Homefront Artistry Team

A Story of Love

2012-01-27T11:46:00.000-05:00

You may be far or near this year. I may hear your voice tell me you love me, or I may wait by the phone for hours hoping. Regardless, you hold the key to my heart. Forever by your side I will stand, forever my love with be with you.

Pink Heart Necklace, Crystal... wearever $46.00	Wood Ring Box, Route 66 Vint... simplyjoettede... $4.00	Glacier Blue and Crisp White... AlorasAdorable... $175.00	Cinnamon Apple....Luxurious ... Thistledelight $5.50
Always Kiss Me Goodnight sig... KimboHot $15.00	Army ACU Key Chain- I heart ... mybraggbag $9.99	Custom Personalized Round Mo... RemarkableMark... $23.00	Sailor at Heart Necklace, FR... FullyHooked $17.00
Metal Key Bookmark - BM001 -... YooniqueDesign... $8.00	Heart Garden Stake Set LOVE ... AnotherCup $23.00	Marine Wife stamped dog tag ... armychic4lyfe $11.00	Mist Trail No.1, Yosemite - ... CookEWorks $450.00
USMC Laptop/iPad Sleeve CBbitsnpieces $20.00	Something Blue Bridal Monogr... HeatherStrickl... $20.00	An Airman Holds the Key to M... SweetPeaTreasu... $16.00	Cross Stitch Love Is Sample... VintagePlusCra... $8.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

This week's curated by:

Totally Tute's Tuesday

2012-01-24T06:30:00.002-05:00

Every Tuesday it is the mission of the Homefront Team to feature a fabulous tutorial or recipe provided by one of our amazing team members. Be sure to check in every week to find out what's new and be sure to share what you made using our tutorials!

This week's tutorial is from Mandy from Simply Leilani, which was originally posted back in May of 2010. These Quick and Easy Souvenir magnets would be a great project on a snow day (or rain day for those in the warmer climates), plus a really cool way of sharing your worldwide travels!

Quick and Easy Souvenir Magnets from Simply Leilani

Check out the full tutorial by clicking here!

This tutorial was share by:

Babies from the Homefront Team

2012-01-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

Items for your cute baby, made by the Homefront Team. We are all wives, husbands, mothers or significant others of a military service member.

Little Diva Baby Bloomers- T... JensCraftCorne... $12.00	Monogrammed Keepsake Girls B... HeatherStrickl... $15.00	ACU romper/ long alls/ cover... LilSoulja $38.00	Woodland MARPAT Dress Custom... craftsbychrist... $24.00
Custom Onesies Long Sleeve/... StorkBitesForY... $13.00	Boutique Onesie - Baby Musta... noahbabyboutiq... $13.00	Boutique Nursing Clip Yellow... cootiepants $6.00	Cotton Pastel Baby Blanket BlueRidge4Sist... $40.00
Teddy Bear Circles Quilt Pat... reannalilydesi... $9.00	Baby Washcloth Cupcakes w/ B... StorkBitesForY... $15.00	MILITARY BALLET, Baby Shoes,... mysweetbabylov... $22.00	Pink Penguin Embroiderd Baby... Amy305 $7.00
Wet Bag/ Zippered Pouch LittlePatPat $16.00	Newsboy baby hat (made to o... KatyDidKrafts $15.00	Flightsuit Diaper and Wipes ... farmgirlsfashi... $10.00	Petite flower baby bands wit... thesproutspot $10.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

This week's treasury was curated by:

Who's Who - Homefront Style

2012-01-19T12:41:00.000-05:00

Handmade Crochet Warm Cowl in Cream

Shop Name: Custom Crochet by darina23
What do you sell: Crochet clothing and accessories
Real Name: Olga Maxwell
Branch of Service: US Army
Who's in Service: My husband
Duty Station: Ft. Benning, GA
Family: Husband Jason, son Lucas, Daughter Lilly, me and our newly adopted cat Angel.
Where to find you:
www.facebook.com/pages/Custom-Crochet-by-Darina23/267205436635832
twitter.com/darina23
darina23.blogspot.com
An interesting bit of information about you: I speak 4 languages and have a Bachelor's Degree, but I chose to stay home with my kids and be creative. I love being a mom!

Be sure to check out all of the lovely Homefront Team shops by searching "homefrontteam" on Etsy.

Spotlight Travels - Lazio Region, Italy

2012-01-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

The military has their members and family moving around, worldwide, in many places that most people have never been to. Our Homefront Team would love to share their experiences with you, in the many different bases that they military took them too. We hope to encourage all to take the opportunity to visit many destinations (especially those that are featured on this blog), or even if it's just your very own neighborhood!

Welcome to Lazio Region, Italy!

Italy is a beautiful and historical European country, rich in art, fashion, culture and food. We are currently stationed to Gaeta, which is located in the the Lazio Region. Gaeta is an amazing coastal town located about halfway between Naples and Italy, on the Tyrrhenian Sea. My husband's commute every day is along a road where the sea is on his left bordered by sandy beaches and palm trees, while the old, even gothic buildings are on his right. Gaeta was known to be a hot resort spots as far back as the Roman times, but then during the gothic and medieval ages it was walled off to keep the undesirable population out. The wall is still up in most parts of Old Gaeta, however it is no longer a fortress; it is know a popular destination for the summer months.

Although Gaeta doesn't have the same pull as the larger, more famous towns like Florence, Rome, Venice, or Naples, there is a certain appeal to it. The environment is very relaxed, so you can always take a nice stroll down by the coast or up through the hillside part of the town. There are always vendors on the streets selling their fresh produces at super low prices. Historical meet modern when you walk down the alleyways throughout the town and see the old world homes people live in.

Also in the area, there are several charming towns as well, like Itri, Fondi, Sperlonga, and Formia. We actually live in another town (Scauri), about 15 minutes away from Gaeta, which is one of the most popular beach towns south of Gaeta. Sperlonga is the town just north of Gaeta and is the other hot beach spot with it's beautiful mountains dispersed between the sandy and rocky shorelines. Itri features a wonderfully eerie gothic castle and Fondi reminds me of a sleepy "college"-type town. While Scauri has many festivals during the summer months, with firework shows going on many nights all the way into October!

So next time you're considering a visit to Italy, look into visiting this beautiful and often forgotten area!

This week's Spotlight Travels feature was brought to you by:

Spring Green, Fresh, and Clean

2012-01-13T09:00:00.000-05:00

A collection of things to look forward to...

Lime Margarita Whipped Sugar... Thistledelight $15.00	Miniature Clay Turtle for Sl... epicycledesign... $12.00	Faceted Glass Briolette Earr... rebeccanovotny $12.00	Ruffle SKIRT - "Sugar ... HeartmadeCreat... $35.00
Gift Set - Organizer Trays -... doubleneedlede... $20.00	Iridescent pale green and st... SueRunyonDesig... $16.50	eReader Sleeve Quilted - Urb... theKnackatoriu... $25.00	Mint Green Tailored Dinner N... evelynwhite $16.00
Ultra Thin 3" Sage Gree... 2cutelittlecre... $8.50	Dishwasher Buddies - Bright ... ArtWhims $6.00	Girl's Pillowcase Dress... OkiRoo $18.00	Crochet Baby Blanket, Green ... LoopyLadies $25.00
Pear Hand Carved Rubber Stam... gettinghooked $9.00	CLEARANCE - X-Large Dog Coll... Pugs2Persians $9.00	Emerald Green Necklace, Rain... wearever $58.00	Jade and Pink Mother of Pear... SweetPeaTreasu... $18.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

This week's treasury was curated by:

Good Reads Review - A Game of Thrones

2012-01-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

A Game of Thrones
George R. R. Martin

Last spring I found myself at a store rushing down the book section. I needed a book for a trip to the beach. Nothing looked good but there was no way I was getting on a plane and spending 4 days at the beach without something to read. I couldn’t have picked a better read.

