Friday, June 18, 2010

SPECIAL FEATURE and GIVEAWAY!

Well here’s a crazy twist! This week I’ll be running a second Focus Feature and Giveaway!

Welcome to ConstantGalore, another great Etsy shop run by twin sister team Joy and Jamie. While each sister has her own individual shop (http://jamieribisi.etsy.com and
http://ribsmalone.etsy.com,) they have come together to create ConstantGalore and carry a variety of items! Please be aware though, some may consider their chocolates to be “offensive” in manner as they are ADULT ITEMS. Think crazy bachelorette party… :)

ConstantGalore will be giving away this one of a kind collage artwork card! I love the texture on this card, the cardstock itself and the stitching! http://www.etsy.com/listing/10757843/blog-giveaway-special-put-it-in-writing



Here’s what Joy and Jamie had to say:

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

Joy: http://www.etsy.com/listing/19569237/the-letter-a-art-quilt-sale
This mini art quilt was a lot of fun to make and reminds me of being a kid and birthday parties! Hand stitched and so much texture...it is really a fun piece.

Jamie: http://www.etsy.com/listing/8296092/blue-polka-dot-towel-set I love these embroidered towels that Joy made-- she has a few sets listed and they're fun to mix & match in the bathroom...plus they are very usable and brighten up a room at the same time.



How did you get into your line of crafting?

Joy: Well, I don't think that I have a "line" of crafting...I make so many different types of things. I guess I got into that because I can never pick just one thing that I like making the most! I love working with fabric, cooking, making jewelry, photography, and collecting vintage goods...so that's why we birthed Constant Galore - for a place to house all of our assorted crafts.

Jamie: I'm really more of an artist and have been for as long as I can remember. Joy & I were always making things with any materials that we could find. We love experimenting and trying whatever we can get our hands on. Constant Galore came out of :the other" stuff that we were making outside of our fine art.



Do you belong to any groups on Etsy?

Joy: Etsy Maine Team

Jamie: Etsy Maine Team and VAST (Visual Artists Street Team)

If you had one super power what would it be?

Joy: Jedi mind tricks.

Jamie: These are not the twins that you're looking for (waves hand)

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Joy: Watching Tough Love on VH1.

Jamie: Laying in bed with a cool breeze, watching tv, snuggling my doggy, and doing nothing.



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

Joy: Our dog Sammy. He has it made. Belly rubs in the morning. Belly rubs in the afternoon. Belly rubs at night.

Jamie: I'd be Sammy, too! He must be in the nirvana stage of being because he leads a very charmed life.

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

Joy: There are so many great shops on Etsy. I don't know if I can just pick one...but one of my favorites is a fellow Maine Teamer who has gorgeous jewelry:
www.quenchmetalworks.etsy.com

Jamie: I really love Paintbox by artist Harry Stooshinoff http://www.etsy.com/shop/Paintbox I've purchased many paintings from his shop and have a nice little collection going :) I love the quick studies and his color palette.



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

Joy: My paddleball game, my toothbrush, and this magazine. And that's all that I need.

Jamie: Joy, what a jerk...but you'd also need that chair. :) I'd take my husband Brian, my doggy Sammy, and a Swiss Army knife-- I hear that they're helpful when stranded.



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

Joy: Keep on truckin'.

Jamie: I'm going through one right now! What I always recommend doing is dropping whatever you're working on and starting something else. Liberate yourself in some way and that will free your thoughts and ideas. When I paint, I like to work on a few pieces at once so that I don't feel tied to the idea of having to finish one in order to move on to another. Working on one thing at a time will put you in a box fast and you can't be creative that way. I also like to remind myself that not everything has to be great, they will be tons of duds and the good thing is that people don't live & die by my art work so no harm done!

What advice would you give to new Etsy sellers?

Joy: List often, join teams, heart lots of items, and most importantly: Take great photographs of your products!

Jamie: BELIEVE IN WHAT YOU DO! If you don't no one else will. Having confidence in yourself and your work will come across in so many ways. Also, have great photographs and show lots of angles.



Blog, twitter, facebook links:

http://constantgalore.blogspot.com/
http://jamieribisi.etsy.com
http://ribsmalone.etsy.com
http://www.SweetlandRetreat.com Sweetland Retreat: our Artist Retreat in Maine

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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!

There is only one MANDATORY ENTRY, necessary to collect your email address for contact if you win:

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

BONUS ENTRIES!!!

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

Tell me your guilty pleasure. (1 entry)

Follow ConstantGalore’s Blog. (1 entry)

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

Make a purchase from ConstantGalore’s Etsy shop, OR either of the individual Etsy shops 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 Thursday, June 24 at midnight (Eastern Standard Time). Winner will be contacted Friday morning and prize details will be arranged with ConstantGalore. GOOD LUCK!!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Focus Feature and Giveaway!

Happy Thursday and welcome to another focus feature and giveaway! First, let me announce the winner of the ComeShopPinkLemonade giveaway. Using a random number generator from Random.org, the winner is… (drumroll please…) #4, Amber from HeArtEscapes.etsy.com!!! Congrats and I’ll put you in touch with Paige to collect your prize!

