EtsyNJ Members Costumecon Entries

I'm sure you all know about Etsy's Costumecon contest, if not, read about it here, and of course, EtsyNJ is representing!

Crimsonseadragon has this adorable Oregon Trail Costume modelled by her daughter:


Hoolyghans has a very good natured Bearded Dragon named Chompers who loves Etsy!!


Good luck to both Crimsonseadreagon and Hoolyghans! And Happy Halloween to everyone!

Don't forget to check out all EtsyNJ items by searching EtsyNJ or clicking on this link

Made by Melissa Featured on Mama's Magic Blog

Woo-hoo! Mama's Magic featured Made by Melissa in her blog! Check it out!
Mama's Magic: Friday Feature -- MadeByMelissa

Go from A to Z with EtsyNJ!

EtsyNJ is a group of very talented artists that specialize in many different craft forms ranging from paper crafts to jewelry and much more! This post was inspired by our recent A-Z promo threads, I'll choose one item from each letter of the alphabet from an EtsyNJ seller.

A is for Apple Handpainted Mugs by Makin the Best Of It

B is for baby bib by Susan's Treasures

C is for cat plush doll by KasellKreations

D is for dog painting by I Heart Dogs Studio

E is for earrings by Marcinyc

F is for flower hair clip by katylua

G is for greeting card by Gin Gin's Goodies

H is for headband with purple dots by PurpleLicious

I is for ice cream charm necklace by Made by Melissa

J is for juicy cherry earrings by SweetyPrize

K is for knit cell phone cozy by ShutterKate

L is for lemon drop earrings by Jewelry for Fun

M is for mosaic baby frame by keeshagirl4

N is for necklace by catrocks

O is for Orange Lip Balm Holder by Sea Horse Designs

P is for poetry bracelet by Creations by Danielle

Q is for quiet night at home wearing this shawl by Hoolyghans

R is for red submarine notecards by Assemblyline

S is for silk scarf by The Spinning Hand

T is for tile necklace by Polka Dot Creations

U is for unscented soap by Dragon06

V is for very fuzzy scarf by My Art 4 Wear

W is for Wedding Bells Sale - Emily Bracelet by KatCrociante

X is for X-tra fragrant whipped body frosting by Lollibomb

Y is for yellow button bracelet by Wool Mountain

Z is for zany caterpillar toy by LaDZeiner

And if that doesn't prove that EtsyNJ covers every part of the crafting spectrum, then I don't know what will!! Click here
to see everything that EtsyNJ sellers have to offer!

EtsyNJ Featured Artist - AntiGenre Arts

Who are you?
Lauren Markley

What is your Etsy Shop Name/link?
http://www.AntiGenre.etsy.com

What tag categories do you specialize in?
Jewelry – earrings, necklaces

Do you create for children or adults, women or men?
Women, no men’s items yet

What do you like about Etsy?
Etsy is a great community for learning and exchanging ideas about both the art and the business of jewelry making. It’s also the best place to shop!

Where do you find inspiration for your products?
Everywhere! I like repeated patterns that are found in nature, I love architectural design, and – oddly enough – I’m inspired by the burned out buildings and scrap yards that I see along NJ Transit’s N-E Corridor line.

What do you love about your business?
I love when I have the time to just tinker with my supplies and come up with new designs. I also love it when my favorite designs sell – it makes me happy to be able to share something important to me.

What is your favorite product right now?
My Sunken Treasure necklace. I’m planning to do several similar pieces.


What makes you unique at Etsy?
My store name is AntiGenre Arts, so I think it is safe to say that I’m not afraid to experiment with techniques, styles, color combinations, etc. I try to stay away from trends while still creating beautiful things.

What other street teams are you a member of?
None yet. Once I learn more metalsmithing techniques, I’ll look into the Etsy Metal team.

