Stocking Stuffers
curated by Buffalove on Etsy
Monday, December 15, 2014
Saturday, December 13, 2014
City of Good Neighbors: "Family Of a Vet" Results!
—ABOUT OUR FAMILY—
Our hero was in the Army and served two tours in Afghanistan. He suffers from PTSD and TBI, limiting his ability to work and support his family. His wife is the primary caregiver for the family which includes four young daughters under 13. Their 9-year-old daughter has had many health issues since birth, has already had two surgeries, and faces two more. From the family: "lately it seems if we didn't have bad luck, we would have no luck." (learn more here: http://buffaloetsyteam.blogspot.com/2014/11/city-of-good-neighbors-family-of-vet.html).
The "City of Good Neighbors: Family Of a Vet"
fundraising project was launched with enthusiasm
and high hopes on Nov. 10, 2014.
Participating members designated "FOV" items for sale in their Etsy shops, and agreed to donate 100% when the item(s) sold. The money would be used to purchase items on each family member's wish list.
Over 30 members of the Buffalo Etsy Team
worked to fulfill our family's wishes!
• 100% of the money from the sale of specially designated FOV (Family Of a Vet) items from their Etsy shops was donated.
• Some team members added more FOV items after their original items sold!
• Some team members opted to make cash donations!
• Some team members purchased gifts from the family's wish lists!
• Some team members purchased FOV items from their fellow team members!
• Some went above and beyond by donating money from sales, then donating more money, and buying gifts!
• Our fabulous friends and family members made cash donations, too!
(please scroll to end for links to all participating shops)
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
SO, HOW DID WE DO?
BY DECEMBER 1 — THE FINAL DAY OF OUR FIRST-EVER TEAM FUNDRAISING EFFORT —
WE HAD DONATIONS TOTALING (insert drumroll.........................) $919.00!
Were we blown away and extremely proud? You bet!
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
IT'S A WRAP!
On Dec. 8, Santa's elves gathered at Corner Bakery Cafe for the "It's a Wrap!" party to celebrate the success of our first fundraiser!
We ate cake (thanks, Road Kiln!), listened to Christmas music (thanks, Charmed by Wine!), and WRAPPED!
It was a fun, noisy gathering with paper and ribbon and gift tags everywhere!
Our busy elves, pictured below (and listed in no particular order): Goldhawk Pottery, PE Collectibles, Fast Crawl, Ania Jane, Charmed by Wine, Gretchen Cole Jewelry, Road Kiln, L Richards Design, Whimsy by Kelly, Zanie Crafts Felted Art, and Oliver Plays (behind the camera: 716 Buffalos).
• • • • • • • •
THANK YOU!
• • • • • • • •
To all of the Buffalo Etsy Team members, project volunteers, cheerleaders, and friends of the team, a huge THANKS to each and every one of you for your donations, your support, and your time. Buffalo truly is the City of Good Neighbors!
With loads of Buffalove during the holidays and always,
Carla
> PARTICIPATING BUFFALO ETSY TEAM SHOPS
AL Custom Jewelry
All This and That Too
Ania Jane
Aremel Soaps
Charmed by Wine
C Designs Cards
The Cotton Road
Cozy Home Wreaths
Crafty Squirrel Design
Doggie Stylz
Farmhouse Heart
Fast Crawl
Goldhawk Pottery
Gretchen Cole Jewelry
Harvest Woods
Hedge Wytch Herbals
Inspired Buffalo
Kitch Studios
Knit Laugh Wine
L Richards Design
My Buffalo Shirt
Nikki M Design
Oliver Plays
Paragraph Loop
PE Collectibles
Pigknit
Road Kiln
Silent Mylo Studio
So Sew Linda
Sugarshox Crafts
Trebird Buffalo
Vase Place
Whimsy by Kelly
Wonder Strumpet
Yankee Rose Creations
Zanelli Art
Zanie Crafts Felted Art
Zee Best Cards
And moi, 716 Buffalos
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
City of Good Neighbors: FAMILY OF A VET
The Buffalo Etsy Team launched their inaugural "City of Good Neighbors" project on Nov. 10. Our goal is to raise money through sales of selected items from team members' Etsy shops for a family "adopted" through the organization Family Of a Vet. The money will be used to fulfill the needs and wants of an injured Buffalo veteran, his wife, and four young daughters. Their wishlists include everything from bedding to bicycles.
