Well it's time to announce the winner of Nativebeads giveaway! Congratulations Jodaycraf!!! I will be contacting you about your prize. And thank you so much to all that entered!
Gonna be a bit of a break before I list the next contest. I am super busy making new inventory and filling custom orders.
This giveaway is sponsored by Nativebeads. Make sure to check out her feature right here on this blog, just click here!
The prize is terrific, and so much fun! Theresa from Nativebeads is giving away a a kit to make a gourd doll. Here is how she describes it:This is a bead kit that teaches you how to add horizontal bead netting to embellish a gourd doll. The kits includes step by step instructions, illustrations, a painted gourd doll, beads, needle and thread. It also includes instructions on how to make a beaded basket that is glued onto the top of the doll head when you are finished with her beaded skirt. The kit contains all the materials in a ziplock baggie. The photo shows the finished doll. The kits normally sells for $10 in my shop.
Entering is easy. Visit Theresa's shop Nativebeads, then come back here and leave a comment with a link your favorite item from her shop!
Earn Bonus Entries!
*Earn 5 bonus entries: Make a purchase from Nativebeads. Come back here and leave a comment with the link to your transaction. Please tell her in check out that Raevyn sent you :D
*Earn 1 bonus entry: Sign up for my newsletter and come back here and leave a comment that you signed up. If you have already signed up for it, just leave a comment here letting me know and you will get the bonus entry.
*Earn 1 bonus entry: Follow this blog! Leave a post here letting me know you are a follower.
*Earn 2 bonus entries: Blog about this giveaway! Then come back here and leave a comment with a link to your blog post.
Please make sure to leave a way to contact you on your entries. If I can't contact you, you can't win! This contest is open to everyone, you do not have to be in the US to enter. October 6th will be the last day to enter, and I will draw the winner on October 7th.
When I first became active with the Trade-A-Holics, I was lucky enough to meet Theresa, the owner of Nativebeads. When I first looked at her shop, I recognized right away that this is a beader after my own heart. Her work with seed beads, and her native style, is the kind of thing that attracted me to beading. And then I saw that she wrote the book on beads - literally! Not only is she amazingly talented, but she is a published author on the subject of beading! I am lucky enough to own two of her books, and I love them! The Illustrated Bead Bible is my favorite. I am a completely self taught beader, and this book has gone a long way in educating me about beads, materials, and techniques.
Her bead work is also quite amazing. Her love for her craft shows through in everything she does. If you love beads, you are going to love her! Her work is diverse and never boring! Take a look at her shop, and if you are looking for beading books, you will not go wrong with hers.
Theresa took time to answer a few of my pesky questions recently. Here is what she had to say:
Name: Theresa Flores Geary
Age (if you don't mind): 58
Where do you live? Moriarty, New Mexico
How did you get started working with beads? My dear mother invited me to a bead class with her “old lady” friends when I was 14. I was surprised to be included in such a group and had NO IDEA how much fun she was having. I got hooked immediately. Now I hang out with MY “old lady friends” who act a lot like teenagers.
What inspires you most?
My friends and other artists are so inspirational when they share their artwork and techniques, where they get their supplies, information on sales opportunities, etc. We teach each other new techniques. The social aspects like laughter and sharing make the pursuit of artwork even more delightful. I spent way too many years as a solitary beader, all by myself into the wee hours of night.
What do you do in your spare time?
Well, I grow gourds, vegetables, fruit trees and chickens for eggs. I have two cats and two dogs as well. My kids are grown and living independently so my husband and I share a quiet life in the country with our animal friends.
Tell us a little known fact about you.
I am a retired clinical psychologist. My career was very rewarding and interesting but I am so happy to be doing what I am doing now – much less stress too!
What are you working on now?
Right now, I am finishing up an order for a bead store that is doing a display for Day of the Dead or Dia De Los Muertos. It is a fascinating Hispanic and Native cultural celebration to honor people’s deceased relatives. The folk art that has developed along with the ceremony is delightful in its own right. Part of the tradition is to make arts and crafts to leave as an offering on an altar or at the gravesite of their loved ones. The five senses are emphasized to help guide their ancestors to join the celebration. As such, there is music, colorful flowers like marigolds and roses, rattles or noise makers, food, costumes, jewelry and various arts. Our family did not celebrate this particular ceremony but now that I am older, I find it intriguing. Etsy has it listed as one of its most popular holidays. Do a search to see a huge variety of artwork mediums.
