Search results (tags) for: "videos"

Handmade Portraits: Built by Wendy

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:00:00 -0000

Without role models to guide her, self-taught fashion designer Wendy Mullin of Built By Wendy went from selling her handmade dresses in her front yard to owning four stores across the U.S., running a successful clothing label, collaborating on pattern designs for Simplicity and authoring the Sew U book series. As part of Etsy's Handmade Portrait series, Wendy took time out of her busy schedule to talk with us about how she's built her business from scratch. Her sense of style and process are rooted in making garments by hand, and though she's not an Etsy seller, Wendy's beginnings are similar to many handmade clothing makers getting their feet wet in businesses on Etsy. Her passion, hard work and drive got her where she is today.

MP4 | Youtube | Blip.tv | Subscribe in iTunes

(Music by Jukeboxer & Lineland)

Wendy did a lot of drawing, arts and crafts as a kid living in the Chicago suburbs. Her mom, a seamstress, saw that she had an artistic tendency and encouraged her to explore. In high school she focused her creative energy toward photography and video, but with a sewing room back at home, she always found herself making things. During college in Kansas in 1989, Wendy started selling her handmade clothing in record shops where she worked.

After moving to Manhattan and showing her work at Steven Alan's showroom, Wendy got quite a bit of press for her clothing and guitar straps. She now has shops in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Los Angeles and San Francisco. If you like clean lines with a bit of fun nostalgia, you should have a look at her collection at Built By Wendy.

You can watch more of our Handmade Video Portraits, and we'd be so thrilled if you'd subscribe to our free Etsy iTunes podcast.

If you're into how-to books, join us on Monday, July 21, 2008 in the Virtual Labs to meet Crafty Mama author Abby Pecoriello. More details here.

Art Star Craft Bazaar: Philly DIY

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:13:00 -0000

The Art Star Craft Bazaar, is an annual event that finished its fifth year this past May. The event was well documented by Street Talkin', Philidelphia's self-proclaimed Internet video channel.

More about Art Star via their site:

Art Star is a gallery and boutique located in Northern Liberties, Philadelphia. We exhibit and sell handmade work and limited edition products by emerging artists across the globe. Hailed by Philadelphia Magazine as the “the city's first cutting-edge craft shop," we strive to carry work that is innovative and superbly crafted. We have also created and continue to support a growing network of burgeoning artists. Our exhibitions rotate every 6 weeks and our boutique offers shoppers everything from handmade clothes, jewelry and accessories to dolls, ceramics and prints.

More about the Art Star Craft Bazaar:

In 2003, recent Tyler School of Art grads Erin Waxman (BFA, ’99) and Megan Brewster (BFA, ’00) were searching for places to show and sell their work. They quickly realized that the options were few and far between. They decided to create a new venue for themselves and like-minded-artists in Philadelphia and the Art Star Craft Bazaar was conceived; an open-air market, where emerging artists & crafters could sell their wares to the public. Twenty vendors were chosen on a first-come, first-serve basis and the event was held at The First Unitarian Church over the course of a few weekends that summer. During the show, Megan and Erin met many talented artists who were all looking for viable venues for their work.

Looking for more content related to Philadelphia? Check out our past coverage...

Handmade Weddings: Diamond Setting

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:15:00 -0000

I love jewelry. I love designing jewelry, making jewelry, wearing jewelry, and looking at jewelry. And as a bride-to-be, I was so excited (and lucky) to have the opportunity to design a ring around the most beautiful diamond I have ever seen.

I was initially drawn to "Cherish – precious topaz" by Al Krafcik aka Beyond the Rockz because of the ring's clean lines and handmade prongs.

I convoed Al and we started working together on a setting for my diamond. Our convos turned into an Alchemy request, which turned into a wax model, which turned into a gorgeous white gold ring. And then Al offered to set the stone in person, so that my fiancé and I could watch him set the diamond. And now you can watch too!

Check out this video of Al setting my diamond in a custom made Beyond the Rockz design. Do you have a stone that you want to set or do you want a one of a kind piece of jewelry? You can create an Alchemy request or request a custom item from one of the many amazing jewelers here on Etsy.

See more posts in the Handmade Wedding Series.

Etsy Finds: Embroidered Lion Pillow

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:29:00 -0000

I found this pillow by LaBeteHandmade in the new Handmade Kids Showcase, and it's gorgeous! Inspired by vintage illustrations, this pillow has such character and lovely textures! This lion has a lamb friend, too. (So why not get both?!) Your favorite little tyke would love it!

Speaking of lions: have you seen this amazing video? (Get out the tissues!)

Check out my related items to see more lion and lamb kids stuff!

Danielle

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Handmade Kids Series | Special Kids Showcase | Baby Gift Guide | Children Gift Guide

How-To: Woodcarving

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:00:00 -0000

Woodcarving is very satisfying. Back in the 90s I made puppets out of wood; I would rough them out on the bandsaw and then sit on the porch and whittle the days away. YouTube's whittler0507 breaks it on down. He's actually got over 100 videos about woodcarving, which is very impressive! Watch a few and you'll be good at woodcarving in no time!

You can get started with a few tools, a nice blade and a V-shaped gouge. You can carve any type of wood, but I'd suggest getting some nice carving material, such as basswood. Once you get started, you may eventually set up with a bandsaw and more tools, but it's great to start simple.

