31Summers...

Giveaway Time!!!!!!!!!

Hi everyone, I hope this week is treating everyone great. I have some good news. I am being featured on the Barefoot-Mommy blog. 

  This blog is so much fun, Krissy the blog owner, features new and upcoming designers of all kinds as well as hosting giveaways on her blog.

As a matter of fact I am also hosting a giveaway. There are many different ways to get your name in the hat for the prize. Please head over to her blog and check out my feature and enter my giveaway!!!

Scroll down to find my post!!!!!!!!!

I have also put a few new things in the shop. Here is a sneak peak, go check them out........

 

 

 

 

Featured Artist

You are just going to love todays featured artist. She has beautiful things in her shop. She is also offering my readers some "freebies" if you mention 31Summers when you purchase.You may want to buy just for the freebies, they usually include either a mini block magnet, a card sample or gift tags. Enjoy!!!!!!!

 

Wendy of

   Wendy Conrad Art

My name is Wendy Conrad and I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Georgia with my husband and 2 rescue dogs, Camille and Elsie. I support local animal rescue groups by donating artwork for auctions, and also have charity sections in my etsy shop. After googling myself I became aware the Wendy Conrad is also a country singer. Who would’ve thunk it?

Apart from creating things, what do you do?

I’m a novice wine lover. I enjoy karoke. We love to go hiking with our dogs, even after one of them got lost for awhile on the Appalachian Trail.

How did you first get started creating things?

I can’t remember back that far… I was always making stuff as a kid, from homemade Halloween decorations for our house to pencil drawings of my dad. He’s where I get my creative spirit.

Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.

It starts with an idea in my head. I get them all the time and in every direction! I have to carry around a note pad to write them all down. When I have time to spend in my studio or at the craft table, I get the note pad out and the ideas come rushing back to me. I can’t stop until I have completed the chosen idea. Sometimes they work beautifully, sometimes they are complete disasters. But at least I set them free from my imagination and into the world. I have been taking photographs since 1988 and have been painting consistently since 2007. However, I go where the ideas take me, and I have been experimenting more with mixed media and altered art, as well as making handmade cards.

I am becoming more inspired to use recycled materials in my work. I find uses for things that others might consider useless. This is what gives me the most satisfaction.

What handmade possession do you most cherish?

My husband is a painter, so of course there are a few of his paintings that I adore. We also purchased this huge Japanese original painting on ebay for some outrageously low price. It is gorgeous, and whenever I look at it I am taken to another place.

Name your top five books, movies, songs/musical groups, and web sites besides Etsy.

Wow! That’s a tough one… These are my current faves:

Books- New Earth by Tolle, The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace, anything by Nicholas Sparks

Movies- Shawshank, Life of David Gale, Lion King, American History X

Songs- Gravity by John Mayer, Crash by the David Mathews Band, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlotte Church, Michael Buble, Joss Stone.

Web Sites- majaba.org (of course!), current.com, flickr, google

What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?

Be prepared for anything. Be willing to take constructive criticism. Read the Storque. Learn how to take AMAZING photos. Be patient and don’t give up.

How do you promote your work?

Participating in blog features (hehe), flickr, myspace, business cards everywhere, Little Black Boxes, charity auctions, local art shows and festivals.

What are your favorite features on Etsy or the ACE team? What new features would you like to see on either site?

Love the etsy forums and chat rooms (maybe a little too much!). The Storque is also a wealth of information. I would LOVE to be able to schedule new listings, that way you can do an entire week’s worth at once even if you are not going to be by a computer.

In ten years I would like to be?

Doing what I love and living my life free of restrictions.

www.wendyconradart.com

 

www.wendyconradart.etsy.com

Discount offered...................

Connie from

 

is offering all of my readers 25% off all orders if they type 31Summers in the notes to seller. Scroll down two post and check out her artist interview. Don't forget to check out her shop at Zen Design Studios!!!

I am so excited........

