13 Delancey Street

A Wintery Day

2011-02-09T15:44:00.006-06:00

The Etsy shop and the blog have been on hiatus, but we are back! I'm working with existing stock for now, but enjoying making some sales and getting to know new visitors to Etsy.

My best wishes to friends old and new during this long, cold winter. Have some soup!

1% of the sales price for all items in my Etsy shop are donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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Mini Me - A Shop Preview

2009-03-21T16:07:00.004-05:00

I need to shoot some additional items but I keep getting lured outside by our newly beautiful weather. While I get motivated, here’s a little preview of what’s in the shop — with a special shout out to our Stumble Upon visitors!

1% of the sales price for all items in my Etsy shop are donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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Look, Boys! They're Magnets!

2009-03-15T11:00:00.000-05:00

I love the purple-lavender hues in this little magnet set. And I’m having fun finding backgrounds for the photos. This is a happy change from my initial struggles with white balance. The colorful backgrounds are much more user friendly and forgiving!

1% of the sales price for these magnets (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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Cote d'Azure Blues

2009-03-05T10:55:00.007-06:00

Or at least that’s what these colors reminded me of, from visiting Villefranche-sur-Mer in the summers. And of course a bit of a play on words, since I’m blue that I’m not there!

This has been the busiest period in the Etsy shop since just after I opened it, which is quite gratifying. I hope everyone else’s sales are on an upswing, too!

1% of the sales price for these magnets (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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Orange Starring Green

2009-03-04T12:33:00.007-06:00

After a few months when life insisted I pay attention to things other than the Etsy shop — I'm baaaack! I thank my customers who have been purchasing magnet sets even in my blogging absence, including my Happy Animals, which I was happy to see find a good home. I’ve met such wonderful people in this process. The recent sales have also inspired me to begin adding some new items this week. Let’s start with the newest today, which I’m calling Green Starring Orange!

I also have some other items to add this week and next, including some pretty blue and pink bubbles, and even a spring bouquet of flowers. Stay tuned!

1% of the sales price for these items (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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Carbon Fast for Lent: 2009

2009-02-25T10:46:00.005-06:00

The Etsy shop has been quiet but steady. I haven’t been good about blogging but we continue to make quarterly donations to Carbonfund.org. I also wanted to mention an earth-friendly activity we're doing at my house for the second year now: the Carbon Fast for Lent. This was the brainchild of a group in England called Tearfund. The idea is to undertake a simple action each day during Lent, to reduce one's carbon footprint. The daily actions appear on Tearfund’s web site here. They also have an RSS feed, which I’m posting in this blog’s right sidebar. Or you can sign up for a daily email reminder (or download the full 40-day schedule as a PDF) on their site.

Here are four 30-second films to get us started!

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Dec. 10: World Day for Human Rights

2008-12-10T09:07:00.001-06:00

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Etsyians Unite for World AIDS Day

2008-12-01T00:03:00.012-06:00

I wanted to participate in the Bloggers Unite group activity for World AIDS Day, which is easy to do on my personal blog, but I was unsure how best to do so here the blog for my shop. But then I saw some other neat promos on Etsy, which inspired me as well. So here’s my idea: For any purchases in my shop completed on December 1, I will donate 10% of the item price to the South Central Wisconsin AIDS Network.

Are you promo-ing for World AIDS Day? I would be happy to help spread the word. If you are doing something similar in your shop, I invite you to post the details in a comment. (Just World AIDS day promos; no spam or other promos, please.)

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Helping the Hungry for Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T09:15:00.009-06:00

This is a tough year for many people, with anxious days ahead. For Thanksgiving (and every day) I’d like to recommend the “click to give” Hunger Site. Corporate sponsors make a small contribution each time you click the Give Free Food link on the page, helping to support organizations including Feeding America (the new name for America’s Second Harvest).

A Very Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

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Happy Animals

2008-11-08T14:27:00.004-06:00

I haven’t been able to blog much lately, but these little guys are cheering me up on a snowy day.

