Holiday Giveaway: Calendar 2012

Sorry for the bad iPhone photos but here are a few snapshots of our 2012 calendar featuring our signature animal-patterned designs. We only have a very limited number of these in stock and we’re giving away three! Here’s how you can win from now until Friday 12/23: 1) like us on facebook or follow us on twitter; and, 2) leave us a comment here telling us how you plan to hibernate this holiday season. Winners will be notified on Tuesday, 12/27.

OOAK 2011

{featured sellers: purple and lime, tojada, suddenly it’s real, masters of none, vraifaux, and shawna smith handmade}

Here are photos of some of our Etsy Pavilion sellers at the OOAK show. The Pavilion had a variety of products so even if you couldn’t make the walk through the whole show, you could have easily done your shopping within the Etsy Pavilion. As I mentioned before, the show was a great opportunity for beginners like me and my sister. If you can fit it in your budget and schedule, I highly recommend that you submit your work for next year’s show. Here’s a list of our thoughts about the show.

• It’s a big show so expect a higher booth fee but as an Etsy seller, you get a hefty discount.
• Hefty discount will also mean smaller booths (5′ x 5′). But you’re a creative so you shouldn’t have a problem building a good-looking booth.
• You get to meet amazing people!
• Instant feedback (good or bad) from customers are golden. Sometimes, we don’t get feedback from our customers online so it’s nice to hear our customers’ thoughts right there.
• There are over 600 sellers at the show so it may be a little overwhelming to many customers. Being part of the Etsy Pavilion instantly made us easy to find on the map and at the show.
• You’ll get nervous and stressed, but it will be one of your most incredible time as a seller and artist.
• Load-in at the earliest time they tell you, otherwise you may have to wait a few hours by the docks like we did.
• Attend the preshow seminars, webinars and orientation to get the most out of your time at the show.
• Start preparing for the show as soon as you get  your acceptance letter. Trust me, a few months go by fast.
• Always smile—customers like that.

Overall, if we could do it again, we would in a heartbeat. We hope to see some of you at the Etsy Pavilion next year. We’ll be going strictly as shoppers this time.

Preview: OOAK 2011 + Holiday Giveaway

Two weeks ago, Smile joined a selected group of artists and crafters to represent Etsy at the One of a Kind Show and Sale Chicago. It was an incredible opportunity for me and my sister to meet and talk with our customers. Prepping for the show was definitely full of stress, lack of sleep, hair loss, junk food, and the anxiety of juggling our day jobs and Smile. As soon as the 4-day show began, none of that really mattered because we were just overwhelmed with excitement. As artists and designers, we were definitely nervous to hear immediate feedback from customers, but in the end, we were just overjoyed with all the nice things people had to say about our work. We love selling our goods on Etsy, but it really is amazing to sell your work in person. We even met some of our customers who bought from our Etsy shop. This Monday, we’ll continue to write about our experience at the show and include pictures of our fellow artists and crafters from the Etsy Pavilion.

And to continue on with the holiday spirit, we’re also giving away 3 handmade calendars (pictures will be posted on Monday) featuring new animal-patterned designs and designs of our popular signature collection. Here’s how you can win from now until Friday 12/23: 1) like us on facebook or follow us on twitter; and, 2) leave us a comment on our Monday’s entry telling us how you plan to hibernate this holiday season. Winners will be notified on Tuesday, 12/27.

Happy Friday and stay warm!

Holiday Spirit 2011

We hope all of you are enjoying some shopping and plenty of hot chocolate with loved ones. Now that we have finished two very awesome shows, we should be back on track with keeping you posted with inspirations and updates. And, since we’re feeling the holiday spirit, please enjoy 15% off your total purchase from our shop until December 31st. Simply type in coupon code MERRY15 before checkout.

Happy shopping!

{image via west elm, Colored Glass Sphere Ornaments, type layout via elmarie}

Hello dear

 

It has been awhile, I know, and we are truly sorry. As you can see, we’ve both been so busy with the shop and prepping for two amazing shows in Chicago: The DIY Trunk Show (11/19 at the Broadway Armory Park) and the One of a Kind Show (12/1-12/4 at the Merchandise Mart). It’s an exciting time for us but also very exhausting. My dining room has officially become our production workspace.

Stay tuned my friends for the debut of our new goods on our Etsy shop this weekend.

Warm wishes,
Elmarie

 

San Francisco, part 1

Last week, my husband and I went to San Francisco for my mini-vacation while he attended his first Oracle conference. We had plenty of time together to roam around the city, ride the famous cable cars, and enjoy the local diners and restaurants. San Francisco is beautiful, but it’s certainly good to be back home.

{photos by elmarie; see part 2 here}

Lately…

I’m liking a lot of green.

(ASOS Collegiate Oversized Satchel)

A beautiful print

I’ve recently discovered the beautiful and inspiring work of Bryan Nash Gill. At 52″ x 38.5″ wide in diameter, this Hemlock 82 piece was printed by pressing the paper laboriously with his fingers against the print block. See more of Ashes & Milk‘s short visual documentary of the incredible process.

(Word!) So I’ve been telling myself…

(image by smile; debuting fall 2011)

tiny ones

While doing some research on organic fabric, I landed on this site and was awing and smiling like a nerd (as I always do in a children department store while shopping for my nephews and niece’s gifts) for a good 15 minutes while perusing their baby clothes. I love the whimsy graphics on these, and look how tiny they are. So cute!! Best of all, they’re made of 100% organic cotton.

Photos from here.