Do you sell anywhere besides Etsy?
Yes.
Where?
I have my own website www.beadbible.com. I also do occasional shows, maybe 1-3 a year, plus have a few local connections like a farmer’s market and bead stores where I sell my beadwork, bead kits, books, dried gourds and gourd art.
I see that you are a published author! What books have you written, and where can people purchase them?
The first two books are project books, mainly emphasizing Native American beadwork. The books include information on cultural traditions and symbolism used with designs, colors and ceremonies. The first book is called Native American Beadwork – Projects and Techniques of the Southwest.
The second book is called Creative Native Beading. They both categorize projects according to skill level, such as beginner, intermediate and advanced. The third book, published just this year is called Illustrated Bead Bible – terms, tips and techniques. It is more of a reference book on everything you ever wanted to know about beads including gemstones. It has over 500 color photographs to help you learn bead names, stitches and bead types plus reference charts on things like needle size, bead size and threads. It was designed to help people learn about many facets of beading, including how beads are made, different cultural and historical information and samples of beadwork from around the world. I carry my own books to sell on Etsy but run out from time to time. They are also generally available in many fine bookstores, museums and gift shops throughout the world and online, such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
You have several types of bead art that you do. From gourds to jewelry...what is your favorite thing to do with beads?
Since I was intrigued with beads at a young age, I first learned how to make jewelry and after so many years of that, I wanted to branch out to discover different uses of beads and different types of techniques. So now, the challenge is to continue discovering all the ways to use beads in a variety of projects besides jewelry, which is why I started doing beadwork on gourds. I still make jewelry too because it is simply delightful to handle so many beautiful beads and gemstones.
Do you twitter, flickr, facebook, blog..or anything else where people can follow you? Please feel free to list all of you "social networking" addresses.
I am on Face book and
http://tradeaholics.ning.com/ , a social networking site for artists who enjoying trading with each other. I just joined this site: http://busymitts.com which is a group of crafters, many of whom are from the UK and Ireland. My profile name is NativeBeads. It is more of a place for “Show and Tell” rather than a market place.
I do NOT do twitter or blog seriously, although I do have a blog with Amazon.com. People can reach me there by searching under my name (Theresa Flores Geary) and leave comments. However, I seriously do not have the time to sit in front of the computer all day. I have chickens and veggies and gourds to tend to!!!
And that's it, jerseymaids great giveaway is over! And the winner is.....
Heather!!!!
Congratulations! And thank you to everyone that entered. I will be continuing with my series of Etsy featured articles followed by a great giveaway later on today, so check back!
This giveaway is sponsored by jerseymaids. Make sure to check out her feature right here on this blog, just click here!
The prize is awesome! It is an Interchangeable Polaroid Ring from jerseymaids. You can choose your ring from the rings she has available at her shop.
Details:
Typically sold for: $30
*A lead and nickel-free adjustable ring base (approx. 6 1/2 - 8 US sizes) available in silver plated, gunmetal black, or antiqued bronze
*5 interchangeable glass Polaroid snap-on charms (shown in the first 2 photographs.) These are interchangeable by a magnetic mechanism using Earth Magnets, some of the strongest magnets known to man. And perfect for jewelry!
Each charm measures approximately 5/8" x 3/4" (17mm x 19mm). Though they are sealed with many coats of waterproof sealant, I would still try to avoid submerging these rings in water (i.e. washing dishes, showering, swimming, etc.)
Entering is easy. Visit Lauren's shop, then come back here and leave a comment with a link your favorite item from her shop!
Earn Bonus Entries!
*Earn 3 bonus entries: Make a purchase from jerseymaids. Come back here and leave a comment with the link to your transaction. Please tell her in check out that Raevyn sent you :D
*Earn 1 bonus entry: Sign up for my newsletter and come back here and leave a comment that you signed up. If you have already signed up for it, just leave a comment here letting me know and you will get the bonus entry.
*Earn 1 bonus entry: Follow this blog! Leave a post here letting me know you are a follower.
*Earn 2 bonus entries: Blog about this giveaway! Then come back here and leave a comment with a link to your blog post.
Please make sure to leave a way to contact you on your entries. If I can't contact you, you can't win! This contest is open to everyone, you do not have to be in the US to enter. September 21st will be the last day to enter, and I will draw the winner on September 22nd.
