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Indiesmiles celebrates birthday for ASPCA charity!

August 29, 2010 :: Posted by - Sue :: Category - Contests, Headline

ANNOUNCING THE INDIESMILES CHARITY BIRTHDAY BASH
EXCITING CONTEST FOR BEST PET AND BEST HANDMADE ITEM TO BENEFIT ASPCA!

Image courtesy of 1959creations

Come join our celebration starting 9/1/10! Why are we celebrating? It’s our birthday! Indie Smiles and its columnists have been sharing news for a year and we want to give back to the community.

Our articles feature various Indie shops including those affiliated with specific venues such as Etsy, Folksy, Zibbet and ArtFire together with shops that are not affiliated with a specific venue and cover a variety of topics.

Here is just a small sampling of some of the fantastic articles that have brought to you by a few of Indiesmile’s outstanding columnists that have been presented over the past year:

Inspired Mosaics by Barb from All About Buttons

(http://www.indiesmiles.com/inspired-mosaics/),

Make Your Own Boppy by Nikkie of Sugar Shox Crafts (http://www.indiesmiles.com/make-your-own-boppy/), T

The Sultan of Scrollsawings by Jay of Haffina Creations (http://www.indiesmiles.com/the-sultan-of-scrollsawing/),

Let Flyby Linda

(http://www.indiesmiles.com/let-fly/)

Collar Up (your) Pup by Donna of Glass and Wire Gems (http://www.indiesmiles.com/collar-up-your-pup/).

Our goal is to make a difference through charity and community work as well as bring you exciting and educational articles.

This year, to celebrate one year of contributing articles, we are supporting a nationwide charity, it’s a charity most of us have heard of, it’s ASPCA! It was the charity of choice for our Indiesmiles Charity Birthday Bash!

ASPCA – the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals – is the charity focus of our birthday celebration! Founded on the “belief that animals are entitled to kind and respectful treatment at the hands of humans, and must be protected under the law”, ASPCA works to fulfill its mission “to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States.” ASPCA leadership covers three key areas: “caring for pet parents and pets, providing positive outcomes for at-risk animals and serving victims of animal cruelty.”

Their programs and services arise from three core areas: Community Outreach, Animal Health Services and Anti-Cruelty Initiatives. The Community Outreach area includes adoption centers, animal welfare organizations, animal-assisted therapy, disaster readiness and response groups, etc. Animal Health Services includes poison control, spay and neutering services, hospitals, etc. The Anti-Cruelty Initiatives area includes field services, humane law enforcement and government relations.

When she heard which charity we were supporting, Linda, one of our columnists, wrote: I love the ASPCA. They need all the help they can get! I got my 2 babies, which includes Peanut there, in NYC along with her brother. Y’all should know who Peanut is by now if you've looked at my Etsy shop. Domino lived to be 11 yrs old and Peanut was on this earth for 20 years. Very loving and caring people work there as well. Even if they have to put some of the animals to sleep. While they are there, they get the utmost care, I think, at least the one in NYC does, that I know of. They have so many animals that need homes, it's overwhelming. You can view the artwork Linda has created out of her love for Peanut in Linda’s shop by going to http://lindagj.etsy.com

Amy, an ASPCA member who is shop owner AmyCreates, shares the following: My husband and I have adopted 6 cats (5 girls and 1 boy)–4 from the Humane Society and 2 from the hot Arizona streets. It's really more like they adopted us! Our 2 from the streets each came to us in the summertime (a year apart), and were "foreclosure cats," pets conveniently left behind when people moved out of their houses. That anyone could do such a thing to a precious and innocent life is just horrifying.

We never set out to have 6 cats, it just happened that way. But I wouldn't change our family for anything. We all love each other and there's a good balance, and the best part is that no matter where I am in the house, a cat is sure to be there with me!

