April FEST Blog Giveaway Winner!

Tweet Congratulations to ZizzyBob, the winner of the April FEST Blog Giveaway who will receive luxurious, handmade pumpkin poppy seed soap from Cory of AquarianBath.

Tomato Time Management

Tweet

Time Management Made Fun!

You say "Tomaaaaato" and I say "Tomahhhhhhto"

which in Italian is "Pomooooodoro" or "Pomahhhhdoro"?

I'm not sure if it matters but it's all about

Time Chunking

a 15 minute method of accomplishing more work in the same amount of time.

An Efficiency Model

Read About it Here

Thanks to Crystal of Star & Crossbones for this interesting link!

Interview with Ohbabydotcom

Tweet Meet Melody of Ohbabydotcom:

What do you create?
Boutique quality, handmade hand knit or crocheted creations for baby to children sizes. My little jester hats are different and unique. They are crocheted using the Tunisian crochet knit stitch method, also known as the Afghan stitch, which gives my little hats a great waffle-weave look and feel.

How did you come about your store name?
Just on a whim really. "Oh Baby "The first thing I say when I see a cute baby or a baby dressed in a really cute outfit. "Oh" how cute, or "Oh" how sweet! "Oh Baby" just sort of stuck.

What is the crafting utensil you cannot live without?
Oh! My knitting needles, crochet hooks and yarn.

What is your favorite material to work with?
I really like cotton. And a few months ago I made some sweet booties using silk/rayon and wool blends.

What is your life like outside of Etsy?
Computer graphics and design. We are winding down and getting ready for an early retirement around here.

What is your favorite feature on Etsy?
I love the treasuries that people come up with. They are so interesting. Their connection to each other, different colors and all the great products being sold.I have met so many great people from this venture as an Etsy seller.

What do you enjoy "window shopping" on Etsy on your free time?
Pottery, the little clay figures, of course the baby items, and eatables. Just looking at all the new shops and what they are offering.

Is there an online "tool" that you like to use?
I use the search engine Bing.com a lot, and Google maps. I also love Ravelry.com for patterns and have also met a lot of great people there. YouTube.com has many great tutorials for knitting and crochet techniques. I really like the one by Teresa showing her Tunisian crochet tutorials.

What other interests do you have?
Cooking with herbs, gardening, history and genealogy. Donating and giving back.

Where in Florida do you live?
The Everglades region. Hum, let's see what I love about the Florida? The weather and the Florida wildlife/nature that is truly it's own. You won't find the wetlands anywhere else but here.


Could you recommend a fun activity near your Fl home that other members might enjoy?
There is a Craft Fair coming up in April that the Garden Club in Miami Lakes is hosting that others may like. I think I'm going to check it out. It sounds like a lot of fun.And if anyone is going to Miami soon they should check out the Fairchild's Tropical Botanical Garden. It is such a relaxing, peaceful place to tour and visit.



What are some other sites to find out more about you and your art?
My Blog http://myohbabydotcomblog.blogspot.com/ I've added a "Featured Sellers" page to give a shout out to other Etsy shop owners. If anyone is interested please email me. Just keep in mind I don't have many followers yet.
My Twitter: http://twitter.com/ohbabydotcom Although I don't really know much about it, or what I'm really supposed to do with it. Any hints or ideas?
My Website: http://ohbabydotcom.weebly.com/
My Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohbabydotcom

What animal would you like to be for one day and why?
I think a Bengal Tiger would be nice. Just one day to be on the prowl, dream what cats dream, find out what humans are all about. Catch up on my sleep.

What “super” power would you like to have and why?
To heal others. What greater joy could there be than helping and healing people.

What was an embarrassing moment in your life?
Too many to list or account for!

Where would you go if you had a time machine and why?
Since I'm such a genealogy buff, I would say traveling back in time to meet my 3rd great grandparents. Their life style would be much different from ours today. It would be both interesting and fun to meet an ancestor that you never knew.

If you were a dessert what would it be?
A Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookie.

April Team FEST Challenge - Time to Vote for your Favorite!

Tweet Now that tax day has passed  - I can, with a big sigh of relief, do something fun:  post the entries for our April team challenge!  Here they are, in order of submission.  Look for the poll in the left column to place your vote.  Our themes this month are "Birthstone - Diamond" or "En Vogue (In Fashion)".

1.  Bunny Hat by Ohbabydotcom

2.  Swarovski Bead Bracelet by Innermusejewelry

3.  Rose Cut Quartz Pendant by jorgensenstudio

4.  Baubles-Bracelet by ManoCelebrates

5.  Crystal Butterfly Necklace by GreyFrogDesigns

6.  Black Magic Soap by AquarianBath

7.  Rocker Babe Magnet by QuirkyDolls

Wow!  This is a fine group of entries!  Have fun voting and be sure to check out each shop!