I love photography. Both taking pictures and looking at pictures. At a very young age I fell in love with snapping my own shots, and in high school I took a few photography classes where I developed my love even further. And as long as I can remember I have loved looking at photographs. I love seeing an artist's point of view through their pictures, but I also love just looking through family photo albums and seeing the moments of people's lives captured.
Today's featured artist is a shining example of all that I love about photography. It is jerseymaids. She is a Polaroid photographer that I met during my travels on Etsy. To be sure, her work is passionate. Her absolute love for her medium comes through in all of her pieces. Here is one of my favorites:
Cherry Blossoms PolaroidWell the results are in! Thank you too all of those that entered. The winner of a $5 gift certificate from thegirlyplace is ShoreDebris! Congratulations!!!
I have a new featured artist and a new giveaway going up today, so stay tuned!
This giveaway is sponsored by the fantastic artist, Joanie Reeder of thegirlyplace, ruascrapper, and *coming soon* tailsnsnails.
Get a free $5 gift certificate to use in any of Joanie's shops thegirlyplace, ruascrapper, tailsnsnails.
Entering is easy. Visit both of Joanie's open shops, then come back here and leave a comment with your favorite item from each shop. If you comment on 1 shop, you get 1 entry. If you comment on both shops, you will get two entries.
Earn Bonus Entries!
*Earn 1 bonus entry: Sign up for my newsletter. If you have already signed up for it, just leave a comment here letting me know and you will get the bonus entry.
*Earn 1 bonus entry: Follow this blog! Leave a post here letting me know you are a follower.
*Earn 2 bonus entries: Blog about this giveaway! Then come back here and leave a comment with a link to your blog post.
*Earn 3 bonus entries: Make a purchase from thegirlyplace and/or ruascrapper. Come back here and leave a comment with the link to your transaction. Please tell her in check out that Raevyn sent you :D And make sure to check out the two amazing deals that Joanie is offering, they are listed at the end of this post!
This contest is open to everyone, you do not have to be in the US to enter. September 7th will be the last day to enter, and I will draw the winner on September 8th.
Don't miss out on these amazing deals!!
During this contest, Joanie will be running a special promo!
* Buy a Fluff N Stuff tutu from thegirlyplace and receive a FREE matching teddy bear tutu. No need to purchase the teddy bear tutu. Just put "RaevynBlogTBT" in message to seller.
* Buy a premade scrapbook from ruascrapper and receive a set of mini notes (great for lunch boxes, thank yous and more) FREE. No need to purchase mini card listing. Just enter "RaevynBlogRUAS" in message to seller and let me know which set you would like.
A few months ago I found out that my cousin was adopting to little girls that were sisters. We live very far away from each other; she is in Alaska and I am in Texas. But I wanted to be able to welcome these two angels into our family, so I set out to gather a box of Etsy goodies to send on up to Alaska. This is how I came across Joanie Reeder and her amazing shop thegirlyplace. I immediately feel in love with her huge selection of bows, headbands and korkers for little girls. Ever since then, every box of goodies that I have sent up to Alaska has featured goodies from this darling shop. In the short time that I have known Joanie, she has expanded her shop quite a bit. She now has crayon keepers, hair goodies for all ages, jewelry and the most adorable tutus!
Red and white Christmas bow
Fun frenzy butterfly haircomb facinator
Flower crayon keeper
Premade Scrapbook PagesHowdy! I just wanted to let everyone know why I neglected my blog for so long. Right now we are on a vacation in Vermont, visiting my family. The entire month before we left I made myself crazy trying to get ready. I decided not to close up my shops during the vacation, but to instead bring all of my inventory with me. That meant that I also wanted to stock up my inventory! So here we are in Vermont. We return home on August 18th. I hope to blog a bit from here. I do have some plans for the blog when we get back though! I have some fantastic etsy artists lined up to do some features on, as well as some contests already planned out! So stay tuned folks :)
:w
Now, time for the winners of the Glassredefined Giveaway!
First place goes to rubymoon!
Second place goes to Linda!
Third place goes to NewYorkMemos!
Congratulations! I will be contacting each winner about their prize :)
Thank you to all that entered! And an extra special thanks to Kim for creating such gorgeous prizes. Keep an eye out, I will be posting a new contest in the next few days.
This giveaway is sponsored by the fantastic artist, Kim Novak of Glassredefined and KimCreative.
