And, since I seem to have struck a nerve, your very own “buy indie” banners are available for download! Click here for the original banner size, and here for the smaller sidebar size. Please don’t hotlink; a link back to the original post is very much appreciated but not required. :)

As you can see, by using highly scientific methods, we have chosen our winner: congratulations to Joel! You have won a ten dollar gift certificate, redeemable almost immediately at the Sweet Tarragon online store.

But wait, there’s more!

The following eight-dollar certificates are also awarded to:

Scott, who earned himself the Persistence Trophy for being the only person to enter in all three venues AND to place an order before the drawing deadline (because it is in fact totally possible to buy my love), and

Paulette, who wins the Aggressive Enthusiasm Award for responding so fast and so loud it deserves recognition.

And finally, coupons for 15% off go to Maeryk and Will, because it’s blindingly obvious that you guys have ladies who deeply deserve pretty things.

Winners, watch your email for all the juicy details.

That’s it. Thanks so much to everyone who talked about this to their friends and spread the word. This was so much fun, I think we’ll do this again on a Friday in January, too. I don’t know which one yet, but you’ll have more than a few hours notice next time, I promise, so stay tuned.

Starting today and ending at 4pm eastern time, we are raffling off a $10 dollar gift certificate to the Sweet Tarragon online jewelry store, just because. To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment here, or you can leave a Direct Message for Mer on Twitter. It’s that simple. Tell your friends.

And check out the store anyway. From now until the end of the day (meaning when we get around to it) all orders over $25 get free priority shipping, so you can be sure to get your goodies before Christmas.

I’d like to propose a change to the buy handmade movement so popular this time of year. I’d like to take a page from the event we did on Sunday and call it “Buy Indie”.

As I sat at one of the shows we did this weekend, there was a Silpada rep behind me who loudly and proudly told every person that walked by her table that her jewelry was handmade. Yeah, okay. Silpada jewelry is handmade the same way Olive Garden’s food is authentic Italian cuisine, which is to say it’s not…really. Olive Garden dishes (which I thoroughly enjoy, BTW) are volume-based derivatives of recipes with their roots in Italian-style cooking. You could say it’s authentic, especially if you’re in the Marketing Department.

While Silpada’s marketing says that it’s handmade by artisans all over the world, my best guess (since there’s nothing to be found to back up that statement) is that it’s made by the hands of underpaid workers following a pattern in a book. So yes, it’s handmade. And since artisan can be defined as “A skilled manual worker who uses tools and machinery in a particular craft” (thanks, Wiktionary), it can be considered handmade by artisans, who I’m sure are in exotic impoverished countries all over the world.

Believe it or not, I don’t actually have a bone to pick with Silpada. I don’t view them as a competitor, and while it’s not my cup of tea, I know some people who love their designs. Yay for them. That’s not my point. Caveat emptor is my point.

If you take the handmade pledge and commit to buying handmade, for the holidays or year-round, do your research and be confident that what you’re buying is handmade by an independent artisan or crafter. Talk to them about their works, what inspires them, how they got started. You’re not just buying a toy or a gift — you’re buying a small piece of that person’s life. One of the great benefits of buying indie is getting to know the person behind the product — take advantage of that and ensure that your handmade purchase is created in the spirit that the movement intends. Buy directly from the artist or their website; seek out your local craftspeople or browse the world marketplace on sites like Etsy and Dawanda.*

I know it’s a bit late for a holiday gift guide (only 16 days to go!), but in case you’re not sure where to start on your indie-buying spree, I’ve gathered a list of some excellent indie craftspeople I’ve come across in my travels or have direct experience with — please check them out!

