Waterloo Arts Fest application

The Waterloo Arts Fest in the Collinwood neighborhood of Cleveland will be held June 27, 2009. They are seeking vendors. You can download more information and an application here.

Cleveland Handmade Promo Postcard!

this set of postcards is full! please convo smashing if you are interested in future postcard spots :)

we are going to print postcards with photos of (up to) 15 different items made by Cleveys!

each photo (if we get 15 shops to participate) will be about an inch square and our ClevelandHandmade logo will also be featured. the back of the post cards will give the name/URL of each shop featured on the front along with a blurb about our team and how and where to find us.

we can inexpensively print a large number of postcards if 15 shops pitch in to cover the cost of printing. these cards can then be distributed to team members to pass out at shows, leave at coffee shops or even mail to local boutiques and galleries. it's really important that we have team info to pass out at Oddmall, too! :)

depending on the number of participants (and when my coupon code expires), we could ideally get 3000 postcards for just under $10 a person.

please contact Kathy at smashing AT cox DOT net or convo "smashing" on etsy if you are interested or have any questions.

thanks!

:)

Cleveland Handmade Wearin' the Green

Special thanks to photohale for creating this green list!

Pitch-in Team Suggestions

What can individuals do to help the team as a whole? It could be a crazy, wacked out idea. Doesn't matter. Right now we're just brainstorming.

Think about things that will raise our visibility as a group in the local community, spread the word about individual team members' work to people who haven't seen it before, get people out to the shows that we do (sponsored by us or sponsored by others), educate the public and/or your teammates, support your teammates, and ultimately drive more sales.

Eventually, we're going to put these together in a big list of possibilities and ask that each member consider doing one or more of them.

Tell us your ideas here

We will discuss these ideas and more at the playdate!

Setting up Google Base for your shop - helpful links and tutorials

Adding your items to Google Base can be confusing. You don't have to understand how it works, or how the RSS feed works to do this. Here are some links to tutorials and information to help you figure out how to set it up. Once it is set up, you don't have to do it again. You can set it to automatically update on its own.
If you have any trouble getting it to work, you are welcome to contact me, LazyTcrochet, or contact support@Etsy.com. They were very helpful when I had issues with it.

The best online tutorial for this is on GoTo's blog: http://www.gotogreatpanes.com/blog/2009/01/31/etsy-rss-and-google-base/
Be sure to read the comments under the post as well. Now that Etsy's RSS feed works with Google Base, it's much easier to schedule the data feed to update automatically. I have mine set to update once a week. If you are loading many new items every day, you may want to set yours to update every day. If your items aren't changing that much throughout the week, then once a week should be fine. I think Google may have an issue about updating your feed too often if it's not necessary.

Don't be intimidated by all this. Sign up for a Google account, if you haven't already, and go to Google Base. Open a new tab or page to have access to your shop's main page. And open another tab or page with the tutorial instructions. Then you can go back and forth while you are working on it.

There is more information in the "Storque" article here... http://www.etsy.com/storque/etsy-news/tech-updates-feed-enhancements-google-base-and-more-3173/

Etsy posted instructions there, as well as in the selling FAQ's here... http://www.etsy.com/faq_selling.php#feed_base

Once you have it set up, it may take Google awhile to process the information. You can check back and make sure that it says that it was successful and that your items are "published and searchable." There may be certain keywords in your listings that they may find objectionable and a scheduled upload may "fail" even though it has gone through successfully many times before. Just check in once in awhile to make sure that all is well.

Challenge: "Welcome, Spring!"

Submit a listing for the spring challenge, "Welcome, Spring!" Items do not have to be all about flowers or bunnies or what have you, but should reflect what spring means to you.

http://tinyurl.com/bgky39

Deadline is noon March 16.

Dreaming of Spring

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=40944


Thanks arielleandpamela for creating such a beautiful taste of Spring! Visit ClevelandHandmade.com for more.

PlayDate

Snow Day in Cleveland

Thanks to arielleandpamela for creating a beautiful snowy treasury.

CALL FOR ARTISTS! Oddmall show!

Hudson, Ohio will be the site of the first annual Oddmall Emporium of the Weird on Saturday, May 9th, 2009.

Oddmall needs you! Reserve your booth by February 8th and save 20%!

To apply for the show: "email a sample or three of your work (72 dpi jpegs, please) or a link to your website to Andy at mailto:andy@andyhopp.com?subject=Oddmall."

"We are looking for various performers to entertain the masses at Oddmall. If you are a musician, magician, juggler, dancer, balloon animal maker, or any other unusual performer and you'd like to strut your stuff at Oddmall please contact Andy at andy@andyhopp.com."

SIDS Gift Basket Donation

Sudden Infant Death Network of Ohio is holding its 9th Annual Reverse Raffle "A Night to Remember" on February 21, 2009

I am putting together a Cleveland Handmade gift basket for donation to the raffle. If you are interested in donating an item, gift certificate, or whatever else you can think, of please send me a convo on etsy or an email LeahAna@gmail.com

You can sent it to me snail mail or drop your item off at my house (west side) or work (east side)

There isn't much time! Donations need to be received by Jan 29 so if you want in, you better act fast!

There is also an opportunity to include a Cleveland Handmade advertisement in the event's program. $50 for a half page ad anyone interested in chipping in a few bucks or designing it???

Rockin In the New Year - Cleveland Handmade Style

Thanks simpleelementsdesign for creating this beautiful Cleveland Handmade collection!

just announced!! :)

these are the special show-only discounts and incentives being offered at the Cleveland Handmade Last Minute Market on Dec 20th:

{ Free gift wrap/bag with purchase from The 4 Rs }

[Free fused-glass item ($12 value) with every $50 purchase from Katie Echle ]

{ Free zipper pouch for each bag purchased from London Purple }

[ All ceramic ornaments by Gina DeSantis are on sale ]

{ All items from Blue Orchid Bags are on sale }

[ 10% off all prints $20 or more from Colleen Fitzpatrick ]

{ 10% off all items from La Petite Libellule Handknits }

[ 10% off all items from Teresa Crompton ]

{ Special pricing on all items from Alamaison }

[ Special closeout sale items from Valerie Tyler ]

{ Photographic mandala calendars are only $15 from Playnature }

[ Free pair of resin earrings with $50 purchase from erika laine hansen ]

{ 10% off purchases over $50 from Lori Paximadis }

[ all proceeds from CBF Designs go to children's charities ]

{ a donation equaling 30% of sales made at the Last Minute Market by Smashing and Sweetness by Marthumpa will be made to the Help Foundation in Cleveland }

Handmade for the Holidays

Handmade for the Holidays
A selection of gifts from Cleveland Handmade. Search "ClevelandTeam" on Etsy for more festive gifts of the season!

the rumors are true!

Cleveland Handmade will be enabling holiday shopping procrastination by offering a Last Minute Market! Saturday, December 20th from 5-9pm in Westlake.

YAY! THE VENDOR LIST IS UP! :)

(sign-up for vending is closed, but please be sure to stop by for fun times!)