Storque articles by objecked

How-Tuesday: Snowflake Gift Wrap with the NewNew Team

2009-12-17T17:00:00-05:00

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We published this how-to last year but we're bring it back up for your holiday preparations!

Etsy How-Tuesday presents Kari aka ikyoto and Stella aka lookcloselypress of The {NewNew} York Team. Today we're going to learn how to screenprint our own snowflake gift wrap for the holidays. Kari and Stella remind us that recycling paper bags is a great source for materials for this kind of project.

The snowflake screenprint graphic was designed by the NewNew Street Team with each individual snowflake from a different member of the team. To download the unique snowflake graphic for this project, check out their team blog. The following members contributed a design:

redbridge.etsy.com
pulpsushi.etsy.com
cakehouse.etsy.com
Jantar.etsy.com
mshoelace.etsy.com
AdornmentsNYC.etsy.com
ikyoto.etsy.com
lookcloselypress.etsy.com
Kimmchi.etsy.com
karensmonsters.etsy.com
citybitz.etsy.com
allenelaspina.etsy.com
bungaloe.etsy.com
mayluk.etsy.com
luckx4.etsy.com
cajajewelry.etsy.com
bshorr.etsy.com
lapistolera.etsy.com
linguanigra.etsy.com
Fubabee.etsy.com
wabisabibrooklyn.etsy.com
jdavisstudio.etsy.com
bluestitchbooks.etsy.com

For more of their work, simply search "newnewteam".

Materials Needed:

Silk Screen
Squeegee
Paper Bags / Junk Mail / Card Stock
Scissors
Ink Spreader / Spatula / Stirring Stick
Iron
Ironing Board
A flat protected surface (table with construction paper works just fine)

Steps for Making Screenprinted Gift Wrap:

Cut up your bags until they lay flat.
Iron the bags with the iron on a cotton setting with some steam.
Lay one bag on a flat protected surface (you can tape the edges down if you like).
- Place the screen over the bag.
- Have a friend hold the screen firmly in place.
- Use an ink spreader, spatula, or stirring stick to put some ink evenly along one edge of the screen.
- Using a squeegee firmly press down and pull the ink across the design holding the squeegee at a 45º angle.
- Carefully lift the screen, while holding the paper down to separate the two.
- Repeat swiftly until you notice the ink starting to gum in the screen at which point: rinse!

For more about burning your own screen to print with, check out this tutorial with Pete and Matt.

Watch more how-to videos and check out these how-to projects too!

How-Tuesday: Felt Garlands With Littleloveblue

2009-12-11T13:32:00-05:00

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We're bringing this lovely project back from last year, because it's that time of the season! Can you smell pine in your living room yet?

[Originally published December 16, 2008.]

This week, Etsy How-Tuesday presents Cary Walker, a.k.a. littleloveblue. Cary shows us how to make a holly leaf and berry garland out of felt. This simple but elegant project makes a great gift or a holiday decorating project to do with family and friends.

Materials Needed:

Holly leaf pattern
- Download it here, or draw your own
Green wool felt (or felted wool from a sweater, etc. as long as it's fairly sturdy)
Red wool roving
Felting needles
Felting pad
Scissors
Pins
Thread (red for the berries, and a color to match your ribbon choice)
Sewing needle
Tape measure
Ribbon (at least 2 yards)
Small bells (optional)

