Search results (tags) for: "videos"

Rock 'n' Shop With Lenka

2009-11-09T13:35:00-05:00

Australian singer-songwriter, Lenka is best known for her single, "The Show," which gained her worldwide popularity. Lenka's music is synonymous with a whimsical, crafty visual style, almost always created with her partner James Gulliver Hancock and can be seen in her album artwork, videos and stage sets. After majoring in sculpture at art school in Sydney and performing with Aussie film projection indie rockers, Decoder Ring, Lenka sees the visual aspect of music as having the utmost importance. Lenka has become known for her live shows, which create a world that quickly became known as Lenkaland — filled with child-like motifs and fun, flirty vintage clothes. It was natural for Lenka to be a fan of Etsy, so today she's here to share her Etsy picks. She'll also be sharing her latest singles and music video and sharing more of her favorites in Etsy's interactive chat room, the Virtual Labs, on Thursday, November 12 at 6:30 p.m. ET. This means it will be 10:30 a.m. on Friday in Sydney. Mark your calendars!

I have always been a craft kid. I remember making fabric-covered books as a 9-year-old and I still enjoy embroidery, Fimo and papier-mache. But I've always loved entertaining people and making music too, which kind of took over as a career choice. Now I try to mix the two together! And my personal style is definitely influenced by my inner "craft kid." Selecting these items for Etsy has been really fun for me as I love and appreciate all the other craft kids out there!

SALE Mod Flower Necklace

I have one from her just like it; my boyfriend bought it for me! By MushkaDesigns, $37.50.

View Item | View Shop

Black Skeleton Key Hand Embroidered Wall Plaque Hanging Art

I love embroidering and I love simple silhouette imagery. By Samskiart, $40.

View Item | View Shop

Deluxe Mixtape Pouch - Love Songs

I love this — it's the cutest thing ever. And I miss cassette tapes! I'm nostalgic... By BraveMoonman, $50.

View Item | View Shop

Nesting Doll Owls- Set of 3 - Forest Spirits

Absolutely beautiful. I love owls and I love knickknacks! By SavageArtworks, $47.

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Brass Solo Flight Bracelet- Customize your Swarovski Crystal Color

Very sweet jewelry, lots of cute bird pieces — you can never have enough! By threebirdsdesigns, $19.

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Birds of North America Collage Audubon Painting Colorful Graphic T-shirt (S,M,L,XL,XXL available)

More birds! I loved the old educational wildlife posters we had in Australia and this reminds me of them. By isotope, $20.

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Mushroom Tea Set

You could pretend you're Alice In Wonderland drinking out of these. And they'd go well with my mushroom set pieces. From Hindsvik, $40.

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Set of Two Retro 70s Embroidered Mushroom Linen Towels

Again with the mushrooms! I have some vintage tea towels and I love them. These ones are just adorable. From estateofmind, $10.

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le loup / the wolf necklace

Sweet, old-fashioned, strange animals — right up my alley! By PetitesCuriosites, $44.

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Boho Flora Green Dress Crochet Sleeves

Great vintage dresses! Can't get enough vintage dresses — I usually wear them on stage. From LoveItShop, $48.

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Zumba the monster necklace

I love laser cut stuff and I am diggin' monsters at the moment — goes well with my Trouble Is A Friend imagery (watch the video below!). By Mariska, $24.

View Item | View Shop

Don't forget to join us on Thursday, November 12 at 6:30 p.m. ET (10:30 a.m. on Friday in Sydney) in our Virtual Labs for a chat with Lenka live from the Etsy Labs!

Fabulous Packaging and Wrapping With rikrak

2009-11-03T10:30:00-05:00

Have you missed the first half of our series of holiday workshops for sellers? Don't worry, there are many workshops left to help you get your shop in shape this season. (View the entire schedule here.) Last week's workshop was hosted by Etsy seller, rikrak, our resident branding-with-packaging specialist! I've put together some great references from her workshop here, but make sure you read the thorough notes she's provided on her own blog, the rikrak studio.

Packaging How-To Videos:

Etsy Holiday How-To #1: Packaging

Etsy Holiday How-To #2: Packaging

Etsy Holiday How-To #3: Creating Labels and Hang-Tags

Furoshiki Gift Wrapping

Packaging Blog Tutorials:

Holiday How-To's: Sellers, Wrap It Up With Gift Wrap!

Team EcoEtsy Tip of the Week: That's a Wrap

Team Eco-Etsy: Make Your Own Waterproof Shipping Envelope

Furoshiki Fabric Wrap Techniques

Funky Felter's Blog: All About Labels for Handmade Items

Craftster Tutorial: Making Personalized Labels

Team Canada: Making a Cereal Box into a Beautiful Mailer

Packaging Downloads:

Envelope Pattern

Flying Floating Mailing Labels by the Small Object

Free Printable Mailing Labels by Creature Comforts

Free Printable Labels and Gift Cards by oh smile

Sweet Mailing Labs by Elephantom Knits

For more packaging tips and tricks, don't forget to read all of rikrak's workshop notes here. Happy packaging!

More Packaging Tips | Holiday Tips for Sellers | Holiday Workshop Schedule

How-Tuesday: Gore-Fest 2009 3D Blood Spatter Effect

2009-10-27T14:00:00-05:00

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We are so excited to be collaborating with Meg, a.k.a. Enderby, of Threadbanger fame for this creepy-cute Halloween how-to! Horror movie buffs and fans of television's forensic blood splatter analyst (and serial killer) Dexter are sure to be inspired. Here's Meg with all the gory details...

This October, let's take on new and unique creepy Halloween decor instead of the same old orange and black motif. In today's How-Tuesday, Etsy and Threadbanger team up to create a 3-dimensional blood spatter effect. These murder scene recreations are blood-chilling decor, and they make a fun and interactive backdrop for your Halloween party's photo booth. This will surely creep you and your guests out and will go over quite well with the serial killers in attendance.

For this project you will need:

Red felt
Red yarn
A needle (with an eye large enough for the yarn)
Red tacks
Recycled cereal box or cardboard for the template
Pen, chalk and/or pins

Instructions

1. Sketch out the shape of your pool of blood and create a template. If you don't want to draw your own, click on the spatter image on the right to open the full size file in a new window. Right click to download.

2. Using the template as a guide, trace and cut out the pool of blood from your red felt.

3. Cut out 50-80 pieces of red yarn that measure 50 inches long, and tie two knots at one end of each piece. The number of pieces of yarn will be determined by the perimeter of your red felt.

4. One by one, thread and pull through each piece of yarn around the perimeter of the blood pool. The yarn pieces should be about 1 centimeter out from the edge, and 1 inch apart from each other. (Tip: We had a little bowl of water on hand to make threading the needle easier.)

5. Take red tacks, or flat-head metal tacks you painted red, and attach your piece to the wall making sure the edges are flat and that all of the yarn hangs loose.

6. Take the pieces of yarn, and pulling them taut, attach to an old microphone stand or tripod. You can use another piece of your red yarn to tie the pieces together and then to the stand. This acts as the point of contact of the wound that created the bloody scene. Stab away and enjoy!

To see more of Meg's DIY home decor projects, check out Decor It Yourself every Wednesday on Threadbanger.com.

More How-Tuesday Projects

How-Tuesday: Spooky Shadow Puppets by Crankbunny

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

MP4 | YouTube | blip.tv | Subscribe in iTunes

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

All Etsy videos are licensed under a Creative Commons: Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share Alike. If you like a video we produced, we encourage you to post it on your website, blog, MySpace, etc. You can help us spread the word about the handmade lifestyle through video by:

1. Clicking the link button on the bottom right corner of the video player at the top of the article:

2. Select the embed tab, then copy and paste the embed code onto your blog or website:

Handmade Moment Contest: We Have a Winner

2009-10-14T16:00:00-05:00

(Extended drum roll...) The winner of the Handmade Moment Video Contest is "Handmade Moments are Everywhere" by Daniel Kwan! Daniel's outstanding animation gets across the playful spirit of Etsy. Our judges and the community were all drawn to the cute characters. While the piece is fantastical, it also outlines the Etsy shopping experience. We think this video entices people and makes them want to learn more about Etsy. Congratulations to Daniel, who will be hearing from our chief bean-counter Sinohe who will be presenting Dan with a giant $3250 check (designed by our own Pete).

Daniel, in his own words: "I am a student at Emerson College studying film production, but this has the potential to change instantly as I am the inventor of the sport Gazeball-Z, a lover of children's TV programming, and an experimental seamstress. For now I spend most of my days in front of the computer animating nonsensical whatevers, but hope to one day retire and spend my days writing children's books because I refuse to live in a society where people stop telling their kids stories about magical purple crayons and bears with missing buttons."

Thanks to all who joined us in cheering the winners in our live awards ceremony in the Virtual Labs this afternoon. Here's Tara's behind-the-scenes look at the judging process from the other night:

Our three runners-up also win big today. They will be receiving giant checks for $1250 each. Give them a huge round of (virtual) applause!

