Poster Child Sunday! WHIMSICAL

HappyElephantDesigns: Four squared Love button cardfrogbowler: lavender Indian moccasinsJeweledElegance: Pompadour Earringscollaborations: Time to Shinelindab142: Sale - Purple Dot Pink Tourmaline Pendant SetCustomKids: Princess ApronFatTabbyWoolens: French Press Cozy--Sweet Fair Islebiancadenise: 6/365JainaBee: Funky Aqua Turquoise Stripes Lucky Starsbirdhouseaccents: Primitive Birdhouse Chickadee Purple Pink Yard Garden Songbirds Cutemelaniehazen: Empty Bowl Bracelet- Copper and Sterling SilverWenderwoman: Sterling Silver Purple Pyramid Earringssunnfox: PAIR OF ART DECO SWAN VASESwhimsywingsandthings: Set of three (3) cute and fun japanese style fortune cookie plushiesHuggermugger: Button Burst Sachet -- Cinnamondahliasoleil: Rose Heather and Pink Mary Jane with Cameo Buttons
It's amazing how searching for that special item that will fit in the theme for a Poster Sketch can really make someone feel better...:) I decided to be a rebel and NOT let this whateveritisIhavethatsbeenplaquingmefortwoweeks get me down and prevent me from posting this week's Poster Child Sunday. After all, my readers are looking forward to it! (I hope *lol*) In an effort to thumb my nose at my aching body, I decided to go cheerful and fun and so here you have Whimsical!

I'll be tweeting, contacting all the shops unless they discover themselves first and comment, spreading the word in the Etsy Forums, on Facebook, on Deviantart and where ever else I can think of in the next few days. What can you do? Do the same thing...:) Blog about it. Get people to come and take a look. Tweet about it! Post it on your Etsy Shop Announcements. Any way you can get people over to come and admire your gorgeous pieces would be FANTASTIC! Who knows, maybe they would like to be featured too!

If you happen by, comment and/or follow me! I'd love to know what you love about the collection this time around and I'd also love to be able to start recognizing your name when you post...:)

I'm off to make myself some soothing tea and relax. Don't worry, I WILL be promoting this lovely collection of items!

As always, enjoy!
♥

Wonder Wednesday! SOAPDELI

This week's Featuree is an incredible inspiration for those of us who's dream it is to run our shops as our careers...:)

Her shops are chalk full of deliciously scented and lovingly created soaps. If you haven't met her already in the course of your Etsy travels, her shop is on Delicatessen you don't want to miss sampling! Meet Rebecca of SoapDeli!

What does Rebecca have for us this week? I swear, I want it for myself...*lol* We've got her divinely scented Angel Wings Soap...a little slice of bath-time heaven...*can smell the Pearly gates all the way here*


What do you have to do to grab your slice, how about TWO slices? Cuz that's what Rebecca is offering...TWO BARS! Just follow these simple rules...:)

THE RULES
For ONE entry
♥wander on over to Soapdeli's Etsy Shop or her Artfire Shop
♥select your favorite item from her shop
♥come back here and tell us what it is, and most importantly, a brief explanation WHY

For ADDITIONAL entries
♥ONE more entry: read the interview below and briefly tell us what part you liked most.
♥ONE more entry: Follow Soapdeli on her Blog
♥ONE more entry: Follow Soapdeli on Twitter
♥ONE more entry: Follow GiftedDesigns on Twitter
♥TWO more entries: blog about this Giveaway and Feature on your own blog! Don't forget to provide the links back in your comments so we can see...:)
♥TWO more entries: follow my blog! You'll find the Follow box to the left by scrolling down a bit...:) If you already follow me, just say so and it'll count!
♥FIVE more entries: Purchase from either Gifted Designs or Soapdeli (her Artfire Shop can be purchased from too)! Purchasing from both triples your entries to FIFTEEN! Don't forget to tell us what you got by linking to it in a comment...:D

So that's a possibility of 28 entries...;) Of course, you don't HAVE to do all that, but I'm sure you'll want to! A random number generator will be used to choose who wins! Just make sure to include as many comments as you have entries...:)

Now...to find out more about the lovely lady behind all that gorgeous soap!

1- When did you become interested in creating your own soaps?

In February 2001 about the same time I got my business license. I started out selling soaps that I purchased wholesale until I was confident enough to sell my own.

