crystal j. silk

Current Etsy Faves - Edition No.3

2009-11-05T19:43:00.010-05:00

Happy November! It's time for the 3rd edition of my Current Etsy Faves! It's been way too long...

This little collection is crisp, edgy and girly all at the same time! I like the pops of color mixing in with the subtle silver, black and creamy neutrals. Aren't they all so lovely together? Click the links below to check out all the fabulous shops:

1 | Sumiko Pretty Little Ginkgo Plate
2 | zelaya ruffle top
3 | PeaceImages Leaf Earrings vol. 2
4 | redsofa Famous - silver paint tube neckpiece
5 | BeadsInTheBelfry Party of Six - sterling stacking rings
6 | hometoroost RISE and SHINE wool felt pillow
7 | The Measure White petticoat with off-white ruffles
8 | spirocreations Tinkerbell Ballet Flats
9 | blockpartypress My Block Necklace

Fun Fall Features!

2009-10-29T22:28:00.027-05:00

Happy Fall! Hope you've been enjoying the change in the weather, I sure have! I've been meaning to show you these 3 little features (and add them to my featured section over there to the left too, teehee!)

The first one is Halloween inspired and very appropriate for the coming weekend! Check out these fun and fabulous handmade Halloween items over at My Shopping Connection. I just love the little kiddy shoes by Monkey-Toes! My black skull scarf is no. 12!

And here is a gorgeous collection of fall delights and lovely accessories from the IndieFixx bl og! I was pleasantly surprised when I saw both my turquoise skull scarf (no. 3, left) and my ginkgo scarf (no. 5, right) included in the mix! Don't you just love the little birdy pouch by Little Mary Moo's Place?!

It was so cool to find out that my robot graphic mousepad was on this cool site call Geeksuga r via one of my customers. They saw my mini-mousepads there and clicked over to Etsy and bought one. How nice! Thanks for the "love it or leave it" mention Geeksugar!

Have a great Halloween weekend! Boo.

crystal j. hand dyed silk ribbon!

2009-10-15T23:38:00.005-05:00

orange ribbon 17, originally uploaded by crrysstall.

The ribbon. My newest obsession. I've been having a ball dying the stuff lots of fun colors. I mentioned the ribbon last weekend and hinted at it in my scoutie girl finding passion interview, but figured that it deserved it's own little post here in light of the recent haps....I'm all excited because I just sold a bunch of it tonight! Plus, my braided silk ribbon is on it's way to France! I'm so stoked about having people {around the world} incorporate something I made into their projects! So fun! I'm really digging the supply thing, who knew?

I've got some more colors coming: pink and brown and olive green (can you tell I like green alot?). And also silk cord and 1/2" wide ribbon too. So stay tuned...

crystal j. halloween coloring pages!

2009-10-13T13:38:00.005-05:00

crystal j pumpkin - colored5, originally uploaded by crrysstall.

I've been thinking about offering something like this for a little while now and on a whim this morning put together a listing for this pumpkin coloring page. Your children (and maybe even you!) will enjoy coloring this original jack-o-lantern drawing! Check it out here!

PS - the special introductory price of 50 cents is for a limited time....

It's the Weekend, Baby!

2009-10-08T23:49:00.002-05:00

rainbow ribbon 6, originally uploaded by crrysstall.

Just wanted to pop over and tell you that I am having a sale in my Etsy shop this weekend! I am pleased to offer FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING on all items 10/9 - 10/11!

Have a great weekend!

PS - here's a peek at my newest handmade supplies line - crystal j. hand dyed ribbon! Check out all the colors!

finding passion | scoutie girl interview!

2009-09-22T11:50:00.006-05:00

Check out my {finding passion} interview on Scoutie Girl! SG , run by Tara Gentile, "is the blog with a penchant for the passionately handmade. [They] feature original design - from both emerging and established crafters - to enrich your life". I am so flattered to be a part of her finding passion series! I think it's always so interesting to see what other artist are passionate about or motivated or inspired by. I loved Tara's questions, they were more thoughtful than some of the others that I have done in the past. I always get a little timid when it's time to do interview questions, but I sat myself down and cranked through them all (well there were only five), but they took some deep thought. It took me hours and I was finally done at 4am and closed my eyes and hit the send button. Tara was so on the ball, she had the post up by 7:30 am that morning! Sweet.

I am so grateful to get the opportunity to share a bit about what I do with everybody via such a phenomenal blog. If you haven't visited Scoutie Girl it is a must if you are into indie crafts/design/artwork. Thanks a million Tara, go Scoutie Girl!

