Crocheted Enjoyment-Crocheted Little Things

Purple Scarf with Cupcake and Swirls--$25.00

Welcome to the blog Luisa of Crocheted Little Things on Artfire and Etsy!

Frog Pincushion--$12.00

Luisa, also known as Lu to her family, friends and customers has been a friend of mine for quite some time!

Currently residing in the Pan Handle of Florida in a little town called Niceville, Lu is an Italian-American who lives with her hubby and their two beautiful kids.


"My business name is Crocheted Little things. It was really a no brainer as when I started crocheting everybody kept telling how the liked my 'little things'."

Lu doesn't consider her 'crocheted little things' a job because she enjoys making each and every one of them! Aside from her creations bringing in a little extra income, she currently works a part time job as a lunch monitor in a public elementary school-"My real job is only part time (3 hours per day) so I can still play around with my yarn :)"

Starting her crocheted journey when she was just 9 years old, Luisa learned the art from both her grandmother and mom during a Summer break from school. "My first work was ugly, mismatched pot holders.....my mom proudly show them off on top of her stove...UGH!"

In my opinion, she's come a long, LONG way from those ugly, mismatched pot holders; just take a look through her Artfire and Etsy shop! You'll see all sorts of lively, unique, and colorful crocheted goodies from pincushions and keepsake holders, to ornaments, to spa and bath accessories and jewelry, a lot of which focus around novelty fake food inspired items.

Speaking of inspiration, Lu tells me inspiration for her comes from the daily, little things: a need for a wash cloth for the dishes, a warm garment for the Winter or the want to embellish something...Her kids and their spirited natures are also a huge source of inspiration-"They are the cause of how my cupcake obsession came about in the first place!"

Advice from Lu: "To never give up creating, doesn't matter if for profit, for hobby, for charity or what-have-you. You have a gift and you should enjoy it."

Crocheted and Beaded Necklace in Pink Cotton--$13.00

Things to know about Lu and her crocheted creations:

*Make sure to check out her business/personal blog, Crocheted Little Things on Blogger!

*Aside from Artfire, Lu sells her crocheted goods and patters on Etsy as well as Craftsy.

*Don't want to miss anything? Fan her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @piccoladonna for all the latest and greatest news, updates and specials!

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

I've been following Lu for years now (basically since I started blogging back in 2009) and I've come to know her and some of her life. One important aspect of that life includes her son and his Autism-"Autism is good part of my life as my son is affected by it. If you'd like to support the local Autism center that make my son recovery a possibility, feel free to purchase for my special section "Help Autism ECAC". In exchange of you donation, you will receive a beautiful handmade goodie."

{Giveaway}

1 winner will receive a $15.00 gift certificate to Crocheted Little Things!

{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, February 28th, 2013 to Thursday, March 13th, 2013.

3. Open to US only-Sorry everyone else! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I was not provided any compensation for this feature and interview. All opinions expressed in the above post are 100% mine and mine alone unless otherwise stated. This contest is open to US residents only and will run from Thursday, February 28th, 2013 12:00am central standard time until Thursday, March 13th, 2013 11:59 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. The Eclectic Element is not responsible for lost, stolen or undelivered prizes.

Friday Featured Artist is ME!

Thanks to Sue a.k.a Mimi of Signature Sterling on Etsy, I've been honored to be chosen as today's Friday Featured artist! 

If you're interested in reading a little about me, head over to her blog, Mid-Life Greater Expectations and catch my Interview.

If you're interested in becoming a featured artist on Mimi's website, just follow her through Google Friend Connect (top right-hand corner) and she'll contact you with the rest :)

The Fiber Arts Dream Team-TheWanderingEwe

Red Knitted Coffee Cup Cozy--$14.00

Give a warm welcome to Holly and Hannah of The Wandering Ewe on Etsy!

Wool Needle Felted Mermaid Doll--$40.00

This talented mother-daughter team hails from Maryland and, working alongside their several wooly sheep and wandering chickens, work strictly with fiber!

Their devotion to the fiber arts started when Hannah was just 10 years old and mother and daughter took a knitting class; things just seemed to expand from there! "We already knew how to crochet, then we bought the spinning wheel, then the sheep, then more sheep, then another spinning wheel... you get the picture."

Aside from their joint Etsy business, Holly has her Master's in acupuncture; her and her husband have both decided, however, to put that on the back-burner as of right now because they feel that it's important that she devote her time to raising their family. Hannah is currently a full time student.

The Wandering Ewe got its name as mother and daughter brainstormed names for their (then) dream business. "Holly said, "What about The Wandering Ewe?" It had just popped into her head. We both knew that it was "the one" and didn't bother trying to think of any other names."