A special thanks goes to Donna of Glassandwiregems, Nikki of Sugarshoxcrafts. They have been the coordinators for this event. Andy whose wife owns Incredibleangels has put together special programs that will allow you to upload your own picture (handmade or a pet). There is no limit top how many pictures you upload but there is a donation requirement for each pic you enter into the contest.
Also a very special thank you to 1959creations for puting together a host of images for us to use in our Charity Birthday Bash.
And a special thanks to anyone who joins our celebration by donating, entering their pics and voting! Thank you to all of loyal readers of Indiesmiles, we couldnt’ do this without you!

So get started by getting your favorite pics together because starting on 9/1/10 you can donate $5.00 using the left side donation button and go to the birthday bash handmade or pets and upload a picture. When you are ready to vote, you can go in either category and vote, vote, vote!
Plus, for more fun, the best Pet and the best Handmade item that draws the most votes will win prizes with values over $100.00! Don’t miss it!

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Crackin’ Up with the EGG Team

March 28, 2010 :: Posted by - Nikkie :: Category - Headline, Teams rule

Image courtesy of MyTwoGirlsBakery

By Contributing Columnist Nicole M aka Sugar Shox Crafts

No yolks about it; one of Etsy’s newest teams is planning to make a big difference both inside and outside of the crafting world.

The Etsy Goodie Goodies Team’s (“the EGG Team,” for short) mission is twofold—to have fun and support its members’ shops, and also to do at least one big good deed a month, said Melanie Fonseca (“ReduceReuseRepurpose” on Etsy), the founder of the team.

Fonseca said that she felt that the need to do good deeds was a very important part of setting up the team.

“I felt some teams I was on [previously] focused too much on one thing, so I thought why not add the aspect of doing good deeds to my team,” she said. “I have always felt strongly about doing good things, no matter what they are or how big or small.”

Usually, the team votes on its private board on causes to pick for the monthly good deed. Members post ideas on the board, and it’s up to team feedback of whether or not it’s a good idea to finally decide if that idea is implemented.

The EGG Team is carrying out this mission of supporting both its members and the community, as we speak with two events that are going on now—the SPCA Blanket Drive and the Egg Hunt.

The SPCA Blanket Drive will be collecting crafted blankets from March 15 to May 14 to benefit the animals of the Niagara County SPCA in Niagara Falls, N.Y. Members will knit, crochet or make small fringed fleece blankets for the animals to give them a small token of the comfort of home while they stay in the shelter. The blankets will also go home with each animal when they are adopted.

The shelter is in particular need of donations at this time, as local news reports from the area have indicated that it accepted about 40 new dogs from an illegal shelter.

The team is helping its members promote with the Egg Hunt. Until April 3, participants can hunt for hidden eggs in various team members’ shops. One name will be randomly selected from all those who find the 22 hidden eggs, and will win a $150 prize package of handmade items that were donated from individual Egg Team members. Fonseca came up with the original idea for the Egg Hunt, which also hatched partly from the upcoming Easter holiday and the team nickname.

The EGG Team is relatively new, but has already earned a team grant from the Etsy website. Funds from that will be used for promotional items, graphics and possibly website advertising for the team, Fonseca said.

Team members are from a wide variety of places, including the USA, Canada & England. Many, like Erin of the “Fyrecreek” shop, Melanie of “theCreativeCaravan” shop, Erynn of the “flowergurlcrafts” shop and Nohely of the “LavanderDreams” shop joined and appreciate the team for its sense of community, and how that allows them to be able to learn from and communicate with fellow crafters.

Nohely said she loves how the EGG Team has a worldwide sense of community.

“One of the things I like the most about the team is that we have members from all over the place, with different cultures and backgrounds, coming together to exchange ideas, offer support to each other, and at the same time, do things for others like our communities and bring awareness to special projects,” she said.

Membership on the EGG Team is open to all Etsy sellers who are 18 and older. Fonseca said that participation is very important to the team and that prospective members should be ready to regularly post on the team’s private bulletin board and its Etsy chat thread.

A team shop may be set up in the future. Team members will craft items for the shop, and the proceeds will go back to supporting the team to help offset the cost of advertising and team events\activities. Fonseca said team swaps\exchanges, more cross-promotional efforts for shops and even a member meetup are also possible future happenings.

