Facebook Fan Sale!

I have been rather overwhelmed by the positive response to my recent foray into the world known as Facebook and cannot believe that I already have over 100 "likes" for my store fanpage.  I want to thank everyone for supporting me and my little jewellery and art store!!

To celebrate reaching 100 Facebook fans/likes and my upcoming first anniversary on Etsy, I am having an exclusive Etsy sale for my fans.  To be eligible for my sale, go to my fanpage and click the "like" button.  Then head to my "Discussions" tab to find out the sale details.  So if you have been drooling over any items, get on over there before they are snapped up!

Regular readers of my blog will also notice a new addition to my sidebar.  I have finally decided to send out newsletters (I am hoping to send these out bi-monthly, but we will see whether I can actually keep up with this schedule) where I will share sneak peeks, store news and exclusive sales and giveaway information.  And don't worry, I will not be sharing any of your details with anyone else!  Your email address will be used solely for the delivery of my e-newsletter.

Feature Friday - Jewellery by Ange

Our feature Friday artist for this week is the fun and cheeky Ange of Jewellery by Ange.  Ange is another Australian artist and has a beautiful jewellery store on Etsy (and a few other locations).   She is the wonderful woman who got me involved in DUST, so all you DUSTers know who to blame now!  Ange also has the somewhat dubious honour of being the one who bestowed upon me the nickname of "Chatty McChat Chat" (I can't believe I'm actually telling everyone this nickname).  This is what she had to say about herself and her store:

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Well, my name is Ange (and I’m awesome) and I live in Brisbane, Queensland in gorgeous Australia, with my equally gorgeous fiancé Josh.  We are renovating our house – have been doing so for over a year and have at least another year to go!

Sadly, I have a day job.. no, wait, it is great that I have a day job – it pays the bills, especially with the renovation, it’s needed.  It’s not creative or fulfilling though – which is why my creative stuff really is a mindsaver.  It helps me relax – especially when I get to hammer stuff!

Describe yourself in 5 words. 

Awesome, animated, attention-seeking, addicted (to silver) – OK that was more than five, but I tried. Hahah.

 Luminous Earrings

When and how did you first start crafting/creating?

As soon as I had the motor skills to!  Ever since I can remember I have painted, crafted, read, written, sang, danced and made a mess!  When I was about 10 I used to string seed beads onto fishing wire into rings, bracelets and necklaces – I even came across one recently – lets just say I’ve learned a lot since then!  My most recent jewellery making experience started when I pulled apart some awful bridesmaid jewellery and made it into something more my style – much simpler and less frou frou.

 Le Cirque - Art Necklace

What do you create and what are your favourite materials with which to work?

I make jewellery – sterling silver is my favourite medium, and wire is my favourite material in particular.  I love to bend, wrap and hammer this into something gorgeous, but tend towards pieces that are simpler and more streamlined. I’m not a ‘fussy’ girl.

When and how did you start selling online?

A friend introduced me to etsy and helped me get started.  I started about 3 years ago and haven’t looked back.  To supplement my store, I also sell on Madeit, Zibbet and hold jewellery parties which are my favourite way to sell -  much more social and fun!

Dinner For Two - Bow Tie Necklace

Describe your store in 5 words

Streamlined and sexy simplicity… I’ll give you four since I went over with my other five words… did I mention I have a problem with rules?  Hehehe.

Where can we find you online?  

Etsy: www.angelene.etsy.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AngeleneEtsy

Blog: www.angelenefay.blogspot.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/angelenefay

Madeit: www.madeit.com/angelene

Zibbett: www.zibbett.com/angelene

Two Cheeky Monkeys is Now on Madeit!

Okay, so today I have a confession to make.  I know I often complain about the stress of being a mother, keeping up with the housework and taking the kids to their various activities all while trying to run and effectively promote my Etsy store.  But...I have been toying with the idea of opening a Madeit store so that I can sell my products in Australian dollars (and I know some of you have asked for that too).  And I finally took the plunge yesterday and opened up my store!

Rochelle Earrings

So, for my Aussie blog followers who have been dying to purchase in their own currency, your chance has finally come!  I haven't got much listed instore as yet, but I am slowly adding listings.  I am not sure how much of an overlap I will have with my Etsy store.  Certainly the style of products will be the same, but obviously I cannot list the same one of a kind item simultaneously in both stores.  If you see an item in my Etsy store and would like to purchase it from my Madeit store, please contact me and I will list the item for you.

Bath Fun - A Bath Bomb Tutorial

 

Today I thought I would share a fun little tutorial for bath bombs, one of my kids' favourite bath time treats (bubble baths are also VERY popular here).  If you are looking for a way to entice your kids to get clean more regularly (or just want to spoil yourself), then this might be just what you are looking for!  These bath bombs are very easy to make in bulk so this project is also suitable for making large numbers of gifts or party favours.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups bicarbonate of soda

3/4 cup citric acid (I buy this in bulk from my health food store)

1/4 cup mineral or rock salts (optional)

1/8 cup dried petals such as lavender or chamomile (optional)

2 tsp almond or olive oil

2 tsp essential oil in your preferred fragrance or combination of fragrances

1 tsp water

5-6 drops of food colouring in the colour(s) of your choice (depending on how dark you want the colour)

Moulds for your bath bombs

Method

1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large ceramic or glass bowl using a metal spoon.  But make sure that all of your equipment is bone dry first!

2. Mix the liquid ingredients together in a small bowl.

3. Quickly mix the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, making sure that the mixture does not start reacting in the bowl.  Your mixture should look fairly dry like the picture below.

4. Press your mixture firmly into your moulds (you should not need to oil your moulds).  I have no idea what the original use was for these moulds, but when I saw them at my local op shop, I knew they would be great for bath bombs!

