Cyber Monday Deals

ni-chern Designs - 20% off ready to ship items when you use the coupon code BFCM2012

simplypaperie - 15% off with coupon code shop2012

MeadowlandDesigns - 25% off ready to ship items with coupon code HOLIDAYSPECIAL25

indra08 - 25% off all items with coupon code HOLIDAYSALE25

Thyme2dream - Buy a Gift, Get a Gift Sale - Free Thyme2Dream Gift Card with every purchase $25 or more.  The more you buy the more you get, offer good thru December 31st, 2012.  See listings for details. 

NewleryJewelry - Free Shipping till the end of the month with code GIVETHANKS

Artist Spotlight - Ni-Chern Designs

Designer Nicole started Ni-Chern Designs, handmade handbags and accessories, originally to help pay off study abroad loans. But what started as a young designers wish to pay down traveling debts, has quickly turned into a love and passion for designing and making new things with crisp, chic fabrics on a daily basis.

Nicole finds much of her inspiration in the colors and textures of the fabrics she uses. “Being able to see the colors and textures of a fabric is one thing, but touching it’s softness or the raise of the design adds a different dimension. Using those senses as inspiration really guides me to what item a piece of fabric should become.”

Modern and über chic without losing out on any functionality, best describes the style you’ll find at Ni-Chern Designs. Finely crafted with exceptional attention to detail from both upholstery and cotton fabrics, Nicole’s bags are fully lined and sprayed with Scotchguard, to help keep them looking beautiful.

“I absolutely love it when someone tells me they love the item they bought from me and that they get so many compliments on it. I love that an item I created with my hands brings a smile to their face.”

You can find Ni-Chern Designs on Etsy and at First Fridays this month, March 7th at Shiraz Restaurant in the Crossroads District, as part of the KCEtsy Team’s Go Green Trunk Show. To learn more about the show, and see a sampling of the quality and variety, of unique handcrafted items presented by other team members at the show, see this blog post.

*Posted by tinystitches

Artist Spotlight - JewlLi

Silver, gemstones and sea glass are the three favorite materials you’ll find artist and jewelry maker Julie of JewlLi, working and creating with in her Lawrence, KS studio. Julie says she’s always found, “… that I am just happiest when I’m being creative.” After exploring many, many artistic mediums through workshops and classes, she finally found her true passion - jewelry making. “After a couple of metalsmithing classes,” she says, “I was hooked. It is pretty much what I think about 90% of the day!”

Julie uses sliver, gemstones and sea glass to create beautiful necklaces, earrings, bracelets and her favorite to design, rings. “Sometimes I just sit down with a jar of sea glass, hold the pieces in my hands and wonder what object they used to be … a bottle, a jar, someone’s dinnerware? It’s fun to imagine it’s prior life before it becomes a pendant or a ring.”

When designing a piece, Julie typically looks to color and nature to find inspiration for what direction to take with a collection of beads, or piece of sea glass. But when she doesn’t have a specific plan in mind, “I let the piece sort of take on its own direction. Sometimes, that’s when I make the best pieces.”

Recently, Julie has been experimenting with torch fired enameling and the results are stunning! She currently has beautiful earrings (like the red heart earrings pictured above) and pendants in shades of vibrant red, blue green, and aqua listed in her shop using this technique.

You can find Julie’s beautiful one-of-a-kind jewelry at her Etsy shop - JewlLi, Broer’s Flower shop in Eudora, KS, and at First Fridays, March 7^th, at Shiraz Restaurant.

KCEtsy's Go Green Trunk Show

The Kansas City Etsy Street Team is teaming up once again with Shiraz Restaurant this month, to participate in the Crossroads Art District's First Fridays.

Where: Shiraz Restaurant, The Gallery Room
320 Southwest Blvd., Crossroads District, at Southwest Blvd. and Broadway

When: First Friday, March 7th, 2008
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Admission to the KCEtsy "Go Green" Trunk Show is free and open to the public. Buy a glass of wine at the bar and join us in the Gallery Room to talk with the artists, and shop their amazing handcrafted items.

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











*Posted by tinystitches

Artist Spotlight - Cinderelish

By day, Kansas City pottery artisan Cindy, of Cinderelish, is a humble HR coordinator. But in her off-hours, you're likely to find this creative wife and mom at her potter's wheel. Her passion for making beautiful, functional stoneware began about eight years ago. "I have always loved art, but I thought I was too busy paying the bills to be able to be creative. After I got married, I was fortunate enough to be able to stay home with my daughter. When she was about 5 years old, I was able to devote one day a week to pottery. I was hooked!"

The rainbow is a source of inspiration for Cindy, as is evident from the bright and lovely colors she chooses for her pieces. "A nice creamy white stoneware is my favorite material to work with. I really love to make altered bowls with rolled rims." Her current projects include large platters and slabrolled trays. "I am trying new alteration methods and new surface decorations. I think I will always be working on something new."

Cindy's pottery creations are sold at the Liberty Heritage Festival, on First Fridays at the Shiraz Restaurant in KC March 7th with other KCEtsy Team Members, and in her Etsy shop. Stop by and check her out!

* Written by ajcountrycottage.

Going Green in Kansas City!

The theme for our March KCEtsy Trunk Show, March 7th at Shiraz Restaurant, is Go Green! So today I'm sharing ways you to go green - environmentally speaking - starting this weekend, and I have more great St. Patrick's Day inspired offerings to share from more of our team members!

Three quick and easy tips for Going Green this weekend!