2nd Place is "Robot Gets Its Wings" by Norma Toraya, a.k.a. Crankbunny. This was also the Community Favorite!

3rd Place is "Painting the Girl" by Estelle VanderHeide, a.k.a. estellelle.

Estelle, we apologize for the rude interruption from Lori "Kanye" 40, who thought that Beyonce should have won.

4th Place Mr. Squid's Handmade Moment by Hine Mizushima, a.k.a. hine.

Please take a moment of silence for the great loss to the creative community this year: Mr. Patrick Swayze. Sarah Rockstarpoli, Beug, and Matt serenaded us with a musical tribute, while Jesse and Danielle created a visual montage in his honor. We all "had the time of our lives."

They also warmed up the crowd with a live rendition of Beug's original music composed for the contest. Dee-dah-dee-da-dit-dit!

The six other finalists get $500 each. These really are all winners! They're all in this playlist below:

A huge thank you goes out to everyone who entered and to all of our voters. We all had our favorites! We'll be using the top videos in upcoming marketing campaigns, so stay tuned.

See more posts about the Handmade Moment Video Contest.

See more photos from the awards ceremony on our Flickr stream.

All About Etsy FAQ: Welcome to the Community Hub

2009-10-09T16:00:00-05:00

Today we're excited to unveil your new Community Hub!

There's a lot going on in the Etsy community on any given day — at any given moment. This page is designed to gather together the main streams of activity so you can see the latest at a glance. You can participate in any way you want. We hope you'll join us!

The Community Hub is linked in the main Etsy top navigation bar found on every page on our site — just click on Community. If you want to bookmark it, use this url: http://community.etsy.com

From the Community Hub you can:

get quick updates about goings-on
access the Forums and Chat (there's also a "From the Forums" feed with some of the latest topics)
pop into the Virtual Labs for real-time, interactive events
reach the Teams pages on Etsy, where groups of members self-organize
jump to The Storque, Etsy's blog, where we post content ranging from shopping to seller how-to's
check out the Resources pages for helpful tools and graphics
join in community shopping polls with the Voter

Social networking has taken off in the Etsy community, so we're streaming in our Twitter feed. We're also providing you with the links to our other social networking pages, such as Facebook, and our media feeds, such as YouTube, Flickr, and iTunes (coming soon). There's much to explore, so dive in!

For upcoming events, check out the calendar embedded on the page.

Stay tuned for more improvements to some of these pages. We'd love to hear your feedback, so please share your thoughts in the comments below.

UPDATE: Due to some limitations we had to remove the top links from the new Community Hub (e.g. Cart, Sign In, Favorites, Conversations, etc.). If you are Signed In to Etsy when you visit the Community Hub you will still be Signed In even without the top links. We understand that this is a confusing experience and longer term we hope to find a solution to improve this. In the meantime, you can always go to www.etsy.com to view your top links.

Read more posts in the All about Etsy FAQ Series | Visit the Community Hub

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!

Handmade Moment Contest: Judgement Day

2009-10-08T14:25:00-05:00

Live Etsy.TV Handmade Moment Awards Ceremony

Join us Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 3:30 p.m. ET in the Virtual Labs. We'll be announcing the winner and runners-up live!

Yesterday was a day of reckoning.
Our Handmade Moment judges buckled down last night at the Etsy Labs for an intense evening of video watching. We pored over each of the ten finalists on etsy.tv. Andrew Wagner, editor-in-chief of ReadyMade magazine, got the conversation flowing. (See his post about judging here.) Casey Safron from the School of Visual Arts' animation department and Animation Block Party, had an interesting take on character development.

Corinne Leigh, of ThreadBanger.com, is already really familiar with DIY and got right to the heart of the Etsiness of each video. The Bretts, of The Donnas and of directing fame, phoned in from California, and Olivia Wilde will be sending her picks soon since she was on a shoot (so Hollywood!). Each judge offered up their strong opinions and thoughtful insights. It was a show in and of itself!

The whole process is a bit more reminiscent of high school exams than we expected — but still a lot of fun.

After the judging we watched some of the trailers for Mark Elijah Rosenberg' Roof top Films program. We loved the one where it's a single shot of a miniature cityscape set they built from scrap cardboard and clay models.

Maria, Etsy's CEO, was there as a proctor of sorts, making sure we stayed true to the judging criteria and the Etsy brand.

Now Jesse is tallying all the results from the panel of judges and the popular vote.

May the tension mount til Wednesday!

Handmade Weddings: Etsy Bridal Crowns With Whichgoose

2009-09-30T12:30:00-05:00

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(Music by Espers)

All Etsy videos are Creative Commons, so please embed them on your blog! Share the love!

I met up with Emily Zych, a.k.a. whichgoos e, deep in the magical forests of Maryland, where she finds twigs and vines for the fanciful crowns she makes. This wood nymph's delightful creations are inspired by Greek mythology, pagan folklore and expressive Romanticism.

Clockwise from top left: Fields of Gold Crown, I'll Fly Away Tiara, Starry Night Crown, Genevieve Comb, Midsummer Night's Dream, Chapel Crown, Ginny Crown.

This natural vine wreath has a lovely Victorian feel to it. It would be an elegant garland for brides and guests alike.

Twiggy Crown by whichgoose, $35

whichgoose captures the essence of woodland fashion with this earthy yet delicate crown.

Lilith by whichgoose, $50.

Are you getting married — and have butterflies in your stomach, never mind your hair? Describe your bridal style in the comments below!

Trends | Bridal Fashion Style Guide | Shopping Posts | Videos

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

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

Friend Etsy on Youtube & Blip.tv | Subscribe to Etsy's iTunes Podcast | MP4 Verson

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

(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.

PayPal Workshop in Etsy's Virtual Labs

2009-09-17T10:22:00-05:00

On August 31, 2009, PayPal customer service representatives Deb and Tim hosted a live Virtual Labs chat to answer sellers' questions about PayPal and walk Etsy sellers through some of the features and tools that PayPal offers. If you missed the workshop, you can watch clips below and check out the links that were shared by the PayPal team.

1: Verifying Payment

How do you know you received payment from a buyer? Tim walks you through the multiple ways to find out. You can even use PayPal's download log feature to view your transactions in a spreadsheet or in software like Quicken or Quickbooks. For more information: Downloadable History.

2. Shipping and Seller Protection

Tip: When shipping on your PayPal invoice is incorrect, it's often a problem in your PayPal account settings. If you need to revise the invoice for the customer, go to your PayPal account and click on "request money."
Then, be sure to enable transaction-based override:
    1.    Log in to your account at http://www.paypal.com/.
    2.    Go to My Account > Profile > Shipping calculations (in the Selling Preferences column)
    3.    Select the Shipping Method and click Edit
    4.    Select Yes for "Use the shipping fee in the transaction instead of my calculator's settings" and press Save Changes.
Please note that if you have not set up any Shipping Calculations in PayPal, the default is to override shipping methods per transaction. (You should not need to change anything.)

3. Types of PayPal Accounts

Ever wonder whether you should upgrade to a Premium or Business PayPal account? Tim explains the benefits of each account. Helpful Links: PayPal Account Types & Which account is right for you?

4. Refunds

Want to know how to send a full or partial refund through PayPal? Or how fees work when refunding payment? Watch the video above. Helpful link: How to Send a Refund.

If you have another PayPal question that wasn't answered here you can probably find an answer in one of three ways:

PayPal Help Center
Ask Sarah — an automated PayPal customer service rep
Contact PayPal by phone or email

Want to attend a Virtual Labs workshop? Learn more about our online meeting space here.

Listen to the audio podcast of Deb Popek's last PayPal Virtual Lab here: Seller How-To: PayPal Coming to Etsy Virtual Labs!

Etsy's PayPal FAQs | PayPal Tips for Sellers | Etsy's Seller Handbook

Etsy Dress Up With I Heart Norwegian Wood

2009-09-09T11:45:00-05:00

MP4 | Youtube | Blip.tv | Subscribe in iTunes

(Music by Chinatown, animation by JuliaPott)

All Etsy videos are Creative Commons, so please embed them on your blog! Help spread the word!

Montreal-based fashion designer Angie Johnson of iheartnorwegianwood is best known for her structuralist leather cage skirts, vintage trim elastic harnesses and colorful fringe necklaces. It's a modern look that dabbles in the silhouettes of bondage, while maintaining its femininity with vintage textiles. When Angie is designing her Norwegian Wood line, she's inspired by the trim and embellishments she finds in local fabric shops. "Montreal used to be one of the main manufacturing capitals of Canada, so there are a lot of great little hidden treasures that I seek out in order to make my designs." Angie is interested in creating accessories and clothing that transform the wardrobe you already have.