I am so excited, my hardware jewelry has been shown on two different websites. I have been working pretty hard to get my name and etsy shop out there and it looks like I may be getting there.

  The first website to feature the story of the hardware jewelry was Whip up. I am sure most of you already know about whip up but just in case you don't. It is the coolest blog featuring all kinds of handmade things and the wwonderful artist who make them. Here is my blog post on Hardware Jewelry.

The second website was the Hallmark blog, they are a lot like Whip up as they also feature gorgeous handmade things. Theyare sponsoring the Carnival of Green Crafts which features crafts from around the blogging community that were upcycled or recycled. My bracelet and earring were included in the group, go check it out, it is the third post from the top. There are lots of beautiful work to gaze at, enjoy your time there.  

Featured artist Monday......

Todays featured artist is..............

Connie

Of

 Connie is also offering 25% off all orders too to all of my readers if they type 31 summers in the notes to seller.

 

Tell us a bit about yourself, name, location, affiliations, and personal stuff.

 

My name is Connie Krebs and I live in Lakewood, Ohio with my husband of almost 5 years and my two daughters who are 4 and 1. I am originally from Amherst, NY and have a BA in dance from Baldwin-Wallace College. I am a member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority and also hold a Property and Casualty Insurance License for the state of Ohio. I am really into animal rights and am keeper to 4 great tom cats and one newly rescued purebred mutt.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?

I am a stay at home mom and also teach dance 3 days a week. I teach adult tap, children’s creative movement, cheerleading, and musical theatre. I enjoy being out, especially in the fall! I read every night, love taking our dog to the dog park, and also dabble in a variety of other crafts.

How did you first get started creating things?

I actually started learning about graphic design when I was an insurance agent. I wasn’t dancing and had a lot of pent up creativity, but the only tool I really had a lot of access to was a computer. I was asked to make a couple flyers for various company activities and soon was poring over any tutorial, book, and podcast I could get my hands on about graphic design and business design. From there it just took off and every day I am learning a new technique or getting a new idea for a project.

Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.

When I get a new project I usually can already see in my head a basic design. I don’t sketch anything out or think about it too much, just sort of piece the work together one layer at a time. I use Photoshop mainly although I am starting to get interested in Illustrator. All of my work is done either while the girls are sleeping during nap or after they go to bed, and I always need some sort of background noise. Since most of my work is designing for Etsy shops I first focus on the feel of the shop and what product the store mainly sells. From there I choose a font and graphics that correspond with the look I see for the design. Most times I do 2-3 different designs for the customer to choose from and once a design is chosen we tweak it until we are both happy!

What handmade possession do you most cherish?

Since I do not actually make items my favorite handmade possession thus far from Etsy is a great strawberry tote that was especially designed for me, although a bag scrapbook made by another Etsian is a very close second.

Name your top five books, movies, songs/musical groups, and web sites besides Etsy.

Book: Granny Dan by Danielle Steel, Movie: City of Angels, Song: Kite by Patty Griffin; Websites: (shopping)

www.wrapables.com; (crafting) www.notmartha.com; (fun) www.phonezoo.com

What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?

Get your shop in order before you push your wares, make sure you have all your policies in place, and don’t park in chat rooms, people don’t take well to that.

How do you promote your work?

I hang out in chat rooms a lot, I love to trade which gets me a lot of return customers, and I blog about new items as often as I can. I always carry my own cards that I have designed as well as samples of other cards I have designed for people so I can show all the different styles that I can do. I also have a tendency to pull out my Mommy cards around any woman that might have kids, just in case!

What are your favorite features on Etsy or the ACE team? What new features would you like to see on either site?

I love the chat feature and Alchemy, I am not sure what else could be added to Etsy, there is so much there already!

In ten years I would like to be?

In ten years I would like to be dancing and designing, just as I do today. Maybe have a whole studio devoted at home to both though would be nice… maybe someone can talk to my husband about that?

Featured artist Monday....

My featured artist for this Monday is.................................................................

