Let’s get down to the mini tour!

#1 Get yourself signed up for free and let the shopaganza begin!

#2 Take a look at the home page to see what the hot happenings are!

#3 Scroll through the Treasury pages for different categories of cool finds! *Pic 4 shows an example of an Etsy Shop- Mine!

#4 Use the search tool- be specific. *Search both by Shop Owner as per Pic 5- I did a search finding my shop by name or by specific product details like in Pic 6.

#5 Happy Etsy Shopping!

Pics from L to R

Besides having a blast scrolling through amazing ideas and photographs, how else can we utilize a new addiction for keeping track of things we love? As an artist myself, I have a Board simply called Products I design and Create. I post finished product photos, sales, how-tos, and during the creation of… photos. I have my Pinterest setup so that every time I share to that board it automatically shares on my Facebook and Twitter. This lends to sharing my creations not only with my friends and family, but with everyone I am connected to in the social media world! By having followers who re-pin and like your pictures they gain a feeling of who you are as a person too.

So, are you ready to give it a shot? Of course you are! It takes two seconds to setup your FREE account, and away you Pin! But do not say I didn’t warn you about it being addicting, ok?!

Watch for the BIG red button and go pinning for beauty!

Watch for the next bloggeroni next week! “To Create is to love.”

Don’t know Little Amps? Check out their website to learn just why they are Harrisburg’s premier locale for awesome coffee, fresh treats, and rocking tunes. Aaron Carlson, owner of Little Amps, says that, with their coffees having sold previously at the Garden Fresh Market and Deli and the City House, the HoPo isn’t Little Amps first foray into wholesaling. Still, they’re excited to see what comes about from teaming up with Midtown’s favorite craft consignment shop.

What are you waiting for? Why are you still reading this? Go get some coffee!

On a closing note: Please be sure to stop in to Little Amps Coffee Roasters at 1836 Green Street. Order the cortado. Trust me on this.

Hope everyone had a safe and lucky St. Paddy’s weekend! Irish or not, always celebrate with the best of them! Let’s not forget March Madness has begun and most importantly- I saved the best for last- March has been Craft Month since day 1. Yippee! No matter what you do as a creator, I’ve been learning the most important aspect is the ‘why.’ Why do you create the way you do or produce the items you do? What makes you wildly passionate about your artistic j-o-b? Sheesh, can I even call what I do work, I suppose at times. When I’m crunching numbers or so backed up and have no one but me to sew… I say, damn, this is hard. And I go on because I love what I do. But why do I do it?

TO CREATE IS TO LOVE.

When I wasn’t drawing, glueing, or sewing I loved being outside in the mud and climbing trees wearing a fancy dress just as much as I enjoyed watching movies, reading, and building Legos. But alas, my love always stems back to the fabric.

Nothing motivates me more than thinking about my first bag “design/creation” by cutting up a denim skirt and some scrap fabric laying around the house- my parents weren’t crafty, but I was an only child and utilized absolutely anything to occupy myself. I whipped that puppy up, inside out mind you, with a pocket and matching strap of scrap. It was fugly and I loved it, and used it until it fell apart.

I was in middle school when I graduated from the glue to sewing, and with a machine! I didn’t love Home Ec. class, but I learned early that glue didn’t cut it without a whip stitch or back tack. However, I completely zoned out during the cooking part.

I knew, leaving middle school, I wanted to be in fashion forever.

As an adult, this is what truly motivates me: fitness, fashion, yoga, butterflies, and tattoos. I am a Pisces, with no regrets, only more mistakes to live and learn from.

I opted to go to a small art school for fashion design rather than a large university with the option of playing sports. I studied under designers that traveled from NYC(one was on Project Runway!!!) once a week to teach me and my peers true draping skills, pattern making, and so many other skills for the industry. I was fortunate to get into this program due to my dedication during high school when I elected to take college design classes as part of my electives. I was offered to be a first year graduate of this fashion design program. I took away more than I ever imagined and continue to grow my passion with every passing season.

So in those couple of paragraphs I have summed up a part of my beginning love for sewing and fashion. I can tell you that money is not the ‘Why’ for me, not right now it isn’t. If it were then I wouldn’t be worrying about working other jobs to help support my business haha. My why will come at a later date because frankly I am not 100% sure of the answer. I can say that the feeling I get when sending new pieces to a boutique so unique like The Hodge Podgery, the smile stays plastered for days There is a rush not being able to know what the excited buyer will do with a new piece that thy are proud to own.

