Crafty News

Our Etsy Ireland pop-up shop in Limerick is still going strong. Check out the shop's Facebook page for updates and opening times! And not only is Ruth from Nicedaydesigns doing a fabulous job with the Etsy Ireland pop-up shop, she was also recently featured in Prudence magazine! Congratulations!!!
Read all about it on Ruth's blog - and if my place ever looked as gorgeous, I'd die of shock!!!

Fi from Patchworkdelights is having a blog giveaway! If you want to be in to win some beautiful goodies, post a comment and follow her blog before 25 May midnight (GMT)!

Anne-Marie from byAmo'r recently drew our attention to the problem of the Etsy Shop Local defaulting to the UK for the Republic of Ireland. No, this has nothing to do with any Royal visits or visits of US Presidents who all have Irish ancestors, but according to Etsy it is a technical problem and they are working on it. My Shop Local regularly directs me to some interesting places in Scotland rather than Belfast, Northern Ireland.

If you are not showing up in local searches, try the following:

Check that you have set the location in your profile from the suggested list of locations that pops up. If you manually type in your location, it may not correctly be registered in the Shop Local section. To do this, sign in to your account and go to Your Account, Public Profile. Then in "city", begin typing your location. You should choose from the list that pops up the closest match to your location. This should correctly register your location in the Shop Local feature.

To be found in local searches is important so that Irish buyers as well as ex-pats and international customers with Irish heritage (like said US Presidents past and present) who look specifically for Irish or Celtic materials and items directly from Ireland will be able to find your shop.

Thanks to Anne-Marie for all the information and for getting in touch with the great and good from Etsy.

Congratulations to Alice and Michelle of Fondelifair. The new Irish online shop site and community has just welcomed its 101st member! The community is starting to thrive and hive, and I've already become addicted to the place...

I haven't received much information about markets, but this exhibition looks really interesting:

A Constant Thread
An exhibition celebrating older Irish craftspeople as part of the Bealtaine Festival, Rathfarnham Castle, Rathfarnham Road, Dublin 14, running until 29 May 2011, open 10:00 to 4.30, free entrance.

The 'Art of Craft' Fair, organised by Armagh City & District Council and The Craft & Design Collective, will take place from 27-29 May across the two sites of Armagh's Market Place Theatre and Saint Patrick’s Trian Visitor Complex. It includes craft workshops, demonstrations and performances.

And it's National Drawing Day on 28 May 2011, so you might want to put pencil to paper to honour the occasion!

Mo has just arrived back from her holidays, and will be back at the Crafty News desk next week! So please send any snippets of crafty information you have to http://www.etsy.com/shop/HuggleKnits
Welcome Back, Mo!

And for me, it is goodbye to Simon, the travelling gecko, who has been staying with me for the last three weeks! He'll be on his merry way towards the end of this week, and he'll be sadly missed here.

 Purls

Crafty News Desk

Greetings from the Crafty News Desk. 
This weeks picture was taken near my house this morning, watching some crows building a nest.  Its amazing how instinctive they are with putting it together....the craftsmanship.....

Not a lot of news this week of upcoming events from our members so I only have a few items that might be of interest to some of you. 

Have you heard about Simon the Travelling Gecko?????  You must "READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE.... SIMON

News in from Brigitte from  purlsofcolour of a a big Craft Fair in Belfast this week.  Details here  --  www.sccshows.co.uk/belf_apr11_1702.html   She is going on Thursday with Maura from  IrishBounty  so if anybody from the team is going up there on Thursday as well, let her know for a meet up.  You can contact the girls though their shops.   Sounds like a good day out.

I came across this notice today that some of you might be interested in   . . . . "I am looking for one sculptor, one print maker, and one painter (all experienced, teaching experience a distinct advantage,) to design and run two consecutive Saturday morning practical (2 x 2.5 hour) workshops each in Dublin 2, from September. Total of 5 hours work per tutor. Fee 250 euro. Please send workshop outline for the 5 hours, samples of your work, CV and cover letter to adriennegeoghegan@gmail.com"

