Showing posts with label sterling silver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sterling silver. Show all posts

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Focus Feature and Giveaway: JulessaBJewelry

Welcome to another Focus Feature and Giveaway Thursday! First, let’s congratulate our winner of the Keiglass pendant giveaway! Using random.org, the giveaway winner is #2, Lyudmila! Congrats and I’ll put you in touch to collect your prize!

Today I bring you a new giveaway from Julessa of
www.julessabjewelry.etsy.com! This shop is full of handmade and uniquely designed jewelry and tutorials to make your own! Julessa will be giving away this amazing set from her shop:


I’m wishing that I could enter to win!


Here’s what Julessa had to say:

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

My absolute favorite thing in my shop is my latest addition, the Sterling Silver Fringe Bracelet. I've been toying with this idea for awhile and now that it's a reality, I'm planning a whole new line basted on this particular "fringe" idea.

How did you get into your line of crafting?

I started crafting when I was very young. My mother, grandmother and great-grandmother were all quilters, painters and artists of some sort so I began at a very young age. Although, I didn't get into jewelry until 2004 to get my mind off my studies in college. I started out beading and when I got impatient with it, I began a few silver-smith classes and instantly found my passion. I love the torch and the silver and making something three dimensional out of wire, sheet and gemstones.

Do you belong to any groups on Etsy?

Yes, I belong to the Boosting Etsy Shops Team of wonderful artisans and I've met some great friends along the way with Etsy.


If you had one super power what would it be?

I would say super strength, although all the wire bending is making my forearms look like Popeye the Sailor {smile}.


What’s your guilty pleasure?

My guilty pleasure?? Ahhh, great question! I'd have to say my morning pot o'coffee. Yes, I said POT of coffee. I love the smell, the taste and the warmth, especially in the winter.

What’s your favorite thing about summer?

My favorite thing about the summer is opening the pool and watching my labs go nuts! Really, my one baby, Bailey, she only gets 30-minutes at a time because she sprains her tail if I let her go too long. She weezes, pants and is thoroughly tired after 30-minutes, but if I don't stop her I have to hear her whine each time she sits, lays down or gets excited and tries to wag her sprained tail. If the vet hadn't clued me in, I would never have known dogs could sprain their tails.


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

I have a brand new favorite jewelry shop it's stickmanjewelry and I just adore these designs. I have a ton of other favorites, but right now Virginia and Edward's shop is just so cute and cuddly, I couldn't go without mentioning it!




If you were stranded on a deserted island, what 3 things would you take with you?
My hubby, because he makes me laugh, all the sterling silver wire in the world and my torch with unlimited oxygen and propane!


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

Well, I'm not one to sketch a design or really try to work out on "practice" materials and it has had its share of ups and downs because of that... I'm learning that an idea in my head doesn't necessarily constitute a great design. So, now I'm making a better effort to work things out on paper first then try to build it with materials - I still haven't quite decided on the "practice" materials thing, but I'm sure it will come to that someday when my designs get a little more advanced.

What advice would you give to new Etsy sellers?

My advice to new Etsy shop openers? Well, first find your passion. Make sure you shop reflects who you are as an artisan and don't browse too much at other artists of your type because it can make you a little disheartened at times. I learned that the hard way and found when I just design the things I like and what I think my clients will like, I'm much happier as an artist and a business owner.




Blog, twitter, facebook links:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jujubeejewelry

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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!

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

Visit Nina’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 Julessa’s Blog. (1 entry)

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

Make a purchase from Julessa’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, August 11 at midnight (Eastern Standard Time). Winner will be contacted Thursday morning and prize details will be arranged with Julessa. GOOD LUCK!!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

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
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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.