The book was A Game of Thrones and is the first book in the fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, by author George R. R. Martin. At the time I had no idea it has become a series on HBO or that it had won several awards and more importantly that I would be instantly hooked.

I really was hooked from the very first page. I found the characters engaging, the story moved easily and the writing was wonderful. It’s so rare a book has it all and this one does.

A Game of Thrones begins with the Lord Stark and his family who are about to be swept into turmoil and change they never expected. The family will face the trials of court, betrayal, attempted murder, separation, death and war. A father looses his head and a son is named a king. Daughters are lost and a mother grieves. An imperfect son plays the game of kings and dragons come a live.

The story is told from the perspective of several characters with each chapter from another view. I thought this would be awkward and jerky but it reads smoothly and doesn’t leave you lost.

I’m on the third in the series and have the fourth on the night stand. This is an epic fantasy you don’t want to miss.

Make a little time to read every day!

This week's book review was submitted by:

Resolutions - Keep the Chocolate!!

2012-01-06T08:27:00.000-05:00

Enjoy the beautiful chocolate browns from the Homefront Team! When thinking of New Year's Resolutions, I always have one about eating healthier. This year I want to eat healthier, but definitely keep the chocolate!!!

Black and Tan Flower Tags MariaSoleil $2.25	1 yard of Minky Brown Dot NicoleMichelle... $10.00	USMC Battle Booties Babybugabootie... $20.00	Distinguished.... Luxurious ... Thistledelight $5.50
Simple Hawaiian Puka Shell, ... SimplyLeilani $10.00	Berchtesgadener Wedding Scha... ByCoco $165.00	Medium Brown Faceted Wire Wr... JessicaHanna $6.50	Mocha Latte Coffee Cozy Brow... Amy305 $5.00
Duffel Bag, Brown Print Tape... sewlittletimei... $30.00	Brown Tone Pearls Memory Wir... armychic4lyfe $10.00	Snap top box for Agricola Ho... epicycledesign... $3.00	A Long Munch 8x10 Print of G... beththompsonar... $30.00
The Oak Leaves Magic - An OO... Jaritascreatio... $34.00	Puppet Q - Teddy Bear theqstore $14.00	Preppy Plaid Courds Belly Ba... trinasplacestl $5.25	Hey There, Stud - Chocolate endorfinn $6.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

This week's treasury was curated by:

He's Watching

2011-12-13T05:33:00.000-05:00

No Pouting......Christmas Si... ChersDivynWall... $25.00	Christmas Santa Earrings VintagePlusCra... $8.00	Santa's Cookies Quilted ... TerisTreasure $13.50
Christmas Button Bracelet wi... CandJjewelry $25.50	Dog Stocking - Mini Bone Sha... ThePupEmporium $3.25	Plaid Santa Tile Coasters - ... Mitz8562 $12.00
Christmas Gift Card Holder -... Mitz8562 $2.00	Crochet Top Kitchen Towel, H... quitecrafty $3.00	Christmas Braided Ribbon Boo... BrankletsNBlin... $10.00
Retro Santa Christmas Gift T... MariaSoleil $3.00	Kitchen Towel-Christmas Sant... HippieChickBou... $10.00	Starfish Santa Ornament JensCraftCorne... $6.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

12 days of Christmas - Days 7 - 11

2011-12-12T07:32:00.001-05:00

The holiday buzz has kept me busy! So today, I'm catching up on the last 5 days of missed lines.

"On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me, seven swans a swimming...."

So there's no swans on the Homefront team, but there are plenty of beautiful birds. Check out this peace dove, perfect for any day of the year!

The Chameleons Attic

Peace Dove Stylilized Wood Holiday Blue Bird

"On the eight day of Christmas my true love gave to me, eight maids a milking..."

Those maids worked really hard to make sure we got all the milk we need - for our bellies and our bodies!

Angie's Suds 'n Such

Oatmeal, Milk and Honey Lotion Stick

"On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, nine ladies dancing..."

How cute would 8 more of these lovely ladies be, dancing around in their little tu-tu's?

Banana Bear Boutique

Love Bug Ladybug T-shirt or Bodysuit

"On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me, ten lords a leaping...."

When I think of Christmas, one of the first things that pop into my head are these "lords" of Christmas! I can just picture the nutcrackers leaping across the stage, battling the rats in the holiday ballet of "The Nutcracker".

Jen's Craft Corner

Nutcracker Coffee Kozy

"On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me, eleven pipers piping..."

Need a great gift for your music loving, eco-friendly person in your life? Check out this fun reusable grocery bag, featuring all sorts of musical instruments!

Nicole Michelle's Creations

Love for Music Shopping Bag

Of course, as always, be sure to check out all the wonderful, handmade items from military families around the world by searching "homefrontteam" on your next visit to Etsy!

12 days of Christmas - Day 6

2011-12-07T06:13:00.000-05:00

"On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, six geese a laying..."

Simply Leilani

Silver Bird Nest Charm

Rebecca Novotny Designs

Sterling Silver Nest Pendant with Freshwater Pearls

Of course, as always, be sure to check out all the wonderful, handmade items from military families around the world by searching "homefrontteam" on your next visit to Etsy!

A Red and Green Christmas

2011-12-05T10:41:00.002-05:00

Yummy Gum Drop Christmas Sto... TerisTreasure $25.00	Christmas Tree Earrings. Red... fabtasticdesig... $0.20	Girl's Christmas Dress -... OkiRoo $28.00
Christmas Tree Ornaments, Cr... TheCrochetLady... $10.00	Christmas Wine Tote Bag lalunedesigns $12.00	Christmas Dots Crochet Beani... JensCraftCorne... $11.00
Dog Collar Bandana, Dog Coll... ThePupEmporium $4.50	Swarovski Christmas Tree Ear... SimplyLeilani $10.00	We Wish You a Very Merry Chr... ProffittProduc... $10.00
Table Topper - Candle Mat -... QuiltingFrenzy $25.00	Christmas Polka Dot Gift Hol... Mitz8562 $2.00	Christmas Wine Charms Drink ... VintagePlusCra... $10.00
Crochet Christmas and Holida... quitecrafty $9.00	Free Shipping Black Friday C... StorkBitesForY... $20.00	Rustic Woodland Christmas Ho... Babybugabootie... $20.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

12 days of Christmas - Day 5

2011-12-05T07:13:00.001-05:00

Ok, belay my last. Yesterday I skipped ahead in the song...and made it four golden rings, instead of four calling birds. And here I thought I had the song memorized to heart! But since I already featured some rings, today I'll use the line I was supposed to yesterday. (Super sorry to those gung-ho Christmas song conniseurs!)

"On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me five calling birds...."

We will know technology will have gone too far, when we see these little guys with cell phones. Could you imagine? I know I can't.

In leiu of actual "calling birds", I found this fun sleeve for the ever popular e-readers featuring colorful birds (without cell phones) featured in one of the Homefront Team's shops.

The Knackatorium

eReader Sleeve Quilted Urban Zoologie

And speaking of birds, have you checked out the Homefront Team's twitter page? It's a great way to get more information about what all is going on in Homefront world in a quick way!