Participating Buffalo Etsy Team members are donating 100% of the money from the sale of their items.
"Lately it seems if we didn't have bad luck,
we would have no luck."
Our war hero joined the Army when he was 17 years old. He served two tours in Afghanistan. He returned home in April of 2004 after his last tour, and suffers from
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) as a result of his service to our country.
He loved his job as a staff sergeant and had planned to stay in the Army for at least 20 years. He wishes he could still be in Afghanistan fighting with his brothers and feels like less of a person because he can't. He attempted college a couple of times. Because of the extent of his PTSD and TBI, he was unable to earn a degree. He did, however, earn a CDL (Commercial Driver's License) and worked for the first couple of years he was out. With blackouts and disorientation, he was unable to continue in this line of work.
His wife has a bachelor's degree in psychology and would love to be able to use and continue her education, but as the primary caregiver for her family, she can't. She likes to volunteer and believes in "paying it forward" whenever possible.
Their 9-year-old has had many health issues since birth. She has had two surgeries and is facing two more in the near future, requiring travel over 70 miles each way.
From the family: "Lately it seems if we didn't have bad luck, we would have no luck." In addition to our vet's and his daughter's ongoing health issues, the family is also dealing with a grandparent's illness.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
PURCHASE ITEMS FROM BUFFALO ETSY TEAM MEMBERS' SHOPS
Click https://www.etsy.com/search?q=FOV%20bflo
Participating Buffalo Etsy Team members are donating 100% of the money from the sale of their items.
MAKE A DONATION TO THE BUFFALO ETSY TEAM'S FOV FUND
All money will be used to purchase items from the family's wishlists. Donations are accepted via PayPal. Please email buffaloetsyteam@gmail.com for details, and include FOV in the subject line.
MAKE A DONATION DIRECTLY TO FAMILY OF A VET
Click www.familyofavet.com/support.html
Family Of a Vet, Inc., is a federally recognized 501(c)3 non-profit corporation. All donations to Family Of a Vet are tax deductible. Please visit their website for more information.
Family
Of a Vet, Inc., is a federally recognized 501(c)3 non-profit
corporation. - See more at:
http://www.familyofavet.com/support.html#sthash.uIQIDeS4.dpuf
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Monday, November 10, 2014
City of Good Neighbors Project: FAMILY OF A VET
Please follow the blog to see how we're progressing!
Visit www.etsy.com while you're shopping this holiday season. Enter FOV bflo into the search bar to find participating Buffalo Etsy Team shops.
The Buffalo Etsy Team members offer all kinds of delights in their shops, both handmade and vintage!
Thanks for supporting our inaugural "City of Good Neighbors" team project!
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Did I really just quit my job?
It’s been 4 months now.
I’m 1/3 of the way through my first year.
It’s been 127 days since I started.
I can package it many
different ways, but no matter how I state it, the clock is ticking, the days
are flying by and my savings are shrinking.
It’s hard to believe actually that this much time has passed
since I started working for myself.
A lot of things have
changed and uncertainty and surprise seem to be my constant companions.
I am not where I had hoped to be, at least
not as I had originally pictured it, but I have made some positive strides - none bigger than starting to think beyond my original plan.
July and August were very good months for sales and got me
started with a lot of momentum. After that though, things began to drag. I had
this idea that if I had time to make more diploma frames and kept adding them
to my shop the sales would continue to grow.
That hasn't really happened.
I've spent a lot of time thinking about my approach to this
and what my goal actually is (was). I've come to realize that my goal is not to
sell diploma frames. My goal is to earn a living, working for myself, doing something
I enjoy.
Coming to that realization has opened me up to a much larger
pool of options.
While I will continue to sell diploma frames, I plan to add
a large selection of picture frames and will soon begin to use pre-cut molding
in addition to milling my own. I've
signed on with a wholesale picture frame molding company that provides me hundreds
of choices and opportunities to increase revenue, while becoming more efficient.
Not only will that help me increase what I offer in the way
of frames I make, I will soon start to “retail” the pre-cut molding through my
DIY picture framing web site, so DIYers
can buy nice molding at a reasonable price to make their own frames.
