It's time for a sale!

Several members of the Crest team and the Baltimore team are having sales this week, and quality goods abound. (No Regretsy crap there, I haven't listed Bunny's toe, so you're safe).

Find shop links to the Capital Region artists here and the Baltimore team here. Now if you will excuse me, I need to go buy fabric!

DC-Area Etsy Sale

The Capital Region Etsy Street Team (CREST) is holding a team sale -

Black Friday - November 27, 2009 to Cyber Monday - November 30, 2009.

Complete your holiday shopping with CREST . Please visit the following shops for amazing items and special deals. Check each shop announcement for details.

The following shops are offering Free Worldwide Shipping Nov 27 - Nov 30....
Free worldwide shipping at bijouxrocks...
bijouxrocks

Free worldwide shipping at aprilmist...
aprilmist

Free worldwide shipping at ardenjewelrydesign...
ardenjewelrydesign

Free worldwide shipping at stitchberry...
stitchberry

Free worldwide shipping at AWEshop...
aweshop

Free worldwide shipping at jetsy...
jetsy

Free worldwide shipping at sweetbeadstudio...
sweetbeadstudio

Free worldwide shipping at at JustinesJewelry...
justinesjewelry

Free worldwide shipping at tarabu...
tarabu

Free worldwide shipping at silverdotjewelry...
silverdotjewelry

Free worldwide shipping at lanyapi...
lanyapi

The following shops are offering Free Worldwide Shipping PLUS other discounts Nov 27 - Nov 30....
Free worldwide shipping plus 10% off all items at anastassiadesigns...
anastassiadesigns

Free worldwide shipping plus 15 % off all items at OceanSea...
OceanSea

Free worldwide shipping plus 20% off all items at morewarped...
morewarped

Free worldwide shipping plus 10% off all items at moonblossomdesigns...
moonblossomdesigns

Free worldwide shipping plus 15% off all items at sewartsy...
sewartsy

Free worldwide shipping plus 15% off all items at hitchcockcreative...
hitchcockcreative

Free worldwide shipping plus 20% off all items at rainestudios...
rainestudios

Free worldwide shipping plus 15% off all items at bellameidesigns...
bellameidesigns

Free worldwide shipping plus 10% off on $50 or more, 20% off on $100 or more at erinmapes...
erinmapes

Free worldwide shipping plus 20% off excluding clearance items at TashinaFalene...
tashinafalene

Free worldwide shipping plus 10% off on orders over $20 at sunflowerexpress...
sunflowerexpress

Free worldwide shipping plus 20% off and a free "Flower Power Ring" at doyoulovelucy...
doyoulovelucy

Free worldwide shipping plus 20% off on $20 or more at BrigaBauble...
BrigaBauble

Free worldwide shipping plus 10% off orders of $20 and up. 20% off orders $75 and up at BigHelmetHead...


Free worldwide shipping plus free gift with purchase over $20 at BelleCouleurJewelry...


Free worldwide shipping plus 10% off all items at GenerationsTieDye...
GenerationsTieDye

Free worldwide shipping plus 10% off on $50 or more at UPHORIA...
UPHORIA

The following shops are offering other Discounts Nov 27 - Nov 30....
Free shipping to US and Canada. $2.00 International shipping. 20% off all items at shellydaly...
shellydaly

Free shipping to US and Canada on purchases over $35 at wildhare...
wildhare

15% Off All Orchid Plants (prices will be adjusted to reflect discount) at sapphirechild...
sapphirechild

Free domestic shipping on orders over $10 plus 10% discount (on Black Friday only) for orders over $50 at theguestroomcloset...
theguestroomcloset

20% off all orders at DesignsbyJocelyn...
DesignsbyJocelyn

NovemberAir - Luxury on Sale

Sometimes even luxury goods go on sale - especially when they are very seasonal. Such is the case with the current November Air Sale. Reflecting discounts of 20-40%, most of the shop is currently on sale, offerring some great deals on winter accessories. When you've finally accepted the damp groundhog was right, and you realize you really have lost your favourite scarf on the train or in a cab, well now's as good a time as any to pick up another. Or possibly two.

Let's begin,

There are several scarves in this style in the shop right now, but this is my favourite colour pairing. It's somehow a sophisticated country palette that I adore. Currently on offer for $20.

