Borrow My Pen?

A few weeks ago Erik and I were running errands and shopping down around our old haunt neighborhood of Monroe Avenue and Oxford Square. One of my all time favorite shops has been there for ages. It's called Archimage. They sell all sorts of silly things, fun things, Asian pottery, drums, incense, jewelry, wood knickknacks, little Buddhas, stationery, and clothing. Much of my money could happily be spent here and has been over the last 20 years.

Erik found these hilarious pens. The package says “Borrow My Pen?”. The pens are designed to be handed out to those annoying coworkers, bosses, friends, and parole officers who are always asking to borrow your pen. Now you can shame them into shape. These pens have hilarious sayings for fake businesses on them. For example, one says:

Springfield Sexual Addiction Center
From PERV to PERFECT in as little as 10 days
Curbing your enthusiasm since 1998
www.cold-shower.com

Another reads:

Stuffed With Love Taxidermy
No Pet Too Small – Give Us A Call
(ask about our goldfish and turtle discount)
www.fluffy4ever.com

So feel free to lend these pens out and watch your friends faces when they read them! No one will be asking to borrow your pen anymore!

How To Create An Etsy Mini For Anyone

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

An Etsy Mini is a way to have items from your Etsy shop show up on any page you can put the HTML code for it. It's a very useful tool for blogging and promoting.

When you want an Etsy Mini for someone the usual way to go about it is to have to ask the shop keeper for their code. But if you know how to read it is possible to create an Etsy Mini for any shop. All you need is the shop name and the shop ID number – which is found in the right sidebar of the shop’s profile page.

Ready to get your hands dirty with a little HTML? Below I show you how to change your Etsy Mini - the Flash version of the HTML code – to another shop’s Etsy Mini.

1. First thing to do is go to “Your Etsy” > “Etsy Mini”.

2. Make selections for the options based on how you want the finished Etsy Mini for the other shop to show up. Choose "Items from my shop".

3. Copy the Flash version of the HTML by highlighting all of it and doing a regular copy of the text.

4. Paste this code into a document that you can edit: Word or Text Editor, for example.

5. Go to the shop you want the Etsy Mini code for and copy their shop ID number from their profile page.

6. Paste this at the end of your document so we can come back to it.

7. Highlight and copy the shop name – inmyheadstudios for example.

8. Paste that to the bottom of your document as well.

9. Now it’s time to switch the code up. All you have to do is replace the shop ID number and shop name (user name) in your Etsy Mini code.

Here is my Etsy Mini code:

<table style="text-align: center;"><tr><td><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.etsy.com/flash/spots/etsy_mini.swf?user_id=5354473&user_name=inmyheadstudios&item_source=shop&item_size=gallery&rows=2&columns=2" width="354" height="362"><param name="movie" value="http://www.etsy.com/flash/spots/etsy_mini.swf?user_id=5354473&user_name=inmyheadstudios&item_source=shop&item_size=gallery&rows=2&columns=2" /></object></td></tr><tr><td><a style="color:#D35701; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight:bold" href="http://www.etsy.com">Etsy: Your place to buy &amp; sell all things handmade</a><br/><a style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:12px; color:#0192B5; text-decoration: none;" href="http://inmyheadstudios.etsy.com">inmyheadstudios.etsy.com</a></td></tr></table>

Wait! Don't run off yet because the code above looks like gobbledeegook to you!! Stay with me! This is EASY!

In this example I’m going to change the code to make a Mini for my good friend Firebirdhouse.

My user ID number (5354473) shows up twice in the HTML code as shown below:

<table style="text-align: center;"><tr><td><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.etsy.com/flash/spots/etsy_mini.swf?user_id=5354473&user_name=inmyheadstudios&item_source=shop&item_size=gallery&rows=2&columns=2" width="354" height="362"><param name="movie" value="http://www.etsy.com/flash/spots/etsy_mini.swf?user_id=5354473&user_name=inmyheadstudios&item_source=shop&item_size=gallery&rows=2&columns=2" /></object></td></tr><tr><td><a style="color:#D35701; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight:bold" href="http://www.etsy.com">Etsy: Your place to buy &amp; sell all things handmade</a><br/><a style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:12px; color:#0192B5; text-decoration: none;" href="http://inmyheadstudios.etsy.com">inmyheadstudios.etsy.com</a></td></tr></table>

All you have to do is switch out the user ID number for the other shop. Simple copy and paste action. As you can see from her profile page her shop ID number is 6174558.

