Thursday, December 30, 2010

OK...So Cute!!

While reading the Hawthorne Threads Newsletter, I saw this incredibly sweet free quilt pattern you can find here. It is made from THE cutest Paper Dolls fabric from Studio e Fabrics. Just had to share in case you hadn't seen it!

Happy Thursday! Amy

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

This Week's Amys Giveaway

If you head on over to the Amys in the Arts blog, you'll find out what AmyCanSew is giving away this week and how you can enter.

Happy Tuesday! Amy

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

A Winner and a New Giveaway!

I'm sending out a big congratulations to Justine of Justine's Jewelery as the winner of my giveaway from last week! Thank you to all of you who took the time to enter - I enjoyed reading all the comments!

This week you'll find another giveaway on the Amys in the Arts Blog. Amy Johnson of Amy Sews is giving away one winner's choice teddy bear! Check out the details in this post.

Happy Tuesday! Amy

Friday, December 10, 2010

Craft Show Setup

I recently participated in my first craft show in 2 years. It was a lot of fun getting back into the groove after taking a craft show haitus after my daughter was born. I made some modifications to the look of my booth, and thought I'd share some of the photos with you in case you are looking for set up ideas. (Unfortunately, the background is very cluttered, as my booth was in a first grade classroom right in front of the teacher's area!)

First off, this was an indoor show, so I knew I'd have a small rectangular space to work with. I chose to stick with one folding table, but also used a new grid wall section that I recently purchased. I used it to hang some of my pouches, my card case key chains, hair clippy caddies, and lanyards. And because I have a lot of color in my items I stuck with using a white table cloth to drape my table.

Once my table was set up I used several different items to create depth and height to my table. At one end was an inexpensive, plastic shelf that you snap together very easily into the configuration you need. I had used a much more elaborate version of these shelves a few years ago for an outdoor show, and after being exposed to my children since then this was about all I had left to work with, so I made do. At the other end was a cute hanging purse display that I used to hang some of my totes and purses. I kept all of the denim totes together for a uniform look, while all of the gray totes sat on the table top.

For my smaller items, I used a diverse group of serving pieces. The ideas was for customers to be able to pick up the plates and trays to look more closely at the items rather than having to bend over to rummage through everything. So rings went on black and white tiered serving dishes, and a festive gift box was available for my smaller zip pouches, and my fabric covered magnets were stuck onto bright blue tins. These I made available as a mix and match bunch so that I didn't have to worry about keeping like magnets together. Then when they were purchased I could put the sets into gift boxes for the customer.

As I'm sure you have experienced, I had tons of folks coming by telling me how beautiful my items were, but not browsing long enough to make a selection and purchase. So my goal was to right away when someone started looking was to offer them a "free bookmark". This of course was one of my Moo cards! The front of my Moo cards have a delightful, colorful photo I took of several of my pencil cases, and on the back had all of my business info. Then I hole punched them, and added a colorful ribbon to make the bookmark. People are always up for a freebie, so this at least got my information into their hands, and hopefully in a form they will be hesitant to throw away. The longer they hold onto their SewArtsy bookmark, the more likely they are to remember my product and make their way into my Etsy store at a later date.

How have your craft shows gone this holiday shopping season? Do you have any great tips for set up ideas, or for getting your business information into customers' hands? I'm pooped just from doing the one show this year, but I'm excited to see what opportunities next year will hold for me. I hope you're taking time to enjoy the season while still staying busy in your shops or doing your handmade shopping!

Happy Friday! Amy

Monday, December 6, 2010

It's My Week in the Nine Weeks of Amy!

I'm up this week over on the Amys in the Arts blog. It's week 6 of the Nine Weeks of Amy! Find out about a sale going on in my shop, and what I'll be giving away at the end of the week. There are many ways to enter, but only one winner - stop by and get your entries in today!

Happy Monday! Amy

Saturday, December 4, 2010

New Holiday Catalog Especially For Those Who Like To Shop Local

The Capital Region Etsy Street Team (CREST) has compiled an online holiday catalog representing many of the artists involved in this team. It is a great tool for those interested in doing online holiday shopping, and wanting to buy from local vendors.

Here's the link: http://issuu.com/crest/docs/crest

Vendors are listed in alphabetical order, each with vendor name, a link to their shop, a description of what they make, and a sample photo. It's very pretty and perfect for perusing just in time for the shopping season!

Enjoy!

Happy Saturday! Amy

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Another New Ring Style!

I'm super excited about these little gems. Talk about sparkly! I'll have several of these rings, all one of a kind, in the SewArtsy shop over the next few days. They are each hand beaded onto button bases before being glued onto the adjustable base. These will be great for holiday parties, adding a little handmade bling to your outfit!