Interview with ManoCelebrates

Tweet Meet Mani of ManoCelebrates :

Who are you?
I never thought I would be an artist! Sounds familiar right! But that is the truth. I finished my college degree in business and started working with financial institution as a loan consultant I got sick and had to stay home for few months and that’s where I started socializing with my area artists. I started drawing and then painting, pottery, knitting, interior decoration, designing and jewelry making (my house is the guinea pig).

What do you create?
I create jewelry or I should say I design jewelry more than creating it. I love nature, and also vintage things. I try to combine a bit of new material and bit of vintage material together. Since I get bored by doing only one type or style of designing, I divide them into lockets, choker, lariat, bracelets, rings, and hair pins.

How did you come about your store name?
Mano is my nick name besides Mani so I added celebrates to make it more joyful and exciting.

What is the crafting utensil you cannot live without?
Jewelry light very important. I cannot open a jump ring sometimes without using jewelry light.

What is your favorite material to work with?
Oh my favorite material is actually paints to work with. That is my first love and I am still in love with it. I love to work with oil, acrylic, watercolor, and mixed media.

What is your life like outside of Etsy?
I love to read books, cook, bake, and meditate. I am married and when my husband comes home after 6 pm, I try to spend some time with him either going on a walk or going out to watch movie. I and my husband are very fond of going on trips and restaurants.

What is your favorite feature on Etsy?
I would say a few, and one of them is time machine. I love to see what is selling besides forums, blogs, and virtual labs.

What do you enjoy "window shopping" on Etsy on your free time?
I love to buy from Etsy. I am always looking for vintage pieces and material to integrate in my design. I also buy a lot of stuff for myself too.

Is there an online "tool" that you like to use?
I love Google analytics. This is a great tool to keep track of views from other people. You can also compare views from one month to another month. It also helps me to figure out what customers are looking for! And what country or U.S. state had more hits on my sites.

Where in Florida do you live?
I live near Disney world in a community housing called Eagles reserve. I have a Loop shopping mall within walking distant and sometimes in winter I and my husband walk to mall just to enjoy our walk and also do some shopping. I love to live here because from my house Disney world and sea world have almost the same distance. We go to Disney very often in winter. Since my husband works for Disney and our visits are free.

Could you recommend a fun activity near your Fl home that other members might enjoy?
Fun activity or activities!!! We have a great neighborhood mall for shopping; Gatorade is only a mile or two down to our house besides Disney world, their water parks, golf parks, Sea World, Discovery Sea World.

What are some other sites to find out more about you and your art? http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mahal/115149941854?ref=tshttp://twitter.com/mani1020

What animal would you like to be for one day and why?
I would want to be a bird because I find them free spirit they fly whatever direction they want to or owl bird who does not sleep nighttime just like me.

What was an embarrassing moment in your life?
Many! One of them is that I was in a different country on a street walking and heart a blast, I suddenly grab a man’s hand that was just walking by me!

Where would you go if you had a time machine and why?
I would go back to past and have my father young and healthy for the rest of my life.

What is the craziest thing you have ever done?
Many! One of them is that when I was teenager I told one of my male friends (Not boyfriend) that I can eat whole large pizza in one sitting and I did it!!! Silly isn’t it! Don’t ask me what happened that!!!

Choose a movie title to sum up your life’s story
One movie that comes to my mind is Matilda, not exactly but I was one of those kids who grew up physical and mentally faster than her older siblings. Somehow I always had the desire and motivations to do well in studies and knew what I wanted to do in my life. My father was not very supportive of me trying different things in life, but he was not discouraging to me either. I always ran into teachers who encouraged me and loved me more than my own family.

It's FEST BLOG GIVEAWAY Time for APRIL!

Tweet

April brings another great GIVEAWAY highlighting the talents of our Florida Etsy Team members. Our Giveaway was the Etsy FEST November Team Challenge winner and is offered by Cory of AquarianBath .

This luxurious, handmade pumpkin poppy seed soap is 100% veggie oil made with garden fresh Seminole pumpkin puree and a blend of essential oils including Ginger, sweet orange and patchouli. It whips up into a rich and creamy lather. Many of Cory's soaps are vegan friendly and this one has a rich and creamy lather. Hummm - lush and lovely!




HOW TO ENTER: Enter to win this fabulous soap by visiting Cory at her Etsy Shop AquarianBath or any of the FEST Team members listed to the left on this page. Find your favorite item, share it with us and tell us why you love it. Remember to provide your contact information so we can connect with you if you are the Winner! Winner will be picked on 04/30/10.

FEST March Blog Giveaway Winner!!

