Upcoming KCEtsy Artists Valentines Trunk Show!

That's right! Several KCEtsy members are part of an upcoming Valentines Trunk Show on First Fridays in February! We'll be presenting our uniquely handcrafted artwork at Shiraz Restaurant in the Crossroads District. Come browse and shop for yourself and your loved ones . . . after all, everyone needs a little heART for Valentine's Day!

DATE: First Fridays, February 1st, 2008
TIME: 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
PLACE: Shiraz Restaurant, in their Gallery Room, 320 Southwest Blvd Kansas City, MO 64108 (At Broadway and Southwest Blvd. in the Crossroads district)

Check out these participating vendors' Etsy Shops for a sneak peek:












creativeARTchika, wearable art - memory wire bracelets, earrings, etc.

Also at the show:
Roger Cissner, a fine art photographer
Erik Fouts, portrait artist

**Posted by thefunkyfelter.

Mark your calendars . . . Kansas City Etsy Street Team Meeting on Friday, January 4th!

It is time for another Kansas City Etsy Street Team meeting. We're planning an in-person meeting for this Friday evening so be sure to mark your calendars! Whether you are an established KCEtsy member or just interested in Etsy and what the local Etsy team has to offer, you are welcome and encouraged to come.

Who: KCETSY team members - old, new, and want to be's

What: A meeting to talk about team goals and organization for 2008. Also to discuss our upcoming Valentines Trunk Show on February 1st at Shiraz Restaurant, First Fridays in the Crossroads District. You can read more about the upcoming event in this Flickr group discussion.

When: Friday, January 4th, 2008, at 7:00 pm

Where: Independence Center Food Court (look for the crowd of artsy Etsians!)

Hope to see you there!

For more information about KCEtsy or to join our discussions about upcoming meeting topics and other team activities, visit our Flickr group.

**Posted by thefunkyfelter.

KCEtsy Membership Info Request for 2008 Records

Are you a KCEtsy member already or would you like to join? We're gathering pertinent member info for our 2008 team records. For all new and old members, please copy and paste the questions below with your info and send them to kcetsy[at!]gmail.com with your Etsy shop name along with kcetsy membership in the subject line.

In order to be linked or promoted by KCETSY all old and new members must fill out the following information and send it to our team email address. (Please note: We only use information within the group for organizational purposes. Your information will not be shared for other purposes without your permission.)

KCEtsy Membership Questionnaire
Full Name:
Shop Address on Etsy:
Email:
General Location (include nearest major intersection):
Blog:
Birth-date (not age):
Contact Phone # (specify if it is cell, home, work...):
Description of items in your shop:
What is your interest in our group, why do you want to join?
What can you contribute to KCETSY?


Please take a minute to send in your info and keep our team up to date for 2008!

**posted by thefunkyfelter with text contributed by ScottGarrette and karenkayartworks.

Mark your calendars . . . Kansas City Etsy Street Team Meeting!

It is time for a Kansas City Etsy Street Team meeting. We're planning an in-person meeting for next week so be sure to mark your calendars! Whether you are an established KCEtsy member or just interested in Etsy and what the local Etsy team has to offer, you are welcome to come.

Who: KCETSY team members - old, new, and want to be's

What: A meeting to talk about our team including the possibility of upcoming trunk shows, promotional packs, team-wide marketing, and more . . . . oh, and of course, just to get to know each other better too!

When: Wednesday, December 5th, 2007, at 7:00 pm

Where: Independence Center Food Court

Hope to see you there!

For more information about KCEtsy or to join our discussions about the meeting and other team activities, visit our Flickr group.

**Posted by thefunkyfelter with meeting info text contributed by MondeDesign.

Special Thanksgiving Weekend & Black Friday Promotions

This holiday season, buy handmade! The Kansas City Etsy Team is making it easy for you this holiday weekend with special promotions happening throughout the team.

So beat the crazed Black Friday crowds, and find prefect gifts for everyone on your list at these fantastic Etsy shops. Learn about each shops offerings, details about their special weekend promotion and see a sampling of what they have in stock.

When purchasing from any of the following shops, please enter promotional code "KCEtsy Special", unless otherwise instructed, in the message to seller at checkout and wait for a discounted PayPal invoice via email to pay. All offers are valid Thursday, November 22 thru midnight November 25th with use of promotional code.


KarenKayArtWorks
Here you will find original art work, recycled journals, and vintage angel pendants and ornaments. Check out my new "guy sketchbook drawings" for them men on your list.