Steps for Making Felt Garland

Cut out your leaf pattern from the paper.
Pin the pattern to your wool felt and cut out the leaf.
- Repeat this step until you have 12 leaves.
Pull off a small amount of wool roving and then roll it into a ball about the size of a berry.
Using a needle felting needle, poke the ball many times over a needle felting pad, until it holds together firmly in the shape of a berry.
- Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have 18 berries in total.
Thread the red color thread onto a sewing needle and sew three of the berries together, leaving the needle and thread attached to the berries (for now).
Gather two holly leaves and overlap them slightly at the top. Take your red thread through the two layers of leaves, attaching the berries to them. Bring the thread back and forth through the each berry to secure them well.
- Try to come through the same place in the back of the leaves each time, to make it neater.
Knot the thread in the back of the leaves and cut the thread.
- Repeat steps 5-7 until you have 6 sets of leaves and berries.
Measure at least 2 yards of ribbon. Starting about 12 inches from one end of ribbon and using the thread that matches, sew a set of leaves and berries onto the front of the ribbon.
Continue attaching each set, about 8 inches apart on the ribbon, knotting and re-threading your thread and needle for each one.
Make a 2 inch loop at each of the ribbon and sew those in place as well. You can make more sets of leaves and berries, and use longer ribbon to make your garland as long as you like.
Hang your garland and enjoy!

Watch more how-to videos and check out these how-to projects too!

How-Tuesday: Spooky Shadow Puppets by Crankbunny

2009-10-21T16:30:00-05:00

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We're resurrecting this eerie project from last year — crankbunny's shadow puppets are still full of dark delight!

[Originally published October 28, 2008.]

This week on Etsy How-Tuesday, Norma, a.k.a. crankbunny, shows us how to make spooky shadow puppets for Hallow's Eve! MUAHAHAH! crankbunny, a talented animator and artist, often works with layers of paper in her projects. Her animated short, "Robot Gets Its Wings," won 2nd place in our Handmade Moment Contest (and garnered the prize of Community Favorite!).

Today's project is about dead guys and cemeteries! crankbunny has provided the templates for making her signature Gravestone Shadow Puppet and Dead Guy Shadow Puppet. You can use these templates, or come up with your own designs — either way you will most certainly have your own spooky Halloween shadow show.

Things you will need for the Gravestone Shadow Puppet:

Download the template and print it out: Gravestone Shadow Puppet Template
Scissors or Craft Knife (Exacto Art Knife)
Rod (can be bamboo skewer, chopsticks, thin wooden dowel, a stick — the longer, the better)
Tape or Glue (non-toxic please)
Stiff Paper (card stock, cardboard, chipboard, etc.)

How to make the Gravestone Shadow Puppet:

Transfer the puppet template onto stiff paper stock.
- Tip: Print out the template on regular paper, use spray adhesive or glue to adhere the print out onto the stiff paper stock.
Cut out the gravestone puppet using scissors and a craft knife. Remember to also cut out the white areas inside the gravestone puppet.
Attach one end of the rod to the dotted area on the gravestone template using glue or tape.
- Tip: Customize the gravestone shadow puppet by cutting away shapes from it.
By making a few of these, each customized and cut differently, you can make an entire cemetery scene.
Project the shadow puppet by shining a flashlight onto it in a dark room.

Things you will need for the Dead Guy Shadow Puppet:

Download the Dead Guy Shadow Puppet Template and print it out:
- Dead Guy Shadow Puppet Template (page 1)
- Dead Guy Shadow Puppet Template (page 2)
Scissors or Craft Knife (Exacto Art Knife)
Rod (can be bamboo skewer, chopsticks, thin wooden dowel, a stick — the longer, the better)
Tape or Glue (non-toxic please)
String (cotton warp, yarn)
2 Brads (paper fasteners)
Hole punch (regular or 1/8th if you want to get specific)
Drinking Straw
Stiff Paper (card stock, cardboard, chipboard, etc.)

