16 artsy-crafty drum corps items found on Etsy

Since launching in 2005, the online marketplace Etsy has become a popular go-to site for sellers and buyers of unique handmade and vintage items. Etsy sellers with a passion for arts and crafts and a love for marching music have even gotten creative with a number of imaginative items that pay tribute to drum corps. Some, like Maria Brandone, used her InfinityCords shop (named after a popular section of the Troopers’ 2011 production) to sell handmade bracelets colored to match the look of different corps. Over several years, 80 percent of the proceeds from the more than 400 bracelets Brandone sold helped pay her tour fees as a member of the Troopers, Crossmen and Carolina Crown in 2011, 2012 and 2013 respectively. “When I opened my InfinityCords online store, my business plan included fashion and college bracelets,” Brandone told Drum Corps International Magazine. “Soon the requests for DCI bracelets overran all other styles, and I couldn’t refuse the chance to express my love for drum corps by making them.” Others, like Emily Treasure (DCIPaintings), have also found a niche on Etsy selling to drum corps enthusiasts looking for one-of-a-kind items that aren’t found in an average store. Treasure, who specializes in painting “minimalistic interpretations” of uniforms, had a band director who initially introduced her to the drum corps activity while a member of her high school marching band. Though she has never performed as part of a Drum Corps International group, she opened her Etsy store during the summer of 2013 as several of her friends left to tour the United States with the Spirit of Atlanta. “My friend Paulina—who runs another drum corps-themed Etsy store BowMelodies—asked if I would be willing to paint the current Spirit of Atlanta uniform,” Treasure said. “I painted that, put it on Etsy, and it snowballed from there. I started getting requests to paint more uniforms, and when new ones were announced this past spring, I painted those too.” Since then, Treasure has done more than 300 paintings that are inspired not only by drum corps, but also various colleges and other marching arts groups. She says each one of her creations can take anywhere from an hour to three hours to finish. From art pieces to jewelery to interesting wearables and more, check out these unique drum corps items recently spotted on Etsy.