Friday Flickr Finds: Accessories & Apparel

These Flickr finds are from our Retro Handmade Team Flickr group pool.

1. raspberry freshwater pearl oxidized sterling silver bracelet, 

2. Giant Turquoise Hibiscus Cotton Buttons, 

3. Diadema nueva, 

4. Wonderland 1, 

5. Sweetheart Retro Apron, 

6. skirt1

Congrats!

The winners of the NikkiMichele giveaway are... Judybrittle and Kyndra! 

Judybrittle won the Blue Angel Bamboo Tile Pendant 

and

Kyndra won the Little Bit of Faith Treasure Bottle. 

NikkiMichele has sent both of you an e-mail! :-)

There will be another giveaway starting on June 8th until June 15th.

Featured Member: Vurm

1. What is your shop name?
My shop is called vurm, vurm is a Swedish word for obsession, just how I feel for creating.

2. How did you first get started in your craft?
Texil studied in high school many years ago. A few years ago I went to a course in wool felting and discovered that I really wanted to start sewing again. Then I also started blog about sewing and got a lot of encouragement!

3. What inspires you?
I am usually inspired by the fabrics, I buy lots of fabrics in vintage stores and new mostly Japanese. The fabrics, is the biggest source of inspiration.

4. What are your favorite color combinations?
I love all bright colors, and has no favorite combination, but the other day, I combined red/white dots and yellow it was a delight to the eye :)

5. What is your favorite item from your shop?
My favorite..just been sold from my Swedish homepage, so I have deleted it from Etsy, my favorite at the shop right now is a bag sewn of recycled fabrics.

6. If you had to use three words to describe yourself, what would it be?  I am spontaneous, happy and full of ideas.

7. What superpower would you most like to have?
Super Power .. if it can be called super power I would choose not to sleep, I want to have more awake hours of the day.

8. What is the first thing you remember creating?
I remember inherit a couple of large leather pants that I cut apart and sewed a leather jacket of when I was 13? That was probably the first thing I sewed on my own.  But I have always creating, when I was a child I love to paint.

9. If you could choose any era/decade to live in, when would that be? Why?  If I could go back in time it would be 60's, would be very inspiring.

10. Where can we find you? (website, blog, etc.)
You can find me here on Etsy and on my Swedish blog http://sytt.blogg.se
and my Swedish homepage http://vurm.se my blog and my homepage has the translate-tool from google so you can read it in any language.

Boost Your Sales by Selling Your Wares at Brick & Mortar Shops

Often, it takes more than just your Etsy shop to get your handmade wares noticed and, ultimately, sold. In addition to selling online, you can do quite well by consigning your items at select brick and mortar shops that cater to crafters. I found a list of such shops on the “links” page of Handmade Galleries, a shop in Los Angeles where I rent a booth to showcase and sell my wares. The list was originally compiled by Oak of Boston. Be sure to check out their website (http://www.oakboston.com/catalog/) and Etsy shop (http://www. oakboston.etsy.com) as they deserve due credit for taking the time to search out all of these shops. To note, after stumbling upon this list, I was successful in making immediate contact with a handful of shops that are now carrying my retro-inspired tees and totes. Good luck!

http://bohemiatucson.com/
http://www.handmadegalleriesla.com
http://www.andelimited.com/
http://www.fancytiger.com
http://www.rainydaypaperback.com/
http://beehiveco-op.com/
http://www.uniquefreaque.com/
http://www.aurora-il.org/publicarts/museumshop.php
http://tangokdesign.com
http://www.renegadehandmade.com
http://www.sageanddaisy.com/
http://www.ilovethemakery.com/
http://lunaboutique.net/
http://www.deescrafts.com/
http://www.myspace.com/cherrybomblouisville
http://www.edithandedna.com/
http://www.oakboston.com
http://boutiquefabulous.com/
http://lushbeads.com/
http://magpie-store.com/
http://www.corazononline.com
http://www.coolplanetgoods.com
http://www.designcollectivempls.com
http://www.justplaincountrystore.com/
http://cricketsnest.com/
http://raredevice.net/
http://sodafine.com/
http://www.artezn.com/
http://www.handmadenyc.com
http://www.handmadenyc.com
http://www.whollycraft.net/
http://vixemporium.wordpress.com/
http://www.mewgallery.org
http://artstarphilly.com
http://www.mymy.us/store/
http://www.texasartspot.com
http://www.umedesigns.com/
http://theredthreadstudio.com
http://www.justplaincountrystore.com/
http://www.ashowofhands.biz/Site/Home.html
http://www.torpedofactory.org/
http://www.thesewingloungeburbank.com/