PS - the scarf shown above is my newest design - the ginkgo. It is such a fascinating tree (did you know it's considered a living fossil?) and I really enjoy painting the fan shaped leaves. Watch for a different colorway to come out soon...

Indie Fixx Fall Galleria!

2009-09-15T12:19:00.009-05:00

Starting tomorrow I'll be in the Indie Fixx Fall Galleria! The Indie Fixx Galleria is an "online gallery of indie goods. The gallery is like an 'indie mall' featuring a juried mix of indie designers & boutiques." Indie Fixx, created by Jen Wallace, is a rad website that is the "celebration of the creativity, tenacity, and general spunky goodness that is the indie design movement." I am ecstatic to join the other talented artists and designers that will also be displaying their work over there!

The galleria will go live tomorrow, September 16 and will run through October 31. Click below to enter.

As a special treat I will be offering free shipping on all of the items displayed in the Indie Fixx Fall Galleria. Just enter INDIEFIXX in the notes to seller at checkout and I will refund your shipping cost. Cool.

Current Etsy Faves - Edition No. 2

2009-09-14T14:04:00.004-05:00

It's time for Edition No. 2 of my Current Etsy Faves!

Hard to believe it's been about 6 weeks since the first one! Take a peek at what I've been lovin on. It's always such an eye opener to look at these items as a collection; looks like I am trending fresh cool colors and cirlces. Other words that come to mind are feminine, airy and whimsical...

Please click the links below to get to these awesome items:

1 | RedPrairiePress Green Lantern Tee
2 | talkingsquid Recycled T-Shirt Rug
3 | dalinda Plonkas II clutch
4 | OnTheInside Summersweet Bra
5 | munaluna small robot plush - stripes
6 | lovepetitzakkajapan Polka Dot Masking Tape
7 | BrianaEdelmanDesigns Green and White Forest Silhouette clutch
8 | itsastitch Clearly Lavender Necklace
9 | EmmaDear Vintage Blue/Ecru Trim

Handmade Holiday 2009 ::Call for Entries::

2009-09-14T08:51:00.003-05:00

Handmade Holiday Craft Show

What: A Juried Indie Craft Show in Richmond, Virginia.

Why: Buy Handmade, Buy Local!

Who: The Richmond Craft Mafia, The Visual Arts Center of Richmond and some of Richmond's most talented indie crafters.

Where: The Visual Arts Center of Richmond (formerly the Hand Workshop) on Main Street.

When: Preview Party, Friday Evening, December 11th - 7-10pm
Open to the Public - Saturday - December 12th 10 am - 5 pm

How: Applications for Handmade Holiday Craft Show will be available online from September 5 - October 10th. Applications are only available online. Only crafters living in the Richmond, Virginia area will be eligible (applicants must be within a 30-mile radius of the City of Richmond). Please read and fill out the application carefully - only complete applications will be considered.

Click Here to Apply

Application - Deadline October 10, 2009

instant gratification!

2009-09-03T20:55:00.005-05:00

black + blue skull scarf 8, originally uploaded by crrysstall.

I've got a few ::in stock:: skull scarves in the shop right now. Check out the "bruised + decayed" medium square (shown above) and "bronzy" oblong skull scarves . That's right, these guys are just waiting to go to a new home, no 3-4 week wait like my other ::freshly made to order:: scarves.

Gonna try to keep a few in stock pieces listed all the time for those that need {or want} a scarf right away, so check back often to see what's new (and ready to go)in the shop. Waiting is so hard isn't it?

papernstitch exhibit no. 2

2009-08-25T15:55:00.008-05:00

So excited to be doing another round of papernstitch! They've doubled our shop space so in addition to scarves and ties, now there's room for mousepads. I'll be showcasing some new mousepads just in time for back-to-school shopping. Hurrah!

They are doing a lot of new things over at papernstitch and I can't wait to see the new site. I'm also stoked because I've heard (via twitter, of course) that 2 of my craft buddies will be exhibiting too - Modern June and girlscantell. So check them out too while you're over there.

The shop will be live on Wednesday, August 26 and will run through September 29. See you there!

nerdlike.com + crystal j.!

2009-08-18T13:14:00.006-05:00

If you are into the latest in hip-hop, shopping music and art, then you should check out nerdlike.com. This week my brain graphic mousepad is featured on the site and I'm giving one away!

Check out some of my other mousepads too. Great for back-to-school.

