Sunday, January 31, 2010

Hot Shop of the Week!

Congratulations to Lindsey from Mint2Sew -- she has been selected as our Hot Shop of the Week! So sit back, grab a cup of coffee or a glass of iced tea, and enjoy Lindsey's interview and a few of her lovely creations.


Who is Mint2Sew?
Hi! I am Lindsey. I am 27 years old (this week!) and have been married for 3 years, no kids yet but hopefully soon. We have one puppy (80lb terror) who is plenty of trouble. I love to create pretty much anything, and crafting gets me giddy. :) When I am not crafting, I work part time, serve at my church, read, explore, and hang out with my husband and friends. My favorite colors are blue and green, but purple and turquoise are starting to creep up there. My favorite food is grilled cheese!


Do you have any other shops on Etsy? If so, please tell us a bit about them as well.
I don't have any other shops on Etsy. I am relatively new to Etsy as of 2 months, but maybe one day.

Where else can you be found around the internet (blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc)?
Mint2Sew is on Twitter and Facebook. I also have a blog.


What do you create and how long have you been doing it?
Growing up, I watched my mom sew for many years, but just in the last year and a half have I started sewing myself. I started by creating purses and bags and have expanded to baby items and accessories. I am starting to try my hand at clothes sewing and am actually working on a dress this week, so we'll see how that turns out!


Where do you find your inspiration?
I really like to make things that people can use everyday, that can make life simpler, but still be stylish, cute, and fun. I take from the everyday item and see how I can give it color or pattern. I really like funky prints.


What is your favorite medium?
Lately I have really been enjoying finding ways to use rick rack. I seem to recall it was a big thing back in the day (even before my day) and is now making a comeback in the crafting world. I have also just recently discovered elastic thread and am trying to find fun ways to use it!

Is selling on Etsy your full time job, or just a side project?
As of right now, Mint2Sew is just a side project, but one day I would like for crafting to be my full time job.


What is your favorite thing to do with the Etsy Texas Crafters team?
Right now, I love browsing the blog and getting to know more about everyone else in Etsy Texas Crafters. But I am also looking ahead at the Gift Swaps and excited to participate in one!

Any tips for other Artists / Crafters?
Gosh.... Well I wish someone had told me, "Don't let the excitement take over because once you start, you can't undo!" Sometimes I am excited to get moving on something before I have completely gathered everything I need, or I have already made a cutting mistake! :D I keep learning though!


Tell me a Secret about yourself.
I secretly read PostSecret :)


Thank you, Lindsey, for such a great interview! We love getting to know our team members better, especially our newer ones, and checking out their wonderful creations!

If you would like to be considered for next week's Hot Shop of the Week, simply go to Mint2Sew and pick out your favorite item. Post back here with the link to the item & why it was your favorite -- and don't forget to post your shop name as well! And if you have more than one favorite item, it is perfectly fine to post multiple times, as long as you post all the requested information each time. Then, I'll use a random number generator to pick a new Hot Shop for next week from everyone who has commented on this post by midnight on Wednesday, Feb 3rd, and will post the next interview on Sunday, Feb 7th.

NOTES:

>> EVERYONE is welcome to comment on this article, but only ETC members will be eligible for selection as a Hot Shop. Thanks for understanding!

>> Comments by ETC members that do not include the requested information (link to favorite item, why it's your favorite, and your shop name), will not be eligible for selection.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Another Team Treasury!

More Pink & Red, as well as a Monkey and Some Cookies!

Liz, of LavenderLizard, is our team Spotlight Treasury curator, and creates Treasuries on Etsy featuring members of the ETC team. She works through our membership list, choosing members alphabetically . . . eventually, everyone gets featured!

Members featured in the Treasury pictured above are: GotchaCoveredQuilts, GrandmaMarilyns, GrandmaMarilynsToo, GreenEyezDesignz, GreerDesign, GrievousAngelDesigns, GrumblebeeDesigns, GypsyHarte, HalfStitched, HandmadeWhimzy, HardierLime, and HBeliveaux.

Thanks, Liz, for creating such a wonderful Treasury for us (again!). Folks have until 7:18am Sunday, 1/31, (Eastern / Etsy time) to stop by this Treasury, click on each item and leave a comment, if possible. You need to be signed in for your clicks to count and to be able to leave a comment. If there is no more room for comments, please check back, because Liz will delete some comments in order to allow for more.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Winners, Prizes, & Gifts!!!


What a great day this is turning out to be!!!

Winter's Wonders 1st Place Winner
A Winter Wonderland FavorCake

First, the winners have been announced and ribbons awarded for our Winter's Wonders Design Challenge! To see the list of winners and their prizes, just click HERE.

Second, it's time to start signing up for February's Gift Swaps! This month's themes are Orange You Glad It's Almost Spring (all gifts must use orange as their primary color) and Baby Presents. Sign-ups must be posted no later than Monday, Feb 8th! (Gift Swaps are only open to ETC team members.)

Finally, after a month off, we are holding our First Monday Sales Event again in February! Look for more information on this event to be posted to our blog on Sunday night, Jan 31st.

New Team Spotlight Treasury

Pink & Red, Hearts & Flowers....all from the Lone Star State!

Click on photo to go to Treasury

Liz, of LavenderLizard, is our team Spotlight Treasury curator, and creates Treasuries on Etsy featuring members of the ETC team. She works through our membership list, choosing members alphabetically....eventually, everyone gets featured!

Members featured in the Treasury pictured above are: Gabeadz, GabsBags, GailsCrafts, GemmaJoy, GinaPina, GingerBabies, GlassMouse13, GlassNWood, GlimmeringGems, GlitzGlitter, GoAgainstTheGrain, and GoatGoatSheep.

Thanks, Liz, for creating such a wonderful Treasury for us (again!), and I'm sorry for not getting this posted to our blog sooner. Folks have until 7:49pm tonight (Eastern / Etsy time) to check out this Treasury -- be sure to sign in and then click on each of the items and leave a comment!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Tuesday Tutorial - T-Shirt Scarves



This week's tutorial comes to us from ThreadBanger.com, in which special guest Megan Nicolay, from Generation-T, demonstrates three ways to turn an old T-shirt into a stylish winter scarf with minimal or no sewing required.

Have a favorite online tutorial you'd like to share? Post the link in a comment and it could appear in a future ETC Tuesday Tutorial!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Winter's Wonders


Time for another Design Challenge! Our members have been working on their entries for this Challenge for the past two months, and they were given the following questions to inspire their creations for this Challenge:

What makes Winter wondrous to you? Is it the holidays that occur during this time of year? Or perhaps the miracle of snow in Texas? How about it finally getting cold enough to wear those scarves, gloves, & hats you love so much? Maybe long hot baths with your favorite handmade soap or bubblebath, or slathering on your favorite handmade lotion or body butter to fight off Winter's drying effects on your skin? There are so many possibilities!!!

We have a total of 40 entries this month (woohoo!!!), and will be giving away at least 6 prizes! So, please click HERE to see the amazing entries and vote for your favorite creation. And click HERE to join our Etsy forum thread supporting this project.

Voting will be open at 12:01am Monday, 1/25, and will close at midnight Wednesday, 1/27, with winners and their prizes being announced on Thursday. You may only select one entry, and only one vote may be cast per IP Address.

Thanks for supporting this project and all our team members who are participating by either entering or donating prizes for the winners!!!