What are some other sites to find out more about you and what you love to create?
IndiePublc
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/antigenre_arts

I took a virtual stroll through AntiGenre's shop, and selected this as my favorite item:




Blog written by: Melissa

See everything that EtsyNJ has to offer by clicking here

Happy Shopping! :-D

EtsyNJ Featured Artist of the Week - GinGin's Goodies

Who are you?
Ginny Smith

What is your Etsy Shop Name/link? http://ginginsgoodies.etsy.com

What tag categories do you specialize in?
Paper, glass, photography, Wood

Do you create for children or adults, women or men?
All

What do you like about Etsy?
I love the feeling of community.

Where do you find inspiration for your products?
Anywhere and Everywhere!

What do you love about your business?
The fact that I can do something I love. No pressure, well, unless I have a creativity block.

What is your favorite product right now?
I don’t really have a favorite.

What makes you unique at Etsy?
Actually, there’s nothing really unique about what I do. I just love to create and experiment.

What other street teams are you a member of?
Etsy Greetings, PoE

What are some other sites to find out more about you and what you love to create?
www.myspace.com/ginginsgoodies, www.ginginsgoodiesnthings.com and www.flickr.com/photos/ginginsgoodies

Ginny is very modest, she has some awesome stuff in her shop. I think this vase is stunning:


This flower pot is bright and cheery:


This flower plaque is sure to brighten up any room:


And she has a great assortment of greeting cards, photography and Christmas ornaments.

Visit Ginny's shop and see all the great things she has to offer!

Blog written by: Melissa

See everything EtsyNJ members have to offer by clicking here!!

Celebrate Halloween with cool EtsyNJ items!

With Halloween just around the corner, I would like to highlight all of the cool EtsyNJ shops that have Halloween items.

Seahorse Designs has these cool Season of the Witch Assymetrical Earrings:


Jewelry for Fun has these Halloween Confetti Earrings:


Gin Gin's Goodies has this Spooky Halloween Card:


Made by Melissa has these Candy Corn Earrings:


Check out all of the EtsyNJ Halloween items by clicking here or simply visit Etsy and search for "EtsyNJ Halloween"

Happy Haunting!!

EtsyNJ Featured Artist of the Week - Jewelry for Fun

Who are you? Jane MacArthur

What is your Etsy Shop Name/link? http://jewelryforfun.etsy.com

What tag categories do you specialize in? jewelry, beads, glass, stone

Do you create for children or adults, women or men? women

What do you like about Etsy? Camaraderie with other crafters. Everyone is very supportive and helpful on everything from how to set up your site, critiques, where to find other products and just generally friendly.

Where do you find inspiration for your products? I find nature inspiring, but have always been crafty and usually just create things off the top of my head. This goes for anything from decorating my house with and eclectic mix of unusual objects that I find at flea markets to mixing beads together and thinking “hey, that looks like ____!” I like to buy mixed beads in bulk from e-bay or other places, sort through them and see what bubbles up.

What do you love about your business? It keeps me busy, but with a goal. I tend to go overboard when crafting and make way more of whatever I am working on than I will ever need. I am excited to have an outlet where I can sell my creations.

What is your favorite product right now? I love making earrings and have just expanded into making some bracelets as well. I have a “Hippie Chick Bracelet” and “Hippie Chick Earrings” that I love.




What makes you unique at Etsy? I create my jewelry based on things that I would like to wear, which I find difficult to find in retail stores. I try to make each set of earrings or bracelet different from the next. Since I purchase mixed beads in bulk, it would be difficult to replicate most of my designs, because I only have a few of each type of bead.


What other street teams are you a member of? NJ, that’s it so far.


What are some other sites to find out more about you and what you love to create? www.myspace.com/jewelryforfun shows off some additional photos of gifts I have made for others, tells a bit about my background, and shows off pics of my hubby and four legged friends.

I browsed Jane's shop while preparing this blog, and my favorite item is this:




Blog written by: Made by Melissa

Lemoncholy's "Blog Candy" Giveaway

In honor of her upcoming birthday, Lemoncholy is having a contest at her blog. Want more details?? Click here to visit her blog!

Visit her shop here

First Ever: Etsy NJ Theme Challenge!

Theme: Good-bye Summer / Hello Fall!