Happy Tuesday! Amy

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Rings for Your Little Girls

One of the new items that I've not had in the SewArtsy shop before, but made for my recent craft show, is a tiny button ring perfect for little girls' fingers. They are super sweet. I've made hearts and flowers so far, and am getting them listed into my Etsy shop.


These cute little rings have copper colored bases, so they are easy to tell apart from my regular sized rings. They fit snuggly on my pinky which is about a size 5. And of course they adjust from there - a little bit bigger, and squeezed to smaller sizes.

How do you like them?

Happy Sunday! Amy

Saturday, November 27, 2010

New items! Can you believe it?


There are new items in the shop tonight! And more to come! I worked really hard to get lots of items made for a recent craft show, and now I'm excited to share some new totes, pouches and rings with you that are still in my inventory. Here's a little eye candy before you start clicking!


Happy Saturday! Amy

Monday, November 22, 2010

Another Giveaway - Gift Certificate from ARJarvis!

The Nine Weeks of Amy rolls on with a new giveaway from Arjarvis. Come see how you can win a gift certificate for Amy's store at the Amys in the Arts Blog.

Happy Monday! Amy

Monday, November 15, 2010

New Amys Giveaway!

This week head on over to the Amys blog, and enter for your chance to win 2 incredible pairs of earrings from the fabulous Ami Allison of Alililly! There are so many chances to win!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Ever Wonder Where I Started?

Oh, crafting, how I love thee! Let me count the ways!


I'm a life-long crafter. It all began with my first coloring pages, and box of scissors, glue, pom poms and stickers. I'd have to say from very early on I've been obsessed with the line of things. In most of my own art, line is everything. It's the shape of things I'm most struck by. I draw, I paint, I color, I sew, and that's how SewArtsy came about.

My mom sewed almost all of my clothes growing up. There were dresses for every special occasion, adorable summer clothes, bathing suits and cover-ups, homecoming dresses, prom dresses, and yes, even my wedding gown. I learned to pin and cut patterns at an early age. But somewhere along the way while I was being formed in the womb, I was not handed the garment-sewing gene! I tried early on to learn how to sew my own clothes, much to my own, and my mother's, frustration. It didn't take long until I just labeled myself a pinner and cutter, and left all of the garment sewing to her - and I still do! I'm not ashamed of it. I'm just more of a straight seam kind of girl - I want to make shapes. I became a fabulous sewer of pillows and little stuffed critters, and I found a love of buttons and embellishments! Eventually I learned a little about quilting, and found that I really enjoyed that. I could use fabulous fabrics, in a variety of cut shapes, and could embellish my finished works to my hearts content. One day I wanted to turn my pieced fabrics into a tote, and once I finished it I was hooked on handbags. Eventually I started making modifications to a basic tote pattern - resizing, reshaping, adding zippers, adding pockets, changing handles. Now I love designing accessories to go with my bags, and I'm much more confident and at ease with my sewing supplies. And of course with my embellishments! Buttons, crystals and appliques are my favorites, can't you tell?


For the record I still can't sew a garment to save my life, and I'm still not ashamed!

Happy Monday! Amy

See how my other CREST teammates started in their crafts:
Sandi Volpe Handcrafted Jewelry
Birchtreejewelry
CT2Designs
SapphireChild
RaineStudios
The Twisted Cow
JenniferLynnProductions
Fripperie
Turqouise Angels
PurpleCloverArt

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Amys in the Arts: week 2 of the Nine Weeks of Amy ... win a gift cer...

A new Amys giveaway has been announced on the Amys in the Arts blog! Please check it out to win an awesome giveaway from fellow Amy of Suburban Graffiti!

Amys in the Arts: week 2 of the Nine Weeks of Amy ... win a gift cer...

Happy Sunday! Amy

Sunday, October 31, 2010

The Nine Weeks of Amy Has Begun!

Starting this week, the Amys in the Arts team will be introducing you to our members, and giving away prizes! Yes, prizes! Come learn about our members each Sunday, and what we'll be giving away each week.

This promotion will run now through December.

This week, learn about Amy Olszak of Handmade by Amy!

Happy Sunday! Amy

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

A Little Inspiration

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

A beautiful fabric collection has caught my eye today, and I wanted to share it with you to spread a little inspiration! You can find this collection over at Hawthorne Threads. Modern Affair in the Passionate Palette by Patricia Bravo has that orange I'm crazy about right now mixed in with some other soft colors. I find this collection a good mix of heavy and light prints - great for mixing feels and textures of print! There's also a blue, green and yellow colorway called Serene.

Enjoy the eye candy! Amy