In a nutshell I have super sensitive skin. Mom used to wash me and brother's clothes twice - once with detergent and once without to get the scent out - so we wouldn't break out. Luckily it's much easier to find unscented detergents now. But you can imagine how sensitive my skin is. Once I discovered handmade soaps and the difference they made in my skin I never went back. After buying handmade soap for so long it just seemed a natural progression to try my own hand at soapmaking. I've always been a crafty kind of girl.

2- What does ‘cold processed soaps’ mean?

Cold process refers to the way the soaps were made. Basically cold processed soaps are made the old fashioned way from lye and fats. (I use all vegetable based oils for my fats.) Once the lye-water and fats are mixed together, no additional heat is applied. There's a nifty tutorial on the entire process from start to finish on my blog, Soap Deli News. http://soapdelinews.blogspot.com/2009/03/lets-make-soap-cold-process-soapmaking.html

3- To what do you attribute your success on Etsy and your growing success on Artfire?

A good product, decent photos, and promotion, promotion, promotion. I think marketing yourself really is the key. I didn't start getting regular online sales until I spent a year online constantly marketing everyday. You can have the best product in the world, but no one is going to buy it if they don't know it's there.

4- Do you have a favorite scent that you use yourself?

I am currently in love with my Lemon Verbena Salt Bar. It's all natural, my skin loves it, and the scent is just to die for.

5- I love your shop name and the idea of you running a delicious delicatessen. What inspired you to go with that concept for your shop?

It's really funny because there wasn't any real thought into starting my own business. I tend to be impulsive and Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen is just another example of that. I was just sitting at the kiosk I was managing at the mall one day when I decided I wanted to sell soap. And I thought that all of these soaps should absolutely smell good enough to eat. I came up with the idea and the name then and there in all of 60 seconds. My shop has since expanded to include non-food scents and buyer requests.

6- Aside from making soap, do you work outside the home as well? If so, what do you do?

I used to work in management for Gap, Inc. at the mall. However, I developed agoraphobia one year right around holiday - and anyone who has ever worked retail at a mall knows how stressful holiday can be. I took a medical leave for about three weeks. It was during that time I decided to give being a stay at home mom a try. I was really lucky in that my husband was making enough money at this point that I had the luxury of staying home. A little after a year later, I was going stir crazy and talking to complete strangers at Target about sales while shopping for the household. And so, on impulse, I decided I was going to sell my soaps on the local Roanoke City Market. The next day I had an interview with the market manager and the day after that I was selling downtown. By the following year I was selling full time. It's been a really great experience for me for so many reasons. I'm a social person at heart and the agoraphobia was crippling for me. The market really helped me get back out into the world doing something I loved.

So, basically my full time job is selling soap, marketing, and helping the hubby with his new project. I find working for myself allows me a lot of flexibility and I've finally learned that it's okay to take time off when I need it. I was quite the workaholic for a while.

7- I imagine that making soaps can create a delightful mess…:) Do you have somewhere special to produce them?

Not yet. I wish I did though. Once the housing crisis is over and some things are paid off I'm hoping we can move out of our starter home into a slightly bigger house that allows for a dedicated studio space. In the meantime I make soaps in my kitchen and store everything in our finished basement. The soap has definitely taken over my husband's man cave. But really he can't complain too much. He has a light box set up on his pool table to satisfy his need to take product photography shots.

8- Are your products available in other locations other than the Net?

Currently I have some soaps for sale in local boutiques. Vida Bella on Grandin Rd. in Roanoke and Calhoun & Kipp on Market St.

9- Your husband recently put his dreams out for everyone on the Internet to enjoy and appreciate by creating the wonderful ByHand.me website. What do you think of his site concept and how did he rope you into co-administrating with him? ;)

I think the concept for ByHand.me is great. It's all about helping out other artists who are trying to make a living doing what they love. And really, how can I say "no" to helping out with something like that? Adam spends most all of his free time programming improvements and new features for ByHand. Even when he accompanies me downtown to the market on weekends he has his macbook in tow. He really and truly just wants to give back somehow and ByHand is how he's able to do it. I'd be a fool not to want to give back to such a great project. I really hope everyone will read Adam's story. It will sucker you in too. ;) http://byhand.me/component/option,com_content/Itemid,272/id,1342/view,article/

10- What is your favorite color and why? :)

Lavender. And I can't tell you why just that it's a great color. I guess perhaps because it lends itself to being moody. It can be happy or traumatic or sad depending on how it's used. I've painted my living room purple twice. The first time it was ashen violet. The second, when I won a $10K makeover from La-Z-Boy, another shade of lavender. I really dig lavender paired with sage too. Here's a before and after pic of my living room. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9YJWLvm9jUc/SbnqCOfxnCI/AAAAAAAAALc/Qxa5Fj_VDqw/s400/livingrooms.jpg

There you have it...a courageous young woman. She may be impulsive, but she follows through and she's incredibly inspiring for that!