NJ team member challenge: Come up with any sort of handmade item that somehow represents the theme. OR take a current item and somehow picture it so that it relates to the theme. Be creative! List a picture of your item on our Flickr group (with the tag EtsyNJFall07) as well as listing it on Etsy!

Don't forget to comment back here with a link to your themed item on Etsy so that we can post a picture/link to it. If we get enough entries this could make a GREAT treasury as well!

Visit our Flickr group at: http://www.flickr.com/groups/429661@N24/ to see what we have come up with! Or search EtsyNJ at Etsy.com!

Written by: Kate

EtsyNJ Featured Artist of the Week - Kat Crociante

This week's featured artist of the week is Kat Crociante.

Who are you?
Kat Crociante, soon to be Kat Lambrix. Jewelry designer extraordinare. Okay, make that jewelry designer in-her-off-hours.

What is your Etsy Shop Name/link?
http://katcrociante.etsy.com

What tag categories do you specialize in?
Jewelry! Everything is sterling silver with Swarovski crystals, natural beads, or lampwork (usually created by another Etsy seller).

Do you create for children or adults, women or men?
I make most of my jewelry for women, but I have done a few little girls' pieces in the past. They sold very quickly, so perhaps I should make more!

What do you like about Etsy?
I love the community on Etsy. I'm inspired by so many sellers, both by their design skills and their hard work. I also love having a marketplace to seek out handmade goods that I would have otherwise wound up buying at the store.

Where do you find inspiration for your products?
Glossies, mostly. And nature. I try to make glamorous pieces that are right for every day. I rarely look at other jewelers' work, though I do love an exchange of ideas.

What do you love about your business?
I love that making jewelry is “me” time. I can be quiet and sit in my corner studio while my brain goes crazy designing. I also love the chance to make commissioned pieces for specific recipients.

What is your favorite product right now?
In my line? I'm loving lampwork now...and the Nina Bracelet is one of my favorites (it's named after my mom!).

On Etsy as a whole, I've really been into letterpress stationary.

What other street teams are you a member of?
EtsyBEAD and the New New (the NY street team, since I work in New York)

What are some other sites to find out more about you and what you love to create?
My current blog will be up for rennovation soon, but currently it's katcrociantejewelrydesigns.blogspot.com

I browsed through Kat's shop as I was preparing this blog, my favorite item from her shop is this:


Blog written by Made By Melissa

Introducing the EtsyNJ Street Team!

For those of you who are familiar with Etsy you may or may not know about street teams. Street teams are a group of sellers that come together and promote each other - these teams are based on a common interest - in this case, its sellers who live in the glorious state of NJ! This blog will feature two of my fellow EtsyNJ members - Kate from Shutterkate.etsy.com and Catherine from SweetyPrize.etsy.com.

Kate is a student at Rutgers University and calls herself a spontaneous crafter. She says "I began knitting and taking on other various forms of crafting about 3 years ago and have been obsessed with crafting ever since. I'm not sure how I lived happily without making things before that time."

Check out Kate's Black and White Skinny Scarf:


And while your shopping take a peek at Hooded iPod Cozy and Colorful Coffee Cozy!

One of the things Sweetyprize struggles with is whether the plural of scarf is scarves or scarfs. She makes a lot of scarf/ves so she needs to know. She makes them out of unique materials, reclaimed yarn and fabric, cassette tape! Reconstruction and rethinking objects is all over her shop: housewares, jewerly, accessories, clothing, paper goods. Check it out! Sweetyprize.etsy.com is also a member of the Trashion street team, the Etsy Fiber Artists street team, and Old World Shoppes.

Check out Sweetyprize's Romantic Green doily Scarf w Flowers:

And while your there make sure you check out
Crocheted hat with cassette tape and Colorful round throw rug.

For more information on EtsyNJ visit the Yahoo group at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EtsyNJ/ and Flickr group photos at http://www.flickr.com/groups/429661@N24/ or simply search for EtsyNJ at Etsy.

Happy Shopping!!!

Written by: Made by Melissa