Friday, October 26, 2012

Krafty Max Originals Special Deal!


Get a jump on your holiday shopping with this incredible opportunity courtesy of Max of Krafty Max Originals handcrafted jewelry!

Until the end of the year, she's offering more bang for your buck-Just take a look at this deal....




If the promise of extra money doesn't entice you, just feast your eyes on some of the absolutely gorgeous items in her shop. She's truly one incredibly talented jewelry designer, that's for sure!




 Connect:






Items in Post: 

Top Left: Zaira Teal Free Form Beadwoven Necklace with Silver Plated Beads

Top Right: Green Pine Cone and Acorn Swarovski iPhone or Smart Phone Charm

Bottom Left: Ballerina Girl Beadwoven OOAK Bracelet

Bottom Right: Carnelian Leaf and Swarovski Crystal Necklace Set



Disclaimer: I was compensated for the above post. All opinions expressed above are 100% mine and mine alone unless otherwise stated.  My opinions are strictly informative; please make sure to do your own research into a company and/or particular product before committing to purchasing.




Thursday, October 25, 2012

Vibrant & Vivid--TheCandyTree


A big, warm welcome to Emma of The Candy Tree on Etsy!



Joining us all the way from Livingston, which is just outside Edinburgh in Scotland, Emma shared with us that her shop name came from an old painting she did in college-"The name captures my love of colour and nature so it works well with the vibrant products in my shop."


And vibrant they most certainly are! But I'm getting ahead of myself...

Emma began crafting after she bought a pair of handmade earrings back in 2005 and decided to try it out for herself! From there, she ended up teaching herself  jewelry design and before you know it, she branched out into cross stitch and knitting. 

Working as a legal secretary by day, Emma spends her nights and weekends doing what she's passionate about: crafting!

"I make sterling silver jewellery using glass beads and pearls, knitted scarves, fabric button rings, patchwork cushions and cross stitch. I always enjoy learning new things so it's difficult for me to focus on one craft."

With all of the arts and crafts Emma dabbles in, there are many supplies she's worked with, but two of her favorites are glass pearls because they come in such vivid colors and good quality wool yarn because it's so thick and warm.

The Candy Tree consists of a plethora of different products, some of which include knitted, ruffle, and ribbon scarves, necklace, earrings, and bracelets, cross stitch and patchwork items. All of these different items have one thing in common: they're bright, vivid and vibrant! 

Advice from Emma: "Selling your hand crafted goods online is incredibly competitive so it's important to have amazing photos and to learn as much as you can about SEO - be a sponge and soak up as much information and advice as you can!"

Things to keep in mind about Emma and her products:

*Keep up-to-date with all The Candy Tree happenings by following on Twitter @TheCandyTree125 and liking on Facebook.

*Care to learn a little more about Emma and follow some of her adventures, like hunting for Conkers? Make sure to check out her The Candy Tree blog!

*For payment, shipping, and other important information, make sure to check out her Shop Policies Page.

For those of my readers located in the United Kingdom, from now until the end of October Emma is offering free postage! Simply use Coupon Code FREEPOST12 at checkout.

Of course a big thank you to Emma from The Candy Tree on Etsy for allowing us this wonderful feature and interview! 




Items in Post:

Fabric Button Rings

Red Cowl Infinity Knitted Chunky Wool Scarf

Pink Daisy Flower Cross Stitch Antique Silver Frame Earrings





Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Work It Wednesday(10/24)


Work It Wednesday is a meme for any type of artist and crafter regardless of what you do, where you're located, or what medium you work with...If you create with your hands and your heart, you're welcome to link up with your latest work(s)-in-progress! 

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This week, I'm showing you the start of either a bracelet OR a necklace; not sure which yet, but that particular detail will be chosen from the person I'm making this for. 

I like the color scheme I've laid out, but it might change depending on my vision as I work.





What are you working on this week?




Care to link up with me? 
 Grab the WIW button!


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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Inspirational Tuesday(10/23)

{Courtesy of Kyle Cummings:: Image Credit}







You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” 

--Maya Angelou














What inspires YOU today? 








Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Smile & Share the Health--Body Parfait *Review & Giveaway*


A big welcome to Dawn of BodyParfait on Etsy!