Promotion: Free shipping and 10% off any order of $50 or more.



TheFunkyFelter
The Funky Felter, a.k.a. Shalana, is a fiber artist specializing in traditional and modern feltmaking. Her shop is filled with unique, handcrafted felted wool items including jewelry, hats, scarves, wallets, hair accessories, and fiber supplies.

Promotion: 20% off purchases of $25 of more (excluding shipping costs).



MyPaperGarden
At My Paper Garden you will find original collage art using vintage text, images and findings. Check out my Butterfly and Bird note card sets. They make a great $10 ($8 actually!) gift. Hope to see you in the garden! ~ Lisa

Promotion: Free Shipping on all items (to USA only) *1/2 price shipping to everywhere else*



CrazyBabes
Crazybabes features handmade jewelry from a variety of vintage and new materials. If you don't see what you're looking for, I will do custom work by request.

Promotion: Free surprise gift with any purchase from my shop this holiday weekend! Type KCETSY in the message to seller at checkout to receive your free gift.



BellaJean
Your one stop shop for Prints, Postcards & More! Check out my line of Hair Adornments, Fabric Covered Pushpins & Earrings!

Promotion: Free shipping on everything in my shop! Includes International orders!



TinyStitches
Tiny Stitches features classic boutique accessories for babies, tots and kids ... baby blanket bundles, burp cloth bundles, arts & crafts aprons, nuzzies and pillowcases. Each item is beautifully crafted, something you would be proud to give or recieve for birthdays, baby showers, holidays, and more.

Promotion: Free first class shipping on all pillowcases within the USA!



Dumb Kids
Fun gifts for guys and gals!
Items under $5.00!

Promotion: Make a total purchase of $15 or more and receive a free holiday wallet/cardholder! Perfect for gift card giving! and reusable! Type KCETSY*Special in the message to seller at checkout to receive your free gift. Sale Thursday 11/22 through Saturday 11/24



*this article was compiled and written by KCEtsy member Tiny Stitches *

Good Times in Kansas City!!!

The Second Kansas City Etsy Trunk show. Organized by Janay. We had a good time meeting new members and getting more local exposure. This is a great group of talented artists and designers with great ideas and enthusiasm for the KC Etsy Team!

Kathleen's table for TinyStitches at the KCEtsy Street Team Trunk Show in Westport.


Lisa from MyPaperGarden's table showing amazing collage art & cards using vintage images. Shown at the KCEtsy Street Team Trunk Show in Westport. I took home two of these beautiful Collage Christmas ornaments for my holiday gift giving this year.

Karen from KarenKayArtWorks table at the KCEtsy Street Team Trunk Show in Westport. Karen has a fantastic array of stationary. I personally love her Studio Clips in Red and Green - how great for hanging holiday cards!

Scott from ScottGarrette table at the KCEtsy Street Team Trunk Show in Westport. Scott's original piece Red Water Lily was used as the background of our advertising pieces for the show. Isn't it beautiful!?

Julie from JewlLi's table at the KCEtsy Street Team Trunk Show in Westport. Julie specializes in amazing jewelry pieces made with sea glass, silver and gems. This necklace is a personal favorite of mine.

Janay from AbstractPretty table at the KCEtsy Trunk Show. Janay is wearing one of her signature pieces, a chic tan polka-dot swil skirt.

Shalana from TheFunkyFelter table at the KCEtsy Street Team Trunk Show in Westport. Shalana's felt designs are phenomenal. Isn't this Fuzzy Flower Bobbie is super sweet.

Chirp's table at the KCEtsy Street Team Trunk Show in Westport. Hip, fun and a bit edgy for all ages ... onesies to adult, tee's hoodies, and tanks.

*photos and comments provided by KCEtsy member tinystitches.etsy.com*

Come and See What's Happening in Kansas City

Kansas City Etsy Street Team’s Artist Trunk Show

Type: Exhibits
Date: Saturday, November 10, 2007
Location: Bella Dance Studio
Address: Bella Dance Studio, Westport Center, 508 Westport Rd. Suite 102, KCMO, 64111
Phone:
Admission: FREE
Hours: 3pm – 8pm
URL: kcetsy.blogspot.com/

Description:
Shop local and shop handmade from local artists and handcrafters in the Kansas City Area who sell their wares on www.etsy.com. A wide range of high quality, unique, handcrafted items will be available. Here is just a glimpse at what this show will have to offer. Amazing wool felt creations; stunning mixed media and digital art; beautiful ornaments, stationary and pendants using vintage art; chic handmade wearables; classic accessories for babes and tots, and much, much more!