Kim has designed three beautiful pieces as prizes for this contest. Here are they are!
1st Place: Painted sea glass with Sterling Silver wire wrapping
2nd Place: Glass and Sterling Silver pendant
3rd Place: Glass and Sterling Silver earringsWell I think it is about time for me to once again feature a fantastic Etsy artist. I actually met this artist on my Etsy Trade-a-holics team. Glassredefined is the name of her shop, and she specializes in hand painted and wire wrapped sea glass jewelry. Here are just two examples of her fantastic work!
She also just opened a supply shop called KimCreative. She really has some great things in the supply shop, and of course I am a total supply addict!
After spending a long time browsing through Kim's shops, I decided to ask her to answer a few questions for me, so I could do a feature on her. Here are the questions, and her answers.
Info
Name: Kim Novak
Age (if you don't mind): 44
Where do you live?: Pasadena, MD
You have two shops on Etsy. Please tell us about both of them:
My first and primary shop is Glassredefined.
Glassredefined is a creative glass jewelry business. Hand discovered seaglass is finely painted, then wrapped and designed in solid sterling silver or 14k gold filled wire. Handmade artisan glass is defined in quality wire as well.
Glassredefined recycles seaglass “gems” our local beaches deposit, promoting and supporting a clean environment .Recycled paper mailers are used in shipping these redefined works of art.
My secondary shop is KimCreative
KimCreative is a creative supplies shop, which at times will .also feature completed projects that a family member or myself have created, as well as the occasional antique. This shop was implemented to reduce, reuse and recycle, so that many may creatively express, both economically and responsibly. I recycle all shipping supplies from both shops back through this one.
What inspires you most?
Nature, I am in awe of the world around me, the textures, color, movement and abundance of life, which God created, deeply inspire me. Art is my passion.
What do you do in your spare time?
I paint in acrylics and watercolors, drink coffee, read and share pizza Goldfish with my Golden Retriever~Leo. I am also very active on the Creative Design Team of my local church .
Tell us a little known fact about you.
Green has ALWAYS been my favorite color. Even as a three year old, when other little girls liked pink and said green was yucky, it didn’t phase me. Always and forever a lover of the color green, that’s me!
Do you have a favorite piece? If you have pictures of it (or them), please show us!
I have two favorite pieces. This hand blown Peace Rondelle, and my Signature Waves piece, which is also my Avatar. I wear each of these around all the time, just not together :)
What are you working on now?
I am currently designing a Monochromatic Wave Series of pendants, to be introduced in my Etsy Shop, during the month of July. The designs will be painted on white seaglass and be similar to the piece featured in my Avatar. This line will showcase in the following four categories:
* Aqua ~ blues
* Mist ~ greens
*Coral ~ reds
*Twilight ~ black/grey
I am really excited about it!
Do you sell anywhere besides Etsy? Where?
In addition to Etsy, I sell locally at various art/music vendor events, and upscale home jewelry shows .
Do you twitter, flickr, facebook, blog..or anything else where people can follow you
or see more of you? Please feel free to list all of you "social networking" addresses
and websites.
I have a Glassredefined Facebook page, where I invite you to become a fan!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Glassredefined/55156566582?ref=ts
I do not twitter, flickr or have a blog as of yet, but a blog is something I hope to design in the near future!
Hello folks! The winner for the $25 gift certificate, good in any of my 3 shops, is Lily! Congrats Lily! And thank you to everyone for entering my contest. I have the next contest all ready to go, and it is a fantastic one. So stay tuned!
Make sure to enter my giveaway! Click here.
Howdy! I decided that I want to blog a bit about a promotion project that I have been working on for almost a year now. I do a lot of shopping on Etsy, and I noticed I was really starting to accumulate a lot of business cards from other Etsy sellers. I did not want them to go to waste, so I made a business card sized envelope and I taped a note to it that said:
~ Promote Etsy, Pass it On ~
Add your card; take the one(s) you want
and send this out with your next order!
Let’s promote Etsy and each other!!
Then I filled the envelope with the business cards, and I sent it out with an order. It reminded me a lot of when I was a teenager. I had LOTS of penpals. We were all heavy metal fans, and would pass along these little books called friendship books. They were just pages of names and addresses, then the favorite bands of people. If you saw someone with the same bands you liked, you wrote to them! It was fun, and so addicting! So I decided I wanted to do this business card idea on a bigger envelope.
