Handmade Happenings, March 1-3, 2013

Pear Hat - Soft Hand Knit by Poppy and Purl

Can you believe it's March already?! Spring is just around the corner, but the fun is starting tonight with First Friday events in downtown Raleigh. It continues on through Sunday, with the St. Baldricks Day fundraiser at Napper Tandy's in Raleigh, a fun & meaningful way to start the month. See you there! 

Friday, March 1
First Friday - Raleigh
Join us for a fun-filled introduction to Raleigh's exciting art, music and dining scene.  Enjoy a free self-guided tour of local art galleries, art studios, museums, retail, restaurants and alternative art venues!

Where: Downtown Raleigh
When: 6:oo pm - ??? (times vary by venue)

Sellers to look for: 
* Bordeaux Lane Studio will be at the Morning Times Market on Harget Street (between Fayetteville & Wilmgington Streets.) Local art vendors, live performances & more! In front of the Morning Times Coffee Shop and the Raleigh Times Bar from 7:00 pm - 11:00 pm.
* metamorphosis metals has an open house at their studio in The Carter Building- 14 Glenwood Ave, Studio #24 from 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm.
More info: http://www.godowntownraleigh.com/firstfriday/index.htm
 
Saturday, March 2
Wake Forest Farmers Market
Fresh-off-the-farm produce; pasture-raised beef, poultry, and pork; free-range eggs; honey, jams, and preserves; delicious baked goods; knits & fiber, and more!
Where: 110 S. White Street, Wake Forest, NC 27587
When: 10:00 am - Noon
Artists to visit: Poppy and Purl, A Stitch Niche, Tracey Gurley Bath & Body
More info: http://www.wakeforestfarmersmarket.org/

Sunday, March 3
St. Baldrick's Day Event - Raleigh
Napper Tandy's Irish Pub in Raleigh is hosting a head-shaving festival to support St. Baldrick's Foundation, an organization that raises funds for childhood cancer research. 
Where: Napper Tandy's Irish Pub, 126 N West Street, Raleigh, NC
When: 11:00 AM - 6:00 pm
Artist to visit: Bordeaux Lane Studio (a percentage of all event sales will be donated to St. Baldrick's)
More info: http://www.stbaldricks.org/events/mypage/89/2012/

Shop Local Online! Team Member Etsy Shop Sales!
- JB Lawson Photography - 10% off with coupon code "TRIANGLE10"
- Prickly Paw Crafts - Use code "Ribbon10" for 10% off Ribbons
- The Gift Garden - 20% off your purchase with coupon code "SpringCleaning"

We hope you'll visit our NC Triangle Etsy Team members and say hello.  Check in each week for more handmade arts & crafts festivities throughout the spring! 

(Members, if you have an event or sale coming up, send your information to Orange Cat Art to get onto the calendar! )

Supporting a Cause Through Etsy

Every spring and summer, animal shelters all over the country find their facilities overflowing with litters of kittens and adult cats. To bring attention to these loving creatures, the American Society for the Protection of Animals (ASPCA) has deemed June adopt a shelter cat month. Their goal is to “send hundreds of cats packing” out of the shelters and into loving homes.

How can you make a difference? Adopt a cat from one of our local shelters, like Safe Haven for Cats. Safe Haven for Cats was founded in 1994 and is a “no-kill shelter for stray and abandoned cats and kittens”. Since they opened their doors in 1994 in North Raleigh, the shelter has “rescued and adopted over 3,500 cats and kittens”. There are currently thirty-seven cats and kittens up for adoption.

As a mom of an adopted black cat, I am happy to support a shelter like Safe Haven for Cats. In my shop, Crafts by Alice, 25% of proceeds from all sales of my “Dinah’s Toys” items are donated to the shelter, as well as proceeds from a randomly drawn item.

Thanks to the support of my wonderful patrons, $15.00 has been donated to the shelter thus far. It might not sound like a lot, but if $15.00 from my crafting helps save a cat’s life, then it is all worth it!

Crafting for a Great Cause!

As people all across the Triangle are gearing up for 25th annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure , one member of the NCTriangle Etsy street team is doing her part to find the cure for cancer.

Carrie, of Rippa’s Custom Silver, started making jewelry in 2001 as a hobby. Everything she would make, a friend, family member, or co-worker would want to buy it right off her wrist. A dear friend asked her one day to make her a breast cancer bracelet, so she did. After she made that bracelet, everyone who came in contact with it wanted to order one.

In August 2002, she decided to open an online store, Cancer Awareness Jewelry , to sell her jewelry. Cancer is a cause that is dear to her heart because she has friends and family who have battled this disease and she has lost loved ones to it. Carrie added, "Knowing that something I design for someone to wear in support of the fight or in honor of a loved one is the utmost reward to me."

Carrie donates 20% of all her jewelry sales to different cancer awareness. To date she has donated $4,800 in different amounts to Susan G. Komen for Breast Cancer, St. Jude’s, Lung Cancer, Ovarian Cancer and Autism.

Besides her cancer awareness jewelry she designs all types of beaded jewelry, from earrings, bracelets to necklaces. She loves sterling silver and all types of beads. She in awe of glass beads, they are just stunning to her! Her crafts has evolved over the years, and she loves the creative outlet that designing jewelry gives her. She tries to keep her jewelry designs current in style, yet with lasting appeal. Her latest craft creations are marble magnets, fabric covered button bobby pins, hair clips and fun cocktail rings. She sells her designs primarily on Etsy and her website, and usually participates in 3-4 craft shows a year, with a home show here and there. Most of her creation you can visit in person at the Purple Armchair in Raleigh.