How to make the Dead Guy Shadow Puppet:

Transfer the puppet template onto stiff paper stock.
- Tip: Print out the template on regular paper, use spray adhesive or glue to adhere the print out onto the paper stock.
Cut out the puppet parts using your cutting tools. Punch holes over the indicated circles with Xs. Use the punch and cutting tools to create your own eye shape on the puppet's head.
Attach one end of the rod to the dotted area on the puppet's body shape using glue or tape.
Cut a one inch (3cm) piece of straw. Align the end of the straw with the line found on the lower part of the puppet's body shape. Have it rest against the rod vertically and tape it down securely to the puppet.
Cut 2 pieces of string. Each should be 12" (32cm) in length. Tie the end of each string to the outer hole on each puppet arm.
Make a spacer out of some scrap paper. A spacer is basically a small square of cardboard/heavy paper with a wedge cut into its side.
Join the arms to the body of the puppet with a brad using the spacer. Match the arms by each letter, the uppercase letter part always over the lowercase part. Remove the spacer once the brads are fastened. This will make each joint loose.
Run each string through the top of the straw. Make a looped knot to join both strings together. When you pull the end of the strings, the arms should move up. When you release the strings, the arms should move back down.
- Tip: Customize the shadow puppet by cutting away and adding shapes to it. Adding fangs, horns, buck teeth, pirate hats, hooks, top hats, etc. to customize your puppet.
Project the shadow puppet by shining a flashlight onto it in a dark room.
Have a spooky Halloween!

See more how-to videos on Etsy!

More How-Tuesday Posts | Supplies Category | DIY Made Simple Gift Guide

Halloween Decor Guide | Halloween Category

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How-Tuesdays: Bleeding Vampire Cupcakes

2009-10-09T10:30:00-05:00

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We're bringing this goodie back to the top. Last year's vampire cupcakes are totally not stale — still full of sweet blood. Mwahahahah!

[Originally published October 21, 2008.]

Welcome to Etsy How-Tuesday. This week, in preparation for Halloween, we bring you Alicia and Tracy of Sweet Tooth of the Tiger who show us how to make Bleeding Vampire Cupcakes!

Here are the steps for making Bleeding Vampire Cupcakes!

Bake a batch of vanilla cupcakes. We use the no-fail recipe for vanilla cupcakes by Julie Hasson from her book "125 Best Cupcake Recipes," but you can use your own favorite vanilla cupcake recipe or a box mix works fine also.
After cupcakes are cooled, use a pointed sharp knife to carefully cut a cone out of the center of the cupcake. Be sure to tilt your knife outwards so you create a cone shape.
Take the cone out and set it aside.
Open a jar or can of cherry pie filling and puree it in a blender or food processor.
Spoon pureed cherry pie filling into the center of the cone'd cupcakes.
Take the previously cut out cones and carefully cut the top off of them, setting the pointy part aside. Use the flat top part of the cone as a cap for the pie filling hole.
The bleeding cupcakes are now ready to be frosted! Use a white frosting, preferably a seven minute frosting (recipe below), which is made by combining egg whites and sugar over a double boiler. Or you can use a buttercream or a can of prepared white frosting.
Once cupcakes are frosted, dip a toothpick in the cherry pie filling (get a generous amount on the toothpick), and stab the cupcake near the edge. Dip the toothpick in the pie filling again and dribble some filling from out of the hole to make it look like a bleeding vampire bite. Do this twice.
Viola! Bleeding vampire cupcakes. When your guests bite into these yummy cherry-vanilla sweets, they will look like they're bleeding!

SPOOKY!

Easy Seven Minute Frosting

Ingredients:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Preparation:
In large metal bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup water, sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt. Set bowl over pan of barely simmering water
and mix with handheld electric mixer at low speed. Gradually increase speed to high, beating until mixture holds stiff peaks, about 5 minutes.

Transfer bowl from pan to folded kitchen towel on counter and continue beating until mixture is cool and billowy, about 2 minutes more. Beat
in vanilla. (Frosting can be made 4 hours ahead and chilled, covered.)

(P.S. For you Twilight folks, we know your fangs will be biting into these cupcakes. Check out this post!)

Watch more how-to videos on Etsy!