Rebecca can be found in all these locations if you'd like to know more about her
Blogs:
http://www.soapdelinews.com
http://shopbyhand.blogspot.com
http://soapdeli.byhand.me/blog

Shops:
http://soapdeli.etsy.com
http://soapdeli.artfire.com

Other:
Facebook
Twitter
ByHand
Flickr
Plurk

These are some of my favorites from her Etsy shop!
Spiced Cranberry Soap with Shea Butter - Holiday Collection
Lemon Spice Chefs Soap with Coffee and Shea Butter - ALL NATURAL
Lime Margarita Salt Bar for Extra Dry Skin with Shea and Cocoa Butters

Feel free to link us to your blog or Etsy shop...we'd love to see what you've got! The WINNER will be announced the same way Cand was announced...:D So be sure to come looking!

Have fun reading and drooling over all the delicious goodies and thank you to everyone who enters in support!
♥

WINNERRRRR!

The WINNER, according to a random number generator, for the super cute, super fun Pretend Watch IS!!!

*imaginary drumrolllllll*

Cand of SweetMary's blog

*hears the people roar in approval*

Go check out her bright and colorful blog and give her props. She really worked hard for this prize and it paid off!

Stay tuned for this week's Wonder Wednesday! I'm off to tell GigglingGoldfish who won...yay!

♥

Poster Child Sunday! SOFTNESS

PrettyFaces: CUSTOM SILHOUETTE PORTRAIT - 8x10 Oval Print with Monogramanirtak: Square Lock and Key LariatKatieQ033: Cream Ostrich Feather and Beaded flower Flapper Stretch Headbandnovotnyphoto: Love Puddle- 8 x 10 Fine Art Photograph in ColorVintageFairRetroRare: Elvis Is In The Housefantasybeader: Beautiful Grey Wolf Beading Dangle Earringsredcurrydesigns: Black Paneled Bellydance Belt with Tassel Trim and Ribbon Ties DIY CUSTOM Free shipping worldwiderougeriverbeads: 7801 - Bead Cap - 40 pcs.happyhound: Olive Oil and Eucalyptus Swirl with Rosemary Goats Milk Natural Superfatted SoapOggi: OGGI LAMPWORK BIG HOLE BEAD 'IVORY WITH AQUA DOTS' WITH STERLING SILVER CORE, PANDORA/TROLLBEADS/BIAGI-STYLEfoofooelm: ANNA - Vintage and New Assemblage Necklaceenigmachck: Gloxinia Original Collage, Framed Artworkremadeshop: handknitted loopy flower brooch in recycled shredded silk and green satin ribbonSpalenkaArt: Moneyfosterbk: Good Morning 8X8 Photographic Fine Art PrintGreenEyedGems: Icicle Rain - Rose Quartz in sterling silver
I really wanted something that was soft and calm...it's so beautiful outside that it makes me want to just breath in the essence that is spring...:)

I'll be tweeting, contacting all the shops unless they discover themselves first and comment, spreading the word in the Etsy Forums, on Facebook, on Deviantart and where ever else I can think of throughout the next few days! What can you do? Blog about your shop/item spotlight on your blog and get people to come and take a look. Tweet about it! Post it on your Etsy Shop Announcements. Any way you can get people over to come and admire your gorgeous pieces would be FANTASTIC! Who knows, maybe they would like to be featured too!

If you happen by, comment! I'd love to know what you love about the collection this time around...:)

Enjoy the beautiful weather if it's gracing your door step!
♥

New treasuries!

Hello Gang!

Poster Child Sunday is coming in a few minutes, but I thought I would share two treasuries with you before hosting everyone for the week!

I made this little beauty in honor of my fellow Team Mates over at EtsyQ and for the gorgeous blue sky I was greeted with when I walked out my door yesterday...:)


I also had the pleasure of discovering myself in a treasury highlighting Montreal's style...:) it was curated by the lovely Suza


Both treasuries are still up and running for a few days:
+Vive le Quebec Libre+
Style in Montreal

Stay tuned seeing as in the next day or two, I'll be listing a couple of pieces...YAY! Also, don't forget that my Street Team's Giveaway is still going...who wouldn't want to win 45$ worth of beautiful handcrafted items!

