Feature Friday - Jacaranda Designs

This week's feature is Jacaranda Designs. Jane makes the most wonderful jewelry and her posy bracelets are a must have. Read a little bit about her, check out her special discount for my blog readers and then get on over there and pick out a little something for yourself.

Tells us a little about yourself.

I am married with two very energetic boys. We live just west of Toronto, Canada. I was in the IT industry for twenty years before packing it in and pursuing my passion, making jewelry. I've always been quite creative, dabbling in sewing, embroidery, painting, drawing etc. but for a long time, these hobbies were left on the back burner. Like most moms, my life is fairly hectic but very rewarding.

What is your first memory of being crafty/artsy?

I remember making a church with stained glass windows at school when I was about six years old. The windows were made of tissue paper. When my parents came to the open house I was so excited to show them my wonderful creation but someone had taken a pencil and broken every window! Boo hoo!

Where do you get inspiration for your products?

Mainly from nature. I love gardening and draw inspiration from plants and flowers around me. Even a lot of my color combinations come from my garden.

Tell us a little about your workspace.

My workspace is not particularly fancy. I'm lucky that we do have a large office at home that I share with my husband. One of my goals for this year is to revamp my space. All my beads are organized by color in see through containers but that's about it. My light box moves around the house depending on where I can find free space to take photos.

Where can we find your products?

You can find my products on my website at http://jacarandadesigns.etsy.com/.

What methods do you find best bring traffic to your shop?

Networking, networking. I have a blog that brings traffic in and I comment on other peoples blogs. I advertise on Facebook, have a Flickr page and belong so several other networking sites and I WEAR my jewelry. I always have business cards handy. You never know when you might meet a prospective customer. I am constantly looking for new ways to promote traffic to my site.

Is there anything else you would like the readers to know?

You can visit me at my blog... http://jacarandagal.blogspot.com/. I will be starting a weekly giveaway in the next few weeks.

Mention "ascrappydesign" in message to me when you purchase from my website and you will receive a 15% discount. **

**Jane will be offering the 15% discount for two weeks so be sure that you don't miss out on this generous offer!

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Random Blogging

Sorry for the lack of random blogging lately. I have been busy thinking up new ideas and spending some quality time with my hubby and on my poor neglected house. I also have a new project in the works that I am pretty excited about . . . . stay tuned for more info!

Cheerio! Pin It

What a Deal Wednesday!

Spend $5 in my shop and get a set of either 5 mushroom or 5 tree embellies for FREE!

The Fine Print: The Tuesday Teaser is in effect from midnight CST to midnight CST Tuesday, Feb 25th. To claim your freebie, you must let me know which embellies you want at time of purchase in the message to seller. If you do not specify which freebie you would like to have, I will choose for you. :)

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Tuesday Teaser Has Moved!

The Tuesday Teaser is now "What a Deal! Wednesday".

Please check back tomorrow for the deal of the week.

Sorry for any inconvenience and thanks for understanding.

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Mosaic Monday Inspiration - Pink and Green

1. Pink n' Green, 2. Athan's Bakery Hand-Pulled Candy, 3. On a green and pink mood.... again, 4. Entering the Mosque, 5. pink and green 2/9, 6. 20080301 - Ribbon Candy, 7. green pink, 8. Pink & Green, 9. more pink & green Pin It

Feature Friday - Londi Creations

Welcome to this week's feature! Our feature today is Londi of Londi's Creations. Londi makes beautiful jewelry that are little pieces of art.



Tell us a little about yourself.
Hi! My name is Londi, I was born in the U.S and I'm now living in France.


What is your first memory of being crafty/artsy?
I was lucky to be born in to a family full of talented artist! I started crafting and creating when I was very young. I'm a 3rd generation jeweler, I grew up with a jewelry shop and a potter shop in my home! The feeling of melting or manipulating metal, touching stones, or having my hands dirty with clay has always stuck with me!


Where do you get inspiration for your products?
I love working with color, texture, in every way shape and form! I'm inspired by nature, lighting, flowers, anything from a rock to a grain of sand.... A piece of gold, to a piece of glitter! (You will see what I mean at X-mas!)




Tell us a little about your workspace.
My work space is in my home and its always a wreck, but the worst at X-mas!


