Transient Treasures

Among an incredible variety of treasures keys, spoons and vintage jewelry, the amazing wind chimes from coffee and tea pots have to be among the most creative items to be found. One look at those and we understand why owner of Transient Treasures, Nora Matthes-Kniveton is so fascinated with Tea Parties and Alice in Wonderland!



Her treasures are inspired by the desire to see "worthless" items turned into something that makes others see as aethetically pleasing and marketable. She learned her craft mostly by trial and error. Having an Etsy shop for vintage objects, launching the artistic vintage-based creations seemed like a logical next step.

Nora loves really strong, fresh coffee and oaky Chardonnay. Her "If money were no object" dream is going to Greece, eating seafood, drinking local wine, and soaking up the seascape. Another person joining the list of wanting to come be a cat for a week, Nora's secret TV crush was Robin ("Batman and Robin") - and then Magnum PI.

She loves doing craft shows and seeing how people react to her products.For Nora, the spirit of giving means doing what you can, each day.

Shaya Durbin Jewelry -- As Unique as the People Who Wear It

Shaya Durbin has jewelry making and crafting in her blood.  We caught up with her and she had this to say: 
     "Hi! I am a jeweler from a family of artists and crafters. You could call me 3rd generation DIY.
I was taught to solder by my father when I was six years old. Since then I have been designing and creating with metals, my vision advancing as my skills increased.

Even though jewelry has always been in my life it has not always been my primary medium. In college I worked in other arts and only returned to my roots after I graduated. This shift had a profound influence on my sensibility as a jeweler. I do not approach my art from aesthetic of a traditional jeweler. Because of my work as a printmaker I think about jewelry in terms of layers and composition. I use textures, patinas, and contrasting metals to create complexity and compositional integrity. This is not formulaic but a sensitivity to what creates visual balance, and since it is different for each piece, and generally not repeatable, each piece is unique.

For me jewelry has been the great exploration of form, presenting the perpetual challenge of translating sculptural ideas into designs that accentuate the human body. This creates a captivating dialog between the sculpture and the wearer, making my relationship with the metal very personal. Because each finished piece will be more than purely visual art, the future intimate nature of the work is directly present in my own creative process. It is about a translation from artistic sensibility to practical form. I look not only at the aesthetic but at the comfort and the way the design will interact with the wearer. In this way my art is about creating intimate experiences. My philosophy is that people want jewelry as unique as they are."

We at the Handmade Ho Down are pretty unique ourselves, Shaya, so we wondered:

If you had to live out the rest of your life as a famous fictional character, who would you be and why?
Batman. He kicks butt.

If money were no object for just one day, what would you do?
Today I would fly to  Turkey.

If you were invisible for one day and could go anywhere without being detected, where would you go and what would you do?
Fort Knox. That's where they keep the good stuff.

Did you have a crush on a TV character when you were little?  Spill it!
The Goblin King.

What does buying and selling local handmade mean to you, and how has it affected your life?
If I have money to spend, I want it to go to an actual person, not a vast money-sucking machine.



Well, we couldn't agree more, Shaya.  Thanks for the interview, we all look forward to seeing your beautiful jewelry in person!

Shayafinejewelry.com
finejewelrybyshaya.etsy.com

Meet Bubbles and Boo

Meet Louise Bedsworth, the designer at Bubbles and Boo, based out of Oakland, Ca. She creates fun, functional products for stylish and creative moms and kids, including project and tote bags, fabric strorage buckets, and children's clothing.

What inspires your creations?

I love fabric and pattern - and, I have a ton of it! So, mostly, I guess that I would say that I am inspired by great fabric. I also tend to look at things and think, "I can make that." - even if there is really no way that I probably could. So, I tend to try a lot of

things. While I have been sewing for our kids and our home for a while, I think that my husband is glad that I am finally working through some of my fabric stash.

How did you learn your craft?

I am fairly self-taught. My roommate in grad school got an old sewing machine and this fabulous stash of fabric (left from one of her grandparents who was a tailor/seamstress). She helped me make my first skirt ( a cute little plaid number) and then I went from there.

What does buying and selling local handmade mean to you, and how has it affected your life?