[Clockwise from top left: Feathers & Fringe, Elastic Harness - Denim Blue, Chain and Elastic Harness, Floral Collection Leggings - Wild Roses, Luxe Collection - Bike Short Leggings, Punk Ballerina, Maximum Fringe Necklace - Black, Champagne, Denim]

Susie from Style Bubble models her I Heart Norwegian Wood Cage Skirt:

"Thank you Angie for blessing my life with cages. No, that isn't an ironic feminist poetic statement. I thought I'd never mean that sincerely but I do. Why? From the frothy cage dress came a sturdier cage skirt which in reality is a whole lot easier to wear. Depending on how high I pull it up on my waist, there's also different ways of working the structure of the cage."

Cage skirt by iheartnorwegianwood, $110

Queen Michelle from Kingdom of Style models her tweed cage skirt:

"The omni-talented Angie from Norwegian Wood sent me one of her most marvelous cage skirts. I got mine made in brown tweed. I liked the idea of the contemporary shape of the cage combined with the old lady fabric. I never realized just how useful this skirt actually is until I wore it. The day after I received it, I amped up the old lady look and wore it to work with my vintage mustard sweater, some teal tights, Givenchy wedges, librarian glasses and a black bow at my neck."

Cage skirt by iheartnorwegianwood, $110

Angie loved the idea of having a fringe necklace accessory to wear with many dresses rather than owning just one fringe dress. Check out more of her designs self-modeled in her Flickr stream.

Maximum fringe necklace by iheartnorwegianwood, $59

Thanks to Lara Kaluza, a.k.a. lalouka, for her help with the fashion shoot!

More Trends | Fall Fashion Style Guide | More Shopping Posts | More Videos

Handmade Portraits: Mimi Kirchner

2009-09-08T10:20:00-05:00

MP4 | Youtube | Blip.tv | Subscribe in iTunes

(Music by Jonathan Cazenave, Lineland, animation by JuliaPott)

All Etsy videos are Creative Commons, so please embed them on your blog! Help spread the word!

UPDATE: Mimi announced the winner of her free pincushion giveaway today. Congratulations to Angela Recada who embedded the video on her blog. Mimi wrote, "Thanks so much to everyone that posted and entered. There were 82 entries all together. The random number generator picked #49 and that was Angela! [The following was originally posted on August 26, 2009.]

Mimi Kirchner, a.k.a. mck254, spent twenty years "being distracted" by ceramics before she discovered her true calling, making dolls. Mimi's childhood was spent surrounded by crafting materials. Her mother was an avid seamstress interested in high fashion, and she collected an endless array of gorgeous fabrics over the course of her life. After her mother stopped sewing, Mimi decided she wanted to make something out of her mother's legacy. Thus was the beginning of Mimi's doll making career.

Mimi and her sister with their fashionable mother.

Mimi's cozy attic studio is jam-packed with a lifetime's worth of inherited fabric, buttons and secondhand clothing awaiting reinvention. From bolts of her mother's tactile cashmere and tweeds to piles of vintage buttons and other thrift store odds-and-ends, Mimi has a veritable stockroom of supplies at the ready to produce her line of unique, handcrafted cloth dolls.

Little guy 6 by mck254, $140.

This injured fellow was inspired by Mimi's experience being hit in the face by a baseball as a kid. This little boy reminds me of my sweet nerdy brother getting into tussles at the playground.

Boy with black eye by mck254, $125.

Mimi's mother left her a huge supply of vintage girdle pieces, snaps, bra and garter hooks, zippers and other sewing hardware. The tiny mechanical parts inspired Mimi to create a line of robot dolls. This nerdy dude is adorable in his plaid pants.

Robot man in plaid by mck254 $250.

Mimi sticks to simple patterns for each of her dolls; by reducing the variables, it becomes all about the extras. Her female dolls are characterized by elaborate clothing and accessories, while her baby dolls are decorated with beautiful applique.

Sleeping swaddled baby by mck254, $125.

For more information about Mimi's work, check out her terrific blog, Doll: The Art and Work of Mimi Kircher.

"Tiny World" Pincushion Giveaway | $60 value

Mimi is doing a free giveaway of one of her adorable "Tiny World" pincushions! Embed the Handmade Portrait video on your blog and email the link to your post to mimi.kirchner.giveaway@gmail.com by 5 p.m. ET, Friday, September 4, 2009. Mimi will pick one lucky person using a random number generator. We'll announce the winner on Tuesday, September 8. This is the most ornate and fabulous pincushion we've ever seen! Don't you covet it?

If you don't know how to embed a video on your blog, no worries, it's simple. Here's how:

Click the symbol that looks like this on the video player at the top of this post.
Copy the embed code from the "embed" tab.
Paste the embed code into the html of your own blog post.
Send the link to your blog post to Mimi!

Browse Items by the Boston Handmade Team | Watch More Handmade Video Portraits

Handmade Moment Contest: Announcing Our 25 Semifinalists

2009-09-02T13:45:00-05:00

Greetings from Etsy TV!

We are thrilled to announce the 25 semifinalists for our Handmade Moment video contest! We received 177 video submissions, all showing your passion for Etsy and the handmade movement, and we want to say thanks to each and every one of you who submitted an entry.

Click here to see who made it to the top 25 videos echelon of fame and glory. (When you go to http://tv.etsy.com, you'll notice that you'll already be conveniently logged in if you're signed into Etsy.)

In just a couple of weeks we will announce the 10 finalists, selected from this pool of 25 semifinalists. These 10 finalists will share $10,000 in cash prizes and eternal fame. At that point, we'll be asking you to vote! You, along with our panel of celeb judges, will be separating the super-champs from the champs.

First Prize — $3,250
Three Runners-Up — $1,250
Six Finalists — $500

Thanks for your enthusiasm and support!

See all the posts about this contest.

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.

You can also get an RSS feed of all TechUpdates here.

Keep it Weird: Theremin Pumpkin Has Me Excited for Halloween

2009-08-21T10:30:00-05:00

This just in: The Geekery Category is infiltrating the wholesome handmade pumpkin patch and seeding weirdness. SymetriColour has mystically transformed this benign plastic toy into a creepy electronic jack-o-lantern with flashing eyes and creaking theremin sounds, sure to scare away those pesky trick-or-treaters. Halloween for audio-hackers never looked (and sounded) so good.

I don't know about you, but I'm totally excited for Halloween on Etsy. It's time for creepy cute — my favorite! Post me some links to strange Halloween items in the comments below.

Keep it Weird, Etsy! | Halloween Preview Guide

Do You Make Videos or Animation? Hurry Up and Submit to the Handmade Moment Video Contest!
Deadline August 31 — More Info & Celeb Judges

Handmade Weddings: The Clueless Bride

2009-08-20T10:47:00-05:00

Etsy's very own lawyer, SarahSays, is the biggest anti-bride I've ever met. She resisted getting swept up in the whole wedding hullabulloo. Arjay, her husband, took over most of the planning, while Sarah calmly shrugged and told us she just wasn't that into it. On the other hand, I know she loves Etsy, so I was very intrigued to see how handmade and custom items fit into her unplanned wedding planning.

I was never the girl with the vision of her wedding, so when we got engaged, I was overwhelmed and had no idea where to start. So many choices! Thank goodness for Etsy. Etsy makes it easy for even a clueless bride to find unique handmade touches that reflect the couple. In the end, everything came together and our Rochester, New York wedding was fantastic.

Our ceremony was held in a planetarium followed by cocktail hour in the Science Center’s dinosaur exhibit and then the reception took place in a beautiful event room.

We set the scene early: this was not going to be a cookie cutter wedding.

Our poster invitations (which arrived in tubes!) were custom made by unlesssomeonelikeyou. invitedink makes these beautiful letterpress invitations that we also had our eye on.

Wedding Invitation/Reception Poster

By unlesssomeonelikeyou, $75.

View Item | View Shop

Wedding Invitations Scroll of Love - 100 sets

By invitedink, $695.

View Item | View Shop

We all know a bride needs a dress. The lovely Yvonne of Kimera Design in Brooklyn made me a gorgeous raw silk gown customized with pockets. Yes, pockets!

I also love this one by lizarietz and this one by CustomBridal.

Asymmetrical Tiered Dress

By lizarietz, $315.

View Item | View Shop

THE SHALE WEDDING DRESS

By CustomBridal, $1800.

View Item | View Shop

My striking veil is from veiledbeauty. I love the vintage feel. I also adore YJdesign’s wedding fascinators, like this one.

30 Inch Chrysanthemum

By veiledbeauty, $85.

View Item | View Shop

CUSTOM - Fascinating LYNNA VERA

By YJdesign, $67.50.

View Item | View Shop

Patrick Irla’s hydrangea designs caught my eye, and I asked him to make me beautiful earrings for our wedding as well as earrings for my mother and my mother-in-law.

Hydrangea Dangle Earrings

By PatrickIrlaJewelry, $215.

View Item | View Shop

Hydrangea Blossom Cluster Earrings

By PatrickIrlaJewelry, $145.

