Here We Come A-wassailing!

Ready or not, the holidays are finally here! Thanksgiving has come and gone now we gear up for shopping, exchanging gifts, facing the chilly chilly weather, and of course, holiday parties! Here is an easy way to prepare a classic wassail punch that will impress your guests, while warming hands, tummies, and spirits. Best of all? It almost prepares itself! Giving you plenty of time to get dressed in your holiday finest, or just hang on the sofa with pals until your delicious beverage is ready.

Here's what you'll need to get started:

  • ½ gallon of apple cider
  • 1 large apple (I used Fuji, my favourite)
  • 1 Bosch pear
  • 2-3 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 tsp whole cloves (about 10 cloves)
  • Fresh grated nutmeg (optional, but amazing!)
  • A large crock pot

1. Gather all of your ingredients together, and set your crock pot to Low. 

2. Pour in your cider and let it begin to simmer while you prepare the fruit.

3. Slice your apples width-wise straight through the core. If you can see the 'star' in the center you've got it right.

4. Measure out your spices directly into the pot. A little spill won't ruin the mix.

5. Let the cider and spices simmer to perfection over 2-4 hours. Take a long bath, trim the tree, start a movie marathon, or prepare the house, and your gorgeous self for guests!

When ready, ladle into mugs and enjoy with good company! Actually going a-wassailing is of course, optional.

 

Post by Coleen Phoenixx

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T H A N K S G I V I NG

Thanksgiving is 4 days away. I'm not quite sure how it came so fast this year but none the less it's here & as soon as we pack up all the leftovers come Thursday it will be full on Christmas Mode ! We are officially entering the holiday season ! I feel like if I blink I might just miss it all. I'd like to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving with your loved ones & safe travels for those of you leaving the city. I love the holidays especially Thanksgiving. I have so much to be Thankful for. Last year I hosted my 1st Thanksgiving for my entire family. I had so much fun preparing & planning. It was a lot of work but I genuinely enjoyed everything about it. I love having my family together in one place. There isn't much else in this life that makes me feel as complete. I am so very Thankful for them. This year my sister will be hosting for us. I've started helping out with some of the quirky fun details like place settings & such because lets face it cooking a turkey is a task in its own. Im talking from experience. I am more than happy to help out wherever I can plus I live for those tiny details that just tie everything together. Here is a little peak into what I have so far. 

I'm Thankful For _______ NoteCards 

Printed & Stamped Name Tag Place Settings 

I used an orange chalk stick to color them in then blended with my fingers to create a faded rustic look 

Straw Flags because Why Not ? 

Thanksgiving Word Searches 

W A T E R C O L O R 

Be Thankful For All Things 

I hope you all have an Amazing holiday ! I'll be back next week over on MozieMo to post plenty of pictures from our Thanksgiving & much more regular post so keep an eye out. 

As Always Thanks for following along : ) 

-XOXO 

-Rachel Leigh 

Shop MozieMo for all of your Holiday Needs  > MozieMoByRachelLeigh/Etsy : ) 

EtsyNY Travels: Kyoto, Japan

I was lucky enough to visit Japan this past spring (you can read about the first part of my trip here) and as excited as I was to visit Kyoto, it still managed to exceed my expectations.  It is so charming. has such a long, rich history filled with beauty, art and nature.  Around every turn was a cherry tree with blush blossoms winking in the wind, a temple bustling yet serene, or a gaggle of girls in traditional dress kimonos. 

A part of what made Kyoto so special to me were the myriad forms of history-filled art: textiles and embroidery, painting and calligraphy, even the presentation of food is beautiful and carefully thought out. I hope you enjoy my photographic journey through Kyoto!

Even the Hello Kitty dolls in Kyoto wear kimonos

We stopped an an Onsen (hot spring) on the way to Kyoto, just outside the city, and stayed at the ryokan there.  Everyone wears matching kimonos you are given at check in.  After enjoying the springs, we were served impeccable, multi-course meals for dinner and breakfast.  While almost no one at the ryokan spoke any English, we were able to communicate perfectly well and enjoy a lovely, relaxing day.