I have just taken on a large project with a local chapel to
make hymn book holders for their pews. Working for the Lord has to help, right?
And of course, I've been gearing up for the holiday crafts
shows. I have a table at the St. Greg's show November 28-29 and the Heim Middle
School show December 6-7.
Whether these things help or not, we'll see, but I know the odds increase as more things are tried.
One thing I said at the beginning is that faith has to play
a big part in this. I truly believed that one way or another, things would
happen and opportunities would present themselves. I wasn't sure how, and until I was forced to
think beyond my original plan, I didn't realize just how many opportunities are
missed if you don’t open your mind.
So, until the next installment, I will continue to keep my
eyes and ears open for the opportunities that are hiding, in plain sight, all
around us every day. I hope you do as well.
Al
harvestwoods.com
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Monday, October 20, 2014
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Creative Spaces: Where Buffalo Etsians Make Their Magic
Featuring Suzanne O’Brien from ZanieCrafts
~ by Linda Richards
Suzanne’s craft is felting. She creates her stunning pieces using the wet felt method.
I asked Suzanne how she became involved in this craft and where she first learned the process.
“While attending a weekly knitting group, several knitters decided that we should form a crafty co-op for a time, to share other creative skills that each possessed. Learning how to make wool felt via wet felting was one of these lessons. I was so amazed with that lesson that I knew I wanted to continue doing more felting projects."
“Soon after that first lesson, Christchurch began its long period of geological activity, (Christchurch earthquakes, 2010 & 2011.) During this time, I turned to felting as a means of channeling my energies and nervousness into an active occupation of my free time. Making felt really helped me to cope with being in an earthquake zone, forcing me to relax in between all the thousands upon thousands of aftershocks.”
“Ever since those early days, I have been experimenting and mastering new wet felting techniques that I read about in books, on blogs, through Facebook, watched on YouTube, etc. I have been felting for four years now, and selling my creations at handmade markets for three of those years.”
Certain crafts like felting can require more than one area to complete the project.
Suzanne explains how she manages to do it all within her home.
“Currently, we live in a small two bedroom house, so my work space is anywhere I can find the space at any given moment. Where I work greatly depends on what I am making. All the purses that I make are lined with coordinating fabrics, so sewing happens on our kitchen table. Our basement has a second kitchen, that I call our Krafty Kitchen, because that is where most of my felt-making and lately dying my own wool for felting projects occurs. My husband also makes use of the kitchen when he makes his batches of home brew. I’m quite happy to share that space with him.”
“I do have a little corner set up in our lounge where I keep all finished product for Etsy and craft shows. My sewing machines (yes, I have two.), fabric, idea/reference books, and all of my stitching supplies are kept there in as organized fashion as possible.”
I think most artisans have many ideas of what the perfect workspace would be like. What would your dream studio look like?
“My dream space would someday consist of an enclosed space or dare I say, a crafting room, where I could store supplies and finished product and not have it imposing on the rest of the house. (My family puts up with it now, because they love me.) The room would be decorated with fun organizational things and contain lots of inspirational color. Making felt would probably still be in the basement or somewhere else with long table or counter tops near a kitchen because of the wet and soapy nature of things and needing access to warm water."
This craft is so interesting. I imagine there are all kinds of materials, tools and equipment involved in felting.
“The materials I use to make felt are very simple. Bubble wrap, natural soap, a water bottle that sprinkles (I use a large garlic powder container from Sam’s Club), a flexible plastic resist for 3D objects, and a felt-able breed of wool roving. There are tools that people use to help speed up the process of felting, like electric sanders, hand held palm washboards, swimming noodles, old pantyhose. It’s magic, I tell you!”
“Sometimes I add other things onto or into my felting work like: silk fibers, silk threads, Angelina fibers (synthetic glittery strands), glass marbles, rocks, seashells, vintage silk scarves, unique secondhand buttons, etc. The possibilities are endless. That’s what makes it so fun and unique!"
Besides your Etsy shop, you also display your work at shows throughout the area. How do you manage to keep your workspace organized?
