Friday Feature! Lily Loves...

HAPPY FRIDAY! I cannot emphasize enough how glad I am that Friday is finally here! I will be busy with another quilt show sale this weekend, so wish me luck! I'm hoping to get quite a few button bracelets sold, generate some more interest in my shop, and come away with another couple hundred dollars to help out with upcoming bills associated with moving into a house!

Well I cleaned out my closet a month ago for a clothing swap among friends. We decided beforehand that anything left over was going to Goodwill, so I made sure to pull out anything I haven't worn in the last 6 months. I ended up coming home with only a jacket (and a nice suede one at that!) so my closet is a little low... I can't seem to find any clothes for casual wear!

Lily helped me cruise the internet and here is what she suggested for filling my closet and drawers back up. Be sure to click the links under each photo to show these Etsy shops some love and see all the other great items that they carry!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Stormsmom

http://www.etsy.com/shop/rctees

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ZoeChen

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BucketArts

http://www.etsy.com/shop/NYILLUSTRATION

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BirkaScandinavian

http://www.etsy.com/shop/boygirlparty


Oh! And the clothing swap? We ended up taking 2 CAR LOADS of clothes to Goodwill!

Focus Feature and Giveaway

Happy Thursday and welcome to another focus feature and giveaway! First, let me announce the winner of the Mystuff2 photo greeting card and bookmark giveaway. Using a random number generator from Random.org, the winner is… (drumroll please…) #44, Flory!!! Congrats and I’ll put you in touch with Mystuff2 to collect your prize!

And onto the next… This week’s feature is on LaughingFridge, a GREAT shop with the brightest and most cheerful magnets you’ll find! The shop owners, a husband and wife team, do a great job of working together on these creations! My first purchase to get into a Buy and Stay thread came from LaughingFridge, an adorable owl magnet that I bought for my mom. She loved it and has it front and center on her fridge!

LaughingFridge will be giving away 2 magnets! Happy Sunflower and Church on the Hill could be yours! Check out the shop, www.laughingfridge.etsy.com, to see the many other magnets LaughingFridge has in stock!

Here’s what this husband and wife team had to say:

What’s your favorite item from your shop and what makes it your favorite?

My favorite is Dr Mewlittle, because it looks like our cat and the little critters make me smile, and because it was made by John!http://www.etsy.com/listing/37788259/aceo-fridge-magnet-orignal-art-dr

John’s favorite is the UFO Dolphin Sighting, because he’s just a spacey kind of guy. And he’s into UFO’s as if you couldn’t tell from some of his other magnets, lol http://www.etsy.com/listing/37229937/fridge-magnet-aceo-ufo-no-4-dolphin

How did you get into your line of crafting?

I gave John a mini scroll saw for his birthday because he liked doing marquetry (wood inlay pictures). He discovered he could cut out funny looking cat shapes, we found some old craft paints stashed away, and the rest is history! (Well, we haven't made history yet but are working on it.) I love to draw so designing new magnets is fun for me. John and I really enjoy spending time together working on our magnets and bouncing ideas off each other. We spend a great deal of time laughing, which hopefully translates into our work!

Do you belong to any groups on Etsy?

We are members of the Loud and Wacky Street Team, the Dachshund Team, the Military Brats Team and the Portland Etsy Team. We also participate in a couple of BNS promo threads. This is the one of the best things we’ve done on Etsy, not only for shop exposure but because we’ve made some wonderful online friends!

If you had one super power what would it be?

I would want to have the power to stop time so I could finally get some things finished!

John would want to be able to hypnotize anyone, anytime. Scary thought….

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Mine is eating M&M’s or Cheezits and watching Project Runway.

John’s is eating ice cream and watching NCIS and CSI reruns.

If you could be any animal what would it be and why?

I would want to be a pampered pooch, and then I could retire in luxury!

John would want to be a beaver so he could gnaw on wood all day, haha.

Do you have a personal favorite Etsy shop that you would like to share with readers?

Oh my, we have so many favorite shops, I wouldn’t want to hurt any shop’s feelings by listing one and not the others! We do have a few favorites listed on our blog.

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what 3 things would you take with you?

I would take John, my sketchbook and a pencil

John would take me, a ham radio, and a swimsuit

*I do wonder why John is bothering to bring a swimsuit… Stranded alone on an island and already bringing his wife? I should think a swimsuit wouldn’t be necessary… LOL!

From my own personal crafting I’ve been through frustrating moments with new projects. What have you learned from your own crafting frustrations?

