http://www.etsy.com/storque/article/3637/ See Etsy's Handmade Blog for more information (Music by Eric Beug. Animation by JuliaPott) Holly Stalder is a prolific clothing designer working out of a cozy studio in Portland, Oregon. Her feminine, frilly clothing and accessories have gained wide acclaim, and are quite popular for the wedding set. Holly's work has been featured on Ultrapdx.com and Venus Zine, as well as SOMA, ELLE, Lucky, and W magazines. The piece that we were lucky enough to catch Holly making in her studio in January is of the same ilk as the one on the cover of winter/spring issue of Portland Bride & Groom.

Read the full article on Etsy's blog. There's No Place Like Here presents design duo Something's Hiding In Here give us a tour of their incredible, renovated Philadelphia loft, full of woodland goodies, refinished furniture, faux bois aplenty, a woodshop, and even an indoor porch swing. This veritable wonderland of turquoise and woodgrain is the not only a cozy place to come home to—it also houses the studios where Something's Hiding in Here produce all of their work.

Read the full article on Etsy's blog. Back in the 1970's Holly Stewart aka Artstew was a single mom trying to raise two daughters. Holly decided to forgo art school to support her family, ultimately paying the bills and gaining respect within her Oklahoma City community by becoming a police officer. Even as she put in her time with the force (15 years!), she was always drawing... (music by Michael Chapman, Steve Gunn, The And Group, animation by JuliaPott)

http://www.etsy.com/storque/article/3546 for more details... Do you know those various piles of artwork and photographs that you wish you had frames for? Or those various things you've collected that are tacked to your wall that kind of make your bedroom or living room wall look like a tattered scrapbook? Why not spice up your home decor with an embellished mat in a frame or a custom fabric frame from scratch? This week Kayte Terry of this is love forever shows us what to do!

http://www.etsy.com/storque/admin/article/3422/ Check out Etsy's Handmade Blog for more information. Vane Broussard of Brooklyn Bride Blog (and bklynpillow right here on Etsy) joins us to share this design she developed while planning her own wedding. Her frustration at the lack of modern and affordable wedding decor options led her to become very creative — and got her started blogging! She's been going full speed ever since.

Read the full article on Etsy's blog. Blackeyedsuzie's style was influenced by her love for Gothic novels, Victorian and Elizabethan costumes and Dame Darcy's comic Meat Cake. Her dolls are infused with the same elongated, wide-eyed traits as the characters of Edward Gorey and Tim Burton. However, Sarah's dolls have their own style: Victorian beauties with a dark side — card sharks, bourbon drinkers, albinos and vampires...

http://www.etsy.com/storque/article/3375 See The Full Article on Etsy's Handmade Blog. Music Credit Boolar In a cold workshed in Port Townsend, Washington, Loran Scruggs shares her unique process of making bottle cap whistles and tin can airplanes.

http://www.etsy.com/storque/article/3325/ (music by Boolar, George McMurphy and his Orchestra) Boudoirqueen is a shop that inspires the imagination, so we decided to step into Dawn's Younger-Smith's world and see what inspires her. She lined her Austin, Texas, showroom with her collection of all things 1920s fringe, droopy lace, boudoir doll and utterly, breathlessly feminine clothing.

We met Jonathan R. at Felt Club in LA. Jonathan buys handmade because he gets the raw feel of where the artists is coming from and their mentality about that state. Since the Handmade Consortium launched the Buy Handmade Pledge (http://buyhandmade.org) last year, over 34,000 people have signed. Some say "handmade is the new black" — but it's not a trend. This is about real people making changes in their everyday lives and figuring out how to make those changes lasting and sustainable. It's about being able to quit your day job and shop local. It's about personal history and the inspiration behind making something of your own vision.

Read the full article on Etsy's blog. We met Adriana Osborn aka InvitaPaperStudio at Felt Club in LA. She make beautiful stationary and loves buying handmade as well because she enjoys the uniqueness of handmade products. Since the Handmade Consortium launched the Buy Handmade Pledge (http://buyhandmade.org) last year, over 30,000 people have signed. Some say "hand-made is the new black" — but it's not a trend. This is about real people making changes in their everyday lives and figuring out how to make those changes lasting and sustainable. It's about being able to quit your day job and shop local. It about personal history and the inspiration behind making something of your own vision.