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When in Doubt, Piglet . . .

2008-10-18T19:24:00.009-05:00

I’m feeling very random today. It must be the change in seasons. I also couldn’t figure our how on earth to describe or display these. So I did what anyone would do: a pig and a pun.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

1% of the sales price for these items (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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Fall Reds

2008-10-14T10:54:00.006-05:00

It’s a beautiful day here, yet the trees are also starting to change colors and I’m fascinated by the fall reds on the maple leaves. I thought I’d also look for some patterns and colors to echo this in magnet sets, including this brand new Red Gumdrop set.

1% of the sales price for these items (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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Ths Shop's First Quarter!

2008-10-12T00:03:00.000-05:00

It was fun to realize, somewhat belatedly, that the 13 Delancey Street shop on Etsy has just passed its first quarter! It was even more fun to make the first quarterly donation to Carbonfund.org, which is the donation partner I’ve chosen for 2008. While my initial plan, as posted in the shop, was only to donate 1% of sales — to celebrate our first quarter I moved the decimal point one place and instead donated 10% of our first three months’ sales. And how nice — Carbonfund emailed me a certificate!

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Fall Colors, Fall Circles

2008-10-11T13:03:00.006-05:00

It’s been an interesting few weeks, and it’s very nice to be back. I’ve been thinking a lot about things coming full circle, and watching the fall colors begin to change. So here’s a little item along those lines, which I’m just calling Fall Colors - Circle Magnets — with my hopes that life is good for all of you!

1% of the sales price for these items (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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From Soup to Nuts

2008-09-27T00:03:00.005-05:00

Yep, Soup to Nuts, really! (Hee-hee.) Got yer soup, got yer peanut butter . . .

The second runner-up name choice was “Macaroni Art” — I may have to make an Etsy treasury with this name, if can ever snag one.

1% of the sales price for these items (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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Pumpkin Spice Latte Treasury

2008-09-25T00:43:00.002-05:00

I am like a little child when I discover one of my items in an Etsy treasury! I was especially happy to be included in Maddyandme’s treasury “Pumpkin Spice Latte Yummmmmm!” since it showcases such a nice variety of items, including jewelry, handmade soap (pumpkin lavender, yum!), clay pots, art prints, candles, and more. (Mine are the Pumpkin Spice Magnets, 3rd row center.)

I never really thought of myself as artsy (or even very crafty!) — it’s been so heartening to find a place where I can make little things and have them so warmly received.

You can visit the treasury here before it expires. Thank you, Maddyandme!

1% of the sales price for these items (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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Wordless Wednesday Rainbows

2008-09-24T00:27:00.004-05:00

1% of the sales price for these items (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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Fall Fashion: Pink on Black

2008-09-19T16:18:00.009-05:00

From all my years in New York, I developed a fondness for black clothes. And my favorite accompaniment is a splash of pink! So I was actually considering keeping these Pink Circles on Black for myself. Yet I demurred and added them to the Etsy shop instead. And now I’m off to see if I have an outfit to match. Hmmm . . . it might be time to g shopping!

1% of the sales price for these items (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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Congrats to Stelabird!

2008-09-18T22:35:00.007-05:00

I was so happy to see that one of our favorite Etsyians, stelabird, was featured in Urban Tulsa’s Annual Manual. The piece includes a full color photo of Ms. Estela, along with one of her trademark yeti. Check out the post on the always delightful Life of a Bird. And check out stelabird’s yetis (above) and little bigfoots on Etsy!

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Tag(s): You're It!

2008-09-16T15:59:00.011-05:00

I was trying to figure out a small thank-you item I could include with the magnet sets. I’m not really artistic enough to make cards, and I wanted to ensure whatever I included was also recyclable, in keeping with my general environmental impulse in the Etsy shop. I had heard about tags punched out of recycled material — and we certainly have been putting a lot of light-weight cardboard packaging out for recycling at my house. So “upcycled” hang tags seemed like the way to go!

