Valentine's Day is Coming Sooner Than You Think!

Be Ready for that special day

You never know what unique goodies you're going to find in the Promotional Frenzy BNR Treasury!

This coming Monday, January 10th from 4:00 PM - 1:00 AM EST we have some special treats for you!

I got it made a few days early during our thread's Treasury Day and now all you shoppers have 2 1/2 days to go window shopping in some fascinating Etsy shops to pick out something at your liesure in advance of our opening.

I have left the link visible rather than just putting a list of links in my blog as I have done in the past.

The above bowl of anatomical hearts is brought to you by bubblegenius, a bath and body shop with some avante garde products you would never imagine.

Here's the link to the upcoming BNR;

Feel The Love;

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4d27d19b36b86d91fe50bc7e/closed-until-monday-400-pm-est-feel-the#4d27ffd0a9fb8eef0569b607

Please click, comment, and take some time looking at all the exciting things offered. Then bring your shopping list on Monday and jump right in. Your sweety will appreciate that you went out of your way to get her something she'll love, or if you are the one to receive a gift this Valentine's day be sure to send your hubby or significant other over there and let them know what you like from these sellers.

If you're a buyer only and don't have an Etsy shop you can play too! Just let us know and if you would like to pick a replacement shop from your favorites that can fill the spot of the person you're buying from.

Last week's jewelry specific BNR went well. Almost all the featured jewelry sellers got bought out and because this was the first of it's kind we didn't see high volume sales like has been typical in most of our BNRs but I believe it's only a matter of time before the buying public gets used to buying higher priced things through BNRs.

We will alternate from week to week; doing a regular BNR with a mix of different categories, and then do a specialty one. There are more categories I want to work on and we will eventually do these more than once to build up a market for each over time.

You never know, this might become the next shopping craze of the future!

Something Really Cool Just Popped Up!

Say it with Flowers - $5.00
Card is 6.5”x5” and has layers of cardstock flowers cut out and glued on

QuirkynBerkley located in Berkeley California is owned by an artist who makes handmade cards and other paper products. One of the interesting techniques she uses is origami which makes these cards extra special! The artist loves to experiment and works at her craft for hours engineering new and creative ways to bring you enjoyment that will last the test of time. Her handmade paper items are both aesthetically pleasing and well-constructed.

Tiny Origami Boxes - $10.00
Five cute little boxes, measuring approximately 1.25x1.25x3/4 inches and made of beautiful, luxurious, textured yuzen chiyogami paper. They're the perfect size for rings or earrings. The artist glued the inside tabs to make them sturdier, although the paper is a good, substantial weight. Lids are printed, boxes are coordinating solid colors.

"I started making cards for friends several years ago, and in December, 2004,”the artist says. “Idle words became action when I sold holiday cards to the florist down the street. Almost all of my cards are one of a kind.”

Butterflies (set of 4) - $12.00
These one-of-a-kind cards are 6.5x5”, hand stamped then heat embossed in gold, both the image and the lower edge of the cards. Then they were watercolored by hand. Inside is blank so you can inscribe a personal message.


Pink Iris No. 3 – $4.00
This is a 6.5”x5” Iris-fold card, so-called because the folds of paper in the center of the card resemble the lens of a camera's iris. Each small folded strip of paper is laid down at a very precise angle to create the effect. (There are three cards made in this series, labeled Pink Iris No. 1 through No. 3). Inside is blank so you can inscribe your own message.

If you think you would be interesting in learning some of these techniques yourself, you may want to purchase this book which goes into a number of fascinating ways of using paper. (The artist liked it so much she bought it twice under different titles).

Book - Artistry in Paper – $10.00
Marked down from $18.95, is a soft-cover instructional book by Paul Jackson. This one is brand new and covers topics including: using molds, assembly, layering paper strips, papermaking, decorative ideas, folded surfaces, representational, pop-ups, paper Mache, paper sculpture and modular origami. All of the concepts are well illustrated and instructions are one step at a time; filled with gorgeous photographs.

See more of her work at:
QuirkynBerkeley.etsy.com

To see custom samples, go to:
http://www.picturetrail.com/photos/quirkynberkeley

Read her blog at:
http://quirkynberkeley.blogspot.com

Thanks For This Food We Are About To Receive…and Food for Thought

Set of 4 Cards in a pink felt bag - $7.50
This is a set of 4 pink-themed, 4"x 5.5" all-occasion cards which come in a pink felt bag, with button closure and a green vine stitched around the edges. Each comes with their own envelope. Other colors available; contact artist about specifics.

