Eco-Friendly Teens
Green Shopping
Eco-friendly Gift Wrapping with JunoArt
Monday, December 22nd, 2008Eco-friendly Gift Wrapping with JunoArt
JunoArt made this how-to and posted it on her Youtube channel! We figured it might come in handy as you’re wrapping up presents.
“Here are some ideas for getting your holiday gifts out in a cheap, recyclable way. Great ideas for working with kids, or just saving a few dollars this holiday season.”
Watch Etsy’s how-to videos and check out these how-to projects too!
If you’ve a video you’d like us to post on the blog, post in the comments below.
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Green Holiday Shopping from Grist TV
Sunday, December 21st, 2008Green Holiday Shopping from Grist TV
This holiday, Umbra Fisk from Grist.org gives some tips for simple, greener gift giving. If you can’t make your own gifts here’s some suggestions for keeping your carbon footprint low. We thought it was pretty cool that Etsy got a mention!
“Ask Umbra” is the first video series produced by GristTV. Look for new video tips for greening your life from Umbra every other week.
Check out the Etsy video podcast too. You can subscribe in iTunes or find us at Youtube.com/etsy. Let us know if you’ve uploaded any of your own videos! We want to feature them.
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Quit Your Day Job: 2ReVert
Thursday, December 18th, 2008Quit Your Day Job: 2ReVert
Jann and Jeff of 2ReVert never expected their side project of recycling skateboards into jewelry and accessories would turn into a full time business, allowing Jeff to quit his regular day job. They work together on the business; Jann organizes orders while Jeff works in the studio and makes trips to the post office. Keep reading to find out what they think their most successful promotion has been to date.
When you first started selling on Etsy, did you have dreams or goals of eventually quitting your day job?
Although we like to believe in ourselves, and Jann usually dreams big, we would have to admit that neither of us thought 2ReVert would grow to the point of one of us being able to quit our day job.
How long were you selling on Etsy before you took the plunge into selling full time?
It was 6 months from the time we started selling on Etsy until Jeff was able to give his notice to quit his full time job (of 14 years).
What was the deciding factor resulting in pursuing Etsy as your full time job?
We believed in being able to sleep at some point… and with both of us working full time jobs and 2ReVert piled on top, we just never had any free time for anything (even our sleeping hours where being cut back).
Did you do anything to prepare ahead of time?
Prior to Jeff giving his notice, we did many things.
- We played with the budget and looked at our money many times over.
- We had our business set up (license, bank account, etc.).
- We spoke with our banker and then we quickly sold our first home, and bought a new one (that we would be happy in forever).
- Once we were in our new house, we then dove into the deep end and Jeff gave his two weeks notice. We were both a ball a nerves but had never felt so alive.
What are the most effective ways you have promoted and marketed your Etsy business? What’s your best marketing tip?
First off, Etsy is amazing, and landing a spot in a treasury or on the front page is a huge boost for sales. Blogs are so great, as you get such positive feedback not only from the writer, but their readers as well. We have also been so lucky to have been featured in TransWorld Skateboarding magazine, our local newspaper, and we even had the experience of doing a national TV interview.
What have you found to be unsuccessful promotion?
We’ve been fortunate enough so far that we haven’t had many mistakes.
Would you walk us through what a typical workday might entail?
Jann goes to work and reports to another boss (oh!). Jeff’s days as solely self-employed go like this:
- Up at 7am with Jann
- Watch a Tivo’d show (The Hour) during breakfast.
- Out in the shop by 9am.
- Check the orders that Jann set up for him and then turn on the Sirius radio and get to work.
- He takes an hour for lunch, walks to the mailbox with Gabrielle (our baby, a Shih Tzu cutie pie pup), then back to the shop for the afternoon.
- Leaving the shop at 5pm, give or take.
- We sometimes work on the weekends, and it’s usually a couple more hours in the evening, doing the packaging and computer work.
What do you enjoy most about not having a day job? Is there anything you miss?
Being able to create and make a living off it is a great feeling, but because Jeff isn’t used to being alone all day he becomes quite chatty when Jann returns.
If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself, knowing what you know now?
We feel we planned pretty well for the day Jeff quit and could only wish that it happened earlier. Jeff used to work shift work, and we didn’t realize how hard it was on his body and sleeping patterns until after the plunge.
What advice would you give someone else thinking about taking the plunge?
Make sure you figure out the financials. Order loads of supplies prior to taking the plunge, talk to as many people as you can about it and sock away some cash.
What goals do you wish to accomplish in the coming year?