If you've got any woodcarving tips, leave a note in the comments!

Check out our past How-To videos!

Handmade Portraits: MV Knits

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:00:00 -0000

After quitting her day job in Los Angeles and moving to Martha's Vineyard, a quiet island off the Massachusetts coast, Susan Gibbs aka MVKnits had a great idea. She started Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm and figured out how to make a living making yarn. Why not use the local food movement's model of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and apply it to a yarn harvest? Shareholders pay for a share in the yarn harvest as a way to support a local farm (or in this case, a local farm supported through the internet) and in return they get weekly updates, photos from the farm, an invitation to the shearing and ultimately a share of the yarn.

[Music by Barry London & Charlie Parr]

MP4 | Youtube | Blip.tv | Subscribe in iTunes

Check out the Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm's blog and flickr site. And check out the Etsy Labs flickr site for Calder Martin's photos from the shoot.

You can watch more of our Handmade Video Portraits and we'd be so thrilled if you'd subscribe to our free Etsy iTunes podcast.

How-To Video: Becka's Running Stitch

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:00:00 -0000

Becka, aka beckarahn, made a great video about how to make a running stitch and then make it even snazzier by making it a double threaded running stitch!

Check it out! She's got a great lighting setup that looks fantastic and she made great use of close-ups.

Looking for video tips? Check out the rest of the Getting Started in Video series! And if you're making videos, join our group! Subscribe to the Etsy podcast in iTunes.

About Us: Lauren aka stellaloella

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:38:00 -0000

Best known to the Etsy Community as Stellaloella (or Stellllllla!), Lauren was already a very familiar face as an extremely helpful presence in the Etsy Forums before she was hired in February 2007. Lauren has worn many hats as an Etsy Admin — working as official Forum Admin, leading up the Community Team, and now as a guru of Etsy policy, among many other things. She does a truly tremendous job of communicating and bridging the remote-worker gap, despite being all the way over in Central Time (that's far away from Brooklyn!). You couldn't ask for a more thoughtful or wonderful coworker, and we're so lucky to have her on the Etsy Team.

MP4 | Youtube | Blip.tv | Subscribe in iTunes

Lauren Fun Facts:

Lauren is a picky eater. She won't eat anything that's green; she's anti-chlorophyl. She also won't eat anything that lived in the sea or any food that has "touched."
She does, however, love cheese.
The moniker StellaLoella is the combination of Lauren's two beloved grannies' names. Aww!
When Lauren tried to update her avatar with a new photo, the Etsy community protested, so she stuck with her old one.
Her dogs scared off a robber — what heroic pups! (Their names are Toast and Scooter.)
She previously sold pottery and handmade books before joining the Etsy Admin team.
She is originally from Milwaukee.
Matt once rented an apartment for her that was haunted, with a billion roaches as well as ghosts.
Lauren is a great writer and communicator. She's pretty articulate!
She has awesome design sense. When she learned to knit, the very first things she made were perfect.

Lauren being a teenage star. (Or runaway?)

Baby Lauren!

Etsy has had quite a growth spurt in the past year, and we have the awkward pictures to prove it. We've been posting a series of About Us pieces to help you get to know the Etsy admin (and since many of us work remotely, for the admin to get to know each other!). You've seen the admin badge, and maybe you're a bit curious about the person behind it! For more on Etsy's mission and about the company, please see our About page (the link is in the little blue footer of every Etsy page).

Some items from Lauren's favorite shops below...

Etsy Pets: Pet Memorials

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:30:00 -0000

My passion for clay has taken me down many roads in the 12 years I've been throwing. Most of my experience has been in creating functional pottery (dinnerware, vases, bowls, etc.), but every once in a while I would receive a request to make an funeral urn. Each time I sat at my wheel to make one I was flooded with ideas and inspiration; creating something so meaningful gave a deeper meaning to my work. When I would return to making functional-ware I would miss the satisfaction of creating something that was so much more than an object. So I decided to take it on full time. I love it. Etsy has given me the opportunity to directly connect with families looking for a one of a kind vessel with which to honor their loved ones. The Etsy community has responded well and I've learned so much about how we can celebrate and honor a person's life when they pass. I'd never heard of the blazing Viking funerals or having ashes cast into hundreds of resin pendants for everyone in attendance. My favorite idea for a send off was to have a bit of ash put into hundreds of helium balloons which are released for one last trip around the world.

Pet urns are my favorite to create because I usually hear so much about the pet. In most cases, “pet” just doesn't seem like the right word. "Soul mate" — those are the words I hear most often to describe this little life that has been right at their sides through good times and bad. I have two stories of families that recently lost pets that had been with them for 14 years.

The first came to me as an Alchemy request by fury716. This urn was so special because I was able to inscribe the cat's name on the bottom before it was fired in the kiln.

Fury716 writes,

“I adopted Genji. In 2004, we all moved to Japan. The military required us to get him re-vaccinated, despite my apprehensions. A few months later, we noticed a lump at the injection site. This was the start of two years of surgeries. Finally, in late June, we began palliative care…and I realized I would have to make some tough decisions. I decided I would want him cremated and that I would want a special container, not mass produced. I wanted warmth not seen in mass-produced items. And I wanted something unique too and having purchased all kinds of cool stuff on Etsy, I figured that would be a good place to start.