Dawn currently resides in Uxbridge Massachusetts and has for the past 8 years. She isn't a stranger to Massachusetts though; growing up in Bellingham and being a native of the state, she knows it quite well!

"I love dessert and I love body products," explains Dawn when asked about her shop's name. "They both look good, smell good, make us feel good and homemade is always better, in both categories, in my opinion." Hence, Body Parfait!

Selling on Etsy is a nice extra source of income, however Dawn makes her living as a C.N.A and part-time nanny. Having owned and operated her own day care for many years, Dawn decided to close those doors and pursue a new career in the Healthcare Industry.

Aside from taking care of children, she loves to craft and create. "It’s true, I love to make body products, but I also love to crochet, paint and play guitar. Just recently, I started making jewelry. I love learning new crafts; I am self taught in all of them as well. I'm proud of that."

If you look through her shop, she has some absolutely incredible products with pretty pictures and vibrant colors, however the Body Parfait you see came about through medical necessity. It was several years ago that Dawn was diagnosed with a horrible burn-like rash that started on her neck and eventually ended up spreading to the rest of her body! This took over her life and she lived in three separate worlds: one of endless cleaning due to the highly contagious nature of her ailment, one of self loathing for how it made her look and feel and finally one of alienation--"It’s a horrible thing to be surrounded by the people you love the most and unable to touch them or hold them."

Throughout these numerous months of suffering, Dawn had begun reading and researching all about Homeopathic medicine, herbs, spices, botanical, and essential oils. One day, she decided enough was enough!  "I gathered a list of supplies I would need, spent roughly $3,000 and began to formulate and experiment. There were many messes, many (almost) fires, a blown up microwave, several billion burned pots, melted spoons, and weeks of friends dropping by saying, 'what is that SMELL?'"

Through all of that, she ultimately cured her unknown rash and her skin has never felt better!

Advice from Dawn: "My best advice to other crafters/artists would be to do what you love! Don’t make jewelry if you hate it just because you feel this will make you more money than say, crocheted slippers. It will end up showing in your work and it will not see you through the difficult times, such as, learning new aspects of your craft which can be so aggravating!"

Things to keep in mind about Dawn and her products:

*All product instructions, ingredients and information can be found in each listing so make sure to read everything before purchasing!

*Make sure to keep up to date with Dawn by following her on Twitter @BodyParfait and liking her on Facebook!

*For more information regarding shipping, payment information and other important things, check out her Shop Policies Page.

Not only did I get to feature Dawn, her Etsy shop, and her wonderful bath and body products, but she also kindly allowed me to review her Pain Salve as well!

For those of you who don't know, I've been chronically ill for the past 8+ years and being chronically ill comes with a LOT of daily pain; joint pain, muscle pain, nerve pain, headaches, leg pain, back pain...I'm sure you get the picture.

When given the chance, you know I jumped all over that natural pain salve!


The pain salve arrived in a very sweet container with a unique label true to the overall look of Body Parfait complete with a little 'Thank you' note attached to finish off the package.

At first when I opened the jar, I was taken aback by the scent; it was a wee bit strong for me but as I rubbed it into my skin and continued to smell it, I grew to love it! You know you love a particular scent when you open up the jar just to take a big whiff of it every now and again ;)

The past couple of days have been pretty bad joint pain days for me, so, capitalizing on this, I decided to do a little experiment; I applied the salve to my left wrist throughout the day and left the right one salve-less. 

Low and behold, I immediately noticed a difference! It definitely helped the pain and even though the pain came back (as it usually does), I'm so grateful for the little reprieve the salve offered me.


{Giveaway}

1 lucky winner will receive a Body Parfait Bundle which includes 1 Lip Pot,  1 Lip Balm, 1 2.5 oz Body Butter, 1 4oz Body Scrub, 1 Roll on Cologne or Perfume, and 1 Bath Melt!




{The Rules}

1. You MUST use the name and email you want to be contacted with in the Rafflecopter.


2. Contest will run from Thursday, October 18th, 2012 to Thursday November 1st, 2012.


3. Open to US and Canada only-Sorry internationals! 




a Rafflecopter giveaway



Note: Items in prize bundle may or may not be exactly the same as items shown in the above images and/or items the winner will receive. Dawn reserves the right to substitute any products if need be.




