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.

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. 

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 :)

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

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.

Lark Jewelry Books Giveaway!

That wonderful, crazy woman is at it again! 

Lori of Pretty Things is holding a review and giveaway for several different Lark jewelry books on all sorts of jewelry-related subjects such as metalwork, working with seed beads and crystals, bracelets, and more. 

The first round of books has been given away, but there are 2 other rounds to go.

{Image Credit}

Round 2--Enter Here

Ends September 14th

Round 3--Enter Here

Ends September 16th

Don't miss out on this opportunity to expand your jewelry designing horizons!

Tealwater Designs Triple Giveaway!

I'm all up for a good giveaway, especially when it involves beads or beading material of any kind. 

Hey, I have to get my "nicer" supplies somewhere, right!?

Thanks to Cory of Tealwater Designs, I have an option to win one of several lots she's giving away!

Just take a gander and what you and I could win....

 Can't forget these absolutely gorgeous silks!

And of course for those who don't bead or can't use the supplies, she thought of you guys, too with this beautiful pair of earrings!

So, my question to you all know is what the heck are you waiting for? 

Enter Here!

Ends Saturday, September 8th.