It was intuition about what shape and color was "right." As far as the conscious part of the selection process, I was drawn to the shape I chose because it reminded me of the details I had studied in college of churches and castles, spires and domes. The pieces had a substance, serenity and gravitas, a bit of monumentality to them. I found the right shape and I chose the cobalt glaze because I'm drawn to deep colors, and the cobalt is such an elegant and soothing color. It's a color I often see in the twilight skies here or in some of the colors of the sea of Japan. Additionally, one of the collars that Genji wore was orange (it was one of our favorite ones on him) and it would make a nice contrast when I set up his memorial.”

The second story that I have to share with you is one that I think of every time I sit to make pet urns. Fellow Etsy seller, DantesSpirit first contacted me to reserve an urn for her 14 and a half year old Akita, Dante. She knew the day was approaching that they would no long be together. Throughout this process we shared stories and pictures.

I could feel, even through an email, the love she had for Dante and what a special dog she was. A few days later I received a convo that read “I lost Dante-Inu yesterday morning. She decided she wanted to go then, and as usual, she did things her way.” My heart was heavy all day and it still brings tears to my eyes. She allowed me access to her live journal. The following passage is always with me as I throw. DantesSpirit writes: “I have a craving. One that will never, ever be satisfied. I want to scritch Dante's head, right between her ears. I want to do this so badly, that my fingers started twitching.”

I am a true Etsy addict and love to see “Etsy transactions” in my inbox, but for me it is always bittersweet.

The Flipbooks of Etsy: Motion Picture Objects

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:00:00 -0000

Going to the movies is wonderful, but it is a temporary experience. When the movie is done, all you are left with is a ticket stub. However, with flipbooks you can keep the memories forever, or at least until you spill coffee on them. Until that imminent coffee disaster, a flipbook is an object you can keep as a thing of beauty to watch over and over again.

Besides being fantastic art objects to make and treasure, flipbooks are also a great project for kids. When I was a school teacher, making flipbooks was one of my favorite things to teach. While sequential art may seem simple, making a flipbook entertaining and stylish is a serious process with lots of planning, consideration, and playfulness. Something about having to draw pictures over and over with subtle changes makes for a mesmerizing and creative project. When I taught my students, we did it with notecards and a binder clip, but there are lots of ways to make flipbooks and the possibilities are endless. Etsy has awesome flipbook makers so I email-interviewed them and asked them to describe their process of flipbook making and wax philosophic about flipbooks in general.

lookability makes super sweet flipbooks! Besides listing them for sale in her store, she also posts videos on YouTube.

"I do a lot of thinking beforehand deciding on my theme or topic. Most of the planning is in process as I think through the 'motions' of the characters page by page. I assemble them myself, which I like doing, although it's turning out to be very time consuming.

Usually I come up with an idea, often by adapting a previous piece of art or characters. Most recently I have been putting body parts/pieces of the characters into a template page of 24 book 'pages' I made in InDesign or Illustrator. Then I individually rotate each part for each page to make the animation. Then I print out the 8.5 in x 11 in paper, cut out the pages (previously with x-acto blade, now I have a rotary cutter), add in the title page, cover, end page, back cover. Then I drill tiny holes in the spine of the book (previously with a thick needle — dangerous; now I bought some tiny bits I will try out). Then I bind it by sewing with dental floss. I put a layer of glue on the spine and let it dry, then I dry mount the spine cover onto the book with rubber cement. Finished! Unless I put the book together backwards, which I have done a couple of times.

Flipbooks in general never cease to entertain me. Somehow I feel like I might not 'know what's going to happen' even if I've already flipped a book twenty times. I hope my flipbooks are the kind people just want to flip over and over again."

Hine has been doing stop-motion animation and has been experimenting with using the photos from her animations to make flipbooks!

"I have been making some stop-motion animations since last year, so I already have lots of continuous photographs. I use them with iStopMotion 2. It's a software for making stop-motion animations for Mac ( I just purchased it a few weeks ago, so I haven't actually used it for stop-motions yet). There is a fun feature called 'Print Flipbook' in it. I just import my photos to iStopMotion, and choose the size of flipbook, then print them and cut them. And I assemble the flipbook with glue. For the squid ones, I just found the flipbook feature and I already had the photos, so I didn't have any plans, just started to make them for fun!
If you really like to make flipbooks, and you want to use your photographs or digital illustrations for them, getting the iStopMotion 2 software would be one of the easiest and fastest way to make flipbooks and it costs $49."

PenFelt makes flipbooks and describes her process and inspiration.

"Flipbooks were the one thing I collected when I traveled in Europe, so I have flipbooks from all over the world. My favorite shows the pattern of the stone labyrinth in Chartres Cathedral.

I love Etsy's flipbooks — I have at least one from each seller who sells them.

My process: I am usually inspired by found objects or images. 'Good By' (the flipbook in my shop) has drawings inspired by kid art, and the text is from a note I found on the ground. I cut and pasted these items and shrunk them on the copier, then manually moved the images to make the animation. I prefer to make flipbooks zine style like this. I decide the first and last image, and the rest I just let happen.

