Fort Worth Mini Team Holiday Meet & Greet

On Tuesday Dec. 6th the Fort Worth Mini Team met for our very first Meet and Greet. The cozy ambiance of La Madeleine helped to create a warm and inviting setting for our holiday themed gathering. The purpose of this gathering was to FINALLY meet some of our fellow Etsyians but to also discuss ways that we can participate in EtsyTexasCrafters.

Jay of jneale3 and 2112TieDyes with Connie of HossLass

We spent the first half hour engaging in small talk and getting to know one another as members trickled in. Attendees consisted of team members as well as a few folks interested in ETC and what we're about. The group also indulged in some tasty treats procured from the La Madeleine kitchen. The smell of delicious French onion soup and piping hot French roast filled the room.

Angela of flutterbuggcreations shared about continuing a family tradition of crocheted baby blankets

After some lively conversation we settled in to discuss our participation options. ETC as a team provides a myriad of choices for those who want to participate a little to those who wish to participate a lot. First on the agenda was the teams new Ning site were members can find scads of information on team events, members, as well as sign-ups and basic info on the teams various opportunities. Spend Your Mondays with ETC was up next with brief explanations on each Monday's theme. Members who had participated in these events shared their experiences and encouraged others to check them out.

Connie shared a table with potential ETC newbies, husband and wife, Samantha (oldbutnew) and Robert (draknordesigns)

Next I explained team promo swaps and showed some examples of items that can be contributed to the swap and the details of how it works. We then talked about the Gift swaps and I proudly showed off a bag that I'd recently been gifted in one of these swaps. Both of these swaps are great ways to get your name and products in the hands of potential customers. Plus, they're just ALOT of fun :)
Concluding this time was a plug for the team shop, its purpose, and how you can find fabulous promo items there at a great value. We closed with team volunteer job opportunities and how the team benefits everyone best when "You give some to get some".

The Stash table. Gifts for the exchange were placed in the back while promos and business cards to share were in the front

My favorite part of the meeting came next when we went around and everyone introduced themselves. They shared their name, shop name, how long they'd been on Etsy, and if they brought samples of their work they displayed them as well. I love that now I have faces and names to put with some of the shops that I love. We ended the evening with a jolly gift exchange.

Jay shows the group how his wine rest works, while Rachel of tilesmile looks on. Rachel chose the wine rest as her gift from the exchange

Over all I thought it went great. I left with lots of things to think about and was very encouraged by the group of folks I'd met that were just as eager to move forward as I am. We would like to try and meet once a month. Some topics we'd like to discuss in the future include local craft fairs and selling opportunities and Photography 101 - how to take better photos to improve your sales. I can't wait for our January meeting (details to come) and would love to see some new faces there!

My gift from the gift exchange: these awesome tiles from TileSmile

Check out these Team Member's blogs on the event:

JNeale3 = http://jn3woodworks.blogspot.com/ (scroll down to the Dec 3 entry)
Hosslass = http://hosslass.blogspot.com/2008/12/catching-time.html

* Sorry the pics turned out a little blurry :(