Arizona Crafty Burrito Collective

 

Since setting up shop on Etsy, I have come across another wonderful find!

 

As I mentioned in the last blog, Etsy has a great “Community” section.  Within this section is “The Storque”, containing news and articles involving Etsy.  A November 2007 article titled Etsy Team Spotlight:  First Fridays with the Arizona Crafty Burrito Collective described a collective of Etsy members who reside in Phoenix, Arizona.

 

Who knew?

 

It highlights the success of yet another part of the Etsy Community section called ‘Teams’.  Teams are Etsy members united by craft, location or interests.  In the case of the Arizona Crafty Burrito Collective, it is a team united by location.

 

The article describes the teams’ participation in the Phoenix First Friday art walk.  This team worked together to set up an organized display of wonderful creations from a variety of artists and their many mediums.  They had arranged for press in several local publications, visible signage and visitor participation in the form of a raffle. 

 

Note to self:  organized, press and signage

 

The team also lends ongoing support to one another in relation to using Etsy, posting of items, navigational pointers, and highlighting opportunities for success.   Please read the article yourself by clicking on the link below.  Very worthwhile reading.

http://www.etsy.com/storque/section/spotlight/article/etsy-team-spotlight-first-friday-with-the-arizona-crafty-bur/362/

 

 

My Space Az Crafty Burrito

This link will take you to the My Space page set up by the Arizona Crafty Burrito Collective.  This is a site you could easily spend 4 or more hours perusing.

 

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=316837174

 

They also have a link to Etsy site tips. 

 

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=316837174&blogID=356870137

 

As of this moment, I feel a kinship with the Burritos.  I will be contacting them today to join and participate in future events.

 

Hopefully, I too will be able to say “I am a Burrito”

 

As for now, go forth and do good things!

To eBay or not to eBay….That is the question

 

When you think of selling something on the web, eBay quickly pops into your mind.  However, they are not the only game in town.  In comparison, there are many resources for starting a web based business that does not require you to be a techie.

 

ETSY.com

Etsy is an online marketplace for buying and selling handmade arts and crafts.  It has an eBay look to it as far as being easy to navigate, purchase and sell.  The “Community” section breaks the site down into neat little categories.

·        Forums

·        Chat

·        Virtual Labs – live workshops and online classes

·        Teams – members united by craft, location, or interests

·        The Storque – news and articles to keep you up-to-date

·        Resources – tools for promoting your Etsy shop and more

 

Your Very Own Etsy Store

You can open your very own Etsy store for free!  You can introduce yourself through a bio, create a personalized banner across the top of your store and even have a store announcement on your storefront page.

 

However, if you want to sell your arts and crafts, you must pay a minimal fee.  To list an item is a mere 20 cents per listing.  This listing can have up to five pictures, a description of your creation, a listing of the materials used and the price.  Each listing can be posted for up to 4 months.

 

For ease of selling, you can choose the payment method you prefer.  PayPal is available and recommended for instant transactions and their anti-fraud protection.  When an item is sold, both the buyer and seller are notified via email with all the transaction details.  Once you make that sale, you pay 3.5% as a fee to Etsy. 

 

Most importantly, Etsy will refund fees associated with a failed transaction if the buyer does not pay.  That’s not all!  You can re-list the item again for free. 

 

Diroglassstudio.etsy.com

www.diroglassstudio.etsy.com

 

Presenting the Grand Opening of DiRo Glass Studio!  We actually opened an Etsy account back in February.  It took us this long to jump in completely and actually list an item.  The delay was not on Etsy’s part.  It was our own indecision on identifying a worthy creation for our web debut. 

 

We have many more items we will be listing.  Please visit our store and check back often. 

 

We are open to comments, special orders and of course the honor to serve you as our customer.

 

 

 

Too Hot for Mothers Day?

100th Mothers Day Celebration!

The Mighty Cup and Spoon invited us to come out the Saturday before Mothers Day to participate in the 100th celebration of Mothers Day.  The City of Glendale was publicizing this celebration would take place in Downtown Glendale’s Historic District.  This is an area of historical buildings and homes that have been turned into shops, coffee houses, restaurants and art galleries. 

There were adds all week in the local paper inviting people to partake in the celebration, receive a free tote bag and 15% off at participating merchants.  The City of Glendale even provided a shuttle bus along the art walk scheduled every 15 minutes or so.

Sounds promising!  Sign me up!

Wednesday, May 5th

The Mighty Cup offered us a space in their front yard parallel to the sidewalk.  All we needed was a 10′ X10′ tent and a 6′ table.  These are those items you always see in Target, Costco, Walmart etc…. until you actually need one.  We looked every where and could not find a tent or a fold up table.  At least, not in the same place, or even on the same day.   Finally, at Walmart, they had one 10′ X 10′ tent left in a tan color.  Not the white we were hoping for.  Target had a few 6′ plastic tables to choose from.  However, one in particular folded in half with a handle for carrying ease. 

Saturday, May 10th:  Lets get there early!

We woke up at 7AM thinking we would get down to the Mighty Cup by 9AM and set up for the festivities scheduled to begin at 10.  Saturday morning, our friend and fellow artist Betsi called to say that all the artists (17 of them) were saying they were going to set up at 8AM to get the best spots. 

 The Night Before

The Mighty Cup and Spoon held a grand opening for the gallery portion of the coffee shop the night before.  All the artists showing in the gallery were invited to a meet-and-greet.  We were too busy making our creations to stop and drink wine with our fellow artists.  As it was, we didn’t get to bed until after 2AM. 

