Protesting the integrity of Etsy

We, a group of Etsy sellers, have decided to collectively set our shops on vacation mode on the Etsy site on May 10 in protest against recent controversies. The participating shops will not conduct business for 24 hours.

People that came to Etsy could be sure they bought straight from the artist. They would get a genuine handmade, unique article. This is why I am selling there.
But now our little shops are slowly dissapearing under the heavy load of huge shops that list mass produced items, whom can list hundreds of items a day, and the problem is only getting bigger.
If you are aware of some recent events on Etsy, you know where this comes from (if not please have a look at Regretsy).

We believe in the mission of handmade and the real spirit of Etsy - a community of artists, crafters and artisans and the people who support them. But that spirit is slowly been eaten up by a greed for dollars.
We have stood by Etsy, promoted Etsy, believe in Etsy, but recent events have shown we are losing the good fight. To give a clear message in a peaceful way we have launched this protest.
Because we would like to again believe in what we believed in before.

If you would like to show your support, you can leave let your vote be heard on www.protesty.com

Support real handmade!

How it started

Fair warning: if you do not want to get addicted like me maybe you should not read this...

Amber is addictive, I compare the love for amber with acquiring a taste for something, once you have it you will truly love it. A bit like Jazz, Single Malt whiskey, olives.

When I first got in contact with amber it was through Jagna, who really loves it. And I was like, huh?'
What's so special, to me it was like coloured plastic or something. So I put up with her getting some chunks which were, to me, horribly expensive. Actually she got very good deals :-)

And then we got the chunks. And I had a magnifier. And touched the damn things, and really looked at them. And was lost. Forever cursed with the amber addiction. The stones below are all ours, and not for sale. No way I'm going to part with these.

Now here's the second warning, do not open the photo's to look at the big version.

Amber is really, really nice to touch, the stones are slightly warm always, quite light, and anti electrostatic. In Greece they call Amber Elektron because of this. Each stone is unique and hold a private garden inside. Complete with leaves, animals, moss, air. Each garden is 40 million years old. Each preserved leaf and bug is also 40 million years old. Each stone has a different colour, different texture. And every single one of them is beautiful. There is large variety in colour, transparency, hue, hardness, and of course in what is inside. I love the irregularities, small cracks, bubbles and inclusions, and taking a magnifier can stare at a stone for a long time. There's whole solar systems inside!

And then there are the poor bugs, caught in the sticky raisin 40 million years ago, trapped forever, but beautifully preserved. Tiny beasts. Discovering one of these is an additional bonus. We get many of our stones raw and crusted, finding out what is underneath by carefully sanding and polishing is half the fun of the addiction. Also they will not be so damn expensive, I am selling amber for the main purpose of being able to afford to buy more. Getting the hue and structure slowly visible is the coolest, finding spiders and bugs is a wonderful surprise, a bit like winning the lottery. It's the same feeling as getting a surprise egg when you are 6 years old, and finally finding that really cool little plastic toy you wanted for months already. Boys & toys, this never changes, only the toys get more expensive.

So, this is how things started years and years ago...forever addicted now...
Do you want to support my addiction, or are you looking for your score? I have some goodies for sale on Etsy...Visit my shop here..

Monday morning mood board

Well, it finally started to freeze in Belgium.
Not good, as our little crocussus and other spring flowers in the garden decided to come and take a peek.
I should be making a black board, but have decided I need some colour input instead, and a warm colour for that.
What better as the colour of the year, which I love anyway: orange.

Hope you get some wamth & positive vibes from this..

1. Vaisto
2. Azulado
3. JagnaB
4.ShebboDesign

More moodboards of the Europeanstreetteam are HERE >>>