May I Have The Envelope Puhleez...

Tweet ...and the winner is...Mandy of TwinkleJewels85!!! Her March Challenge entry was the Peridot Wire Wrap Earrings and Bracelet.

Peridot Wire Wrap Earrings and Bracelet by TwinkleJewels85

Let's all congratulate Mandy on her amazing wire weaving skills! Mandy has the option of having her Etsy mini or an in-depth interview displayed on our blog. As promised, she will also be featured on my Inner Muse Jewelry blog :D Also, a big round of applause to all our March Entrants. There were more entries this time than ever before and they were wonderful representations of our group's diverse talents.

Our June Challenge Winner!!!!

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Wow!

19 votes makes honeybelles our winner this month, with her lovely

Pearl Oyster on Linen Wall Hanging.

Honeybelles' motto is

"Sweet little things for everyday"

and this is certainly one of them!

Congratulations, honeybelles!

And the Winner Is..........

Tweet ManoCelebrates won our March Challenge!

With her adorable "Hang On" pendant................SO CUTE!

Look for her mini OR her interview here on the blog. She gets to pick which prize she wants!

Next Up.... the April challenge to begin tomorrow!

AND the WINNER IS.....

Tweet Drew, of GlimpsesandRemains
WON the February challenge with her
SWEET candy apple "Sweetie" greeting card!
Her prize?
Her etsy mini on the blog for the month of March!!!
Lucky Lady FESTETTE!

So the MARCH Challenge has begun
Themes :

Aquamarine
or
"I love Critters"
Take your pick
or submit an aquamarine critter that you love!

Handmade Challenge News!

Tweet The January Challenge was won by Julzbooks with 60 votes! I loved her silver origami ball,
AND I see she makes them in various colors too!
Her prize .............................Her Etsy Mini on the blog for a month!!!

How COOL is that?...................VERY COOL !!!



The February Challenge has begun. See link to the right------------->
Theme........SWEETS!
Entries accepted until February 15th.

FEST admin. Team reminds you that:
You must mention in your shop announcement that your item is in the FEST month's challenge
and the item must have a "team fest"" tag.

Our Administration Team has imposed a new requirement to compete in a challenge.
Members may enter a challenge every month. Once a member wins a challenge, their entries the next two months, will be listed in the post, but excluded from the voting poll.
In other words, join in every month to share your art, but you may only win once every 3 months. This new rule simply allows more shops to win and enjoy the prizes!


Good Luck to everyone and lets see your SWEETS!

Interview with our December Challenge Winner

Tweet Meet Audrey of AudreyGardenLady:

Who are you?
I am Audrey, a Wife, a Mom, a "professional" Volunteer, an Artist, a Jewelry designer, a Genealogist, a Gardener, a crafter, an avid reader, chief cook and bottle washer, a bookkeeper, a Scout supporter, a former Banker. Loving every minute of being a stay at home Mom ----who is hardly ever home.

What do you create?

I create Paper Sculpture, Jewelry, cards and figurines. I also do some sewing and other needle work. Nature, gardening and History inspire me greatly and I like to reflect these inspirations in my designs.

How did you come about your store name?
For the last three plus years, I ran an organic vegetable gardening program at my son's elementary school as a volunteer. Each school year, I had about 200 children from Kindergarten through Fifth grade in my program. Sometimes the smaller children had trouble pronouncing my last name so they started calling me Garden Lady. I like that title. Even now, I run into some of them in the grocery store and they still call me Garden Lady. My son moved up to middle school this year, so I consult on the program at elementary school but don't run it everyday anymore. I really enjoyed teaching children how to grow fresh food organically and am thrilled at having taught many of them to try new veggies. I also published a monthly Victory Garden newsletter for them. Each class would have a couple of Garden reporters who would write about their experiences in the garden. I published their articles and pictures and gave each reporter a garden spade of their own to keep. Many encouraged their parents to help them start their own gardens at home. The program was a real blessing for me.

What is the crafting utensil you cannot live without?
My CutterBee non-stick scissors

What is your favorite material to work with?
Natural papers, fibers, gemstones and clay

What is your life like outside of Etsy?
Oh my goodness! Where do I start? Besides being married to my best friend almost 15 years now, I have a very active wonderful son. My husband is an architect. We are very involved in our church and Boy Scouts. I volunteer at my son's school, in Scouts and at church. I have been working on genealogy for 11 years now....my own and others. I love to craft, design, read, explore, garden, cook....not enough hours in the day!

What is your favorite feature on Etsy?
I really like the Teams. It's fun to get to know people with common interests and to promote and support each other.

What do you enjoy "window shopping" on Etsy on your free time?
Free Time? When there is any of that available, I like to explore Southwestern art. I love Native American art, folklore and culture.

Is there an online "tool" that you like to use? (a website, whether it be Etsy or not, or something that you consider useful in your selling and communicating or advertising and research)
Etsy, of course, but I also use Facebook and Twitter.
You can fan me at http://tinyurl.com/yfoyl8x
and follow me atwww.twitter.com/AudreyGarden

What other interests do you have?
History. I frequently volunteer to transcribe old deeds, wills and records for a genealogy society I belong too.