The book in my shop is assembled by me. I cut the pages, assembled, hand-stamped the color and bound each one by hand — phew! I am working on some that will be a sent away job. Look forward to seeing them in my shop soon.

If you're getting started, get a flipbook and go through the pages slowly. This way you can see how much movement takes place between the pages to create an animation."

Joe Freedman, aka sarabandepress makes all sorts of contraptions. I recently fell in love with the Retroscope! It's a technically advanced and mechanized flipbook!

"Technically what I'm making is a tabletop Mutoscope. Precursors were the Kinora and the Midgette viewer. My biggest 'improvement' was to lift the cards out of the box and make them visible. In the old days the cards were put into a box to hide the magic and make the box more mysterious. Now we just assume that boxes will do magical things and we take them for granted. Seeing the cards as they flip by makes it more amazing, I think. My Retroscope has only 36 flips so the stories aren't about a linear plot line. Flipbooks give you a lot of flips but since it is linear, the viewer only does it a few times. With the Retroscope, the viewer isn't really sure where the beginning or end is. I like that it goes around and around. Retroscopes are like a slice of life.

Some of them are just instantaneous events. Just prior to WWI there was a company called Biopix that had small studios in Paris and London to make flipbook portraits of customers. Pascal has the actual flipbook of Guillaume Apollinaire, the surrealist poet. Apollinaire has a description of the process of sitting for the portrait. I love the idea that we have an actual document showing Apollinaire moving and reacting to the viewing camera. I'm going to be trying a similar project of making Retroscopes on the spot of people. Probably at a flea market or something like that.

I had the black cardboard box commercially made. All the rest of it I make myself. The laser lets me do short runs with super accuracy. The Retroscope seems like a very simple thing but it works because of the precision laser cutting. The cards are just slipped into the reel. One key aspect is the diagonal slit at the bottom of the card. This relieves the stress and lets the cards flip well. At the bottom of the slit there is a .004 inch circle that stops the cards from ripping. I've run them in an electric drill for hours and the tiny circle prevented any ripping. The precision of the laser makes the simplicity possible.

Mostly I'm interested in the overlap between digital and analog. I love taking a digital file and producing an antiquated analog device. Of course the analog version will probably last longer and be more archival than the digital original.

I'm not an animator so that limits some of what I explore in my Retroscopes. I have a 'make your own' kit that lets animators do their own reels that play in the Retroscopes.

Pell Osborne does wonderful workshops with students doing hand drawn flipbooks. After they draw them, he has a device which digitizes them really quickly so everyone can view it on a big screen at the end of the seminar. Very cool work."

If you love flipbooks and want to tell us about the ones you have found, post in the comments below!

Update: since I wrote this article, two more flipbook makers showed up on Etsy. Check out jamiralaquaglia and greenchairpress's shop!

Please join our Handmade Video Group if you are making videos or animation. If you get a bee in your bonnet and want to get started in video, check out our Getting Started in Video series.

Etsy Finds: Sugar Gliders

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:30:00 -0000

I've been on the lookout for Etsy stuff inspired by sugar gliders and I found this great print of a collage by onecreativegirl. Sugar gliders are cute. If I could have a pet, I would have a sugar glider. I daydream of having one that I could carry around in my pocket and be my little pal. I've heard they bond strongly with humans and, because they are marsupials, you have to carry them in a bag around your neck when they are babies.

(I'll admit it was this video on YouTube that got my sugar glider obsession started!)

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Handmade Music Night 2008.07.08

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:22:00 -0000

Handmade Music Night at the Etsy Labs is back on Tuesday July, 8th 2008! Brought to you by the usual suspects Etsy, Make Magazine, and Create Digital Music, this mid-summer Handmade Music Night is bound to be a #1 stunner! Here's a video about making your own instruments that features a past iteration of this event:

TUESDAY, TUESDAY, TUESDAY: artists, crafters, makers, musicians, and hackers unite to bedazzle you with chiptune gaming systems for music, strange alternative MIDI controllers and sound-mangling custom software, repurposed vintage synthesizer chips made famous by the Commodore 64, digital visuals, a musical Nintendo Wii balance board, wireless sensing controllers, and much much more! Come on down and check out this F-R-E-E community event, right here in Brooklyn at the Etsy Labs space.

If you have an awesome instrument that you made and would like to share, feel free to bring it on down and share in the community fun, if not just bring yourself and enjoy the festivities!

Handmade Music Night
7/8/08 - 7pm
Etsy Labs
325 Gold St., 3rd floor
Brooklyn, NY

Map

See our past coverage of these musical evenings.

Also, if you are in the Brooklyn area and want to learn to make your own guitar, be sure to sign up soon for this class taught by Ranjit of Handmade Music Night.

Make a Hammock and Relax

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:00:00 -0000

This weekend, take some time to escape from the business and stress of your daily grind and make a hammock and lay around in it.

MP4 | Blip.tv | Youtube | iTunes | PDF

Watch the video and print out this snazzy PDF. Now get to it! You're going to need a few other materials to create this project:

3 1/2 Yards of durable fabric. (less if you're shorter than me - I'm 6'1")
Rope that is rated to hold humans. Climbing rope or that kind of strapping that's used to tie down stuff on the back of pickup trucks. Use better judgment than I did. Clothesline is not an option! (My butt still hurts!)
Sewing machine and thread.