Always have Q-tips handy! No, really, sometimes a mistake can be turned into a wonderful piece of art. Or you put it in your stack of Chernobyl items just to have a good laugh now and then. (I must acknowledge a teammate, fiberpuppy, for that term we now use for failed projects, lol)

What advice would you give to new Etsy sellers?

Don’t get discouraged! Be patient and don’t expect that first sale to come the day you open shop. Join an Etsy team that shares your interests; you’ll make friends and gain more exposure too. Etsy also has many self-help articles on running your shop, taking photos, customer service; the business end of being an artist. Most of all, though, love what you do and it will show in your work!

Blog, twitter, facebook links?

Twitter: http://twitter.com/LaughingFridge

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LaughingFridgeArtMagnets

Blog: http://laughingfridgemagnets.blogspot.com/

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Anyone can post and accumulate up to 15 entries for the giveaway! Please be sure to include your email address so that you can be contacted if you win, and don’t forget to post each entry as a separate comment!

Visit LaughingFridge’s Etsy shop and post your favorite item here. (1 entry)

Follow Clever’s Corner Blog and post to let me know you follow. (1 entry)

Tell me your guilty pleasure. (1 entry)

Follow LaughingFridge’s Blog. (1 entry)

Tweet about this giveaway and post the link here. (1 entry)

BONUS ENTRIES!!!

Make a purchase from LaughingFridge’s Etsy shop and post the transaction here. (5 entries)

Make a purchase from The Clever Crafter’s Etsy shop and post the transaction here. (5 entries)

The giveaway will end on Wednesday, May 26 at midnight (Eastern Standard Time). Winner will be contacted Thursday morning when the next giveaway is posted and prize details will be arranged with LaughingFridge. Thanks for your interest and entries!

Hump Day Humor

A husband had just finished reading a new book entitled, 'You Can Be THE Man of Your House.'

He stormed to his wife in the kitchen and announced, "From now on, you need to know that I am the man of this house and my word is Law. You will prepare me a gourmet meal tonight, and when I'm finished eating my meal, you will serve me a sumptuous dessert. After dinner, you are going to go upstairs with me and we will have the kind of sex that I want. Afterwards, you are going to draw me a bath so I can relax. You will wash my back and towel me dry and bring me my robe. Then, you will massage my feet and hands. Then tomorrow, guess who's going to dress me and comb my hair?"

The wife replied, "The funeral director would be my first guess!"

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Tuesday's Top 10

Good Morning! Or rainy morning if you're here in Lansing, Michigan...

Today's feature brings you pottery of all different kinds! You'll find vases, bowls, mugs, serving dishes, and my favorite, a family tree windchime custom made for your family! Be sure to click on the links below each photo to show the artists' some Etsy love!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Raku4u

http://www.etsy.com/shop/KbOriginalsetc

http://www.etsy.com/shop/laurelarts

http://www.etsy.com/shop/OneClayBead

http://www.etsy.com/shop/dorothydomingo

http://www.etsy.com/shop/JMNPOTTERY

http://www.etsy.com/shop/aostendorff

http://www.etsy.com/shop/islandgirlpottery

http://www.etsy.com/shop/cyvonneh

http://www.etsy.com/shop/nlemoine

Monday Madness!

Good Morning!

I hope that everyone had a fabulous weekend, I know I did! Not enough relaxing time, but it was worth it for me. I ended up going to a quilt show on Saturday and Sunday and sitting with the booth for the quilt shop that I sell my button jewelry in. I did some adjustments on length for customers that were buying, and made some requests on the spot. I ended up making about $200 in my 60% alone, since I sell on consignment! I was VERY VERY excited. Next weekend? Another quilt show on Saturday! And this one is about 4 times the size, attracting at least triple the crowd! I won't be eating or sleeping much this week, you'll find me playing with buttons!

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This week's BESTeam feature brings you the Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/lightkeeping, where you can find BEAUTIFUL handcrafted lampwork and beads jewelry! Anastasija lives in Ireland and really has an eye for color combining!

Isn't this necklace just amazing?? My favorite color lately has been pink, so I really liked these fushia beads in this piece.

This set is by far my favorite in Lightkeeping's shop. I never wear yellow gold, so anything silver or white gold is going to strike my fancy!

And I may just have to come back to purchase these earrings... Hope nobody snatches them up before me, I need to make a couple sales before I can treat myself!

In addition to the pieces that you can find in her shop, Anastasija is able to make length adjustments to pieces and also welcomes custom orders! That's my kind of shop! You'll also find her in the blogging world at http://lightkeeping.blogspot.com/ where she runs a weekly BESTeam feature and shares other fun tidbits in between! Be sure to visit her Etsy shop and show her some Etsy love!