“ZanieCrafts is still a fairly new business (opened Oct. 2013). I have only done a handful of markets in the US so far, but I’m starting off on the right foot by keeping all of my packing supplies together in one container for shows. I have gift boxes already assembled, tissue paper on hand and shopping bags all ready for packaging up purchases.”
“I like to incorporate secondhand and vintage into my creations and I use a lot of repurposed Salvation Army Thrift shop finds for my table display. I package my online orders with my leftover hand dyed sock yarn from my personal knitting stash, and my earring and brooch cards have been printed by a friend on leftover stationery that was purchased for our wedding invitations. I like the idea of reusing and repurposing something for a different use. It’s creative, unique, and good for the environment!"
Suzanne is such a talented artist. I can’t wait to see what she creates next!
Photos by Suzanne O’Brien
Linda Richards Design
Monday, October 13, 2014
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Monday, September 1, 2014
Did I really just quit my job?
I’m now two months into my journey and the world hasn't
ended. The initial fear that used to
pulse through me every now and then seems to have been more hype than anything
else.
That’s how fear works though. It
paralyzes the mind and body.
In this installment I wanted to touch on some things I did
prior to turning in my notice and walking away from a steady paycheck and
benefits. Doing these things have helped
me overcome the fear and have, without a doubt, helped me focus on the work at
hand instead of waiting for the end of the world.
About 2 years prior to turning in my notice I:
1.
Took a long hard look at my current position,
the state of the field I worked in (Higher Ed) and what the future was starting
to look like. I saw more downside than
upside. I began to think about changing careers.
2.
Tracked my spending for 6 months to get a better
sense of where my money was actually going. I kept a daily journal and logged
EVERY dollar I spent and what I spent it on. I broke it down into categories each
month. This really opened my eyes to some careless spending.
 |
| Attributed to Abe Lincoln (but there is no actual proof he ever said this!) |
3.
I began to pay more attention to saving money,
in case I decided to leave.
About 18 months prior I:
1. Started to cut back from the things I identified through my spending exercise
2. Began paying my credit cards down aggressively.
3. Adjusted the contribution I was making to my
401k plan by dropping to the minimum percentage that secured my employers
contribution and directed the rest into my savings account. I did this to save
as much “ready cash” as possible should I decide to leave.
4. I took what I learned from the spending exercise
and figured out what I actually spent on necessities (home, food, bills etc…)
in a year.
It’s a very interesting exercise. If you've never done it – do it. I
found out that the number is much smaller than I thought. You may be surprised
too. It made me feel more confident in taking the risk of working for myself. It helped me zero in on the exact amount of
money I needed to save to give myself a year (if I didn't earn another penny
during that year) to go on living close to how I was currently living.
About 6 months prior I:
1.
Decided that unless something drastic changed at
my current job, I would leave and start working for myself full-time.
2.
Started planning for my departure and putting
things in order (to help my co-workers as well as visualizing what my life
would look like how to best approach it).
I am not one to recommend just quitting a job without really
thinking things through. I do think anyone can leave a job they are unhappy
with though – I just recommend having a plan in place. Most people lock
themselves into situations without even trying to take a long hard look at
what’s actually possible.
You can read the 3 previous posts in this series here:
Next month, I will
update you on my progress since starting off on my own and some of the early
hiccups, lessons and small victories.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Buffalo Etsy Team Interview: Kelly from Nest Well
NESTING INSTINCTS
How long has Nest Well been on Etsy? What was your first shop offering? How long was it before you
had your first sale?
>>> We opened our shop in April 2013. In December 2012 I
received a sewing machine for Christmas from my mother in law. Once I ran out of things to sew around the
house, I thought it would be a great way to start making gifts, and covers for
others. Etsy seemed to be a natural
progression. We initially offered wine bags and a few pillows, vintage tea
towels and covers. Our first sale was
that same month, with a wine bag to a friend of the family, and then things
really started to roll. Over 180 orders
later and it is still a thrill to hear the cha-ching ring out from our
phones/ipad throughout the house!
Is Nest
Well your full-time job?
>>> No, it is not. Bill
and I both work full time—myself as a Physician Assistant, and Bill works for
a medical software company. We also have
2 little boys, who are the light of our lives.