“I’m hoping to one day assess how many members we have in each region\state, and see if any of those would like to get together for a real-time meet or team promotional event at a craft fair or show,” she said.

Become a part of the fun and check out the latest on the Etsy Goodie Goodies Team on their blog!

: The EGG Team is looking for more members! Team Graphic courtesy of Melanie Fonseca (”ReduceReuseRepurpose”)

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Camera for a Cause

March 03, 2010 :: Posted by - Barbra :: Category - Artists helping others, Etsy Spotlight, Headline, Little Toad

By contributing columnist Michelle, aka: littletoad

The Daily Foto Project is the unique brain child of Melissa Azizi a self-taught Australian photographer. So what is exactly is The Daily Foto Project? It is a 365-day photo project where Melissa takes a photograph everyday for a year. But, that’s not all. She lists each image on Etsy and donates 5% of sales to a charity of the buyer’s choice. I have been following Melissa’s work for a while now and she was nice enough to answer some questions I was dying to know about her and this project.

So how did you come up with this idea? I’m from Sydney and my partner and I arrived in Berlin in May 2009. I broke my foot 2 months later! So, I pretty much spent my first European summer indoors and immobilized. Of course, I was down about it as my partner had also started a new job working really long hours and we had just moved into a completely empty apartment. The ordeal was a bit stressful, but ultimately being immobilized gave me time to reflect, especially about those that are really in a less fortunate position. I wanted to turn my little foot misadventure into something more positive for me and for others. Personally, I needed a way to happily re-acquaint myself with Berlin again and to develop my creativity.

How did the charity aspect of the project come along? I didn’t want the project to just be for and about me. It’s been done before, I’m sure. I thought it would be a great idea that when people buy a photo, that they’re also giving something positive to the world too. So, I donate 5% of the buyers purchase to a charity of their choice. I like to call it being a ‘Conscientious Consumer’.

Are there days when you really don’t want to take a picture? Not at all! I always think it’s interesting to see what I can come up with, especially on those days when I haven’t left the house until later in the evening and I’m losing light.

Is photography a hobby or do you do it professionally? I’m not professionally trained as a photographer, but I always treat it professionally.

What do you do when you aren’t taking pictures? I’m a film producer!

How many pictures do you take in a day to get the one you plan on using?There’s no limit, but I have taken anywhere between 5 to 50! I take my camera everywhere as I never know when I’ll need it!

Do you have a plan of what you are going to shoot for that day or do you just wait to find inspiration? It’s a mix. There are days where I’ve planned to visit a certain area, such as the Charlottenburg Palace, so I know I’ll use a photo from there. But, I take my camera with me everywhere, even up the road to the grocers. Who knows where inspiration may hit?

How have you been promoting this project? Mainly online and word-of-mouth. I have my own website, use Twitter, have a Facebook fan page and of course, my Etsy shop.

What kind of response from fans and Etsy sellers have you gotten? Positive responses. The good thing about Etsy is that it’s community-orientated and if you need advice or tips, other sellers are happy to help out. And many Etsy sellers are also on Twitter and Facebook, and they happily give their thumbs up too.

Why did you choose Etsy as your platform for your project? I wanted to find a site that was already established as a place for people to visit if they wanted to buy photographs. With an established site comes the pros, such as high traffic and a community. I received an email from someone who happened to have their Etsy store link in their email signature. I clicked on it and discovered a whole new world!

Can you give us a few examples of the charities that have been chosen through your sales? We all know about the recent devastation in Haiti, so the project has donated to American Red Cross for Haiti & Habitat for Humanity for Haiti. A lesser known charity has been the German Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired and even the Wikipedia Foundation.
And now the BIG question,What are you going to do after the 365 days are up? A big party, perhaps? Or, an exhibition? Or, a photo book collection! Too many ideas right now!

A huge thanks to Melissa for taking the time to answer my questions and for the good work she is doing with her talent. Looking at her site I hope will inspire us as artists to not only be creative but to also find ways to use our art to help others.

Image courtesy of TheDailyFoto.