Make a double folded hem for the sides and a tube at the top and the bottom. Go ahead and customize it if you like. On one of the hammocks I made for a friend, I added pockets!

Make sure to take photos and upload them to flickr and put them in the Etsy in Action flickr pool.

Safety: As you can see in the video, you do this project at your own risk. In retrospect, I wish I had used better rope rated for holding up humans and also had my hammock closer to the ground so I wouldn't have fallen so far! I'm going to go get some climbing rope or strapping to avoid hurting myself again. (I bruised my butt!)

If you enjoyed this video, you can get all of our videos automatically by subscribing in iTunes!

About Us: Christine aka iheartmoustaches

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:18:00 -0000

We first met Christine aka Jackrabbit aka iheartmoustaches at the Bazaar Bizarre/Maker Faire in San Mateo. She'd won first place in the Upcycling Contest with her Wiener Bench, and as her prize, she received a free booth. Her crocheted video game console and other fabulous wares proceeded to catch the attention of every passerby and the Etsy admin on hand for the event.

MP4| Youtube | Blip.tv| Subscribe in iTunes

After having made such an unforgettable impression, Christine applied to work at the Etsy Labs, and we were impressed by her BFA in Crafts and her previous work in web design. She now makes tons of handmade Etsy swag, helps with Brooklyn Labs classes and the Virtual Labs. You might have seen her posts about the Design Face-offs she's been heading up.

Christine also happens to be one of the most unique people in the world. She is hilarious and creative and passionate about her job. All of the admin here at the office adore her and want to be her future girlfriends or boyfriends. She also has a super cute pooch named Satchel who we don't get to see very often at the Labs anymore, due to some wilding out.

Christine Fun Facts:

Christine has been a pioneer of the moustache craze.
She has a very cute Boston Terrier named Satchel and a crazy cat that has no equilibrium and stumbles around.
She seems really sweet and quiet but she's a maniac. In high school her nickname was "Domaniac."
This little miss has a BFA in crafting and stays up until 3am crocheting mushrooms and cacti.
She used to design websites, and she once had an odd job for a girls-gone-wild type website and she had to crop all the breasts from the photos...hundreds and hundreds of photos.
She owns a house.
At an earlier time, Christine ran a gallery in Pittsburgh.
She wears the same, taped up glasses that she has had for 15 years, like some kind of a hobo.
She's a fan of yacht rock.
Recently, while sporting a snappy cardigan and skirt set and a fresh haircut, she was mistaken for a nun on the New York subway.

Christine looking like a wild child from the heart of NJ.

Precious Christine baby, a timeless porcelain doll from the 50s. Classic shot, Christine!

Etsy has had quite a growth spurt in the past year, and we have the awkward pictures to prove it. We've been posting a series of About Us pieces to help you get to know the Etsy admin (and since many of us work remotely, for the admin to get to know each other!). You've seen the admin badge, and maybe you're a bit curious about the person behind it! For more on Etsy's mission and about the company, please see our About page (the link is in the little blue footer of every Etsy page).

See also Christine's Moustaches Top 10 List. Some favorite shops below...

Handmade Portraits: Topsy Turvy Design

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:27:00 -0000

Milliner Kim Dye of Topsy Turvy Design has always had a passion for history. From a young age she built elaborate sets and costumes, in an attempt to recreate the bygone eras she'd read about in books. Nowadays, her handmade hats channel this passion and combine her interest in theater, costume, puppetry and architecture. She dreams of the day when everyone will return to dressing up for every occasion with hat and gloves. However, for now she makes do constructing beautifully anachronistic hats for burlesque and circus performers, and the occasional fashion daredevil.

MP4 | Youtube | Blip.tv | Subscribe in iTunes

The Storque sent independent filmmakers Anne Alvergue and her husband Michael Isabell, aka milorocks, to visit Kim at her home and studio in Oakland, California. (See Anne and Michael's film production company's site, EyeSpyFilms, for more information on their work.)

(Music credit Jon Brooder)

Want to learn more about burlesque and circus couture? Check out our coverage of this burgeoning fashion phenomenon!

Watch our other Handmade Video Portraits and subscribe to our Youtube Channel!

About Us: Adam Brown aka adam

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:08:00 -0000

Adam Brown aka adam works at Etsy on the Marketing and Press Team. He heads up the Cooperative Advertising program, which many of you know and love, as well as writing the regular Press Club and Etsy in the Press series for the Storque. He's also an all-around great guy, who occasionally makes a hilarious snarky comment in the IRC (the group chat Etsy admin use to communicate throughout the day), punctuated with "Zing!"

MP4 | Youtube | Blip.tv | Subscribe in iTunes

Fun Facts about Adam:

Adam loves softball and plays left field for the Levee Cheeseballs. Michelle coined his softball name, which is Adam Brown Betty, or Brown Betty for short.
He does yoga with his parents.
He used to work in the television industry.
He's a good poker player.
Perhaps one of his most beloved qualities, his storytelling abilities are famous amongst the admin.
As he occasionally will display with a quick flip of the tongue, he has a fake tooth. The original was knocked out in a really hardcore way.
He likes mugs, but hey, who doesn't like mugs?
He rides his bike a lot.
He was Laura Bush for Halloween!
Very fond of costuming, he's a regular at Coney Island's Mermaid Parade. Last year, he was one of the Four Seahorsemen of the Apocalypse.