Have a fab day!
♥

Wonder Wednesday! GIGGLING GOLDFISH

And so we're back in the saddle...yippy cayay! Or however it's spelled...;)

I personally feel that this beautifully branded shop was well worth the wait!

Up on the menu, we've got Giggling Goldfish. Yup...your food for thought is giggling at you!

This shop is ALLL about fun and you can't help but giggle yourself when you see what she and her daughter have to offer. Fun learning toys for tots, pretties to make you feel pretty and vibrant color to uplift your soul. That's what you'll feel when you enter her shop...:) I know that's what I felt!

Up for grabs in this week's Giveaway is a really adorable, super colorful, pretend watch! Who knows, maybe it'll actually help ME learn to tell the time...*lol*


What's so great is that you have choice! You can choose to have a watch for girls or one for boys...:) Just wander around her shop to see what she has on offer! Do read the descriptions, they are SO FUN and SOOOO well written!

Want to know how you can win this darling piece of handmade fun? Very easy!

THE RULES
For ONE entry
♥wander on over to Giggling Goldfish
♥select your favorite item from her shop
♥come back here and tell us what it is, and most importantly, a brief explanation WHY

For ADDITIONAL entries
♥ONE more entry: read the interview below and briefly tell us what part you liked most.
♥ONE more entry: Follow Giggling Goldfish on Twitter
♥ONE more entry: Follow Gifted Designs on Twitter
♥ONE more entry: Add Giggling Goldfish as a contact on Flickr
♥TWO more entries: blog about this Giveaway and Feature on your own blog! Don't forget to provide the links back in your comments so we can see...:)
♥TWO more entries: follow my blog! You'll find the Follow box to the left by scrolling down a bit...:) If you already follow me, just say so and it'll count!
♥FIVE more entries: Purchase from either Gifted Designs or Giggling Goldfish! Purchasing from both triples your entries to FIFTEEN! Don't forget to tell us what you got by linking to it in a comment...:D

So that's a possibility of 28 entries...;) Of course, you don't HAVE to do all that, but I'm sure you'll want to!

Now, on to swimming with the fishes!

1-When did you start creating your whimsical pieces?

I have been creating some of the items in my shop for quite a while now but the ones that are geared towards toddlers I have just started creating over the last two years.

2- You have great variety in your shop, yet everything just goes together. What lead you to creating the types of items you make?

I mostly started creating the toddler items for my son. It was always so hard to find fun and educational items that he really liked so I started messing around with different ideas and one thing led to another and wanted to start sharing those with others. And then of course all of the girly stuff, for my daughter & all those precious little girls in our life.

3- When did your daughter start helping you make items for the shop?

We have been creating together for quite a few years now. It is getting a little harder as she gets older to find time with her studies but she is always helping out in lots of ways.

4- What is your favorite thing to create and why?

Right now I get the biggest kick out creating my little monster items (wallets, ouchy eaters & tote bags) they make me smile every time I create one & it is so much fun to see my little one enjoy the little monster things that I created for him.

5- I absolutely LOVE the fun way you describe your items when you post them for sale. How do you come up with such unique things to say?

Lol & thank you! I always wonder if anyone else finds humor in my descriptions. I am kind of a goof ball and love to be silly & my kids are the same way and I guess that just reflects in the things I create.

6- How did you come up with your shop name?

Awww…I just love telling this one. When my daughter was younger she would always tell us that her goldfish were smiling at her, so it just seemed so appropriate when we started creating together to name our shop “Giggling Goldfish”.

7- Who came up with the names for the Categories in your shop? When I mentioned excellent branding without images above, that was one of the main things I was talking about…:)

I named the categories, but they were totally inspired by my kids. I was trying to describe them through their eyes with a little sense of humor.

8- If you could wish for one thing to happen for your shop, what would it be?

Oh wow that is a hard one because I want so many things for my shop but, I would want for the items that have really become my sons favorites and my godsends to hit the big time! My little watch is so fun, helps our little ones get ready for the real thing and they get to feel all grown up and then my Ouchy Eater…this little guy has really come in handy (didn't know just how many boo boos a little boy could get) and my son loves to just play with it. Quite a few of the things I have created have brought something good in one way or another and really want to share that with everyone.

