Sights Around Olympia

Bayside Quilting, Olympia's Finest Fabric Establishment!

Bayside Quilting is located at 225 State Ave in Olympia, Washington.  They are across the street from the Olympia Transit Center down town.


It is a world class quilt store.  They were recognized as one of the top shops in America by Better Homes and Gardens Quilt Sampler Magazine.


The store logo is "Rosie the Quilter" fashioned after 'Rosie the Riveter' and she wields a rotary cutter!


"Bayside Quilting carries supplies and equipment for the home machine quilter.  In addition to machine quilting notions, stencils and quilting designs, Bayside Quilting offers quilting machines and home machine quilting frames and much more!"  They have a great web site as well. Check them out here.


There is an ever changing display of quilts hanging all over the store showing off the latest fabrics and designs!

There is an amazing collection of Batiks and quilter's quality designer fabrics.

They have a huge classroom as well as a longarm machine that is available to rent!  (There is a required class, see details here.)

Currently they are displaying three quilts/projects created for a challenge they put out in April.

The Royal Stonehenge Challenge

This challenge began on the Friday of the Royal wedding.  And what could be more British than Stonehenge???  We challenge you to use a minimum of one Stonehenge panel and add any fabric you'd like to create your entry into the Royal Challenge.  Stonehenge panels are 50% off -while quantities last.  Use as many as you want. but you must use one.


The fun thing is each of the three entries use a different colorway of the designer fabric from Northcott.

There will be a viewers choice prize awarded to the entry that earns the most votes.  Check out the display and cast your vote.  One of the entries is by OlyEtsy team member PeggySue King, aka Cobaltquilter.

Treasury Challenge Winners!

This week we have two amazing winners for our Treasury Challenge!

In no particular order, firs up we have AzureArts who creates some beautiful smelling candles and Soaps made from soy. I am particularly fond of the corn bread candle that I have acquired from her. I can't wait to smell some of her other creations!





Next up is Delaney Jewelry with her wonderful keepsake creations perfect for any memorable milestone along the road of life.



Thanks to everyone for your participation. We are all looking forward to the next challenge.

Sights Around Olympia

A Day at Tolmie State Park

 

This is a lovely little park is located a little north of Olympia off of Marvin Road and 61st St. NE. It is a wonderful place to spend a summer day! With a perfect view of Mt. Rainer in the distant view, Tolmie State Park has a wonderful long stretch of sandy beach to stroll casually along, the beach being dotted with small sea shells and other sea creatures like barnacles and mussels which attach themselves to the small stones in the water for survival. Pieces of driftwood along the beach add visual interest, and provide places to sit and relax, have a picnic lunch, bird watch or nap.

As the beach area has a gentle downward slope, low tide provides an excellent opportunity for exploration in the shallow waters for sand dollars and watching baby crabs zipping along the sandy bottoms. Great Blue Herons hunt for their suppers in the marshy areas near the shoreline, and I even saw a pair of foxes scamper by while walking along the beach.

This is a wonderful place to build a sand castle, bring your children or grandchildren, and even Fiddo. The gentle slope to the beach gives even the youngest of children safe entry into the water. Due to its protected cove-like formation, wave action was gentle on the day of my visit.

Away from the beach, but within the park are lovely forested areas with giant Douglas firs, cedars and big leaf maples with an understory of the usual northwest favorites, salal, salmonberry and sword ferns. At this time of the year the orange berries are just beginning to form. Two miles of hiking trails traverse through these woods, crossing the wetter areas on small wooden bridges. 

There are outdoor picnic tables located in the park with some located on the beach, as well as a shelter area that can be rented with full kitchen facilities for a larger group.

Five boat mooring spaces are provided for those coming in by water.
The park also includes an underwater scuba diving park for those so inclined! What an adventure that would be!

Access to the park is from sunrise to dusk and requires the State Park Day Pass, costing $10.00 to get in and can be purchased on site at the park. Parking can be a little crowded so I recommend getting there early on warm summer days, with a picnic lunch, a good book, binoculars and good wading shoes and be prepared to enjoy your day in this lovely park!


For more park information visit this site.