Current Etsy Faves - Edition No. 1 - Take No. 2

2009-08-13T14:54:00.006-05:00

Okay, so last week on a whim I posted these 9 items from my current Etsy favorites. Etsy has this little tool called the mini that allows you to easily do such things. It's so nifty, that it even updates itself - even in my previous post - when new faves are added. so, if you were to look at that post on any given day it would not reflect what I said in that post. So, in order to preserve said faves, I have to approach this another way. So, here again are my favorites, Edition No. 1 - here to stay forever more. Hooray!

You may click the links below to get to the lovely items shown.

1 | janesays HOPE Hoops
2 | jibrionline Dream Spring Dress
3 | valhallabrooklyn 9 pocket Vigga wristlet clutch
4 | MudHutt drift off to a daydream dish
5 | Thrush The Simone Cousteau scarf
6 | Vintage50sEyewear Vintage French Aurora Rhinestone Eyeglasses
7 | 81giftstation Paper Pack for Origami
8 | wiyomu Springtime Song I necklace
9 | MiaJoie Celia Peep Toe Baby Shoes

Man, last week was crazy!

2009-08-11T15:11:00.018-05:00

But in a good way. My black skull scarf was in this Etsy Finds: Live and Let Dye article/newsletter, my rainbow scarf was featured on this cool blog called bud, this skull scarf was on the Etsy front page, the mushroom scarf and rainbow scarves were in Etsy treasuries, sold my first eco fused plastic pouch on Etsy (that's the pic above), got 2 new email blog readers [Welcome, welcome!] and sold something from my Etsy shop almost every day last week. Not to mention some interesting conversations and inquiries to boot. On top of all that I had a giveaway going on that I was promoting on twitter all week. Phew! For me, that is unprecedented. Hard to know how much of it was interconnected or if one thing led to another but I do know that it felt awesome!

Despite all the twitter promotion, I still hadn't reached 10 retweets to end the giveaway by the end of the week. Today, I mentioned it again and ended up getting the latter half of the tweets in less than an hour (the first 5 took all week!). Lesson learned, you gotta keep it going, no matter how long it takes! You just never know, right!? Super shout outs to everyone who participated - all wonderful members of the growing crafty community on twitter. It was fun and thanks to them all I would like to do another giveaway soon.

Congrats to kimmyxoxo, ascrappydesign and monkeydogstudio who will be getting their very own fused plastic mirrors. I know that's 3, but I think it was a virtual tie between kimmy and scrappy and I just wanted to thank my fellow craft mafiosa Janet of MonkeyDogStudio who was always keeping it going til the end! :)

The paper n stitch exhibition has been extended until August 23 so I decided to extend my mirror deal until then too. Especially since I still have a few left...

Free Upcycled Fused Plastic Mirror!

2009-08-04T13:22:00.014-05:00

I know you've been on the edge of your seat waiting for my new deal for week 4 in my papernstitch shop...

This week I am giving away 3" upcycled fused plastic mirrors along with any pns purchase! Check out this little goody - it even comes in it's own little fused plastic pouch! There is a limited supply and these are not listed in my Etsy shop, so this is the only way that they are available right no. When they are gone, that's it. Since my first pns exhibit is over halfway through, let's make this week's deal super interesting. I will give one mirror - NO PURCHASE NECESSARY - to the 10th person to retweet this post. Go!

I'd love to send you an upcycled mirror and have you along! You can sign up under the SUBSCRIBE column to the left or follow me on twitter in order to receive free shipping.

If you are already signed up: checkout will be via Etsy.
1. Retweet this blog post via the retweet button at the bottom of the post.
2. Put your username or email address in the notes to seller (so I know it's you).
3. I will send you an eco-cutey mirror along with your purchase.
4. Feel free to email me if you have questions.

Cheers!

-Crystal

PS - Please vote for me by clicking on the little heart to the left while you are visiting. Thx!

My Current Etsy Faves!

2009-07-30T11:57:00.002-05:00

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
crrysstall.etsy.com

I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at my Etsy favorites in this way. How pretty. I am obviously subconsciously attracted to certain colors. Can you say pink + aqua? If you are on Etsy, I encourage you to look at your faves in this format sometimes. You may learn something about yourself. I did.

free shipping!

2009-07-27T10:22:00.009-05:00

It's halfway through my paper n stitch exhibition and here's a new deal for week 3.