Be sure to check out my Etsy store if you haven't already: anisemouette.etsy.com
Also, look for new "Kitschy Craft" how-to tutorials on my blog: anisemouette.blogspot.com

Friday Flickr Finds: Pink, Coral, & Aqua

These Flickr finds are from our Retro Handmade Team Flickr group pool.

1. The New Claire Wristlet

2. Twisted Red

3. Celestrine

4. Sweet & Dainty Halter Apron

5. Falda patitos

6. Suzie Homemaker 1

It's Not As Simple As B and W

Suzanne (Threepeats) just snagged a treasury list featuring retro inspired handmade items from members' shops! Please check out her treasury list, add a comment, click away, or better yet... shop retro handmade!

Treasury Title Name: It's Not As Simple As B and W
Curator: Threepeats
Expiration date: Saturday, May 24 at 4:24pm EST

Link: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=59576

Have fun browsing! :-)

Featured Member: DCartesianos

1. What is your shop name? 

dcartesianos.etsy.com

2. How did you first get started in your craft?  There has been always a sewing machine in my house, my mom and grandma made me my clothes, and my dolls' clothes... and by the age of 12, I started feeling envious of them, got a yard of fabric, and tried to do what they, with so much fluency, did.

3. What inspires you?  Everything, a film, a flower, a forgotten piece of fabric in the drawer, something I've seen on TV or in a magazine...

4. What are your favorite color combinations?  My favourite colour combination is turquoise and ruby red, it's shocking and reminds me of the "Wizard of Oz", but I also love emerald green with silver grey (that combination is much more for special events).

5. What is your favorite item from your shop?  My headbands, I do love each of them, I make them one by one, choosing carefully the patterns, buttons, and bows, just for a perfect combination. I have lots of them for me, because I think they improve any outfit.

6. If you had to use three words to describe yourself, what would it be?  Crafty, active and creative.

7. What superpower would you most like to have?

To control time, stop it, rewind it....

8. What is the first thing you remember creating? 

The first thing was this skirt

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b205/luripop/DC5.jpg

I made it when I was 14 years old, and I remember I put the fabric on me and made two pleats on the front, and two pleats on the back, to adjust it. Some ribbon, a zipper, and DONE!

9. If you could choose any era/decade to live in, when would that be? Why?  The 60's in the US, (in Spain, the 60's came in mid 70's), because I love the clothes, the music, the spirit, rock n' roll way of living, the furniture and architecture... almost everything.

10. Where can we find you? (website, blog, etc.)
This is my website www.dcartesianos.es
my blog (sorry, in Spanish): dcartesianos.blogspot.com
and my personal flickr: www.flickr.com/kidsdoitbetter

Featured Blog Giveaway: Nikkimichele

Kitsch to classic, fun to funky, bizarre to brandish, vintage to vixen! Have we covered it all?

Our company is all about Nikki and Michele: thirty-something moms and cousins who, after years apart just due to life itself, have rediscovered their friendship and decided to channel their creative energies into making daringly different handmade products and gifts!

Convinced that chic is a personal matter and a matter of personality rather than something dictated by the mainstream world of fashion, we chicks have developed a line of “totally bitchin’ bling” meant to meet the adornment addiction of every woman’s taste and style.

For the giveaway, please stop by our site at http://www.nikkimichele.etsy.com and vote on the item you love the most and you may win it!!!

Giveaway Details

The giveaway will run from today Monday, May 18, 2009, until next Monday, May 25, 2009 at Midnight EST (Eastern Standard Time). The winner will receive an item from Nikkimichele’ Etsy shop. This giveaway is open to the US only.