There's No Place Like Here: Communal Living with Nikki Silva

2009-09-23T15:50:00-05:00

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(music by Forrest Lewinger, animation by JuliaPott)

While traveling to help promote Etsy as a sponsor of the Bay Area Maker Faire, I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to visit the wondrous place that is La Selva. After a beautiful sunlight-through-the-mist drive down the winding seaside road of Highway 1, I reached Watsonville, CA, and eventually La Selva, where Nikki Silva, a public radio producer best known for her work as one half of the Kitchen Sisters, greeted me. Nikki led me through the communal home that she and eight others have built for themselves in over thirty years of hard toiling work. Naturally we waited all day for a break in the fog so I could get a shot of the majestic view overlooking Monterey Bay.

Davia Nelson, the other half of the Kitchen sisters, above left and Nikki on the right.

Any high-end designer home may be engineered by master architects and built by contractors for millions, but part of the beauty of this place is that it was designed and built by nine people, who wanted nothing more than a place to call home. I suppose it was to their great fortune that one of the original nine happened to be a master architect and builder, but even so, La Selva is built largely from reclaimed materials from other buildings in the Santa Cruz area that had either burned down or were being remodeled. The stories that Nikki shared of how and where they sourced building materials were both industrious and inspiring. La Selva was built on the weekends, one house at a time, step by salvaged marble step.

La Selva is filled with the families' interesting collections, including Nikki's sock monkey hoard.

While Nikki attests that there was no intention of building a commune per se, it is very much a communal living situation. They are all partners in the shares of a single plot of land, and each partner or couple has a housing space within the whole compound based on their share. On the property, there are four separate houses, a large barn, a storage shed and an art studio. There is also a main house that has the kitchen, living room, and bathhouse (I didn't pry). In total, eight unique yet cohesive structures share the property of gardens, fields, and forest, overlooking farmland and the pacific ocean. For those living at La Selva, they eat dinner together every night, take weekly turns with the meal preparation and cleaning of the kitchen, and share in a remarkable sense of togetherness that is much like that of a family.

As the sun seemed to slip into the sea, closing my window of opportunity to keep shooting this wonderland, the kind folks at La Selva were gracious enough to have me for dinner. I expect this is their tradition for many a welcome guest. After dinner, we tuned in to a local Santa Cruz radio station to hear Nikki's daughter, Molly, recite a recent piece of her writing for which she had earned an award. It was a touching moment to sit with the group of people who had collectively raised Molly and hear her voice over the radio waves, the medium of her mother's legacy. It's hard not to imagine that every evening there is just as spectacular.

Much of the original art seen on the walls of La Selva can be found in the shop of Nikki's husband, Charles Prentiss. The vintage radio shown above is from johnnyvintage.

Watch more There's No Place Like Here Videos| Shop Local Santa Cruz

Looking for more styles and interiors? Check out our video series, There's No Place Like Here, where creative types show us their unique spaces — infused with their aesthetic and filled with the treasures they collect. Get involved and show us your amazing space in this Flickr pool.

Tech Update: Beta Test of New Rearrange Your Shop Feature

2009-09-01T14:30:00-05:00

UPDATE: We have completed the final phase of beta testing for the Rearrange Your Shop feature. During this final phase, the shops included in beta testing will be available for everyone to view. If you come across one of these shops, you will see that the sort order for the shop's items will say "Custom" instead of the default, "Most Recently Listed."

The final step after this phase is to provide the feature to all Etsy sellers. Thanks so much for your patience while we test the new feature — we know sellers are eager to use it!

[The following was originally published on June 9, 2009.]

Today we began a closed beta test of our new Rearrange Your Shop feature with a handful of selected Etsy sellers. This feature allows sellers to arrange items in their shops by dragging and dropping items. To give you a sense of how this works, we recorded a quick product demo. (Watch the video above.)

Over the course of the next few weeks we will gather feedback on the user experience, expand the beta to include more sellers, and we will post an announcement on the blog when the feature is available to all Etsy sellers.

For additional questions, you can reference the brief FAQ below.