Items in Post:

Soap Set

Bubble Bath Sudd Mudd Clay Body Soak

Large Pain Salve



Disclaimer: I was provided products from Body Parfait on Etsy at no cost to me in order to facilitate this honest review and giveaway. All opinions expressed in the above post are 100% mine and mine alone unless otherwise stated. This contest is open to US and Canadian residents only and will run from Thursday, October 18th, 2012 12:00am central standard time until Thursday, November 1st, 2012 11:01 pm central standard time. The winner will be chosen through Rafflecopter.com and be contacted within 24 hours of the drawing. You'll then have 48 hours (2 days) to claim your prize and send me all applicable information-If I haven't heard from you within that time frame, I will be forced to choose another winner.






RazzleDazzleME-Oh-My!


Do you remember the feature I did for Roslyn of RazzleDazzleMe on Etsy? 

(If not, check it out HERE)

I SO enjoyed putting it together and drooling looking through her beautiful creations that when everything was said and done, she was so sweet enough to send me something from her shop!

I was stunned and quite excited if I do say so myself ^.^

Behold, the awesomeness that is the ear cuff I received....





I  love it! I love it! I love it! I love it!

:)







Work It Wednesday(10/17)


Work It Wednesday is a meme for any type of artist and crafter regardless of what you do, where you're located, or what medium you work with...If you create with your hands and your heart, you're welcome to link up with your latest work(s)-in-progress! 

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For a change of pace, this week we have a necklace in the midst of being dreamed up and created-I'm loving the colors and hope the vision in my mind is just as good as the tangible piece when it's done ^.^






What are you working on this week?




Care to link up with me? 
 Grab the WIW button!


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Saturday, October 13, 2012

7th BSBP Dates Announced!


As if that title doesn't strike absolute giddiness into any jewelry designer and bead lover's heart already, let this post just amplify the pure excitement of the announcement!

Lori Anderson's 7th Bead Soup Blog Party is in the works and all us jewelry lovers knew after the 6th BSBP was over, her next one was going to be set sometime early next year; no more anticipation because the dates have just been formerly announced by Lori herself....


After participating in the 6th BSBP (my first of Lori's infamous parties), I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of the next one! I had SO much fun the last time and just can't wait to have that much fun again.

I wonder if this one will bridge more than 400 people?







Thursday, October 11, 2012

Believe in Yourself--TheArtisticBowl


Welcome to TEE Jewelry Sarah of TheArtisticBowl on Etsy!



Currently found living in "Canada's Prettiest Town," better known as Goderich which is a little town located on the shores of Lake Huron, Sarah's shop slogan is "The ingredients to mix it up in style!"

"My slogan actually came to me first," she explained to me in our interview. Once she had the slogan, she had to come up with a worthy name to match; quite a few names were considered before she settled on The Artistic Bowl (TAB for short)!

Sarah's beautiful art and crafts is what she currently does for a living--"I say currently because I would like to go back to school to further my education. The hard part is figuring out exactly what I would like to do. Part of me would adore being able to do crafting for a living forever, but right now it just isn’t feasible."

Starting her crafting journey at a young age, Sarah shared she was the type of kid where you give her a box of crayons and she was gone for hours! Always being the creative and crafty type, Sarah started really getting into arts and crafts when she took her first oil painting class when she was 14.

From there, she started experimenting with different mediums and materials. Currently Sarah mainly does paintings, but that doesn't stop her from continuing to experiment with different things! Other things you'll find in her shop are vases, coasters, rings and boxes.

"I am actually also adding a line of key chains and monster plushies in the next week or two. Very excited!"

Advice from Sarah: "I had a teacher that once said to me, 'Success starts in the mirror. Believe in yourself and I promise you will be successful.' If you don’t believe in yourself and take what you do seriously, why should anyone else?"

Things to keep in mind about Sarah and her wonderful work:

*You can follow her on her Twitter @pilonsc and like her on Facebook!

*She also has a blog you can check out: Sarah C. Pilon: Writing, Doodling, and Everything in Between.

*For payment, shipping, and other important information, make sure to look through her Shop Policies Page.

I'm a huge fan of mixed media so Sarah's shop, The Artistic Bowl captures my attention in the most special kind of way! If you're interested in gazing in awe and wonder and possibly reconnecting with your whimsical side, I highly suggest doing a wee bit of window shopping ;)

Sarah has also been kind enough and offered TEE readers 10% off in her shop using the code ECLECTIC! This code is valid until November 30, 2012.




