Giveaways!

Good evening cuties! As promised, here I am again for another edition of "Promotions and Giveaways".

Has anyone won one of the giveaways that were featured on my blog? Just curious...I found out yesterday that I won the giveaway that Sister Batik hosted that offered the Hot Pink Boho Makeup Bag as the prize. I was super excited!



So never think that you can't or won't win the awesome prizes that are offered in these giveaways. Everyone loves free stuff, right? And even if you don't win, chances are you'll find a really cool and interesting blog that you would've never known about unless you entered their giveaway. So let me know if you've won and what you won. Later cuties :)


MODCLOTH $50 GIFT VOUCHER - MY MODERN VINTAGE

http://www.mymodernvintage.com/2012/04/modcloth-gift-voucher-giveaway.html?showComment=1335489525974#c3303122549287632770 - This a picture from the blog hosting the giveaway to give you an idea as to the type of clothes Modcloth offers. This giveaway was super easy to enter. Ends on May 7

YOUR CHOICE OF NECKLACE - REMAKE VINTAGE

http://remakingmemories.com/blog/announcing-mondays-with-mom-and-a-mothers-day-giveaway#comment-2902 - The winner gets to choose which pendant they want and also if they want it on the ribbon of ball chain. This giveaway is also super easy to enter. Ends May 8 @ 5:00 Eastern time

Adventures with Polymer Clay - Part 2

Hello cuties! I've missed y'all so much (my Southern is coming out!). Sorry I've been M.I.A. lately. In case you were wondering if everything is ok, everything is fine. I've just been preoccupied with my new found love. Last week, I posted about how I've always wanted to work with polymer clay and finally had the opportunity to. Well, since then I've been creating like a mad scientist making teapots, cupcakes, onigiri, and anything else that I can think of. I'm starting to post some of the items on Etsy, so I'll be busy with that today as well. I'm curious to see how well of a reception they will receive in my shop. As an Etsy seller, I've had to learn that just because I think what I made is cute and adorable doesn't mean that everyone else thinks the same thing. I'll let you guys know how it goes. Below are pictures of some of the items I made with polymer clay. I'll post more if you guys want to see all of my creations. I'll post later today for the Promotions and Giveaways feature. Till then, later cuties ;)

This teapot is inspired from Alice in Wonderland. I thought the colors matched her dress perfectly.

YUMMY! Milk chocolate bar earrings with adorable purple bows on them.

Doughnuts with icing and sprinkles. These were fun to make. I'll probably sell these as a set since they're so small.

I love this necklace! I wanted to make a butterfly, but ended up making a dragonfly instead. Either way, I still think it came out pretty :)

This little dude was a BLAST to make! I had a moment of inspiration to make a mouse pendant with Swiss cheese earrings. This is probably my favorite jewelry set right now.

MOCHIS!!! These were so easy and fun to make. Like the doughnuts, I'll probably sell these as a set as well due to the size.

AND THE WINNER IS...

AND THE WINNER IS...

#100

...RAINBOW CASTLE!

Out of 337 entries, random.org picked #100 as our winner! Ms. Rainbow Castle, you will receive all the prizes that were offered in the giveaway! I will get in touch with you soon to get all the details of where to ship your lovely gifts to. CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Thanks to everyone who entered and to all the sponsors who hosted this giveaway! Look forward to more giveaways in the future...Later cuties :)

Adventures with Polymer Clay!

***DON'T FORGET - THE GIVEAWAY ENDS TOMORROW***

Good evening cuties! Hope your day ended on a happy note. Today I was able to create with a art medium I've been wanting to get my hands on for years - polymer clay!

An Etsy seller I follow mentioned on Facebook that Michael's has their polymer clay on sale for .99! That's a steal since the kind I got usually sales for almost $3.00. I picked up 11 colors, clay tools, and glaze for under $20. I couldn't wait to get home to "play". Here are some pictures of what I made tonight. For a first-timer, I must say that the clay was pretty easy to work with. I did have to bake it a little longer than recommended, but all in all it worked out great.

If you're interested in working with polymer clay as well, YouTube is your best friend. There are tons of videos that teach you the basics to making wonderful things. Also, make sure to swing by Michael's for your clay while it's only .99! Have fun creating! Later cuties :)

This is a marble pendant that I made using brown and pink polymer clay. I call this piece "Chocolate and Strawberries"

My husband said this looked like a sunflower, so I painted a happy face on it to make it a happy sunflower. 

I love these beads! They were so much fun to make.  I call these "Watermelon Swirl" beads.

5 Great Etsy Gifts for Owl Lovers!

Hello cuties! Welcom to another Tuesday edition of "5 Great Etsy Gifts for..."!
I was going through my favorites list on Etsy trying to figure out what "lover" to feature this week. Then I saw it! The cutest little owl cookies I've ever set my eyes on! Who can resist a cookie that looks like an adorable little owl? I can't and that's why I decided to dedicate this feature to owl lovers. From jewelry to cookies, you'll find a huge assortment of owl-themed gifts on Etsy. Just type owl in the search bar and you'll get over 250 pages worth of results. It was hard to narrow them all down to 5, but I think you'll get a nice selection of what's in store over at Etsy. As always, show the sellers some love by visiting and favoriting their shop or an item. Happy shopping cuties :)