I posted in the forums asking people to send me their business cards, and the response was huge! And to make a long story short (too late!) I have been at it ever since. I love to do it. And I know that some of the envelopes have led to sales for Etsy sellers, which really makes me smile.
A while ago I came across a Yahoo group called the Etsy Business Card Trading Group. I joined up. It is such a great way to get business cards from people, as well as getting my cards out there. There is not a lot of time involved in the group. There is a database with the names and addresses of the members, and you send cards to the ones you want to send to. Of course there is a message board and stuff if you want to say hi, or make a special request. Recently the owner of the group had to step down because of personal obligations, and I was made the owner. I love being in this group. Since I found Etsy, I have promoted it to everyone I know. And I love doing it at this larger level, if that makes any sort of sense.
Wow that ended up a lot longer than I thought it would! Summary: Promote each other! More buyers coming to Etsy is good for all of us. If you want to get involved with disbursing business cards and having yours disbursed as well, join the yahoo group! Or you can just message me for my address so that you can send me your cards :) I send out TONS of cards, and I love to do it.
***********************************
Make sure to enter my giveaway! Click here.
The winner of this contest wins a $25 gift certificate, good in any of my three shops.
Entering is easy! Simply go to one of my three shops, and leave a comment here with a link to one of your favorite items and why you like it. My shops are:
Raevyn77
SimplyRaevyn
PeculiarParchment
If you leave a comment about one of my shops, you get 1 entry. Two shops, two entries, etc. There is a maximum of three entries for this portion of the contest.
Earn Bonus Entries!
*Earn 1 bonus entry: Sign up for my newsletter. If you have already signed up for it, just leave a comment here letting me know and you will get the bonus entry.
*Earn 2 bonus entries: Blog about this giveaway! Then come back here and leave a comment with a link to your blog post.
*Earn 3 bonus entries: Make a purchase from one of my three shops. Come back here and leave a comment with the link to your transaction.
This contest is open to everyone, you do not have to be in the US to enter. June 15th will be the last day to enter, and I will draw the winner on June 16th.
I am so excited! I enter a lot of blog contests, although I have to admit my hopes are never high that I will win. But last week, I did win!! And the prize was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! I won a large bear hug cookie from lorisplace!
The cookie really was yummy, and who doesn't need a great big bear hug once in awhile? I wish I had a picture of the exact cookie I received, but I am afraid I had eaten an entire leg before I realized I should have taken a picture of the cookie for my blog. And I did not want to expose you all to that kind of carnage :p Although my cookie was very similar to the above cookie.
I am going to try more of the goodies from lorisplace, and I really think you all should to!
Well that's it, my big May giveaway is over! The response was huge! I really want to take the time to thank all of the people that entered, and took the time to look at some of my favorite shops.
Now, what you have all been waiting for. The winners! All entries were written on a piece of paper and placed in a shoebox. Last night, my fiance Paul pulled the winners from the box. And here they are....
First place goes to Salad for Breakfast!
Second place goes to glassredefined!
Third place goes to Mia!
I will be contacting each winner about their prize package :) I am really excited about these prizes, the packages ended up much bigger and better than I had imagined.
Again, thank you to all that entered! I will be posting the next giveaway later on today.
Make sure to enter my big May giveaway! Click here.
Hello out there in blog land. I have not meant to ignore my blog lately, I have just been busy. I actually have a few things to blog about. I have won a few contests, and also received some amazing etsy items!! I am going to try and do a nice post this weekend with pictures and things to show off my new wares :)
I have been working very hard to get my samples ready for the Etsy Texas Promo Swap. A few times a year, some of the members of the Etsy Texas Crafters Team make up samples and promos for their shops, and we send them to one of the team leaders. She then fills boxes and sends us boxes full of promos from other ETC shops. We send them out with our orders. It is really a great project :) The last time I decided to send samples instead of just business cards. It takes a lot of work, but I like doing it.
I have also been busy trying to stock up all three of my shops. We are going to Vermont in August, and I really need to start saving up a "Vermont Fund". I am hoping all of my new creations will inspire sales. So far sales do seem to be picking up :) So after I am done making the sample packs, I am going to get back to work making some new, beautiful items.
Well that is it for now. Like I said, I hope to blog about all of my new Etsy goodies later this weekend!
:w
Make sure to enter my big May giveaway! Click here.
Make sure to enter my big May giveaway! Click here.