Of course, as always, be sure to check out all the wonderful, handmade items from military families around the world by searching "homefrontteam" on your next visit to Etsy!

12 days of Christmas - Day 4

2011-12-04T07:01:00.000-05:00

"On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me four golden rings...."

They may not all be actually "golden" but these rings would be great accessories anytime of the year!

Endorfinn

Ruby Red Ring Gold

Vintage Plus Crafts

Golden Dangle Earrings

Rural Inspirations

Peach Filigree Ring

Charity Poole Designs

Sterling Silver & Turquoise Ring

Of course, as always, be sure to check out all the wonderful, handmade items from military families around the world by searching "homefrontteam" on your next visit to Etsy!

12 days of Christmas - Day 3

2011-12-03T15:38:00.000-05:00

"On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me three french hens..."

I'm not so sure I would really want french hens for Christmas, but having these Paris, France seals might add a little pizzaz when I send a special note to my true love.

Sally's Heartfelt Creations

Peel and Stick Faux Wax Seals

I think if any bird should be french, it would be the dazzling peacock. Check out this pretty hair clip featuring a peacock feather!

Jen's Craft Corner

Hip Momma Spotted Peacock Hair Clip

He may not be a hen or french, but this fun country rooster would be bring some good cheer to any kitchen.

Quite Crafty

Crochet Kitchen Towel Rooster

Of course, as always, be sure to check out all the wonderful, handmade items from military families around the world by searching "homefrontteam" on your next visit to Etsy!

12 days of Christmas - Day 2

2011-12-02T13:27:00.000-05:00

"On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me two turtledoves...."

I'm not sure what a turtle dove actually looks like, hoping that it doesn't look like this (and after a google search, it was confirmed that it doesn't):

Here are some fun homefront team items featuring birds and turtles.

Camelot's Treasures

Love Birds Peasant Blouse and Skirt for American Girl

Epicycle Designs

Turtle Game Token

OkiRoo

Baby Boy Bid - Turtle Bib with Green Minky

Of course, as always, be sure to check out all the wonderful, handmade items from military families around the world by searching "homefrontteam" on your next visit to Etsy!

12 days of Christmas - Day 1

2011-12-01T04:25:00.000-05:00

Welcome December 1st, and the official start of the Christmas Countdown - only 24 shopping days left before the big man gets here!

To help you out fill your special holiday lists, the Homefront Team welcomes you to join us on our tribute to the 12 Days of Christmas (yes, we know the 12 days don't really start at the beginning of December, but we thought this would be fun).

Each day for the next 12 days, we will feature some fabulous items that you can find in some wonderful team members shops, inspired by the song.

So let's get started.....

"On the 1st day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a Partridge in a Pear Tree."

We definitely had to take a little creative license with this line, since the Homefront Team is fresh out of Partridges (birds or band members) in their shops. But these fun origami crane earrings were so detailed, and lovely that we didn't think any Partridges would mind sharing the spotlight. Check out the other great bird items sold by our team here.

V. Carol Creations

Pink and Blue Origami Crane Earrings

There are so many awesome tree-inspired items available for sale, that it was hard to choose just one. But this one seemed ready to hold as many Partridges and Pears on it's branches as it could! Find more tree-inspired items sold here.

Fabtastic Designs

Antique Copper Tree Necklace

This functional and beautiful diaper bag, is a great display of all things pear-y, and a perfect fit into our theme. Want to see more pear-inspired items? Click here.

Savari Bags

Diaper Bag SONJA pears

Of course, as always, be sure to check out all the wonderful, handmade items from military families around the world by searching "homefrontteam" on your next visit to Etsy!

A Yellow November

2011-11-29T08:32:00.001-05:00

Black Friday Etsy Sale - Sun... LittleFever $10.00	Cross Town Clutch 1 DOLLAR S... TheSilverButto... $22.00	Faceted Sunshine Ring endorfinn $11.00
paris eiffel tower photograp... oohprettyshiny $20.00	Foliage Combs - Set of 2 - S... reynared $25.00	Honey Citrine Gold Filigree ... YooniqueDesign... $15.00
Mallory Flower Shortie Bobbi... BunnyBaubles $7.00	Topaz Crystal Earrings fabtasticdesig... $0.20	Fresh Citrus Sugar Scrub--4 ... ScarletIvySoap... $4.50
Golden Citrine and Antiqued ... FullyHooked $22.00	Dishcloths Knit Cotton Yello... SticksNStonesG... $7.50	Sterling Silver and Swarovsk... rebeccanovotny $16.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Black Friday - Cyber Monday Sales on the Homefront

2011-11-24T15:19:00.000-05:00

Who says you have to be super early the day after Thanksgiving for some great deals? You can shop right from the privacy of your own home, while you're sipping on some Egg Nog and finishing that last piece of Pumpkin Pie, while supporting some talented military families!

Here's a sampling of some of the shops participating in some form of sale this weekend - with discounts ranging from 10% to 40% or even free shipping!

No Pouting......Christmass S... ChersDivynWall... $25.00	Vintage Christmas Ornaments VintagePlusCra... $5.00	Personalized Glass Christmas... ChersDivynWall... $5.50
Holiday Tea Gift Samplers 25... DancingBearsTe... $43.75	Peppermint Twist Table Toppe... TheChameleonsA... $24.00	Keychain Christmas Santa VintagePlusCra... $6.00
I Love a Soldier Ornament ArtWhims $7.00	Cutest Little Angel Christma... TheChameleonsA... $5.00	Outfit of the Month camelotstreasu... $329.99
SALE Bow Necklace in Antique... fabtasticdesig... $8.00	READY TO SHIP Red Circles Me... NicoleMichelle... $32.00	Cinnabears Lively Ginger Loo... DancingBearsTe... $6.00
Bright red Christmas crochet... darina23 $12.00	Crochet Top Kitchen Towel, C... quitecrafty $3.00	Deployment bracelet SweetPeaTreasu... $12.00
Snowman, Crocheted, Amigurum... TheCrochetLady... $10.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Be sure to check out all the wonderful deals from fabulous Homefront Team members this weekend and all throughout the year by searching "homefrontteam" on Etsy!

A Thanksgiving on the Homefront

2011-11-22T07:12:00.000-05:00

Decorative Fall Wreath 14&qu... lisalaneboutiq... $35.00	Leaves and Acorns Kitchen Di... TerisTreasure $5.62	Dog Collar Bandana Turkey Go... ThePupEmporium $3.50
Thanksgiving Sign -Give Than... ASignOfWonder $12.95	Leaf Button Bracelet in Pum... CandJjewelry $20.00	Autumn Leaf Wine Bottle Tote... lalunedesigns $12.00
Heavenly Pecan Pie Studs TheClayCafe $8.50	Gratitude Ruffle Card InTheBook $3.25	Festive Fall Tutu Set 2cutelittlecre... $18.50
Autumn Harvest Stoneware Can... culinarycandle... $16.00	Funky Turkey 2- Perfect for ... bananabearbout... $22.00	Thanksgiving Table Runner - ... QuiltingFrenzy $35.00
Pumpkin Pie Crochet Beanie/K... JensCraftCorne... $15.00	Thanksgiving Mini Paper Bag ... KHess14265 $20.00	Thanksgiving sign - Ready to... KimboHot $12.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Build A Twitter Following for your Etsy Shop