View Item | View Shop

As you may recall from this video, Al from beyondtherockz reset my diamond into an elegant engagement ring, which was inspired by Al’s “Cherish” ring. My simple white gold wedding band was also made by beyondtherockz. However, those in attendance never got to see the ring, as at the ceremony my new husband placed a cherry ring-pop on my finger. [Editor's note: Sarah is obsessed with candy.]

Cherish -precious topaz

By beyondtherockz, $1495.

View Item | View Shop

Cherry Ring Pop Ring

By elishacopeland, $8.50.

View Item | View Shop

My handsome husband Arjay also wore handmade at our wedding. His toybreaker tie was quite a hit. We are also drawn to the damask print tie by RokGear.

Wind Turbine, windmill screenprinted necktie

By toybreaker, $40.

View Item | View Shop

groomsmen necktie set damask print

By RokGear, $115.

View Item | View Shop

The talent on Etsy is so inspiring. After watching sunnyrising’s Handmade Portrait video, which features Allison Settinger’s art and music, I purchased her CD Hold Steady. Our first dance was to “Love of Your Life.”

STEADY HEART CD

By sunnyrising, $15.

View Item | View Shop

I love the Jewish tradition of breaking a glass at the end of a wedding ceremony. I’m always a proponent for equality and so I wanted us both to do the stomping. I convoed infiniteglassworks about my vision and she made us two breakable glasses. However, her art was too beautiful to destroy, so we broke some old burned out light bulbs instead. Although we didn’t have a wedding cake, we placed our bunnywithatoolbelt cake toppers on some apple pie.

Wisp Vase - Purple

By infiniteglassworks, $75.

View Item | View Shop

Penguin Bride and Groom Wedding Cake Toppers

By bunnywithatoolbelt, $50.

View Item | View Shop

Even some guests joined in on the Etsy wedding fun. For example,
our friend Caroline danced the night away in her dress by ouma.

Our guest book by UberArt is now filled to the brim with memories.

Classic Babydoll

By ouma, $168.

View Item | View Shop

Misty Violet Guest Book

By UberArt, $25.

View Item | View Shop

You may be wondering, “Sarah, was there anything you insisted upon having at your wedding?” As a matter of fact, I insisted on cotton candy.

Looking for more wedding ideas? Try these links:

Curated Wedding Guides | Handmade Weddings Series | Weddings Category

Handmade Moment August 19 Update: Another Judge, 10 Days To Go, and Adios Gold Street

2009-08-19T13:30:00-05:00

Updated August 19: We've added a new judge, Mark Elijah Rosenberg from Rooftop Films, so scroll down and check him out.

We have less than two weeks to go until the Etsy video contest ends. Later today we will be posting the release forms on Etsy.tv. Please get your submissions in!

These are bittersweet days here at 325 Gold Street in Brooklyn: We are moving offices this Friday. No, I won't miss the lack of air-conditioning, the deathtrap they call Flatbush Avenue, or the temperamental elevator. But I will miss my office-mates Matt, Anda, and Neelam. Anda may not appreciate the irony of me typing my Etsy About Us questionnaire while working at a handmade company, but she's awesome (as are her fellow soccer-loving husband and endlessly cute daughter), so I let it slide. Meanwhile Neelam brings in cupcakes like every other day (chocolate in the house!), and now I will have to keep a keen eye and ear for her arrival each morning at the new digs. Phooey!

We're hosting a goodbye party in our little room today after work, and we expect all 60 something Admin to make an appearance. We'll have the video submissions playing and a box of wine flowing. Woot! Raise a glass at home (as if you needed an excuse).

Greetings from the offices of www.etsy.tv!

On June 1, 2009, we invited all artists and other creative members of the Etsy community to create :15 and :30 (second) videos promoting Etsy and the handmade movement. And if your love of Etsy isn't enough, we threw $10,000 of prizes in as well! We call it the Handmade Moment Contest.

We have over 80 entries so far, and they keep pouring in. Remember, we are accepting submissions through August 31, 2009 (be sure to read the FAQ and Rules). The Handmade Moment contest will have 10 finalists who will get slices of the $10,000 pie, from whom we'll pick the winners, and whose winning submissions will be used in our marketing efforts!

Today we are pleased to announce some of the Handmade Moment judges (they rock) who will participate in selecting a winner this October. We love making new friends, so check 'em out (in not-so-creative alphabetical order below) and click the links to see their work!

Brett Anderson is the lead singer of The Donnas, an American all-female rock band from California. They draw inspiration from The Ramones, AC/DC, and Kiss. After gathering a cult following in the punk scene since their 1993 debut, the band achieved major label commercial success in the early 2000s. Rolling Stone says, "The Donnas offer a guileless take on adolescent alienation; they traffic in kicks, not catharsis, fun rather than rage." MTV notes that the band offers "nothing more than a good old-fashioned rock & roll party." Brett was an avid Girl Scout and loves to sew and make perfume, jewelry, and friendship bracelets. Photo by Dave Burke.

Corinne Leigh is the host and executive producer of ThreadBanger.com, a landing point for people who want to create and discover their own style through alternative fashion: recycling, upcycling and refashioning with simple tools and techniques. Corinne has been an environmental activist since elementary school when she learned about the three R’s — reduce, reuse, recycle. In 2002, she started a non-profit organization that helps people in impoverished nations. Working mostly in Haiti, Corinne opened a safe haven for the children of Port-au-Prince. She currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with her two cats and boyfriend.

Mark Elijah Rosenberg has built Rooftop Films into one of the most innovative film companies in the country—a cutting-edge outdoor film festival, a forward-thinking film production collective, and a full-service media center. Rooftop has shown over 1,400 films to more than 100,000 audience members, and has supported 60 emerging filmmakers through the Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund. As a curator and filmmaker in his own right, Mark's taste and work favor low-budget, personal cinema. Mark has written and directed numerous short films, is currently at work on an astronaut narrative, and was a producer on the Emmy-award winning documentary show "IMNY." Mark was a juror at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, is the second baseman for the New York Giants amateur baseball team, and the proud father of a dog named Rizzo.

Casey Safron is the founder and curator of NYC’s premiere animation festival, Animation Block Party. The ABP festival supports all genres of film and loves handmade works with organic styles, so computers are not always key at ABP. In the past two years, Safron has produced the Webby
nominated Perfectland series for MTV, the hit cartoon, Breakfast, for the Sundance Channel and a variety cartoon series for My Damn Channel. Education is also a big part of Safron’s work, as he has overseen the prestigious School of Visual Arts Animation Department since 2001.

Brett Simon’s first feature, Assassination of a High School President starring Bruce Willis and Mischa Barton, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to rave reviews. He has directed numerous music videos including the award winning Somebody Told Me for The Killers, and Belly for Polarbear, which was made entirely with a scanner. He has also created dozens of no-budget shorts on his trusty camcorder, which have won awards and screened at festivals around the world. He likes to tinker. When he couldn’t get the right image from his video camera, he created a lens with wax paper, a magnifying glass and cardboard box. With Counterfeit Film, he transformed a photocopy machine into a mechanical flipbook. He is currently working on a film adaptation of the Duane Swierczynski novel, Severance Package. Brett also founded Present Day, a holiday celebrated on the first Sunday of every month by spending the day without cell phones and computers.

Andrew Wagner is the editor-in-chief of ReadyMade magazine. Prior to coming to ReadyMade he was the editor-in-chief of American Craft magazine. Wagner was also the executive editor and founding managing editor of Dwell magazine, where he helped push the boundaries of architecture and design journalism, garnering the publication the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) General Excellence Award in 2005. In 1997, Wagner founded LIMN, the unorthodox design and arts magazine published by the equally unorthodox furniture and design company of the same name, and served as its editor-in-chief until 2000. Wagner was also the founding editor of Dodge City Journal, a magazine dedicated to documenting life in America's under-explored cities. In addition to his work at ReadyMade, Wagner is a consulting editor at Places magazine and has been a guest lecturer at several universities.

Olivia Wilde is equally successful in film and television having starred in an array of comedic and dramatic roles. Wilde can currently be seen in Fox’s hit Emmy-nominated drama, House, opposite Hugh Laurie. Additionally, Wilde wrapped production in the futuristic thriller, Tron, in July. Most recently, Olivia was seen opposite Jack Black in the biblical-era comedy Year One. Wilde is well known for her recurring role on the critically acclaimed Fox series The O.C. Previously, Wilde co-starred opposite Bruce Willis, Emile Hirsch and Justin Timberlake in the film Alpha Dog. Moreover, she starred in and produced Fix, the story of documentary filmmakers who race all over California to help out a relative. The film opened at the 2008 Slamdance Film Festival. Photo by Jeff Lipsky.

There is still time to get your submissions in! Visit www.etsy.tv today for more details.

Process: Beach Glass Jewelry with Wildpen

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

Friend Etsy on Youtube & Blip.tv | Subscribe to Etsy's iTunes Podcast | MP4 Verson

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.

View Item | View Shop

Okay, so there is a fair share of (2) human hands involved, but if you buy from this shop, you can bet that a couple of rare birds had something to do with it.

