Lots of Giveaways coming up!!!

I just wanted to let you all know that I have a bunch of Giveaways coming up here on the blog!

This week: cccook - headband

Next week: Wildtiles - something wonderful

The next week - TrinketsbyDana - lovely

The next week - lovejoycreations - hand tooled leather pouch

Then on the 29th of November - An awesome gift basket!!!! This giveaway will be a part of:

From customtotes

From CleariqueBoutique

From DeadForestCreations

From Kaytestreasures

From kaytestreasures 

This wonderful bracelet from SomethingWyrd 

A pair of earrings from my shop! Winner's choice of color!

Lots to look forward to!!!

UPDATE: Several of these shops have closed :(

Feature!! Gini's Boutique and Dorset Buttons

A few weeks ago, I joined an Etsy team that was for people who love Swarovski crystals. On this team's discussion board, I met Gini (Louise Armitage) the talented artist behind GinisBoutique. After taking a look around her shop I decided I had to tell you guys about her! She is so cool and an awesome crafter!! She agreed to do an interview with me for my blog! I am so excited to share this with you!!! E: Your Etsy profile says you have been making crafts for all of your life, why do you think you got started and what was your first craft? So Pretty! G: I would say that art and craft are in my blood. Both my father and mother were artists so I had access to all kinds of art supplies from a very young age. I was encouraged and shown all sorts of methods and skills. I’ve always had the urge to make things and I can’t imagine life any other way. I’m not sure what my first craft was as I was probably so young when I started but I do remember my neighbor teaching me lace making when I was only 5, and her husband taught me woodworking making the bobbins for this too. E: What are “Dorset Buttons?” So LOVELY!! G: Dorset buttons are the original way that a button was made before plastic buttons were invented and made by machine. It’s an old English skill of weaving thread onto a ring of wood, metal or even bone in the past. Now a days plastic or brass curtain rings are used with crochet threads. I’ve taken this skill and practise it for over 6 years and then developed it into my own unique way of making designs and patterns. I’ve given them a facelift and made them into necklaces, brooches, bag charms etc. Its my favourite craft, I’m completely addicted to making them. I always have one in my pocket wherever I go, I never seem to stop creating and they’re such a portable craft. There's a little photo story on my facebook fan page of how I made a 10 button Dorset necklace from conception to completion including tips for Etsy sellers at www.facebook.com/GinisBoutique. E: How does your creative process work and where do you find inspiration? Starting A half finished button. All done and ready to wear! G: Well I have a little thing that I do myself for finding inspiration. Any time I have an idea I’ll sketch it down and pop it in folders and scrapbooks I have stored back at home in my studio and then I have a constant source of ideas to go back to, I never hit a block then. Anything in life can get ideas going in my head, my problem is that I have too many ideas and not enough time! I also like to keep pictures of other artists work, scraps of interesting paper, material, beads, threads etc to inspire me too. And having a huge variety of crafting supplies helps also, just having a browse through them can give me lots of ideas. E: Most of my readers are from the US, could you tell us a little bit about being a crafter in England? Isn't this great?! G: I would say the crafts can be quite similar between the US and UK, I think being brought together by Etsy they have been able to inspire each other. A big difference is that there’s a much bigger market in the US, so thank goodness for Etsy! Most of my customers are outside the UK so I think I would struggle to make a go of selling crafts if I was just limited to UK customers. We have such a recession going on in the UK that prices can be a problem here too. For example I’m doing a Christmas craft fair stall and I know that I will have to have much lower prices than I sell on Etsy because otherwise I won’t sell anything. It’s a shame really because all your hard work can become undervalued.  E: What are your favorite supplies to work with and where do you like to get them? So cute! G: I love working with felt, it’s so versatile. I tend to get this from local craft shops in small amounts. I like to try to give as much business to small family shops rather than big outlets if possible. Ebay can be a good source for beading and crystal supplies but you have to be careful of quality and possible fakes. And crochet threads and beads I just adore searching round charity shops (I think you call then thrift shops in the US). It’s like Christmas when I find a great vintage button or an half used ball of thread in a discontinued colour. I’m easy to please! E: What is your all-time favorite piece of jewelry and why? G: I have to say it would be the Dorset button necklace in English country cottage garden colours. I loved the final result of this necklace, it was so pretty and feminine. I was secretly hoping that no one would buy it so I could keep it for myself but it got snapped up really quickly. I keep promising to make myself another one but I never seem to have the free time, I’m always too busy making things for my shop and customers. I can see why this is her favorite!!

Tuesday Trades

Happy Tuesday Everyone!!! Today, I want to tell you all about a really cool trade I did! This time I traded with Erica of Stamped with Love by eruckman! Erica does some really awesome things! Stamped with Love by eruckman is filled with all kinds of hand stamped items! And I do not mean that she uses ink and rubber stamps. Oh, no! Erica uses metal stamps! Okay, so here is what I got: 

So, here is the thing. I have Type 1 Diabetes, right, and I have had it since I was 6. When I was little I wore a medic alert necklace, but as I got older I did not like having on a necklace when I wanted to wear a different necklace. So, I got a bracelet. The most ugly, utilitarian medic alert bracelet ever made! I always hated it! Anyway, Over the years that bracelet began to get old. The chain links started to open up a bit and get caught on clothes - not good. I decided it was time for a new one, a pretty one, one that I would not hate to wear. Along comes Erica to save the day!! This bracelet is great! I love it and she even put a pink leather cord on it for me! How great is that?! 


Erica lives in Indiana too and is also working on her masters degree (special education though, not business). Anyway, this is what she got:

These earrings are fast becoming my specialty! I have sold 7 pairs like them already! And I am planing to make a bunch more :D


Don't forget to enter the awesome headband giveaway!!