But of course what began as just a few sets of tags as bonuses for customers quickly grew into larger and larger stacks. On a whim, I decided to list some today, just expand the shop offerings a bit. They’re a bit quirky and not for everyone, but I’m going to see if there’s a niche market. At the very least, it was fun to try something new!

1% of the sales price for these items (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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Mango!

2008-09-12T17:37:00.023-05:00

I couldn’t decide whether to call these Tequila Sunrise or Mango Sunrise. I finally went with the latter to match the neat background card against which I shot these. (For my Etsy shop listing I cropped the photo, but all of you lucky duckies here on the blog get a peek at my carpet, too!)

The Mango de Manila card in the background is just one of a set of “Loteria” cards I picked up from ImagineArt7’s shop. She has terrific vintage and ephemera items as well as supplies for altered art projects. Loteria is a Mexican picture matching game similar to bingo. The cards have such neat images and pictures — some of my favorites are pictured at right. I especially liked the mango magnets against the midnight blue of the Mango de Manila card.

1% of the sales price for these Mango Sunrise magnets (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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Back to School with Ladybugs

2008-09-10T16:13:00.006-05:00

I decided it’s time to start adding things I made over the summer to the Etsy shop — before summer officially ends! This is a mixed set featuring ladybugs but also some little dragonflies (or maybe regular flies, but I think the dragon-variety sounds nicer!).

Viva, summer. Viva, ladybugs!

1% of the sales price for these items (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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Autumn Lovelies Treasury

2008-09-08T01:47:00.014-05:00

A belated thank-you to LadyMetropolitan for including my Pumpkin Spice magnets in her Etsy “Autumn Lovelies” treasury, which was indeed lovely! I’m so tickled when one of my items shows up in anyone’s Treasury, but it’s a special pick-me-up when the curator is not someone I know.

Here’s a larger photo. I’m resisting autumn as much as I can, but I did like the cider-y look to these!

1% of the sales price for these items (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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I'm a "Brilliant Blogger"!

2008-09-04T00:09:00.006-05:00

Many thanks to Designs by Vanessa, for nominating me for a Brilliant Blog award! I’m a big fan of Vanessa’s Etsy shop, which includes beautiful paper goods (check out her birdie and owl cards!) as well as jewelry — including the terrific Lady in Red wrap bracelet pictured at left.

The best part about receiving a Brilliant Blog award is the chance to pass it on with nominations of 7 other terrific blogs. With delight, I nominate these Brilliant Bloggers!

Here are the rules for the nominees: 1) Add the logo of the award to your blog 2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you 3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs 4) Add links to those blogs on your blog 5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs!

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It's Still Summer . . .

2008-09-02T20:02:00.003-05:00

Despite that sneaky Labor Day holiday and the end of our permission to wear white, summer doesn’t officially end until September 21 — and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it!

See, just like magic you have an extra three weeks of summer! (Maybe I should go into business granting wishes — I wonder if there’s an Etsy category for that?)

1% of the sales price for these items (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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Candy for Dinner

2008-08-31T00:01:00.000-05:00

It’s been a quiet week in the shop, so I thought I would start upgrading some photo backgrounds. These “I Want Candy” magnets look happier against a proper dinner setting, all set for a Labor Day picnic!

A very happy Labor Day weekend to one and all.

1% of the sales price for these items (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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A Purple Treasury!

2008-08-24T03:11:00.006-05:00

I was so happy to find myself in an Etsy Treasury West today! Many thanks to tasteslikepurple for including me in “Violet, You’re Turning Violet!” I couldn’t get ScreenGrab to capture the image (just the frame) but here’s an image extracted from printing to a PDF (I'm in the bottom row on the left). Or you can visit the Treasury live before it expires here.