What is the new Rearrange Your Shop feature?
The new Rearrange Your Shop feature allows sellers to rearrange the item listings in their shops to any order they wish.

How will I know if I am part of the beta?
We will send an email to beta participants. Sorry, we cannot accept additional beta testers beyond the original group at this time.

How does the feature work?
To rearrange your items, you click and drag your items to change the order on any page of your shop. Remember, each shop page has a total of 21 items. If you want to move an item between pages, you can click on an item and select the page the item should be moved to. When moving an item to a new page, the item will always appear as the first item on the new page. Finally, when you've completed your new layout, you can save or cancel.

What happens when I add or relist items after I change my shop layout?
When you add a new item to your shop, that item will appear first, even if you rearranged your items previously in your shop. Once an item is added, you can rearrange that item in your shop as well.

What will buyers see when they view my shop after I rearranged my items?
The default view for buyers will be the new custom layout you created. Buyers can still sort items based on time listed and price.

Does rearranging items change the way I feature items in my shop?
No, the Featured Items section will remain the same and is managed separately.

Can I rearrange items for each of my sections?
At this time, you can only rearrange items for the main portion of your shop, not each section.

We are looking forward to sharing this new feature with everyone — we just want to make sure it's the best it can be!

P.S. We closed commenting on the Storque post because the record-breaking number of comments was slowing down the load time on the post! Please continue to give us your feedback in this forum thread.

P.P.S. If you would like to receive breaking, vital Etsy news as it happens — delivered straight to your email inbox — then sign up for Etsy News Alerts emails. Read more about it here. Expect this as an Etsy Alert email in your inbox if you already subscribe to the list.

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Process: Beach Glass Jewelry with Wildpen

2009-08-13T18:00:00-05:00

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Like all our videos, feel free to re-post and embed the video on your blog!

(music by Eric Beug, animation by JuliaPott)

I have met a few cockatoos in my day, but on this day, in early June, I met Sunny and FlaxMan, two Umbrella Cockatoos who help run wildpen, an Etsy shop where they sell handmade (er... beak- and talon-made) gifts. Unfortunately, Hope, a Moluccan Cockatoo was out during the shoot, but she's the third of three cockatoos that make up wildpen.

Sunny likes green sea glass. With her expert vision, and ability to see a 4th color channel, she can spot tiny pieces of glass darting about in the surf from a ways down the beach.

FlaxMan is mostly into a rock and roll lifestyle, but he takes breaks to work on wildpen. It helps to have a little Ani Difranco, Howling Wolf or PJ Harvey on the stereo to jumpstart his creative genius.

Hope is really into the mud masks. She loves mixing and testing personal batches on her feet. Since she couldn't be in the video, we'll indulge in one of her favorites:

Reviving Dead Sea Mud Mask Therapy

By wildpen, $11.95.

Step 1: Test Fit	Step 2: Sand Beads
Test to make sure each LED will fit snugly in a pony bead. I used white LEDs and white beads, but feel free to add color and mix it up.	Use fine-grit sandpaper to sand the outside edges of the pony beads and the large bead to create a matte finish.

Storque articles by objecked

How-Tuesday: Snowflake Gift Wrap with the NewNew Team

How-Tuesday: Felt Garlands With Littleloveblue

How-Tuesday: Spooky Shadow Puppets by Crankbunny

How-Tuesdays: Bleeding Vampire Cupcakes

There's No Place Like Here: Communal Living with Nikki Silva

Tech Update: Beta Test of New Rearrange Your Shop Feature

Process: Beach Glass Jewelry with Wildpen

There's No Place Like Here: Edna W. Lawrence Nature Lab at the Rhode Island School of Design

The Kingdom Anamalia

The Kingdom Plantæ

The Kingdom Fungi

The Kingdom Protista

The Kingdom Monera

How-Tuesday: Nightlife Necklace with Diana Eng

How-Tuesday: Elegant Parchment Flowers with Jeffrey Rudell