I say rare, but Kate Haley, the birds' human assistant, informed me during the shoot that thousands of domestic parrots or varieties thereof find themselves without homes each year. Sunny, FlaxMan and Hope were all fortunate enough to by rescued by Kate and her husband who brought the birds into their home — a home that allows them to freely express themselves artistically. At the time this video was shot, the birds were donating a percentage of their earnings to charity and spending the rest on personal pleasures. Since the shooting of this video, Kate, Sunny, FlaxMan, and Hope have decided to donate 100% of the proceeds from wildpen to the shopper's choice of one of two bird sanctuaries and rehabilitation centers, to help ensure that more birds like those of wildpen have a safe and fulfilling life.

I suspect that some lucky shopper will walk (or flap) away with the collectible piece that Sunny found and FlaxMan chose for a wrap in this Process Video Feature:

Flaxman's Pendant from the Etsy Video

By wildpen, $22.

View Item | View Shop

Check out some of the other treasures that wildpen has to offer.

Copper, quartz bead and seaglass pendant

By wildpen, $20.

View Item | View Shop

Sea Glass and Garnet Pendant

By wildpen, $17.

View Item | View Shop

Precise flow of copper

By wildpen, $18.

View Item | View Shop

Citrine and Sea Glass Pendant in Copper

By wildpen, $20.

View Item | View Shop

Some enthused cockatoos!

Umbrella Cockatoo A Scrabble Tile Pendant

By thegildedlily, $6.95.

View Item | View Shop

Cockatoo

By wistfulfancy, $25.

View Item | View Shop

ACEO Cockatoo Painting Watercolor

By carlascreatures, $12.

View Item | View Shop

Elegant Lady Watercolor PRINT

By ellenmorrowarts, $5.

View Item | View Shop

Even if you don't live near the water, you can still gaze into the mist of the foggy, rust-covered, mossy piers, like the one just outside of wildpen's beachfront studio.

Foggy Pier

By schugirl, $20.

View Item | View Shop

Foggy Morning Pier 8x10 photo print

By kwmagnets, $10.

View Item | View Shop

The Three Stalwarts

By tnoble8238, $4.

View Item | View Shop

What Lies Beyond the Fog

By WestCoastEchoes, $2.95.

View Item | View Shop

If you're looking for something a little more tangible, but still can't make it to the beach, there are plenty of shops on Etsy where you can find raw beach glass. Sunny likes the green. It's hard to determine FlaxMan's favorite; he's a wild card with an ever-changing artistic temperament.

Sea Beach Glass Flawless RARE Cobalt Blue

From westcoastseaglass, $26.

View Item | View Shop

Pure Natural Sea Glass Victorian Antique Glass

From TidelineDesigns, $18.

View Item | View Shop

SALE Genuine Sea Glass Pieces

From SeaSideSupply, $15.

View Item | View Shop

GLASS BEACH, CA, ROOT BEER Beachglass

From artbycandice, $9.

View Item | View Shop

Check out our other videos from the Process Series and see how things get done around here!

You might also like this seaglass post & the Etsy Pets series

Browse Items from the Etsy For Animals Team

Etsy's Handmade Moment Contest Ends in Just Three Weeks

2009-08-11T13:45:00-05:00

I share an office with Matt (a.k.a. M-Cat, but only on mornings he calls me J-Dog). He's helping me be rad. You see, I was a dork. That's not hard to say -— all the cool ones these days started as dorks. But back in the day I could tell you all about the BBS I ran on my Apple IIe (and eventually Mac SE, Mac IIsi, and PowerMac 6100) or about all the light and sound systems at my school's theaters.

It's not like I was in the A/V club. I wish I was, because then I could make a video for Etsy's video contest (well, technically I couldn't because of my affiliation with Etsy, but let's not sidetrack the story here, kids). But I did learn to write well enough to get you to read to the second paragraph of a blog post promoting our rocking Handmade Moment Contest. You know, the one with $10,000 in prizes where you create videos promoting Etsy and the handmade movement, and we take the winning entry and use it in our marketing campaign.

You have heard of it, right?

99. Woot: 100! More Woot: 101, 102, 103....

So what's new this week? Since announcing our judges, we've seen a flurry of new activity. We now have over 100 contest submissions! New entries have been flying in, and each morning we all wake up excited to see what our creative community has made. You gotta check 'em out: we've got animation, claymation, stop motion, live action and more. Each and every submission is a creative expression of what handmade means.

Got mad skills? You have until August 31, 2009 to submit your video to the Handmade Moment Contest and be eligible for a prize. Feeling shy? Well, tell a friend! The more the merrier, so read the FAQ and submit your handmade video today.

There is still time to get your submissions in! Visit www.etsy.tv today for more details.

Camera Obscura: Found Footage Mashups with Lineland

2009-08-07T17:12:00-05:00

Malcolm Felder, the talent behind the one man band Lineland, just completed a month long tour with partner in crime Animal Hospital. I was lucky enough to see Lineland live at Monkeytown in Brooklyn, NY. For the shows, Malcolm created six unique experimental music videos, which he projected and played along to. Monkeytown's venue is basically a large square room with four white walls, which Malcom used for four simultaneous projections. Seated in the center of this room, Malcolm played drums, Kevin Micka played guitar, and they had a digital track playing from a laptop. The lights dimmed and melodious rhythms filled the room. On all four walls, hypnotic visions of vintage cartoons, snippets of Bollywood films and 1950s appliance commercials danced in time with the music. The whole event was completely mesmerizing.

You might recognize some of Lineland's tunes from Etsy's Handmade Portraits video series, such as the Woodmouse, Bruce Metcalf and Built By Wendy videos. I also used Lineland's music in the There's No Place Like Here webisode featuring Made with Love by Hannah. All the music I used was from Malcolm's excellent albums Logos For Love and Pavillion. For me, his music is directly connected to the Etsy videos. (Anyone who has edited video knows how the soundtrack seeps in and stays locked to footage forever!) But when I saw his found footage animations with the live music, I was utterly captivated by the atmosphere he created. The night I saw these videos live at Monkeytown was a truly inspiring experience. The above video player from the Internet Archive includes six music videos all well worth watching.

Here's a bit more from Malcolm about the process behind Lineland:

"I approached each video differently so it would be hard to summarize the inspiration. I guess it was handled a lot like I handle my music... bringing attention to the bizarreness of certain moments and exploiting them till they become hypnotic in some way. I used a lot of old stock footage because it seems more eerie and timeless."

(Lineland at Monekytown, photo by Saverio Truglia.)

Malcolm's experimental videos are formed from bits and pieces of found footage. These montages at times have a visual narrative thread and at others times feel like random free association. The Etsy items that I've chosen for this post were inspired by impressions and visions that I took away from his work. I hope you find his music and films as inspiring as I have!

I've been a fan of these felt synthesizers for some time now. Malcolm's enthralling music utilizes lots of samples and loops. He's a master at the synthesizer and various analog musical equipment.

Roland synthesizers by pulsewidth, $75.

In the video for Planet Igreja, Malcolm used footage from Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves, which is one of my favorite Popeye cartoons. Popeye saves Olive from doing endless laundry for Abu Hassan's forty thieves.

These cute masks from 1962 would make a nice addition to any collage or could be hung on the wall as decorative art.

Popeye and Gang Paper Masks from soule, $42.

In the Lineland video for "Amtrak-Emerald Board," Malcolm used beautiful found footage of time lapsed clouds, vintage suitcases and images of analog audio equipment to evoke a weird retro travel atmosphere for the catchy tune.

At home, I use vintage suitcases to hold all of my old photos and important papers.

Vintage suitcase from cutfromthesamecloth, $58.

In the videos "Amtrak-Emerald Board" and "Victoria New Worst," Malcolm used old Bollywood footage of women dancing. The loops of footage are a perfect match for Lineland's sampling and repetitive beats.

This purse made from sari material reminds me of the beautiful costumes in Bollywood films. It would make a lovely accessory for your next formal event or a night out to see Lineland live.

Blue Indian Sari Handbag by tweedylane, $89.

This moody canvas digital print looks like a still from a WWII movie. It fits right into Lineland's aesthetic of using found footage to impart an ageless yet unsettling feel.

The Planes One by JeanMichelB, $220.

What Etsy items remind you of Lineland's videos? Leave a link in the comments!

Vintage Suitcases | More Camera Obscura Posts | Music Category

Do you make videos or animations? Enter Etsy's Handmade Moment contest!

10 Everyday Tips to Change the World

2009-08-05T10:30:00-05:00

Going green can often feel overwhelming. For every eco-friendly decision I make, I can't help but think of the thousands of other ways in which our society is having a negative impact on the planet. We Are What We Do's book, Change the World for Ten Bucks, is a refreshing reminder that small efforts can incite significant change, when applied globally and consistently. Focusing on what I do each day to help the environment, rather than feeling guilty for my shortcomings, is just the sort of encouragement I need for an enduring green lifestyle. I've chosen ten tips from Change the World for Ten Bucks to share with you along with items right here on Etsy to make this mission that much more feasible.