And onto the next… This week’s feature is ourhometoyours, a diverse Etsy shop run by a mom and daughter team. Mom, Debbi will be answering all of the interview questions from her point of view :)

Debbi will be giving away a beautiful paper quilled cross to decorate your home or office with! *PLEASE NOTE, this giveaway will be open to UNITED STATES ONLY!* You can find out more about this cross here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/42754507/white-quilled-cross-framed




Here’s what Debbi had to say:

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

Probably the bunnies that Amanda makes,. and of course, my hats!



How did you get into your line of crafting?

I don't really have a line of crafting, I love to try and do everything. I crochet, knit, needlepoint, cross stitch, sew, paint, quill, make jewelry, whatever strikes my fancy. Amanda is a terrific artist, I'm trying to get her to take the time and paint/draw something, but she is very busy with her toddler son and school work. She just started to crochet and really enjoys it. She will be graduating next year from the Art Institute with a masters degree in graphic design. She is very talented.

Do you belong to any groups on Etsy?

My favorite is the BESTeam!!! I just joined the CAST_team, (Christian Artist Street Team) but haven't really had time to do anything with them.



If you had one super power what would it be?

Spread peace. When your in strife of conflict, it affects every aspect of your life. You become sick, angry, and joyless. But when you "practice" peace, you can survive, and even thrive, thru the conflicts of your life. That's why I serve the Prince of Peace.







What’s your guilty pleasure?

Soap operas...namely All My Children and One Life to Live. I've been watching them with my sister since 1977. I missed about 10 years in the 90's when I had to work outside the home, but when I started watching again, I had no trouble following the story lines because it's always the same people (or their kids) with the same problems, LOL. My sister and I just enjoy laughing over some of these stories. Pure fiction and entertainment.

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

A cat. They are dependent on us for food, shelter, and love, but they have such an attitude of independence. I love that.



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

Oh, that's hard. There are so many. My first would have to be TwirledTreasures. The things she can do with slips of paper are amazing. Then MissPrettyPerfect, love handbags! Oh I could go on, and on, and on.

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

My best friend which is my husband, my bible, and my guitar.



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

I'm always harder on myself then anyone else. I know where the opps are, and I can see them even though no-one else can. I've had to learn to let go and just enjoy the process of self-expression.

What advice would you give to new Etsy sellers?

Don't get too caught up in the busy work. Yes, you need to list, and re-list, and learn about search engine stuff, but keep your creative juices first. If you don't enjoy what your doing, then don't do it.



Blog, twitter, facebook links:

http://www.ourhometoyourscrafts.blogspot.com   I've really become attached to my blog. I wish I had more time to just write and not sell.
http://www.twitter.com/ourhometoyours  I'm not very consistent with twitter. I don't have a cell phone, so when I'm online on my pc, I have so many other things to do.
http://www.facebook.com/ourhometoyour facebook is by far my favorite online thing to do.

I also just started a second shop,  http://www.vintagevinyls.etsy.com
I love music, and vintage, and wanted to share my albums. I have way too many to listen to myself.


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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!

There is only one MANDATORY ENTRY, necessary to collect your email address for contact if you win:

Visit ourhometoyours' Etsy shop and post your favorite item here. (1 entry)

BONUS ENTRIES!!!

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

Tell me your guilty pleasure. (1 entry)

Follow ourhometoyours' Blog. (1 entry)

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

Make a purchase from ourhometoyours' 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, June 23 at midnight (Eastern Standard Time). Winner will be contacted Thursday morning when the next giveaway is posted and prize details will be arranged with ourhometoyours. Thanks for your interest and entries!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Tuesday's Top 10

This week's top 10 is a special one for me. As Father's Day is fast approaching, I decided to make a collection in honor of my own father, much like I did for Mother's Day. Mom collects owls, so I featured owls in many forms in May. Dad? He's a car guy. He has 2 classic cars of his own that he's restored, one a 1965 Dodge Dart convertible and the other a recently finished 1973 Challenger. This car gave him quite the challenge! But it looks amazing.

So! This week's feature brings you 10 different Etsy artists that have found a way to recycle old license plates. All very functional and decorative, be sure to check out each shop for more of their great work!



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



http://www.etsy.com/shop/RRDesign13



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

Monday, June 14, 2010

BESTeam weekly feature: UniqueDesignsbyMsP!

It's another Monday and time for another GREAT BESTeam introduction! I'm pleased to introduce you to Paula, from UniqueDesignsbyMsP.etsy.com!

Like so many of us on Etsy, Paula has been a crafter for as long as she can remember, with some of her first projects being outfits for Barbie and pal Midge. I can remember doing the same thing for my barbie, using a small knitting loom to make skirts for all of my dolls! I'm sure there are many more of you ladies out there that did the same!

Fast forward to her current interests in creating with focus on color! In Paula's shop you'll find some great crocheted accessories like these Raspberry arm warmers!




Paula also has a great selection of beaded jewelry. Here's a couple of my favorites!





Don't forget that Paula can design great jewelry focused on your birthstone. I recall hearing from many women born in November that they aren't too fond of their birthstone, but how can you pass up this great bracelet with Topaz and Pearls??



Be sure to swing by Paula's shop at UniqueDesignsbyMsP.etsy.com and her blog at http://UniqueDesignsbyMsP.blogspot.com where you'll see more about her own projects and some great features as well!