The EtsyBloggers Street Team is having a Trunk Show in the Etsy Virtual Labs this coming Friday (Jan. 30) starting at 9 p.m. Eastern time (6 p.m. Pacific). See the banner on the right for all the good info.

To join in the Trunk Show, visit the Virtual Labs here at the prescribed time.

In addition, the below 26 participating shops — all EtsyBloggers members — are having a sale in their shops on Friday night in honor of the show. See the list to pick up some good deals:

http://leakymouth.etsy.com
Specials for trunk show – 10% off

http://spottedcowsoaps.etsy.com
20% off Valentines Section 1/30/09 ~ mention “Trunk Show” to receive discount Handcrafted soaps, toiletries and crochet bath accessories

http://dorsethillbeads.etsy.com
FREE U.S. SHIPPING
One of a kind handmade lampwork beads

http://tiltcreations.etsy.com
Free US Shipping
Handmade handbags and accessories

http://TulipsTreasureBox.etsy.com
10% discount and free USA shipping on any item $50 and up Handmade Women’s Jewelry

http://storybeader.etsy.com
Free US shipping
one-of-a-kind jewelry and original haiku with each necklace

http://NicoDesigns.etsy.com
15% Off, valid 1/30/09
Mention “Trunk Show” in note to seller for discount Messenger Bags and Accessories

http://naturemanipulated.etsy.com
10% OFF and FREE SHIPPING.
Visual, wearable and practical art

http://aliciamaeprints.etsy.com
10% off all prints, valid 1/30 only
Photography

http://miesmama.etsy.com
handmade felted bags, bowls and other goodies!
For free US Shipping and surprise gift! Just quote “trunk show” on 1/30 only.

http://memoriesforlifesb.etsy.com
10 % off everything in my shop!
Memories for Life Scrapbooks-Scrapbooks and More

http://panoptica.etsy.com
10% OFF before shipping
Eclectic accessories and vintage goods

http://beckykazana.etsy.com
Free shipping on orders of $40 or more
Cards, prints and one of a kind gifts from Becky Kazana!

http://devinedesignsjewelry.etsy.com
15% off every item in shop, and with purchase, you will receive a coupon for 10% off next purchase. Buyer please put “TRUNK SHOW” in notes to seller.

http://mamasmagicstudio.etsy.com
10% Off and Free U.S. Shipping
“Fraternal Earrings” and other beautiful beadwork

http://stormydesigns.etsy.com
10% OFF with code “trunk show”, valid 1/30 only Hand-crafted jewelry, decor & more. Many OOAK.

http://abracapocus.etsy.com
10% off
Digital Art, Photography and Note Cards

http://impawsibletoresist.etsy.com
10% off
Doll Clothes and ACEOs

http://feltartistic.etsy.com
I will be offering Free gift with purchase – when mentioning “Trunk Show” in note to seller.

http://peacoxcreations.etsy.com
Two free apple scrubbies with any order!

http://AKeepersJackpot.etsy.com
Free shipping worldwide on any item from 1/29/09 through 2/1/09 Put TRUNK SHOW in the message to the seller to get the free shipping.

http://3rexesjewelry.etsy.com
Free Priority Shipping Upgrade & Valentine’s Gift Wrapping….. Upon Request Please!
Mention Trunk Show in customer comment box.

http://lilbees.etsy.com
free shipping with code “trunk show”, valid 1/30 only

http://brightblack.etsy.com
free shipping with code “trunk show”, valid 1/30 only

http://quirkydolls.etsy.com
free shipping with ” trunk show” code in order

With it being Black Friday and the official start to the holiday shopping season, why don’t you get a jump on your gifts by taking a look at these wonderful gift guides? They’re full of all sorts of indie/handmade goodness!

Indie Fixx

IndieShopping

Indie Love

Vintage Indie

Do shop indie!

With it being November, you may start to feel a chill in the air. Maybe you need a hat. Or a scarf. Or maybe the knitter/crocheter/weaver/spinner/fiber fanatic in your life seeks some roving/yarn/something to create with. Or you know someone who quilts or sews or works with fabric. Or maybe you eat, breathe, sleep and live for fiber art.

