a sharpie to trace the pattern and that's it! Or, just be ready to take some notes and see if this is a project you'd like to try out later on.

If you are joining us virtually for craft night this week, please be sure to download the totebag pattern PDF: download pattern piece 1 and download pattern piece 2.

Here is a sneak peek at a few upcoming craft nights:

10/20: Make Halloween-inspired coasters with kimmchi.

10/27: Carve pumpkins with Christine

(Photo by NicoAndMooMoo)

Want to learn more about the Labs? Check out our FAQs. Want to receive email updates? Join our Etsy Labs mailing list.

Will we see you this Monday? Let us know in the comments!