5 Great Etsy Gifts for Owl Lovers!

Colorful Owl Cookies- 2 Dozen - $25.95

http://www.etsy.com/listing/92216717/colorful-owl-cookies-2-dozen

Bronze Owl Locket Charm Bracelet - $22.00

http://www.etsy.com/listing/97723527/bronze-owl-locket-charm-bracelet

Scrabble Tile Pendant Owl Necklace With Silver Ball Chain - $6.00

http://www.etsy.com/listing/87165366/scrabble-tile-pendant-owl-pendant-owl

Whimsical Owl Toy Plush Rattle - $15.00

http://www.etsy.com/listing/92472875/whimsical-owl-soft-stuffed-animal-toy

Night Owls Club Singing Make Up Bag - $5.00

http://www.etsy.com/listing/95388253/night-owls-club-singing-make-up-bag

Goodwill Mud Run 2012

Hello cuties! Yesterday I witnessed something completely amazing! My husband and 3 of his friends competed in the Goodwill Mud Run that was held in Greenville, SC. For those who don't know what it is, like I didn't, it is a 35 obstacle course that is based on military drills. They had to crawl under barbed wire, climb walls, run for miles, trek through a creek that was waist-deep and other tough obstacles. There was even a smaller one for the kids to run through. My husband and his team finished in 48 minutes. I was so very proud of them!

The guys before the Mud Run. My hubby is the cute blonde in the back with the shades on  :)

What really impressed me though was the turn out that was there yesterday. Teams were lining up to endure this grueling obstacle course all for charity. It was amazing and I'm sure the money that was collected was incredible!   I was so moved that I'm planning on running it next year. Guess I better start training for it now. Here are a few pictures of my husband and his team before the Mud Run and after. Oh yeah...they are completely covered in mud from head to toe. I'll also post a link to the Goodwill Mud Run website in case anyone wants to learn more about it. Later cuties :)

Goodwill Mud Run - http://greenvillemudrun.org/ there are links at the bottom of the page to look at photos and information

Jacob, my husband, showing off his team number 281

This is the last "clean" picture I took of him before the Mud Run

This is another team that we knew doing the first obstacle of the Mud Run

...and here are the guys afterwards in all their muddy glory!

"Who's That Seller?" - April 13, 2012

Good morning cuties! Are you ready for the weekend? I know I am! Well to start your weekend off, here is this week's "Who's That Seller?". Today, I'll be featuring the very creative Etsy shop TragicStitches and it's talented mastermind Erina.

There are so many awesome shops on Etsy that it's hard to find the really unique ones sometimes. Thankfully I follow a lot of blogs and that's how I stumbled upon TragicStitches, today's feature shop. There is cute jewelry galore in this shop! Bright colors, interesting pendants, and unique necklace settings. What makes Erina's shop really unique is that she uses toys as pendants on her necklaces. I love it! And as if that wasn't enough, she "cutes it up" with colorful beads, bows, and flowers. One of my favorites is her Hello Kitty necklace (pictured below).

 If you're looking for unique and cute jewelry, this is the place! Erina has even lovingly given my readers a coupon code to receive 15% off! Just use "sweetdeal" during checkout. After you finish reading Erina's interview, go shop around her Etsy shop TragicStitches. I'm sure you'll find something that you'll absolutely fall in love with. Later cuties :)

TragicStitches shop link - http://www.etsy.com/shop/TragicStitches

Hello Kitty Kawaii Necklace - $30.00

http://www.etsy.com/listing/93445430/hello-kitty-kawaii-necklace-happy?ga_search_query=hello%2Bkitty&ga_search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_5188612

Cuppa Green rose Ring - $9.00

http://www.etsy.com/listing/97011635/cuppa-green-rose-ring-so-kawaii-tea-cup

Punk Rock Caterpillar Necklace - $20.00

http://www.etsy.com/listing/83161054/punk-rock-caterpillar-with-a-bow

MEET ERINA!

1. What is your favorite art medium?

 I love working with toys, not a traditional art medium but I love to make things out of toys. I make jewelry, dioramas, even other toys out of toys. I think because toys are super important to me and I have always not only played with them but collected them. 

2. What motivates your creativity?

This is a tough one, I think that for me making things is just something I HAVE to do. I get ideas all the time, but sometimes I get these bigger ideas and I just have to make whatever it is right then. I get loads of inspiration from Japanese fashion and culture and of course other etsy sellers.

3. How long have you been a seller on Etsy and/or a crafter?

Well I started selling on etsy in 2007, back then I only made plush, I have certainly gone in a very different direction the last few years, although I have kept my name, Tragic Stitches... kinda because I feel like that is how I started just trying to make something out of fabric and thread... and at first everything was pretty Tragic looking. As far as crafting goes gosh I've always crafted. I was partially raised by my Gram who is a quilter and primitive artist  and she taught me to sew when I was very little. Of course because she makes art that is very primitive looking I had to learn a lot on my own. 

4. What is your favorite item in your shop right now and why?

 This: http://www.etsy.com/listing/76365310/sale-kawaii-cutie-custom-pink-moxi-girl  I love to make toys as I said with more toys so I do these like arty collage pieces with toys and sparkles and pile all kinds of fun stuff on their. This is the second really big one I have done and I love love working on them. 

5. What are some of your favorite Etsy shops?

 Oh gosh their are so many that I love here are just a few of my faves:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/snew  http://www.etsy.com/shop/littledear   http://www.etsy.com/shop/VintageFunland  

6. A random, fun fact about yourself. 

 Okay... I love making colorful and plastic jewelry and I never wear jewelry. Hahaha. Well almost never I think that is why I make it so that I can play with and try and so many necklaces!!!