Where in Florida do you live?
We have lived in Orlando almost 14 years now. We lived in Tampa prior to moving here. We love how vibrant, active and growing Orlando is. Lots of families. Lots to do here.

Could you recommend a fun activity near your Fl home that other members might enjoy?
All of the major theme parks are here, but we don't go much. We like to explore the natural parks here and around the state and country. We love to do the "Florida on a tankful" kinds of trips. East coast and west coast Florida beaches are an easy drive from here. Not long ago, we went to Cedar Key. What a fabulous place!!

What are some other sites to find out more about you and your art?
Facebook and Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/44095967@N03/

Where would you go if you had a time machine and why?
I would go back to 1766 in South Carolina so I could meet two of my ancestors and solve a genealogy mystery that has had me at a brick wall for years. Actually there are a few of these kinds of places I go to, if I could!

Creative Art Center

Tweet Boo! Are you still in the Halloween spirit? NO?! Okay so Christmas is exactly 2 weeks away and we're just now celebrating our October Team Challenge winner, Creative Art Center... I'm not afraid to admit I'm totally overwhelmed during this time of year!

The Creative Art Center won the challenge with a super spooooky Halloween hat sculpted from clay. During this holiday season, the Creative Art Center has adorable Christmas decorations and jewelry that would be the perfect gift for the women on your list! Sarah, the talent behind this FEST shop, is experienced in working with lots of different mediums, but is focusing on polymer clay for her current collection.



Congratulations Sarah on a well deserved win!

Sept Team Challenge Winner!

Tweet Congratulations Zizzybob on winning the Birthday themed Sept. team challenge! My Birthday just happens to be in Sept and I would have been beyond happy to receive a Zizzybob Bday postcards in the mail!

These mini quilted works of art make just saying “Hello” or “Thank You” a special treat! Stop by the Zizzybob store and pick out postcards to keep on hand for every occasion. You can get these unique cards for about the same price as a fancy (but not nearly as cute or handmade!) card from the store.

Postcards aren’t the only things you’ll find at Zizzybob. Check out this adorable little gobbler! Tom the Turkey is dying to be a part of your Thanksgiving dinner (pun intended ;))! And for only $17, you couldn’t find a more perfect or less expensive center piece for your Thanksgiving table.

Barbara, the talent behind Zizzybob, also hand crafts coiled fabric bowls. This traditional craft is finding a new place in modern décor and she has lots of styles and designs to choose from.


Find more Zizzybob handiwork on her blog: www.justalittlezizzy.blogspot.com

SPARKLY Winner QuirkyDolls!!

Tweet And the winner of the SPARKLE challenge is… brrdrdrdrr (that’s a drum roll of course!)… a FEST blogger extraordinaire, Terry of Quirky Dolls!

Terry’s creativity is evident not only in the design of her quirky dolls, but also in her item descriptions. The stories in each of her listings make me want to meet these little characters for myself. Allow me introduce you to the sparkly beauty who won this challenge, Julia:

Julia loves her hip hop classes and recitals. I think it's ALL about the costumes! She lives, eats and sleeps in costume decora! This harajuku fashion and makeup is her absolute FAVORITE...Ask her anything about Japanese fads and trends... she knows it all!
Julia is a 12 inch soft body doll wearing a satin lavender "Hello Kitty" and dragonfly trimmed dress. She is adorned with an eclectic mix of cute charms, ribbons, flowers and beads.
Her gorgeous face is painted with glitter, gems and petite geisha lips. Add a fuzzy blooming cushion and she's "over the top" with Japans favorite fashion!
Not safe for children under 6.

Terry is keeping it quirky with her latest addition, domino pendants. Check out this super cute elephant design. Click on over to her shop to see some really great Halloween themed pendants as well (I hope we’ll get to see one of those with this month’s SPOOKY challenge!).


Terry’s attention to detail, beautiful handiwork, and imaginative combination of materials is sure to make the Quirky Dolls shop one of your favorites!

See more Quirky Doll goodness on the blog, twitter!

We Have A Winner!

Tweet Our September Challenge winner is the
" Fabric Happy Birthday Postcard" by zizzybob! She just joined our team in August! Well deserved and thanks to all who entered.
Our FESTies are some very talented people! We look forward to reading the feature article all about zizzybob, here in November :)

Take some time to visit our member's shops by following the links on the left sidebar. Recently all updated with many new active busy members and
WOW !!!we have a FANTASTIC variety of artisans here in the SUNSHINE STATE of Florida!

The October Challenge is currently underway, accepting entries through October 15th, in the etsy forum . Follow the link on the left sidebar.
The theme is "Spooky",Whaaaaaaa Haaaaa!

Winner of June Team Challenge

Tweet The June Team Challenge theme, in honor of the start of the season, was "Hurricane". Try making some hurricane inspired craft or art... not an easy task! Christina of Purplesmurple was up for it! Check out this amazing piece, The Trees Fell Down After the Storm, that won the challenge for her:

The hurricane had passed, but the storm left many memories of that fateful day. Trees had fallen, power lines were down, people were lost. Yet, beauty could still be seen in the most unusual places.