Tweet And the lucky March Blog Giveaway winner is -- Sarah! She will win a wonderful and gorgeous handmade pet collar from Sunde of PinkysPetGear and a lush and lovely terrarium from Amy of Greenbriar . Thank you both for partipating!

The April Handmade Challenge Is On!

Tweet Make a new item with one of two themes:

"Diamonds"

OR

"En Vogue"
and enter the April Handmade Team Challenge!
Remember to mention the challenge in your shop announcement, along with being a FEST team member. Do not list the entries here. Follow the link on the right side bar, to the April Challenge thread on etsy and list your items and links there.

GOOD LUCK
and all newbies.....jump in and share your handmade talents!

Interview with Jorgensen Studio

Tweet

Meet Joanna of Jorgensen Studio:

Who are you?
I never thought I would be an artist. I always thought I would be a collector and donate my collection to a museum upon my death, so somewhere there would be little brass plaques that said "From the collection of Joanna Jorgensen" Instead life took a different turn. I am a potter turned metal smith, a mother, a wife, and a lover of history, anthropology, art, and all things made by hand. I started pottery in high school but was never a stand out at it even though I adored playing with clay. When my third child was born I needed a night away from the house to have a grown up conversation so I started taking pottery classes. I met great people, had great fun and kept most of my sanity while my children were growing up. The progression went from clay to metal clay to metal and that is where I am now, a much better metal smith than I ever was a potter.

What do you create ?
I create jewelry from Sterling Silver, vintage bits of goodness, and gemstones. I try to look at the materials in a new way, combining bits a past a present to make something new and unique. The materials fuel my work and I am always on the lookout for something to use in my jewelry. Sometimes I buy supplies without knowing what they will be and sometimes I spend months trying to find the right vintage component for an idea.

How did you come about your store name?
It is my name so it was pretty simple. :)

What is the crafting utensil you cannot live without?
My torch and my flax shaft are the things that I use to make each and every piece in my shop. I am lucky to have two really fabulous Fretz hammers which are beautiful to look at a dream to work with. I never thought hammers would do it for me, but they are like works of art.

What is your favorite material to work with?
I really enjoy working with vintage pieces in my work. I love the history behind them and the uniqueness of how things were made before everything was mass produced.

What is your life like outside of Etsy?
Two of my children are grown and in college so things are a bit quieter for me & the Mr. We still have the activities to go to with our youngest and spend many days at the field in the park. While I am not much of a sportsman I have managed to raise 3 very sporty children. I help my husband with his business. I have also begun to vend at craft shows in my area this past year. I have slowly gotten a booth, tables and displays together. It took me a while to get over my terrible fear of public speaking while doing craft shows, but now I am much better at it although only while in my 10 by 10 tent. lol.

What is your favorite feature on Etsy?
My favorite feature on Etsy is the forums. There is so much incredible information about Etsy, business, crafting techniques. If you need the answer to an Etsy question it is probably there. It is also great fun to chat with other Etsians when I have the time.

What do you enjoy "window shopping" on Etsy on your free time?
I love shopping on Etsy, and I try my best to look there first if I need to buy something. I feel really strongly about supporting other handmade artists. For the past three years most of my Holiday shopping was done through Etsy. I wish I could buy more of my clothes there.

Is there an online "tool" that you like to use?
Two of the most useful tools I use are both free from google. (I love the google)The first one is Picasa. If you are not using some sort of photo fixer for your online pictures you must start. Photoshop was too expensive for me to purchase so I found Picasa. It helps balance the contrast, whiteness, and crop your pictures. I cannot say enough about how this helped my business. The second free google tool is analytics. You can sign up to track incoming clicks to your Esty site and see where your advertising dollars are working and where they are not. It also helps to see what people are searching for to find you, so important for titles and tags.

Where in Florida do you live?
I live in the western communities of Palm Beach County. In a community called the acreage. It is beautiful, small, and friendly. We will be moving soon because as you may have seen on the news it just has been declared a cancer cluster for pediatric brain tumours. It makes me sad to leave this wonderful neighborhood but I just can't take the chance with my child's health. Many tears have been shed but it is the right decision for our family.

Could you recommend a fun activity near your Fl home that other members might enjoy?
We live right near Lion Country Safari. It is a fabulous place where the animals roam free and you are the one behind glass. They also have cool rides and a water park.

What are some other sites to find out more about you and your art?
I have a blog http://jorgensenstudio.blogspot.com/ which is sorely neglected most of the time, but you can see my chickens there. I have a Facebook fan page as well http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jorgensen-Studio/95379219753but it is nearly as neglected as my blog. Not enough hours in my day to keep up.

What “super” power would you like to have and why?
If I could have a super power I would want it to be time travel. I would love to see the Egyptians building the pyramids, the Native Americans on the prairie, the amazing makers of things we see in museums. I would love to be able to peer over their shoulder and see how it was done.