5. Leave in a warm and dry place overnight  (ensuring that pets and small hands can't get to them, or you will end up with a mess and disappointment).

6. Carefully turn out your bath bombs once they have dried for at least 8 hours.

7. Enjoy a relaxing and beautiful-smelling bath!

Tips

1.  You can purchase round bath bomb moulds, but I like to use small jelly and chocolate moulds. You could always use ice cube trays in a pinch, although I wouldn't recommend using them for ice ever again, LOL.

2. Always make sure that the essential oils you use are suitable for use on the body, such as for massage or for adding to soap.

3. I would avoid making bath bombs on particularly humid days.  Mine never turn out quite right in humid weather.

Feature Friday - Crafty Crackpot

This week's featured artist is Caitlin of Crafty Crackpot, who creates sweet items for little ones.  She is a fellow Australian and member of DUST, the Australian Etsy street team.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I live in Canberra with all my family. There are 13 children in my family, so there is always lots going on. I suppose in a sense that is what my full time job is: helping out, teaching younger brothers and sisters and things like that. Craft is a little bit on the side, but I love every minute of it.

Soft Toy Stegosaurus

Describe yourself in 5 words.Bookworm, seamstress, florist (well still learning), fairly quiet, Christian

When and how did you first start crafting/creating?

My Mum was always into knitting, and so I learnt to do that at an early age. After that it was like I couldn't get enough. I've tried most craft, but my passion is defintely the sewing machine!

 Lap Quilt

What do you create and what are your favourite materials with which to work?I create children's clothing, quilts, and soft toys mostly. There are a few oddballs thrown here and there occasionally, but that that is what I mainly love to create.  I love to use 100% cotton (patchwork material), especially lovely floral ones.

When and how did you start selling online?
I started selling online in November 2008 - the reason I started was because I had made all these items and did'nt know what to do with all of them. A friend had an etsy store, and I thought I may as well try it out and see. It started out as a hobby, but I'm hoping to turn it into much more than that.!! Fingers crossed.

Black and White Cotton Skirt

Describe your store in 5 words
Bright, cheerful, fun, playful, kids

Where can we find you online?

Etsy: http://www.craftycrackpot.etsy.com

Madeit: http://www.madeit.com.au/storecatalog.asp?userid=4452

Wordless Wednesday - Dreaming of Spring

Strawberries Fine Art Print

Tutti Frutti Stationery Set

Spring Jubilee Dress

Feature Friday - Random Ally

This week's feature Friday highlights another Aussie seller - Random Ally - which is run by two sisters, Sarah (yellow tee) and Kat (grey tee).

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Random Ally is an art inspired fashion label bringing art and fashion into fusion. Both my sister (Sarah Lloyd, 27) and myself (Kat Lloyd, 20) choose to produce unique designs with a strong artistic influence, on top quality ethically manufactured clothing.

My sister and I were brought up with art in our lives but grew up in a town where it was not a part of many people’s world. It wasn’t until we moved to the small coastal town of Robe SA that we were surrounded by other artists and were finally able to embrace our artistic side.

Despite having our business as our first passion we both have “day jobs”. Starting our business from nothing means that everything must go back into it, and therefore means working for others is still a part of our lives. Despite this, we still keep our personal artwork as a major part of our day to day scene. From local art prizes to exhibitions we somehow find the time to keep our artistic personalities satisfied.

All our designs are inspired by the things in our live. Influences such as our local area, music, friends and media are a big part of our designing process. Sarah and I have different styles but some how we manage to bring them together to create fun and exciting designs. Sarah finds inspiration from fashion, shoes and music; where as I find inspiration in graffiti, manga and rockabilly. Due to our differences we find that we can offer a variety in designs and products for our business.

Cat Long Sleeve Tee

Describe yourselves in 5 words.

We are both artistic, outspoken, imaginative, political and dedicated.

When and how did you first start crafting/creating?

We have both been doing art for most of our lives but it wasn’t until October 2008 that we decided to start our business. Sarah and I were both working in jobs that we did not enjoy, and wanted to be able to be creative and work on our own terms. We both love clothing and were both frustrated by the lack of quality, individuality and ethics in the products around us. So we decided to base our label around these three factors. We had just over a month until we had to get our first products ready for sale and there were a lot of highs and lows getting started. With the help of our family and friends we had our first range of t-shirts ready for a festival in our town. From that our business grew quickly with commissioned designs and retail stores picking us up. We are determined to keep our business fresh by continually adding new designs and items as well as tying new thing.

Green Amy Tee

What do you create and what are your favourite materials with which to work?

We started off screen printing t-shirts for women and within a matter of months we moved on to men’s t-shirts as well. This year we have launched our cotton screen printed scarves and homemade badges. With all our products we look for ethical material and quality. We try not to use chemicals in our screen printing so that it benefits both the environment and the wearer. Our badges are made from both printed paper and material. We are in the planning stages of bringing out new items such as bags and jumpers. We prefer to print on cotton as it gives us the best quality print and is comfortable to wear.

When and how did you start selling online?

We started selling on-line at the beginning of 2009. It was only a couple of months into our business adventure and we tried selling on Ebay but it wasn’t what we were looking for. Sarah had read about two great websites for designers, both Australian and worldwide. Ever since then we have been selling on Etsy and Madeit. In March  of this year, we launched our website where we sell all of our products.

Mushrooms and Aliens Scarf

Describe your store in 5 words

Unique

Artistic

Fun

Bright

And of course Random!

Where can we find you online?

Random Ally has its own website at www.randomally.com where you can purchase our products, sign up for our newsletter and specials and simply see what’s happening in the world of Random Ally. We can also be found on Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Random-Ally and our products can be bought at Etsy www.randomally.etsy.com and Made It www.madeit.com.au/randomally