We Are What We Do is a global social change movement. We believe it is not just politicians, institutions, and big business that change the world — it is also ordinary people like you and me. Our aim is to bring people together and demonstrate how, using simple, everyday actions, we can create a global movement of doing and changing; doing small actions and changing big problems.

We started back in 2003 with a simple question, "What would you ask one million people to do to change the world?" We received thousands of suggestions from all around the world and the result was this book, first published in the UK in 2004 and now published in countries all around the world.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg. You can find out more about us at our website and in this video.

Purchase Change the World for Ten Bucks

1. Decline Plastic Bags Whenever Possible
Every person in the country uses an average of 330 plastic bags each year. That's 100 billion plastic bags all together. A plastic bag can take up to 500 years to decay in the landfill. There is an alternative. It's called a shopping bag; it's reusable, and apparently in France, it's very chic.

Imperial Trellis Tote Bag

By decorativeinstincts, $80.

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Cloth Market Bag Reusable Shopping Bag

By RosyUndPosy, $25.

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2. Plant Something
Flowers, vegetables, herbs, house plants, bamboo, ferns, trees — we don't mind what it is, just get planting. You'll turn carbon dioxide into oxygen, calm your mind, relax your body, and potentially have something delicious to eat. Even being short on space is an opportunity to get creative and connect with your inner child by planting bean sprouts in an egg shell.

Aqua watering can with dots.

By vesselsandwares, $86.

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Face Flower Pot

By amyhuntpottery, $46.

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3. Shop Locally
(Editor's note: Have you tried Etsy's Shop Local tool? You may be surprised just how many Etsy sellers are in your area! Meetalls is from Argentina and MayBeMe is from South Africa. Etsy can be an invaluable way to find local artisans.)

Copper Half Moon

By Meetalls, $26.

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Stingko Trubbleton the Couchie

By MayBeMe, $25.

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4. Give Your Change to Charity
If we all put our spare change into charity donation tins, the world would be a lot better off. So, the next time you buy something and get change back, look around for the donation tin. After all, one cent per person per week adds up to $156 million per year.

Vintage Tin World Globe Bank

From RobertaGrove, $22.

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Ceramic Owl Bank

By fruitflypie, $32.

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5. Try Watching Less TV
Rearrange your pictures. Make a cocktail. File. Write a song. Apply makeup. Swim in a pond. Wear gold. Revert to childhood. Stay up all night. Change your hair color. Turn left instead of right. Streak. Massage someone. Dust. Shave something off.

human skulls book

By grimm, $34.

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avenue - pack of 4 screenprinted fabrics

By summersville, $25.50.

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6. Turn Off Unnecessary Lights

Recycle-Me Soy Candle

By nettiescrub, $14.

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The Mystery teacup Soy Wax candle

By TwilightSpells, $21.

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7. Have More Meals Together
Research has shown that children who have meals with their parents are much less likely to suffer from anxiety or stress disorders. So why not try chatting to each other?

Mist Morning, large casserole baking dish

By GREENware, $44.

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Striped Wool Felt Table Runner GB

By InboundThread, $48.

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8. Use a Mug Not a Disposable Cup
Every year Americans throw away an estimated 25 billion Styrofoam cups, which is enough to circle Earth about 400 times. Additionally, 410,000 paper cups are used every 15 minutes in the United States for hot beverages. But why not just put your coffee into a mug, not a Styrofoam or paper cup? It'll taste better, and you'll be doing your part for the planet.

Animated mug set

By maryeverett, $40.

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Cloud Cup

By scottjennings, $30.

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9. Buy Fair-Trade Products
Fair-trade products guarantee to give the people who grow them a fair share of the profits. You'll see all sorts of fair-trade products in the stores these days — from bananas to coffee.

Fair Trade Tree of Life Pendant

By ethora, $150.

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S'mores Marshmallows

By haveitconfections, $9.

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10. Write to Someone Who Inspired You

Ink Acrylic Notecard Blank Inside

By leahfelicity, $10.

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After Craft Seed Cards (4)

By GreenPost, $4.

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Inspired to learn more ways you can change the world? Chronicle Books is offering a special discount to Etsy readers! Just use the code "ETSY" at checkout on their site, and you save 20% off the price as well as free shipping.

More Craftivism Posts | Environmentally Friendly Gift Guide | Earth Tones Series

There's No Place Like Here: Retro Renovation at Luxton Lake with Tina Spangler

2009-07-29T18:30:00-05:00

Friend Etsy on Youtube or Blip.tv | Subscribe to Etsy's iTunes Podcast | MP4

All Etsy videos are creative commons free so please embed them on your blog! Help spread the word!

(music by Melodium, animation by JuliaPott)

Tina Spangler, a.k.a LuxtonLake, uprooted herself from her hectic New York City lifestyle for the woods of Upstate New York five years ago. She found her home in a forgotten community of Narrowsburg, NY, called Luxton Lake. Once a thriving vacation destination for African-American New Yorkers, the area was mostly abandoned in the 1970s when the dam was removed and the lake was drained. Tina found a dilapidated 1950s cabin in foreclosure and with very little funds, decided to take the leap and fix it up.

With an eye for decor from the 1930s and '40s, Tina loves to salvage old objects and give them new life. From her 1920s linoleum rug to her 1940s barkcloth curtains, this stylish abode has an air of practicality. Tina values the history of her possessions. Whether it's the dishes her mother dumpster dived, the old medicine bottles she found in the yard of the schoolhouse in which she grew up, or the remnants from the Luxton Lake Clubhouse, each object has a story to tell.

This vintage linoleum rug from LuxtonLake is a rare find. I love the old-fashioned feel and the fact that older linoleum was made with all-natural materials such as pine sap and lindseed oil (unlike what we know as linoleum today, which is really just vinyl).

Tina is the local Luxton Lake historian of sorts. While researching for her short documentary Lucky Lake, she found many bits and pieces of the community's past. From old signage on the Luxton Lake Clubhouse to forgotten relics from long abandoned houses, Tina has gathered a compelling narrative of New York's yesteryears.

Tina collects Fire King Jadite's beautiful colors and sturdy design, though it was "made probably a little too popular by Martha Stewart," Tina says. The green is most popular, but Tina's great-grandparents collected the blue colored glasses.

This teacup from jaditekate is just one of the many wonderful pieces you can find from a variety of vintage jadite sellers on Etsy.

Tina grew up in an old schoolhouse in rural Wisconsin. As a child she would find evidence of the history of the place by the names carved into the bricks and old bottles she would dig up in the yard. Tina likes the things in her house to have a history that she can tell as well as a practical use. She utilizes her collection of old bottles as vases for the flowers she grows in her Narrowsburg garden.

This vintage glass bottle from opendoorstudio would make a lovely vase for your fresh-cut flowers.

Right after college, Tina moved into an apartment in Boston fully furnished with 1940s and '50s decor left there by the previous elderly tenant. She has been adding to the collection ever since. One of the original treasures she found was an old figurine lamp that she still uses.

This porcelain figurine lamp from castleofcharm reminds me of the pretty lamp in Tina's little cabin. It doesn't take much to add a lot of color and style to your end table or bureau.

Tina discovered a wonderful collection of 1940s portrait paintings by Joseph Unger while living in New York. From what she could glean, these works were from a painting class that Unger attended and the subjects were various figure models. This lovely portrait by emberatia makes me think of Tina's fantastic collection.

What Etsy items would you add to your retro cabin? Leave a link in the comments!

Items Tagged "Cabin" on Etsy | Lucky Lake Film

A Cozy Home Gift Guide | Housewares Category | Vintage Housewares

More There's No Place Like Here Posts

Camera Obscura: Lightning Bolt's 13 Monsters

2009-07-24T17:30:00-05:00

"PAPER RAD is a Pittsburgh, PA/Northampton, MA collective that has bubbled under the elastic waistline of the world’s slacks for over a decade, tickling its privates and filling its diapers." — Load Records

The collective behind the music video 13 Monsters, Paper Rad, utilizes a low-fi style that crosses many genres and art movements. Their frenetic collage-like animations match the pace and explosive vibe of the noise band Lightning Bolt. For me it's a perfect match of intensity in sound and vision. Paper Rad's DIY aesthetic uses pure RGB colors, no scanning of images and no use of a wacom tablet for digital imaging. This work takes pop art a step further by collaging images from culture's near past and reclaiming them into a mash-up of pop nostalgia and cartoon chaos.

The band Lightning Bolt came out of the RISD / Fort Thunder art and music scene in the mid-nineties. Fort Thunder was known for the brightly colored posters that covered the walls to promote the underground music concerts they hosted.

I find Paper Rad's use of bright primary colors, frenzied cutting and playful cartoon look exhilarating. In searching for related items for this video I went looking for neon and fluorescent colors, animal masks, gnomes, cartoons, rock posters, graffiti, lightning bolts, monsters, superheroes, unicorns, skulls and analog video goodies.