Memorial Weekend Sale
22nd-25th at midnight (est)
20% off of all items in all 3 of my shops. Just mention "holiday" when checking out, and I will send you a revised invoice or refund your paypal.
Also all sales in my shops will be entered to win a gift certificate worth $25, which can be redeemed in any of my shops. Every item you buy earns you an entry.
raevyn77.etsy.com handmade jewelry and a ton of new listings!
simplyraevyn.etsy.com - seed bead jewelry. lots of new listings, and a TON of destash
peculiarparchment.etsy.com - handmade cards. Lots of mini thank you cars, tons of new listings!
So come and check it out, and grab some great deals!
Make sure to enter my big May giveaway! Click here.
Make sure to enter my big May giveaway! Click here.
After a long period of beader's block, I am finally beading again! I was having such a hard time beading, and I am not sure why. I think that the sheer amount of beads I have was overwhelming. So I spent a few days going through my beads. Doing a spring cleaning really. Sorting out the beads that I wanted to destash as well as doing an overall better job of sorting my beads into categories. I went to Wal Mart to buy these really great little Sterilite containers. They are see through and they have an attached lid, and Wal Mart has like 3 different sizes for $1.50 and under. So I bought quite a few of those and sorted my beads into them. I used to just have a huge container where I kept all of my beads that were not seed beads. To put it lightly, I have a ton of beads that fit into this category. So it was just completely overwhelming to look at that container, and I think that was blocking my inspiration. The past few days have been uber productive for me. I have a box full of new pieces ready to photograph. Now I need to figure out a new way to photograph my items. The west Texas wind has been blowing for the last 6 months it seems lol So I have not been able to photograph earrings very well. My fiance built me a lightbox, and I think I am going to take that outside and see if that helps to shield the wind.
We finally have our Vermont vacation planned! I am so excited. We are going on August 4th and coming back on the 18th. I miss my family a lot. So I have started the process of getting my shops ready. There is no way that I will close my shops for those two weeks. So I take all of my inventory. And believe it or not, I actually plan on dramatically increasing my inventory for the trip. Mainly because that will be two weeks of me not listing, and that is just no good for me lol So this "beading burst" I am experiencing is a huge help! I am also in the middle of an enormous batch of cards. To be honest, my beading area and card area both look like absolute disasters! I want to get them organized, but I think the best way to get that done at this point is to continue creating and sorting. Luckily my fiance completely understands! So there is no pressure from the rest of the household to get things put away. I thought I would share a few pics, just to give you all an idea of my chaos lol
So here is my beading space. I apologize for the poor quality of the picture. To put it lightly, it is a disaster lol Keep in mind that the couch is also covered in containers filled with beads.
And here is the card....uhm dining room table lol Under the table there are quite a few containers filled with paper, ribbon and already folded cards.
So as you can see, my two crafting areas are a mess!! We live in a small apartment and my fiance's mother lives with us right now. And to top if off, I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This mess makes me insane. But it is keeping me motivated to keep working! My plan is to get us much made as I can, and then get things sorted and put away. So wish me luck :)
Well as you can all see, I have a lot of work to do lol So I will sign off for now. Make sure to watch my shops for new listings, cause there is a whole lot on the way!! Also don't forget to enter my great May giveaway!
:w
ETC and Mother's Day Sale
Ends at Midnight (est)
Well it's the first Monday of May, and that means it is time for the Etsy Texas Team's First Monday Sale! Click here to see the list of amazing sales going on with the Texas sellers :)
And of course, I am having a sale too! Mine is a last minute mother's day sale combined with the ETC First Monday Sale. There is still time! Everything in all 3 of my shops is 25% off. I can send a revised invoice or refund your paypal. I will ship immediately, and I can gift wrap and send directly to mom at no extra cost.
raevyn77.etsy.com
simplyraevyn.etsy.com
peculiarparchment.etsy.com
I have been doing a lot of listing, so please take a peek! All of my sales go towards buying my tickets to VT so I can see my family! We are buying the tickets next week, and I have not seen my family in a year.
I decided to base this month's giveaway on my previous post, Some of my favorites - May Edition.
What do you win?