9- What is a typical day for you and your daughter?

Hehehe…is any day typical when you have little ones, lol? We are all early risers, which is very helpful, out the door for school, then me and my little son are home for the day (creating & fun…learning time for him) then we go pick her up, homework if any, she is pretty creative and loves to play her keyboard for us (she is teaching herself), reading, drawing, sewing, baking, something fun, we both love to watch the Food Network together or we will have a family movie night, then she is off to bed. On the weekends we go to the zoo, spend time with family and friends and just hang out.

10- What is your favorite spice and why? :)

Ooohh…black pepper! I think I put it on almost everything I eat. I just love the flavor it brings to different foods.

Wasn't that an interesting read?! It's so neat that when you buy handmade, you're buying into more than just the object, but into the PERSON too!

Check out these favorites of mine from her shop...:)

Construction Zone Ahead - Fun Art Apron
Color Me Sweetly - Girls Personalized Drawstring Bag
Candy Store - Yummy Beaded Bracelet

Feel free to link us to your blog or Etsy shop...we'd love to see what you've got! The WINNER will be announced in it's own post right before the next Wonder Wednesday so be sure to come looking!

Have fun reading and swimming about and thank you to everyone who enters in support!

Busy weekend!

I have had the busiest last few days of my life...I'm thoroughly exhausted, but also really happy at what has gotten done...:D

I have a lot to write, so hopefully it'll all be interesting and you'll enjoy my excitement...*lol*

GIVEAWAY #1
The first Giveaway that I have ever been in is set up by my Team on Etsy. We're hoping to do a giveaway a month and each giveaway will feature three of our incredibly talented team members...:D This time around, I was selected...:D I'm featuring a lovely pair of earrings by the name of Mint Bliss. They are made with silver, peace jasper and amethyst and are being given together with two other pieces with a value for the threesome set at about 45$!

If you're interested in finding out more about this giveaway, you can find everything you need on this blog entry.

If you don't read French, you just have to scroll down a little farther for the English version...:) You also can respond in English!

GIVEAWAY #2
The second Giveaway is my first ever single shop giveaway featuring no one else but moi! I'm so honored to be able to do that on someone else's blog! The piece that you get to win is my Verdant earrings featuring beautiful oxidized copper findings, soapstone, african turquoise jasper, wood and czech glass seed beads. They are a value of approximately 30$...:)

ChistopherAndTia are the wonderful people who are supporting me so nicely and so if you'd like to see what THEY create, you can visit their Etsy shop.

To be able to enter to win the Verdant earrings, just follow the instructions on their blog.

WONDER WEDNESDAY & POSTER CHILD SUNDAY
There was a glitch for Wonder Wednesday with my Featuree having an explosion in her computer so her feature will hopefully be up and running THIS Wednesday instead. I can't wait for you guys to see the adorable things she makes in collaboration with her daughter!

That said, I had NO issues at all for posting up my Poster Child Sunday feature and so if you'd like to admire it, comment on what you like about it or visit any of the shops I've featured, just scroll down...:)

Feel free to follow my blog to see what else I'll be posting and to apply for yourself to be featured.

CONTEST
I recently participated in a really fun contest which involved artisans and digital artists for a club I am in on DA. The theme was Elements/Elementals/Weather. I LOVED the piece I made!


Alas, I'm the only artisan to have actually finished and posted my piece, but I've still got some great competition with some lovely digital manips and paintings...:D

You can see the other entries and learn more about the contest on DA.

FAMAZON MAGAZINE LAUNCH
I had the opportunity to make three pairs of earrings as donated items for the guests of the Famazon Magazine Launch which is happening next week...:D Three lucky guests get to take home the earrings I posted earlier in the week on DA.

I am really excited about the opportunity and I hope they arrive in time, I was seriously pushing it on the delivery! You can find out more info on Famazon and it's purpose on DA.

As I said, long entry! But I hope it's worth the read for you. So much is happening and I just didn't have the time to do it all piece by piece!