Set of 5 Colorful Gnomes

By happysilence, $20.

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Skull Bandana Digital Print

By TurnerHillikerArt, $12.

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LOCA CHICA

By taylorsays, $200.

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Mega-Bytes Finger Puppets (set of three)

By TheHookery, $7.

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Macrame Owl Necklace - Golden Poppy Yellow

By macraMe, $10.

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Super Hero Doll

By MiniMonster, $19.

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RED DEVIL Happy Monster Backpack

By ArtsiBitsi, $35.

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Panda Mask

By lupin, $19.75.

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My Pet Monster Palm Puppet (Super Monster)

By TheHookery, $17.

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KolOr BReaKdOwn

By SCHiZO, $130.

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Calculator Robot Pouch

By anatomyofaskirt, $40.

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Paper Mache bike 012

By mumbreeze, $20.

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Olive the Recycled Curtain Unicorn

By handmadepretties, $25.

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CUSTOM LEGGINGS TEMPLATE

By ruffeoheartslilsnoty, $78.

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Keyboard Zipper Pouch w/Detachable Ring- Red

By TooToo, $14.

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AQUA FACE - size medium

By joshreames, $20.

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Little T.V. Brooch

By zoxi, $6.

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Jokull the Ice Deer

By amccahon, $17.

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What Etsy items would you add to this post? Leave a link in the comments!

Items Tagged "Neon" on Etsy | The Paper Rad Collective | More Camera Obscura Posts

Finding Your Niche with DiffractionFiber

2009-07-24T14:05:00-05:00

DiffractionFiber here! A few weeks ago I hosted a live workshop in Etsy's Virtual Labs on Finding Your Etsy Niche. Thank you to everyone who joined me. For those who couldn't make it, watch the short videos below for a recap! On the left you'll see the live chat during the workshop and on the right you'll see the avatars of the community members who attended.

To start off, I want to talk a little about the Psychology of Shopping. How we make spending decisions and how we choose between products can help you in marketing and creating.

How do buyers choose what to buy? You want people to lust for what you are making. Part 2 covers lust and loyalty.

Remember, advertising to those 10 people is a lot cheaper than to 1,000 people!

Let’s talk about the actual process of making a purchase.
Four steps are required for a purchase to be made:

Customer has a problem, a need or simply a want. Maybe it's to look hip, to give a gift, to organize, to get clean. Whatever it is, there is a need you are filling.
They need to know about you.
They need to like you and your products.
They need to trust you.

I want to wrap this up with talking a bit about instilling loyalty.
For me, there are two important components in instilling loyalty, both with customers and with bloggers who might return and write about you again:

Exceed their expectations.
Give them a reason to return.

For more tips on running a shop that has a unique stamp of individuality, check out this article by TortillaGirl.

The Seller Handbook | Visit the Virtual Labs | Virtual Labs FAQ

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

2009-07-15T19:20:00-05:00

Friend Etsy on Youtube or Blip.tv | Subscribe to Etsy's iTunes Podcast | MP4

(music by Boolar, The Give, animation by JuliaPott)

Walking into RISD's Edna W. Lawrence Nature Lab is an awe-inspiring experience. From the images that I had seen online, I was somewhat prepared for what to expect when I went to shoot this video, but like many that enter the Nature Lab for the first time, I did not anticipate being able to open the cupboards myself, and pull out anything I wanted to look at. The visceral experience of touching a lobster claw that is larger than your own arm is truly a profound thing.

Click on the image above for more of my photos from the shoot.

A Brief History of the Nature Lab

In 1922, Edna W. Lawrence began a long career teaching at the Rhode Island School of Design, where she eventually founded the Nature Lab in 1937. After graduating in the class of 1920, Ms. Lawrence had traveled the world and drew people in their natural surroundings from the West Indies to the Mediterranean. Edna returned to RISD as a drawing instructor and the Nature Lab grew organically in the room where Edna taught students to draw from specimens of the natural world. The Nature Lab flourished with the help of her personal additions to the collection as well as the contributions of the student body, faculty, and staff that amassed during her almost forty years of teaching in that room. Since then it has grown to fill the better part of the Waterman Building, which was RISD's first schoolhouse building.

Upon Edna's retirement in 1974, RISD found it appropriate to hire successors — in the form of curators — of the Nature Lab. Ms. Lawrence's position, after a string of marine biologists, is now held by Karen Idoine, an Agricultural Entomologist. Karen, who thinks of herself as a general naturalist above all else, has held the post for 15 years, and she estimates that, while the official number hovers around 85,000, there are probably over 100,000 specimens in the Nature Lab. Karen is aided by two assistants, Abigail Karp and Rachel Atlas, as well as a host of student aids who keep the Nature Lab ship shape.

All in all, There's *really* No Place Like Here, so, should you find yourself in Providence, Rhode Island, keep in mind that the Nature Lab accepts weekday visitors by appointment.

While you may not have time to collect over 85,000 specimens, or have room for 10 full size skeletons, much less a mounted moose head, you can still enjoy the antiquated aesthetic that hybridizes biology and art. Check out some of these items to give your space that Nature Lab feel. Similar to the taxonomy of the Nature Lab, I've organized the items here into the 5 Kingdoms of Life as described by Robert Whittaker, for your scientific pleasure.

The Kingdom Anamalia

Personally, my favorite line from the video is when Karen exclaims, "...so that people understand that insects are animals, and that spiders are not insects, just that sort of thing." Yup, we're animals, people, and so are the red wiggler worms that wiggle around in the dirt all day. Our DNA structure is only marginally different, which is why we are said to belong to the same Kingdom.

1906 Mammoth And Deer Skeletons

From SurrenderDorothy, $14.89.

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Unmatched Octopus Tentacle Earrings

By OctopusMe, $75.

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Victorian SCARAB Beetle

By nouveaumotley, $50.

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Bugs and Beetles

By piddix, $3.

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Tiny Real SNAKE BONES

By LondonsGate, $29.

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Wise Owl

By dsbrennan, $30.

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Handmade bracelet with insects

By bayly, $45.

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Realistic ceramic miner human skull

By mudpuppy, $60.

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ray's 66, beaver utah

By tomfowlks, $25.

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Queen Magdalene Taxidermy

By lovedtodeath, $495.

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I have been fascinated by the concept of Wunderkammers, or Cabinets of Wonder, since I was in college. Popularized during the Renaissance, Wunderkammers were dedicated to the collection of things found in nature and often, things *not* actually found in nature. Cabinets of Wonder were really more museums than cabinets, and were in part inspired simultaneously by the popularization of the surviving works of the Ancient Greeks, the expansion of the mercantile industry and the ruling class gift exchange, and finally the fruits brought to bear in the colonization of the New World and the many wonders found therein.

The Nature Lab is very much reminiscent of such a place, but with the twist that even though all the objects are coveted, they are exclusively available for artistic inspiration and interpretation. The Nature Lab also contains some specimens that bend the rules of nature a little bit: for example, a lizard with bat wings and a raccoon with a zipper pouch for a stomach. However, this is all but a part of the imagination inspired by the Nature Lab and just as much an element as the fruit flies and the cockroaches.

The look and feel of the Wunderkammer is alive and well here on Etsy too, in fact there is even a Cabinet of Curiosities street team dedicated solely to the preservation of all things curiouser and curiouser.

The Kingdom Plantæ

Successor to Aristotle, Theophrastus ought to be personally thanked for his surviving works Enquiry into Plants and On the Causes of Plants, which are in part responsible for some of the grand traditions of observing, recording, preserving, and using as medicine, the plants found in our natural world. There are many specimens of plants throughout Etsy, so you could think of it as an Herbarium in the Cloud.

botanical

By swallowfield, $18.

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From the Dream Book Nr. 6

By DearDodo, $15.

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Roots Photo Blank Greeting Card

By Fitzgeraldpowers, $2.50.

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Raven Under The Lucky Tree

By doodlebirdie, $16.

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Colorful cactuses and birds print

By joojoo, $20.

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Drop Leaf Ceramic Necklace in Green

By surly, $18.

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Curl

By eyeful, $30.

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Life Forms Spring (11x14 print)

By madebykim, $20.

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Ulisse Aldrovandi was an Italian naturalist with a special interest in philosophy and logic. In 1595, Aldrovandi said this of his collection:

"Today in my microcosm, you can see more than 18,000 different things, among which 7,000 in fifteen volumes, dried and pasted, 3,000 of which I had painted as if alive ('al vivo'). The rest — animals terrestrial, aerial and aquatic, and other subterranean things such as earths, petrified sap, stones, marbles, rocks, and metals — amount to as many pieces again. I have had paintings made of a further 5,000 natural objects — such as plants, various sorts of animals and stones — some of which have been made into wood cuts. These can be seen in fourteen cupboards, which I call the Pinacotheca. I also have sixty-six armoires, divided into 4,500 pigeonholes, fruits, gums, and other very beautiful things from the Indies, marked with their names, so that they can be found." (Quoted in Merchants and Marvels, a collection of essays edited by Pamela H. Smith and Paula Findlen)

Is Aldrovandi suggesting here that the artistic renditions of specimens are as important as the actual objects themselves? Is art as a formal study of biology and the natural world in fact just as vital to the total catalog of things as nature itself?