We keep busy with our schedules but always find time to create, design
and push our company to the next level. Typically, most work is done after the kids are asleep so that we can
maximize our time with them, although I have been known to sew outdoors during
a nice afternoon of sprinkler time with the kids. The drive to constantly evolve and show what
we have to offer, keeps us going sometimes late into the evening.
 |
| My sewing den is in the basement and my table was a roadside find that I cleaned, sanded and stained.My chair (with the stack of fabric) used to belong to Bill's grandfather. |
Describe
your design aesthetic. Where do you find inspiration?
>>> Our design aesthetic is that of industrial vintage with a
cozy cottage feel. I tend to sway in the
direction of soft linens, with a focus on quality and craftsmanship. We love shopping for inspiration and pouring
over design catalogs. There is also
something about the look of a beautiful piece of wood or a rusted piece of
metal. Inspiration can also come from a
spin around the neighborhood, we are never opposed to picking up a roadside
beauty or sifting around a dusty vintage shop. It is nice to find lost treasures, give them a new life and then
transfer that to a new idea or product.
Your
husband, Bill, is the other half of Nest Well. Describe the division of labor.
>>> Bill is a huge part of our
company. He does all the woodcraft, partially
because I do not yet trust myself with a saw or drill, but also because he is
really good at it. He loves to figure
out a new design, and all I have to do is make a suggestion and he creates it
the same day. He processes and ships
most items. We make major decisions
together, like pricing, wholesale orders and new products. I do most of the shopping and also the
sewing.
 |
| Bill's work station was built by him and is out in the garage. |
How much of
your time do you spend on business versus inspiration?
>>> Inspiration
is a constant throughout the day. That
never stops, but hands-on work and labor is usually just in the evening
hours. Weekends are a bit different,
depending on our schedules. Emailing and
working from our computers and mobile devices is a constant as well and we try
to be swift about customer inquiries. We
always appreciate a new customer finding us in the vast Etsy world and want to
keep their business. In the future the
shift and division of time may change but for now, this works great for us.
Describe
your greatest success. Any epic failures you can laugh about now?
>>> Our greatest success has got to be our beer carriers. We started those because my husband
enjoys brewing and drinking craft beers. Being in our 30s, carrying a ‘bag of beers’ or throwing them in the
diaper bag seemed a bit outdated, so the carrier was a great solution! Thankfully others feel the same way! We have
not yet had any major fails but we do have a lot to laugh about. I call us attic-addicts because of our love
for ‘junk,’ as my dad calls it. Once my
mom called me on my way home from work, it was about 9:30 and dark. As I was on my Bluetooth I had pulled over on
a busy road to haul old fence posts into the back of my car. I thought she would die. Just the other day, Bill ran out to pick up a
set of vintage lockers from Craig’s List, and each time I make him call me to
let me know he is still alive.
Any new
products on the horizon?
>>> I would love to add a Nestwell Baby line and a home
fragrance line. Organic wraps, fun
pillow covers and linen crib sheets are on the horizon. Right now, we are trying to gear up for the
fall and holiday season. We recently
launched a 22oz carrier for the home brewers, which has been a request for
awhile, and seems to already be a popular addition.
Are your
products available locally, and if so, where?
>>> We offer our products at Patricia’s Back Barn in Wheatfield. We are also planning on offering our carriers
at Niagara Tradition Homebrew Supply in Tonawanda. Custom
requests are always available by contacting us, and local delivery/pick up is
always free of charge. We are signed up
to attend the Sharon Springs Harvest Festival in September, we are looking
forward to it as it is our first outdoor show. Etsy will also be attending that show so we are very excited to show
them in person what we can do!
Lastly, and
just for fun: In what stores would you love to see your products?
>>> If we ever had the opportunity to work with a large company,
we would be thrilled to keep it local initially. Premier Gourmet would be a dream, especially
because of their vast array of beverages for the beer lover, I think it would
be a perfect fit. A partnership with Wegmans for a summer line
would also be fabulous.
 | |||
| Colin is our 5 year old watermelon loving boy, Keegan will be 3 in 2 weeks and is our firecracker. Parker is our golden doodle who never sits still long enough for a picture. |
Here's where new
friends and followers can find Nest Well online:
Many thanks to Nicole Johnson of Mealy Monster for initiating the original Buffalo Etsy Team interviews!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)