Ah, the gel, the rayon shirt. But all together, he was doing a lot better than many of us at that age. Such a smooth operator!

This is so intensely cute, it's really quite amazing.

Etsy has had quite a growth spurt in the past year, and we have the awkward pictures to prove it. We've been posting a series of About Us pieces to help you get to know the Etsy admin (and since many of us work remotely, for the admin to get to know each other!). You've seen the admin badge, and maybe you're a bit curious about the person behind it! For more on Etsy's mission and about the company, please see our About page (the link is in the little blue footer of every Etsy page).

Some favorite shops below...

100 Videos on Youtube

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:27:00 -0000

Etsy has been making videos for just a smidge over a year. We upload to a few video sharing sites and we've been uploading to blip.tv for longer, but with the latest video about Betty Turbo, we've hit 100 videos on our Youtube channel!

Here's the first one uploaded to Youtube.

Check them all out and make sure to hit Youtube's yellow subscribe button!

If you want to get all our videos in iTunes, you can subscribe in iTunes and get them all downloaded instamagically there too!

P.S.
All of the related items below have a Youtube url in their items descriptions and you can copy and paste into your browser.

Ignite! Five Minutes, Twenty Slides and an Idea...

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:12:00 -0000

Last week, a group of people working on a variety of amazing projects in Philadelphia got together for an event called Ignite Philly. The concept of Ignite, originally created by Brady Forrest and Etsy's own Bre Pettis, is nice and simple: presenters have 5 minutes and 20 slides that rotate automatically after 15 seconds while presenting on any topic.

I took this opportunity to present a project that I have recently been talking about with other amazing, socially-minded and innovative members of Philadelphia's creative community. Philadelphia has great collaborations right now — a successful coworking space called Indy Hall, a monthly meeting of the minds known as the Junto, the Philadelphia Sewing Collective, which holds classes and hosts fantastic events like the Swap-O-Rama-Rama, plus a host of great little art centers around the city. Aside from thinking about small arts-based businesses, my other passion is improving the neighborhood and city where I live. I'd love to see a productive space where people in Philadelphia can go to use crafting equipment that is either too big or too expensive for them to keep in their living space. Ideally they would have access to physical resources that would help them run their small creative business (fax machines! postal scales! paper cutters!) or simply use big, fancy, expensive machines (spinning wheels! sergers! wood working machines!) that they might not otherwise splurge on for a hobby they enjoy.

As much as I love talking about ideas on how to enhance the creative community in Philadelphia, the best part of Ignite Philly was hearing what the wide range of presenters had to say and seeing all the brilliant things happening in the city I love. Visit Ignite Philly's website to see more videos from this event!

Using Videos to Show the Process

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:09:00 -0000

There are all types of ways you can use video to make a window into your creative world. Recently, I stumbled upon the videos of Debi, aka dmriceart. She's using videos to document her process of painting. By watching her videos, I get a sense of how they are developing and where she started. By listening to her commentary as she goes along, I get a sense of the decisions she's made.

In this video, I really like the fact that she pulled a putty knife out of her husband's toolbox! Debi just got into making videos after checking out the Getting Started in Video series and I asked her some questions about her process.

How hard was the process of making videos for you?
I have a Cannon S2IS... and it is fairly easy to use, and setting up helped, with a tripod. The download is easy. (I have Windows.) The cutting I haven't learned, but in the next two weeks I will play with that process, and see if I can figure it out. The Storque article helped. I had not a clue about my Windows Movie Maker! LOL! (How long has it been in the machine, and I never knew!?) The uploading to YouTube wasn't a difficult process, but I was very surprised at the time it took to upload. Nearly 3 hours, and I have RoadRunner, but after I was patient, it did come through easily!

What obstacles did you encounter?
FEAR! I hate having my picture taken and so I angled the camera toward the painting, not me. I started feeling better on the second try. The sun kept playing in and out of the window, behind the clouds. I don't have great lighting, so that was a "punt" for me.

What did it feel like being on camera and seeing yourself on the internet?
On camera it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, or you never would have seen it! I am what my hubby calls "very social." I love to talk to people, but the camera is another story, so I was quite surprised! I am very happy on the inside, so I let go, and tried!

What are your video plans for the future?
Trying for daily videos through this painting and I hope it comes out okay! Then, I want to play with ideas for ACEOs, and try my luck with other mediums. I am on a journey — for real! I have no formal education in art except for a few college courses back in the day. (Late 60's, early 70's!) So this is a journey for fun, and I want to share the idea that if you want to paint, just go out and buy a canvas, some paints and do it! The process is the reward, not always the outcome! That is the way I attacked the video, also I figure I will live one life and why not try it!

Looking to get started with video? Check out the rest of the Getting Started in Video series! And let us know if you're making videos!

Handmade Portraits: Betty Turbo

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:49:00 -0000

East Nashville artist Agnes Barton-Sabo aka Betty Turbo is all about cupcakes and moustaches! Agnes grew up in Alaska with an artistic family. Mom was an incredible seamstress who made matching outfits for Agnes and her dolls. Dad was an art history professor fascinated with animal spirits and great grandma was an interior designer in the 30's. Agnes took inspiration from her family and went on to college for photography.