We plan on doing a couple craft shows and hope to continue to grow our business.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
We want to say a huge thanks to Etsy and all our supportive customers. Having customers return again and again is so thrilling, we are very grateful for their support of our recycled goods
Thanks to Jann and Jeff for sharing their story and business with us! Check out the related items below to see some more of their work.
You can find some of our previous Quit Your Day Job posts here.
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Handmade Portraits: Woodmouse
Monday, December 8th, 2008Handmade Portraits: Woodmouse
YouTube | MP4 | blip.tv | Subscribe in iTunes
(music by Lineland, Jukeboxer)
Toymaker Amber Dusick aka woodmouse has her wood shop in her garage in downtown LA. After the birth of her son, this one time farm girl from Wisconsin became nostalgic for the toys from her past: simple, natural toys that would inspire creativity and imaginative play, made from materials that wouldn’t stick around in a landfill for thousands of years.
After years of silver smithing, throwing pottery and drawing with pen and ink, Amber finally found her medium in wood. Using sustainably harvested woods, non toxic paints and beeswax along with her wood burning tool, Amber was able to transfer the look and feel of her previous pen and ink drawings to wooden toys. Woodmouse, founder of the Natural Kids Team, is an ardent advocate of sustainable toys. The materials used are all natural and her toys are 100% compostable. Her imagery is reminiscent of of a child’s crayon drawing come to life in wood.
Handmade Video Portraits | More on the Natural Kids Team | Holiday Shopping Posts
Handmade Kids Series | Baby Gift Guide | Children Gift Guide
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Featured Team: Natural Kids Team
Saturday, November 22nd, 2008Featured Team: Natural Kids Team
This week’s Featured Team, NaturalKids, makes sweet, wholesome products for your little ones! We love the way these toys inspire creativity while staying true to their natural materials. You’ll find these items are crafted with a lot of love, and it seems this affection pours into their Team as well! The NaturalKids Team has a great website and blog to promote their work and also holds weekly promotions in the Forums. We love how they’ve created their own co-operative advertising program within the Team and have ads running on parenting websites! To learn more about this Team (including how to join) check out their Team Profile. To see all the products made lovingly by NaturalKids Team members, simply search “naturalkids team“.
BeneathTheRowanTree | lalaspequenos | pupa
pupa loves the camaraderie within the Natural Kids Team. “Being part of Natty Kids is always inspiring! Crafting can get lonely, so it’s nice to know there is a very fun, supportive group of fellow crafters out there.”
The Maple Wood Triangle Teether
“We love making handcrafted wooden teethers in our little backyard in Ohio! We love the Natural Kids Team because they are so wonderful and talented and it is a perfect place to interact and connect with other artists. I am thrilled to be a part of this magical team,” says member littlealouette.
woolies is the leader of this incredible Team. She explains how they work together: “We have a promotion thread going at all times. We make Treasuries that feature each other’s work. But more than that, we support each other, and many members have become close friends. We mentor each other; if there are situations that we are unsure of, we know that we can come to the team for help. This also applies to non-business related stuff!”
Three Little Birds, Shapes and Colours
BeneathTheRowanTree says that, “Being part of the Natural Kids Team speaks to me as a parent and as an artist. I love working with natural materials and feeling their life and energy, being connected to the source. Even more than this I love to place natural items in my daughter’s hands, and the hands of other children, and watch their faces light up and their imaginations take flight with the possibilities of what they are holding, warm and soft and gentle, in their hands.”
Becky, a sweet 16-inch Waldorf doll
I had to include this doll by FaerieRebecca who named her after a Teammate! “Becky aka TheSingingBird (who came out to visit me at a craft show recently) oooo-ed and ahhhh-ed over the doll, so I had to name the doll after her when I listed her here on Etsy!” Rebecca is also a Team Leader of the Natural Kids Team and is inspired daily by “…the most generous, cooperative spirit in this Team!”
WhimsicalMom “Being a Mommy is the most wonderful experience I have ever had and playtime is the best! My mission is to create whimsies that will spark not only a child’s imagination but parents’ as well. We all need to play:) I really enjoy making toys that come to life in a child’s hands and imagination..not with batteries.”
lalaspequenos creates these cozy Noonies to keep your babe warm and gnome-y. “The use of natural products is an integral part of my designs. The Natural Kids Team embraces that philosophy and provides me with support and encouragement to keep doing what I love!”
Wooden Gnome Rainbow Memory Game
mamakopp not only makes lovable toys for children, but a lot of them have an educational element. She explains, “Learning is so much more fun with gnomes!” She loves making items for children. “I just love being part of heirloom toymaking; it’s the best job besides being a mother.” You can see the love for natural materials in her work!