I posting a similar entry up on By Hand as well...:)

Have a fab day everyone! ♥

Poster Child Sunday! VIBRANCE

ForestCreations: Red Swirly Wire Doodle Bookmark ruetabega: Reborn - Pearl, Chalcedony, and Vintage Sterling Brooch Necklace
SpareButton: Kiss Hug Kiss Hug - x6 Hand Drawn ButtonsPrettyPixels: Red Bird - Set of 5 Flat Cardsprkc: Corn Husk Wreath Ornamentcountrywindows: Waterlily in Bloomsheenajewellery: Memoirs of a life in Japan- Oxidized silver earrings with gold leafwirefox: Pink Washer HeartsFunkyBlink: CUSTOMIZE your earrings - plus - clip on or earhookdylanS: Bicycle and Tree vinyl wall graphics decals stickers art LARGERoxanaVilla: Love Yourself Matted PrintForet: ELEMENTALZ- Native AngelMiji: Spring Yellow Dress for Size 6 Monthsloreliekaydesigns: SALE Flower Power Altered Vintage Jewelry Handbag, OOAKjannio: Joe Felt Hatbirdapparel: HEN - medium
I was in a red mood and I love yellow with red. For some variety, a little green and black for good measure...;)

As usual, I'll be tweeting tonight when I get back from my mom's, spreading the word in the Etsy Forums, on Facebook, on Deviantart and where ever else I can think of! What can you do? Blog about your shop/item spotlight on your blog and get people to come and take a look. Tweet about it! Any way you can get people over to come and admire your gorgeous pieces ould be GREAT!

If you happen by, comment! I'd love to know what you love about this...:)

Enjoy!
♥

Wonder where it went????

As you know, I've just started two weekly features of which on is supposed to run today...:)

Well, my Featuree had some internet issues and so I am just waiting for her to complete the interview questions and then I'll be able to post up her responses and everything else. Better late than never and she's worth the wait!

That said, I'd like to announce the WINNER for the first ever Wonder Wednesday...:D

That would be ANGIE! http://baileybobby1.blogspot.com/

The lovely Angie gets to benefit from a 15% discount on ONE item in Newhopebeading's GORGEOUS shop (minus the 100% donation items)...:D Not only does she get the discount, she gets the pleasure of knowing that no matter what she buys, she's contributing 5% of the sale to the Epilepsy Foundation. Always a good feeling!

Congratulations Angie! To claim your prize, all you have to do is contact Newhopebeading through convo here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6746523

Just tell her you're the lucky winner! I've already made her aware that she should be expecting your convo and she'll send you a poke if she doesn't get it...:D

Next thing on the agenda! I finally posted two new pieces. I know, it's been forever...*lol*


This is my Arcadia set. I can't tell you how much I love it and the term 'parting is such sweet sorrow' couldn't have applied more if I was Juliette, herself...:) If, of course, I'm matching the saying with the right play!

Here are the listings for the Necklace and Earrings:
Necklace
Earrings

I'd go into a long-winded, star-eyed explanation of materials, execution, etc. but the listings tell you everything you need to know...*lol* There are only so many places I should be that wordy!

So stay tuned for the Wonder Wednesday feature...it IS coming!
♥

Poster Child Sunday! SPRING FEVER

SumpinElse: Happy Spring (Black and White)mgs1983: Plenty 8x10
minaude: African turquoise pendant necklaceGobleWarming: Sun on the Water - 76 yards hand dyed handspun wool yarnthestapeliacompany: Silent But Deadly Female Espionage Illustration Print Seriesthebrassmenagerie: golden feather necklaceJulieMeyer: Lunch In-Style Bag - Insulated - Yellow Finch and Yellow and Green Gingham OilclothBigDoggyBling: KISS ME I'M IRISH - St Patricks Day Dog CollarNickileigh: Stonehenge Body Balm With Travel Tinjenniferladd: Wooden handle purse with sweet trees on yellowSweetToothVintage: Vintage 60s Silver Iredescent Beaded Chartreuse Yellow Shift Dress M/Lbaileybowls: Dove Buttons - Set of 4tootsweethandbags: TS Mom-On-The-Go Bagtheemptynest: The Red Barn Paintinglyndee495: Double Terminated Fluorite Pendantmonpetitviolon: Knitted Apple baby booties
So there you have it! The FIRST EVER Poster Child Sunday Line-up of super shops and amazingly gorgeous items! Shops are listed from top left to bottom right...:)

I'll be tweeting each and every item during the day, spreading the word in the Etsy Forums, on Facebook, on Deviantart and where ever else I can think of! What can you do? Blog about your shop/item spotlight on your blog and get people to come and take a look-see. Tweet about it! Any way you can get people over to come and ooh & ahh at how gorgeous your piece looks would be FABULOUS...:D I LOVE that word...;)

I hope you love what it looks like and comments are greatly appreciated! You can even talk about the item a bit and tell us how you came up with it. I love knowing these thing and I'm sure I'm not the only one!