Jennifer

of

 

Jennifer has graciously offered any of my readers 10% off (not including shipping) if they put 31Summers... in the notes to seller and then wait for an updated invoice!!!

You can find Jennifer's shop at...... Newfangled

Tell us a bit about yourself, name, location, affiliations, and personal stuff.

My name is Jenn and I'm a mixed media artist and recent college graduate. I currently live in West End, NC and I'm very new to etsy. I'd like to eventually sell my art full time, but right now I am looking for a job to help out with expenses. With the recent economy changes it's been pretty difficult to find a good job, so I'm putting all my free time into my art while I continue to look.

Apart from creating things, what do you do?

I enjoy cooking, browsing the web (usually for creative inspiration) and spending time with friends and family. I love office supplies, Irish Breakfast tea and the occasional British comedy.

How did you first get started creating things?

I've always been creative and I love trying new things. I experimented with different media on my own and learned some techniques in classes until I found my niche.

Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.

I work best in the evenings and I pretty much use whatever I have. One of my favorite materials is paper, though. I always listen to music while I work.

What handmade possession do you most cherish?

I have two. My little brother (who is now 22) once carved a mushroom type thing out of a block of plaster paris and gave it to me as a gift. He's not artistic at all, but I've always cherished that "sculpture" and still have it today. The other is a digital painting of mountains and a sunset that my boyfriend made for me. He spent hours on it and it's amazing!

Name your top five books, movies, songs/musical groups, and web sites besides Etsy.

I hate favorites because I never have the same ones for more than a week. Right now I like:Books:The How to be British Collection by Martyn Ford and Peter Legon, Stephen Biessty's Castles, Eat Britain! By Andrew Wheeler, The Circle Trilogy by Ted Dekker and Eric Carle's The Hungry Caterpillar.

Movies: Everafter, Lord of the Rings, Finding Nemo, the newest Pride and Prejudice, The Island.

Bands: The Fray, Keane, Jack Johnson, Tonic, Texas

Websites: www.pandora.com, www.sxc.hu, www.isleofwightpictures.co.uk, www.xkcd.com, www.loveetsyfeedback.blogspot.com

What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?

I'm not really in a position to give lots of advice because I'm also new to etsy, but as far as making and selling art outside of etsy I have learned that you have to be confident in your work. I waited a long time to start selling my art because I was afraid people wouldn't like it.

How do you promote your work?

I share photos on facebook and flickr as well as my website http://www.jdbrown.net. I try to get featured on other people's blogs and I'm doing a giveaway next week on a blog. I also get a lot of help from my fellow ACE (Amazing Carolina Etsians) Team members. Word of mouth is be best advertising.

What are your favorite features on Etsy or the ACE team? What new features would you like to see on either site?

My favorite feature on etsy is the fact that listings stay up for so long. It's nice not having to worry about relisting items every week. I'd like to see more variation with the hand-picked items on the front page. I seem to see stuff from the same people a lot, but I really love discovering unknown etsians.

In ten years I would like to be?

I'd like to be successfully selling my work full time and I'd also like to be married with a charming little house in the North Carolina mountains :)

Well it has been one of those weeks.....

I can't believe that I have not been able to post anything blog worthy all week. I just wish I could explain to you what all has been going on at work, but it would just take to long and you would be bored. Let me just say "DRAMA"!!!!!! This has consumed most of my week and had me so stressed out that I could hardly stand it.

I plan to be back on a regular schedule of ...........

Monday:   Featured Artist

Tuesday: Blog giveaway announcement

Oh I want all of you to be able to get in on this little treat as well. I am hosting an additional giveaway on another blog this week. The giveaway will be Thursday (I will remind you guys again before then). Just thought some of you may be interested in her giveaway blog.  Now Entering Momville

I did get a couple necklaces made. I have become addicted to making wire links lately and have even decided to do a whole link series of classes at my local bead shop. Check out my new necklaces that are 100% handmade even down to the clasp.

   

These necklaces are available in my shop at www.31Summers.etsy.com!@!!!!