Where can we find your products?I've been selling on line in France for 1 yr. with success, I'm their # 1 seller! I do a lot of art and craft shows, our business is new so I have not yet started a site, blog , or Facebook, flicker, but it will come around soon!


What methods do you find best bring traffic to your shop?
I've only been with Etsy for about 3 weeks! So far the forums have been a great way to bring traffic to my shop! I've met a lot of great people, like you Heather!!!


Is there anything else you would like the readers to know?
I've had a great time with Etsy, a lot of fun promos as well! If you haven't seen my Zipper line "Zip It's" Take a look because most of this line will be gone of to NY. on display in a gallery/boutique by the middle of march!

Thanks Londie for sharing with us today!

Be sure to go check out Londie's shop for a beautiful and romantic experience. You will definitely find that her products are truly one of a kind pieces of art.

http://londicreations.etsy.com/

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Tuesday Teaser

Welcome to the weekly edition of the Tuesday Teaser where you, the blog readers, get special discounts in my shop.

This week's Tuesday Teaser is 10% off your entire purchase!

The Fine Print: The Tuesday Teaser discount is applied before shipping. This promotion is in effect from midnight CST to midnight CST Tuesday, Feb 17. To claim your discount, you must enter "Feb1710%" at time of purchase in the message to seller.

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New Look! . . . . .Yes, Again! Last time, I Promise!

Changed my blog design yet again. I designed it myself. (I'm kind of digging this whole graphic design thing.)

I hope the new look is pleasing to your eyes because I think this is the last change for quite a while. Pin It

iBowl Uh-Oh!

Last night I uploaded iBowl while I was in the car with my hubby running errands. I couldn't wait to try it out when I got home. We got home and while hubby was messing with the TV, I decided to try out my new game. After a couple of tries, I thought to myself, "wow, I could easily send this phone flying if I'm not careful". No sooner did that thought cross my mind that the new shiny iPhone went flying out of my hand toward our fairly new LCD TV. It was like slow motion. . . phone goes flying, my jaw drops, I leap forward to catch the iPhone before it goes flying into the TV, CAUGHT! Whew! That was a close call! After I caught it I busted out laughing (I tend to do that when I get that kind of adrenaline rush). I looked over at hubby who was standing there with the look of horror on his face as he says (only half kidding), "If that two-hundred dollar phone had landed in my thousand dollar TV, I would have totally kicked your ass!"

Note to self: Be sure to buy one of those silicone sleeves for iPhone to avoid SERIOUS consequences!

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Happy Valentine's Day!

May your day be filled with love!

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Feature Friday - My Favorite Things

Dear hubby,

You've been asking me what I want for Valentine's day (note to readers: after 12 years of marriage, there aren't too many surprises . . . which is ok with me, I hate surprises) so here's a list of some of my favorite things:

You could get me this fabulous Zebra pillow from Kanibal Home to match my new studio:

How about this adorable apron from Bambino Amore for when I cook you dinner with cupcakes for dessert, like I did last night:



I've had my eye on this print for a while by vol25:
And finally, this cozy little shrug from Vintage Garden Knits would be a perfect addition to my wardrobe:




Don't worry, I know it's a little late but it's better late than never, right? Besides, I'm a pretty patient gal.
XOXO,
Me Pin It

Oh Deer!

I was feeling a little under the weather today so it wasn't all that productive for me. I did, however, get a couple of things listed in my shop tonight. A couple more things from my Forest Friends line have made their debut in my shop. What do ya think?

The trees from this line have been pretty popular. Please know that more will be added to the shop soon and in different patterns/colors! Pin It

Tuesday Teaser #2

Welcome to our second issue of the weekly Tuesday Teaser!

This week's Tuesday Teaser is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Free Shipping on all Clearance Items!!

(Click on pic to be taken straight to savings!)

The Fine Print: The Tuesday Teaser discount applies to clearance items only from midnight CST to midnight CST Tuesday, Feb 10. To claim your discount, you must enter "Free Ship" at time of purchase in the message to seller. Pin It

And the winner is . . .

Me!

Check out these adorable hand-painted bottle cap push pins that I won from Circles are Forever! If you like these (you know you do) you should head on over to her shop and pick up some for yourself!

P.S. Don't forget the Tuesday Teaser, which will be announced right here at midnight tonight!

