Behind Handmade Ho Down- Meet the Committee

In today's Behind Handmade Ho Down, we meet Rebecca Gatanis, our Vendor and Logistics Chair, Sponsor Cohort, and Music coordinator.

Rebecca Gatanis of Jim Dandy’s started selling on Etsy in January of 2009, and loves spending what’s left of her paycheck on all the sweetest Etsy items possible!

As a writer by profession, skill, and inclination, Rebecca is also a single mother (to a remarkable and bright 7 year old little girl), Girl Scout troop leader (of another 13 amazing 7 year olds), thrift store ninja, dinner party hostess with the most-est, owner of a wrinkly and adorable Shar-Pei, and an aspiring adult who loves to be surrounded in eclectic and inspiring environments.

“I never considered myself the hands-on crafts type, as my creative outlet has typically been my writing. I've always had really cool ideas, but felt like I just wasn't the type to be able to construct them into reality.

Then one day I made a few feather hair pieces for the girls and me, for a night on the town. Everywhere we went, with our feathered hair pieces adorned in our hair, we were bombarded with flattery. Before we knew it, the whole city was going crazy trying to get a hold of these unique feathered objects of obsession. Men and women alike were falling at our feet. We found ourselves immersed in pools of salivation. At one point, as the love thirsty mob chased us down and almost killed us, I thought to myself… Hey, I can make enough for everyone!”

 

And  thus, Jim Dandy's was born. Ever since, Jim Dandy's has been adorning the heads of many and quenching the fanciful obsession of many.

Rebecca is the Vendor and Logistics Chair for Handmade HoDown (Too Live Crew), as well as Website Designer, Facebook addict, and Music coordinator!

Currently her etsy shop does not have any listings, until Handmade Ho Down happens, but she is available for consignment, is participating in craft shows throughout the end of the year, and welcomes custom orders. Visit the official Jim Dandy's website for more information.

You can also try to keep up with her, on her blog, Running With Feathers.

Behind Handmade Ho Down- Meet the Committee

In today's Behind Handmade Ho Down, we meet our Promotions and Advertising Chair as well as the Ruler of All things Financial, Nilufur Smith of Earth Cultured.

Nilu grew up in an artistic family in San Francisco, but only recently found her "artsy" niche. She probably never would have found it, if it wasn't for her travel bug.

After living in Hawaii for 6 years, Nilu and her husband decided to dump all of their "possessions" and buy 2 backpacks. They were ready to leave the islands for some adventure. With packs on their backs, they traveled for one year throughout Oceania, South East Asia and India. Once they arrived in the Himalayas of India after almost 10 months of on-the-go travel, there was a strong desire to "settle down" for a bit. They ended up living in the Himalayas, 1.5 hours West of Nepal, for 4 months. The sites, the smells, the people and the natural beauty drew them in deeper every day.

One day, by chance, Nilu entered a store run by a very young man, known locally as the Mala Walla (in Hindi, "Mala" means "necklace" and "Walla" means "Master"). Originally enticed into the store by the homemade poi hanging on the door (Nilu spins fire), her attention was immediately diverted to all of the really cool necklaces hanging on the wall.. Seeing the sparkle in Nilu's eyes, the Mala Walla insisted that Nilu and her husband stay for some chai tea and conversation.

While sitting on the floor, drinking chai, and listening to Hindi house music, they had the chance to look through most of the beautiful stones the Mala Walla had stocked up for his necklaces. He explained the ancient technique monks used to bound their healing stones, so that they could wear them daily.

From that day forward, a cherished friendship was formed. Nilu would sit with him for hours on end, every day, drinking chai, all while learning about the art of macrame, selecting and netting beautiful cabochons, and learning of the healing properties of gemstones. After four short months, her clumsy fingers (along with her husband’s) were creating beautiful necklaces that enabled any wearer to carry healing properties with them.

They left India and the island life, to start a life again in San Francisco, where Nilu was raised and has family. Now a year late, when she is not designing necklaces, you can find Nilu and her wares at the Coastside Farmers Markets in Pacifica and Half Moon Bay. Other times, you are sure to find her bouncing around town to live music, house music, and anything in between (which usually involves a costume of sorts). :D

Nilu is an amazing member of the Handmade Ho Down (Too Live) Crew. As the latest member and addition to our Crew, Nilu has had no problem taking responsibility to a different level, and her attention to detail makes her the best person to be handling our purse strings.....

You can buy her necklaces from her Etsy Shop, Earth Cultured.

To learn more about Earth Cultured, feel free to check out the Earth Cultured website.

Behind Handmade Ho Down- Meet the Committee

In this edition of Behind Handmade Ho Down, we introduce you to Erin Cadd, our Sponsor Chair and Vendor Co-Chair.

Erin lives in a small old house in Oakland, Ca with her Shih Tzus and her very tall boyfriend.  She has a particular propensity for things in miniature, as evidenced by her car, her dogs and her curio shelf.

Erin started sewing when she was just a wee tot.  Well, she was more like 6, but you get the idea. Her grandmother taught her on the sewing machine she now uses in her own studio.  She’s been sewing clothes for friends, swim meets, and Barbies ever since.  It wasn’t until Erin went to design school for Interior Design that her love – nay, borderline addiction – for fabrics and color became truly realized. 

When a friend told her about Etsy a few years ago, it was just another (wicked) fun place to shop.  But recently, as many may know, the market has slowed drastically in the Interiors and Architectural fields, just like everywhere else.  When Erin lost her job in February, she took a few months of wondering where to go next, looked for a new job unsuccessfully, and decided Etsy was her next big adventure.  