After school she moved to East Nashville for a letterpress job at Hatch Show Print shop. Letterpress became a way for Agnes to combine her interests in photography, vintage advertising, beards and cupcakes!

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(music by Matt Hopper)

Check out our other Handmade Portraits and Vanessa's post on Hatch Show Print Shop. Here's a link to other letterpress items on Etsy and sellers in Nashville.

Getting Started in Video: Editing and Publishing

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:23:00 -0000

The easiest way to edit video is to shoot it in one take. Here on the Etsy Video Awesomeness Team, we call those videos "One-Take-Wonders."

But you can't always get it in one take, or maybe your take is too long. That's when you need to learn how to edit.

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In this video you'll learn five things.

Cut — Get rid of that awkward moment when you spaced out on camera.
Titles — Add text to your videos.
Music — Add Creative Commons music to your video.
Exporting — The setting you should use before uploading to the internet.

I'm showing you how to edit in iMovie. It's an editing platform that I love. They changed iMovie a lot in version 8 and they made it a lot less awesome. Luckily, if you've got iMovie8, you can actually download iMovie HD for free. I recommend doing this if you're on a Mac.

If you're on a PC, Windows Media Maker is already on your computer and it's a completely functional platform. Combine that with Quicktime Pro for compressing the avi formatted videos that it outputs and you've got a decent system for editing videos. All the stuff I show in iMovie will work in a similar fashion in Windows Media Maker too.

When adding music to your videos, don't use music without permission. It's copyrighted, and having copyrighted music in your video means that you won't be able to screen it at a film festival (and in a worst case scenario, the music industry could sue you).

A strategy for adding music to your videos is to have musician friends hook you up. We use music from our friends Barry London, Jukeboxer, Alice Cohen, and Lineland with their permission and we also have Matt and Eric, as in-house musicians. No matter what music you use, make sure to credit it in your video credits and link to them in your blog posts.

Another way to get music for your videos is make it yourself. I've made a lot of music with Garageband and it's fun! I put out my own album of music that you are welcome to use in your videos. I released it under a Creative Commons license so all you have to do is credit me in your video and you're good to go.

You can also add music to your videos with Creative Commons music. I've used music from this album that Wired put out, and if you search for Creative Commons music, there is a lot out there. Even if it's Creative Commons, it's always a good idea to ask permission for music, if for no other reason than to let your favorite musicians know how awesome they are.

I've also had good luck with the internet archive's open source audio collection. I particularly like old 78 recordings.

Once your video is all done, you're going to want to compress it so that the file is small enough to upload to video sharing sites. Here are the settings I use in Quicktime Pro for export.

I'm always experimenting and trying new settings, so if you've got a different way of doing this, take a screenshot of your settings and post them to the handmade video flickr pool.

If you're making videos and you make things, join the handmade video google group (which we wrote about here) where creative media-makers chit chat about how we do things. You can always shoot me an email with a question, but the handmade video google group is a great place to tap into a community of video folks to ask questions if you get stuck or need help.

Looking for more video tips? Check out the rest of the Getting Started in Video series! And let us know if you're making videos!

About Us: Peter Corrie

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:20:00 -0000

Pete aka PeteCorrie is an artist (he sells work out of his shop TUBULARIST) and works on the Etsy Labs team: he's kind of our offline admin. He keeps us all sorted and comes up with ways to make the office flow in an environmentally friendly way. Pete is a sort of a tattooed — and very handy — angel of fixing things over here at the Labs.

Etsy has had quite a growth spurt in the past year, and we have the awkward pictures to prove it. We'll be posting a series of About Us pieces to help you get to know the Etsy admin (and since many of us work remotely, for the admin to get to know each other!). You've seen the admin badge, and maybe you're a bit curious about the person behind it! For more on Etsy's mission and about the company, please see our About page (the link is in the little blue footer of every Etsy page).

Gotta Travel On: Self-Portrait of a Londoner

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:19:00 -0000

Kyoko aka watanwatan runs her Etsy Shop "Cotton & Cloud" out of her London home. She draws inspiration from the act of crafting and shares her skills on her blog, like this how-to make a neat round bottom for your sewing porject. Here's her story:

Cotton & Cloud is named after my two cats called Kumo and Wata meaning “cloud in the sky” and “cotton wool,” respectively in Japanese.

I was born and grew up in Tokyo. I came to the UK during my early teens and went to a boarding school in Cotswalds, in the beautiful English countryside. I then went to study pharmacy in Nottingham for my university degree. I always wanted to live in London so as soon as I graduated I moved here. I have been working as a pharmacist until 2006 then decided that I wanted to seriously spend more time making things, as I have always been creative. Strangely, knitting is really the main craft that I do. My nanny taught me how to do the basics when I was seven. Until then I was doing an imitation of knitting with chopsticks! I loved it so much and learned everything else (including sewing) from books. The rest is history.