I love to buy something from the person who made it. It has been great to see more and more people selling handmade items locally through street fairs, farmers'

markets, etc.. I also have to say, it has been really inspiring to me.

As this is a charity event for DrawBridge, give us some insight on how you personally, or your shop, gives back to your community.

These days, most of my time is given back through work with environmental agencies and on environmental issues. It was great to read about DrawBridge - it sounds like a terrific organization and one that I would love to support and get involved with.

Linda Yu, of YUL Designs: Gemstones anyone?

Two decades of collecting fine gemstones and jewelry evolved into a passion for jewelry making, and voila, YUL Designs was born! Meet Linda Yu: she loves to work with beautiful gemstones and see them transformed into wearable pieces.

If money were no object for just one day, what would you do?

"Go ga ga over at Harry Winstons, Tiffany's, Cartier, and Mikimoto and come home with enough bling to fill up a bathtub and BATHE in them.. do they really need to go back after that??"

As this is a charity event for DrawBridge, give us some insight on how you personally, or your shop, gives back to your community.

"I donate a toooon of my pieces annually to local events that auction off in raffles or silent auctions... Cancer Schmancer (most recently), local crab feeds, professional organizations (California Dental Association), church events to sponsor missions, events, etc..., local hospice groups. One can never give too much... you sure can't take it with you..."

If your life was a book, what would be the title and how would your story end?

"One Dolce Vida (One Sweet Life).. not that there hasn't been some craptastic moments in it... but we can always hold a positive outlook for the present and the future... story ends with world domination... one BLING piece or gemstone at a time.. that is my motto in my supply shops and on Facebook!! somehow I must contribute to making this world a beautiful place.."

Let the Window Shopping Begin!!

The Handmade Ho Down (Too Live) Crew has been running up and down, left and right, even sideways!, getting things in gear for this crazy amazing event of awesomeness!

We have gone through the vendor approval process, are collecting vendor interviews, and working on the website so all our kick ass vendors are featured properly.

Starting RIGHT NOW, you can go to the Official Handmade Ho Down Website, click Vendors, and start window shopping!

Be sure to clink the shop photos to get to all of our vendor shops. If you want to go all out, go right ahead and give out those hearts!

Have we mentioned that we LOVE our vendors? We sooooo do.

Early Bird Registration Closed, Now the Jury is In!

Although the early bird registration for Handmade Ho Down 2009 is closed, you can still apply to be a vendor at the event with a late registration fee.

We have tons of vendor applications, and the Official Handmade Ho Down Jury is psyched to start the jury process on the plethora of vendor applications that we have received.

With over a 100 applications to review and only 60 vendor spots to fill, the HHD Jury has a lot of work ahead of them!
If you’ve are wondering how the jury works, here’s an inside glimpse into how we are selecting our vendors.
In general, selection is based on quality, creativity, and originality with an eye towards attaining a wide variety of crafts at this show. We accept only original work made by the artist and will not accept any vendors that sell imports, work from kits, or pre-fabricated wholesale items.

If you are sharing a booth, each vendor’s items will be juried. If only one of you is accepted, that vendor will have an opportunity to pay the full vendor fee and still participate in the show without a partner.

The jury process takes about a week, to allow the jury members to meet on a daily basis and go over each application and accompanying photographs.

Each vendor application is judged individually, with special attention paid to photos and vendor statements. From there, each juror is rated based on the following categories:

• Craftsmanship/Skill:
  How well-made are the crafts? We keep in mind some things are meant to look rough or undone, but quality is key.
  
  
• Inventive Use of Materials
  
  
• Labor/Time Investment:
  Was a lot of time invested in the concept/design/product?
  
  
• Physical Design:
  How much thought was put into the aesthetics/function of the work?
  
  
• Rarity/Singularity:
  One of the awesome things about buying handmade and local products, is the unique factor. We want to make sure that each of our vendors has a unique aspect to them. In other words, WalMart has nothing on our event! :D
  
  
• Excitability:
  Would we buy this or recommend it to someone?
  
  
• Appeal:
  We want to make sure each vendor is a success at our event. Given that, we will review each vendor based on their appeal to a large group of shoppers, or to a specific niche group.
  
  
• Pricing:
  We want to make sure there is something for everyone at this event. It is important to us to have vendors that represent a variety of price ranges.
  

