Saturday, November 27, 2010

ETTEAM Holiday Ornament GIVEAWAY!!

It's time for another fabulous Etteam giveaway, and we have a super fun one for you this time. Some of the Etteam members make wonderful holiday ornaments that they stock in their shops during the holiday season (along with their other terrific handmade and vintage goods), and we wanted to share some of those with you.  And as a special bonus, this giveaway will have 2 winners!!

The Giveaway:  12 darling holiday ornaments, grouped in 2 groups of 6.  Each winner will receive 6 ornaments to decorate your homes or trees this holiday season!  And here they are:


Group #1 (Starting on the left and going clockwise):

1.  From Originals by Lauren - A cute mini quilted pot holder in holiday prints.
2.  (2) From The Mud Place - 2 beautiful rustic pottery stars (one at the top and on lower right)
3.  From EcarlateBoutique - Hand Sewn Felted Reindeer
4.  From Teresa's Prim Treasures - Winter mitt with cute little mouse
5.  From Miss Pottery - Jolly pottery Snowman


Group #2 (Starting on the left and going clockwise):

1.  From Kim's Crafty Apple - a Sweet stuffed Matroyshka doll
2.  From Wee Bindery - A tiny hand sewn and bound leather "Wee" book
3.  From My Mother's Garden -  A gorgeous pottery snowflake
4.  (2) From The Mud Place - 2 beautiful rustic pottery stars (one in the middle and one lower right)
5.  From Yellow Bug Boutique - Stuffed "Star Trek" stocking ornament

HOW TO ENTER:

Be sure to leave your name and email address (or Etsy shop name) in each entry, and, please put each entry in a SEPARATE comment.  Thanks!!

1.  Mandatory - be a follower of this blog, and tell us about your favorite holiday ornament (that you already own).

extra entries:

2.  Go to any of the participating 9 shops (links above) and tell us your favorite item in their shop.  Each shop that you visit counts as one separate entry.  So this would give you 9 separate entries if you visit all 9 shops!

3.  Blog, facebook, or Twitter about this giveaway, and leave us a link to what you did.

And that's it!!  Giveaway is now open, and will close at 11:59pm PST on Sunday, December 5th.  Be sure to stop back on Monday December 6th to see who the 2 winners are.

Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Is it time to decorate the tree yet??

Contributed by: Sandie of ZaftigDelights & KnitzyBlonde

I don't know about you, but I'm like a little kid when it comes to Christmas.  I love Thanksgiving, don't get me wrong, but I'm so excited for the day after.  Why??  Well, it has nothing to do with shopping.  You won't get me out to the stores on "Black Friday"! (I'll be shopping from home on Etsy.com this holiday season!!) So what do I do on the day after the Turkey overload?  I'm off to the Christmas tree lot to pick out the cutest and most perfect Christmas tree.  I take it home - put on "White Christmas" and decorate the center of our holiday celebrations.

I'm an ornament collector, and I can't wait to get out all my ornaments each year, lovingly collected over the years, (some that are as old as I am!), unwrap them and hang them on the tree.  What total treat that is for me.  I always remember back to when I first got each ornament and the sentiment surrounding it, etc.  I can't wait!!

Do you collect ornaments, or just love buying them?  Well, we have a treat for you!  The Etteam is going to be hosting a "Holiday Ornament Giveaway" right here on this blog, starting Friday, Nov 26th.  And these are the most delightful and gorgeous handmade ornaments you've seen!  So be sure to stop back here on Friday 11/26 and enter our fabulous "Holiday Ornament Giveaway".

In the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy this treasury I curated today of mostly ornaments from the Etteam member shops!

'Is it TIME to DECORATE the TREE yet??' by KnitzyBlonde

Who's excited to put up their Christmas tree?? Do you love ornaments? If so keep an eye our on the Etteam blog: http://etsytreasuryteam.blogspot.com for an amazing Holiday "ornament" giveaway that starts on Friday, 11/26!!