Well, if you happen to fulfill one of the above categories, then perhaps you should check out the EtsyFAST (Fiber Arts Street Team) Trunk Show and its accompanying events!

Here’s a flyer (’cause visuals are always nice and pretty to have):

If you happen to be in the New York area, you can come meet and greet some of the EtsyFAST members at the Trunk Show, which will be held at EtsyLabs! Here is a listing of who will be there:

Yours truly, http://rosebud.etsy.com
Beth Brown, http://bethbrown.etsy.com
Hoolyghans, http://hoolyghans.etsy.com
Foolmoon, http://foolmoon.etsy.com
BklynMoMos, http://bklynmomos.etsy.com
Sunrise Lodge Fiber Studios, http://sunriselodgefiberstu.etsy.com
Sweetyprize, http://sweetyprize.etsy.com

This is but a fraction of the EtsyFAST team!

If you’re not in the New York area and want to support EtsyFAST no less, you can check out member shops who are holding a Trunk Show sale! The sales run through November 16th (the day of the show). Get your shopping on by checking out this list.

You can also check out some of the fiber goodies being sold by member shops at this Flickr link. Photos from the show will be posted there as well after it happens!

Finally, for more information on EtsyFAST, visit the EtsyFAST website, or read the EtsyFAST blog.

Looking to comfort all the wonderful creatures in your life this holiday? Maybe you should take a gander at the Creature Comforts Holiday Gift Guide:

There are numerous categories, including jewelry & accessories (disclaimer: Rosebud Designs has an ad there), vintage, and for him and her categories. There are also other price-based categories, like over $100 and under $20, if you’re in a budget.

Do check out all the awesome indie shops!

It’s almost time to get that holiday shopping into high gear! And of course, many of our lovely indie friends and blogs have come out with gift guides to help you find awesome stuff from indie shops so you can knock the socks off everyone on your gift-giving list!

Indie Collective‘s gift guide went live today:

(Shameless plug alert: Rosebud Designs has an ad in the guide … in the accessories section.)

And, if you love handmade goodies and want to take the plunge to pledge to buy strictly handmade this holiday season, check out the Buy Handmade petition:

More on gift guides as they start going live!

Here is Part 2 about the awesome goodness that was in my Sampler Select: Home!

Etched shot glass from Bread and Badger. Finely detailed and super cute. Bread and Badger is also another one of my favorites.

Pillowcase and embroidery pattern from Sublime Stitching. The perfect way to spruce up a bed!

Decorative tile from Little Flower Designs. This was probably one of my favorite things in the packages. Absolutely beautiful. I can admire the craftsmanship all day. And birds are cool.

Clothespin doll kit from The Small Object. A pretty neat idea … and the super retro clothespins are cool. Can’t wait to put it all together.

A special edition of CROQ Zine, with articles about the home! If you’re unfamiliar with CROQ, check it out. It’s a great zine packed with helpful tips and great ideas. And this special edition also has some vegan recipes. Yum!

Print called “Housegirl at Tea” from The Black Apple. There’s a hauntingly beautiful quality to this piece. Very nice.

Again, you’re highly encouraged to check out the Sampler Select! The current Sampler Select: Sleep is on sale now, and another Sampler Select, with the theme of Pins and Needles, will be available in November!

You can also check out the regular Sampler, which of course is on sale every month.

And lastly, check out all the great contributors to The Sampler. They all make pretty fabulous stuff!

In case you hadn’t heard, the awesome folks over at The Sampler have a brand new type of Sampler, the very special Sampler Select.

The Sampler Select is centered around a theme and is a limited-edition version. It’s full of great stuff from some longtime contributors, and many of the items in the Sampler Select were commissioned just for that particular edition!

The debut Sampler Select has a home theme, and came in this neato, theme-appropriate box:

And inside was all sorts of sweet home goods:

A mouse pad from My Favorite Mirror, featuring artwork from meganmary.com. The whale is awesome. And I like circle mouse pads … just ’cause squares are sometimes boring.

A sweet sachet from India*Romeo. It’s made of vintage quilt squares, and it made the whole package smell so good. Totally cute.