Anyway, Betsi said all the artist were talking about showing up early to get the best spot.  Well, if I know artists, they are rarely on time.  So, panic we did not!  We stuck to our plan, ate a leisurely breakfast, showered, loaded the car and headed over at 9AM.

We arrived at 9:15, as it was just down the road from us.  And wouldn’t you know it…………….Betsi was the only artist there.  I knew it! 

Fast Forward

We set up our tent, put out our merchandise and here comes the shuttle bus.  What!  Its not 10AM yet.  Oh, just a trial run.  What? Oh, you’re gonna stop by right here in front of my tent every 15 minutes.  Cool!

That she did.  The bus came by every 15 to 20 minutes.  Sometimes the bus had up to 6 people on it.  Mostly, just one though.  They never got off.  We waved, smiled and gestured for them to GET OFF THE BUS.  But, no.  They did not.  No one.  All day….no one.

Walker Byes

Yes, I mean walker byes.  As in they walked up, looked at everything we had, commented on the beauty of our work, smiled and said goodbye.   This happened for two hours.  Now, its lunch time.  I’m hungry.  What are we going to do?  I don’t want coffee or a danish from the Mighty Cup.  Who, by the way, sold something to almost everyone who walked passed us.

To top it off…..it was 83 degrees of freaking hot with a slight wind of ……hot.  This cant be good for anyone.  Especially me.  I don’t like to sweat. 

Note to self :  I may have to rethink this outdoor in the summer thing.

Lennys Burgers

One of the artists walked away from their table and returned with a bag of food.  Not just food.  A Lennys Burger bag!  That can mean only one thing……………

OMG!  There is a Lennys Burger on Glendale Avenue and 57th Avenue.  These are the best burgers EVER!  Many years ago, I would stop at the Lennys on 35th Avenue and Thunderbird Road.  I would order the Ranch Burger, Cheese Fries and a soda.  It was heaven.  But, I moved away and its too far to drive.  So, I haven’t had one in almost 4 years. 

What a blessing!  This day was a bust!  But no more.  There is a Lennys Burger in sight.  Oh, we must eat there.  Happy dance ensues for all to see and admire  :)

The link is below.  However, it talks about the one on 35th Avenue. 

http://www.lennysburgers.com/index.htm

My Friend Dianne

My friend Dianne is someone I work with and share a love of beads with.   What I mean is, I love to make glass beads and Dianne loves to make necklaces out of all kinds of beads.  Our friendship started over bead conversations.  She is always so supportive of my glass bead creation attempts.  She never laughs and always finds something nice to say about them. 

Dianne is the only friend we invited to the Mothers Day celebration.  She was kind enough to show up.  She was even kinder to buy something.  Not just something, but 3 somethings.  That’s a friend!

Dianne was our only sale.  In fact, she was the only sale at our section of the event.  Oddly enough, Dianne said it was hard to find, there was no advertising and she had to ask 3 different people before anyone could direct her to us.  Hmmm.  No wonder! 

No advertising, hot weather, no one on the bus, no one buying anything…………Arggggggggggh!

I know, Lets sell on the web!

 

 

 

That Third Thursday Thing

 

Pardon my ignorance.   But, being new to the ‘art’ thing… I was not aware of the monthly events the art community has in Arizona.  I’m mainly speaking of Phoenix, Glendale and Scottsdale.  They all have one evening a month dedicated for a heavily advertised art walk.  Well, maybe not heavily….since I never heard of it.

 

           

The Might Cup Coffee House and Spoon Gallery

We received an email from an artist involved with a coffee house in downtown Glendale, Arizona.   She is inviting local artist to come down and tour the shop to see if there is interest in renting display areas.  The coffee shop owner’s staff will man the shop, sell the merchandise and alert the artist of each sale made via email.

 

The Might Cup also participates in the “That Third Thursday Thing” which is the art walk sponsored by the City of Glendale.  The art walk takes place in downtown Glendale which has just been beautifully restored. 

 

Tour of the Mighty Cup

We responded to the email and the invitation to come down to check out the coffee shop.  It’s located in historic downtown Glendale.  This historic area is preserving the original homes that have been remodeled and turned into retail shops, galleries and restaurants.

 

Might Cup Coffee House

7021 N. 57th Avenue

Glendale, Arizona, 85301

 

It’s really very cute.  They apparently have poetry readings, live music and even Karaoke.

 

We met the owner of the coffee shop, Ray.  He’s this old hippie dude….very laid back, very ‘for the people’ and ‘anti government’.  Ilese, is a photographer who is working with Ray to convert his coffee house into an art gallery/coffee house.  Ilese is a special education teacher who moonlights as a photographer.  You can see her work at the link below. 

http://www.laughingmoonarts.com/mighty_cup__spoon_coffeehouse__crafts

 

Ilese is a very cool, artsy type who is very passionate about this….her latest adventure!  We were very excited about working with her and Ray to get this thing up and running.  In fact, we called our friend who makes fused glass jewelry to see if she would be interested in renting space and the 3rd Thursday art walk.  She came down, she liked what she saw and she is going to tell her friends.

 

That’s how it all starts.  Word of mouth. 

 

The gallery portion won’t actually be ready until May.  With our first Art Walk under our belt, we feel pretty confident about participating in this one.   Except………..summer is here.  The average temperature in mid 90’s.  Not sure what the temperature will be at night between 6PM and 10PM.  I guess we will find out on Thursday, May 15th!

 

Stay tuned!