The very subtle variations of this scarf do not scream spring - quite frankly they do not scream anything, but sometimes, you just want something fat, soft, and warm, and maybe a little subtle, too. Currently listed at $21, click the image to purchase.

Hey, that's Julia! Hi, Julia! And she's modeling the most affordable piece I am going to recommend - a great, cozy coffee-n-biscuits neckwarmer. At only $18.40, I am sorely tempted to pick one up for me. I adore neckwarmers (they button, see, so the wind doesn't unwind your ends) and I adore those two colors together. Yum.

Original - Affordable - What're YOU Lookin' At?

I am a big fan of useful things - I like gifts that serve a purpose. I also like to have the occasional object on the shelf that makes people do a double-take. Like my (replica) skull pencil holder or my lynx jawbone.


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I am going to start with a vintage woman's shoe mold from the interwar period, offered by MLO Artwear. This would look particularly well on a birch or beech wood shelf, or set off on a dark shelf by a crisp linen napkin.






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My next suggestion is a ceramic insulator from AtticEclectic. I am partial to these, in ceramics and glass, because we have them all over the house. One of my uncles was an electric company linesman for a lifetime and as these were phased out from active service, he would bring them home instead of sending them to the tip.

They are also great fun at parties when you have to explain to people under the age of thirty that electricity was not always carried through thickly insulated cables, but once came through live wires that had to be buffered from the wood and metal of the thickly tarred poles (otherwise everyone who tacked up a 'Lost Dog' sign would have been electrocuted.

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RetroThreads offers this absolutely terrible pair of fabric covered trinket boxes. They are so horrible, I cannot help but adore them.

I want that fabric for an ottoman - or at least a floor pouf.

Actually, I suppose this satisfies both my desire to have something useful - after all they are storage boxes - and to have something that makes people stop and stare.

New Objects - Notemarkers

I started making Notemarkers a while ago as a gift-with-purchase for my Etsy orders, and am now offerring them independently in groups of three in my shop. I also offer custom bulk orders, with customizable printing inside and choice of colors. Current offerings include:

Stay Tuned for more updates!

. . . mmmm . . .. Bacon

As a person who's not a vegetarian (but who doesn't eat land animals) I can tell you that the one thing I'm likely to fall of the wagon for, is bacon. Especially really thick-sliced, maple-syrup rubbed, hardwood smoked, baked slowly until really crispy bacon - the kind that if you lay it on an edge will stand up on it's own.

Well I'm not getting that, because I love me and love my family and don't want to have a stroke, and I know just one wouldn't kill me, but there's a lot more than one in that package and it becomes a slippery slope down to buying it every month.

But what's the solution? well, there isn't one, really, unless you're one of my loving family and want to give me bacon without giving me heart disease.

ta-da!

The Bacon Bouquet.

Isn't that right up there at the top of your list for charming dorkery gifts? If I were romantically involved with my girlfriend who has a bacon print wallet (uh-huh, you heard me) I'd get her one, but I don't know if her fiancee would approve.

At $25 for six strips (that's three servings in a custom paper cone) it's a charming way to say I love you - order by Feb 1 for Valentine's Delivery.

Click on the picture for a link to the sale site or visit http://www.babus.etsy.com/

and don't forget to visit my contest page here for a chance to win a gift certificate to tarabu or tarabustash!

tarabu Inaugural Sale & Contest

In addition to offering free shipping on all items and a free gift with orders over $20, I'm also offering a chance to win a $30 Gift Certificate to either of my shops - http://www.tarabu.etsy.com/ or http://www.tarabustash.etsy.com/.

How do you get a chance to win? Well, you can earn a chance right here, by posting a note on this blog entry about what you'd buy from my shop with your gift certificate. If there's something you're just dying to have now, snatch it up! All customers during the period of the Sale 01/17 - 01/25 will earn 5 entries per purchase!

So head over to my shops, come back and give a review of what you'd love to have!

Babus

When there's a new baby in your circle of life, it's so easy to be torn between wanting to give them everything and wanting to give them only the best. Fortunately, when it comes to toys, babus lets you do both.

From crinkly books to blocks to rattles, they've got you covered in finding fun, safe toys for your little joy.

Like these lovely felt rings - safe to handle, safe to chew on (do you really want your baby gnawing on plastic?) and easy to throw in the wash.