There is a seemingly endless array of temples in Kyoto, but they are all lovely and unique.

There are many species of cherry blossom.  These slightly pinker ones were at the height of their bloom during our visit.  It's hard to predict exactly when the blossoms will bloom, but we got lucky.

Look at those blooms!

The Fushimi Inari Shrine was my favorite - miles of these orange gates and various moments of smaller shrines throughout, with a charming little village at the base.

We wandered through a small, historic geisha neighborhood and, thanks to an historian acquaintance from Kyoto, learned about the life of a geisha.  We also saw a geisha show put on by one of Japan's 'living national treasures.'

In Kyoto, traditional dress is much more common than in Tokyo.  Visitors even rent kimonos for the day so they can visit shrines in traditional garb.

I found a left-handed sashimi knife at a small shop (it was the only knife labelled in English!), and they engraved the kanji for my last name on the blade.  They sharpen the knife before giving it to you, and it is incredibly sharp!  I love that it's the perfect knife for me, a lefty, and personalized.  

The food, of course, in Kyoto was wonderful.  Kaiseki cuisine, a set many-course dinner using seasonal ingredients, were incredible, and featured lots of cherry blossom flavors!

These snow monkeys were so adorable and we had an awesome afternoon hanging out with them. 

These thousands of cranes are left with wishes at shrines throughout the city.

I spent hours in the Kyoto Handicraft Center.  It has several floors, and hundreds of objects made with traditional crafting techniques. I brought home lots of prizes, from pretty sweets to miniature painted fans.

Jumping for joy at the end of an amazing trip!

Lauren

Last Minute PR for the Holidays

You’ve worked hard to build your inventory over the last few months and now that the holidays are fast approaching, you need to bring your PR A-game.  If you are scrambling for opportunities to get in front of customers, don’t worry. It’s not too late. Here are 3 last minute PR hacks to help you connect with potential buyers and break through the noise of holiday promotions on a slim budget.

 

Collaborate with other small businesses.

Lots of businesses are looking to expand their reach during the holidays. Teaming up with your fellow Etsy community and other small businesses to host giveaways allows you to offer a bigger value than you could on your own. Maybe you can only offer $25 in goods from your Etsy shop for a giveaway, but if 5 Etsy shops team up to each offer something for a $25 value then the shops can promote a giveaway worth $125 to their customers. When each shop shares the promotion with their followers on social media, their followers will see your items included in the giveaway and then check out your shop. Their followers potentially become your followers and eventually customers.

 

Donate your items to marketing events.

Donating your items for swag bags and raffles at local events and fundraisers exposes your products to high-income earners and generates goodwill for your brand. In-Kindness matches businesses with established charity silent auctions that raise money for various nonprofits. They send you a list of charities where you can choose to donate and arrange all the logistics such as delivery of the item and proper attribution of your business in event materials.   

The EtsyNY team also collected donations for their swag bags at this year’s Handmade Holiday Cavalcade, an event featured in Time Out New York as one of The best holiday markets NYC has to offer and attracts 20,000 visitors. That’s a large population of shoppers who support small business.

 

Get into a gift guide.

While it may be late to pitch to national publishers, there’s still time to pitch your items to local bloggers and reporters for inclusion in a holiday gift guide. Connect with journalists and bloggers on Help A Reporter Out(HARO) to gain valuable media coverage for free! Source requests for product inclusions are usually listed under the Lifestyle section. Junior Baby Hatter landed a tv segment on Baby Must Haves on a local Fox News station by answering an urgent inquiry on HARO.

The EtsyNY team also features members in video gift guides for major holidays including Mother’s Day, wedding season, and Christmas. Check out EtsyNY Team Gift Ideas videos on their Youtube channel.