During the show enjoy music by DJ Labeaugot, and sample foods by Personal Chefs.

For a list of all our local Etsy artists, visit our blog at kcetsy.blogspot.com/. View pictures of our recent work at our Flickr group at www.flickr.com/groups/kcetsy/.
contributed by member of KC Etsy tiny stitches.etsy.com

The Personal Touch

There was an article the other day in a weekly news magazine, about online gaming and it's affect on the players' lives. Basically, there seems to be a new reality for some people, the online reality...
The world online is a beautiful place of limitless ideas and potential, and Etsy.com is one of those places. What makes Etsy even better are the Street Teams!


The local Street Teams provide a potential to gravitate outside of the online world back to the face-to-face interactions of our daily lives. It's the best of both worlds!
Etsy.com is a place to buy and sell all things handmade, and the street teams are a wonderful idea that has sprouted from the ideology that is Etsy.


(posted by kcetsy member scottgarrette)

Trunk Show Success!!! 08-24-07

What a fun event! Thanks soo much to Janay @ Abstract Pretty for organizing the sale. Featuring the awesome tunes spun by DJLabeaubot and the culinary masterpieces of Personal Chefs (Brian Christie) @ www.personalchefskc.com .

There were Ten Esty.com sellers showing off their handmade goods. Featuring: shawnanonna.etsy.com
TheFunkyFelter.etsy.com
OneMansJunk.etsy.com
AbstractPretty.etsy.com
Babeeling.etsy.com
JBirdStudios.etsy.com
SweetMud.etsy.com
DumbKidDesigns.etsy.com
BaxtersHouse.etsy.com
ScottGarrette.etsy.com

The space (Bella Dance Studio) was terrific! It made for a nice "intimate shopping party," as Janay said. It's really cool to meet some of the people behind all the wonderful creations on Etsy.com. Especially all the cool Kansas City based shops. So much talent! Hopefully, this will be the first of many selling events for the Kansas City based Etsy shops, and for the KC Etsy Street Team.

There was talk of future shows, especially one close to the holidays... and Alexia of babeeling had a great idea to order shipping supplies in bulk as a group, to cut down on the individual's costs for items such as boxes, bubble wrap, envelopes, gift boxes... thanks for that.

See you at the next sale!!!

The KCEtsy Trunk Show is coming . . .

Mark your calendars for this Friday!
Come and see what your talented local artists and crafters have to offer! The event is Friday, August 24th, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Bella Dance Studio in Westport Center, Kansas City, Missouri. Several Kansas City Street Team members will be selling their locally made goodies.

(post added by KCEtsy member thefunkyfelter)

Keep Your Cool!

Yesterday we talked about some of the perks of summer, like barbecue, picnics, and iced tea. But how do you keep your cool when the temperature outside is rising? The Kansas City Etsy Street Team has a few suggestions for must-have summer coolers.

Peppermint essential oil is a great cooler and soother, and marigolds are a definite sign of summer. Soapmania has combined the two to create a fabulous cooling soap perfect for the summer months. This one is also a great morning wake up soap. If you are a peppermint purist, Soapmania has you covered too, with their straight peppermint soap. If you mention KCEtsy in the "comments to seller" section during purchase, you will even receive free shipping from Soapmania!

Bella Veda Soap has your summer hair care covered with their natural Peppermint Silk Shampoo and Conditioner. This sulfate and paraben-free shampoo is a pleasure to use. Bella Veda uses peppermint, lavender and clove essential oils to create an invigorating shower experience and lovely, lightly-scented locks.

You want to keep your summer lips soft and kissable, but the sun, wind, and chlorinated pool water have taken their tole. No problem! Bella Veda has a wide selection of amazing lip balms that are all natural. We think the Lime and the Chocolate Mint sound especially yummy!

So the next time you are looking for summer skincare solutions, skip the drugstore and head straight to the bath and body sellers of the Kansas City Etsy Street Team! Not only will you be supporting local handcrafters, but you will be keeping your family safe from the harsh chemicals that many of the store brands contain. Your skin and hair will thank you for it!

Watch Our Garden Grow

New members are joining the KC Etsy Street team every day! We are excited to welcome artists and crafters working in so many different mediums. Here are a few items that are helping to grow our KC Etsy garden.

AngelfireArtGlass has crafted this gorgeous wire wrapped floral ring from one of her own lampworked beads.
A master of capturing natural beauty, JaredKS brings spring flowers into perspective with this original fine art photograph.