• Hello my Name is Monster - the cutest damn sock monsters I’ve ever seen, and I love the name tag-style branding.
• Dog Bone Art - marvelously faboo screen printed tees and bags n’stuff, including my personal favorites (which I will buy someday, damnit), “Cheese Please” and “Vanilla Chocolate Pirate”. Laura had some really cute peppermint stuffies too (all wrapped in cello and everything), but they appear to have sold out.
• Game Girl Designs - game pieces (Scrabble tiles, dominoes, etc.) made into necklaces, hair clips, etc. Amanda even does custom pieces from your photos.
• Woodnyou - I have an ebony business card holder made by this gentleman and it’s both gorgeous and well-made. I can only imagine that all of his woodwork follows suit.
• Simply Wired - If you truly must buy jewelry from someone other than Sweet Tarragon (*grin*), buy it from Chelsea at Simply Wired. I bought a pair of carnelian and copper earrings from her last year and still get compliments on them every time I wear them.
• Glass Beach - I bought a wristlet from Maia in February to use for a special event, and have used it every day since. I honestly don’t know what I ever did without it. Fun purses and cardholders in a variety of prints.
• Archipelago Arts - glass pendants with a kick, like the “I love you more than zombies love brains” piece I bought for Mer.
• A Beaded Affair - gorgeous wire-wrapped jewelry and beading supplies. I can personally vouch for Lois as a lovely person to do business with (of course, she’s my mother-out-law, so I may be biased.)
• Om Shanti Handcrafts - you know I love Kate (and her magical tangerine lip balm), but it’s worth mentioning - her stuff is awesome. All of it - the yummy, all-natural bath and body supplies, the jewelry…buy it.
• This and That gets an honourable mention, too. She’s not currently taking new orders, so it won’t help much for the holidays, but Leslie is my source for the custom sales slips that add a little extra pizazz to every order. She’s a dream to work with, and the end product is superb - I urge you all to check back with her in the new year.

Are you an indie crafter or artist? Please leave your shop link and a bit about yourself in the comments.
*Seriously…you never know what you’ll find. Thirty seconds on Dawanda tonight and I found a bacon cellphone case. I think I’m in love.

We hope to see you there!

We’ve been busy little beavers lately, and there are so many new items in the online store that some may not get the attention they deserve — like our holiday ornaments/suncatchers. They’re the perfect gift for that person who has a little bit of everything, but can use some extra sparkle in their life. (And can’t we all?)

All of our ornaments are assembled from hand-beaded strands of Jablonex crystals and hang from a color-coordinating satin ribbon. They’re currently available in five fabulous color combinations:

• Snow Queen (pictured above): shades of clear and white with antiqued silver
• Earthen Yule: earth tones and antiqued gold
• Country Rose: pink, blue, and topaz, with antiqued gold
• Waning Season: more earthy tones, with coppery overtones and antiqued copper
• Lost in Dreaming: purple and green with antiqued silver

Because they’re so sparkly, they’re difficult to photograph; stop by our booth at an upcoming event or book a home show for a closer look.

Custom ornaments are also available! Green and white for that special Eagles fan in your life? Red and blue to commemorate the Phils’ win this season? Peach and cream to match your drapes? We can accomodate most any color or design. Contact us today to place your holiday orders!

Our Foxy Delights earrings were featured in the “Gifts for Her” gift guide at Cafe Handmade - check it out here!

Thanksgiving Sale!
The big news this month is our big Thanksgiving sale. Starting “Black Friday”, November 28, and running through midnight on “Cyber Monday”, December 1, we’re offering 25% off every item in the store, plus free shipping. No special codes are needed - after you check out, wait for a revised invoice that reflects the sale price.

New Items
If you’ve seen us at a recent show, you know that we have a lot of great new items that are waiting to be photographed and posted on our site. We’ll be in shoot-and-post mode this weekend, and hope to have the majority of our new earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and ornaments posted Friday and Saturday. Do check out this month’s featured ornament, Waning Season, and check back at the site as the weekend progresses. We also have some great new pieces in the works, featuring dichroic glass by local artist Dave Boone - watch for those next month.

Winners Galore!
Congratulations to Carol Frey and Joann Gamble, who have been randomly selected to receive $10 gift certificates in the October/November drawings. Additional congrats are due to Ann and Elizabeth, who won the home show door prize drawings for a pair of earrings and bracelet, respectively. Gift certificate winners, watch your inbox for details. If you’d like to be eligible for our monthly drawings, contact us to join our mailing list!

