The Frenchie & Flea Feature + Giveaway: The Urchiness

There are so many things to love about ETSY.

What is easy to KNOW about ETSY is that you can can buy handmade items from artists all around the world from one great spot.
What you may not know is that ETSY is also a place where you can buy supplies to make your own handmade goodies.

Today we are featuring Brie and her store The Urchiness
Brie creates hand spun & hand dyed textiles for you to create your handmade knit creations!What began as a way for Brie to pay for an expensive yarn and fiber addiction, turned into a great place to feed your own knitting addictions.

Now, if you're anything like us, the first thought you must be having is, "Wow! How doe she MAKE yarn?!"

From the fingertips of the creator herself,
"[Creating yarn takes] lots of dyeing, spinning, sitting, and dreaming. The nice thing about creating yarn is that it can travel with me to many different places. One can often find me on my porch with my drop spindle and a cup of tea, or posted on my momma's couch as she works on her quilting across the room. I do all of my spinning using a drop spindle, I haven't ventured into the world of spinning wheels, yet! As for the dyeing part... Let's just say my kitchen has changed many colors since I began this adventure!"{Copper Kettle Shetland Roving 4 oz ~ $17.00}

Naturally, our second question was, "Woah...and how long does that take?!"
And the answer that made our jaws drop,

"Dyeing one pound of roving (or four braids) takes me about an hour and a half, while yarn can take up to five hours per skein, depending on the techniques used."

{Whimsy Merino 2 ply Handspun Yarn Jumbo}

If you ask us, this is a lot of work, so we wanted to know what Brie's favorite part of creating the yarn was,

"Packing up orders to go to new homes, definitely!
I hand wrap each item and include a personalized card because I want my customers to feel special and loved when they receive their package in the mail.
Another favorite part is photographing and editing my product photos.
I also love the shopping for supplies part... But who doesn't love shopping?"

It Brie sold us on her passion and enthusiasm.
We're totally in awe of what she does and how she does it.
Being Etsy store owners ourselves, we're always wondering...

What's the best advice you have received and want to share about running an Etsy store?

"Stay organized from the beginning!
You never know when it will happen, but one day it will and you'll have so many orders it will make your head spin.
Staying organized and keeping positive has helped me immensely.
While my shop is still small, I have grand hopes for the future!"

{Flounder Merino Roving 4 oz ~ $16.00}
Who wouldn't want to support Brie and her dream?!
Well to get you started, she's enticing you and she is giving away

1- $20.00 gift certificate to one lucky reader!

To Enter the Giveaway...

1. Visit Brie's Store. Tell us what your favorite item is!

2. Make sure you are a follower of F&F

3. Leave a comment here telling us what you dream of doing with your favorite item from her store if you win!

(*BONUS ENTRY for anyone who tweets, facebook's, or blogs this giveaway. Make sure to tell us in your comment what you did and how to see it!)

giveaway ends on thursday, December 10 at 5:00 pm, pst.
winner will be announced on Friday, December 11!

*Interested in Featuring your store on Frenchie & Flea? Email Us*