Camera imageNYLightMetals

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I’ll have the large fries

February 25, 2010 :: Posted by - Sue :: Category - Etsy Spotlight, Favs, Headline

By contributing columniss Cynthia Nodland aka Puddinpies

Recently while browsing on Etsy I discovered a great little shop that teaches you how to make everything from dim sum to cappuccino to ice cream cones—but no cookbooks are involved. How could that be, you ask? Well, it’s because all the items in this shop are made out of felt!!!

UmeCrafts creates and sells patterns for felt food, toys, dollhouses, and more! I had a chance to interview Jeanette Lin, shop owner, who lives in Singapore. She has her Diploma in Business Administration and opened her shop because she “loved crafts as a kid, but it wasn’t until 3 years ago in 2007 when I was having a difficult pregnancy & couldn’t work that I started making craft items & selling them online to help out with the household expenses.” Jeanette has come a long way, from growing up with a single parent, and being an introvert and poor achiever in school, to now becoming a successful Etsy seller and happy work-from-home mother of a beautiful girl, Megan. Her shop allows her to help support EMCEE and Club Rainbow for the past few years, which are charities that support abused and homeless children.

In addition to Etsy, Jeanette has also recently begun selling on Ebay. Her advice to other online business owners is “Believe in yourself and stay true to your own style. Read up on the useful tips on Etsy’s Digest (Etsy Success). Participate in the Etsy community where you can get advise & support.”

While perusing her shop I also noticed Jeanette offers a free macaroon pattern when you join her Mailing List. When on her shop page on Etsy, just convo or email her with the heading “MAILING LIST” along with your name & email address. And while all patterns and tutorials are created by Jeanette and are strictly not to be duplicated in any form, you are allowed to make and sell items made from the patterns, as long as you give credit to the original patterns at http://umecrafts.etsy.com.

If you have a little one that loves playing chef, and you want them to have play food that lasts that you made yourself, make sure to check out UmeCrafts today!

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DIY for Charity

February 14, 2010 :: Posted by - Sue :: Category - Artists helping others, Headline, how to

By Contributing Columnist Amanda Robins aka Gimme that thing

Organising your own craft fair

I have thrown good money after bad in order to rent space at local craft fairs, only to find that I have not only made no sales but have also wasted a whole weekend. I spend hours the day before a craft event getting my stock priced up, hastily making little pieces to add to my collection, washing the table cover and preparing food to take with me. So, lets call it 2 days wasted. In the end I decided that I could organise a decent craft fair, promote it and keep all the attending crafters happy while raising funds for charity. If you think you’ve got what it takes, here is how to go about it.

I work as a volunteer for a locally based charity, and am involved in sourcing funds. I saw an opportunity to make some money for the charity and provide a decent event for me and my crafting acquaintances.

I put a mailing list together by touring local craft fairs and collecting crafters’ email addresses, and running the idea past them for some feedback. Once I’d got a date booked at my local church hall, I designed a simple application form with a brief description of the charity and its aims, directions to the venue, and details about the size of spaces available. To save postage costs and for my convenience I then emailed the form to my mailing list, giving a deadline date for return of application forms.

I then designed an A5 flyer and had 2,000 leaflets printed. These were handed to shop owners, bars, hairdressers, churches, libraries and post offices within a 3 miles radius of the venue. I wrote a press release and forwarded it to local free newspapers and websites, with a follow up phone call.

During the two weeks prior to the event I did a leaflet drop to all houses close to the venue, emailed the flyer to all crafters involved and got a posse of volunteers to come and help out on the big day. I also persuaded 4 people to bake delicious cakes for us to sell, and bought tea, coffee and soft drinks to be sold at a profit.

The evening before the event 5 of us set up the tables according to my floor plans and labelled each one with the crafters name, as well as setting up an area with small tables and chairs around the kitchen to act as a cafe for people to sit and eat.

The better organised you are, the smoother the event will run. I charge £1 entrance on the door (approx $2.50) as people are happy to give to charity and are less likely to be just browsers if it is not a free event. One third of our profits come from takings on the door, with a fifth coming from kitchen takings. Have plenty of volunteers to help on the day. You will need 2 or 3 in the kitchen and 1 on the door. Don’t forget to put a big banner, lots of balloons or a sandwich board outside the venue a few days prior to the event and get it noticed.