Original acrylic paintings like this aren't the only type of work you'll find in the Purplesmurple shop. Christina says she loves to paint ANYTHING! I particularly like this set of toasting glasses. They would make any occasion extra special!

But I've saved the best for last... Christina has an amazing talent for custom portraits! This has to be one of the most wonderful ways to capture a moment in time.

Christina enjoys custom work, not only through beautiful portraits like this, but also children's name art, family trees, personalized holiday ornaments and murals. See more of Purplesmurple talents on flickr, twitter, and her blog.

May Team Challenge Winner - Full Blown Glass

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Yea, one of my favorite FEST jobs... announcing the winner of the team challenge! Allow me to introduce you to Full Blown Glass!

Brent Earnest, the glass artist behind Full Blown Glass, is a self-taught Lampwork & Blown Glass artist who began working with glass in Asheville, NC in 2002, after being introduced to the medium by a friend. During this time he was working full-time as a chef (Brent is an alumni of Johnson & Walles University with 15 years of experience in the culinary arts). Initially his focus was on jewelry and during this time, he was successful in selling his unique creations to family, friends, and via consignment. In 2005, he moved to St. Petersburg, FL, met fiance Heather Fulp, who has a retail background with a focus on buying and design, and the two started FULL BLOWN GLASS.

I asked Brent to tell us what Full Blown Glass is all about - At Full Blown Glass we create colorful, affordable lampwork and blown glass home goods and wearable art. Each piece is handmade by glass artist Brent Earnest and jewelry designer/apprentice lampwork artist Heather Fulp.We love using glass as a medium!All of our items are made from borosilicate glass (aka...Pyrex) and we use Northstar® Borocolour® in 95% of our assortment. Also all items are kiln annealed up to 1,000 degrees to ensure strength and durability.

FBG continues to produce the quality handmade jewelry that sparked this interest, yet creatively they needed a challenge, so they have now expanded their assortment to include home goods and artwork. Due to Brent and Heather's eclectic nature, they have a plentiful collection of items to offer.

So what else does this dinamic duo keep busy with? When not in the FBG Studio, Brent works full-time as a chef. In their free time Team FBG are usually completing home renovations, camping, or relaxing at Ft. De Soto dog park with their 2 Weimaraners Colby & Jack.

Happy Shopping!

April Team Challenge Winner GladRaggz

Tweet The theme for the team challenge for the month of April was FUZZY. All the members of FEST are given the opportunity to vote for their favorite submission and it's my fun job to announce the winner! And the winner is, drum roll please..... are you doing it??.... GladRaggz with this work or art, her one of a kind designer inspired crochet handbag:

Listen to the detail that went into this bag - This is a one-of-a-kind work and extremely fun piece of crochet artwork done in a variety of yarns in shades of red with jeweltone highlighs. Embellishments include a gold tone filigree and rhinestone brooch as well as a single row of red fabric that I've sewn into ribbon to get the perfect color match. Lightweight gold toned chains make this a shoulder bag. The interior is lined with sapphire toned satin, and the small interior pocket is edged with machine embroidered silver holographic thread.

As I was looking through GladRaggz' shop I kept thinking her bags and jewelry look like wearable pieces of art. Case and point, this amazing necklace

This large Swarovski AB Crystal Pendant is just gorgeous! It hangs from ropes of ivory cord, gold fabric tape, and teal colored "Italian Mesh", which is a finely braided wire mesh that can be fluffed and shaped any way the wearer wishes. The Italian Mesh is strung with 4 AB Swarovski crystals.

I also really love how descriptive and captivating her listings read, like this one for these clear glass earings.

These desinger inspired earrings remind me of several things - seashells, flowers, and feminine curves with their swirls and faint AB, (Aurora Borealis) coating. Both the swirled beads and the round Czech glass spheres reflect a delicate rainbow when they catch the light at just the right angle. There is also a faint swirl of white glass on the edges of the clear bead. These earrings would be especially nice for bridal wear, but they can also be dressed up for evening, or down for a "casual chic" look. Either way, they are extremely feminine and sexy, and can't be missed!

Stop by this talented FEST members shop and add a little art to your wardrobe!

March Team Challenge Winner BDoodles!

Tweet The FEST Team Challenge for March was to create a green item… could be the color green, could be eco friendly, it was up for interpretation. There were a ton of entries; it even came down to a 4 way tie breaker. I’m happy to congratulate the mother daughter team – B DOODLES! Their lovely reversible apron won it for them:


I’m not surprised their apron took the cake. All B Doodles aprons have a unique retro styling and are constructed of great fabrics that they pre-wash and line dry (Oh how I wish I had time to line dry my laundry… nothing beats that hung-in-the-sun smell!). Not only does B Doodles make fresh wearable “wows” to liven up the kitchen, they also have a great selection of bags and totes to choose from.

Stop by the B Doodles shop for one of their practical and stylish aprons or totes. If you don’t see exactly what you’re looking for, just let them know, they enjoy custom orders too!