Free shipping! I always ship my scarves and ties (all snugglywrapped in pretty tissue paper) via USPS Priority Mail and this week it is free. No one enjoys paying for shipping, and it always a bonus to find that the item you are purchasing will be sent to you at no charge. So, starting today, July 27 through August 2, all items in my paper n stitch shop will be sent to you for free.

I'd love to offer you shipping at no charge have you along! You can sign up under the SUBSCRIBE column to the left or follow me on twitter in order to receive free shipping.

If you are already signed up: checkout will be via Etsy.
1. Retweet this blog post via the retweet button at the bottom of the post.
2. Put your username or email address in the notes to seller (so I know it's you).
3. I will send you a revised invoice with the adjusted price.
4. Feel free to email me if you have questions.

Cheers!

-Crystal

PS - Please vote for me by clicking on the little heart to the left while you are visiting. Thx!

Awwww...

2009-07-25T17:26:00.002-05:00

bunny tie11, originally uploaded by crrysstall.

Have you seen my bunny rabbit necktie bouncing around? This was one of those special custom projects that makes creating things for people so rewarding.

My customer wanted to give her vet a gift to show her appreciation for taking special care of her pet rabbit that was very sick. After the tie was designed and completed, she informed me that the bunny passed away. The vet had done everything possible [for the bunny that had lived a very long life in bunny years] and the tie was even now more special. Awww...

It was such a sweet story, I just had to share. I had fun with this cute little bunny, so maybe he will be hopping on some other items soon.

mixing it up!

2009-07-21T22:04:00.003-05:00

turquoise skull scarf13, originally uploaded by crrysstall.

Here's a custom skull scarf in turquoise. I love this color and can't believe I haven't done the skullies in this color before! This version also mixes it up with both large and small skulls. Get yours here.

personalize it for free!

2009-07-20T09:42:00.011-05:00

What an exhilarating week last week was with the opening of my paper n stitch exhibition. Let the excitement continue!

Week 2 for the paper n stitch shop shall be just as fun. I will be featuring a few new items and a new promotion! If you slept on the 20% off sale last week, no worries, I've got a nice deal for you this week. Starting today, July 19 through July 26, add a name, initial or word to any scarf for free! My scarves are all freshly made: hand-drawn and hand painted to order, so each one is different, but why not add a little something to make it uniquely yours? Or if you are giving a scarf as a gift, what a lovely surprise the recipient would have upon discovering their name on their new scarf!

I'd love to personalize a scarf for you and have you along! You can sign up under the SUBSCRIBE column to the left or follow me on twitter in order to receive your free personalization.

If you are already signed up: checkout will be via Etsy.
1. Retweet this blog post via the retweet button at the bottom of the post.
2. When ordering, don't forget to include the add your name or initials to your scarf listing to the basket.
3. Put your username or email address in the notes to seller (so I know it's you)
4. Put the personalization you would like in the notes to seller.
5. I will send you a revised invoice with the adjusted price.
6. Feel free to email me if you have questions.

Cheers!

-Crystal

PS - Stay tuned for more on the new items!
PPS - Please vote for me by clicking on the little heart to the left while you are visiting. Thx!

vote for me!

2009-07-13T08:11:00.005-05:00

I don't usually do this this, but... Can you vote for me? See that little heart to the left of my shop name? Click it!

paper n stitch holds a most votes contest with each cycle. Each click of the little heart on the left side of my shop will bring my votes up. I can win a cash prize and also a spot in the next exhibit! The contest runs until Friday, August 14 before the exhibition closes.

a special thank you!

2009-07-12T23:59:00.008-05:00

I've been wanting to do something special to thank my email blog subscribers for awhile. I also have been wanting to show my twitter followers a little love too. Thank you all for listening (well, reading)!

What better way to kick off my paper n stitch shop opening by offering a
20% discount on all items in my pns shop for the first week July 13 - July 19.

I've never done anything like this, so I'm super excited!!!

I'd love to give you 20% off and have you along! You can sign up under the SUBSCRIBE column to the left or follow me on twitter.

If you are already signed up: checkout will be via Etsy.
1. Retweet this blog post via the retweet button at the bottom of the post.
2. Put your username or email address in the notes to seller (so I know it's you)
2. I will send you a revised invoice with the adjusted price.
3. Feel free to email me if you have questions.

Cheers!

-Crystal

paper n stitch!

