Focus Feature and Giveaway!

I’m so pleased to bring you my first Focus Feature and Giveaway, hosted by Kristin from Your Unique Kreations, http://www.youruniquekreations.etsy.com! I met this Etsy artist in the forums and decided it was time to start weekly giveaways on my blog. As with all of my blog posts, I wanted to keep the feature fun, so you’ll notice that a few of the questions are a little off the wall and give you a glimpse into the artist’s inner thoughts and creativity :)

The prize? Sterling Silver Spiral Post Earrings and a set of Swarovski crystal drops. Kristin will give the winner further instructions.



Here’s what Kristin had to say when I interviewed her:

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

I’m a California girl, so I love the summer sunshine. I love the bright and bold colors of the season and you can’t beat a summer dress and cute summer shoes. My favorite item in the shop is called “Summer Mix”. It includes 5 sets of Swarovski crystals and freshwater pearl drops to mix and match according to your outfit or mood. They look great on any earring style. (The listing shows the Summer Mix on the unique “Swan” earrings). You can wear these drops all summer and never get bored.

How did you get into your line of crafting?

I’ve always been artistic, but didn’t really find my niche until last year. Besides being a jewelry designer, I am a Youth Social Worker. I work with teenagers (they definitely keep me young, laughing and on my toes!). While living in New York City I decided to take a chance and take a break from my career to pursue my interest in jewelry design. I had taken a basic bead-stringing class a few years prior and had success in selling my kreations through grad school. I was blessed to find a job working with an established Jewelry Designer and she opened up a whole new world of metal work and wire-wrapping. After a year working with her I decided to start my own handcrafted jewelry company where I could bring my designs to life. So, here I am with Unique Kreations.

Do you belong to any groups on Etsy?

Yes, I belong to EAOC - Etsy Artists of Color. It’s a great collective of artists of color with various specialities, including painting, jewelry making and wearable textiles. It’s great to support other handmade artists.

If you had one super power what would it be?

Love this question! I would love to be able to warp myself to a different location in an instant. I love to travel, but often don’t have the time or funds, so to be able to pop up in Brazil or Japan would be lovely. Maybe one day?

What’s your guilty pleasure?

French fries. I CANNOT resist them. It wouldn’t matter if I had just eaten for 5 hours straight and about to bust my pants, if someone offered me french fries I would definitely eat them! And you know you can’t eat just one...

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

Hmmmm...I would be a peacock because all they do is look pretty, eat and lounge. Now that’s the life!!

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

I like to watch the “just listed” items on the ETSY homepage. It’s a great way to find new items and shops. One shop I found a few months ago is Yellena’s. It’s a shop with beautiful original ink and pencil abstract paintings. I’ve never seen any art like it and it’s priced very reasonably. Check her out: http://www.etsy.com/shop/yellena

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

My iPod. I can’t live without music. I love Stevie Wonder and old school soul! The Prophet by Khalil Gibran. This is my favorite book and I can read it over and over and over. My sketchbook. I would need it to write and sketch so I can stay inspired and hopeful that one day I would be found.

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

The most frustrating thing for me is having a design vision in my head and not being able to bring it to life. Sometimes designs just sit in my sketchbook for months and months until I can figure out how to actually make it. Sometimes I never figure it out...sigh.

What advice would you give to new Etsy sellers?

Persistence and Patience! I’m still new, but I already know it takes a lot of persistence and patience to be successful on ETSY. It can be daunting due to all of the other great designers, who are in essence your competition, but it’s a great format for presenting and selling your handcrafted art. I’ve had my personal website for 7 months and have slowly built a following, which helps gets sales. Quick advice:Have a plan before you open up shop. We’re all probably great designers and artist, but we may not all be great business people. Have a plan, even if it’s quick and dirty. (Budget, marketing, buying supplies, etc.)Have great customer service. Be personable and available. Part of the beauty of buying handmade is that you are buying from a person, not some big business entity. Go the extra mile to make the customer happy.Don’t get discouraged. It takes persistence and patience. Easily said, hard to do, i know, but necessary! Keep your head up!

You can follow Kristin in the following ways!

Personal website - www.myuniquekreations.com

Twitter - www.twitter.com/uniquekjewelry

Facebook - www.facebook.com/pages/Unique-Kreations/156574614118?ref=ts

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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!

Visit Unique Kreations’ 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 Unique Kreations on twitter and/or facebook and post it here. (1 entry)

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

BONUS ENTRIES!!!

Make a purchase from Unique Kreations’ 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 5 at midnight (Eastern Standard Time). Winner will be contacted Thursday morning when the next giveaway is posted and prize details will be arranged with Unique Kreations.