A giveaway with a little bit of virtue......

I apologize for the lack of blog posts lately.  All I can say is that I suck.  Summer has been.... well, summer.  Crazy busy!  After getting hit with a load of non-paying buyers in a row, I lost a little bit of interest in my shop and blog.  I'm also busy running my treasury project and have picked up my treasury team's blog.  However, I'm just taking a deep breath and letting the inspiration flow in.  What you have to look forward to:  I will soon be doing a guest blog at blueheart, and I'm considering opening another shop to separate and expand my paper line. 

But for now.... let's do a feature and a giveaway!  Today I'm featuring virtuebathandbeauty.

Jessica is graciously offering up $20 to spend only in her shop.  Which  means you can buy me about 3 of these Cocoa Commitment Bath Bombs.  Did I say "me"? I mean "yourself"!  Keep reading to find out how to win (trust me, it will be easy peasy).

Ashli:  What brought you to Etsy?
Jessica:  I have a friend who is actually a photographer and she bought a lot of her props on Etsy. I decided to check it out and instantly fell in love. The community was amazing and I was obsessed with searching for vintage items and I thought it would make a great home for my shop.

Ashli:  Who or what is your current muse?
Jessica:  I don't know that I have a specific muse, it changes a lot. But i've always had sort of an ideal woman in my head. The person I try to create for. She's timid, but not afraid to be bold. She loves vintage items, but she's always looking towards the future. She's the woman I try to be.

source

Ashli:  What are your Etsy goals?
Jessica:  I really want to be able to just live off of my etsy sales. I want to be an iconic etsy seller, like those I look up to. But most of all I want to give my buyers the best, most pleasant experience possible!

Ashli:  Favorite thing in your shop?

Jessica:  I love all of my bath bombs! But I especially love the peppermint. I am super hot natured so it gives me sort of a little bit of winter in this hot georgia weather. I do have a lot of exciting things coming though that may turn out to be my favorite. *cough* bath cookies *cough*. I love my eyeshadows too though, I have loads of makeup artist friends that have put away their MAC and only use my shadows now. That makes me so happy.

source

Ashli:  Describe what you would want your last meal on earth to consist of.
Jessica:  Oh lord, do you have a while for this question? I am definitely a foodie and I love to make bath products that remind me of food. If I had to pick, I would say a good old southern meal my granny always makes me for my birthday. Fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, sweet tea and green beans. Although, I think it wouldn't be the same without my family's company. I just love them!

*GIVEAWAY TIME!*

How to enter:

Do any of the following and comment saying so.  Make sure there is a way for me to contact you on your profile or in the comment.  Leave a separate comment for EACH entry, otherwise it will only count as one entry.

 

1.  Follow this blog.

2.  Follow virtuebathandbeauty's blog.

3.  Follow virtuebusiness on twitter.

4. "Like" virtuebathandbeauty on facebook.

5.  Go to virtuebathandbeauty & comment back here with your favorite item.

6.  Make a NEW treasury with anything from virtuebathandbeauty & comment with a link.

7.  Purchase anything from  virtuebathandbeauty from now until the close of the contest.

8.  Promote this giveaway in any way (blog, facebook, twitter).

 

This giveaway will be open from now until  Wednesday, July 7th.

Bunny Love.

What can I say?  I'm obsessed.

Bunny Booties by CUTEureCreations

Felt Chocolate Bunny by BeckyM

Bunny Cupcake Toppers by DianaEvans

Little Bunny Foo Foo Necklace by Faeriedtreasures

Vintage "The Hunt Bunnies" by silocurb

In the mail.... BirchberryFarms

If you're not making treasuries on Etsy, you need to. "But whyyyyyyyyy?" you ask? I'll give you a short list.

1. It's really fun to do.

2. It's great for networking with other Etsians.

3. The more you make treasuries, the more likely you are to get put in a treasury, which means the more likely you are to make the front page of Etsy.

4. Sometimes your treasuries make the Front Page. And sometimes there are rewards.

On February 8, this treasury of mine made the Etsy Front Page. Someone bet me a dollar it would, but you never know.



When I make treasuries, I try to have a good variety of featured products. I needed a good body product... so I searched "primitive soap". I was lucky to find BirchberryFarms, a shop that is any primitive treasury maker's best friend. And much to my great fortune, Renee at BirchberryFarms was very appreciative of her Front Page feature. She offered to send me a little thank you.

What was I expecting? Oh maybe a few samples or something... nothing big... but no! I got THREE FULL SIZED bars! As soon as I opened the package, I was greeted by the most delightful aromas. The first bar I picked up was Chocolate, and I am not the least bit shy to say that it smells absolutely orgasmic. If you don't go buy this bar RIGHT NOW you are sure to regret it for the rest of your life. The second bar was Almond Poppy, which is only a few inches away from being the piece of heaven that Chocolate is. The last bar was the wonderfully earthySleigh Ride, which my husband has already claimed.

BirchberryFarms has so much more than soap though! Check out this amazing Primitive Gift Basket.



And how fabulous is this burlap pillow?



Be sure to follow Renee at her blog and treat yourself to a little slice of primitive heaven at BirchberryFarms.

Handmade Spotlight (and Giveaway!): Designs By Jamie

Dear readers, you are in for a treat with this giveaway! Why, you ask? There will be TWO winners! Read through the feature of this lovely Etsy shop and find out how to win! Today I am featuring Designs By Jamie.



Jamie is a stay at home mom who loves to sew. "I'm addicted to fabric and have so much fun working with different fabric combinations to create unique handbags and accessories" she says about her shop. She also designs purses for purse parties in her area! She got started about 4 years ago. She dreamed of having a booth selling SOMETHING at a craft show and decided on purses. She had been making them for friends and after getting a good response, she decided it was right for her. At her first craft show, she sold almost EVERYTHING and decided this was worth pursuing.

Her favorite item in her shop is this Angie Bag. She loves it because it "is made up in yummy Fall colored fabrics of brown, pink and orange."



Jamie's advice for new Etsy shops is this: "Be patient, sales will come. Keep creating and listing items as often as you can. Keep your items at the top of the categories by renewing your listings. Create a blog, twitter account and facebook page as a way to advertise your creations. Encourage and promote others etsy sellers on these pages and that often leads to new sales for you as well."

One of Jamie's favorite Etsy shops is Janesapron. "She makes great items like notecards and clipboards using vintage sewing patterns. I believe I found out about Janesapron through another blog."

When not on Etsy, Jamie likes to hang out with her family and go to coffee with her girlfriends. She is addicted to blogs and loves seeing what people are up to and their crafty inspirations. She says she is "really lucky to be able to stay home with my kids, and own my own business doing something that I love."

You can find DesignsByJamie on any of these sites:

Shop: www.designsbyjamie.etsy.com
Blog: www.designsjamie.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lewiston-ID/Designs-By-Jamie/90201257060

A look into DesignsByJamie:






GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

One winner can choose any scrabble tile pendant available in DesignsByJamie's Etsy store and the other winner can choose from any key fob.

Ways to enter:
-Follow this blog and leave a comment on this post saying so
-Follow DesignsByJamie's blog and comment on this post saying so
-Become a fan of DesignsByJamie on facebook and comment on this post saying so
-Visit DesignsByJamie and comment back with your favorite item
-Blog, tweet, or promote this giveaway in the forums or on facebook & comment with a link

For 5 bonus points, purchase anything from DesignsByJamie's shop and comment here with a link to the purchased item.

Contest is open until Saturday, December 5, 2009. Two winners will be selected!