While all this sounds super formal and daunting to some, we do want to express that we provide an equal opportunity for all crafters to participate in Handmade Ho Down 2009!

This time around the Handmade Ho Down Jury is comprised of the Handmade Ho Down (Too Live) Crew. Acceptance is based solely on the above criteria, no matter if we know you, have bought items from you in the past, exchanged a toast with you, or know what your living rooms look like! ;p

Vendors will be notified of their acceptance by October 29th, 2009 at midnight!!

We can NOT wait to see you there!

What Application Process Snafu?

Hey all you Handmade Ho Down peeps!

Just a quick post to let you all know, that we know,  that some of you may have been having problems with the actual application on the website. 

This snafu has been updated and repaired.  We have modified our application process so you should be good to go!

We apologize for any frustrations and really do hope this new format works better for you.

If you are one of the many vendors that have already applied, you don't need to worry about a thing. We have everything we need for now!


Thank you for bearing with us as we iron out the small kinks in this new system, and thank you for your understanding. 

Can’t wait to see more application submissions and we’ll see you at the show!

(if you are still really irritated with everything just look at this puppy and kitten duo...)

Registration Now Open

 Can I get a "Ho Down"!?

bells and whistles please.....

Please visit us at www.handmadehodown.com. The Handmade Ho Down Crew has worked their behinds off getting the website ready in time for today, and guess what? WE DID IT! It is on this brand spanking new site that we have revealed the location and our official charity of the event!

Registration for Handmade Ho Down 2009 is now officialllllllllly open! Registration closes October 22nd so be sure to get to it!

The registration process is simple, quick, and easy. There are just three steps! From the website, just click on the Vendors page, then click the magic button to register. It is all mapped out for you.

On behalf of the Handmade Ho Down Crew, I would like to personally say that this whole event has been put together with you, the vendor, in mind. I can not wait to see you there!


Feel free to email us at info@handmadehodown.com if you any questions or feedback.

its getting hot in here

The Handmade Ho-Down crew is busy finalizing images, flyers, website content, working with our charity group, verifying the vendor application process, spreading the word to potential vendors all over the Bay Area, and frequently meeting as a group to come up with even more ideas to make this event kick some booty!



We are all so excited about this Thursday, October 1st! On this awesome day, we will be revealing our official website, announcing our venue location, and opening up the registration process!





If you are already on the Potential Vendor list, this means that we will contact you as soon as the website goes live, with instructions on how to apply!

 Do you hear that sound? It's the Handmade Ho-Down crew giddy with anticipation!

word on the street.....

Hello fellow artist/craftisans!

Are you, or someone you know, interested in being a vendor at the first (ever!) SF Etsy craft show, Handmade Ho-Down? Then fill out this Potential Vendor Interest Form.

Event Details:
Handmade Ho Down
Thursday December 3, 2009.
6pm-12am
TBA in San Francisco, Ca
please note venue change


Vendor Fee:
TBD (more details to come)


For many shows, the vendor fee is what helps support the costs of this event. It is the goal of Handmade Ho Down to ensure quality vendors who offer quality prices, while the event itself aims to give back to the vendors with a perk filled package that is too sweet to resist!

This craft show will be promoted consistently and with an intense eagerness to bring in buyers. We not only intend to make the attendee experience out of this world, but the vendor one like no other craft show. Keep in mind that this is an OFFICIAL Etsy sponsored event!

Such perks include:

• extreme press exposure
• full support up to end of the show
• an intense marketing strategy to bring in muchos shoppers
  
• free t-shirts
• gift wrapping station
• VIP break/press room
• dj music
• tons of promotional opportunities

There will be music, art, all types of craftisans, a charity raffle, press, and fully stocked bars to get us all in the holiday spirit and much much more! Not to mention we plan to make this event kick off the long list of Holiday craft shows already scheduled for later in the month!

If you are potentially interested in vending at this event, please complete the form below. We will contact you within the next two weeks with more details for submitting applications and how amazing it will be to be a vendor.

Please complete the Handmade Ho Down SF Etsy Craft Show Potential Vendor Interest Form.

When the application process opens, you will be immediately notified (before anyone else!).

wooooooooooooot!

Thanks so much on behalf of the entire Handmade Ho Down committee!