Butterfly Design Cotton Acorn Hat
butterflydesign says, “I love being a part of the Natural Kids Team because they celebrate the joys of childhood and the earth all in one Team. And we only have one of each, shouldn’t they be celebrated?”
Mushroom House Set with Flowers, Walkway and Pixie
LittleElfsToyshop uses natural materials to create little worlds for children to immerse themselves in. She says, “In a world where everything is made of plastic, buzzing with beeps and rings, perhaps returning to a simpler way of life is just what is needed. With my toys, I try and bring back simple, imaginative play using natural materials to excite a child’s imagination. In so doing, these toys are better for the environment and for your children, as well.”
rainbowLotusNaturals | birchleafdesigns | BellaWinter
Want to see a full interview with this Team? Sign up for the Teams Mailing List here.
Featured Teams | More Natural Kids Posts | Handmade Kids Series | Children’s Gift Guide
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News from the Etsy Labs: 11/10 Craft Night
Saturday, November 8th, 2008News from the Etsy Labs: 11/10 Craft Night
Have plans on Monday night? Well, you do now! Dust off your crafty pants and come join us for our weekly Craft Night at the Etsy Labs in Brooklyn. Each craft night is also broadcast live into in the Treehouse room of the Virtual Labs. All demos will be shown both in the Labs in Brooklyn and in the Treehouse online.
Craft Night occurs every Monday from 4-8pm EST at 325 Gold Street, 3rd floor in Brooklyn, New York. Each week the Etsy Labs
organize a skill-sharing project. We provide supplies, tools, and know-how. Participants are also welcome to bring their own projects
to work on independently. Craft night is a time to make things, learn
new skills, and hang out.
This week, on Monday, November 10, Wendy, a regular craft night superstar, will be teaching us how to transform junk mail into snazzy envelopes and mini matchbook-style notebooks. These techniques are great for making eco-friendly holiday cards and small gifts. This
project is open
to everyone, regardless of crafting experience. Please bring along your finest junk mail, including old envelopes with security lining and old greeting cards or postcards. All other
supplies will be provided. We’ll start demos on this week’s project at 5pm (rather than 4pm). If you’re an early-bird, you are welcome to participate in open crafting from 4-5pm.
If you are joining us virtually for Craft Night this week and would
like to craft along with us, you’ll need a few supplies:
- old envelopes from credit card, utility, bank companies with security lining on the inside (make sure not to include private info!)
- old greeting cards or post cards
- scrap paper, envelopes or copy paper that’s been printed to make pages for the notebook
- paper scissors and craft scissors (the kind that cut interesting shapes)
- stapler and staples
- glue sticks
- templates (circles or different shapes) to make designs to collage onto envelopes
- trimmings, glitter, beads, sequins to add onto notebooks
Or, just be ready to take some notes and
see if this is a project you’d like to try out later on.
Upcoming Craft Night Projects
11/17: Making Lip Balm
11/24: Open Craft Night
Would you like to lead a craft night project? Send your ideas to labs@etsy.com with “Craft Night idea” as the subject line. Have you participated in Craft Night? Share your photos with the Etsy Labs Show and Tell Flickr group! Want to learn more about the Labs? Check out our FAQs. If you’d like to receive email updates, join our Etsy Labs mailing list.
Will we see you this Monday? Let us know in the comments.
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How-to Make the Cutest Belt with Cluttershop via Sprig.com
Saturday, November 8th, 2008How-to Make the Cutest Belt with Cluttershop via Sprig.com
In this video, cluttershop shows us how to make a simple belt by recycling an old apron. Way to go, Cluttershop!
Sprig.com, “Your Daily Green Style Guide,” is looking for more Etsy sellers to contribute how-to videos with a green twist. Let Etsy know about it too, so we can post it here on our blog as well. We are always looking for video-making Etsians (see our Getting Started in Video series, if you need a leg-up).
Search for Fabric Belts | Search for Aprons
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Recycled Glove How-to: Make a Chipmunk Softie
Saturday, November 1st, 2008Recycled Glove How-to: Make a Chipmunk Softie
Gloves (like socks), while born to be part of a pair, often end their days in lonely solitude, separated from their mates by the forces of the universe that conspire at every turn to pull them apart. Alone, they sadly serve little purpose (aside from the occasional show biz appearance for only the most sparkling among them), and are left to languish in the backs of a drawers and bottoms of closets — that is, if they’re not disposed of all together. Ah… but it’s a new day. Crafter and author Miyako Kanamori has a plan and she’s ready to share it!
