Thank you SEATTLE for our Best Show EVER!

We are ever so grateful to everyone who took the time to come out to support the artists and craft-makers of etsyRAIN and beyond during the 4th Annual etsyRAIN Handmade Holiday Show! With record attendance, happy shoppers and ecstatic vendors, it's safe to say it was the best etsyRAIN show to date!

Here are some highlights from the show:

 

A full list of vendor websites can be found on the 2012 etsyRAIN Handmade Holiday Show Page

In-Kind Sponsor - Lion Brand Yarn

Lion Brand, a family-owned and operated business, has been supplying knitters high quality yarn since 1878-- and as an in-kind sponsor for our Handmade Holiday Show, they're supporting etsyRAIN in our mission to support crafters and artists. If you are one of the lucky 200 to get a swag bag this Black Friday Weekend, you've got Lion Brand to thank for one of your many goodies. (I won't divulge what it is here-- it's a surprise!)

According to Lion Brand, their true passion for yarn is shared by all of their associates and is the secret to Lion Brand's success. To help you in your knitting project success, Lion Brand is offering 20% off all orders on their website for a limited time! Just use coupon code "etsyrain2012" when you checkout.

Platinum Sponsor - Wyndham Hotels

Yes, even though we are doing what we love for a living, we crafters and artists need to get away from it all and take a vacation, too. One of our Platinum Sponsors, Wyndham (previously Trendwest), knows how to package vacation destinations and offers them up via Worldmark by Wyndham. As the world’s third largest vacation ownership program, WorldMark by Wyndham allows you to purchase real estate interest in oe of the Wyndham resorts. Look for their booth at the Handmade Holiday Show this year featuring special packages at Seattle’s Camlin Hotel.

What's in a Swag Bag?

A BIG Thank You to all of our talented swag bag contributors!

Our etsyRAIN members and Handmade Holiday Show vendors and sponsors have REALLY outdone themselves this season! We have 200 swag / goodie bags to hand out for the show and every single one of them has tons of functional and even *giftable* items in them! Check out this random sampling of contents:

What's in a swag bag? Trinkets, gifts, goodies, samples, full-size products, coupons, and SO MUCH MORE!

  The 4th Annual etsyRAIN Handmade Holiday Show at

Marion Oliver McCaw Hall at Seattle Center

321 Mercer Street, Seattle, WA 98109

Friday, November 23rd 11am to 6pm

Saturday, November 24th 11am to 5pm

>> Arrive EARLY for a chance at one of 100 swag bags EACH morning! <<

  The Swag Bag line will be at the *street level* lower lobby entrance

(Upper and Lower Lobby doors will open at 11am each morning)

What's "early"? 

We'll, in the past, we've had the swag bag line start at 9am...

so, dress warmly, bring a cup of coffee with you! 

I'm telling you...they are worth it!

Just ask these happy shoppers! See you there!

Bronze Sponsor - ButtonMakers.net

Their name pretty much says it all-- if you need buttons made for your special event or promotional need (custom buttons, too!), just go to ButtonMakers.net . It's really that simple (we use them all the time for our button making endeavors). In addition to being one of our Bronze Sponsors for our Handmade Holiday Show this year, we are proud to say that the etsyRAIN buttons we made for the show were created with equipment and materials from Buttonmakers.net.

Buttonmakers.net has button makers for purchase or to rent, as well as all the button badge supplies you'll need. Heck, they can make your buttons for you if you're short on time. (Note, rentals are only available in Seattle.) Thanks, Buttonmakers, for your support this year!

Copper Sponsor: Danaca Designs

etsyRAIN members who specialize in jewelry-making are well aware of Danaca Design’s Metal Crafting Center, one of our Copper Sponsors for the Handmade Holiday Show. The Center is a jewelry and small-scale metal working studio located in the University District of Seattle. 

If you want to gain skills in the art of decorative metal working and jewelry design, check out their quarterly class schedules. Their studio is a comfortable, well lit, and cheerful work space fully equipped for small-scale fabrication, including hollow forming and soldering, as well as enameling, precious metal clay and stone setting. Amateur and professional artists are featured in their small store-front gallery. As space allows, Danaca Design hosts open-house events throughout the year with a particular focus on new exhibits and or exhibitors. All students of the Metal Crafting Center are encouraged to exhibit their successes in the gallery, as space is always reserved for them.

If you are a veteran jewelry maker (or aspire to be one), Danaca Design is set up to give you opportunities to be productive and creative at your comfort level.

Gold Sponsorship - Etsy

As you can imagine, there would be no etsyRAIN without Etsy, "the world's handmade marketplace." If you are a connoisseur of all things handcrafted, you know Etsy as a place where small businesses can thrive, giving crafts people and artists a platform to present and sell their creations.

What you may not know is that Etsy supports its teams and businesses in other ways. For example, in addition to being a Gold Sponsor for our Handmade Holiday Show, Etsy has granted etsyRAIN a Team Fellowship Award to show their support of our work. We are honored to receive this distinction and hope you will see this passion for everything handmade this Black Friday Weekend at the Marion McHall Hall at Seattle Center.

In Kind Sponsor - United Reprographics

A lot of companies say that the "customer is always right" and "we'll bend over backwards for you," but how many of them actually take pen to paper and put this in their service guarantee? Well, United Reprographics has and etsyRAIN is thankful for their in-kind sponsorship of our Handmade Holiday Show this year.

United Reprographics, a minority-owned, locally-owned, community business, has been committed to providing reprographic services to hundreds of clients throughout the Puget Sound since 1999.

United's "Bend Over Backwards Service Guarantee" is comprised of a 14-step service process that starts from the moment you give them your project to the moment it's delivered into your hands. Their commitment to delivering quality service and products mirrors what our etsyRAIN members strive for in their businesses.

Bronze Sponsor: The 5 Point Cafe

"Man cannot live by bread alone..." and we have it on good authority that artists and craft people can't either. When we're up in the wee hours knitting, stitching, sewing, gluing, and soldering and our tummies begin to rumble, we make our way to The 5 Point Cafe, one of our Bronze Sponsors, for some good grub.

The 5 Point has a rich history rooted in Seattle, starting in 1929. When Prohibition ended in 1933, and “Franklin Roosevelt said it was ok to drink beer”, business started booming. They are now the longest run family eatery in Seattle and the oldest bar still in existence in Belltown.

Known as "one of the world’s best dive bars and diners,"  The 5 Point serves hearty, inexpensive, unpretentious eats with a usually crowded cocktail lounge serving up stiff drinks and raucous conversation.

The 5 Point is also known for pulling stunts of all sorts: leading the successful political opposition to the Seattle Commons, installing a periscope in the men’s room with a clear view of the Space Needle, and rigging up a rooftop faucet to water the sidewalk and discourage the transients who loitered in front of the Five Point. Oh, and don't forget the young waitresses wearing bikini's and roller skates who plug expiring parking meters in the neighborhood in the spring.

While management has changed over time, The 5 Point Cafe is intent on keeping the traditions with the same long-term employees and great homemade food at good prices served 24 hours a day every day. And, of course, Seattle’s best jukebox.

Copper Sponsor: Caffe Lladro

The term "handcrafted" has become synonymous with that which is well made and well done. We'd like to add "tastes fantastic," especially when it comes to coffee roasted and brewed by Caffe Ladro, one of our Copper Sponsors for our Handmade Holiday Show.

Considered a Seattle coffee institution, CaffeLadro opened its first location on Upper Queen Anne in 1994. Since then, they have grown to thirteen locations in the greater Seattle area, maintaining their signature friendly atmosphere, quality baked goods, and delicious coffee.

Caffe Ladro has always been a pioneer of sustainably and ethically produced coffee. In 2011, they launched a new division of the company, Ladro Roasting, which allows Caffe Ladro to source their own green coffee. Single origins and blends are now made to perfection at their Queen Anne roastery.

Copper Sponsor: Portage Bay Goods

Located in the heart of the Fremont neighborhood in Seattle,  Portage Bay Goods has been a part of the community since 1998 and they are taking part in our etsyRAIN community by supporting our Handmade Holiday Show for 2012 as one of our Copper Sponsors.