Home Shows
It’s not too late to book a home show before the holidays. If you’d like to handle our inventory, get exclusive first looks at our newest pieces, and earn free jewelry, (and door prizes for your guests) contact us about booking a home show. Invite your friends and family over for a night of fun and jewelry, and finish up your last-minute holiday shopping.  You’ll earn a percentage in jewelry of all sales made and custom orders taken during your party! Contact us for details and to schedule your show.

December Event Schedule
Abington Friends’ School Holiday Bazaar, Abington, PA, Saturday, December 6, 10-3
Indiemade Craft Market, Allentown, PA, Sunday, December 7, 11-4

That’s all for this month; don’t forget to take advantage of our great sale and check out the great prices on other handmade holiday goods at Etsy.

Happy Thanksgiving!
~Mer and Dani~

But what’s better than a two-day craft fair?

A two day craft fair, featuring yours truly, that is also a Greek food festival. I’m pretty sure we’ll sell lots of jewelry and leave there with absolutely no money. And record-high cholesterol. And HAPPY.

The fair is scheduled to run on Friday the 7th of November from 11am to 8pm and Saturday the 8th from 10am to 4pm, though the Saturday show could easily run as late as 7 or 8pm. It’ll be a long couple of days. Come say hi! Click here to go to the Google map from which directions can be made.

Our tags are made from standard business cards with a vertical orientation. The basic layout took a lot of trial and error (and scrap printer paper) before I was happy with the location of the text and logo in relation to the center line where the fold will be. The blank space on the front of the card is for the name or description of the piece, and I added a spot for the price. When these are used as earring cards, I punch holes in this area (more about that later.) The back, which is upside down to allow for folding, has our website address and more blank space. This is where I usually write the “ingredient list” for the piece (types of stones and metals, etc.); for earrings, the hanger adheres here.

If you’re designing your own, now is the time to make sure that your final electronic file is high-resolution and adheres to your printer’s specs. If not, you could end up with blurry/grainy prints, off colors, or misaligned text. If you’re printing them yourself, make sure to do a test run on scrap paper at draft quality before you print to card stock to test alignment and clarity.

The first thing we do when the cards arrive from the printer is score them all down the center. I am fortunate enough to have a paper cutter with a scoring blade — we set up a small jig on that so we don’t have to check alignment on every card and run them through while watching a movie or listening to NPR. :) Scoring is not a requirement, but it makes the folding process much easier. We store the scored cards in the box they were shipped in and only fold them as needed.

We use these as hang tags in two different ways. For necklaces and most bracelets, we fold the tag around the section of the piece with the clasp and staple it at the top. This allows us to slide the tag sideways a bit and undo the clasp for removal without damaging the tag if someone wants to try it on. We sometimes punch a hole in the top center for hanging on our re-purposed fireplace screen rack. For smaller bracelets, our sun catcher ornaments, and other miscellaneous pieces, we use another scrapbooking tool — a glue dot roller — to stick the two halves together. We punch a hole in one of the top corners and thread it with a piece of ribbon, string, or (for the ornaments) beading wire that is tied or crimped to the product.

For the earring cards, the same folding-and-glueing procedure applies. We then use another jig (a piece of card stock with pre-measured holes punched) to punch parallel holes for the earring wires to go through. Our first few tries (as you can see here) weren’t always straight, but that’s okay. We’re handcrafters. :) After the holes are punched, we adhere clear plastic…thingies (?) made specifically for this purpose to the back of the cards. I order them from Land of Odds, but I’m sure you can find them elsewhere. These plastic doodads allow the cards to hang from any standard earring rack.

Since I know I left out specific tools above, here is a close approximation of what we’re using to make the cards (these are not affiliate links):

• 1/8″ hole punch (for hole at top of cards and for tying to merchandise)
• 1/16″ hole punch (for earring wire holes)
• 1/2″x1″ plastic earring card backers
• Permanent adhesive glue dot roller
• Paper cutter with scoring blade

Overall, this project takes a fair amount of time and effort, but it’s worth it for the consistent branding it brings to your merchandise.

Of course, if you need some help with the graphic design, or if you’d like to outsource the whole project, we can help with that, too. :)