I will be assembling 3 prize package featuring items from all of the shops featured in Some of my favorites - May Edition. I have not figured out exactly which items I will be ordering yet. I will order the items on the 20th, and I will post here exactly what each prize package will consist of. But here is what the prize packages will consist of:
First Place
- $20 gift certificate for SimplyRaevyn/Raevyn77/PeculiarParchment
- atleast $10 worth of items from CountryGirlSpices
- pouch from bagsbytracy
- atleast $10 worth of beads from fivesisters
Second Place
- $15 gift certificate for SimplyRaevyn/Raevyn77/PeculiarParchment
- atleast $5 worth of items from CountryGirlSpices
- pouch from bagsbytracy
- atleast $5 worth of beads from fivesisters
Third Place
- $10 gift certificate for SimplyRaevyn/Raevyn77/PeculiarParchment
- atleast $3 worth of items from CountryGirlSpices
- pouch from bagsbytracy
- atleast $3 worth of beads from fivesisters
How to Enter
Visit the shops featured in Some of my favorites - May Edition.
The shops are:
fivesisters
CountryGirlSpices
bagsbytracy
Then leave a comment here showing your favorite items from each shop. You can earn 1 entry for each shop you leave a comment about.
*Earn 1 bonus entry: Sign up for my newsletter. I use the newsletter to keep you aware of special sales going on, blog contests, etc. I will not abuse the list to spam you all of the time, and I will not share your email address with anyone. Just click here to sign up. You don't have to come back and comment that you joined the mailing list.
*Earn 2 bonus entries: Blog about this giveaway! Then come back here and leave a comment with a link to your blog post.
*Earn 3 bonus entries: Make a purchase from any of the shops featured in theSome of my favorites - May Edition. Again, the shops are:
fivesisters
CountryGirlSpices
bagsbytracy
Come back here and leave a comment with the link to your transaction. You can do this once for each of the featured shops.
*Earn 5 bonus entries: Make a purchase from any of my three shops:
Raevyn77
SimplyRaevyn
PeculiarParchment
Come back here and leave a comment with the link to your transaction.
This contest is open to everyone, you do not have to be in the US to enter. May 31st will be the last day to enter, and I will draw the winner on June 1st.
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This is a big contest, with lots of chances to earn entries. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask me. Good luck everyone!
So I was sitting here debating whether I should be blogging, or shopping. So I figured, why not do both! I shop A LOT on Etsy, and I want to share some of my favorite shops with you. So here goes!
fivesisters
Since I make so much jewelry, I spend a whole lot of time hunting for great beads. I recently came across fivesisters. I oohed and aahed over the inventory, but I have had enough experience to know that I need to check out the product before getting my hopes up. So I searched through the gorgeous selection and settled on one item to take a test drive with.
I decided to order the assortment of 14mm large, puffy Czech rondelles. Check them out in this picture, and I think that you will see why!
| Etsy Buy Handmade fivesisters |
| Etsy Buy Handmade CountryGirlSpices |
| Etsy Buy Handmade bagsbytracy |
Well it is time to wind up another contest. This time there were 41 entries, wow! Once again I used the Custom Random Number Generator. And the winner of the $20 gift certificate that can be used in any of my shops is lolo!! Congratulations lolo :)
I will be posting a new giveaway today, and I am working on a really great one. So stay tuned!!!
Well it looks like it is time for a new blog contest! I have to admit, my brain is pretty fried this week. So I am going to go for a nice and easy one :) So here goes...
How to Enter
Entering is easy! Simply go to one of my three shops, and leave a comment here with a link to one of your favorite items and why you like it. My shops are:
Raevyn77
SimplyRaevyn
PeculiarParchment
You only need to pick one item, you don't have to pick one from each shop.
Get a bonus entry! Sign up for my newsletter. I use the newsletter to keep you aware of special sales going on, blog contests, etc. I will not abuse the list to spam you all of the time, and I will not share your email address with anyone. Just click here to sign up. You don't have to come back and comment that you joined the mailing list.
What do you win?
The prize is a $20 gift certificate that can be used in any of my shops.
This contest is open to everyone, you do not have to be in the US to enter. April 30th will be the last day to enter, and I will draw the winner on May 1st.
Well it is the 15th, time to announce the winner of the 5x7 print giveaway from MagicIsland! There were 33 entries, and I used the Custom Random Number Generator and Janet F was the winner!! Congratulations!!!! Thank you to all that entered :)
I will be posting a new contest within the hour.