2011-11-21T00:23:00.002-05:00

Have you ever thrown a party and been afraid no one would come?
Building a following on Twitter is sort of like that. You want a fabulous scene with lots of guests—people who will eventually connect with what you say, do, or sell.
But how to do this? Following is a list of ideas to help you build your Twitter party. Some I’ve made up and others have been given to me. Try a few and see what happens. (Note: If you haven’t set up your Twitter page, go here to learn how. If you’re really don’t get Twitter, watch this.) By the way, my name is Barbara (I go by Sally in my vintage shop) and I am a Homefront Team Member! I hope you’ll find some useful ideas here.
Focus on Quantity First
A party in full swing is likely to attract more people. For this reason, I advise getting a critical mass of followers to your Twitter page first – even if those people will never be customers. Build the happening party and your target customers will come.
The basic method for getting followers is to follow people first. To get followers you have to be one. The problem with this is the old idea of “those without experience need not apply.” If you have zero followers, who’s going to follow you? Here are some easy ways to prime the pump.
• Ask people you know. In the search box on top of the Twitter page, type in names of old classmates and weird cousins. Follow them and ask them to follow you. It kind of doesn’t matter who these people are, at this point. Just follow them.
• Visit the the Etsy Twitter teams. These mutual back-scratching societies are a great place to trade follows. Other sites off of Etsy will also have similar teams. Read and follow the rules carefully.
• Follow Twitterers in your town or state. Find them by entering #yourtown in Twitter search. (Note: words preceded by a # are called hashtags and can be used to search for just about any topic on Twitter. More about hashtags later.)
• Lastly, and this is the most controversial, consider paying for followers. There are loads of services online that do this. The upside is that you can get your numbers high, fast. The downside is the followers may not be real people, but rather the service owner’s multiple accounts. Still, social marketing isn’t always pretty. Just as in Japan, families hire mourners to make their dead relatives’ funerals look good, buying followers can be a reasonable strategy for building a foundational mass of numbers. Just be sure you pick a service that doesn’t require you to share your Twitter password.
Invite Your Market to the Party
Now that you have a few followers (of maybe-questionable quality), it’s time to look for people to connect with. Again, the basic strategy is to find people to follow. Now you want people in the target market for your product.
My favorite way to do this is to brainstorm magazines or big websites that cater to same demographic as my customers.   For instance, for my vintage clothing shop I went to Anthropologie and Chictopia, thinking that people who shop at these places might like my products. Once I find a site’s Twitter page, I scan the list of people who follow it, reading the blurbs people write about themselves. I’m looking for people who aren’t obviously selling something themselves—just nice regular folks. Twitter makes it super easy to follow them right there, with one click.
Another way to find people to follow is to search hashtags that relate to what you sell. Remember, a hashtag is like a keyword that people attach to tweets to allow them to be found. Typing #handmadeashtray into the search box will get you tweets relating to handmade ashtrays. You can then decide if you want to follow the people tweeting about them.
The downside to searching hashtags related to your product is you might get mostly tweets from other sellers. But it’s worth a try.
Balance followers to Following
So, I’ve followed a few hundred people but not everyone is following me back. In fact, lots of people will never follow me. That’s normal and should not be taken personally. But, ideally, I want to end up following only or mostly people who also follow me.
The solution is to purge my followers list periodically, unfollowing people who, after a few weeks, haven’t followed me back.
There are lots of online services for this. You want a site that identifies people you’re following who aren’t following you, and unfollows them for you (you can’t do this within Twitter). The one I use is Manage Flitter, and it works with Firefox. Here’s a link to a list of others.
By continually following new people, and occasionally purging your non-followers, you will build up your Twitter following. Which leads us to:
Content, content, content—or What the Heck do I tweet about
You’ll often hear that content – in other words, the stuff you post -- is the key to building a social network presence. This is true, but – you don’t need to be Ernest Hemingway to deliver adequate content.
For purposes of Etsy shop owners, the main point is not to spam people with constant sales pitches. You want to send out several non-promotional tweets for every promotional tweet. A standard rule of thumb is 10 non-promotional to 1 promotional.
The problem is it takes time to craft thoughtful tweets. Moreover, even fascinating people sometimes have nothing to say. Here are some ideas about how and what to tweet.
• Respond. At least a couple times a day, I’ll just tweet back to people I follow (their tweets show up in the Timeline). If someone tweets “Making butternut squash burritos…” I might respond with something profound like “Yum!” It’s just friendly contact, but it all counts. Note: this is engaging with people I follow, who will hopefully also be following me.
• Share ready-made content. Set up automatic tweets from high quality blogs (or news sites, or whatever…) you think your followers will like. I use Twitterfeed for this. I have it scheduled to tweet blog posts from 4 or 5 good blogs, twice a day. That way, I share 8 or 10 non-promotional tweets without even being on Twitter. And I’ve noticed that a lot of these tweets get retweeted – that is, shared by my followers with their followers. This proves at least some of my followers are seeing and engaging with them.
Twitterfeed is pretty easy to use and well worth the effort to figure out. Sharing content this way works. For almost a year I was virtually gone from Twitter, with only my Twitterfeed posts going out. In that time, I did not lose my Twitter followers, and even got a few new ones. While I don’t think it’s a good idea to rely only on automatic tweets, they are a wonderful and time-efficient way to share content. Just be careful to choose good quality sources to share.
• Ask questions. This is a tried-and-true way to engage followers in social media. Asking open-ended yet specific questions gets people thinking and interested. This post has great ideas for good Twitter questions.
• Retweet other people’s tweets.
• Commit random acts of Twitter kindness.
good Promotional Tweets
So now we can think about how to bring people to our Etsy shops from Twitter. How do you make the most of those promotional tweets?
• All the facts, please. As a Twitter user, one of my pet peeves is that many tweets don’t give enough information to make me want to click through. I am lazy; I get tired of clicking all day, and if you can save me some effort I’ll respect you for it. So, when you post a link to an Etsy listing, cram in as much info as you can—item, color, size, and most importantly, price. I haven’t tested this formally but I feel I’ve gotten more click-throughs with my promotional tweets since I started including prices.
• Get to know Twitpic. If Twitter has a disadvantage it’s that it’s not very visual. Twitpic is an application where you download photos and then post links to them on Twitter. Twitter then displays the four most recent Twitpics on your Twitter page. As Etsy shop owners, we would do well to take advantage of this visual aid.
• Download and use bitly. Bitly is an application that shortens long URLs (links) to tiny little phrases. When you only have 140 characters in which to get your point across, Bitly is invaluable.
• Use hashtags. Since people search Twitter for tweets on certain subjects, it makes sense to include a few in your promotional tweets. Which ones to use? I’m not a hashtag expert, but in my opinion the shorter ones are best. For instance, I thought #vintageclothing would be good for my shop, but it turns out that #vintage is used more often.
There are a lot of websites out there that purportedly help you find relevant hashtags, but I find these sites difficult to use. One easy way to research hashtags is simply to think of a word that might be a good one and type it into Twitter search, preceded by a #. Look what kinds of tweets come up, and decide if you want yours to be in this company. Think broad and general.
Note: I’d advise against using #etsy as a hashtag, but this is a personal thing. I’ve heard rumors that non-Etsy Twitterers tend to resent the influx of Etsians on Twitter. I don’t know how true that is, but to be safe I don’t use #etsy as a hashtag. You decide.
A few more thoughts…and more resources
There are many strategies for maximizing Twitter that I have not covered here, including whether to follow everyone who follows you, and whether to thank them personally with a message. And many more, I’m sure, that I’m not even aware of.
For more help on using Twitter for your Etsy shop I’d suggest you take a look at the Etsy Twitter Guide, compiled in late 2011.
Lastly, if you’d like to follow me on Twitter, please do so here! Mention this post and I’d love to follow you back.
Love,
Sally
p.s. my shop is Chronologie Vintage: www.chronologievintage.etsy.com

It's almost time...