To Enter:

• Official Entry: Choose your favorite item from Nikkimichele' Etsy shop that you hope to win. PLEASE leave a comment with the name of chosen item from Nikkimichele and a way to contact you (i.e., Etsy shop username).

• If winner does not respond to the winning convo / email within 72 hours, a new winner will be chosen.

Thank you so much! :-)

Friday Flickr Finds: A bit of retro

These Flickr finds are from our Retro Handmade Team Flickr group pool.

1. Raglan Dress 

2. The Teresa Purse

3. with the wishing fish

4. Vintage flower pattern

5. The Peggy Sue Handbag

6. Retro and Shwe Shwe Pillow Covers

And The Winner is... {May '09 Design Challenge}

Green and Green - Braided Ribbon Barrettes from Retro80s

First Runner-Up: 

Retro GREEN GREEN GREEN Button Bouquet by RetroReDesign

Second Runner-Ups: (It was tied) 

1) Organic by Liddesignsboutique 

2) Retro Telephone Kitsch-en Magnet by Anisemouette 

3) Kiwi Atomic Tiki Moderne Retro Eames Barkcloth SLOUCH BAG by AtomicLivin

Off to the Emerald City

Steph (TartDeco) created a treasury list of top 16 vote-getters from May '09 Design Challenge. It is called "Off to the Emerald City."  Have a look - it expires on Friday, May 15 at 6:34am EST.

Congratulations to Retro80s, RetroReDesign, Liddesignsboutique, Anisemouette, AtomicLivin, FallingLeafDesigns, BeautifulStranger, Vintagecookie, Haannh, KnottySisters, Bipedalhumm, Threepeats, FartsyArts, Funusual, MyFriendAmy, and WendyBirde.

Congratulations!

The winner of the Threepeats giveaway is... Mr. Bean! 

Mr. Bean won the Jungle Orchid Necklace from Threepeats (see the photo above). 

Suzanne of Threepeats have sent you an e-mail... you have until May 14th at 6:30AM EST to response back or a new winner will be chosen!

There will be another giveaway starting on May 18th until May 25th.

Twy a Twibe on Twitter

What is a Twibe, you ask? Twibes are groups of people on Twitter with a common interest. Instead of wading through all those posts on your home page, you can simply go to a specific Twibe page to read Tweets about a specific topic. Several Twibes are already in effect, and you can search through a list on Twitter to find ones of interest to you: http://www.twibes.com/twitter-groups. You can also start your own Twibe, as I did for all of you interested in making retro-inspired handmade wares. Just go to http://www.twibes.com/group/RetroHandmade to join.

The benefits are really worth the effort, which is only a click of your mouse: you can begin to network with more individuals who share a common interest; you are able to see Tweets relevant to a specific group without having to track them down individually; and, the group itself acts as a marketing tool as it can provide a wealth of information for a larger audience interested in specific content.

If you do indeed decide to join the Retro Handmade Twibe, be sure to include “retro,” “handmade,” or “etsy” in you tags so that they show up on the Twibe’s member page.

I'll be checking in regularly to check out your new posts!


anise mouette
http://anisemouette.etsy.com
http://twitter.com/anisemouette

Friday Flickr Finds: Nostalgic Whimsy

These Flickr finds are from our Retro Handmade Team Flickr group pool.

1. 1970s Play Projector Tote, 2. Retro Style Deco Mirror, 3. Alice in Wonderland, 4. The flappers dancing the Charleston., 5. Necklace, 6. Spring Love

Featured Blog Giveaway: Threepeats

~ Win your Favorite Item from Threepeats Jewelry ~

Guess what? You get to choose your favorite item from Threepeats' Etsy shop that you hope to win. Also, PLEASE read her giveaway details at the bottom of this blog post.

Suzanne of Threepeats has been an active member of Retro Handmade Team since New Year’s Day of this year. Why don’t you get to know Threepeats better by reading the interview?

How did you started creating recycled jewelry?
One summer I decided to see if I could use some of the beads and chain from broken pieces I had to create a necklace I would actually wear...one that was long, light and versatile. When I got compliments on the necklace, I started creating them as gifts for family and friends and got more compliments. Threepeats was born!