Visit all the toys at http://www.babus.etsy.com/ and take advantage of the few days left for the sale - Free Shipping on all orders - plus, 25% of the sales during the promotional period (01/17 - 01/25) will be donated to the Whitman-Walker Clinic.

and don't forget to click here to enter my contest to win a $30 tarabu or tarabustash gift certificate.

Further Crest Treasuries

Click on the links below to find hand-picked (not by me!) collections of Capital Region Artists. Click through the images and leave a note for your favourites (artists love positive feedback)

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=34428

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=34464

Remember that treasuries are limited commodities, and these are due to expire Thursday afternoon!

and don't forget to click here to enter my contest to win a $30 tarabu or tarabustash gift certificate.

Debby Arem Designs

If you thought you just weren't quite geeky enough, or you just don't know what to get for your nephew who's a computer engineer (and whose spartan apartment doesn't leave any doubt of that fact) Debby has just the right collection of practical office gear and beautiful home accessories to fill the less-than-completely-geeky void in your life.

For the readers in your life, who love the feel of an 'old-fashioned' book after staring at the computer all day, consider treating them to a set of one of a kind computer circuitry bookmarks.

For the Duration of the CREST Inaugural Sale (01/17 - 01/25) Debby Arem Designs is offering a free Micro Mini Magnetic Clipboard with all orders over $20. hmmmm, which will you keep for yourself and which will be a romantic gift for the geek in your life?

Don't forget to click here to enter a contest to win a $30 gift certificate to tarabu.etsy.com or tarabustash.etsy.com.

EtsyCrest Inaugural Celebration Sale

It's almost time for the Inauguration of our 44th President, and like all good capitalists, the EtsyCREST team is having a sale!

What's EtsyCREST, you ask? Where have you been? Etsy (as in, www.Etsy.com) is a retail site for all manner of arts and artists, as well as nifty vintage sellers and suppliers of hard to find matierals.

CREST is the Capital Region Etsy Street Team - a group of artists and entrepeneurs who all sell their wares and creations on the Etsy site, and who are dedicated to the advancement of the handmade object and the advancement of independent, local businesses.

How do you get to the sale? Go to www.etsy.com and search keyword 'EtsyCrestSale' for all participating shops.

Profiles of participating shops will follow - you'll recognize some of them from last fall's CyberMonday sale.

Treasured Capital Artists

There's multiple showcases up at the moment for the National Capital's Etsy Artists:

like this one:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=33327

and this one:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=33205

and this one:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=32880

Remember, Treasuries are like some rare butterflies - they only live for about three days, so catch them before they're gone!

Treasured CREST Artists

The treasury feature of Etsy is a fun way to promote your favourite artists, share your colorful obsessions, or simple cobble together some lovely images without the messy clean-up of collage.

Today's treasured artists may be found here: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=24191 and will be viewable until Wednesday morning, Dec 03.

Click over now, before they're gone!

New Scarf Listings

New items to keep you cozy and warm through the long winter to come:

All these items (and more!) are available in my Etsy shop, and are included in the holiday promotion - that's right every purchase includes a free notemarker bookmark/notepad and the purchase of two or more items is automatically upgraded to Priority Shipping.

New Blanket Lineups

I finally took some new photographs of my baby blankets - much more sleek and professional than my previous efforts.

Each of these items is available in my shop, as well as a variety of other fabrics.

Miscelena - Capital Region Artist

A lot of times I've found myself reviewing products based on their online presence, without having necessarily touched them or even seen them in real life.

Miscelena, on the other hand, has helped me develop a new passion for paper (and not the blank white drawing kind). I've always loved stationery and the writing and receiving of cards. Her cards are delightful - lovely layers of texture and color to brighten your day.

Some of my favourites are these:

The multiple levels of detail - the paper, stamping, eyelets, chipboardand other details create a gift that's equally measures visually appealing and tactilely pleasing.

Whoo! Free Fabric, Oh My!

In celebration of two years in the active blogosphere, KatieJean* is offerring a box stuffed chock-a-block with fabric of all colors to one lucky supporter of the glowing written word.

Check out her contest at:

http://seekatiesew.blogspot.com/2008/10/two.html

and find someone fab to link her to for your chance to win! Hurry! the contest closes Wednesday, Nov 05.

Good Luck!

*that's Katie Jean of the fab bags, i.e.: