Today's the day!

You might wonder why you see me on Etsy today with this modified avatar:

Tonight the Handmade Movement will be Sneaking up on our 1,000th shop!  C'mon over; we are here.

You big Sneak!

Since 2008, my pals in the Handmade Movement have been swooping in on new/undiscovered Etsy shops, buying, promoting, and giving morale boosts like you wouldn't believe! This type of selflessness is rare, and it's certainly a big deal each time... but this Thursday (May 24) will be an even bigger deal, when we Sneak up on our 1,000th lucky "victim!" If you have no idea what I'm talking about, come by today's Sneak Attack so you can get a feel for things. Consider it practice for Thursday - you're going to want to get your hearting and carting skills warmed up!  This week would be a great time to commit a random act of kindness!

♥ Attack!

It's a good thing! My Handmade Movement pals are promoting very new Etsy shops that don't meet the usual Sneak Attack criteria. Maybe they only have a few items, or they are out of the usual price range (under $10), etc. So, anyway, I'm hosting for an hour today from 2-3, which means I got to find shops to feature! Here are my picks, which both feature beautiful art:

Korpita
and
photoIMAGINARIUM


The whole goal is to get these new shops new hearts, facebook fans, twitter followers, pins, +1s, stumbles... in general lots of exposure for their lovely shops! Here is today's Heart Attack thread - but even if you can't join us there, please at least give the two shops I picked a look!

Little dude, big favor!

Readers, what say we help this little dude win a new wheelchair?















I heard about him from my pal LaRue (you know LaRue; she makes all my favorite earrings, keychains, etc.). Here's what she shared on facebook the other day:

"This is Jorden, my cousin's son. I have asked for prayers for him previously, as he has many health issues. Convaid is giving away a new wheelchair to the child with the most 'likes' [in their Facebook contest]. Jorden is outgrowing his current chair, and the new chair would allow him access to areas that he can not get to conveniently now. Please click on the 'like' button associated with Jorden's photo. A comment would also be helpful."


It just takes two clicks to help! One click here and then one to "like" the pic of Jorden. If for some reason the link above is not working for you, you can also access it through my Facebook page. Thank you kindly. You rock!

Warning: cutess factor: HIGH.

Told you. Are these not the sweetest little slippers you've ever seen? Hopefully they turn out to be "somewhere between a 6 and a 7" which is what size Ellie's mom says she wears. I googled shoe size measurements and made them as long as the results said. I got the handmade fleece flowers from hksupermom during a Sneak Attack (See? Undiscovered Etsy shops can have the most amazing things!); the genius-y slipper pattern was designed by Little Red Mitten - and she provides instructions for making them in all sizes from baby to grown-up! Regarding the yarn, you know I can be kind of a yarn snob, right? But slippers for a kid must be soft and machine-washable. This is what I used; was super-soft and pleasant on a knitter's hands! Since the pattern calls for two strands held together, I grabbed the center-pull and the outside of the skein - which means my yarn-ball holder came in quite handy. There - now you can go make slippers for your adorable cousins!

Giveaway!

Help fellow Etsian Jess celebrate her birthday TODAY and win a little something from The Bee! Here are details.

Blogspot feature!

Hi! Since I'm a co-sponsor of today's kindly Sneak Attack, my pal Sandi has posted a little profile of me on the Handmade Movement blog! Check it out if you have a moment - I'm excited to be helping Crystal, a brand-new Sponsor, make some new Etsy shops' day!

You heard it here first!

Our new hamster, Flower, is a hint about tomorrow's Sneak Attack on new/undiscovered Etsy shops! Here's our discussion thread for the day - and check the Handmade Movement at or after 7pm EDT to find out which shops I picked!

Who wants to win this?

I've designed and knitted a new baby hat, and it's up for grabs in the next Handmade Giveaway !


















I thought it would be a fun baby gift or photographer's prop, since it has an elf-y, stocking cap kind of vibe. The hat, peak, and tassel each measure about 4.5 inches, in alternating yellow, brown, green, orange, and purple stripes. It'll fit baby noggins between 14 to 17 inches.

Care instructions: machine wash (warm), tumble dry (low). Yarn is 75% Merino Wool, 25% Nylon.

Attention, Sneak Attackers!

Take this brief survey about the Handmade Movement, home of the Sneak Attacks, and you could win a $20 gift certificate to my Etsy shop! (Yes, I have an alternate prize ready in case a knitter is the person whose email address is drawn on April 1.)



