Some brands even highlight other small businesses with their own holiday gift guides. Instagram is a great place to discover opportunities to apply to gift guides and giveaways. Junior Baby Hatter is hosting their first Black Friday Shopping Guide to support other small businesses and to raise money for Covenant House, a non-profit they support throughout the year with a portion of their sales. Apply for inclusion in this year’s gift guide here.

Markisha Velazquez is the designer and owner of Junior Baby Hatter, based in Weehawken, NJ. When she’s not making dapper caps for babies and toddlers she commutes to New York with her family and blogs about her adventures in the city.

Inspired by Travel (Etsy shops features!)

This past month I sent out a call for travel inspired creations among our Etsy NY team members.  I was fascinated by how differently we translated our inspirations, and awed by the variety of talent in the group!

Some designers learned and collected materials as they went from country to country.  And by far the best example is by Saskia from SdVDesigns.

“I have traveled extensively across Asia and beyond where I have sought out local markets and craftspeople. New journeys with exciting new artisans and vendors opened my eyes to metals and glass from West Africa, lapis and pendants from Afghanistan, wood from the Philippines and Bali, and stunning Thai silver. I collect materials that inspire me from across the globe and tie them together with my own style that integrates old and new world sensibilities. Each finished piece tells the story of its origins and makes a bold statement for the wearer. ”
— Saskia de Vries

Meanwhile something that never occurred to me (but makes so much sense!) was to create conveniences for these trips. Ilaria from Body Stuff and Susan from Naturally Susan’s both had their take on handmade products that would pamper and revitalize the tired travelers.

“I have always travelled. A lot, and everywhere, for fun, work, or to visit family. Every single time I was putting together my beauty-case I’d get frustrated at the amount of tiny bottles, jars, sprays, and nonsense I thought I had to carry with me. As soon as I started my skincare line, with the aim to simplify the beauty routine, I knew I had to create a multipurpose product. Thus enters TONE N CLEAN, my traveling best friend (I even take it backpacking!). Tones, firms the skin, gives me a glow, moisturizes, and I use it instead of soap to cleanse. ”
— Ilaria Tarozzi
“Naturally Susan’s products are travel-friendly, eco-friendly, and cruelty-free. Susan started making skin care products for herself because she wanted chemical-free and fragrance-free beauty care suitable for her sensitive skin. And, drawing from her extensive travels, Susan designed her products to be effective since travel and travel environs can be drying for your skin. And to help minimize your travel bags and carbon footprints, Susan’s products are versatile so they can be used for all-over-body, and long lasting so they’ll last your travels. Naturally Susan’s product are handmade by Susan in NYC.”
— Susan Ng

And then there are the sellers and artists that materialized the sensations of adventure and beauty in their travels into drawings and home decor.

Life is Balance

“When I travel to scuba dive, I take both underwater photos as well as scenic photos of my travels. From the underwater photos I create artwork that rings a bit of the underwater world into my shop. Here are some examples of scarves, throw pillows and wall art inspired by my tropical travels.”
— Sheryl Checkman
“Rarely do I get to see the true fall foliage. It definitely gets me in the mood to start designing and making seasonal aprons and napkins. Thanksgiving and Christmas, a time when friends and families come together to celebrate at the table. ”
— Tracey Toole
“My favorite thing about traveling outside of the U.S., especially to a country where I am not familiar with the language, is the newness of everything. I consider a trip abroad to be a cleansing of the senses. When I see, smell, hear, and taste new things I am taken away from what I know and this has often led to fresh ideas once I return home. After a trip to Paris, one of my first greeting card ideas gave birth to Adele (on the Paris Rain card). I received such a strong response to her image I went on to create more artworks and build a story around her.”
— Nancy Sampson
“I lived in Tasmania for 3,5 yrs, and inspired by my time there I created a series of Tasmania inspired birthday cards.”
— Malou Zuidema

But perhaps what struck a chord with me most was the hometown nostalgia inspired creations.  I moved from Taiwan to the U.S. so long ago that I forget that I'm already a constant traveller.  When traveling and new adventures become the everyday norm, then a taste of home is what I often crave the most.  So I was very touched by these members that created products that honor their homes and heritage.