Vintage Wall Clock ...
$

Tree Chic Giclee P...
$18.00

Personalized Snowma...
$12.00

Holiday Hook-Up 5X7...
$18.00

Memory Bracelet - R...
$28.00

Celestial Stars Orn...
$14.00

Coneflower Echinace...
$38.00

Ornaments - Pastel ...
$31.65

Okra Santa Christma...
$12.00

Hand Painted Christ...
$14.95

Primitive Snowman
$10.00

Silver and Red Doub...
$5.00

Holiday Wreath - Me...
$50.00

Tree Ornament - Stu...
$12.00

Hamsa. Hand of God....
$29.00

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Friendships & Support: A Wonderful Benefit to Etsy Teams

Joining a team on Etsy is a wonderful way to connect with other sellers, find support and advice.  But occasionally extraordinary connections and lifelong friendships occur.  We'd like to share just such a story with you of an extraordinary connection with two sellers on the Etsy Treasury Team.  

We hope you enjoy this lovely story from Donna, of LaughingFridge.
~
I was delighted to become a member of the Etsy Treasury Team a short time ago. I love to make treasuries and thought this would be just the right team to join.  I discovered in a very short time that this team is not just about making treasuries; it's about making friends as well.  Amazing friends.  I'd like to tell you a wonderful story about one of them, but keep the tissue box close by....

In September our 8 yr old pug Lucy became very sick.  I made a treasury called "Ode to Pug" as a kind of get well card for her. All the members of this wonderful team expressed their concern and well wishes for our Lucy. One of the team members, Anna of Rebornasart and ALDDesigns , was inspired by my treasury to create a papier mache pug sculpture.  She asked me if she could name her sculpture Lucy. I was very touched by her request and of course said yes. Although Anna had never seen Lucy, she felt a connection to her while creating her pug sculpture. Then Anna sent me a wonderful email saying she wanted me to have her Lucy sculpture.  These are her words...

"It would mean a lot to me if she went to live with you. I've got a very special connection to animals, I get along with them better than people actually, and somehow although I don't even know her, I've got a really special feeling about Lucy. I hope you don't think I'm weird, I'd just really love for you to have this."

Shortly after Anna started her sculpture, Lucy underwent surgery to repair her damaged lung.  Sadly, she passed away during the procedure, and my heart was broken.  I sent an email to Anna letting her know. Many tears flowed between the two of us. I cried as I was telling Anna what happened.  She cried as she finished her Lucy sculpture. I sent Anna some pictures of Lucy and she was amazed at how much her sculpture looked like our sweet pug girl.  Anna put her heart and soul into this sculpture, and when I received her gift I cried again, but this time they were happy tears. Her amazing sculpture had Lucy's essence and spirit and I felt very comforted by it. She is proudly displayed on our mantel and every time I look at her I smile.



My grief has turned into fond memories with the help of Anna and her wonderful gift.  Out of tragedy, a real friendship was developed.  All the members of the Etsy Treasury Team expressed their heartfelt condolences and helped me deal with my loss.  There is so much more to this team than just creating and sharing treasuries; they are real people who truly care about each other and I'm so happy to be a part of this wonderful group!


~ Lucy ~

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Featured ETTEAM Seller: MidnightCoiler

Contributed by Cindy of Yellow Bug Boutique:


Lynn Hoyt, owner of Midnightcoiler, lives in Blounts Creek, NC on a 75 acre non-working farm with her husband, Howard and 2 wonderful dogs. Lynn is certainly not new to ETTeam... actually, she is the backbone behind the team as our fearless leader. Lynn's Etsy shop opened in March 2008 and specializes in hand carved gourds as well as coiled and twined baskets.



Years ago Lynn visited a gourd show in Virginia and was intrigued by all the creations. There she realized that this was something she wanted to try. When they moved to their farm, she had lots of room to grow gourds, so she dove right in and actually taught herself how to carve.



Baskets came next. Lynn always admired coiled needle baskets so she contacted a local artist, Pamela ( also know as Bazketmakr and Purpletoedgypsy.... another talented ETTeam member) who became her friend, teacher, and mentor.



Lynn's interest in pottery started just a few years ago after sharing some studio space with a local potter. She soon purchased her own small kiln and now makes miniature bowls, buttons, pendants, and charms. Next she plans to tackle the pottery wheel she received as a gift from her hubby.

To see more of Midnightcoiler beautiful work:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/midnightcoiler
http://midnightcoiler.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/MidnightCoiler