Insects are an important part of every garden, and Aquakej is making sure we have our share.
The cicadas are back for the summer in this striking display

Do some gardening of your own with the artists of KC Etsy!

Kansas City Barbecue

Barbecue and picnic season is in full swing! The Kansas City Street Team has plenty gear for your next barbecue.

Summer means fresh-squeezed lemonade and iced tea on the back porch with friends. And what better way to serve icy cold summer drinks than in these polka dotted tumblers by Cinderelish?

Potholders are a necessity for any barbecue chef, and Amuck Design has created an oven mit that is hot, hot, hot! Check out their aprons while you are there.

Kids love to help out with the cooking. Get them into the action with these personalized aprons from MondeDesign. Children love items with their name on them, so this would make a great gift. So, start planning your next barbecue, and don't forget to check out these useful items from the talented members of the Kansas City Etsy Street Team.

More About KC Etsy and How to Join or Contact Us!

The Kansas City Etsy Street Team is a Kansas City based team of artists and artisans who work together to promote and support one another in their artistic endeavors. The KC Street Team sells their upscale handmade items on Etsy.com, a place for all things handmade. They are a diverse group where you will find fiber arts, original art and prints, jewelry, candles, clothing, greeting cards, home décor and much more.

The KC Etsy team committee heads

• Kathleen (tinystitches) for the blog and membership.
• Shelli (MondeDesign) for meeting planning.

To contact KCEtsy, please scroll to the bottom of the page and fill out the contact form with your questions or comments.

* * * * *

KC Etsy Membership Requirements:

1. You must be a seller on Etsy.com.
2. Live in or near the Greater Kansas City area.
3. You must be a member to use the kcetsyteam tag in your Etsy listings.
4. Uploading photos to the flickr group is limited to 4 photos a day.
5. You must agree to be an active member in the group as defined below.

Active membership is defined as, complying with no less than two of the following:

• Participate on our NING social network, through commenting in discussion threads on the forum.
• Attend at least one group planning meeting every year.
• Contribute something to the group in your area of expertise (ie: if you're a graphic designer, help design fliers or promo materials; a sales person could help get sponsors for our trunk show; advertising or marketing, promote the team and upcoming events, etc.).
• Help organize an event to benefit the team as a whole ... educational workshops, team shows, sale or promotional events or opportunities.
• Promote the KC Etsy team through blog posts, newspaper articles, advertising pieces, postcards, fliers, etc. to help increase visibility, online traffic and customers.
  
• To participate in team Trunk Shows you will be expected to help organize, promote or plan the event. Calls for specific upcoming event needs will be posted in our NING social network forums.

* * * * *

Are you a local Kansas City area Etsy seller who would like to be a part of our team?
In order to be an official KCEtsy member you must fill out the following information and submit it via our contact form at the bottom of the page (scroll all the way down!). Simply copy/paste the following into the "question or comment" section of our contact form. Then fill it in.

KCEtsy Membership Application:
First/Last Name:
Etsy Shop URL:
Contact Email:
Contact Phone:
City Location:
Blog or Website:
Birthday (not year):
Description of shop items:
What is your interest in our group?
What can you contribute to KC ETSY?

Please note that we only use information within the group for organization and communication purposes. You will be contacted within one week about your member application. Once accepted, you will be required to join our NING Social Network and participate there, as well as join or KCEtsy Flickr photo group.

As an official member of KC ETSY your shop will be linked via our website at kcetsy.blogspot.com and on our Etsy Team profile page. It may take a few weeks to update these pages after you have been accepted to KC Etsy. Ordinarily, updates are made once a month.

Birthday Month

August is a big month for birthdays among my friends and family. Yesterday, as I was browsing Etsy for gifts, I was amazed at all the wonderful birthday items available from our Kansas City Street Team Sellers.

How cute is this little ACEO painting by Lauren Alexander? I would love to recieve this tucked sweetly inside a birthday card.

This puppy looks ready to party! Her name is Savannah, and she is ready for adoption at Sockdogs. A portion of Savannah's adoption fee will go to support the Humane Soceity of Greater Kansas City, where her creator volunteers.

August's birthstone is peridot. JewlLi takes peridot beyond basic with her Sea Glass Pendant.

Happy Birthday to all the August babies out there!

Kansas City is Creative!

The new Kansas City Etsy Street Team is off to a great start! We have a very active group of talented artists and handcrafters, and will be featuring their work in this blog. Look for interviews, crafty tips you can use, and local events where you can find our team members and see their work in person.