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.

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!

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!

Artemisia's Studio & a Giveaway Win

This post is unfortunately way late in coming, but better late then never, right?

Back in the beginning of December I received an email from Emanda of Artemisia's Studio letting me know that I had won a handmade ornament from her website!

To be honest, I had NO idea what the ornament looked like or even how I won it so it definitely came as a welcomed surprise. Looking back, I now know It was won from a comment I had left on Emanda's Challenge of Color post, a challenge we both participated in at the end of November.

After chatting with Emanda for a little bit over email, she told me to expect a package in the mail within the next couple of weeks. When it finally arrived, I was surprised once again, this time by it's contents!

Not only was there the most beautiful blue, green, and silver colored Angel wing ornament that literally took my breath away, Emanda also included a gorgeous pair of Rose Quartz and 'New Jade' earrings for me to enjoy.

Breathtaking. Literally! 

Merry Christmas to ME

I couldn't wait to add Emanda's ornament to our Christmas tree! It actually turns out that Angel wing was one of the first ornaments to adorn our tree this year. See for yourself...

Make sure to check out Emanda's Etsy shop, Artemisia's Studio and her Blog! She has some beautiful things to offer and is such a kind and wonderful person :)

Looking Back...

I'm currently in the process of going 'pro' as it's called with my healthy living blog, but unfortunately that means cutting down and deleting some of the posts I've accumulated in the past 3 (almost 4 years) that I've been blogging. 

As many of you may or may not know, The Eclectic Element was started as a promotional tool for my, Etsy shop(s), and has just grown so much over the years that I was pretty much forced to split everything up so it all didn't run together. 

It really breaks my heart to delete some of my earlier business-related posts, so I'm transferring them here, to my newest blog venture, where they'll never be forgotten by me and they'll see the light of 'blogger day' again by you all!

We shall we call it Flashback Mondays ^.^

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

Originally posted on March 10th, 2009 and entitled 'Pull up a chair and make yourself comfy'

So in honor of my shop on etsy, The Eclectic Element, I am creating this blog as a marketing tool. However I really hope that it turns into something more then just that. I want to be able to help all of you if you need advice or share my ideas and thoughts when I feel strongly about the subject.

Lets just say, this blog is as much for you guys as it is for my shop =]

I haven't really thought about what blogs I would do and what would be their content, but I suppose that can come in time like one of my jewelry pieces. I look at one seemingly simple object and *BAM* there is my inspiration for my next piece! I couldn't begin to explain how my mind works (I know now that I get it from my mother), but It just does that way and I have learned to go with the flow.

I would appreciate every one's help in checking out my shop and giving me advice on what you think needs help, what I could do to help it along more, etc etc.

www.TheEclecticElement.etsy.com

Just give it a quick once over and comment me or message me or email me. Even if its just something simple like a compliment or something as complex as my shipping/pricing/blah blahblah, I want to know!

I shall keep working on this blog and getting some ideas on what to write in the mean time.

Body Parfait Giveaway ends TONIGHT!

For those of you who haven't entered this blog's first every giveaway, you still have time!
Who WOULDN'T want this incredible handcrafted bath and body bundle?

Giveaway ends tonight at 11:01pm CST! 

Enter Here

Saturday's Picks(10/20)-Happy Halloween

Seeing as this Wednesday is All Hallows Eve, also known plainly as Halloween by most, I thought it would be very appropriate to pick some Halloween-related items for today's Saturday's Picks :)

Enjoy! 

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

1 Dozen Ghosts, Bats and Spider Webs Halloween Cookies from rollinindough

$27.00

8 bit Zombie Love Moleskin Lined Halloween Journal from blackbirdandpeacock

$14.00

Creepy Halloween Vintage Doll Head Garland from RawBoneStudio

$15.50

 

Fantasy Talon Claw Ring from bowsandarrowsvintage

$18.00

 

Halloween Party Creepy Mason Jar Set from bittersweetlemonade

$14.00

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

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!

:)

Treasury Galor

Here are some more treasures to feast your eyes on! 

Oh My! Libre! by anestamboy

Sweet dreams #2 by LeeMarina

the (owl) dreaming by AveryBethDesigns

Cool Autumn by ReddApple

Shades of Autumn by SimplyCuteBoutique

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

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