Special thanks to my Sneaky pal Sandi, who came up with the survey idea and made it happen!

Feeling Sneaky?

Me, too! Sneak Attacks were on winter break, but we're back, and here's today's thread!

Even if you haven't gotten the hang of the new Etsy forums yet, you can still check The Handmade Movement at 6 p.m. Eastern time for the names of a some new Etsy shops we're going to surprise with as many sales as we can! There will be plenty of items under $10 available, and international shipping by at least one shop, so please join in the fun of letting an 'undiscovered' independent artist know WE SEE YOUR WORK AND WE SUPPORT YOU!

As today's Sneak Attack sponsor, I'm trying to get the word out as much as possible, and I'd appreciate your help spreading the word about our Sneaky mission!

Also of interest: there's a giveaway next week, so enter now! AND I'm feaured on the HM blog today. Check out this profile by Sandi and you'll learn something I haven't blogged about yet.

Win over $275-worth of handmade loveliness!

Click here to read all about it and find out the MANY ways you can enter for chances to win...

Sneak Attack! Today at 6pm Etsy time

I'm sponsoring today's Sneak Attack on a couple of relatively undiscovered Etsy shops. They'll be announced here at 6:00 Eastern time (we are GMT-5:00, for you international readers), at which time we'll be checking out their shops, hearting, and maybe even purchasing a thing or two! Please join me in giving just-started-out, low-sales shops a little boost! Questions, answers, knock knock jokes? We'll be hanging out here until the Attack starts; come on by!

You bettah work!

Check out my super models:

Jude, who apparently loves having is his picture taken in his new pumpkin hat, and Emma, who seems to be conducting a thorough quality inspection of hers! How lucky am I that my Sneaky pals have such gorgeous children?!

So far, I've got three sizes of pumpkin hat available in my shop (newborn, baby, and toddler - check the baby and toddler listings for more pics of Emma and Jude, but please, be prepared for cuteness overload to immediately set in - again!) and I'm working on one for bigger kids... coming soon! I just couldn't wait to share these cutie-pie pictures with you, and thank the models' moms for taking and sharing the pics with me!

Mystery "song" which might technically be more of a nursery rhyme...

Check out my new Treasury!

New Treasury!

Deviled Eggs & Lemon Bars - special thanks to Shell for the inspiration!

This Is What An Oil-Soaked Ocean Wave Looks Like...

Click here.

That is why we are raising money by shopping for handmade and vintage items at HelpTheGulfCoast

The link you've been waiting for!

Here is the link to today's Sneak Attack discussion thread. Please come by, say hi, and help us keep it up at the top of the Etsy forums, in the hope of attracting even more new people to participate!

It's gonna be a good one - I really mean it!

Monday Monday Monday!

... we'll sell you the whole seat, but you'll only need the eddddge!

Sorry, a monster truck rally commercial just overtook me!

Hey, I am sponsoring Monday's Sneak Attack on Etsy (read more about what that means here) and I would love love love for you to participate (which means check The Handmade Movement at or after 7 p.m. Eastern time for the name of the lucky "victim" shop, then heart and cart at will). You really really reallllly don't want to miss this one. I swear.

About the start time: we operate on "Etsy time" - which means it starts at 7 p.m. East Coast time, since Etsy is based in New York. For you international shoppers (and yes, the victim ships worldwide, so you can play, too!), we are GMT-5:00... I hope that makes sense.

Even if you cannot participate, you can help this whole wingding be a smashing success by spreading the word via your own blog, twitter, facebook, etc. The Handmade Movement and I can both be found on those special social networking venues:

Stockannette on twitter and facebook
The HM on twitter and facebook

Want an email reminder, written by yours truly, on Sneak Attack days? Send me an email and I will be happy to comply!

Thanks - I am thankful to be a part of such a community effort, and I appreciate your help!

Overheard in the Forums

That's the title of the new feature I'm doing on the Handmade Movement blog. Basically, I'm compiling quotes that happen during one of my favorite parts of the Sneak Attacks: when the lucky "victims" stop by our discussion thread all freaked out with excitement! Almost as exciting as that first sale (remember it? or are you still waiting for it? come hang out with us and let good karma take effect) is the super-cool custom logo that fellow Sneaker, Joy designed for me to use along with my Overheard in the Forums posts. Cool, huh? Yes, that's me there on the left - how did Joy know I have a yellow bracelet just like that?!