So, to recap:-

Collect a list of crafters and their emails.
Find a venue and book a date. Check how many table they can provide. You may need to source extra tables by hiring from other halls, social clubs, etc.
Design an application form with details and send to crafters.
Design a flyer, print and distribute.
Write a press release and distribute.
Find volunteers for the event day and evening before.
Draw up a floor plan of position of crafters. Keep similar crafts away from each other!
Have a money float with change for entrance charge.
Folksy shop owners: If your event is for charity, give each crafter a Gift Aid form as the charity can then claim an extra 28% on the price of each stall from the government.

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Happy Hearts for Haiti

January 30, 2010 :: Posted by - Sue :: Category - Artists helping others, Headline

a href=”http://www.indiesmiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/heart2.jpg”> heart2

By Contributing columnist LindaGJ aka LindaGJ

“Happiness…it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.”
Vincent Van Gogh

Seven year old twins, Kate & Emma, were watching the Haiti Telethon on tv called “Hope for Haiti”, and the unbelievable sadness inspired them to do their own part to help out. These two miraculous girls, along with their mom, came up with a fantastic way to do this, all on their own. They would create hearts and make them with pretty colors and designs as well as write messages on them! Along with their hearts they could get other people to do it too!

Kate felt that when she saw a colorful picture, it made her smile. So this idea was born & ever since, these wonderful twins and their mom have been donating their time to making the ‘Dream Idea’ come true!

Their sponser is “Let’s Gogh Art” which is an awesome business who comes to your location to have a creative adventure, all picked out by you, from the programs they have to offer. Let’s Gogh Art’s website is: http://www.letsgoghart.com/art-hearts.html where you can find out more information about the girls and their sponser as well!

There is no deadline as the girls will be mailing the hearts out as they get them.
Many of the hearts that are made will be scanned and posted on this website as well, for all the world to see.

“We both love art. It makes us feel good. We hope that the hearts we collect and send will make the children and people of Haiti feel good too. As our Mom says, the art hearts will help people feel a little less alone, a little more hope, and a lot more loved.”

Love, Kate and Emma
<

All the girls suggest, is that you create a beautiful heart and mail it to:

Art Hearts for Haiti
c/o
Let's Gogh Art
P.O. Box 664
Lunenburg, MA
01462

You can also print out the flyer for Hearts for Haiti and circulate it at your school or group!

So, please circulate the word and help these two gals send hope to Haiti! Have your group create some arts and send them along to the twins or you can help by sharing this article with Facebook and on Twitter.

Together we can all help these caring girls with their wonderful and much needed cause!

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The Fibro Diaries

November 24, 2009 :: Posted by - Sue :: Category - Favs

By contributing columnist Linda GJ aka Linda GJ

A Beautiful Artist Blooms

behind The Fibro Diaries

You never know who you will meet in a Blog & I met someone very special amongst many that I would love to write about. I have chosen Meghann to write about today as we both have something in common. We both suffer from Fibromyalgia.

On one of the blogs I frequently go to, I saw a blog named “The Fibro Diaries“. I thought, I must go check this out and found, not only a beautiful 25 yr. old woman named Meghann, that suffers from fibromyalgia like me, but she was also an extremely talented jeweler and photographer. I have a wonderful bio coming up about her later in this article along with her gorgeous art work! But I first wanted to share a little about Fibromyalgia, a disease we both share and I want the public to be aware of this disease.

Read more...