Hi everyone! I actually have a ton of work to do today. My dining room table is completely covered in card making supplies, and I want to get a whole bunch of my cards done so that I can see my table again lol. BUT I did want to mention my Easter sale. It is a great opportunity to grab things, and I have been doing a lot of listing:
Easter Weekend Sale
Ends at midnight (est) Sunday night
All items in all 3 of my shops are 15% off! You can convo me for me to adjust the listing before you purchase. Or I can send you a revised invoice or refund your paypal.
Also, all items purchased this weekend (Fri, Sat and Sun) will be earn an entry into a drawing to be held on
Monday, for a $15 gift certificate good in any of my shops.
Raevyn77
SimplyRaevyn
PeculiarParchment
Well I am gonna drag myself off to the table lol . I hope to spend some time on my blog after the weekend :) Have a great weekend and Easter everyone!
I am going to change things up a bit this month, and do two contests! One will start now and be drawn on the 15th. The second one will be posted on the 15th.
This first contest is a great one. Mary of MagicIsland will be giving away a 5x7 print ($12 value) from her shop, and the winner can pick the print that they want!
So what are the rules? It's easy! Visit MagicIsland, then leave a comment here with the link to your favorite piece in her shop, and why you like it! Don't forget to leave your email address at all. If I can't contact you, you can't win.
Get a bonus entry! Sign up for my newsletter. I use the newsletter to keep you aware of special sales going on, blog contests, etc. I will not abuse the list to spam you all of the time, and I will not share your email address with anyone. Just click here to sign up.
The winner will be drawn on April 15th and will be announced on this blog, as well as being contacted by email. Good luck!
Footnote
Since I am in the process of switching my blog over to blogger, all entries on BOTH blogs will be counted. So if you enter here, you do not need to enter on the other blog.
I have always been a fan of photography, both aspects of it. I love to take pictures and then develop them in a way to show my perspective, and I love looking at other people's pictures. I love to see how other people view things. And it is always amazed me how beauty can be found in the most simple things. I have admired a lot of photographers on Etsy, but by far one of my favorites is Mary at MagicIsland. Her shop is full of gorgeous photos, and she is really able to convey her love for her surroundings in her work. I have so many favorites in her shop, and I am proud to say that I have quite a few of her pieces displayed in my house.
Although I am a fan of all of her work, I do have a favorite in her shop. And I am really hoping that some day it will be mine!!!
I talk to Mary often, and recently I asked her if she wouldn't mind answering a few questions for this article. Here is what we came up with!
Name: Mary Haggerty
Age (if you don't mind): Rather not thanks, but older than you!
Where do you live?: Ocracoke Island NC
How did you get started with photography?
I was always the kid carrying a camera I don't ever remember a time when I was not fascinated with capturing images.
What inspires you most?
Nature, people, and places I've never seen before.
What do you do in your spare time?
I like to sew and I make quilts. I also love to travel when I can. And I spend some time at the beach.
Tell us a little known fact about you.
I have been a photojournalist for many years, I was a freelancer for the NY Times and I have exhibited my photographs in museums and galleries. I published a book, "American Journal: a collection of off beat small town road trips"
Do you have a favorite subject to photograph?
I love to photograph people. If find they are the most interesting subject. I love photojournalism and making editorial portraits.
Do you sell anywhere besides Etsy? Where?
I have a shop, Ocracoke Photo on Ocracoke Island, NC come visit! I photograph a lot of family portraits at the beach and weddings on the Island.
What advice do you have for anyone that would like to start selling their own photography?
It's not easy. I've done a lot of different things over the years, portraits, weddings, photojournalism, fine art. Find what interests you the most.
Do you twitter, flickr, facebook..or anything else where people can follow you? Please feel free to list all of your "social networking" addresses.
http://www.OcracokePhoto.com
http://www.MagicIsland.etsy.com
http://www.PhotoAmerica.etsy.com
http://www.Ocracokeweb.com
http://www.OcracokeIsland.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ocracoke-Island/53887363599
thats most of my sites lol.
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To put it in plain English, Mary's work is beautiful! It is professional and her aspect on things really shines through. She is also very easy to communicate with. So if you need a gift, something for your own wall, or you just want to admire some amazing photography, take a look into her shop!
| Etsy Buy Handmade MagicIsland |
I have decided to start posting my blog here again. Older posts will still be found on my old blog, but new posts will be found here :)
I know I know, it looks like I am not blogging at all anymore. But this isn't true! We put a blog up on my website. So come and see me at http://www.simplyraevyn.com/blog