10. The “user name” shows up in the HTML code in four places as shown below:

<table style="text-align: center;"><tr><td><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.etsy.com/flash/spots/etsy_mini.swf?user_id=5354473&user_name=inmyheadstudios&item_source=shop&item_size=gallery&rows=2&columns=2" width="354" height="362"><param name="movie" value="http://www.etsy.com/flash/spots/etsy_mini.swf?user_id=5354473&user_name=inmyheadstudios&item_source=shop&item_size=gallery&rows=2&columns=2" /></object></td></tr><tr><td><a style="color:#D35701; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight:bold" href="http://www.etsy.com">Etsy: Your place to buy &amp; sell all things handmade</a><br/><a style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:12px; color:#0192B5; text-decoration: none;" href="http://inmyheadstudios.etsy.com">inmyheadstudios.etsy.com</a></td></tr></table>

Again all you have to do is switch out the shop user name for the other shop. Simple copy and paste action.

I switched out the information from Firebirdhouse’s shop and now I have the code for her Etsy Mini:

<table style="text-align: center;"><tr><td><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.etsy.com/flash/spots/etsy_mini.swf?user_id=6174558&user_name= Firebirdhouse &item_source=shop&item_size=gallery&rows=2&columns=2" width="354" height="362"><param name="movie" value="http://www.etsy.com/flash/spots/etsy_mini.swf?user_id=6174558&user_name= Firebirdhouse &item_source=shop&item_size=gallery&rows=2&columns=2" /></object></td></tr><tr><td><a style="color:#D35701; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight:bold" href="http://www.etsy.com">Etsy: Your place to buy &amp; sell all things handmade</a><br/><a style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:12px; color:#0192B5; text-decoration: none;" href="http:// Firebirdhouse.etsy.com"> Firebirdhouse.etsy.com</a></td></tr></table>

This is what Firebirdhouse's Etsy Mini now looks like:

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

See? That wasn't all that hard! Knowing a bit about HTML can be a big help!

To see more simple HTML you can use go to this Google support article about HTML. This article adds more to what the last one showed.

Hope this helps you out when you need an Etsy Mini for another shop!

Local Treasures From Rochester, NY

We have an amazing amount of art and culture in Rochester, NY for the size city we are. There is always something going on in the arts to go check out. We have world class museums and art galleries. We even have a Neighborhood of the Arts (NOTA)! A lot of galleries, artists’ studios, and cool little shops are part of the NOTA.

Because our city is so generous to the arts community we have a treasure trove of local talent to show off. I belong to the Rochester NY Etsy Street Team (RNEST). We are a group of local sellers from Etsy coming together to network and promote. RNEST has some amazing members. I made a Treasury to show you some of the handmade goodness!

It will bring our Treasury up in the rankings if you click each item in the Treasury. Then please leave a comment! Thanks!

Click the image to visit the Treasury!

Lilac Festival 2010

I spent a lovely Sunday at Rochester’s Lilac Festival at Highland Park. The weather was perfect – not too hot, not too cold. Due to the nice weather every single person living in the Rochester metro area was also in attendance at the Lilac Fest on Sunday, too. It was the most crowded I’ve ever seen Highland Park! This giant 10-day festival kicks off the local summer season of outdoor festivals and art and craft shows.

The aisles down the craft show rows were shoulder to shoulder with people. It was kind of hard to see all the great arts and crafts! Plus I dislike crowds so I was having a mini-panic attack. We attempted to make our way to the food tent. The path was just a river of moving bodies inching forward ever so slowly. When we got to the food tent there simply was not room to get inside. So we got out of there (much to my relief!) and went elsewhere for some garbage plates.

