Friday Featured Seller - Erin Bowe

Erin Bowe is this week's Featured Seller! Yay! Happy Friday!

Erin specializes in making jewelry with metals and stones. She offers an assortment of designs, mostly nature themed with some featuring vibrant colors. Her shop is based out of Madison, WI (where I was not too long ago).

Let's see what I picked:

Pool Ring

Pensive Penguin Pendant

White Oak Earrings

Pretty cool huh? There's more where that came from. Hop on over to Erin's shop, check out all her goods and tell me which one you liked best. If you're the lucky one, you'll be featured here next week!

Pink Parakeet

Pink Parakeet is a shop based out of Leeds, England, run by Caroline, a professor of printmaking at the Leeds College of Art. I liked printmaking when I took it in school, so I appreciate the graphic quality and bright colors of these prints. She uses linocut techniques (something I never did) and I really like the result.

We Met On A Cold Day

Two Little Birds

Cupcake Card

What's your favorite? Tell me in the comments section.

Advertising Opportunities

One of the great things about running the blog the way I do is that I am constantly coming across advertising opportunities, giveaways and new and undiscovered shops. Well, I wanted to share two avenues that might help people get their name out.

One is Blockhead Radio. Right now they are featuring a giveaway for a 30 second advertisement on air for your shop. If you click on the link, you'll be able to read all about how you can make this happen, but you have to act fast as the contest ends at the end of the week.

Another advertising avenue I discovered was the I Made That! blog. There they feature sellers (like my blog) but go a little more in depth, asking deep questions. :) You can learn a lot, actually.

So there you have it. Good luck and happy reading!

BlueBirdieSinger

Look at the artwork of BlueBirdieSinger, or Christina Siravo as she's known in real life, and get ready to be transported into another world. Christina got her BFA in Illustration a couple years ago and the technique really shows! I first came across her site when I saw the bird painting (below) and was really taken in with everything. Have a look! You can also visit her website in the meantime or her deviant art page for more.

Painted Painter Bunting

Princess Torte Birthday Postcards

Alice in Wonderland Postcards

What's your favorite? Post it in the comments below.

Jeff Guerrero Ceramics

We haven't seen a ceramic post in awhile, so boy are you all in luck today! Today's ceramic offerings come from Jeff Guerrero, a youth arts educator living in Pennsylvania. Jeff's shop features mugs, jars and other useful ceramic items in colorful glazes. Let's see what I picked:

Red Stoneware Mug

Blue Stoneware Mug

Koi Porcelain Cup

What's your favorite? Leave some love for Jeff in the comments section.

Fonth

Fonth kicks off another week here in Handmade by Angie blog-land. Based out of Bangkok, Thailand, Fonth features necklaces, earrings, rings, charm bracelets, brooches and hair clips all made with colorful beads including semi-precious stones, turquoise, coral, jade, agate, carnelian, freshwater pearls, natural stone and crystal. With over 200 items in the shop, my sampling here represents like .00001% of the total selection, so you'll definitely need to check out the shop to experience all of the listings.

Purple Pearls Earrings

Turquoise Necklace

Coral and Smoky Quartz Bracelet

So, what's your favorite? Tell me what your pick is in the comments.

SALE TODAY!

My Etsy Team, the Artsy Danger Ladies, is having a 20% off on the 20th sale today. It's a one day only event and the range of shops is diverse, between photography, children's items, calligraphy and more! I'm still offering my slightly different sale, 50% off on all scarves and scarflettes through the end of the month (prices are marked down already) but check the shops out! Just type in "teamadl" in the Tags search engine on Etsy to bring up all the participating shops.

Happy Friday! :)

Friday Featured Seller - MyMiniMocs

MyMiniMocs lives up to its name, creating baby sized moccasins and other accessories for today's babies. I've actually never seen anyone else selling baby moccasins on Etsy (yet) and these are cute and well-made. I've often found that sellers say it best when describing their product, and this is no exception. According to the sellers, Annie and Theresa, MiniMocs are:

MINI-MOCS ARE:
♥ Soft Soled Baby Shoes
♥ Pediatrician Recommended
♥ Genuine Premium Leather
♥ Machine Washable
♥ Easy Stretch Elastic Ankle For a Stay On Fit
♥ Able to Be Worn Indoors Or Out

So there you have it. Go check out their shop for more mocs and accessories!

Sugar and Spice

Circular Motion Blanket

Choo-Choo Blue Too

Which pair do you think are the cutest? (Hard, I know!) Post your picks in the comments.

Tinctory

I have never seen necklaces, beads or earrings like Tinctory's before. According to Eva, the mind behind the design, "the smocked necklaces are inspired by the intricate needlework seen on historic textiles. They are made entirely by hand using old elaborate techniques." The designs remind me of those Elizabethan collars worn by Elizabeth and other royalty back in old England.