A set of letterpressed coasters from Green Chair Press. These were really neat, what with a nice design and a nice mix of fonts. I am a font/type nerd and these are going to be perfect at my house. And it was a set of 7! What a generous number of coasters in one set!

Bar of Calendula soap from Botanical Earth. Sweet smelling soap from a great shop.

This is only half of the goodness that was in the Sampler Select: Home! Stay tuned tomorrow for the other half!

And while you’re at it, check out the new Sampler Select that’s in the works — Sampler Select: Sleep! Go find out all the cool details here. One’s actually on its way to my door, and I can’t tell you how stoked I am about it already.

Got my Sampler in the mail a little while ago, and here it is:

It was a very paper-y Sampler. Plenty of fun cards, which is always nice because I like stationery a lot. Contributors included Manic Trout (cute bottlecap magnet), Bust Magazine, and gollyg (awesome mushroom felt pin).

On to the paper goodies …

Late-night San Francisco dining map from Hoku Designs

I loved this map. I am a late-night kind of girl, and a foodie, and this was vibrantly designed. It’s incredibly huge, though … but it would a nice wall poster too. More info (and you can get your very own map too) at www.latenightfoodie.com.

   
Hand-printed card from Things are Better With a Parrott.

Silkscreened by hand. I especially liked the informational insert that came with the greeting card. Even business postcards can be pretty.

   
Cards from Lucid Dreams Designs

Love the cute characters. They’re always fun to look at on stationery.

   
Postcards from Paper Relics

Great vintage look. Whimsical and reminds me of fantasy novels. Don’t know why, but it’s pretty cool.

Mini CROQ zine

CROQ Zine is a great zine, and seeing a mini version in the Sampler is always a bonus. This particular edition talks about recycling a drink canister. How awesome is that? (Didn’t know you could do it.) The zine is always packed with great tips and info, and I highly recommend you get the full deal.

Art glass sample from Alicia G.

Okay, so it’s not paper, but it was interesting nonetheless. Add ‘em to a nearly finished mosaic, or maybe get creative and turn them into some pendants.

And remember, there are always other great contributors to see at The Sampler!

There’s a new social network out there for people who shop indie, make indie, breathe indie and support indie. It’s called IndiePublic.

It’s a great little community, and the site is built like Facebook. (Like you really needed another online thing to keep up with!)

Seriously, though, it does have a lot of fun forums and features where you can display photos and feed your blog onto your profile. And it’s all about serving the indie community, so you’ll find all sorts of awesome crafters and makers there!

Click on the banner to check it out (and yes, I’m in the community somewhere):

Visit Indiepublic

(This ends my public service announcement.)

This is a cause that is not only near and dear to a good friend, but also near and dear to my heart, so I hope you’ll take a moment to listen.

In 2005, Melody Claussen-Furry took her 11-year-old son Christian to the ICU and found out he had Type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is often diagnosed in children and teens, and if you’ve ever known someone with Type 1, you know that they are usually the ones who have to deal with insulin shots and have to spend the rest of their lives managing this disease.

A good friend of mine at my old job used to give himself an insulin shot while sitting at his desk at work. He’d pinch his stomach, and boom, there went the needle. It was unnerving to watch. And he did this every day I saw him at work.

(As a note, Type 2 diabetes is adult-onset diabetes, the type that can develop when you have a poor diet or are managing your health poorly. My dad is a Type 2 diabetic, and diabetes is prevalent in our family in general.)

To help fight diabetes and find a cure, Melody (also the proprietor of Handmade Luck* and a member of the Sacramento Craft Mafia), opened up a shop whose proceeds will go toward the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

You may visit the shop, called The Sugarcube Society.

Right now, you will find a lovely selection of jewelry like this:

Vroom Vroom necklace

Spring Pearls earrings

If you are interested in donating items to be sold in the shop, please e-mail Melody at handmade.luck (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Melody and her family and friends will also be participating in the Walk to Cure Diabetes in Sacramento on October 7, and you can also help the cause by making a donation here.

OK, so this is a bit overdue (seeing as it’s June already), but, well, it was a little busy …

Here are the contents of my May Sampler:

It was pretty awesome, indeed. Lots of cool pins — from Art School Dropout and Bread and Badger — and magnets and other useful stuff all around.