I was surprised to see how few local artists I recognized from doing shows here for the past two seasons. My friends Amanda Preske from Beadwork By Amanda, Jennifer Born from PS Enjoy Your Life, and Stefani Tadio from Pine Tree Designs were there with their arts and crafts. And that was it. Most of the business cards I picked up are artists from Pennsylvania, Arizona, or Buffalo. Very few locals. And I picked up a lot of business cards!

Stefani and I have formed a really cool friendship, email a lot, and sometimes do projects together. This was her first big outdoor show with the whole tent-setting-up business and leaving things out overnight. Her tent and set up looked great! And she did really well, too! I’m so happy for her! Plus now I get to pick her brain for when I finally get up the nerve to buy a tent and do outdoor shows.

Here are some pictures of her awesome booth:

Small notecards and adorable hand stitched paper pins

Hand stitched greeting cards and paper magnets

I love Stefani's Sticky Notes Holders!!

My plan for 2011 includes doing outdoor shows like this one. I have no idea how much inventory I would need. Maybe I better shut off the computer and Twitter and get crafting!

"Memories Under Glass" Class

A few months ago Marilynne Lipschutz from Studio 34 emailed me through Etsy to ask if I would like to teach a class at her studio about microscope slide glass pendants. To be honest I was totally shocked. I had kind of stopped making them because I really do not enjoy one part of the finishing process very much. But I love to teach so I said yes!

Many conversations were had about supplies and how the whole teaching thing works at the studio. Marilynne is super nice to work with! We settled on how to go about this and scheduled a practice class so we could see how it would go.

Me, my mom, and my twin sister. Cannot tell we're related at all, can you?

I asked my buddies Augie, his very kind girlfriend, my artsy friend Stefani Tadio (see her pendant here), and my twin sister Valerie (and Marilynne sat in, too) to come to the class. I’ve known Augie for about 20 years. We met in high school in Fairport. He’s one of the funniest people I know so he spent the whole class being a smart ass and it was hilarious! We all had a ball! Lots of laughing to stave off my very serious case of the nerves. It took longer than I thought it was going to to teach five people how to put together soldered pendants. But that was one of the reasons we did the practice class so we could know how long to make the class. Everyone’s pendants came out really well.

So if you are in the Rochester, NY area and want to learn how to make a soldered pendant the classes are scheduled for Monday, April 12th from 2-5 pm and again on Tuesday, April 27th from 6-9 pm. Studio 34 is located at 34 Elton Street in the Neighborhood of the Arts. Cost: $35 + $15 for supplies. Call Studio 34 at 585-737-5858 to register.

I would love it if you joined us! It’s going to be really fun!

“Memories Under Glass” Class Description:

“This class will teach you how to create your very own photo or artwork keepsake Microscope Slide Glass Soldered Pendant. Learn about soldering iron safety and care, some basic stained glass techniques such as cutting glass, the use of copper tape and solder flux, and a little wire working. You will complete one double-sided pendant in this class. We will also discuss working with paper and photos for collage using the 1 inch by 1 inch canvas.

You will need to bring TWO photos or your own artworks that measure no bigger than 1 inch by 1 inch. The pendants are double sided so you need two images to use. Examples of things that can be put in pendants: pictures of your kids or pets, paper of any kind, real lace, and tiny pieces of original artwork. The two pieces of art or photos should not be thicker than 1/16th inch when sandwiched together back to back.”

Monday, April 12th from 2-5 pm
or
Tuesday, April 27th from 6-9 pm

Studio 34 is located at 34 Elton Street in the Neighborhood of the Arts.
Cost: $35 + $15 for supplies.
Call Studio 34 at 585-737-5858 to register
You will need to bring TWO photos or your own artworks that measure no bigger than 1 inch by 1 inch.

Photos for these photo pendants right here were taken by Teri Fisk at Pumpkin Patch Photos