First Give Thanks, then Giving.

It’s been an interesting week! As Bob Dylan said “for the times they are a-changin."

All the more reason to give thanks and gratitude this time of year.

So blow up the parade balloons, ring dem jingle bells and spike the eggnog!

The Makers-on-Hudson are ready to make your holidays festive and fun. We welcome you to take a glance into our Etsy shops, visit our studios and see us out and about the Hudson Valley presenting our beautiful wares and making your life better through our handmade visions.

Come say hello at : Hudson Valley Hullabaloo

Makers-on-Hudson Holiday Craft Fair

Bard College Holiday Craft Fair

Hudson Valley Farm & Flea

Out of my Studio: Celebrating Karmabee

Karen Berelowitz in her Karmabee Store in Kingston NY

I wanted to write this blog post to celebrate Karen Berelowitz of Karmabee and to congratulate her on her amazing 4 years of business in her bricks and mortar store on the Strand in Kingston.

Karen has decided to close her well loved store for the time being but is set to continue being a fixture at local farmers markets, craft fairs and of course online.

The store opened its doors in 2011 and was one of the first to capitalize on the renewal of the area which today sees many visitors to the historic waterfront site and to the new stores, cafes and restaurants  that have since opened.

 

Karmabee Store

In her time on the Strand Karen has been instrumental in local community events including the monthly night markets, events such as Sinterklaas, Hooley on the Hudson, the Shamrock Run and many more. She also joined Re>Think Local and regularly contributed to small business shopping events.

 

 

 

The store not only sold Karmabees distinctive range of hand screen printed t-shirts, onesies and cards but Karen also championed local craft makers including many from the Hudson Valley Etsy Team. Thanks to Karen many of us have been able to count on regular sales from Karmabee and we have also benefitted from having a local store that we can send our customers to.

Personally I have really enjoyed popping into Karmabee every couple of months to bring in new stock and  to chat with Karen about what we have both been making and craft fairs we are doing. Working on a small craft business from home can be quite a lonely pursuit and having people like Karen to touch base with once in a while was such a blessing.

 

Gorgeous Karmabee themed cake at the store closing party

I hope everyone is together with me in wishing Karen  every success in her future endeavors. We are excited to see what plans she has in store for Karmabee.

In the mean time Karmabee can still be found on Etsy and Amazon and in the warmer months she will be returning to the uptown Kingston Farmers Markets.

 



Look out for Karmabee at local farmers markets and craft fairs

 

Good Luck Karen and Good Making!

 

Sarah

So Handmade

2015 Holiday Craft Fair Sneak Peek #1 - Beacon, NY

Today we are happy to share with you the first batch of vendors you will find at our Holiday Craft Fair this year.   We will have a nice mix of members of the team as well as other local artisans and makers bringing you a nice mix of fun and unique gift ideas for your shopping list.  If you are on Facebook and plan on joining us, click here to RSVP!

Digilio Designs

Kmiotek Art Works

S2 Stationery and Design

Squirrel Den Studio

Knot By Gran'ma

Vendors Wanted! Holiday Craft Fair - Beacon, NY

It's our most exciting time of the year! Getting ready to return to the Howland Cultural Center on Saturday December 12, 2015 for our annual holiday craft fair!

You can find our application here. The deadline is October 31st.   We also have a special Facebook page just for the event which you can like and follow.  Here are some pictures from last year early in the day as we were setting up.  This show has become one of the most popular events hosted by the Howland. We also hear that people in Beacon have asked them about it throughout the year so it's become a great event to look forward to.

The Signs of Spring

The Signs of Spring

from the 

HudsonValley Etsy Team

Purple Butterfly Rug by Twisted Thread and Hook

Dancing Pocket Vase by Hester's Studio

Sweet Leigh Flower Earrings by Merry Alchemy

 

"The Sisters" by Digilio Designs

Jody - A Studio By The Sea

Etsy Visits Karmabee - Kingston, NY

I recently had a visit from Etsy as part of their seller studio tours. Etsy staff visit sellers because, as they explain in a recent blog post, "...nothing beats visiting a seller in person to witness her creative process in action and the challenges she faces on a daily basis." It was lots of fun! The five Etsy staff who came to Karmabee from both the Hudson and Brooklyn offices had great questions about my business, and I got a chance to ask questions and make suggestions about all things Etsy.