The highlights:

Bicycle seat cover from Lilybug.

What a great idea! And a great sock monkey print. This was probably my favorite thing … and it will be darn useful too. I just got a new (used) bike and it fits the bill. Not that it rains a whole lot here, but well, my neighborhood has lots of really strong sprinklers. But it is fun and functional, and I really like that.

Pendant (ceramic, I think?) from Crye’s Creations.

This was quite lovely indeed. Great colors.

Knit bracelet from Leethal.

Nice colors, and it fit nicely. And it’s not scratchy. But there are some seriously cool-looking hats and knit goods over at Leethal, so check that out.

 
Yarn sample from Third Floor Fibers (and the tag).

I am always a sucker for handspun yarn. But I especially liked the tag on this sample because the suggestions for the mini skein were funny. My personal favorite was “Knit a scarf for your cat.” Because my cats would hate that. “Tie a sibling to a tree” (bottom row, left) was also pretty hysterical.

 
Set of two cards from Andy Pratt Design.

I love the jolly orange giant. Andy has a lot of brightly colored, fun prints at his shop. And the drawings are excellent.

Holy Crap card from Ella Studio.

OK, I know I can be crass. Which is why I like this card. Definitely a lot of non-PG cards at Ella Studio. Kind of my style for when I want to be really snarky. I just thinking getting a super-elegant looking card that says “Holy Crap!” is hysterical. Or maybe that’s just me.

That’s all for this edition!

I just got back from manning the Sacramento Craft Mafia‘s booth at Bazaar Bizarre, and it was a pretty fantastic experience. First BazBiz = much fun.

There were some incredible crafters there and some incredibly cool and creative stuff. Here is but a wee sampling:

Top photo: Plush owls from Devon Industry. Middle photo: Stuffed ham from Meat is Sweet. Bottom photo: Crocheted Atari set from Jack Rabbit.

Again, it’s only a wee sampling! More will be posted about some excellent BazBiz vendors throughout the week!

For more picture goodness, check out my Flickr set!

In case you haven’t heard, Bazaar Bizarre is coming to the Bay Area!

Click banner for details!

BazBiz San Francisco will showcase some 70-plus crafty vendors, including the Sacramento Craft Mafia. Mary Jane’s Attic, LaurenSmash and the SCM’s very own Mohair Circus will also be there — all of whom have been previously written up right here at indie*galore!

Fred Flare, Craftster and Etsy will all be there too.

That’s not even the tip of the iceberg! You can check out the complete vendor list — it looks pretty sweet! — by clicking the BazBiz banner above.

If you’re in the Bay Area, please check it out. Say hi to me at the SCM booth. And do some shopping … you will not be disappointed.

Amy over at the wonderful online boutique PurplePinkandOrange is closing her doors.

The shop is closing at the end of May, and there’s a massive sale. Here’s a sampling of the awesome stuff you can find:

Clockwise, from top left: Bad Day Print by Helena Garcia; Cherry Blossom glass coasters by PurplePinkandOrange; Mint Truffle necklace by Cake Box Jewelry; and Flower Appliqued wallet by Kitty Empire.

There are also lots of other things at the store, from bath & body goods to home accessories to bags and wallets to wearables. Do take a look!

And best of luck to Amy in her other endeavors!

As promised, here is more about my April Sampler (as mentioned in the post about 16 Sparrows).

Here it is, in its awesomeness:

It was a very pouchy Sampler. Lots of neat stuff. I dug the Vintage Clip Art CD from Fenderskirts Vintage — I’m sure it’ll be useful — and the mini patterns from Roxycraft (who I’ve also raved about before). Goodness all around.

Some of my other faves:

Change purse from Barry’s Farm. Cute!

Wallet from Sweet Side. My favorite color, plus it’s pretty sturdy!

Color-it-yourself Bear Card from Wolfie and the Sneak. Brilliant idea! And fun, too.

Patchy Pouch from Made By Tess. Cool fabric … and bright and fun!

Flower Ring from Beadoodles. Just plain cute too.

Please visit all these wonderful contributors — and more — through the Sampler’s website. There are so many great shops out there.