Portage Bay Goods offers "super-duper-way-better than average" last minute gifts, great stuff for the kiddos, fun and functional products, and seriously the best card selection this side of the Cascades!

They are huge supporters of the local art community, and feature a different artist the first Friday of every month for the Fremont Art Walk. In addition, Portage Bay Goods consistently carries all kinds of products from local artists, graphic designers, letterpress companies, screen printers, jewelry makers, and chocolatiers. They believe shopping locally is the best thing ever and we are inclined to agree!

Copper Sponsor: Keith T. McClelland

One of the rewarding things about being a part of etsyRAIN is the fact that while nurturing a supportive local community of artists and craft makers (our mission, after all!), along the way we connect with community members who are, shall we say, artistically inclined in their own way.

Take one of our Copper Sponsors, Keith T. McClelleand, for one. By trade, Keith is an attorney who brings years of experience assisting people who are dealing with stressful situations caused by death in the family, divorce or auto collisions. But he is also a musician, composer and co-organizer of the North City Jazz Walk.

Thank you, Keith, for helping our communities with your monetary and timely support!

Bronze Sponsor: Ugly Baby and LaRu

Longtime etsyRAIN members (Rosalie Gale from Ugly Baby Shower Art and Lauren Rudeck from La Ru)) are one of our Bronze Sponsors for the Handmade Holiday Show. They recently opened their retail shop, Ugly Baby and La Ru in the fall of 2012 in the iconic Pike Place Market area. Their location boasts a studio space upstairs where they create their art and a 300 square foot retail space on the first floor.

The shop sells Shower Art - waterproof art you can hang in your shower with a suction cup - along with Lauren's artwork from LaRu in a variety of mediums: prints, cards, belt buckles, necklaces. In addition to their artwork, the shop sells DIY craft kits, craft supplies, embroidery supplies from Sublime Stitching and cross stitch kits from Nerd Jerk. In addition, the shop features a local artist each month.

If you are an artist interested in submitting your work for review, please contact Rosalie or Lauren.

Vendor Spot: Bunny's Baked Goods

Local artist showcases work during handmade shopping festival

3 tiered dessert stand from Bunny's Bake Goods.

A University District artist is preparing to shine this holiday season during the 4th annual EtsyRAIN Holiday show.
Kate Drummonds will be showcasing her custom made tiered dessert stand business, Bunny’s Baked Goods, during the handmade holiday shopping festival at McCaw Hall.
Drummonds uses vintage plates and cups to make her unique serving dishes and accessories.
The show is scheduled for Friday and Saturday following Thanksgiving.
Hours for the show are listed below:

• Friday, November 23, 2012 from 12-6 p.m.
• Saturday, November 24, 2012 from 10-5 p.m.

Check out merchandise from Bunny’s Baked Goods online.

http://udistrict.komonews.com/news/events/800925-local-artist-showcases-work-during-handmade-shopping-festival

Copper Sponsor: Fusion Beads

When Mari Eriksson opened FusionBeads in 1997, it was her dream come true, "an expression of her lifelong passion for beads." By offering engaging classes, an exciting selection of products and a visually inspiring retail environment, the Seattle-area store has become central to the beading community. 

In 2004, Ericksson brought Fusion Beads online to build a global beading community for sharing creativity, expertise and tips on beads and beading.

Fusion Beads' mission is to bring their a well-organized and easy-to-use site filled with information, inspiration and high-quality, fairly priced products. The staff at Fusion Beads have a love for beading and wants to help everyone discover the joy of creating handmade jewelry. We at etsyRAIN are pleased to have Fusion Beads as one of our Copper Sponsors for the Handmade Holiday Show.

Bronze Sponsor: Outright

Outright helps small businesses and those who are self employed with online bookkeeping by providing exceptional accounting software. It streamlines the work involved with running a small business by helping entrepreneurs pay the right taxes, organize their income and expenses, and keep their businesses on track. More than 200,000 customers have signed up with Outright since its first day in 2008, linking their Amazon, Etsy, Paypal, eBay, FreshBooks, Harvest and showboxed accounts all under one roof for secure and efficient access.

Like etsyRAIN, Outright is passionate about helping small businesses grow and we are pleased to have them as a sponsor for our Handmade Holiday Show this year.