Etsy visits Karmabee in Kingston, NY

First I gave them a tour of my store, which sells both my own Karmabee products and items by local artists and makers, including quite a few members of the Hudson Valley Etsy Team (many of whom have been with me since I opened in 2011!). We discussed my experience running a brick & mortar store and what a typical day is like.

I then showed them around my studio area, which I've reorganized many times since I opened, with its separate work stations and table surfaces that allow me to work on many different projects at the same time, as the multitasker in me loves to do. Unfortunately it's the the office portion of my studio that gets the most use, and they acknowledged that most sellers spend at least 50% of their time running their business rather than creating. They had lots of great questions about my systems, such as how I manage my inventory (my weakest area!), handle shipping, and manage social media.

They were very patient with my various questions (and a couple of complaints) about the technical side of Etsy. For example, I mentioned the problem of not being able to adjust shipping rates for different quantities in the same listing (e.g., 1 notecard vs a pack of 10: either this has to be two separate listings, or buyer has to pay crazy shipping for the single item). They are aware this is an issue, and explained that this feature was originally intended for color/size variations of the same item, and thus wasn't set up to handle different shipping weights, which makes sense. I also begged for more bulk editing options, especially for tags, titles and descriptions (as Craftopolis and Betsi offer), and they said they're on it! Yay!

After many more questions and ample time satisfying my dog Annie's need for belly rubs, they perused the store and made some purchases, which I really appreciated. I used my Etsy payment swiper for the first time, and learned that it's a great way to have in-person sales adjust online inventory and to gather customer reviews.

As both Etsy and the controversy surrounding Etsy's definition of handmade continues to grow, I am happy to know that the company dedicates time and effort to hearing from sellers. We all hope Etsy finds a way to support handmade sellers in a marketplace free of cheap mass-produced competition.

Karen - Karmabee

Now at ArtsWestchester

We are excited to announce the opening of the new SHOP at ArtsWestchester in White Plains!  Curated by Elena Rosenberg of Elena Rosenberg Wearable Fiber Art, the SHOP at ArtsWestchester carries handmade art and crafts by New York area artists and makers, including many from the Hudson Valley Etsy Team. 

An extension of the beautiful gallery space at 31 Mamaroneck Ave, White Plains, the shop and gallery are open Tuesday - Saturday, 12-5pm.

There will be trunk shows/demos in connection with the SHOP at ArtsWestchester on the following dates:

Cindy of Cynla on 4/18 12pm - 4pm
Sue Digilio of Digilio Designs on 4/25 12 pm - 4pm
Elena Rosenberg on 5/2 12pm - 4pm

Click after the jump to see more images of this beautiful new space!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We wanted to celebrate Valentine's Day a day early on the blog by sharing a couple of Valentine's theme Etsy treasuries featuring items from our members.  Have a wonderful weekend!

In My Studio: Packaging



Lovely packaged set of cards from Cynla Cards and Design

During the holiday season I was lucky enough to get out to a few craft fairs. Looking around at the merchandise on offer I noticed some really interesting ways that vendors had packaged their wares. One company used wooden thread spools on which to wind bracelets and wooden rulers to hang necklaces. These beautifully and uniquely packaged items were by far more appealing to me as a customer and got me thinking about the ways I too could package my products more successfully. By spending a little more time and money on the end product could have a big difference in profits at the end of the day.