• The internet has made shopping so much easier … at your finger tips you have access to so much more than you could ever get at the mall. But with online purchasing, come piles and piles of mail … nam ely catalogs! If you find yourself simply dumping catalog after catalog in the trash can – without even leafing through them – call the company and ask to have your name removed from their mailing list. It will take about 3 months, but reducing the amount of unwanted paper in your home is well worth it! And of course it goes without saying, recycle, recycle, recycle all catalogs, magazines and newspapers - it’s good for you and the environment!

• Are you switching out all the light bulbs in your home to the longer lasting more energy efficient ones. The upfront cost of the bulbs is more than the cheaper, less efficient bulbs, but they use less energy (saving you on $$ on your energy bill each month) and they last much, much longer – like 7 years! Saving you time and aggravation in not having to constantly change burnt out light bulbs.

• A couple of months ago my local grocery store started selling reusable shopping totes … large durable fabric shopping bags that look a lot like the brown paper grocery sacks with the handles. And at $1-$2 each, they are totally affordable. I purchased four and am amazed at how much produce, caned goods, dry goods, bread, even milk, I can fill in them! They each hold ~30 lbs and I’m easily able to fit ~$100 of groceries in my four bags – impossible to do in plastic! This simple inexpensive change has drastically reduced the number of plastic bags I’m taking to the recycling center each week and has simplified unloading the car after a shopping trip!

For more information on ways you can make simple life changes that can make a big environmental impact visit, The National Geographic's The Green Guide.

Did you know that when you buy something made locally you are also Going Green! According to the World Watch Institute, "Buying any goods produced locally saves energy by reducing the fossil fuels needed to transport ... items across the country and around the globe." Plus your money goes to continuing to support the local economy!

Here are some great handmade Irish green offerings perfect for St. Patrick's Day.
*** See more of what each artist has to offer by clicking on their name, you'll be taken directly to their Etsy shop. To learn more about the featured piece of art, click on the name of the piece in the list below.

1. Artist - JewlLi, Luck o The Irish - Kelly Green Sea Glass Pendant
2. Artist - somethingfromcassie, St Patrick's Day Lace Greeting Card
3. Artist - ajscountrycottage - Coconut Lime Soap, luxury olive oil soap
4. Artist - AdrienneDesigns - Lucky Shamrock Pin
5. Artist - tinystitches - Irish Luck Pillowcase
6. Artist - DumbKidDesigns - Celtic Wallet


JewlLi, and DumbKidDesigns will all be showing at our Go Green, First Friday's Show at Shiraz Restaurant, March 7th from 7-9pm. Be sure to stop by their tables and say hello!

And in keeping with the Love of Irish Green, I have one last little goodie for you, St. Patty's Day cards, created by tinystitches for you to download - free, print at home and send to friends and family. Enjoy!

Start March off ...

... with a bit of Green! The Kansas City Etsy Street Team is all about GREEN as we prepare for our upcoming trunk show March 7th at Shiraz Restaurant. Look at these fantastic offerings in a beautiful crisp apple green!

1. Artist - thefunkyfelter, Orbiting Moons, Fiber Art Pendant. Adorn yourself or that special someone with Orbiting Moons, a one-of-a-kind, handcrafted piece of wearable fiber art. Made using a combination of 100% felted wool and a glass cabochon embellishment, set in a lead-free pewter base that is 2.25" high x 1" wide x 0.25" deep.

2. Artist - nicherndesigns, Green Blossom and Bird, Fully lined medium size pouch with handle. Lined with a print of little green birds on a brown background. Inside is a pocket to hold a credit card/id/etc. and another larger pocket to hold small items. Pouch: 9" wide x 5" tall x 3.75" deep. Handle: 1.25" x 4.75"

3. Artist - cinderelish, Shallow Green Baker, ceramic and oven safe. Thrown on the wheel then altered into an oval shape by hand with a rolled rim for extra durability. Handrolled, textured handles help you get a grip of this beautiful dish, perfect for spinach or layer dip. Size: ~6 1/2" X 5 1/2" X 1", holds 1 3/4 cup.

4. Artist - StirDesigns, Moss Scarflette, with hand dyed silk button. Moss colored yarn in a beautiful moss stitch. Button can be done anywhere on the scarflette to create different and unique looks. Measures 5" x 19".

See more of thefunkyfelter, nicherndesigns and cinderelish at the March 7th, First Friday's Show at Shiraz Restaurant from 7-9pm. In the days leading up to our show, we'll continue to feature beautiful green creations from team members and show you lots of great previews of what our show will have to offer Kansas City!

*** To see more of what each artist has to offer, click on their name to be taken directly to their Etsy shop. To learn more about the featured piece of art, click on the name of the piece in the descriptions above.

**Posted by tinystitches.

KCEtsy is making First Fridays a tradition!

Since the Valentine's Trunk Show on February 1st was a great success, we're planning on making First Fridays a tradition with KCEtsy. Shiraz Restaurant has invited KCEtsy back to participate in a First Fridays kick off for the Crossroads District in March. There will be even more terrific handmade art and wares, wonderful food, and just an all-around fabulous social event! On Friday, March 7th, KCEtsy will be having a St. Patrick's Day Trunk Show from 7 - 9 p.m at Shiraz, so mark your calendars .... You'll even have a chance to win a gift basket full of KCEtsy's handmade goodies!


Featured below are the Etsy shops of our recent Valentine's Trunk Show vendors. Several of these vendors will be back on March 7th for our next First Fridays Trunk Show. Simply click on the blue shop names under each small photo to go directly to that vendors' online Etsy shop. Be sure to browse and see what may be available for the upcoming "Go Green" St. Patrick's Day Trunk Show at Shiraz.

*For a complete list of KCEtsy member shops, please see the right column menu.
**posted by thefunkyfelter