Her very own Etsy shop, Eristotle opened in July of this year. Eristotle is about fun and funky ways to decorate your pad and your life with reduce-reuse-recycle front and center to every design. All of her items  are handmade by using vintage, upcycled, thrifted or eco-friendly materials whenever possible.

"It has been one learning experience after another", she says.

Yet the adventure continues even still, as do the learning experiences, and hey let’s face it, life in general.  Erin joined SF Etsy, one of the Bay Area Etsy Street Teams just a few months ago. She fell into chatting online one night with a truly hilarious group of Etsy artisans, who turned out to be a dedicated and wonderful group of people as well.  

The idea was posed (by MonkeyandSeal, if she remembers correctly and she is mos def right!) that a craft show would be a great endeavor to pursue.  Hey! they all said, we might even get backed by Etsy! 

"Now look at all these people on our Street Team, just as excited as we are to be part of something like this!"

Erin is the official Handmade Ho Down Sponsor Chair and Vendor Co-Chair and there would be no Handmade Ho Down (Too Live) Crew without her.

Where can we get some of that tasty pie Erin? dang.

Behind Handmade Ho Down- Meet the Committee

As part of the series, Behind Handmade Ho Down, we invite you to meet the committee members who have helped make this event possible.

Today we meet Alana Rivera, our Sponsor Co-Chair and Tweeter.

Born and raised in the beautiful yet painfully small town of Willits, Alana escaped the first chance she got to the lovely slightly larger small town of Santa Barbara...

In 2004 Alana moved to San Francisco with happy thoughts of working for the man in a PR firm.  After a horrible stint at a "electric rental car" company for tourists and a multi year "what if I want to be a lawyer" adventure in legal support, Alana finally found a dreamy PR job.  Fortunately, via this PR miracle, Alana realized that she really didnt want to do PR or work for the man after all.

Lucky enough for her, right before the PR job, Alana had received a book on soap making after complaining about her lack of hobbies to her mom.

Eventually, she realized that her true passion was products, and after completing a Certificate in Herbalism (study of medicinal qualities of herbs) she started an eco conscious bath and body company, and thus Etta + Billie was born.

She loves to cook and is an avid reader who is absolutely obsessed with the True Blood series at the moment.  She desperately wants a dog but must resign herself to fish for the time being.  Alana likes to dress up in 80s prom dresses and trys to live her life in a more earth friendly manner.

Alana is the Sponsor Co-Chair, the official Handmade Ho Down Tweeter, and is responsible for keeping us all clean.

Behind Handmade Ho Down- Meet the Committee

As part of the series, Behind Handmade Ho Down, we invite you to meet the committee members who have helped make this event possible.

Today we meet Rick Kitagawa, our Volunteer, Social Networking, and Graphics guru.

Rick started selling pin-back buttons on Etsy in January of 2008.  He is a San Francisco-based multi-disciplinary artist who lives and collaborates with his life/business/artistic partner, Eve Skylar, and together they form Monkey + Seal.  He has only recently started becoming more involved with the Etsy community and joined the SFEtsy street team last month.

Rick (aka Ri.S.K.) found Etsy when one of his friends asked if she could buy some of the buttons he was wearing.

"I had bought a button maker a few years back to help promote some of the theatrical shows I was part of back in college.  I was wearing one I had just made for the hell of it and my friend wanted one.  She told me that I should sell my buttons on Etsy, and the rest is history.  Kinda."  

After eventually letting his button shop drift by the wayside, Rick and Eve came up with the concept of Monkey + Seal for the San Francisco Zine Fest.  "I wasn't putting enough time into the shop, and just sorta let it die a slow, quiet death.  We were focusing on going back to school for our 2nd Bachelor's in Art (Rick has a Biology degree and Eve studied Narrative Theory), and we were approached by my friend who ran the Zine Fest.  He told me about the Fest, and we got our act together and started making zines, comics, and art for the show."

After their overwhelmingly positive reaction at the Zine Fest, Rick decided to start up a new shop and Monkey + Seal was born.  "Our name comes from our baby pictures.  When you look at us when we were kids, I'm pretty obviously a little monkey and Eve is most definitely a seal." 




Ever the overachiever, you can find out more about Rick (and Eve) at www.monkeyandseal.com, www.littleyeticave.com (his wedding invitation design studio), or at www.rickkitagawa.com (his artist site).

 "Why did I want to help start the Handmade Ho-Down?  Because I want to take over the world!!!  Just kidding.  Sort of."

Rick is the Volunteer, Social Networking, Graphics, and everything Monkey Business Chair.

Behind Handmade Ho Down- Meet the Committee

As part of the series, Behind Handmade Ho Down, we invite you to meet the committee members who have helped make this event possible.

Today we meet Sandy List, our Editor-In-Chief and Charity Liason.

Sandy joined Etsy  when she opened her Sagehealer shop in Sept. 2009.  She is a spiritual healer, long time meditator, and shamanism student. Currently, Sandy lives in Marin, CA with her dog Nina. She has been a member of the SF Etsy Street team since last year.

The journey to Etsy came about after a year-long class with cultural anthropologist Angeles Arrien. 

"We were given "click sticks" and  encouraged to use beads or personal marks on them to give them power. After picking up some gemstones and charms, I started making smudge sticks (which I had used for years but never made) and then combining them with the beads I brought home. A special talisman emerged much to my surprise", she says. 

After giving many as gifts, Sandy was encouraged to sell them on Etsy. 

"As a result of my late-blooming craft as an artist,  I see the world around me with new awareness and deeper connection to nature and Spirit in all things."

Sandy makes healing talismans, shamanic rattles, and smudge sticks. These beautiful and spiritual items can be found on her etsy shop, SageHealer.

Sandy is the official Editor-In-Chief of all things Handmade Ho Down as well as the Charity Chair for this event.