2011-11-12T12:13:00.000-05:00

Want to get some of your Holiday shopping done before the mad rush at the malls? Check out the lovely items handmade by some talented military spouses in the comfort of your own home!

Sale begins tomorrow (Sunday, November 13th) at 7 pm, EST, right on the Homefront Team's Facebook Fan Page. 18 shops will be featured, selling 81 different items at discounted prices to those dedicated to be there! Stick around for the whole sale and receive a special discount code to be used until the 27th of this month on any future purchases from those same shops!

Set your alarm clocks and be there for this Holiday Extravaganza!

Who's Who - Homefront Style

2011-11-10T05:54:00.000-05:00

Handbag Set Purse and Wallet - Combo Teal

Shop Name: Doubleneedle Designs
What do you sell: Photography, Accessories and Holiday Goods
Real Name: Demauri Malin
Branch of Service: US Army
Who's in Service: Husband
Duty Station: Denver, Colorado
Family: Me, Hubby and Jim Jim (the dog)
Where to find you:doubleneedledesigns.etsy.com
twitter.com/doubleneedle
facebook.com/doubleneedle

An interesting bit of information about you:My mother made up my name and it's pronounced Demer-ee. I am Dutch and Danish with a wee bit of Irish and I've never lived outside of the United States! Members of my immediate family have either worked on DoD contracts or have been in the military. We represent the US Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. So, I guess being military is in my blood. I left my career in WoMD to marry my husband and make few of a kind handmade goods.

Scented Candle Palm Wax Fall and Holiday Collection - Cranberry Marmalade

Shop Name: James River Candles
What do you sell: Palm wax candles, Soy wax tarts/melts and scented oils
Real Name: Steve Boxley
Branch of Service: Army
Who's in service: myself
Duty Station: live in Richmond, VA, last duty station Camp Taji, Iraq.
Family: Casey and Tully (my 2 cats)
Where to find you: www.etsy.com/shop/JamesRiverCandles
An interesting bit of information about you: I was a professional Archaeologist for many years.

Be sure to check out all of the lovely Homefront Team shops by searching "homefrontteam" on Etsy.

Beat the Holiday Rush Sale

2011-11-09T08:46:00.000-05:00

Do you have the Homefront Team's "Beat the Holiday Rush" Sale marked down on your calendars? Well you should! On Sunday, November 13th, from 7 to 10 pm (EST), some Homefront Team members are offering their awesome handmade items for sale at discounted prices. And because it's ONLINE, you don't have to worry about long lines and pushy people; while shopping in your PJ's!

Here are the shops participating in the sale - check in on Sunday to find out what they will be offering!

Be sure to be on the Homefront Team Facebook Page on November 13, from 7 to 10 pm to get these great deals!

You can find other wonderful handmade treasures by searching "homefrontteam" on Etsy!

Salute to the US Veteran

2011-11-08T10:30:00.000-05:00

Shabby American Flag Distres... merritthyde $10.00	Iwo Jima Memorial - 11 x 14 ... PhotoImage $35.00	American Flag Patriotic Tree... QuietudeQuilts $15.00
US AIRBORNE PARACHUTIST Vint... samcoins $24.99	If You Enjoy Freedom Thank A... theangryrobot $1.50	Apron Red White Blue Patriot... SticksNStonesG... $18.00
Navy Marines US Army Marine... playpatterns $20.00	Distressed American Flag Mag... merritthyde $15.00	Ceramic Patriotic Heart Orna... GrapeVineCeram... $6.00
Vintage Women Are Veterans T... OnTheRoadVinta... $14.00	Officer's Air Force Dres... DeltaCompanyVi... $25.00	Toy Soldier number nine - a ... cbrentstaley $19.00
NOW ON SALE Veterans Day Wre... wreathsbyrobin $46.75	Military St. Christopher Rel... FaithBeads $10.00	Stars Glittered Burlap Banne... funkyshique $30.00
Chocolate American Flag Loll... lucyscreations $35.40

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Who's Who - Homefront Style

2011-11-03T14:42:00.000-04:00

Set of 2 Autumn Wine Glasses

Shop Name: By Jenny
What do you sell: Hand-painted Glassware and Wine accessories
Real Name: Jenny
Branch of Service: Army
Who's in Service: Fiance
Duty Station: Ft. Detrick,Frederick, Maryland
Family: fiance and 2 future step-children
Where to find you: via etsy shop - http://www.etsy.com/shop/jweiland85?ref=pr_shop_more
An interesting bit of information about you: My day job is teaching pre-k.

Love Birds Peasant Blouse and Skirt

Shop Name: Camelot's Treasures
What do you sell: Handmade doll clothes that fit the American Girl, similar 18" dolls and Large BFC Ink Dolls
Real Name: Guinivere, but everyone calls me Guin
Branch of Service: Navy
Who's in Service: Hubby (coming up on 12 years)
Duty Station: Ft. Detrick,Frederick, Maryland
Family: my children, Mallory (9) and Theron (4)
Where to find you: Etsy - www.camelotstreasures.etsy.com, Facebook - www.facebook.com/camelotstreasures, Twitter - www.twitter.com/camelottreasures, Blog - www.camelotstreasures.blogspot.com, Website - www.camelotstreasures.com
An interesting bit of information about you: My daughter has her own Etsy shop (www.malloryalisabeth.etsy.com); I have a Culinary Arts degree from Johnson and Wales University, but I'm currently pursuing a degree in Marketing online.

Be sure to check out all of the lovely Homefront Team shops by searching "homefrontteam" on Etsy.

Who's Who - Homefront Style

2011-10-27T14:09:00.000-04:00

Home is Where the Military Sends Us Sign

Shop Name: WordBoards
What do you sell: Distressed Wood Signs
Real Name: Melissa
Branch of Service: Navy
Who's in Service: My Husband
Duty Station: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Family: 1 beautiful daughter & 1 superhero of a son
Where to find you: wordboards.etsy.com, www.perfectlydistressed.com, www.facebook.com/WordBoards
An interesting bit of information about you: I'm a coffee addicted, Phineas and Ferb watching, primitive loving, Navy wife & Mom!

Ladybug Purse

Shop Name: SewLittleTimeinNC
What do you sell: Tater Bakers, Purses, USMC-themed Items, Duffels, Clothesline Bowls, Baby Items, Embroidered Items
Real Name: Ellen Shore
Branch of Service: USMC
Who's in Service: Husband (Retired)
Duty Station: Newport, NC close to MCAS Cherry Point & Camp Lejeune
Family: Husband, Bill & Dipstick (10 week old kitten)
Where to find you: SewLittleTimeinNC.etsy.com; facebook/SewLittleTimeinNC; I also sell at a local farmers market (The Friendly Market) and consign at The Village Shoppes, both are in Morehead City, NC
An interesting bit of information about you: I also worked for the USMC as a civilian for 30 years and retired in 2010. Then I started working for myself with Sew Little Time in NC. I love sewing all kinds of different items.

Be sure to check out all of the lovely Homefront Team shops by searching "homefrontteam" on Etsy.