Since dealing strictly with fiber arts, wool is a particular favorite of both of theirs! Spinning, knitting, crocheting and needle felting are all in Holly and Hannah's crafting skill sets. It seems weaving and wool dying will ultimately be next for these two multi-talented woman!

The Wandering Ewe stocks products such as whimsical needle felted dolls and animals, Christmas ornaments, knitted tea and cup cozies, barrettes and pins. They soon hope to have hats, scarves, and fingerless mittens, and always are willing to try anything that a customer would like.

Advice from Holly and Hannah: "First of all, don't give up! The Wandering Ewe has been up since last November and had no sales until September. People can get discouraged if they don't get sales very soon, so we would advise patience to others as new as ourselves. Also, don't stress yourself out trying to make and make products to the point where you don't even enjoy your craft or artwork anymore. Have fun with your business!"

St. Patrick's Day Needle Felt Shamrock Pin--$9.00

Things to keep in mind about Holly, Hannah and The Wandering Ewe:

*Aside from the wonderful world of Etsy, you can find them on Wanelo.

*Pin crazy? Follow The Wandering Ewe on Pinterest to see what neat things they're pinning!

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

If you're quite taken with whimsical beauty, Holly and Hannah's shop, The Wandering Ewe, is a must see! I'm absolutely smitten with their felted wool dolls and am quite excited to see what they add into their inventory next.

Along with their 5 sheep (Lucy, Elsie, Milly, Wooly, and Jeremiah), this is quite the fiber arts dream team!

Inspirational Tuesday(2/19)

{Image Credit}

“Our doubts are traitors,

and make us lose the good we oft might win,

by fearing to attempt.”

--William Shakespeare

What inspires YOU today? 

Saturday's Picks(2/16)-I Heart You

Since Valentine's Day was just a few short days ago, I thought I'd take today's Saturday's Picks (even though I'm a wee bit late) to show you guys some love!

Enjoy! 

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Metal Art Geek Heart Emoticon Wedding Decor from KnobCreekMetalArts


$19.99

Antique Silver Anatomical Heart Necklace from LostApostle


$55.00

I Heart You Letterpress Love Card from vandaliastreetpress


$4.50

 
 3 Wool Catnip Kitty Heart Catnip Toys from smilingfrogpets


$6.00

Shades of Pink Decorative Soap Flowers & Hearts Gift Set from EcoChicSoaps


$8.00




 

Nina Designs Earring Voting Contest & Your Help!

Those of you who know me know I love, love, LOVE contests. Not only contests but giveaways, sweepstakes and anything I can win something for nothing. Hey, I'm not the wealthiest person so any way I can afford something I want or need without spending a dime, legally and within reason of course, I'll gladly do it!

The only thing when it comes to contests I don't normally do is voting contests; Sure, there's a LOT out there and I have entered 1 or 2 in the past, but I always feel so bad asking people to vote for me.

That being said, I happened upon this Nina Designs Facebook contest for jewelry designers and I thought, 'Oh heck, why not?' and entered!

All you had to do was create or submit a pair of earrings made by you and get people to vote for your pair. The top 3 who get the most votes will be judged and a winner will be chosen from there.

I decided upon this pair to enter:

You think they're contenders?

Now onto the begging part...

Would my friends, fans and readers be so kind as to give me their votes for this contest? If so, you can vote HERE.

There's no sign up required and you're allowed to cast a vote once per day. The voting period ends February 22nd at 11:59pm PT.

So, what do you say? Will you vote? Pretty please with a beaded cherry and sprinkled seed beads on top?! ^.^

If not for me, then for some of the other deserving artists who've submitted earrings--I've definitely got some real competition! 

7th Bead Soup Blog Party: The Partner

Before I unveil who my eagerly anticipated partner is for this year's BSBP, I wanted to take a moment to extend a deep and heartfelt thank you to Lori of Pretty Things and Bead Soup Blog Party who worked tirelessly to arrange this 7th annual bead soup party, put the sign ups together, input and link ALL 500 people and their blogs into a post, email all 500 people and pair every single person up with a partner.

This is all while sporting a nasty migraine, flu and going to doctors appointments...I can't even imagine!

Thank you, thank you, thank you Lori for your tireless dedication :)

 Now, onto my partner...

 Say hi to Kelly Patterson of PyxeeStyx!

Om Nom Nommy Bead Soup!

The above is a sneak peak of Kelly's bead soup put together by me! I'm so BAD at putting soups together; I always feel what I choose isn't good enough for my partners, especially since I can't afford the best materials and I'm being paired with some ridiculously talented artists o.O

As soon as I get word that Kelly has received her soup, you'll be able to see what I sent!

Oh, and of course you'll be able to see what I receive from Kelly as soon as I get it *winkwink*

Let the Bead Soup Party festivities BEGIN!