Spice Tree Organics

“Our 100% organic Middle Eastern Shawerma blend was inspired by the Middle East’s favorite street food- Shawerma! Shawerma stores are found on streets throughout Egypt and are the sandwiches are so much tastier than what you get here in the states. We spent months perfecting our blend- it has 11 different spices that combine for highly flavorful, aromatic flavor bomb - so that everyone could replicate that Middle Eastern deliciousness at home.”
— Doaa E.
“The search for inspiration has taken me to some far-flung places in the world. I have climbed mountains to find ancient petroglyphs on maraes in Tahiti, learned kanji calligraphy in a third-grade classroom in Japan, and met a sculptor who can drive his wooden Ferrari through Venetian canals! Learning about the art of many cultures inspires me to create using almost anything. This particular piece is inspired by my Italian heritage, and is a tribute to the amazing country of Italy.”
— Nicoletta S.
“From my travels back to my native island, Corsica, I gathered this hay corn and made a casting of it. Those earrings are a tribute to the hay corn’s beautiful shape and texture inside out. ”
— Sandrine B.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope this gives you a greater appreciation of our members, and how their creations came to be.  And if ever inspiration is just not coming to you, get up and travel!

'My eyes are looking down the road, soon my heart will follow, and if my body does not go, those parts of me will die forever.' - Eugenia Y. (Moobury)

Post by Eugenia || moobury.com || moobury.etsy.com|| Follow @Moobury on instagram and facebook! 

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Eating Good at Chelsea Market, While Shopping at the 2016 Holiday Handmade Cavalcade

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One of the best things about the Holiday Handmade Cavalcade is its location, in Chelsea Market. Chelsea Market is chock full of good things to eat and I’m going to share some of my favorites!

If you love coffee like I do, you will appreciate the smoothness of a 9th Street Espresso cappuccino. Named after its original site in the East Village, this location is sort of in the middle of Chelsea market.

The Cavalcade is just across from Amy’s Bread, where in addition to loaves, slices of cake, cupcakes and other delicious baked goods, you can get freshly made sandwiches. Amy’s also has, in my opinion, some of the best lemonade around!

When you’re craving Thai, I recommend Chelsea Thai Wholesale. Here, you can buy authentic Thai grocery ingredients as well as a comprehensive selection of prepared-to-order food. Here’s my Pad See Ew with tender rice noodles and chicken.

Another fantastic choice – and super cheap – is Los Tacos No. 1. Just look for the line (don’t worry, it moves very quickly!) by the tea and spice place. I love the molcajte mortar and pestles that hold the serve-yourself salsas and lime wedges.

It’s pretty common to see people feasting on whole lobsters from The Lobster Place. I asked a couple if they would mind my taking a picture because, really, what more is there to say!

Inside Buon Italia, there is a vast selection of hard-to-find authentic Italian ingredients to make your own meals.  Outside, there are prepared foods to eat on-site.

Dickson’s Farmstand creates sandwiches and hotdogs from their house-made charcuterie. Take home a freshly made rotisserie chicken and sides for an easy dinner.

Indie Fresh features a health-conscious, organic lineup of soups, salads, mains, and juices along with many vegan options.

It’s important to stay well-fed while shopping the Holiday handmade Cavalcade! These are just a few of the many lunch options at Chelsea Market to help you shop happy. And don’t forget the free brownie samples at Fat Witch Bakery

See you at the Cavalcade!

Lu

Lu, of LuCrafts, is a part-time crafter who lives in Manhattan where she loves using paper to create beautiful objects for everyday use. Her cat Cookie helps by being cute and not judging the state of her workroom, aka living room!