New brooches in my shop will make your cardigans sing for joy. I also listed some new necklaces made with beads I purchased over the weekend at The Bead Market, which blows through town once a year. Oh! And go ahead and drool over my new dress form. It was quite the splurge! (thanks Pam for the where-to-buy info!) Thanks, as always, to Cheyne of Cut Out and Collect for handing her beautiful designer fabric scraps over to me so that I can make beautiful things like this: 
Roller Skate Earrings: $15 Shop: Deb Star Designs Location: Sydney, Australia
Gummi Bear soap: $2.75 Shop: Jessica Edwardss Location: Idaho
Kissing Cousins Print: $12 Shop: Made with Love by Hannah Location: Los Angeles, CA
Tiny Dancer necklace: $19 Shop: Cocoa Chu Chu Location: Toronto, Canada
John Travolta Cross-Stitch Pattern: $4 Shop: All Stitches Location: somewhere in the U.S.
Motorcycles photograph: $18 Shop: Eva Vaughan Location: Louisville, KY
She wants to live with grandma Doll: $12 Shop: pocomedio Location: Port Clinton, OH
Venus Fly Trap Skinny Tie: $30 Shop: Jes Switaj Location: Brooklyn, NY
Holy cow holy cow!! Our Bash shows got voted as Dallas' "Best One-Stop Shop" in the coveted and uber popular Dallas Observer's Best Of annual issue. It's on stands today!! This is a huge. mega. deal. Here's the write-up: Sure etsy.com—the online boutique community for crafters, jewelry designers, knitters, tailors, bookbinders, vintage sellers and collectors of everything—is a surefire way to kill an afternoon and build up a wish list, but an Etsy Dallas event is even better. Prices are great, the craftsmanship is fantastic, it feels good to support local crafters and you'll still cover everyone on any gift list you might have for the next two years. But the downside is you'll also empty your bank account with little to no effort without some preventive measures. We have a friend keep us from purchasing on the first lap through the show. We spend only cash (even if a booth takes cards). And we buy no more than we can carry on our own person. It's hard, but, well, you gotta leave something for the rest of the shoppers to look at. On the other hand, screw everyone else, retail therapy rocks! The Etsy Dallas Jingle Bash takes place November 21 at Sons of Hermann Hall. Sharp elbows stimulate the economy, people. In case you're wondering, What the heck is the Bash?, let me fill you in. The Bash is the premier arts and crafts event in Dallas that we started back in 2008. The Bash is put on by me and co-conspirator Pamela Michelle, with support from the Etsy Dallas leadership team (Larry, Carrie, Cheyne, Alicia, Mandi, Dylan, and Randi). This year's 2nd Annual Jingle Bash will take place at the historic (and David-Lynchian) Sons of Hermann Hall, November 21st (that's a Saturday) from 1am-7pm. More deets here.
I live for customer feedback like this!
Today I managed to be a mom, hang with Pam, Dylan and Cheyne at Spiral Diner, go to the Peace Fest in Oak Cliff to see Mandi and Larry, meet Jennifer of Textile Fetish, and photograph and list 15 new necklaces.
Funny thing happened on Friday. Awhile back I saw a post from my friend Patricia of Karmacrochet for a giveaway she was doing on the blog Love.Obsess.Inspire. She asked us to check it out and comment. So I did. Aaaaand...I won the giveaway!! I got an email from Alexi, the gal who writes the blog and my reply, in this order: Holy cow! I know Patricia! How cool! Saturday night at Larry's during our Etsy Dallas 2nd birthday party, Patricia handed me her basket of goodies. My favorite items are the washcloths that we're going to use during Ian's bathtime. 
btw - In the first pic, you can see Larry's super mega awesome Yellow Submarine fused glass art. Love it!
And yay to Cheyne of Cut Out and Collect who gave me this particular swatch of fabric that I used in THIS NECKLACE.
Yellow shadowbox I snagged from Goodwill for $2.99 and the wire shelf from an estate sale for $20. And notice the supercool frame to the right. My new necklace display! I painted it avocado green and did a super secret something to it, then covered it in woodgrain fabric. 
Three funky composer busts (Mozart, Beethoven, Bach) also from Goodwill, 59 cents each. These guys were screamin' for a new coat of paint. 
Close-up of my music dudes. 
Another Goodwill snag - antique Danish cups. Used for...? I got two plus one saucer with a minor chip. Total: $1.77. 
Close-up of my new Danish cup. 
Toby came from an estate sale. He keeps Oliver company during the day. 
Found this at a thrift store near my office. I wanted the frame so now I'm selling this handmade vintage cross-stitch in my Etsy shop. 
Who knew a little message one September afternoon would snowball into what we know today as the leading craft collective in Dallas and beyond? Here's how it all began: "Hi there! I’m looking to start up an Etsy street team focusing on sellers in the Dallas area. To start with, I thought we could meet once a month or at least once a quarter, participate in trunk shows together at our homes, share ad space and the cost of a simple website, etc. In order to get this off the ground, I’ll need to get at least 3-5 fellow Dallas “estiers” on board. Please let me know if you are interested! Cheers, Stephanie" I sent that to over 20 hand-picked Dallas sellers on Etsy back on September 13 and have made some wonderful friends since then, including my Bash partner, Pamela Michelle. Today, Etsy Dallas is leading the handmade movement across the state. In the wake of our formation 2 years ago, several wonderful city teams in Texas have formed, including our crafty friends Etsy Fort Worth, Alamo City Etsy, and Etsy Austin. I am proud to be part of such a movement. Thank you to all who made it possible. Happy 2nd Birthday, Etsy Dallas! {Big thanks to my gal Alicia Colina-Ashby for leading the team Sale-A-Bration. Check out her post on our blog for all the deets! Beginning on September 7th I'll be offering Free Shipping on my Clearance items. More info soon! }
I opened up shop and listed three necklaces from my Nuts collection. These pieces are made with nuts and seeds harvested from the rain forest, then processed and dyed naturally. This commerce gives indigenous people jobs, encourages free trade, and preserves the trees and plants they come from (rather than chopping them down, they are spared in order to made these beads). I've got a lot more Nuts in my inventory, including earrings, than are listed in my shop. Thanks to my Ian monster, I don't have a lot of time these days to photograph and add to my shop. (Yeah, blame the baby!) I was the featured shop last week even! While you're browsing the great eco items on Cosa Verde, check out Alicia's Etsy shop. She makes great accessories out of recycled paper from magazines and catalogues. My favorites are her itsy-bitsy pouches: 