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Feature Friday Issue #1

Welcome to my first Feature Friday! Today's feature is FriedOkra, owned by Adrian. Adrian makes adorable little sock monkeys and the coolest little pouches you will find.

Tell us a little about yourself.
Well :) I'm Adrian and I just turned 30, yikes! I am married (11yrs now) with 3 kids, two boys and a girl. We stay super busy with school, band, scouts, and friends. So, like most I'm sure, I stay up late late and squeeze time in The Green Room making all sorts of fun things for FriedOkra. I am also eternally grateful to Warner Brothers for the creation of Scooby Doo, who my 3 yr old is currently obsessed with :) Although I always have to be Velma, humph.

What is your first memory of being crafty/artsy?
All the ladies in my family are super creative, no way around it! Mom taught me to sew, making Barbie clothes of course probably around age 8. I didn't get my own machine till I was 18 and out of the house (couldn't borrow mom's anymore!). Growing up I experimented with just about every craft out there, coming back full circle to the sewing machine :) I still have the queen sized bedspread I tie-dyed in high school (old school on the stove style), RIT dye baby.

Where do you get inspiration for your products?There are just too many cute socks out there! They beg and plead with me to save them from a life in a drawer, they want to be sewn and stuffed and given a life of love and squeezes :) My pouches are a combination of my many many many interests. I love quilting, I just don't have the attention span for it! Love the piecing, getting to use all these amazing fabrics at the same time. Embroidery and knitting are other crafts I really enjoy but I guess I had made just about all the scarves my family needed! had to find another outlet for my yarn obsession :)

Tell us a little about your workspace.My workspace is called The Green Room, because... well... it's a big green room :) Lots of windows, 3 big bookcases, 2 dressers, 1 hutch, a squishy bed, and a giant table perfect for laying out projects.

Where can we find your products?
On Etsy! Currently that's the only place you'll find me :) Oh, if you go to Deluxe in May I'll be there too!

Is there anything else you would like the readers to know?
Sure! Mention "ascrappydesign" in the notes to seller and get free shipping!

You can find Fried Okra products at http://www.friedokra.etsy.com/

View more of her work at http://www.flickr.com/photos/fried_okra/

Read her fabulous blog at http://invisiblespray.blogspot.com/

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Calendar Tags

I've had these in the shop for quite a while now, but it seems that they have just been noticed (I've sold several sets this week). These calendar tags were designed by me and brought to life by my talented graphic designer cousin of Huffman Design. Head on over to the shop and pick up a set (or two). You can use them on your scrapbook pages; customize a card for birthdays, anniversaries or any other special occassions; attach them to gifts, the possibilities are endless!!



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Tuesday Teaser #1

The moment you've all been waiting for! This weeks Tuesday Teaser is (drum roll) . . . . . . . .

20% off all Valentine Goodies in my shop!!

ENJOY YOUR TUESDAY!

The Fine Print: The Tuesday Teaser discount begins Monday, Feb. 2 at midnight CST and ends Tuesday, Feb 3 at midnight CST. To claim your discount, enter "Valentine" in the message to seller. Discount is applied before shipping. Pin It

Just a Quick Post

How was everyone's weekend? We had some beautiful weather with temps in the 50's & 60's which is crazy because last week we had two days of sleet and freezing temps. Hubby and I had a date night (long time coming). We saw Taken with Liam Neeson, a good movie that I would probably give 4 out of 5 stars, and then had a late dinner. It was good to be able to spend some quality time with him. We are so busy these days that we forget that we need to take time out for each other. . . I can't imagine how hard that is going to be when we have little ones demanding our attention. The rest of the weekend was used for errands and cleaning. I have to say, my house and laundry had been neglected for quite some time so it got some TLC today. . . laundry is almost done and the house is looking a little less like it was hit by a tornado. :D

I took a vacation day tomorrow from my "real" job mainly because I have been feeling physically and mentally fatigued, so a day off with no obligations is just what I need. I will probably use some time tomorrow to get some orders finished and shipped out but other than that I think I'll just do whatever I feel like doing. We all need days like that, right?

Hope everyone has a great week and don't forget to check back tomorrow when I announce what this week's Tuesday Teaser will be and be sure to also come back Friday when I have my first Feature Friday post! Pin It