Vintage Christmas - Gingerbread Kids

Big News From Gypsy Road

Hello from your fearless leader, team members!

I'm posting this on the blog in addition to the forum so that everyone is aware of a few major changes regarding our team.

I am currently working on some guidelines for Gypsy Road. This includes a clear mission statement, a monthly roll call, and an acceptance of policies for new members and old. The life of a small business owner is a busy one, and in order for our team to be a powerful force then it is essential for our team members to check in regularly and participate. I understand that this doesn't necessarily fit in with the schedules of everyone--it's important to determine what your priorities are as a business owner and I will not be offended if you decide that Gypsy Road isn't at the top of that list.

We are one of the very few teams that requires a formal application that goes through a jury process. Your jury members spend a significant amount of time and energy evaluating each applicant and determining if that Etsian is a vital asset to our community. This is a benefit to each and every member because it keeps the quality of the work represented by our team very, very high. It enables potential buyers to easily navigate the shops of their favorite sellers. It also makes it incredibly easy for buyers to find new reputable sellers that have unique, meticulously made pieces.

In exchange for the unity of this "brand" (for lack of a better word), members will be expected to contribute, communicate, share, and grow with our team members.

Again, I will not be at all offended if this means that Gypsy Road is no longer a good fit for you. This team is more than a band of gypsies--it is a means of marketing, honing our business skills, and creating time-saving, effective ways of making money. We will continue to publicly share our forum in order to be of benefit to those who are not on our team.

Beginning this month, we will have roll calls. I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to do this on a regular basis, so please keep checking in to see what each particular month's roll call requirement is. For this month, your roll call is to send me (the peaceful peacock julie) a private message on our forum.


Members who miss three roll calls in a row will be removed from the team. If you are removed from the team you will have to re-apply to secure your position.

This is the first leg of our changes--our Mission Statement and Policies Page will be released within the next 6 weeks and I will explain the details further at that point.

Thank you for your continued patience and grace--the addition to our family earlier this year has come with its expected (and unexpected) challenges. We are finally easing back into our routine at this point and I feel confident about getting back into the saddle and grabbing the reins of our fair Etsy team once again.

For your roll call this month, please send me a private message through the forum at gypsyroad.ning.com. Again, the roll call requirement will change each month while I determine which method is easiest for me to keep up with.

Featured Seller for September: Amber from Raimbowtree

* Tell us a bit about yourself

I am a nice gal, I love to please people. I have always enjoyed working in retail and selling really great functional and fashionable products. Raimbow Tree was the perfect way for me to supplement my love for creating beautiful things and selling them to others.

* What inspires your ideas?

I get inspired by colors a lot, if I see a nice shade of blue paired with mint green, and a rich chocolate brown It gives me a sense of comfort and big energy boost- I normally go where ever those colors tell me to. All parts of nature and Goddess also inspire my work a great deal, every day I find inspiration in things that I see outside like a friendly butterfly fluttering around my son while he cheers it on and copies its majestic motions.


* How long have you been doing your craft/ how did you learn?

I started felting for the first time in college (maybe 5 years ago), we did a small needle-felting workshop in a class focused on making art with kids. Wool felting is a very fine art form, I soon found out that it was for me after successfully making a small elephant finger puppet free form from wool roving. I like to make my own patterns, it didn't take me long to start creating fun new ideas from wool, like headbands.


* What inspired you to begin selling your work?

I have always been into selling my work, I used to make beaded necklaces when I was a pre-teen to sell at school. A big part in my recent selling has been Etsy, Etsy rules! Blessings oh joyous Etsy. It's so well run and filled with friendly folks who never cease to inspire me.


* Where do you do your crafting?

At home, Raimbow Tree is all over my house. We are always doing fun art and gardening projects.

* Do you have a day job?

Just my motherly duties to my two young boys.

* What one word best describes you?

Amma

* What is your biggest challenge?

Keeping myself centered and stress free while I work, also keeping my studio clean and organized is hard when I am always in there to create.

* Do you have a favorite quote that inspires you while you're working?

I think of so much weird stuff when I work... I think a lot of words people have said and say now inspire me, so I couldn't pick just one.

* What do you see for your business in the next year?

I am making a push to use all handspun and dyed wool, no more commercial yarns for me! I have been spinning yarn for a while now and am taking the plunge to dye my own fiber and make all my own yarn. For this coming year we have plans to do more street fairs and music festivals. After that who knows, we might be planning a big move back to the Pacific NW.


* Where can we find Raimbowtree?

Online mostly, at www.raimbowtree.etsy.com. I am all over this summer doing craft shows, street fairs and music festivals. Find me in Asheville, NC this weekend. Raleigh, NC next weekend and all over NC for the rest of the fall and winter.

Recycling Fibers

I love yarn. Yarn of all (well, most) types. I hoard it. :-)

A few years ago I heard about recycling yarn from sweaters, but never really took the step to start it. Until recently. This is last night's work:



The first shawl was made for a dear friend going through a personal crisis. This is a "hug" I crocheted up for her using recycled yarn. The blue shawl is also recycled yarn. I knit it for myself, but I'm not really a "blues" person, so it may find another home.



To get started on recycling the yarn from sweaters, check out these sites:
Recycling Sweaters
My Virtual Sanity
CraftStylish - How to recycle yarn
Neauveau Fiber Arts

Featured Seller for August 2009: A Green Banana

> * Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Brenna. My nickname, Banana, was given to me back in college because it was easier to remember than Brenna.