Pearl Earrings

Hawthorn Pendant

Dragon Heart Fabric Bead

What do you like best? Share your favorites in the comments section.

eRosasJewelry

Some of you loyal, faithful readers of my blog might recognize eRosasJewelry from this earlier post two Fridays ago when I featured a ring of hers that I love. Well, she gets a fuller write-up today, yay! Elizabeth Rosas studied metal smithing all over the place and the results show in her down to earth organic work. Twigs, flowers and other earthy elements figure prominently in her work and the results are fabulous. Check these out:

Forget-me-not Earrings

French Lily Pendant

Twig Pendant

Nice, right? There's more where that came from. Check out her shop and tell me which is your favorite in the comments.

Feltmates

The attack of the adorable form + function shops continues this week with Feltmates. I saw one of the felted pincushions (below) on the front page and immediately thought aaaaaaaaaaawwwww! I've seen pincushions sold on Etsy before and I normally am not moved by them as I just rely on the good ol' tomato pincushion of yore, but this was ridiculously cute. And bright. And colorful, and just ... cute. The fact it comes in a modern white dish sealed the deal for me.

But wait, there's more! Feltmates also has women's bags and little felted animals knitting scarves. Aaaaaaaaaagh I can't stand it. So here we go:

Felted Pincushion

Knitting Sheep

Bunny Bag

What Feltmate would you bring home with you? Tell me about it in the comments below.

Become my fan!

I've set up a page on Facebook where you can become my fan. There are links to my site, my blog, and even some pictures of what's on your shop.

Have any of you set up pages on Facebook? Let me know and I'll become a fan of yours too!

Beehive Kitchenware

I've been excited to write up the post for Beehive Kitchenware since I found the bird hooks and measuring spoons (below) when I was on a hunt to find little bird figurine vases for wedding decorations. I didn't find the bird figurines but I fell in love with these instead. (I'm not planning on using them for wedding decoration, just for my own personal use). Anyway, there a few delightful pewter cast spoons and other home accessories in shop, so go take a look.

Bird Measuring Spoons

Bird Condiment Spoons

Bird Hooks

Aren't they adorable? I love how the birds in the measuring spoon set look like they are talking to each other. Awwww.

*Ahem*

Now that I've pulled myself together, why don't you go check out the shop and tell me which is your favorite. Gushing optional.

Tag, I'm It.

I have been tagged by Busy Bead Lady.

Rules of tagging:
1. Link to the person who tagged you - check
2. Post these Rules in your Blog - did that
3. Write 5 Random things about yourself - hmmmm
4. Tag random people at the end of your post and link to them - working on it
5. Let each Person know they've been tagged - sure

1) I was in my first ever car accident last night. Some stupid kid in a hurry behind me bonked my car while I was waiting to turn left...maybe he thought I needed a hint? Anyway, stupid me thinking everyone acts like in an Allstate commercial and pulls off to the side to exchange insurance information did not realize this kid would not return the courtesy. Probably just as well if he knew what he had coming.

2) I spell commercial wrong every time. I spell it commerical and the spell check reminds me I did it wrong. I have no idea why I do this.

3) I really, really, really cannot wait to have a gym membership again.

4) If I had the money right now, I would either drop everything and go visit Siesta Key beach for a long weekend or take a road trip out east or west.

5) I am not a morning person.

I am tagging (at random): SmileMonsters, Caffeinated Frenzy, Honey Bear Beads, Glass Identities and Tinker Ware.

Friday Featured Sellers - Pretty Pixels & Sand and Sea Designs

As promised, this week is going to be a huge mega Friday Featured Seller post to make up for the fact I was gone last week. So that's right, TWO featured sellers today. Yay!

First up is Pretty Pixels, a shop specializing in pixelated designs on postcards, pins, cards, you name it. Graphic, bright and fun, these items are perfect for all ages. As the shop's creator, Teresa, puts it: her mission is to spread cuteness all over the world. I think she's got a pretty good handle on it with her Etsy shop, as I found myself going "awww!" once or twice. :)

Love Is In The Air Flat Cards

Digital Love Notepad

Cute Owls Flat Card


Next up is Sand and Sea Designs, a shop run by Wendy who creates beautiful lampwork and gemstone jewelry. I love the bright vibrant colors, they're very tropical and remind me of some warmth that is surely lacking in the weather around here! Special bonus: she is running a Valentine's Day sale so check it out. There are some lovely pieces beyond the ones I picked to feature here.

Marina Earrings

Lahaina Bracelet

Waikiki Beach Bracelet

So check these fine shops out, come back and let me know what favorites you found this week. Any comments today gets you entered to possibly win a spot up here next week!