Enjoy!
♥

WONDER WEDNESDAY!

Welcome to the first ever Wonder Wednesday Shop Feature hosted by yours truly!

I've met some fantastic people on Etsy and made some great friends and I thought to myself that there are so many more people to meet and items to discover...why not go out of my way to discover the wonders out there?! And so Wonder Wednesday was born!

This week, Gifted Designs is featuring a brand new Etsian. She started her shop on January 7th of 2009, but she's only been up and running for a few weeks...:)

New Hope Beading, run by Caroline of New Jersey, USA is a business based on love, hope and the desire to give. I’m just glad that I have the opportunity in furthering her goals and helping her get the word out there of her fight for people living with Epilepsy!

Caroling donates to the Epilepsy Foundation and the proceeds for the gorgeously elegant Purple Day Earrings shown below will be donated 100% to the Foundation!


Aside from being so generous with the Foundation, Caroline is generous with all of you! One of you will have the chance to earn 15% Off on ONE of the items in her shop! (excluding the Purple Day earrings seeing as they are a special item and discounting them would take away from their purpose to generate funds for the Foundation)

Entering is a breeze! All you have to do is mosey on into her shop, have a look around, select an item you really love and crow about it in the comments of this Blog Entry. We want to know why you love it so much! Easy-peasy, right? :D On Tuesday, March 10, at midnight, I will randomly choose the winner! So…who’s feeling like a winner this week?

So here goes, on to the Interview!

1- How long have you been making jewelry?

I have been creating things for a long time but only started to get serious about making jewelry after my daughter’s diagnosis of epilepsy. I started making beaded medic alert bracelets for her then gifts for friends. In the early days, beading kept me from worrying about Samantha. She had been injured during her first seizure, which happened at school. I found that you cannot worry and bead at the same time. You need to concentrate on what you are doing and not whether the phone is going to ring with bad news. Soon more and more people started asking me if I can make them jewelry. My husband started to kid with me that I should start a company. That is how newhopebeading was born.

2- What do you look for when looking for supplies and how far out of your way do you go to get them?

Once upon a time, before kids, I was an associate buyer for a major department store in NYC, so I am very comfortable going international for supplies. My husband laughs because I am on a first name basis with my silver suppliers in Bali and Thailand. They are both so nice and helpful. We always joke that how can someone not be nice sitting on a beach in Bali? I get gemstones from India and Hong Kong…I could go on and on…its fun. Now if I could swing a “buying trip” to Bali that would be fun!

3- What made you decide to donate to the Epilepsy Foundation?

The Epilepsy Foundation has been so incredibly helpful to our family since my daughter’s diagnosis. I wanted to give something back. I donate 5% of the sales price of every item sold and this month we are donating the entire sale price of a pair of earrings that my daughter designed in honor of Purple Day --- see newhopebeading.etsy.com. I am hoping to be able to have a similar item featured for donation each month.

4- Which piece that is in your shop currently would you say is your favorite and why?

Oh, that is a hard one. Obviously, you’d like everything to sell, but I will admit that it has crossed my mind that there are few pieces that I’d be more than happy to keep. I love the Keishi pearl necklace, the Amber bracelet, and the Natural Turquoise necklace with the large, hammered Karen Hilltribe silver toggle in the front. The fluorite necklace is pretty cool too…it was difficult to photograph…the colors are great.

5- Aside from jewelry, what do you like to do in your spare time?

Well, we just moved back home to New Jersey following my daughter’s diagnosis so we could be closer to family for support and closer to her specialists who are amazing. We purchased an older home and we seem to be spending a lot of time on home repairs. I love to read and hooked back up with my old book club as soon as we moved back home.

6- Other than your shop, do you do something else for a living?

I am a mom. I started out as an associate buyer, went back for my Master’s degree and worked in corporate training for awhile. I have been home with the kids since my daughter was born 9 ½ years ago. I had always planned on going back to work once my little guy was in first grade (this year). Ironically though, with Samantha’s diagnosis it is hard for me to jump back into a 9 to 5 job. There are doctor’s appointments and hospital stays etc. Also, I want to be close by, God forbid, there is an emergency. I decided to take my husband’s suggestion seriously and started newhopebeading.