Treasurey Love Sunday

I figured since I'm included in a lot of treasuries lately, I might as well make a meme of it! 

So every Sunday, I'm going to share all the great treasuries I've been included in :)

Enjoy! 

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is that all there is? from mothersatelier

 

Textures from TwoVictorias

Black from ChrysalideaArt

Feminine Glamor from 1006Osage

Native collection from Corojewelry

Innovation & Determination-Rozies Pearls

Personalized Handcrafted Newborn Twin Girls Bracelets-$20.00

Welcome to TEE Jewelry Tress, Randy and Rozie of Rozies Pearls on Etsy! 

Rozie, Rozies Pearls namesake

Hailing from Orlando, Florida but moving to the small town of Centerton, Arkansas, Tress and Randy own and operate today's featured shop alongside their downright adorable German Shepard, Rozie.

Rozie is the inspiration behind the name of their Etsy shop, Rozies Pearls which specializes in making personalized bracelets for newborn babies. They also offer crocheted baby blankets and sewn bibs and towels.

As a day job, Randy works for a warehouse driving a forklift and Tress takes care of the house and puts her time and energy into maintaining their business.

Creation of their Etsy business came after years of learning a variety of different crafts so she could give family and friends a more personalized gift for birthdays, holidays and other special occasions.

Aside from the adorable handcrafted baby bracelets you see, Tress also enjoys creating Christmas decorations and designing ornaments and ceramics. Working with these different crafts, you can understand a bunch of different materials are used, some of which are sewing material, ceramics, beads, lace, wood and yarn.

From our conversation and browsing their shop, I can tell you Tress is quite the determined and innovative individual! "The photos you see are very special to me. It's a great accomplishment when I think of our shop. I built the whole shop from our cell phone and continue to work from it to this day."

If that's not truly impressive I dare you to tell me something that is!

Advice from Tress: "Take your time and make the item look great before sending it out. Everything you make is a reflection of who you are so take pride in your work and people will love it." 

Crocheted Shell Design Blanket Set with Hat, Booties & Bracelet

Things to keep in mind about Tress and her handmade creations:

*Every handcrafted bracelet is sized for optimal comfort and comes with its own decorative pouch.

*Make sure to follow Tress, Randy and Rozie on Facebook and Twitter @Rozie_101!

*Bulk orders of 5 or more items are available at a discounted price of 20%. What a great offer!

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

I wanted to take a minute to stop and thank Tress, Randy and of course Rozie of Rozies Pearls for taking the time for this great interview!

Say Hello to my Lightbox & Giveaway Opportunity

When I first started selling on Etsy, I had no idea how to display my jewelry in an attractive way, let alone photograph it! It definitely took me a little while to get the hang of things; I ended up searching Etsy to see how people arranged their pictures and reading a lot of different tutorials. Here are a few pictures B.L. (before lightbox)....

Granted, the pictures aren't bad at all, but for my vintage jewelry I wanted something that looked a little bit more professional and that focused more on the piece itself rather than the background.

Somehow, I ended up finding a tutorial for a make-it-yourself lightbox and thought I'd give it a try. Here's what I ended up with....

Not the prettiest looking thing in the world and it IS at least 2 years old, but it's done one HECK of a good job with enhancing my photographs! Here are a few pictures A.L (after lightbox)...

While I'm beyond grateful for what this do-it-yourself lightbox has enabled me to do throughout the years, it definitely has it's drawbacks. It's pretty old and is falling apart; I'm going to have to re-tape a few edges because they're coming undone and replace some of the tracing paper because there are more than a few rips that can be found.

One of the biggest drawbacks is the size of the thing and how much space it takes up! Believe me when I say my room is pretty small, especially with my jewelry workstation and supplies strewn about, so space is coveted.

Here's how I have to store my lightbox....

As you can see, there's not a lot of space and this thing takes up quite a bit of what already is quite limited. I have to move it around just to be able to get clothing from my dresser!

This is why when I came across The Beading Gem's Journal's giveaway for a Modahaus TS400 Portable Photo Studio, I knew this was my chance to get an upgrade and hopefully take back some of that coveted space in my room!

{Image Credit}

If you're in need of a little boost to enhance your photography skills and product pictures, you can't miss out on this fabulous giveaway! It ends Monday, February 11, 2013 at 6 pm EST (5pm CST).

Enter Here

Disclaimer: I received no compensation for the above post. All thoughts and opinions in the above post are 100% mine and mine alone unless otherwise stated. 

Inspirational Tuesday(2/5)

{Image Credit}

“If at first the idea is not absurd, then there will be no hope for it.”

-Albert Einstein 

What inspires YOU today?