The Kingdom Fungi

Mysterious, sometimes adorable, sometimes disgusting, the fungus is among us. Some say their spores can travel through space and transcend time, while others say they are delicious on pizza. While we typically think of fungus as mushrooms, when we see a mushroom or cluster of mushrooms, the actual vegetative heart of the fungus is often a network of mycelium that can span for miles underground. Fungus is an important part of the life-cycle of plants. For example, the mycelium feeds on the nitrogen found in the lignin in solid woods helping the fiber, which would otherwise resist the breakdown, decompose back into soil (with the help of some bugs and worms from the Animal Kingdom I suppose.)

Baby and Momma Mushrooms

By LittleSparrowNest, $65.

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Set of 3 Sculptured Mushrooms

By thebrickkiln, $15.

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Amanita Verna

By sushipot, $15.

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Brown Russala Mushroom

By MarthaLand, $5.

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Mushroom Family

By beadstyle, $15.

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Wild Mushrooms Moss Terrarium

By Greenbriar, $42.

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Fungus Forest

By tabidesigns, $15.

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Vintage Magic Mushroom Coffee Mug

By SofaCityVintage, $5.

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The Kingdom Protista

Think of Protista as many kinds of seaweed. Seaweed is often confused with plants; however, much of it has a different type of cellular structure. Some seaweeds are only one cell thick, while others have a colonial structure, and others still are multicellular. (That does not mean that they have two cell phones!) My favorite phylum from this kingdom are called Zoomastigophora, namely because it has the word zoom in it, but some people call them Zooflagellates, a name I tend to find a little degrading.

Seaweed Bouquet

By AlgaNet, $10.

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Seaweed/Coral British Illustration

By petitepaperie, $2.95.

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Unicellular Textile

By bizarregalah, $25.

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Plocamium cartilagineum

By delesseria, $45.

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Seaweed No.1 8x8

By johnwgolden, $20.

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Nucleus

By bbusbyarts, $1500.

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Interstice bracelet (white or black)

By nervoussystem, $75.

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ORGANIC V necklace in Grey

By giia, $55.

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The Kingdom Monera

I blame the soap and hygiene advertisements (not you, Etsy Soapers) for giving bacteria a bad reputation. Some say that there are so many normal "good" bacteria that exist in our intestines that they make up a majority of the cells in our entire body. Bacteria can be both good and bad; it can make you sick, or it can make dinner for members of the Protista Kingdom. (Heck, it can even make dinner for us, the animals!) People have been using bacteria to help preserve food products for centuries, just ask my old pal Louis Pasteur.

ultimate silver matrix ball bracelet

By discomedusa, $450.

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Colony - Original Oil Painting

By OrbisOrbis, $120.

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Haze - Original mini painting

By organicadia, $18.

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The red and green pod collection

By JennSki, $78.

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Science Bacteria - Upcycled Magnets

By PigseyArt, $7.50.

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Protozoans 1 - Original Card

By animalgam, $25.

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Bacteria

By AlloverArt, $14.

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Lovesick ACEO Original Collage

By dadadreams, $6.

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Do you have a special place to suggest for Etsy's There's No Place Like Here series? Tell us in the comments below. You can also add photos of your beautiful space (studio, home, or boutique) or suggest photos to us through our There's No Place Like Here flickr pool.

Watch other Etsy Videos | Visit our Natural History Gift Guide

See More: There's No Place Like Here Videos

Un Portrait de l'artiste matilou

2009-07-14T13:00:00-05:00

Happy Bastille Day to our French friends!

Today we travel to France to visit the studio of illustrator Anne Cresci, a.k.a. matilou. She gave French journalist
Fabrice Guilloud and her husband Laurence, who made this video, a tour of her Lyon workshop. Illustrating children's books was just her start — after she discovered Etsy, she branched out to selling prints of her drawings, then jewelry and other items.

Anne clearly revels in the pink and girly — but her work is also a bit melancholy. A touch of darkness gives her sweet drawings their edge.

She imagines that teenage girls are drawn to her work — but we think girls of all ages will love it. Check out her shop here.

Do you make videos? Enter the Handmade Moment Contest and show us what handmade means to you!

Shop Local Lyon | More Etsy International Posts

Et en francais...
Joyeux 14 juillet à tous nos amis français !

Aujourd'hui nous voici en France pour rendre visite à l'illustratrice Anne Cresci alias Matilou. Elle a fait visiter son atelier boutique aux journalistes Laurence Guilloud et Fabrice qui en ont fait une vidéo.

Illustrer des livres pour enfants n'a été que le début , à partir du moment où elle a découvert Etsy, elle s'est mise à vendre des impressions de ses illustrations ainsi que des bijoux illustrés et pleins d'autres petits objets.

Anne a un style très girly, mais son travail a un petit côté mélancolique, une touche de noirceur qui lui donne une profondeur supplémentaire.

Elle pense que les ados aimeront son style, mais nous pensons que les filles de tous les âges vont l'aimer! Aller faire un tour dans sa boutique ici.

Camera Obscura: Jan Svankmajer's Alice in Wonderland

2009-07-08T19:00:00-05:00

“Alice thought to herself, ‘Now you will see a film made for children. Perhaps. But I nearly forgot: you must close your eyes. Otherwise, you won’t see anything.’” — Jan Svankmajer’s Alice

When I was in college in Arizona, a friend of a friend had a screening of some films he had rented through the mail from Facets. Many years before that I had seen A Clockwork Orange (1971), Pink Floyd The Wall (1982), and other films that opened my eyes to the power of cinema. But it wasn't until this screening in a small apartment in Flagstaff that I understood cinema as an art form. That evening, we watched the classic film, Mystery of Picasso (1956), and a contemporary work by Jan Svankmajer called Alice (1988).

Svankmajer's surreal retelling of the Alice in Wonderland story was like nothing I had seen before. Part stop motion animation, part live action, this fantastical film was a dark alchemy of poetic beauty and sorcerer's brew.

Art doll by dollings, $55.

What I love most about the work of Svankmajer — and that of his proteges, The Brothers Quay — is the use of ephemera and curiosities to animate their tales. Antiquated-looking toys, doll parts, skeleton keys, bones, and taxidermy infuse these surreal visions with an other worldly darkness that I personally find uncanny and riveting.

I am constantly on the lookout for unusual pieces that are dark and mysterious. Etsy's Cabinet of Curiosities Team has an amazing array of shops that feature curios of the past. Whether it be old porcelain dolls or Victorian taxidermy, you can find everything you need for your own fantastical stop motion animation.

Odds and Ends Skeleton Key Trio by missemilygene, $45.

Old Sarah by Bella's Atelier, $2,000.

What are the best Alice in Wonderland inspired items you've seen on Etsy? Leave a link in the comments below.

Browse Items Tagged "100 Years Old" on Etsy | Alice DVD from First Run Features

Check out Etsy's Cabinet of Curiosities Team

Handmade Moment Video Contest: Pushing 50

2009-07-06T17:00:00-05:00

As of today, there are almost 50 submissions to the Handmade Moment contest! Make sure to rate your favorites and embed your top pick on your blog. Every little bit helps!

The items below are from some of the contestants. Multi-talented folks, aren't they?

What is the Handmade Moment contest? It's the video contest Etsy is running this summer. We want to see your 15 or 30 second video spots that spread the Etsy love and show the world what we're all about. Check out the announcement for the rules, deadlines and how to get involved. Oh, and the prize? A total of $10,000 will be given to top runners, with the premier winner getting $3,250. Cha-ching!

There's No Place Like Here: Forestbound & The Snail and The Cyclops

2009-07-02T16:50:00-05:00

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(music by Luc, animation by JuliaPott)

Three years ago, Alice Saunders, a.k.a. Forestbound, and Francesca Zmetra, a.k.a. Thirteen Eighty-Five, (who's also responsible for the delightful blog, The Snail and The Cyclops) became roommates in an old house in Jamaica Plain, MA. They didn't know each other at the time but because of their similar styles, they bonded instantly and became close as friends and creative colleagues. Alice's aesthetic tends toward old military Americana with a collection of canvas bags, found bones, birch bark, vintage lace and postcards. Francesca's taste is more feminine, influenced by wartime beauty parlors and apothecaries. These friends share a studio space and each have their own bedroom along with four other roommates in this old Victorian in an artsy neighborhood of Boston. Both Alice and Francesca keep up with modern technology though their Internet businesses, blog, and Flickr sites, but their work and decor are nostalgic for things past: ephemera, vintage wares and trinkets with character.

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