Great packaging can:

1. Get your products 'noticed' in a sea of vendors at a craft fair or in the Etsy search pages.
2. Increase the perceived value of your products, enabling you to increase your profits
3. Be informative- giving the customer info about the product and your company for potential future orders.
4. Make your line of products more cohesive
5. Elevate your brand and make it memorable

Great packaging boxes from The Pudgy Rabbit

In order to achieve this the packaging should:

1. Be thought of as an integral part of the product and not just an afterthought.
2. It should reflect or complement your brand, your ethos and your style
3. Be easily replicated for future items
4. Affordable
5. Not too time consuming
6. As green as possible

Some different ideas for creating your own unique, eye catching and memorable packaging could include making your own stamps or block prints, printed materials, stickers, fabric bags and ribbons or even including a small 'freebie' with your product.

I posted on this blog a little while ago a tutorial to make your own fabric labels. This technique could be applied to making your own packaging ribbon and labels. Click this link to access the tutorial.

My own SO Handmade fabric labels

Taking all of the above into account I set about packaging some play mats I had just made.  I used leftover scraps of fabrics I had to make them and then added some printed labels. I also used vintage buttons to finish the effect.

I was very happy with the result and think they look really effective. I hope to add the same pizzazz to the rest of my collection in the future.



Lego/ small toy play mat from SO Handmade

Good luck and Good Making!

Good things come in small packages!

Sarah Omura - SO Handmade

Valentine's Day Gift Guide - Hudson Valley Etsy

If you are not following us on Facebook (why not??), then you missed this year's collection of Valentine's Day gift ideas from the Hudson Valley Etsy Team.  That's ok, we got you covered here to help you shop local.  See our complete list on Etsy here.  Click the image to view the listing in our members' Etsy shops.

Clutch from Hand J Star Creations

Valentine's Day Card from Cynla

Valentine Pocket Coffee Cozy from Quarter Life Luck

Heart Shape Swirl Glass Dish from Get Glassy

Hope you like our picks! You can always see more gift idea options on our Etsy page.

Shades From The Ocean

Happy Friday!  We know we're in the middle of winter but that doesn't stop us from having thoughts of hanging out at the beach and enjoying a view of the ocean.  This is reflected perfectly in one of our latest team's Etsy treasuries by Jillian from JohnMetBetty.

Team Etsy Treasury - January Fun

We hope everyone's 2015 is off to a wonderful start!  It's quite chilly here in the Hudson Valley so we wanted to share the lovely warm tones of this Etsy treasury put together by Judy from H & J Star Creations.   Click the image to take a closer look! 

Where To Find The Hudson Valley Etsy Team This Weekend

Hello Friends!
It's a wonderful time to do some Holiday shopping this weekend, so we have you covered. Please support your local craftsmen and craftswomen rather than the 4th vacation home of some faceless CEO. We love our customers and we'd love to see you at any of the 5 events we're selling at this weekend!

This Friday, December 5, Bard College will host their 11th Annual Holiday Craft Fair at the Bertelsmann Campus Center on the Bard College campus in Annandale-On-Hudson, from 11AM-6PM.
Among the Hudson Valley Etsy Team members selling their wares will be:
Pulp Sushi
Karmabee
Amber H Lynn

Pulp Sushi

Pulp Sushi

Karmabee

Karmabee

Amber H Lynn

Amber H Lynn

Hester's Studio will be pulling double-duty this weekend by selling at the Cornell Street Studios' Holiday Craft Fair on Friday, December 5, from 5PM-10PM and on Saturday at the Holly Berry Trail Holiday Boutique on Saturday, December 6, from 9AM-1PM. Both are located in Kingston, NY.

Hester's Studio

Hester's Studio

The Pudgy Rabbit will be at the Bust Holiday Craftacular at the Brooklyn Expo Center in Brooklyn, NY, this Saturday and Sunday, December 6 and 7, from 11AM-7PM.

The Pudgy Rabbit

The Pudgy Rabbit

And last but not least, Lollypups will be traveling to Stanhope, NJ, for the 11th Hour Rescue - A Winter Wonderland market Saturday, December 6, from 11AM-5PM and Sunday, December 7, 12-5PM.

Lollypups

Lollypups

Happy shopping!