Tell me a bit about your retro inspired creations.
Threepeats carries three section necklaces made from recycled vintage chains and beads. They are long and light and can be worn in a variety of ways. They all slip over the head and are hand assembled (no soldering!) Dangle earrings that are also made from recycled vintage chain and beads are available. I enjoy repurposing vintage materials into wearable modern jewelry pieces.

Check out her Etsy shop!

Giveaway Details

The giveaway will run from today Monday, May 4, 2009, until next Monday, May 11, 2009 at Midnight EST (Eastern Standard Time). The winner will receive an item from Threepeats’ Etsy shop. This giveaway is open to the US only.

To Enter:

• Official Entry:  Choose your favorite item from Threepeats' Etsy shop that you hope to win. PLEASE leave a comment with the name of chosen item from Threepeats and a way to contact you (i.e., Etsy shop username).

• If winner does not respond to the winning convo / email within 72 hours, a new winner will be chosen.

Thank you so much! :-)

Help Yourself By Helping Others: Promotional Ideas that Don’t Cost a Dime

Offering others my help has been my most successful networking tool. When conceptualizing ideas to market myself, I try to think of ways I can offer support. Don’t get me wrong. My underlying objective is to market myself. Mother Theresa I am not. However, when I take others’ interests to heart, I seem to benefit more than when I put my interests first. Included here are a few things I’ve started to do on a regular basis, all of which have increased interest in my handmade wares.

- donate a portion of all my proceeds to a local charity
- post how-to craft tutorials on my blog and other networking sites like Craftster
- post networking tips on my blog and other networking sites like byhand.me
- provide feedback and tips in forums on Etsy, among others, on a regular basis
- offer my wares or time for charitable donation
- promote fellow crafters via networking sites like Facebook & Twitter

To note, my most recent blog post, “50 Free Promotional Sites for Crafters,” has been my biggest networking success to date. In return for the list, readers of my blog were urged to follow me on Twitter. And sure enough, within 48 hours of posting, I noted some 200 plus new followers (and the number continues to increase). In turn, this exposure has lead to more than triple the daily views I was receiving in my Etsy shop. No Etsy showcase, banner ad, or even press clip about my shop has awarded me near the same amount of exposure. And it didn’t cost a dime.

http://anisemouette.etsy.com
http://anisemouette.blogspot.com

Team Blog Giveaways

Retro Handmade Team is hosting two (2) featured blog giveaways per month starting tomorrow, May 4th. Each featured blog giveaway will provide their own giveaway details on how to enter the contest. Remember, everyone's different - it doesn't mean everyone's rules are same from one to another.

How can I keep up with your team's blog giveaways?
Good question, you can sign up for our email newsletter to stay informed. To subscribe, you can enter your email address via the form, which can be found under the section "Subscribe via Email" on the top of 2nd right-side navigation bar.

Image by amanda bel via Flickr

You will be informed as soon as we posted a new blog giveaway - it will be sent to your email inbox automatically. Just like that... (snap fingers).

As for this month's upcoming giveaways, we are proud to host Threepeats from May 4 to 11 and NikkiMichele from May 18 to 25.

Have fun entering! :-) Also, don't forget to vote for May '09 Design Challenge - it ends on May 9th at midnight EST.

Vote for May '09 Design Challenge: color GREEN

Guess what? This is our first monthly design challenge, and we are excited about showing you our creations for the design challenge and hoping that you would cast your vote for us!

--- This month's theme is COLOR GREEN! ---

Please view our entries before voting:
You can view the entries by visiting our “Favorite Items” page via this link:
http://www.etsy.com/favorite_listings_public.php?user_id=7147456

How to cast your vote:
To cast your vote by leaving a comment on this blog post or on this Etsy forum thread via this link: http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6137721

Voting deadline:
The voting deadline is on May 9th at midnight EST (Eastern Standard Time).

Voters’ Prize:
The voters will be featured on the treasury list at Etsy! Who doesn’t like being featured on the treasury list? :-)

Upcoming Team Events & Craft Shows

We have a calendar now!  That way you'd be able to keep up with our team events and members' upcoming craft shows.  To subscribe to this calendar,  click on "+ google calendar" button below.