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Mucho Mini

2008-08-19T18:39:00.011-05:00

Not a lot going on this week, so I thought I would play with the Etsy Mini and see how much I could squeeze into one post. It looks like the answer is 7 rows!

1% of the sales price for these items (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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Just Hopped In from the Lily Pad

2008-08-18T15:56:00.005-05:00

These green striped magnets are fairly dark and were completely defying any attempts to photograph them. I tried paintings, magazine covers — none of my usual background strategies were producing a result even close to the way they look in person. I had resigned myself to the fact that they needed a white background (a prob since I am able to turn even snowy white backgrounds gray). But then I stumbled upon these vintage drawings from the children’s page in a local newspaper, circa 1911.

The white balance and color levels are still giving me trouble — and for some reason Picasa’s sharp display image blurs each time I hit “save,” which is driving me nuts — but I love the drawings! The frogs (top) were what initially caught my eye, since the magnets are green. But I also liked the tiny child fairies playing on the books in the bottom image. Maybe the pixies here can show me how to use my camera properly!

1% of the sales price for these items (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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Lemonade or Limeade?

2008-08-17T22:58:00.009-05:00

I can’t decide if this is more lemony or limey. But it was fun to take the photos — this was one of several sets this weekend that did not want to show up against the first several backgrounds I chose. While I'm not convinced this is the final version (and the colors look better on Etsy than they do here), I had the best luck when I fell back on trusty old magazine covers, from the one magazine I never throw away! Here’s a raised glass of the cool beverage of your choice. I refuse to acknowledge that summer is waning!

1% of the sales price for these items (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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Celebrating Women Painters

2008-08-11T00:07:00.009-05:00

In my continual quest for interesting backgrounds, I remembered that a few Christmases ago my mom gave me a lovely book featuring women painters of the 19th and early 20th century from our state. The prints are beautiful, and I also really like them as colorful backgrounds for my latest glass bubble magnets.

There’s some tongue-in-cheek irony here, since I use upcycled images from fairly prosaic sources — here product inserts and grocery coupons for a newspaper ad for dorm room comforters in the Flower Marché magnets (above) and a newspaper ad for dorm room comforters in the Watercolor Pastel magnets (right). Yet these very quotidian 21st-century images felt like they wanted to be paired with their fine art cousins!

1% of the sales price for these items (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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Shop spotlight: Kaleikyn's Jewelry

2008-08-08T11:34:00.004-05:00

My Favorites section on Etsy is overflowing — I wish I could make a slideshow here to highlight everyone, including Design By Vanessa’s fab Funky Wrap Bracelet, which is an ongoing fave. But since I had a good weekend sales-wise, I think I want to give a little shout-out to a shop that’s still awaiting its first sale. Kaleikyn has such pretty jewelry, most of it in silver tones with a lot of delicate blues and pinks. I’m a big fan of her necklaces, especially Cherry Blossoms by the Lake as well as Persephone (pictured here). All of you amazing and talented jewelry artists face a market with lots of competition — and we all remember what it was like wondering about that first sale! I’m sure Kaleikyn won’t have to wait too long, but I wanted to send some blog ♥s in the meantime!

Image copyright © 2008 by Kaleikyn’s Jewelry.

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The sun, the moon, and your heart

2008-08-07T02:01:00.017-05:00

I have to pace my Etsy listings, since once school starts I’ll have much less time to make things and I need to start stockpiling for Christmas! But I made these last week and decided I didn’t want to wait. These were part of an indoor photo shooting day, and I’m actually happy with the way they turned out.

I’m also continuing to try out new backgrounds. In the Mini Etsy at right, the top image is one of the sets of African Print magnets that I re-shot against a picture of a stringed guitar-like instrument from Mali. For the other African-themed set in the shop, I re-shot against a Western Civ textbook page about 17th-c. West African cultures. I also re-did the Sedona Sunset magnets (also at right in the Mini) against a map depicting 19th-c. southwestern territories. And for the Happy Sea Monster set above (still a bit too dark), I chose a couple textbook maps illustrating the Renaissance-era Voyages of Discovery. It’s endlessly convenient to have textbooks in the house, even if white balance and I are still fighting with each other, LOL.