Who's Who - Homefront Style

2011-10-20T08:12:00.001-04:00

One Cupcake Says Thank You (Card) - Digital File

Shop Name: Proffitt Productions
What do you sell: custom invitations, announcments and holiday cards
Real Name: Amy Proffitt
Branch of Service: married (8 years!) to husband who is active duty Air Force
Who's in Service: hubby
Duty Station: Ramstein AFB in Germany
Family: sons, Drake (3) and Lincoln (2)
Where to find you: www.proffittproductions.etsy.com, www.aproffittablelife.blogspot.com, www.facebook.com/pages/ProffittProductions/144336991205
An interesting bit of information about you: I'm a degreed architect who decided graphic design was much more fun!

Navy Wife Swarovski Crystal Heart Necklace

Shop Name: Carly's Homefront
What do you sell: Military Jewelry, Pillows, Embroidered Items
Real Name: Carly Cleveland
Branch of Service: Air Force
Who's in Service: My husband (my parents were BOTH navy though :D )
Duty Station: Cannon Air Force base
Family: My husband, Matthew, Lab mix -Nessie, and kitten - Capt Miffles
Where to find you: www.facebook.com/Carlys-Homefront
An interesting bit of information about you: The military has been a huge influence on my life; I was born in Iceland at the NATO base in the 80's and watched my parents both receive their educations thanks to the VA. I met my husband when he was a senior and I was a freshman in High School during AFJROTC. We were just friends until last year in August when we decided to try dating. We got married after dating for 5 months!

Be sure to check out all of the lovely Homefront Team shops by searching "homefrontteam" on Etsy.

The Great Pumpkin

2011-10-18T09:23:00.000-04:00

Pumpkin Earrings with Crysta... HeartfeltCreat... $22.00	Boo Q Batty Pumpkin theqstore $8.00	Harvest Town- Autumn Large Q... TerisTreasure $31.00
Halloween Button Charm Brace... CandJjewelry $25.50	4oz Little Bears Gumpkin Spi... DancingBearsTe... $6.00	Pumpkin Crunch Cake SudsNSuch $5.00
Little Pumpkin Harvest Tshir... bananabearbout... $20.00	Pumpkin and Stripes Dress - ... camelotstreasu... $16.99	Pumpkin Suncatcher Stained G... ByCoco $12.50
Fall in Love Pumpkins TheClayCafe $5.00	READY TO SHIP Pumpkin & Cand... NicoleMichelle... $5.00	Handmade Ceramic Pumpkin SWCreativeCrea... $7.50
Dog Collar Scarf Halloween P... ThePupemporium $4.50	Set of 2 Orange and Black Ja... armychic4lyfe $4.00	Hand Carved Rubber Stamp, 2... gettinghooked $15.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Who's Who - Homefront Style

2011-10-13T03:35:00.000-04:00

The Rosie Tee - Fitted tee featuring Rosie Riveter

Shop Name: BravoTangoTees
What do you sell: At Bravo Tango, we make that shirt that you reach for when you know you’re going to have an awesome day. Whether you are showing off your pride as a military spouse, your fight against adversity, your love for charity or your tenacious female spirit, Bravo Tango has the shirt for you. We create all of our designs in house – or with the help of guest designers. They are as unique as our customers, and each one is a work of American made art. Our printing is done by professional screen-printers.When you grab a tee-shirt and pull it on, it should give you comfort and confidence. As soon as our 100% cotton, super soft material touches your skin, you will be ready to tackle the day, asserting your personal pride through our chic designs.
Real Name: Becky Litton and Tammy Munson
Branch of Service: Becky (active duty navy wife), Tammy (veteran Army wife)
Who's in Service: Our Husbands
Duty Station: Becky - Washington State, Tammy - Iowa
Family: Our Bravo Tango family includes, our two witty and wonderful husbands, our four spirited daughters (we have two each), a crazy golden retriever, an enormous Saint Bernard, a sweet black mutt and a couple of large cats.
Where to find you: www.etsy.com/shop/bravotangotees
www.BravoTangoTees.com
www.facebook.com/bravotangotees
twitter.com/bravotangotees
An interesting bit of information about you: For years as military wives, we strove to carve out meaningful careers for ourselves between moves, deployments and babies – Becky as a graphic designer and Tammy as a social media consultant. Then one day our paths crossed through a mutual client and the inspiration flew. With a shared vision for our families, careers and wardrobe, we rolled up our sleeves in the spring of 2011 and created our own Bravo Tango! Now we have a line of patriotic couture tees we are so very proud of!

Candy Corn, Amigurmi, Crocheted

The Crochet Lady

I opened my shop February 19, 2009 and then let it sit, for almost a year! The Crochet Lady sat there very patiently waiting for me to get the courage up and start posting some of my items for sale. Finally I took the leap and started posting.
Many years ago I taught myself how to crochet from a book. As time passed and I got better with the crochet, I started to give away some of the items. People always said “you should sell your work!” My husband always called my crocheting “that knitty thing you do”. I looked at as my therapy. We are a military family. There have been numerous long deployments and the crochet was my therapy for me after the kids were in bed at night. I would stay up and work on the current project. Crochet is calming to me and I could concentrate on that and escape from the daily worry of deployment.
So now my kids are growing into nice young adults and I have more free time to devote to my craft of crochet. I spend time looking for and researching for just the right pattern and quality threads. I enjoy crocheting and working on beautiful patterns. And this is how The Crochet Lady came to be!

PS. When I was setting up The Crochet Lady on Etsy, I inadvertently entered my username…HHSIX as the shop name and now I am known as both!
www.etsy.com/shop/HHSIX?ref=si_shop

Be sure to check out all of the lovely Homefront Team shops by searching "homefrontteam" on Etsy.

NMSN Military Spouse Employment Summit

2011-10-12T10:16:00.000-04:00

The National Military Spouse Network is the pre-eminent networking, mentoring and professional development organization committed to the education, empowerment and advancement of military spouses. Tiffany Silverberg, a representative for the NMSN, wanted to share with the Homefront Team and all military spouses, a great oppurtunity to take a part in, helping introduce or re-introduce the military spouse to the workforce. She states "It's the first of its kind to focus on professional, modern spouses and their portable careers."

The following information is for the summit coming up this November in Fairfax, Virginia.

As military spouses - we are independent, self-sustaining, self-established. But we also know when we need each other.

As military spouse business owners, connections are the foundation of our business. Networking is a critical exponent. One connection can lead to another. One person who needs a gift can lead to another with a boutique that will carry your products. A buyer to a seller.

Sometimes the connections aren’t as obvious. We discover an inspiring friend from another genre or a collaborator for a project. We find someone who has accomplished more to give us guidance or is just starting out and needs some advice. Sometimes you meet someone who needs someone you know.

The National Military Spouse Network summit is the first conference of its kind – that brings together military spouse professionals and employment experts to discuss careers of all kinds – from small businesses to portable jobs. Sessions include Entrepreneurship – hosted by the owner of the award-winning Chic Envy Consignments in Fairfax, VA.

The conference will be held November 3-4, at the Fairfax Marriot, in Fairfax, VA. Cost is only $73! Learn more at http://www.milspousesummit.com/

Whether you attend this conference or another like it, I encourage you to look for those opportunities to connect. Businesses grow on the foundation of networks. They expand through webs of natural relationships. Don’t let networking become a stressful business pitch – build friendships and watch your shop thrive!

Think Pink

2011-10-11T04:19:00.000-04:00

Breast Cancer Awareness Coas...

Mitz8562
$12.00
On SALE Pretty in Pink - Lig...

littlefever
$10.00
Survivor Breast Cancer Wreat...

CreativeDetail...
$16.00
Pink and White Pearl and Cry...