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LindaGJ

October 22, 2009 :: Posted by - Sue :: Category - LindaGJ, columnists

lindagj-etsy-pic I’m Linda Gay Jones and here is a brief bio of me! (And I know it’s longer than I expected it to be though! Hey, I’ve lived a long time!
I’ve always done a variety of art related jobs, so that makes me a jack of many trades. I’m an illustrator 1st with watercolor, but recently I work with acrylic paints and I have become a mixed media artist. My work is very whimsical and is intended to bring a smile on people’s faces! I went to The High School for Performing and
Visual Arts when it was just a pup. There were only 400 people in the entire school that means 20 people accepted in each department. That was an accomplishment for such a big city like Houston! I also got my
BFA at East Texas University with a 3.8 GPA but I sure had to work for it! I’ve lived in several places, Oahu,
Commerce, TX for collage, New York city for 12 years, LA, and Washington State. My work had me travel all around the world, not everywhere, but a lot of places. I worked in Special Events in the Art department and wardrobe, props in theater, commercials, touring with celebrity musicians, art teacher etc. Adventurous life & I’m being brief!!! Well now I end up back in my home neighborhood near my elderly parents, which is very nice, yet I am on disability for many reasons, but mainly a severe case of fibromyalgia. My art keeps me going, along with a lot of Faith. Being involved with Etsy, the Etsy Texas Crafters team, a member of a mini Art group, my blog, Flickr, fests and the wonderful artists that I’ve been meeting has done wonders despite my set backs with my health issues. My shop is LindaGJ & if I had to chose a favorite of mine it would be: Listing # 10654725 I also have a Flickr page which is & my blog. I also have a facebook page and twitter, but I don’t know their addresses. I love to promote other artists and since Houson is my hometown I make Treasuries for Etsy with Houston artists! Charities are a plus! And I give 2 dollars for each item of my pieces to Pet Smart. I also donate many times for other artists I’ve met on my blogs. If anything, art is my passion and I also love to collect other artists work, as long as I can afford it. My walls are one big art gallery!

I’m also a team leader for Indiesmiles, the Etsy columnists write articles for my team!

Share LInda GJ’s bio on Facebook!!!

LindaGJ is also the Columnists team leader for approx 10 columnists from both Etsy and independent websites!

ARTICLES by Linda GJ

Primitive Frights

The Yellow Roses of Texas

The Texas Renaissance Festival of 2009

The Fibro Diaries

blogs and their kitties

Etsy Lights

Lights in the Heights

Kitty Helper – Killy Greetings

A Hero, An Artist & the Permission to Fail

Hearts for Haiti

Mama Knows Best

Happy Hearts for Haiti

The Wizard behind Indiesmiles

The Indie Mascot Kitty Katie

A Ray of Sunshine Joy

Trash into Treasure

The Fire Divas Contest!!

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Does Your Product Tell A Story?

October 20, 2009 :: Posted by - Sue :: Category - Biz Advice - Get Noticed!

By Bette Miles-Holleman aka BadMsM’s Gift-O-Rama

Contributing Columnist

Think about things in life that grab and hold you attention, especially the things you buy. What guides you to purchase one brand of peanut butter over another, a pair of jeans, a car, or anything else? Chances are the company told you a story that closed the sale.

People like to buy things they think it will make the most impact, so good online sellers tell you WHY and HOW your purchase will help a person, charitable cause or the environment. It strikes a chord with you because it’s real, and you can identify, or empathize with the story in a way that’s meaningful and relevant to you. They evoke an emotional response.

In August 2009, I started a challenge called 500 Hats, in a bid to knit and sell 500 hats to help keep my home out of foreclosure. People can buy a hat for themselves, or one to donate to a person at a homeless shelter in my hometown. It was amazing! To date, I’ve sold 172 hats, and expanded my line into scarves and socks.

People connected with my story because either they know someone who is in our shoes, or are themselves. They shared their stories, prayers and encouragement with me, and bought hats to help me out. Then they told others about it, and the story grew, and continues to grow. People can look at their hat, tell other people my story, and know their purchase made a difference. It just keeps going.

Stories can be inspirational, funny or cute. It can tell what happened while you were making breakfast that day, something your spouse or kids said, or the time the cat ate your project.

So, what’s the history of those earrings you made? What song reminds you of rainy days in front of a fire? What smells take you back to your Grandmother’s kitchen? Tell anecdotes that tie in with your products, and keep it real!

Til Next Time!

Read the amazing story of 500 hats

Share this article on Facebook!

VOTE FOR THIS ARTICLE!

Image courtesy of Dover Publications

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