Items in Post:

Earthy Green & Brown Home Decor Candle Holder

Abstract Lady Bug Adjustable Size Ring

Laughter is the Best Medicine Canvas Quote Art





Wednesday, October 10, 2012

I've Been Interviewed & Featured!




I've done a lot of artist and crafter features in the past and I've brought that over with me to my "new" business blog because I really, truly enjoy writing about and showcasing other people and their passions!

What I'm NOT used to is being featured and interviewed myself o.O

Now I understand the overjoyed and complete and utter excited feeling because I've been featured over on a fellow artist's website, Sarah C. Pilon: Writing, Doodling and Everything Inbetween! Not only that, but I'm the first of her newest Etsy Superstar Series. 

Talk about feeling special!

If you can head over and take a gander at my interview and possibly leave a little comment, I'd love you forever and ever! ^.^

You can view it HERE

Make sure to come back tomorrow because I will be interviewing and featuring Sarah on MY website!








Work It Wednesday(10/10)


Work It Wednesday is a meme for any type of artist and crafter regardless of what you do, where you're located, or what medium you work with...If you create with your hands and your heart, you're welcome to link up with your latest work(s)-in-progress! 

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This bracelet (yes, another bracelet) was inspired by the focal piece key hole I picked up at one of my favorite local antique malls.

I love how it's turning out, don't you!?




What are you working on this week?




Care to link up with me? 
 Grab the WIW button!


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Thursday, October 4, 2012

Eternally Grateful--RazzleDazzleMe


Welcome to TEE Jewelry Roslyn of RazzleDazzleMe on Etsy!




"My grandmother was a beautiful seamstress. I hated sewing. My mother could crotchet and knit, but they made me tense. My husband and brother were master woodworkers, but the lathe and saws scared me. My other brother could paint. I draw like a five year old."

A retired teacher who still works part time with testing students, Roslyn lives with her husband in Chattanooga, Tennessee and the above quote was taken directly from her About Me page, which starts her artist journey better than I could have ever written it!

Even though she tried several times and didn't quite find her crafting 'forte', eventually her husband would drag her to a jewelry class to which she told him, "I would go, but I would not get hooked on it."

Guess what? 

"From the first lesson 2 1/2 years ago, I was addicted and have made jewelry almost every day since."

If you take a look through her shop, she has quite a lovely collection of jewelry, mostly pierced and non-pierced ear cuffs, ear pins, and cartilage earrings made of everything from chains and feathers to gold filled wire and charms. Her favorite things to work with, though, are sterling silver and swarovski crystals.

Like many of us artists, Roslyn sells her wares because she would have way too much of it if she decided to keep it all! That and it's exciting when someone likes something you've made enough to actually buy it--"I am grateful for every customer I have ever had," which is quite a lot! 3,287 sales since March of 2010, and that's just through Etsy.

Advice from Roslyn: "The best advice I could give crafters who want to sell is to work hard and keep changing and growing. I remember that I did not want to sell online because I did not know how to ship my items. Now when I tackle something new and feel nervous, I realize that in a month or so, I will be very comfortable with it. It takes a lot of work to sell online and you have to have the time and dedication to be successful at all."

Things to keep in mind about Roslyn and her jewelry:

*She loves working with customers to create a very special piece of jewelry, so custom orders are definitely available!

*Make sure to like RazzleDazzleMe on Facebook and follow on Twitter @roslynla.

*Also, don't forgot Roslyn's Pinterest and Google+ account!

*For payment, shipping, and other important need-to-know information, make sure to check out her Shop Policies Page.

Thank you to Roslyn of RazzleDazzleMe for taking the time out of her schedule to grant me this lovely interview and feature! I'm thrilled to have had her on the website!

If you're interested in seeing a review of Roslyn's jewelry, head on over to the Fall Fashionista Event on Insignificant at Best! There's even talks of a giveaway that's going to happen *winkwink*






Items in Post:

Purple Rooster Feather Ear Cuff Wrap Earrings

Sterling Swarovski Crystal and Cream Pearl Cartilage Ear Cuff Wrap

Antiqued Silver Non-Pierced Owl Ear Cuff