Sarah Orton of SimplySaidBySarah is a graphic design student. Her friends and co-workers in Raleigh, North Carolina encouraged her to put her lifelong love of crafts to work, so she created her business in response to their suggestions.

All of her profits are donated to help provide treatment to people with eating disorders through an organization called NEDA.

These cheery designs make nice gift items and are reasonably-priced. Forget Hallmark and buy hand-made while you help people with your purchase.

Holly Sticky Notes - $1.00
Printed Sticky Notepad measures 3"x3" and has a fun, sturdy cover. This pad has 100 green sticky note pages.

Monogrammed Gift Set - $4.25
set includes 1 sticky note pad with your monogram on it, 1 colored memo pad with a lovely ribbon tied through it, and 1 coordinating gel pen all wrapped together in a cellophane bag. (please specify color you would like and your initials).

It is fitting that I should be doing this particular feature on Thanksgiving Day when food is such a big part of the American tradition. Although a joyous occasion for some shared with love from friends and family, this holiday is no doubt an added source of inner turmoil for those who suffer in a tomb of isolation from eating disorders. Perhaps we should reflect and think to ourselves “but by the grace of God go I” and contribute to this worthy cause so that others might one day enjoy eating and life the way the rest of us can.

To purchase these wonderful paper products and magnets, just go to:
http://SimplySaidBySarah.etsy.com
and to learn more about the artist, see her blog:
http://SimplySaidBySarah.blogspot.com

Natures Mimicry

Autumn Earth Mandala Art Quilt - $80.00
Hand-dyed fabrics by the artist; measures 13 inches across

Indigoluna based in Silverton, Oregon has been a fiber artist for 15 years, having done one kind of art or another all her life, her work has appeared on the cover of the 2005 Quilting Arts Calender, in Artella Magazine, Art/Quilt Magazine, Fiberarts Design Book 6, as well as many juried shows.

You can tell by her style that she has grown up with a love of nature. As a child she walked in the woods, picked wild mushrooms, and played in the blackberry bushes, captivated with the tree-covered landscape and taking in all the beauty that was around her. She mentions in her Etsy profile studying moss. Take a look at this art quilt devoted to exactly that.

The Secret Life of Moss - Art Quilt Collage - $95.00
Photographic printed transfer on cotton fabric; 8 X 10 art quilt embellished with yarn

Many of her pieces are inspired by natural forms and even the textures look almost like they came from the bark of certain types of trees or based on the fur of animals.

Her colors incorporate a lot of greens, reds, yellow, orange, and blue used together to give a rich depth to her pieces, and they are almost all punctuated by beautiful textures, with lots of frayed natural torn-looking edges and layering of one type or another. These business card carrying cases are really clever and quite beautiful! She has several currently available, but I really love this one.

Magic Pop-Up Business Card Carrying Case - $16.00
Cards fit snugly down inside and when you pull the beaded ribbon, they pop up like magic!

She is energized by trying things that are uncharted to see if they will work. This one below is fantastic and I’m sure she had to think outside the box to complete it!

Fiber Art/Mixed-Media Vessel - $85.00
Triangular vessel was created from the artist’s hand-dyed/rusted fabrics fused to Timtex and embellished with funky fibers, copper mesh and carnelian beads. It stands 10 inches high.

For those of you with a miniscule amount of money to spend, you can still have a tiny piece of art from Indigoluna for a very reasonable price; in fact she is nearly giving away these inchie lapel pins. They are so well-made and are created from beautiful and unusual fabrics you can’t find just anywhere. Yes, they are small, but fine! At this price you can afford to get a nice gift for your boss and all the office staff.

Beach Trip Quilted Inchie Lapel Pin - $10.00
1.5 inch square quilted mixed-media pin embellished with beaded wire dangles

See her Etsy store here:
http://Indigoluna.etsy.com

and to learn more about the artist, read her blog:
http://indigoluna.typepad.com/indigo_luna/

Celebration!

Image en miroir- Set of 3 mirror Eiffel Tower Tags PARIS -$3.95
Delicate pink parchment cardstock with chocolate brown ink
And ribbons with a little mirror at the bottom with a word on each.