1% of the sales price for the Star Moon Heart and Sea Monster Happy magnets (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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"Saving the world, one art project at a time"

2008-08-05T00:03:00.006-05:00

I’ve started my own little tradition here on the blog, pausing to feature a favorite Etsy shop as a sort of thank-you to the universe (or the Etsy sprites) after a sale in my shop. For this installment I wanted to spotlight this beautiful Red and Orange Button Bracelet pictured at left, from my Etsy “birthday twin” Boxingday. I like her shop motto (“Saving the world, one art project at a time”), and I love her creative take on recycling and art. Beautiful work and such a fun, generous, and creative artist — the best part of Etsy really is the people. Yay, all of you!

Image copyright © 2008 by Boxingday.

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Funny photo story

2008-08-04T15:23:00.015-05:00

I noticed today I’m an alternate for a Treasury called Fuschia Colored Steel. When I clicked the link, I was wondering what on earth the curator had found in my shop, since everything in the Treasury was gray and steel-colored with just a hint of color — the items were beautiful, but not a match for anything of mine. And then it hit me: the background on my Fuschia Loves Pink magnets, which was white in real life, had turned so gray in my photos that it qualified me for a “steel gray” Treasury!

I laughed out loud and I’m still laughing. Too funny!

P.S. – Despite my now publicly verified ineptitude with white balance, it’s a really sharp looking Treasury. You won’t see my item unless something else sells (or at least I think that’s how alternates work), but definitely check out the Treasury here before it expires, with many thanks to Jealousydesign for including me.

Keep up with my adventures in photography and magnets.

And then there are the accidental photos . . .

2008-08-03T00:03:00.006-05:00

Taking photos for the Etsy shop is beginning to feel like playing pool to me. Every once in a while I nail a shot, but I never know how I did it! This photo was just a test shot to adjust the white balance on my camera before photographing the three little magnets in the center. I also wanted to try shooting from farther away and then perhaps cropping. I wasn’t paying attention to the composition (or the fact that it was a food theme), I just pulled a magazine off the coffee table and put the magnets on the white portion after a couple failed sets of photos where I couldn’t get the browns or white balance right. It wasn’t until I transferred the images off the camera that I noticed this test shot had an internal logic all its own.

Part of the problem I’m having is my items are so small, about 3/4" diameter, so I need to use the camera’s macro setting. But for Etsy’s photo boxes, that means showing images of small items in a very large size, and sometimes the extreme close-ups actually don’t look much like the magnets in person. I don’t think this shot is the solution — I don’t typically like backgrounds that overwhelm the subject, although in this case the accidental whimsy factor (candy magnets against a photo of lunch) kind of works. I’ve listed two other sets similar to these “candy” magnets but this is the first time the colors have come out right without distortion. So while I’m happy for now with this “accident,” I’m still seeking photo tips!

1% of the sales price for these “Eye Candy” Dessert Magnets (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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Noodling Around with New Photo Backgrounds

2008-08-01T21:35:00.007-05:00

I’ve been having trouble with my photos — too dark, and the backgrounds that look snowy white (or even blue-white) on my camera have been turning gray when I post on Etsy. Since I don’t yet have a lightbox, I’ve been noodling around with different backgrounds. A popular page of photo advice for new Etsyians suggests shooting small objects on a printed page. I think this might work better with solid-colored items, but this did turn out a bit better than the white background I originally used for these Lime Blue Geometric magnets (which for a change actually look a bit better on Etsy than they do on the blog). But my photo skills still need work!

Has anyone stumbled on good-photo trivia you’d like to share? If so, please don’t hesitate to post a comment!