The majority of my sewn bags and pouches are all designed for knitters on the move. They are influenced by how I could put my knitting, knitting needles or notions in it. For example, my pencil zipper pouches are designed so that you can put double-pointed knitting needles and crochet hooks as well as pencils and cosmetics.
My pouch with handles are primarily designed to carry sock knitting. I always take my knitting everywhere I go and I wanted something practical and pretty to neatly hold my sock yarn and half-knitted sock on a needle. Coincidentally, it turned out to be that many people liked the idea and it is now the best selling item on my Etsy shop. Currently I am designing a big posh market tote so that you can also put your knitting in the middle compartment.

Here's a knitting tutorial I posted on Youtube:

As I spent my childhood in Japan, I am naturally attracted to the country, especially now that I am living in London. So I can say that my main inspiration comes from Japan — both traditional and modern. Traditional Japanese crafts are just out of this world but modern creations are also amazing. The same is true for fabrics. I usually use Japanese fabrics for my bags and pouches because they are simply just so attractive and unique. I only use what I love.

My friends and family also inspire me. They are all supportive of what I do and always seem to know the answer to whatever I am stuck on at the time. I recently got engaged to my partner, Wesley. He is always interested in what I make and gives me advice from a busy, city worker’s point of view, as he works in the financial district. My pleated shoulder bag is the result of Wesley’s input. He thought having a small shoulder bag is useful for women who may want to make a quick trip to a shop during lunch breaks rather than carrying a large bag.

Living in London is wonderful. It is multicultural and there is always something to do. The best thing is the London markets (crafts, food etc.). My favourite is Borough Market in London Bridge, where you can get the best kinds of food. Some craft markets have such a high standard and it is just so inspirational to walk around and see what they do. I live in Greenwich, which is famous for Cutty Sark (a clipper ship) and the Royal Observatory. There is Greenwich Market where you can find all sorts of amazing crafts and food. London fashion is also great. If you go to a department store like Liberty you can find many fashion clothes and accessories from young British designers.

Until recently, I never thought to connect my interests in arts and crafts with England, where there are many artists and craftsmen. It was all serendipitous that I am now full-time knitting and sewing. It’s all meant to be. I am constantly inspired by whatever is there at the time in London. To quote Boswell's Life of Johnson, "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford," and it will take a while for my craft life to get tired of it!

Gotta Travel On | Travel Showcase | Etsy World Tour

Handmade Video Group

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 18:38:00 -0000

Do you make things and make videos too? If so, you're invited to have conversations — internet style — by joining the fresh handmade video group.

It's a Google group that I started as a gathering place for video-makers to share videos and collectively daydream about the possibilities that video offers folks who are creative. Recently I asked the group what their most recent videos were. Check them out!

p.s.
There are felted verions of a certain male body part in the last video of the group, so if your kid is sitting on your lap while watching this, you may want to be prepared to have a MATURE conversation!

Hine sells snazzy camera cases.

"I made some flip books for the first time by using the photographs from the one of my stop-motion animations for They Might Be Giants just for fun. And then I took a video with my digital camera. They are portable stop-motion animations (you can even run them in reverse!)." See the video here

Enderby creates a show for NNN called Decor It Yourself. Her last video was about making place mats.

Iwear1 creates a video show in the style of a journal. In this video, he got stencils in the mail. See video here

Corinne and Rob create Threadbanger, a show about creating your own fashion. Their videos combine location reporting with diy how-tos.

Abitabite made a stop motion video about the making of her prick cushions.

"I needed some motivation to get a lot of them done, and decided a vid would do it (it worked, I've not been nearly as productive before, or since)." See the video.

If you make things and make videos and want to join the conversation about making things, your invited to join the group!

About Us: Julie aka julieincharge

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:26:00 -0000

Julie bookbinder. Julie blue sequined prom dress wearer. Julie cool librarian. Julie pure creative, zen power!

As an admin, Julie aka julieincharge is in charge of the Etsy Labs, putting together classes and events here in our 3rd floor space. You should meet Julie some time, either in person at Monday Craft Night or in the Virtual Labs, where you'll often find her teaching crafty stuff or giving critiques. Julie also has a shop Yoursecretadmiral, where she sells her wonderful things.

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Julie Fun Facts:

Julie does choreographed dancemoves with her roommates.
She loves shake-face.*
Julie makes a mean special sauce for tofu and she won't share the recipe.
She always brings a healthy lunch to work.
She sleeps on the tinest and hardest bed ever.
She has the "worst luck with bathing suits," according to Pauly.
She loves the Log Lady from Twin Peaks.
Her parents are book people and we wonder if that's where she got it from.
She must have a pretty fine collection of cardigans.
She attended VCU and has wanted to be an artist for as long as she can remember.
Her fav color is green, sometimes she wears 5 versions of it and it all works.
She and Michelle have a two-person zine club.
According to Michelle, she either started the narwhal trend or was an early adopter.
She has a very soothing, gentle voice and gives great hugs.

*[Shakeface is when you do "Sport function" on your digital camera and shake that face vigorously!]

Julie knit her own prom dress!

Baby Julie looking quite cozy!

Etsy has had quite a growth spurt in the past year, and we have the awkward pictures to prove it. We've been posting a series of About Us pieces to help you get to know the Etsy admin (and since many of us work remotely, for the admin to get to know each other!). You've seen the admin badge, and maybe you're a bit curious about the person behind it! For more on Etsy's mission and about the company, please see our About page (the link is in the little blue footer of every Etsy page).

Some of Julie's own items and some from her favorite shops below...