HeartfeltCreat...
$25.00
Kitchen Towel-Pink Polka Dot

HippieChickBou...
$10.00
Cancer Awareness Ribbon Ster...

TheTaffyBox
$37.00
Pink Dahlia - Fine Art Photo...

bethjt
$25.00
Pink Ribbon Bobby Pin - Set ...

Mitz8562
$5.00
Pink and White Leaf Kanzashi...

HoldsIt
$7.00
Breast Cancer Awareness Spik...

RobinsCraftTre...
$4.50
Spring Pink Hearts Coffe Coz...

Amy305
$5.00
Pink Hearts Charm Bracelet W...

SissyPretties
$39.00
Guitar Pick Bobby Pins - Dar...

BunnyBaubles
$6.00
Pink Ribbon Peel and Stick F...

smithrj18
$12.00
Tree of Life - Hot Pink Jewe...

charmingladies...
$10.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Be sure to check out all of the lovely Homefront Team treasures by searching "homefrontteam" on Etsy.

Mark Your Calendars! Huge Homefront Team Sale on November 13th!

2011-10-06T15:59:00.001-04:00

We are having a big sale to show our appreciation for all of you who support the Homefront Team! Mark your calendars for Sunday, November 13th, in honor of Veteran's Day. The sale will take place from 7-10pm EST. We want to help you get your Christmas shopping done from the comfort of your home! Here's your chance to get unique gifts at incredible prices.

Here are the shops that are participating- many offer high quality, handmade items. A handmade gift is always treasured. Visit their Etsy shops and give them some love! Stay tuned for more details as the sale date gets closer!

ArmyChic4Lyfe http://www.armychic4lyfe.etsy.com/ Jewelry and More
Quitecrafty http://www.quitecrafty.etsy.com/ Crocheted Items
Epicycledesigns http://www.epicycledesigns.etsy.com/ Custom Eurogame Accessories
TheChameleonsAttic http://www.thechameleonsattic.etsy.com/ Handmade Items and Vintage Treasures
DancingBearsTeaHouse http://www.dancingbearsteahouse.etsy.com/ Signature Teas
HeatherStrickland http://www.heatherstrickland.etsy.com/ Elegant Monograms
TheNaturesThread http://www.thenaturesthread.etsy.com/ Reusable Cloths
HHSIX http://www.hhsix.etsy.com/ Crocheted Items
LilSoulja http://www.lilsoulja.etsy.com/ ACU Personalized Gifts
CamelotsTreasures http://www.camelotstreasures.etsy.com/ Fashionable Doll Clothes
ThePupEmporium http://www.thepupemporium.etsy.com/ Dog Accessories
ChersDivynWalls http://www.chersdivynwalls.etsy.com/ Wall and Car Window Decals
Pedalingdesigns http://www.pedalingdesigns.etsy.com/ Custom Cards, Posters, and Graphics
SaraRubendall http://www.sararubendall.etsy.com/ Banners and Avatars
WordBoards http://www.wordboards.etsy.com/ Wordboards and Signs
2LittleFriends http://www.2littlefriends.etsy.com/ Unique Accessories
RuralInspirations http://www.ruralinspirations.etsy.com/ Jewelry
ChineseAcademy http://www.chineseacademy.etsy.com/ Quilled Creations
NicoleMichelles http://www.nicolemichelles.etsy.com/ Purses, Totes, and Accessories
SueRunyon http://www.suerunyondesigns.etsy.com/ Jewelry
Sweetpeatreasures http://www.sweetpeatreasures.etsy.com/ Jewelry
Kbails84 http://www.kbails84.etsy.com/ Paracord Wristbands
SWCreativeCreations http://www.swcreativecreations.etsy.com/ Home Decor
SimplyLeilani http://www.simplyleilani.etsy.com/ Jewelry
EmsReCreations http://www.emsrecreations.etsy.com/ Shadowboxes, Picture Frames
BrankletsNBling http://www.brankletsnbling.etsy.com/ Jewelry
CarterGray http://www.cartergray.etsy.com/ Handcrafted Cases and Wallets
HeartmadeCreations http://www.heartmadecreations.etsy.com Clothing and Dresses

Who's Who - Homefront Style

2011-10-06T02:26:00.002-04:00

Every week, the Homefront Team would like to introduce you to one of the crafty members of our team. These wonderful men and woman are the foundation to our supportive community and we would love for you to support their small businesses!

Love Bug Ladybug Tshirt or Bodysuit

Shop Name: Banana Bear Boutique
What do you sell: I specialize in making custom embroidered shirts for children.
Real Name: Mary Ross
Branch of Service: USN
Who's in Service: My DH, Justin
Duty Station: Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California
Family: My husband and I have two beautiful daughters, Elise and Claire, and one very lazy, overweight (who we adore) cat named Sparky.
Where to find you: bananabearboutique.com, bananabearboutique.etsy.com, facebook.com/bananabear, twitter: @banana_bear
An interesting bit of information about you: The first clothing item I ever assemble was a pair of "genie" pants for Halloween. My mom's neglected sewing machine stopped working on me midway through, so I finished them off with hot glue and staples. It was a hot mess, but it did inspire me to learn to sew. Only now I leave the hot glue and staples to paper crafting projects. ;)

Flower Power Summer Dress Size 4-5

Shop Name: Sew Fierce Boutique
What do you sell: Clothing for little girls, some baby accessories.
Real Name: Stephanie Darmock
Branch of Service: USMC
Who's in Service: Husband
Duty Station: North Eastern PA
Family: two daughters, dog "sookie", cat "meow meow"
Where to find you: blog: apocketfullofbuttons.blogspot.com Shop: www.sewfierce.com
An interesting bit of information about you: I have a BIG dragon/fairy tattoo on my back that most people do not know about, nor would they guess.

Be sure to check out all of the lovely Homefront Team shops by searching "homefrontteam" on Etsy.

Paper Spiderweb Decoration - Tutorial

2011-10-05T09:09:00.001-04:00

I LOVE Halloween. Something about the crisp, cool fall air, added to a holiday that it's ok to be whomever you want to be just makes me smile. So while I was shopping at the Exchange the other day, I noticed the small assortment of Halloween decorations, and wasn't pleased. I knew it was time for me to get a little crafty and make some of my own.

I know you can buy that pack of spiderweb stuff at the store, that looks and feels like real spiderwebs, but I didn't want to use that this year. It has a tendency to stick to everything, and with a 4 year old running around that likes to get into EVERYTHING, I knew that would be torn down in a heartbeat. Of course, he too can ruin this decoration (a long with EVERYTHING else in my house....), but at least I can alter the height a bit and get him involved in the creating!

This project is very similar to the paper snowflakes made at Christmas time; it's really simple! And with a little bit of sparkle (with paint) and glitter, you can have some really awesome looking Halloween decorations!

What you need:

Paper - I used just plain old printer paper, but you can use any kind you like (note: the thicker the paper, the harder it will be to cut!)

Scissors - you'll need a sharp pair, the safety kind can be used, but it will be harder to cut

Pencil

Spray Paint

Glitter

String, monafilament, or fishing line

glue stick (optional)

spider rings (optional)

First I'll show you how to make a simple spiderweb.

Fold your paper in half, so the short sides meet.

Then, fold your paper in half again, but ONLY crease about an inch of the bottom of the paper, with the fold on the bottom. This crease will be used only as a guideline.

This is where it gets a bit tricky, and practice makes perfect. Fold one of the corners in about 3/4 of the way making sure the point is at the crease you made in the last step. Don't crease it to hard, yet, so you can adjust with the next step.