Katie Lyn Sherry of myheart2yours located in Kansas City, Missouri, uses paper in a variety of ways to make her statement. Her other job is working as
a professional math tutor, teaching all levels from Jr. High through college.

"Paper was easily accessible when I was a child" says Katie Lyn. "I remember saving my money or begging my mom to get a new pad of construction paper... You remember? The one with the green cover that had two or three sheets of each color. It was so hard to decide which to use first. I think I always used the ugly ones first.

She embellishes her paper items using a wide variety of decorative parts and different techniques.
"Now that I have advanced onto more spendy papers, I have learned that you can ink, sand, stain, doodle, bend, tear, soak, alter, or otherwise mutilate paper and it still looks fabulous!"

The captions in many of her handmade cards and gift tags show a whit as sharp as the paper's edge. Katie Lyn made her mother a retro card for Mother’s Day and she proudly took it to work and showed everyone. Her somewhat dark humor shows in this tag below;

Humor Me MOMMYS DIET 4x6 inches LARGE Retro Tag - $2.55
Made with Basic Grey Papers or Bazzil Textured Cardstock and finished with Prima Flowers and sequins.

"I have an ebay store that is not yet stocked with products," says Katie Lyn, "but I mainly sell through Etsy.com or through private consignments from personal friends or acquaintances. Person to person is very successful. My items tend to be very full of embellishment. It needs to be touched to be appreciated, no picture in the world can take the place of holding a cool art item in your hand."

12 Itsy Bitsy Etsy Thank You Mini Notes - $4.00
(Set number 2), 3 x 2.5". Each note comes
with a crisp sealable cellophane bag.

Katie Lyn has learned to be sure to charge enough for shipping to cover all the costs you might not think of are involved in mailing the item. "Most department stores or catalog ordering companies charge a minimum of $6.00 to ship even the smallest item," she points out. "There is a reason for this. Of course I don't charge that much! But packaging, pay pal fees, extra goodies, listing fees and everything else included as costs of a sold item can actually make the difference between breaking even or losing money." Her advice to other artists is that they need to "value themselves and their products! Don't be afraid to ask for what it will take to mail your items."

Techniques Katie Lyn is interested in learning are how to solder with copper and Microscope slides.

To prepare for holiday shoppers she has listed with a few Independent artists gift guides as well as promoting on her blog and on etsy.

This scrapbook below has lots of bright colors and can be used as a baby book or for a little girl to put pictures in and precious things she wants to save

Oh Baby Girl 4x4 Wire bound scrapbook— $12.00
One of a kind, thick, and with lots of ribbons, tags, pockets, and other stuff


BLOB ART Gust- $5.00
Measures 4x6, hand drawn, and One-Of-A-Kind, drawn with marker on thick art board. Signed, titled, and dated on the back.


Doodle Blob Art PSYCHOTIC 80s- $5.00
Measures 4x6, hand drawn, and One-Of-A-Kind, drawn with marker on thick art board. Signed, titled, and dated on the back

Long-term, her goal for her business will be to streamline her products listed on Etsy focusing on what has sold the most, and to continue to be unique. "I am also planning on developing a website where customers can purchase supplies, kits and finished art directly from me."

"I sold a custom scrapbook for $250.00. It was worth every penny to the buyer! She was a busy new mom and didn't have the time to do justice to her pictures that she treasured. She gave them to me all sorted by subject and I made a complete baby book for her."

Katie Lyn welcomes special orders and wants to make your dreams in paper come true!

To see more paper creations go to:

http://myheart2yours.etsy.com
http://katiepaper.blogspot.com/

Make Your Mark With Handcrafted Personalized Greeting Cards!

LOOKING FOR A PERSONALIZED CARD? Sandiego-based Earmark creates handcrafted printed and/or personalized greeting cards, note cards and sets. Most of their individual cards retail for about $3.00 apiece while custom birthday cards can be commissioned for $7.50 per card, using the names, any text, colors or images that you might like! They also can create wedding invitations.

From the Whimsical, to the comical, to the romantic of paisley, Earmark's versatility and artistic talent is evident as soon as you go to their Etsy online store; http://Earmark.etsy.com

Pictured above is a lovely notecard called "Orangy Bird" silkscreened on a double thick charcoal grey column paper. Paper is duplexed, meaning it has a second color, white, smooth paper inside making it easy to write on!