I'm a festive, bold, wild, and outspoken spirit. I am scatterbrained and generally unorganized. I thrive in chaos. I multi-task and am forever distractable. I was born and raised in the Midwest and I lived all over the St.Louis, Missouri metro area. Most of my family still lives there, though I currently live in Northern Alabama with the love of my life. We have decided to grow some roots here for the time being in a fairly progressive area where the artist scene is growing and thriving. There are beautiful mountains and farmlands all around us. I love to cook healthy vegetarian foods and enjoy hiking and camping with our two furry four legged dogs. I love music as much as I love to sew. My fiance and I take our vacations together at music festivals and we try to see as much live music as often as possible. It's quite cleansing, not to mention fun!

> * What inspires your ideas?

I am inspired by fashion of the past. I favor the 1970s and the classic femine silhouette though I try not to limit my style. I love to create classic hippie mama fashion as well one of a kind everyday wear.

I try to think about someone wearing one of my creations in their everyday life. I practice dance moves in my clothing to test for movement. It's a little silly, but these are the types of things I consider during design and construction. I ask myself if it will be comfortable, functional, unique, and durable. Durability is a huge part of my master plan because I always hate when threads or seams start to ravel in clothing. I have never had this problem with items I have made. I have some things that I made for myself when I first started sewing that are still like new.

> * How long have you been sewing/ how did you learn?

Ever since I was a little girl I have been around creativity and self expression. My mom was always stitching up pretty dresses for my little sister and me. She also decorated and created all things textile for our home.

I began sewing when I was 15 years old. I took three semesters of “Sewing” in high school where I learned a lot about basic garment construction and patterns. My favorite teacher Mrs. Melinda Brown taught me how to create my own patterns and how to tailor clothing for a better fit. I received my own machine around this time. Being alone at home with my very own sewing machine, without time contraints, was invigorating. I felt like Alice when she fell down the rabbit hole. As my journey continued, my sewing skills improved and my personal style began to blossom.

> * What inspired you to begin selling your work?

When I first started going to shows (concerts), I noticed all the amazing patchwork dresses hippie mamas were wearing and I knew that I could create similar things for myself. I had friends that would buy imported “hippie” clothing which brands shall remain nameless. I wanted nothing to do with this because there was no originality or flair to the designs. I would pull my mom's decorator scraps, score vintage fabric, and reconstruct my own clothing. It felt so good to have a style all my own.

I didn't start selling my items until one of my friends suggested it to me in college. My very first expereince of selling my wares at a tiny festival in Makanda, Illinois I made $100. That is a lot of money to a broke college student, let me tell you! I was hooked from then on.

> * Where do you do your crafting?

I work from my home. These days I am blessed enough to have an entire room all to myself. When I sew, it is a whirl wind of thread and fabric scraps all over my room. I like it though, the messes are signs of progress.

> * Do you have a day job?

I actually have a night job. I work at a fine dining restaurant in Huntsville, Alabama that focuses on sustainable food. This is the first time I've worked for such a progressive business. I actually work in the bar, which is much more casual and fun. We take martinis and cocktails to another level. It's a great place to work because of the small staff--we are an extended family that takes care of each other. Someday I hope to just sew and vend festivals.

> * What one word best describes you?

Bouncy.

> * What is your biggest challenge?

The thing that I love about clothing is that it allows one to change the way they feel and project themselves. This concept drives my mind to wander over the possibility to create. Staying focused is something I struggle with in the studio. I will get a spark of an idea that I have to initiate immediately no matter what I'm working on and I often find myself with about six or so projects that are started at the end of the day. I don't mind though, it keeps the processes interesting. You could say I enjoy being overstimluated and challenged.

> * Do you have a favorite quote that inspires you while you're working?

If at first you don't succeed, try,try again.

> * What do you see for your business in the next year?

I hope to start dyeing some of my own fabrics. I also want to incorporate eco friendly fabrics. These have been dreams of mine for a while but you know how life has other plans first.

> * Where can we find A Green Banana?

I have an etsy shop in where I sell most of my creations. You can find it at http://www.agreenbanana.etsy.com/ and I also have a Facebook Fan Page which you can find here.

Visual Inspiration: Sparkle and Shine

found here on flickr, taken by honey 77

In honor of our fellow team member Heidi of Tangled Hangers (who is slightly infatuated with all things sparkly), this month's visual inspiration is devoted to *sparkle and shine*.

Please share your submissions here.

New Orleans, my muse

Life in New Orleans is enchanted, mysterious, full of serendipity, and brimming with inspiration. Our slow and sensual culture can only truly be understood from within, but even as an outsider, if you stop to really listen to New Orleans she'll be happy to share her magic with you. 

Directly behind my house is the last fully operating voodoo temple in the city. On balmy Saturday evenings I sit in my courtyard and draw up sketches of new designs while listening to the sounds of Haitian drum beats and the beautiful lilting voice of the voodoo priestess calling out in song to her congregation. I like to think that the blessings that the priestess sings out into the night are somehow integrated into my creations, as she is the guardian of our neighborhood and casts spells to keep all of us safe.

I believe that being a part of an environment of magical realism means that at least some small piece of my home ends up in everything I create whether or not that is my intention, because from inception to completion, this place is an integral part of my creative process.

The following are a few photographs that I’ve taken over the past few years that I feel capture a bit of the spirit of my home: 

 

--Savoy Truffle

www.savoytruffles.etsy.com