7- What are your goals for yourself and your shop?

I want to just keep beading. When something sells I don’t so much think of the money as the fact that I get to start a new project. I want the shop to generate enough sales that I can make decent size donations to the Epilepsy Foundation.

8- If you could have one thing in your life, be it material, spiritual or what have you, what would it be?

I would like my daughter to outgrow her epilepsy because they tell me there is a chance she may. If she does not, I would like the world to be a kinder place for people with epilepsy. That is why we speak out about epilepsy: to raise awareness and help stop the stigma.

9- Who would you say has been the greatest inspiration for you?

My daughter. Even with all she has going on, she is still an almost straight A student, writes and does photography for her school newspaper, and is on student council.

10- What's your favorite flavor of cake and why? :)

Cheesecake of course because I can justify having a second piece. Cheese is good for you isn’t it?

And there you have it right from Caroline's keyboard!

Don't forget to go on over and nab those Purple Day Earrings if you can and check out these favorites of mine from her shop...:)

Keishi Pearl and Karen Hill Tribe Silver Rose Necklace
Sky Blue Turquoise and Karen Hill Tribe Silver Necklace
Sunshine Amber and Silver Earrings

Feel free to link us to your blog or Etsy shop...we'd love to see what you've got!

Follow this blog to find out who wins this coming Tuesday!

Have fun exploring and thank you to everyone who enters and supports Caroline's cause!

Features!

Aside from the giveaway, I also want to do weekly events.

I've written a thread about that also located here

Basically, it will be two different events. One of Wednesdays and one on Sundays. That should give people enough time to be in the spotlight...:D If you'd be interested in that, just post in the thread and I'll be sure to write you in. You may not be featured right away, but you WILL be featured...:)

Besides that, I'm hoping to post how-tos, works in progress and, of course, my finished pieces and treasuries...:)

Busy, busy! But the busier I am, the busier my business will be...;)

Color Me Wild Giveaway Concept

Below is the content of a thread I just created in the Etsy Forums. If this would interest you, please respond either in the thread or in this post.

Here's the thread.

Thanks for reading it...I know it's long...:)

Hello everyone!

I have been trying to think of an interesting Giveaway for a while now and I've been observing other people's giveaways to build from.

I've decided that I want to do something BIG and so I'm putting my idea out there to see if there's any interest from my fellow Shop Owners here...:)

Here's what I want to do. I want to make a monthly Giveaway based on color themes.

I want each Giveaway to feature my work and 10 other artisans. The value of what you would choose to give away is up to you, but you would need to tell me it's approximate value so I can tell possible contestants what they are getting for their work. The items you chose to give away can either be something you already have that meets the requirements or something you've chosen to make just for the Giveaway.

The way I would work it is I would have different categories for the artisans so that a wider variety of shops can participate.

An example of categories could be: Jewelry, Art, Textiles, Pottery, Paper Goods, Soap & Fragrance, etc. Each category would have 2 artisans in it. I would post in advance which 5 categories I am looking for seeing as there are SO MANY different types of things to use as a category here. I'm actually hoping to have a waiting list of people so that I am a couple of months ahead and so that people who are participating have plenty of time to send me their items!

Seeing as this would be a HUGE Giveaway, possible contestants would have to do FAR more than just comment on the journal entry. They would have to act like Hosts/Hostesses at Home Shows...:)

I want to do it based on a ticketing system. The contestants would have several different ways of earning tickets and the more they do, the more chances they would have to win. They would need to link me to everything to prove that they have earned these tickets. Seeing as they are potentially winning hundreds of dollars worth of items, I think that isn't asking too much from them and it makes it MUCH more worthwhile for the shops as well!

I hope I've been articulate enough up there. Sometimes I don't explain well...;)

If you're interested in being one of the first shops to participate in what I think will be a HUGE monthly deal that will help promote a LOT of shops on Etsy and improve their businesses, please respond here.

If you've got any suggestions for improvement or any questions, please feel free to ask. I'll answer as best I can!

This Giveaway is slated for April. I want to have everything ready by April 1rst so that contestants can get going on what they need to do. The Winner of the Giveaway would then be announced last day of April. During the month of April, I'm hoping to take shops for the month of May, etc...:) As I go, I'll probably post a thread when I am missing shops or to keep you all up to date on how it's going.

Thanks for your interest! I really want this to be a big deal!