50% Sale

Just a quick note to say that I am having a 50% off sale on all scarves and scarflettes in my shop. You know the scarf you have been eyeing all winter? 50% off. That's right. But it only lasts til the end of the month (2/28) so don't delay. Go check it out now!

Sweet Thoughts

Ok, so we all know Saturday is Valentine's Day. Well, you have just enough time to check out Sweet Thoughts and pick up something cute and well, sweet for your sweetie. :) The shop features origami boxes made out of graphic printed paper and cards perfect for wedding favors or any other small treats you want to give someone year round. Check these out:


Brown and Blue Floral Origami Box


Hearts and Flowers Valentine's Cards


Retro Circles Set of Cards

Too cute right? If you're like me and thinking, "oh that's cool", go visit her shop (buy that Valentine!) and come back and tell me what you like best.

Jen Skelley Illustration

Jen Skelley has the most colorful fun and bright illustrations to cheer up any rainy morning such as today. I first came across her shop when she participated in a blog thread I was running in the forums, and then I saw her work on the front page. There is just so much to choose from! If you want to knock yourself out after visiting her shop and check out even more items, you can visit her website or visit her blog, which is located on the sidebar to the right.

On to the fun stuff!


2009 Calendar


Flowers Tote Bag


Exotic Orange Bird Print

So check out her shop, blog or website and tell me what you like best. :)

With An Indian Touch

With An Indian Touch was a lifesaver this holiday season when I was on the hunt for a last minute gift (or two) for a friend. Radhika, a textile designer from India who is now based out of Toronto creates the prettiest vibrant, bright and intricately designed cards, calendars and other items that will add color to your home. My friend loved her gifts, by the way. :)

Peacock Card

Warli Greeting Card

Pink Silk Brocade Pouch

There were so many items in her shop, it was very hard just to pick 3! So make sure you visit and see for yourself and tell me what your favorite is in the comments section.

Valentine's Day Giveaway

I had so much fun with my last blog giveaway (which was a great success) that I decided to have another one for Valentine's Day. Now maybe you're not the cards and chocolate type, and the one you love wants something practical but still cute? Well, get the best of both worlds with this:



You could be the lucky winner of this pink and white cotton dishcloth (measuring about 10 inches square) and a heart shaped olive oil soap. The soap is all natural, made by my fiance and I, and the only ingredients are olive oil, lye and water. That's it! Unscented but oh so practical, we've used it for handwashing, dishwashing, you name it.

Down to the important part, the rules!
- Entering is so easy! Just leave a comment here telling me what your favorite item is in my shop and what you plan to do for Valentine's Day.

- The winner will be drawn and posted by midnight tonight Central Standard Time. All other entries past that point will not be considered. The result will be calculated by my handy-dandy random number selector website I have bookmarked.

- Please be sure to have some sort of way I can contact you - email, Etsy shop address. Anonymous posts will not be considered, sorry.

- Have fun! If you have an Etsy shop and you want to have a chance at being considered for this week's Friday Featured Seller (details of which are on the sidebar to the right), go click around my blog and leave some other comments for the Etsy sellers I have featured in the past few days. Support your Etsy community!

- Good luck! :)

Keeta Collection

As some of you know, I have a thread going on Etsy inviting people to share their blogs and shops so I can check them out. I've found a lot of great shops that way, and one of them I can't pass up to feature on this blog is Keeta Collection. This is a shop based out of Florida that features funky and bright colored belts, bags, kitchen towels and other things for the home. I tried to pick a selection of items that best represented the diversity of her shop. Check these out and tell me what you think in the comments section.


Amy Butler Print Belt


Spunky Hobo Handbag


In The Kitchen Towel set

Friday Featured ... Favorites?

Hi all,

I'm out of town this weekend and without enough internet access to pull off a Friday Featured Seller, so I decided to change things up a bit. We all have a Favorites section on Etsy, it's made up of sellers we hearted either the whole shop (which this blog is based on) and the individual pieces in sellers' shops that we like. Well, I have a few pages of those individual favorites as well and I figured today was a nice time to highlight some of them. To make things a little less chaotic I went with a theme and today's theme is jewelry.

Best part? Next week there will be two, count'em, TWO Friday Featured Sellers picked from today's comments as well as next week. So don't be shy, make your voice heard and you may be featured here free! And who doesn't love free publicity?

On to the jewelry:

Skye Jewelry - Mermaids Are Real

Vixen Ware - Imperial Garnet Antique Pearl Necklace

Nervous System - Radiolaria Necklace

Stratus Silver - Wildflower Wrap Bracelet

eRosasjewelry - Sterling Twig and 14K Gold Nugget OOAK Ring

What do you think? Let me know in the comments. Remember to comment if you want a chance to be a featured seller next week!