1% of the sales price for these items (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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Trying New Autumn Colors

2008-07-28T16:59:00.014-05:00

I’m resisting listing Christmas items this early (I’m making them, just setting them aside for later). But I did find some autumnal colors and patterns that really appealed to me. My first foray into warmer colors came from a source that only yielded a few circles, so I made them into a little 4-set I’m calling Sedona Sunset (left), since it reminded me of colors and patterns in the Southwest.

I also really liked this African-themed pattern (or at least it felt reminiscent of African fabrics to me), which yielded the first of several eventual sets I’m calling African Autumn (right) These and a few other new items are available — where else! — at 13 Delancey Street’s shop on Etsy.

1% of the sales price for all the items in my Etsy shop donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits

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Art Students League, c.1961

2008-07-25T00:52:00.013-05:00

Orange you glad when you get a sale? I am! I sold this “Orange. Apple. Fish!” set today (left), which made my day. It also gives me a very happy excuse, as always after a sale, to feature the work of another Etsy seller from my Favorites. I'm crazy about these cards at the mother-daughter shop The Mum and the Rose, made from sketches (right) that “Mum” made as a student at New York City’s Art Students League in the early 1960s. You will literally have to hurry to snatch these up before I do!

Image © 2008 by The Mum and the Rose.

1% of the sales price for today’s sales (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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Colors and Characters

2008-07-23T12:03:00.020-05:00

For years I’ve been receiving China Radio International (CRI)’s reader newsletter, as well as very pretty calendars and delicate paper items, all because I sent them a QSL (listeners’ report) card years ago, when I was spending time listening to shortwave radio. Most stations send a postcard back in response — I have lovely cards from 42 countries, the last time I checked. But CRI also sends beautiful die-cut items a couple times a year. The listeners’ newsletter is more straightforward, mostly station news and contests for English-speaking listeners. But I’m so drawn to pictograms and Asian-themed items, after my black and white CRI bubbles sold, I decided to take scissors to another issue before it went into the recycling bin. This one was a program calendar printed in pretty lavender and pink (with the results above, of course available on Etsy). As always I’m not sure what the characters say, but I’m confident it’s G-rated!

Speaking of pink, I tried my hand at my first solid-colored bubble magnets (Fuschia Loves Pink, left). I love the colors, although as per usual I actually think the color worked better here on Blogger than it did in my Etsy shop.

1% of the sales price for these items (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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New Info and a "New You"

2008-07-19T00:03:00.008-05:00

I spent part of the evening over on the Etsy forums, searching topics on older threads. There’s a world of information there for new sellers — very cool! I was geekily excited to learn about “repositionable” glue dots, which may help solve my dilemma about how to package magnets so they don't immediately demonstrate magnetic attraction, flip over, and stick to each other. I was also really pleased to find a source for biodegradable clear cello bags (a happy alternative to polypropylene), which I may start using to package the magnets instead of just upcycling random packaging material from home. Lots and lots of terrific info from experienced sellers: what a wonderful community!

I have some new items in the shop. Little Cocoa Pops (right), are a nice chocolate brown and a bit more understated than my other bubbles. I’m also excited about a new series, “New You” (above) which I like since they’re motivational and positive.

1% of the sales price for these items (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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In A Treasury -- and Surprise Sales!

2008-07-15T13:14:00.025-05:00

I logged on today to find an unusually (but happily) high number of views on my Orange Green Mod Magnets — and a multi-item sale!

One of the first items I listed, my China Radio black and white bubbles (right), sold; as did my favorite Tangerine Pinks; some pretty Almond Flowers; my first time with a larger bubble in a yellow flower set; and a newly listed Blue Feather Print set (below). ~~Although I couldn’t find a listing,~~ I’'m guessing this was the result of a Treasury listing (click to see while it’s still active) — with a big thank-you to ~~my anonymous curator~~ Entropia who was the curator! I think I want to continue the practice from my first sale and use this as an an opportunity to promote someone else’s item from my Favorites, just as a PIF thank-you for the sale (see image at botttom of the post).

