Charles Takes New York

This little guy was sewn up by Alisa Baer at a Craft Night led by mummysam at the Etsy Labs recently. What an adventure he has been on!

P.S. You can learn how to make your own Charles plushie here.

Happy Halloween!

Photo by Zhi-Da Zhong

Photo by Justin Sheckler

From Business Insider

I like Halloween with all of its DIY, creative glory. I like how a good costume is a free pass for a conversation, which isn't always the easiest to extract from strangers in this busy, plugged-in New York City. Despite this,  I've never really jumped head first into costume preparation like I did this year, with several late, late nights alone with my glue gun, a pot of tea, and memories of art school.
I went at Mr. Grit, who is a cardboard being who guards the front door of Etsy's office, and is a beloved mascot of the space.

New Listing: Flying Tomato Notebooks

To celebrate a summer full of homegrown tomatoes, here some juicy new books in my shop! Find them here.

My photo on This American Life's Facebook!

Yesterday I made the exciting discovery that This American Life posted my photo on their Facebook page!! You can see it here, along with many a comment and thumbs-up. As a devoted fan of NPR and This American Life, this nerdy tidbit made my day!

My friend gave me the lovely little Ira Glass felt finger-puppet for a birthday present earlier this year. If you'd like to make salad with Ira Glass too, you can buy your own handmade puppet from AbbeyChristine's shop on Etsy!

How-Tuesday: Make a Weekly Planner Book with Your Secret Admiral

Check out my latest how-to video made with wonderful Etsy admin Michelle and Eric!

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"This week, Etsy How-Tuesday helps you get organized for the New Year with Etsy admin Julie aka YourSecretAdmiral / julieincharge. Julie shows you how to make a weekly planner, which you an give as a handmade stocking stuffer or keep for all that organizing you'll be doing in the New Year. You can use your own design or download our pdf template."

Don't want to make your own? Buy one here and I'll ship it off to you post haste!
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The video also got a nice mention on Whip Up today!

Congrats to KnitKnit!

I just want to send a big ol' congratulations to my pal, KnitKnit! She will be Etsy's Featured Seller for the next couple of days. I am a proud owner of one her her eyeball ornaments. In fact, after my first excursion to the Acme Smoke Fish Co, Annalise and I picked up a Christmas tree. So, far the only decoration on said tree is a crowning KnitKnit eyeball ornament in place of a star. (Photos of that to come.)

Hello, Sock Monkey

Last weekend, I learned how to make sock monkeys. This is my first one! He'll be donated to fresh art to benefit their wonderful programming. Learn all about fresh art's sock monkey program here.

Hello, Renegade Brooklyn

Today is the first day of Renegade Brooklyn. As ever, the craft fair is chockful of wonderful artists. I will have to go back tomorrow to take a closer look at the booths that I missed today. I went to Renegade Chicago last year, and had the best time. Renegade always feels like a crafty reunion to me, with rows upon rows of my favorite Etsy sellers and other crafters all in one place for one fabulous weekend. I leave feeling so inspired, ready to run home and start making things!


To the left is a shot of CallieCo's table, full of zippered delights. I have a wallet made by her and I love it!

Hello, New Dress

I put the finishing touches on this handmade dress today. Hurray for summer styles! I learned how to sew this little number and all about beginning dressmaking at the Make a Sundress class taught by the wonderful Cal Patch at the Etsy Labs.