Stag & Deer are looking for photographers whose work has an interest in the home/domestic setting. "We are looking for work that is a meditation on home life and what that may be. The work will be included in a group show entitled “Home” which will be part of the PhotoIreland Festival happening in Dublin during July 2011.  The theme for “Home” is built around the domestic and the structure of life within a home; the physical nature of the interior and exterior, human interactions and relations, memories, possessions, etc. Home is many things, banal and everyday but always of the utmost importance. We all experience moments within our individual contexts of home or family, but do not necessarily share them beyond the physical construct of our own household setting.  If you are interested in submitting for “Home” then please send 6 examples of work (No larger than 450k), a brief description of the work and a small biography to staganddeer@gmail.com.   Please note that the deadline for submissions is Wednesday 20 April 2011. "    www.staganddeer.com

New Farmers Market in Athboy, Co Meath - Sundays 11 -2pm   
"We have established a new farmers market in Athboy, Co. Meath.   This follows on from the tv show, Dirty Old Towns with Diarmuid Gavin, which was filmed last sunday, and is due for screening towards end of April.   We have the capacity for approx 50 stalls.  For more information, Contact: Brian Andrews  Email: athboystables@gmail.com or call: 087 8173325"
 
If you have any late news for this week please add the details to the comments at the end.
 
Thats about it for now.  Hope you all have a good week.  Dont forget to get your info for next weeks report out on Monday
 
Cheers
Mo
HUGGLEKNITS

Simon, the travelling gecko

"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." 

(Bilbo Baggins, The Fellowship Of The Ring)

A little toy gecko is curious about the world and has decided to step onto the road, travel the world, or rather, Ireland first, get to know the Etsy Ireland team and broaden his horizon. He is causing quite a stir, cheer and laughter amongst many of our members, who have agreed to open their front doors and allowing Simon to get to know their homes and way of life.

But who is this Simon, you may ask?

Carrie from Cherryblossomtattoo explains:

Simon came into my life about 6 years ago. He was delivered by Santa (aka my cousin Alison) on Christmas Eve and was an instant hit in the house. He wanted to live in the bathroom where it would be warm and near to the water - he doesn’t remember much about the time about that Christmas but his instincts told him he would like it there.


Simon never knew his parents, he doesn’t even know their names or indeed his own surname. Tis sad but Santa told him that he knew a little (as Santa does see everything as we are all aware) and Simon’s parents had always been on the 'Good List'. They had been UN officals, it seems Geckos are not without War and Poverty, and had been assassinated just after he was born. So sad. Simon doesn’t like to talk about this.


So anyway, Simon has lived in my various bathrooms for these last 6 yrs. But now that he is a man and has recently moved bathrooms 3 times in the past 18 months he feels maybe he should see more of the world. Often books are left in the bathroom and products lay sitting around with exotic sounding countries written on them that his curiosity has now got the better of him. He wishes to be seen as a Goodwill Ambassdor for the Etsy Ireland Team (his parents would be so proud) and just wants to bring the group closer together whilst also broadening his horizons. He loves to learn.

 One of Simon's inspirations, bees (Button by Patchworkdelights on Etsy)

So the (k)nitty gritty about Simon:

• He is Single and actually has never had a romantic relationship.
• He is ticklish.
• He is allergic to peanuts.
• His favourite number is 3. He hates the numbers 1 and 2, they remind him of the ugly side of living in the bathroom!!!.... those lesser numbers are the one thing that makes him angry.
• His favourite song is 'It’s Raining Men'; he loves Disco, loves to dance.
• His favourite colour is 'red, no, green, no red, no....' .his favourite colours are red and green.
• His inspiration in life are Bees. He feels that they defy the laws of Physics; Newton’s Laws of Gravity to be specfic. They are memerising being so big and heavy in comparison to their wings yet able to fly! 'Wow' says Simon 'they are amazing and make me feel like I too can achieve the impossible. This trip all over Ireland seemed impossible but look, it’s happening!'
• He loves sweeties and cakes, they are his favourite food.
• He has no eyelids - but fear not this is perfectly normal, his tongue licks his eyes to keep them clean :)

Simon has his own page on Carrie's Blog, where you can find out everything about his travels. Our blog, of course, will also keep tabs on Simon, and there is a button on the left-hand side where you can click through to Simon's Page.

Plenty of bunting to see at Simon's first stop - and it is even in his favourite colour!

The Crafty Ireland team wishes Simon all the best for his journey, which will take him first to Kilkenny to meet Thistle Patch!

Good Luck Simon, and we are proud to have you as our Goodwill Ambassador for all things Etsy Ireland.