2009-07-10T18:12:00.010-05:00

Hey, so I'm going to be in paper n stitch's upcoming exhibition! It will be running from Monday, July 13 through Sunday, August 16. Paper N Stitch "is an online exhibition space that was created to promote talented artists, designers, makers selling handmade goods, and independent boutiques. The exhibition space is curated monthly and showcases the best of the best on an international level." Find out more here.

Needless to say, I was flattered when I got the email yesterday from Brittni informing me that I was selected to be a part of the next exhibit. I am super excited, I started to add products to the shop last night - I feel like I'm getting ready for a craft show.

I found out about paper n stitch via twitter and fell in love with the look and feel of the site immediately. All of the shops have such beautiful offerings, I will be in such great company!

I've been contemplating doing a few specials/promos for a bit and I think now is the time to kick em off. With the extra exposure I will hopefully be gaining in the coming weeks, I decided it would be opportune to do something special each week. So stay tuned to see what coming. New ish, discounts and free gifts kinda stuff. Yep.

So on Monday don't forget to

SHOP WILL BE LIVE STARTING 7.13.09

Thx.

Cupcake Fashion!

2009-06-19T14:25:00.005-05:00

Cupcakes are always fun. Whether you're baking them, decorating them or eating them. Let that feeling of cupcake whimsy spill over into your wardrobe! How enjoyable would it be to pair this up with your super serious business suit at your next big meeting or to sweeten up a pair of jeans and white tank top?

This one is in yummy shades of chocolate and creamy mocha with pink (of course!) and a touch of blue. But, I can't wait to make more in lots of other luscious flavors (colors) because I must admit I was a bit restrained with the palette for this one. I wanted to go crazy with color, but also wanted to keep it simple and pretty at the same time. So much fun to be had with coloring these babies up! No holding back on my next one - I think I'm going to for lots of color a la my patchwork pillows.

Be my inspiration. What are your favorite cupcake flavors?

Recent Craft Shows :: My thoughts and reflections

2009-05-13T14:57:00.009-05:00

Craft shows. What shall I say. Where do I begin with this post. Hmm.....

Well, I just got done doing 3 in a row, 2 outside and 1 inside. Always different, always a challenge. I, unlike many other crafters, don't have a specific booth set up. Yet. Let just say, my display is a work in progress. I am a big fan of process, so it doesn't bother me too much. I keep the elements I like and that work, but switch things up with each show as the need to display different sorts of product arises and as I add more pieces to my collection of display items. This past Christmas my husband gave me a half-form mannequin! It was exciting to use it for the first time and I tried a few different things with it already.

Prime example of my changery was at Arts in the Park, a rainy weekend show. I had 2 different set-ups on both days. The more sunny day, I had more of an open feel with the tables spread apart, customers were able to go to different areas of "my shop" to see different product. I had a table with just graphic tees, one was on the half-form with neckties displayed around the neck. But I chose to simplify things a bit on Sunday (the rain was a catalyst). I pushed all the tables together in a line and had everything right in the middle of the tent. I think I actually liked that better and may do that more. I went crazy and tied my oblong scarves around the body form and it was not bad, I may do that again too. Displaying my scarves has always been particularly challenging, so a new thing I've been trying out (before the mannequin thing on Sunday) is tying them on my rolling rack (on crazy Sunday I hung the ties from it). Previously I had been using a very lightweight wooden drying rack for display, and I'm not quite sure which I like better yet. The drying rack is always being knocked over or the wind blows it over, but I think you could see more of the scarf design from afar.

This is my second rainy show and this time I was better prepared. I bought 2 clear shower curtains to use as walls for my tent in case of rain. The first day it rained a little, so the 2 were sufficient, but I stocked up the next day with 6 more as the weather was promised to be rainy and stormy all day. I put the shower curtains up with wooden clothespins overlapping them at the corners and also leaving an opening at the front of my booth for entry. I used 6 to do this, so I still had 2 additional curtains in case it got really bad and had to completely enclose myself in my clear tent pod as I like to call it. It was so nice and cozy after I got them all up. I had plenty of light from all 3 sides (I had one white wall up at the back) and didn't get wet at all. I would highly recommend getting the clear shower curtains if you do outdoor shows - I think I may even use them sometimes if it's not rainy. They provide a bit of privacy/separation, but you don't feel secluded in a cave-like way.

I was even thinking maybe I could use the clear walls as a display of sorts for those pesky scarves....

I took some pics of my set-up as usual, but didn't think to get pics of the tent from the outside with the clear curtains up. Duh! But you can kind of see them in the background of the photo.

If you want to see more pics of some of the set-ups at the other craft shows go here.