With her book, Happy Gloves: Charming Softy Friends Made from Colorful Gloves, she’s given hopelessly single gloves a new lease on life as cozy companions. In her able hands, one glove’s worth of material becomes an elephant, a penguin, a donkey, a bunny — you name it — all set free to romp and play together. (Can’t you just hear the claps of cheer?)
Try your hands at this chipmunk to start your very own menagerie of recycled glove critters. Download complete instructions here or follow along below.
Thanks to the Penguin Group for sharing this project from Happy Gloves.
Author Miyako Kanamori is a crafter who lives in Tokyo. She is also the author of Sock and Glove. You can see more of her work at her website: bananawani.org/nuiguroom.
For more cute critters made from recycled materials, search “Recycled Softie“. Some examples plus a few other autumn-inspired creations can be seen in the related items below.
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Wrap Up Your Gifts, All Pretty-like and Eco-friendly Too
Saturday, November 1st, 2008Wrap Up Your Gifts, All Pretty-like and Eco-friendly Too
Some great items have popped up in this week’s special Holiday Showcase for Gift Wrap, Cards and more. Holiday shoppers buying handmade gifts can complete the whole package with handmade holiday cards and pretty ribbons from Etsy Supplies sellers. It’s time to stock up — early bird catches the worm. Check the Showcase while you still can — it’s this week only!
You can also find inventive options for eco-friendly gift wrap on Etsy: reusable holiday bags, recycled holiday tags, recycling wrapping.
Sellers, if you make cards, gift wrap, tags, ornaments that can be gift toppers, and other items for embellishing presents, you should get in on this Showcase. Click here for details.
Gifting Gift Guide | Showcase for Gift Wrap, Cards, Etc | Earth Tones Series
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Fresh News from Etsy Teams!
Saturday, November 1st, 2008Fresh News from Etsy Teams!
We asked the Etsy Teams based on craft, medium or general interest what new things they have up their sleeves for the coming weeks. Below you can find charitable events, sales, specials and calls for new members from a handful of some active Etsy Teams. To join an Etsy Team, check out the Join page here!
The Natural Kids Team, with a focus on Waldorf-inspired and eco-friendly treasures for you, your children and your home, has begun some great cooperative advertising for the holidays! You can find more of their products compiled at the Natural Kids Store.
Pictured at left, Custom flower gnomes from paintingpixie of the Natural Kids Team.
The Etsy Jewelry Design and Supply Shops Team will be holding a Team-wide sale from October 17 - 31, 2008. To see a complete list of the participating shops, visit their Team blog!
On October 24 & 25, the Etsy Kids Team is having a buy one get one (also known as a BOGO) sale! You can see the list of participating shops on their Team blog.
Eco-Friendly Baby-Safe Crocheted Organic Cotton Baby Rattle - Mr. Monkey by locoMomma of the Etsy Kids Team.
Team Eco Etsy will be holding an eco-friendly basket auction from October 20th - October 30th, 2008, featuring eco-friendly handmade goods donated generously by Eco Etsy Team members. The contents of the basket are worth 0, and the Team is looking to raise money to donate to the Nature Conservancy by auctioning this basket off. For full details on the auction and how to participate, those interested should visit the Eco Team’s website. To find items made by the Eco Team, search “TeamEcoEtsy“.
The brand new Queer Etsy Street Team is currently seeking new members. Each week the Queer Team hops into the Etsy forum with FRI-GAY! The FRI-GAY thread is dedicated to special promos from Team members and the deals are sweet, hot and only last for a week. If you miss them at least there’s always next FRI-GAY! The Queer Team welcomes all LGBTQIQ Etsians to join our frolicsome quest for world art domination through mutually supportive cross promotional efforts. If you want in on the action, visit the Team profile page or contact their fearless leader, queenofqueens.
Pictured at left, Happiness Wall Square from adorablefiend of the Queer Etsy Street Team.
The Etsy Friends Team is gearing up for their first monthly Team sale, “Sweet Treat Sale.” The sale will be from October 16th through October 19th and each participating Team shop will have its own unique and special sale. Discounts range from free gifts with purchases, to a certain percentage off. The information of what discounts will be available will be posted right before the sale kicks off on the Etsy Friends’ Promotional Blog.
At right, Waist Apron - Craft Show, Festival, Fair (Black Skulls Roses) by Sygnetcreations of the Etsy Friends Team.
Thanks, Etsy Teams, for your continued hard work in promoting Etsy! We can’t wait to see all the wonderful projects Teams take on this Holiday season. Is your Etsy Team having a special event soon? Let us know in the comments!
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