As always, 1% of this sale (and all my Etsy sales) will be donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

♥ ♥ ♥

I love these “Seaside Notecards in Lagoon,” from PeaseBlossomStudios. Snatch them up before I do!

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My First Sale!

2008-07-12T23:39:00.013-05:00

Like these? Well, you can’t have ’em because they sold! I’m really psyched about this. They went to a person who’s active doing positive things on Etsy, which was also very nice.

As a pay-it-forward kind of thank-you, I'm going to do a little promo here for one of the items in my Favorites. It’s from Little Hands Studios, which has a beautiful array of sushi plates. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I thought this Transparent Aqua Three-Striped Plate (below) was especially lovely. You can see all of Little Hands Studio’s work here.

1% of the sales price my first sale (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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Tangerine Pink

2008-07-09T00:03:00.004-05:00

Sounds nicer than pink with some orange, no? I had fun today practicing for an Etsy treasury. Goodness knows when I’ll ever be able to snag one, but I found a beautiful group of items. I don’t want to give away my theme, but if I don’t have success soon, I’ll post a sneak peek here.

My newest items for sale in the Etsy shop: a summery yellow set of Sunflower Marble Magnets (currently in the gallery in the right sidebar). I’m also quite happy with the way the Tangerine Pink Marbles turned out, pictured here.

1% of the sales price for these items (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

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New Item: Orange Green Happy!

2008-07-07T21:00:00.013-05:00

I don’t typically think of myself as an orange and green person (I'm all about blue and green). But these designs caught my eye: they’re so peppy and happy. As with most of the glass bubble magnets in my shop, I found these designs in random magazines.

1% of this sale (and all my Etsy sales) donated quarterly to earth-friendly nonprofits.

Update 7/15/08:

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The Etsy Shop Is Up and Running!

2008-07-06T00:03:00.003-05:00

First I learned how to make little magnets out of flat glass bubbles. Then I started seeing 1/2-inch circles, suitable for magnet-ing, in lots of magazines, newsletters, discarded business cards, and even political campaign stickers. Could an Etsy shop be far behind?

I listed the first couple items for the shop, called 13 Delancey Street, on July 4th: a set of glass marble magnets made from pages of the China Radio International reader newsletter, and a set called Ocean Blue (right) made from various magazines with gorgeous swimming pool shots.

I’m just going to add a few items at a time, so I don’t compete with myself on the site search. The most recent items added will be viewable here on the blog, on the upper right-hand column. The Etsy shop also has a RSS feed (see the lower-right hand corner of the shop home page). Or you can keep up here by subscribing via the link below!

For information on the shop’s 1% to charity program, see my earlier post.

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1% Donations to Earth Friendly Nonprofits

2008-07-04T14:03:00.015-05:00

When I started the Etsy shop, I knew I wanted to make the venture earth friendly. The materials themselves include glass, ceramic magnets, and upcycled paper items — magazines, newsletters, discarded business cards, and the occasional political campaign sticker. But I wanted to do more, so I decided that 1% of the store’s sales will be donated to what I’m loosely describing as “earth friendly nonprofits.” (I’m keeping this loose so I have flexibility to include a variety of groups.)

For the shop’s first quarter, I’ve chosen Carbonfund.org. I’m happy with the way they make carbon offsets easy, accessible, and affordable to individuals and I like the types of projects they fund. 13 Delancey Street will make a 1% donation each quarter (i.e., the first donation will be on October 1st, covering July – September). Check back here for details!

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Welcome to 13 Delancey Street!

2008-07-03T21:55:00.025-05:00

Welcome to the companion blog to our collection of upcycled baubles and trinkets, just for you. Our items will be available on Etsy around July 4th. In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek of a work in progress. Using flat glass marbles and found papers, these will be transformed into pretty and affordable bubble magnets. If you would like to be notified when 13 Delancey Street ~~goes live~~ adds new items on Etsy, post a comment!

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