Take the other corner, and fold it BEHIND the paper, so the sides all match up. After you adjusted both folds until they are matched, then crease each side. If your sides are not perfect, don't fret, it will still look cool - like I said it takes practice to get it exact.

Now cut off the "ears" so you have a traditional triangle....

...like this. Now fold the two sides together to make an even smaller triangle.

Remember where you main fold is - you can't cut on that side, or your spiderweb won't come out right. My fold is on the left, since I'm left handed (I've annotated that in the pictures). With your pencil, draw a swooping curve across the top and then cut it out. Next, draw rectangles down the triangle, remembering to stop before the fold, to help guide you when you cut. Then cut out the lines you marked. At the bottom, you can cut off the tip, because this will be the middle of your web.

This is what it will look like after you made all of your cuts!

Unfold your web carefully and VIOLA!

You can of course stop at this point, and just glue your web onto some paper and adorn it with fun halloween decorations, like my son did.

If you think you've got the simple spiderweb mastered, and what to make a little more detailed one, then try these instructions.
Before doing this one, keep repeating to yourself, "spiderwebs are not symmetrical." Your spiderweb doesn't have to be perfect, because NOTHING in nature is perfectly exact!

To start off this spiderweb, you will be making the normal printer paper into a square . So fold the paper into a triangle, then cut off the extra strip, and be sure to crease the triangle. Then fold the triangle in half, to make a smaller triangle, and hold the triangle so the widest point is facing down. Now fold the one corner about a 1/3 of the way, making the tip of the triangle meet up with the corner. Just like the simple one, take the other corner to the back and match up the sides, to make the triangle look like it has cat ears (PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE). After the sides are all matched up, with creases, cut off the top ears, to make a full triangle.

With your pencil, draw a line down the center of your triangle - this line is important, because you can't CUT this line at all. Draw your lines with how you want to cut along it, making sure you STOP at the center line.
With this style, you can get a little more funky with your cutting, since this web will be a little more detailed . In the next pictures, I'll be showing you two examples of how I did it, so you can see what they will look like.

Here are what the triangles look like after cut out....

....and unfolded! With this cut, there are more veins.

Now my favorite part.....the decorating!

Once you've created several webs, you're ready to decorate them.

Spray one side with the spray paint, making sure it's all covered.

While the paint is still wet, sprinkle over glitter - on this one, I painted it black and sprinkled it with teal glitter.
Be sure to do this to both sides.

I sprayed my webs with black, copper and silver. You can get a little funky and spray them with two colors, giving them a different look.

After they were completely dried, I threaded some string (in this case, some clear string for jewelry making), in two webs, and tied it off. String as many as you like together; here I used 4 large webs on one, and 3 large with 2 mini webs on another to make a curtain in a doorway.

Add a little personality by adding plastic spider rings to a web here and there.

And now you have your very own beautiful, handmade spiderweb decoration! Post pictures of the ones you make on the Homefront Team Facebook Page, and share it with everyone - I'd love to see yours!

This tutorial was shared with us by Guin from Camelot's Treasures. Be sure to check out her store, for some wonderful handmade items. And support all the great military spouses around the world on the Homefront Team, by searching "homefront team" on your next visit to Etsy!

The Creepy Characters of October

2011-10-04T03:35:00.000-04:00

Halloween Spider Treat Bag T... InTheBook $2.75	halloween haunted house with... creativityport... $5.00	Creepy spider hat for your l... LoopyLadies $18.00
Halloween tutu outfit - READ... lisalaneboutiq... $40.00	Little Black Bat earrings armychic4lyfe $3.00	Bat Man Costume Custom Sizes KHess14265 $30.00
Handmade Ceramic Ghosts with... SWCreativeCrea... $15.00	seasonal organizer savariabags $13.00	Happy Halloween Ghost and Ba... ByCoco $12.50
Greeting Cards Happy Hallowe... ThePupemporium $2.50	Witch Charm Bracelet CandJjewelry $24.00	Witch Hat - Hand Painted She... WordBoards $11.95
Halloween Mummy Monster Hair... RobinsCraftTre... $2.95	Happy Monster, Hand Carved R... gettinghooked $9.00	Bruce The Monster LittlePatPat $15.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Be sure to check out all of the lovely Homefront Team treasures by searching "homefrontteam" on Etsy.

Who's Who - Homefront Style

2011-09-29T02:35:00.000-04:00

Bright and Round Rag Rug

25 Fall Holiday Tea Gift Samplers

Shop Name: The Chameleons Attic and Dancing Bears Tea House.
What do you sell: TCA Hand knotted rag rugs/vintage finds and other recycled treasures DBTH custom blended loose leaf teas
Real Name: Patricia Oliver
Branch of Service: Army
Who's in Service: Hubs
Duty Station: Hubs is stationed at Ft. Carson but I live in Denver
Family: Hubs, myself, our son (9) and Princess Roxi (my son's black lab)
Where to find you: shop www.etsy.com/shop/TheChameleonsAttic FB facebook.com/thechameleonsattic shop www.etsy.com/shop/DancingBearsTeaHouse?ref=ss_profile FB facebook.com/dancingbearsteahouse
An interesting bit of information about you: I've been dumpster diving! I love finding treasures weather it's an antique shop or auction, a thrift store or junk shop and even on the side of the road and in a dumpster.

Be sure to check out all of the lovely Homefront Team shops by searching "homefrontteam" on Etsy.

September Blues

2011-09-27T05:09:00.000-04:00

Blue Czech Glass Necklace, S... wearever $62.00	Royal Blue Wedding- Pocket I... mrsdstahl $120.00	Cobalt Blue and Gold endorfinn $10.00
SALE PDF Crochet Pattern - K... TheYarnChick $4.00	Navy Blue Lace Barrette BunnyBaubles $8.00	Hand Knit Scarf Soft Cobalt ... SticksNStonesG... $22.00
Silent Service Sapphire and ... herhero $30.00	Navy Blue Blossom Hair Pins JensCraftCorne... $7.00	Blue & Silver Earrings - Sap... GlassPoppies $14.00
Carved Ornament Unique Golf ... SticksNStonesG... $20.00	Forget Me Not Tiara - Multi-... reynared $145.00	Azura Bracelet - Blue, azure... fullyhooked $16.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Be sure to check out all of the lovely Homefront Team treasures by searching "homefrontteam" on Etsy.

Breast Cancer Awareness Coas... Mitz8562 $12.00	On SALE Pretty in Pink - Lig... littlefever $10.00	Survivor Breast Cancer Wreat... CreativeDetail... $16.00
Pink and White Pearl and Cry... HeartfeltCreat... $25.00	Kitchen Towel-Pink Polka Dot HippieChickBou... $10.00	Cancer Awareness Ribbon Ster... TheTaffyBox $37.00
Pink Dahlia - Fine Art Photo... bethjt $25.00	Pink Ribbon Bobby Pin - Set ... Mitz8562 $5.00	Pink and White Leaf Kanzashi... HoldsIt $7.00
Breast Cancer Awareness Spik... RobinsCraftTre... $4.50	Spring Pink Hearts Coffe Coz... Amy305 $5.00	Pink Hearts Charm Bracelet W... SissyPretties $39.00
Guitar Pick Bobby Pins - Dar... BunnyBaubles $6.00	Pink Ribbon Peel and Stick F... smithrj18 $12.00	Tree of Life - Hot Pink Jewe... charmingladies... $10.00