Watch for some super ‘hip and trendy’ posts coming each week! And hey, give me some feedback and share the love We are supporting The HoPo Heartisans Community!

Thanks and much love.

Em

E Chic Bags Fashion Accessories

You can start your day in Harrisburg as early as 10 am with the very first monthly FREE Coffee Cupping (read as “mmmm coffee tasting!!”) then stroll upstairs to the Yellow Wall Gallery exhibiting  Matthew Murray’s “Abandoned America” within the incredible used book store and coffee shop The Midtown Scholar.

While you’re right there, check out JM’s Thrift n Vintage and the other shops in the next few blocks, or head across the street to the Broad St Market .

If you didn’t already gorge yourself at market, walk two blocks North to Breads n Spreads for a great lunch or seek out one of our other fabulous indie eateries (for reference, Gallery Blu is several blocks north on the same side of the street)

You can head south to do some shopping here in Midtown (Stopping at the HoPo is a no brainer of course)  then pop in to Café di Luna to warm up with more Coffee, Tea or Hot Chocolate (one can never have enough hot beverages on a cold January Day

Toward late afternoon and evening you’ll be geared up and ready to check out several of our participating galleries’ special events for the first ever 3^rdin the Burg:

POSSIBLE ITINERARY FROM THE HOPO:

Head SOUTH down 3^rd St a few blocks to Susan Schreckengaust’s Arts at 510for mixed media paintings by Susan  Gottleib and Music by 510 Express from 5:10 (of course!) til 7:10. Walk toward the river to 308 N 2^nd St to enjoy wine, music and hors d’oeuvres at Sprama Design’s Sprama Gallery, a collection of music and theater inspired art. Open til 9p. About a block down from there is The ArtHouse Lounge at 217 N 2nd, tucked among the bustling happy hour and nightlife of that which is Harrisburg’s Downtown for”The Best of the West by Piper” 6-9p. Still further south at 21 N Front St is the Art Association of Harrisburg showing “Figuratively Speaking” works with the human form in mind, with music by Hal and Felicity Fox from 5-8. There are scads of indie eateries and pubs open late into the night.

OR FROM THE HoPo:

Head NORTH on 3^rd St. If you missed the 10am coffee cupping you can still visit the Midtown Scholar’s Yellow Wall Gallery, then cross the street and keep heading North up 3rd to take in the Magnificent Minds Project by artists dealing with mental illness at  Christina Heintzelman-Jones’  community minded Gallery Blu at 1633 N 3^rd featuring Music by Jonathan Frazier from 7-9 (you may want to stop at Breads n Spreads for some soup or Vietnamese Garden for some pho to warm yourselves along the way!)  Come back to The HodgePodgery where you can watch a class in progress as Jessica teaches our own special “Charm Class” from 6:30-8:30 offering the Close to Your Heart Charm.  All Close to Your Heart products will be 15% off that day!Finally, you may end your evening at HMAC’s Stage on Herr with an extended Happy Hour from 7-9 and then my Rural Radio presenting A.D. Chandler w/ Work in Progress from 9p til 1 am or so.

SUPPORT LOCAL ARTS!!! 3rd in the Burg Friday January 15th, 2010

by: Dawn

Anyhow, dear readers, it’s been a fabulous week! Soft opening Friday evening when Jess and I were both at the shop just felt “right”, yes, I could technically have sold a few things beforehand, but personally, I really wanted to share that with her. A pair of women were peeking in the windows and like I had been doing the past few days, I invited them in for a sneak preview. Their enthusiasm was just what we hoped for! They were THRILLED when we “allowed” them to make their purchases! They were wonderful! A few minutes later, two more were at the window… I see a trend here.

For those of you who are HodgePodgery-ists and those of you who are considering it, the timing for this is so perfect. About 3 weeks ago, Stage on Herr opened up right behind us. It is an artsy bar with local live music, a fantastic 5-7 Happy Hour, Wed open Mic nights, Indie bands, a “First Saturday” Art Flea Market and FANTASTIC Bloody Marys a la an old school mate of mine, Scott Mitsdarfer. Local art work hangs on the wall. Gary and John (owners extraordinaire) smile and wave as they trek by our windows. I don’t know what they were expecting of Jess and my little shop, but they are embracing us more eagerly as the days go on!

I hope you all can come by this week before everything is sold. It’s just a matter of time, you know. I really think you should come in groups. We’d have loved to have organized a formal open house, but I simply don’t see it happening before Tuesday. I seriously think you should just get a bunch of friends, and just come down for an afternoon.

I love you guys!
~~~Dawn