Jennifer Bracelettree

Real Time Etsy Shop Photo critiques

Photo Editing Tutorial

Today's critique is another real time shop review.  Today's review covers LaurelsArt, who sells wall clocks made from upcycled records. These reviews are a great resource to all of us with Etsy shops who struggle with quality photo's.



Thanks to Jessica from DollProject for putting these critiques together.

Real Time Etsy Shop Photo critiques

Photo Editing Tutorial


If I were to tell you where I needed to improve my Etsy shop, I wouldn't hesitate in saying "my photo's".  My hunch is that a large percentage of Etsy shop owners would tell you the same thing.  It's difficult to capture the accurate color, texture and most of all feel, of a handcrafted item, let alone sell it!
But with a little help from basic photo editing software, we can improve our photo's, even our already existing ones, and attract more viewers to our products.

Over the next couple of weeks we will be showing you real time Etsy shop photo critiques that will hopefully help you improve your own photos. 
  
This weeks tutorial is brought to you by Jessica from Dollproject.  

Show me Your Booth!

This last weekend was the 13th annual Art on the Ave in Tacoma WA.  A couple of OlyEtsy members were there vending their handcrafted items.  Check out their booths.

Wigglin' Wasabi and Niki B.'s hand etched glass sharing a tent

 First up we have Trista with her Wigglin' Wasabi shop selling quilted soldered pendents and leg warmers. 

Wigglin' Wasabi's table

Set up with Trista was Niki Bilodeau selling her hand etched glass ware.  Niki will be opening an Etsy shop some point in the near future and hopefully joining the OlyEtys team!

Last booth for today is LaurelsArt selling handmade clocks from upcycled records.  Laurel has been working on creating new signage recently and this show was the first to witness her new record garlands!

Sights Around Olympia

There are a few hidden secrets around Olympia, and as rumor has it this one is soon to vanish.

The Monarch Sculpture Garden is located just out of town and right off of the Western Chehailis Trail that we told you about last week.

The garden is an amazing find, it consist of 140 talented artist.  There are mosaic pieces, contemporary works, traditional sculptures, and my favorite, hands on musical works of art.  There is much wandering to be done to see everything in this garden.  Admission is free, but donations are collected for maintenance of the park.













If the rumor of the park closing is true, I'm not surprised, but I am very sad.  Every time I have visited there is always an abundance care and upkeep needing to be done.  Simple things like weeding or mowing, and a little more involved work like pruning and shaping of their garden maze that never made it to a finished product.  I have donated many dollars in their collection bin and always wanted to go volunteer my time, but time is precious and always gets away.  I encourage all of you to go visit this wonderful secret before it disappears forever.

Don't be fooled, there is water under there!

Half Man  -  Half Sculpture

SHARK!

Photo Editing Tutorial #3

It's no secret that Etsy sellers are always looking for ways to improve their photography skills.   Over the last couple of weeks Jessica from DollProject has been creating video tutorials for our learning pleasure.  This is our third video and I just want to say Thanks Jessica, for your great work, we really appreciate it.


The following tutorial shows viewers how to fade out the background of their product image using a blocking technique. To apply this simple blocking method, you can use either a photo program with layer capabilities or a free online application called fotofuze.com.

Sights Around Olympia

Join us as we begin to explore some favorite aspects of the Olympia area.  Today I want to share with you a mural that can be found off of our Western Chehails trail between Phones road and Sleater Kinney.  We are lucky to have this trail, it runs for many miles and can take you as far as the Monarch Butterfly Sculpture Garden and then some, or as close as the grocery store.  The trail is popular for bikers, roller skates, dog walkers and runners or all sorts.
In the last few years the city has taken it upon themsleves to improve the portions of this trail that are in city limits.  This has included trail butification such as landscaping, lighting and art.  They have also been working hard on the functionality of the trail by adding cross walks and bridges.  They are scheduled to build one more bridge over Pacific Avenue next year and then I think they are done. 
There is one mural that has been added in the last year that I would specifically like to share with you.  I don't even know what the building is, but the backside faces the trail and creates a wonderful space.  See for yourself.