Read the full article on Etsy's blog. The Craft ROBO is a machine that lets you cut and score paper with precision and repetition. This is really handy if you're into scrapbooking or want to make shipping boxes or envelopes. Or if you want to take it to the next level to create unique paper sculptures, pop-up books, or custom vinyl stickers. It's like a printer but instead of printing ink, it's got a tiny little sharp knife that it can control and move around to cut through or just slightly graze paper.

We met Madison Brunoebleir at Felt Club in LA. She made her first handmade shirt at Felt Club's Swap-O-Rama-Rama and was very excited about the results! Since the Handmade Consortium launched the Buy Handmade Pledge (http://buyhandmade.org) last year, over 30,000 people have signed. Some say "hand-made is the new black" — but it's not a trend. This is about real people making changes in their everyday lives and figuring out how to make those changes lasting and sustainable. It's about being able to quit your day job and shop local. It about personal history and the inspiration behind making something of your own vision.

http://www.etsy.com/storque/article/3118/ See the full article and download the template on Etsy's Handmade Blog. Julie shows you how to make a weekly planner. You can use your own design or download our pdf template.

We met Kyla Simeno at Felt Club in LA. She and her mom Michelle Vess aka soulmom love to make crafts. Kyla makes beaded jewelry because its fun! And because she appreciates the thought and effort put into handmade items. Since the Handmade Consortium launched the Buy Handmade Pledge (http://buyhandmade.org) last year, over 30,000 people have signed. Some say "hand-made is the new black" — but it's not a trend. This is about real people making changes in their everyday lives and figuring out how to make those changes lasting and sustainable. It's about being able to quit your day job and shop local. It about personal history and the inspiration behind making something of your own vision.

This week, Etsy How-Tuesday presents Cary Walker aka littleloveblue. Cary shows us how to make a holly leaf and berry garland out of felt. This simple but elegant project makes a great gift or a holiday decorating project to do with family and friends.

Read the full article on Etsy's blog, the Storque. Allison Sattinger aka Sunny Rising Leather has had the nickname "Sunny" ever since she was a kid. And when you watch this video you'll know why: Allison just glows with warmth and goodness. She learned to tool leather in 2004 with her first pair of cuffs that read "Let me be (L) that light (R)"...'Let me be that light'. And she still strives to be that light with everything she does from crafting her beautiful leather goods, to singing with her angelic voice, to silversmithing jewelry, to being an inspiration for artisans wanting to quit their day jobs. Allison takes this old tradition of leather tooling and makes it her own with her signature koi fish necklaces and her custom made leather bags.

We met Wendy Jung at Felt Club in LA. She's the singinglibrarian on Etsy! Since the Handmade Consortium launched the Buy Handmade Pledge (http://buyhandmade.org) last year, over 30,000 people have signed. Some say "hand-made is the new black" — but it's not a trend. This is about real people making changes in their everyday lives and figuring out how to make those changes lasting and sustainable. It's about being able to quit your day job and shop local. It about personal history and the inspiration behind making something of your own vision.

We met Misty aka lapistolera through the Handmade Cavalcade and the New New Team. She not only makes bags, jewelry and other items, but she also loves handmade things — like these especially cute love birds that she used as her wedding cake toppers! Since the Handmade Consortium launched the Buy Handmade Pledge (http://buyhandmade.org) last year, over 30,000 people have signed. Some say "hand-made is the new black" — but it's not a trend. This is about real people making changes in their everyday lives and figuring out how to make those changes lasting and sustainable. It's about being able to quit your day job and shop local. It about personal history and the inspiration behind making something of your own vision.

We met Becca Cohen at Felt Club in LA. She loves shopping handmade because she can get cool plus size clothes! Since the Handmade Consortium launched the Buy Handmade Pledge (http://buyhandmade.org) last year, over 30,000 people have signed. Some say "hand-made is the new black" — but it's not a trend. This is about real people making changes in their everyday lives and figuring out how to make those changes lasting and sustainable. It's about being able to quit your day job and shop local. It about personal history and the inspiration behind making something of your own vision.

We met Maiko Mitchen at Felt Club in LA. Nothing says holidays like bunny pirates... Since the Handmade Consortium launched the Buy Handmade Pledge (http://buyhandmade.org) last year, over 30,000 people have signed. Some say "hand-made is the new black" — but it's not a trend. This is about real people making changes in their everyday lives and figuring out how to make those changes lasting and sustainable. It's about being able to quit your day job and shop local. It about personal history and the inspiration behind making something of your own vision.