Two (Big) Things

Taniya Nayak and Michele Beschen discuss the Sourdough 3-Letter Monogram Dish Towel on HGTV's 15 Fresh Handmade Gift Ideas.

So it's been a busy, fabulous week! Although these are a little late, I did want to share two amazing bits of PR I received...

First, Beth Spotswood of the SFGate Culture Blog mentioned me in her post last week among the "Top Ten Things San Franciscans are Thankful For". I was included in the list of very talented folks in #1 - "Our Amazing Community of Internet Nerds" with some amazing company. I'm completely honored and flattered and still wondering where the candid camera is hiding. The designer I've been working with called me and left a message about my name being in the paper...which was such a nice surprise, even more so to receive a nice phone call about it! Thank you Ms. Spotswood!

Second, my Etsy shop, Sourdough, got some major media coverage on Friday by way of a special on HGTV! I know! Can you believe it? Here's how it happened... A number of weeks ago I got an email from the PR team at Etsy mentioning a collaboration with HGTV, and that one of my products (the 3-letter Monogram Dish Towel) was something they had their eye on for this, and would I be interested? Thinking this message was something they sent out to EVERYONE on Etsy, and that's like a gazillion crafters worldwide, I thought I'd never have a chance and kind of forgot about it. Then, I got another message, so I followed up asking if I was on the short-list or if this was a general call for submissions. It turns out my Sourdough towel was just one of only 100 products the Etsy team had edited for the HGTV producers to choose from! So, from one in a gazillion to one in 100 - I was in! I submitted my two samples in October, with no certainty about wether or not they'd make the show, but as the air date approached I knew I'd be on the edge of my seat.

The show 15 Fresh Handmade Gift Ideas aired on the evening of Friday, November 26th, and of course my DVR didn't record. Luckily, I got home from work in time to catch a little teaser mentioning "Personalized Linens", so I hit the big red dot. Lo and behold, my own work, the fruits of my labors then made their appearance on national television! I'm still tickled pink about this. Be sure to catch the additional air dates throughout the holiday season...beginning this Friday, December 3rd!

Also, for more screen shots from my iPhone, be sure to visit the Sourdough page on Facebook!

So, one day I'm in the "Top 10 Things to be Thankful For", and another day I'm in the "15 Fresh Handmade Gift Ideas". Who am I to look down my nose at SEO-optimized lists?