The Six Weeks of Christmas Blog Give-Away - 11/1 - 11/7/08

Win a pair of hand-made freshwater pear earrings from Dancing Monkey Jewelry. These pearl earrings are as perfect to wear with a cashmere sweater or with a t-shirt and your favorite blue jeans. The dual set of pearls dangle from hand-forged French ear wires. They are approximately 1 inch long as measured from the top of the ear wire. They are available in many colors: Black Cherry, Blush, Pistachio, Peacock Blue and Silver Sand.

To enter for your chance to win a pair of Pearl Earrings, please visit either of my shops on Etsy: Dancing Monkey Jewelry or Dragonfly Photography, then come back to this blog and leave a comment letting me know which one of my items is your favorite. This contest ends on Friday, November 7, 2008 at midnight PST. Any entries made after that time will not be eligible for this drawing. But don’t fret – there will be another one next week.

Click here to see the contest rules.

The Contest Rules...

The Rules:

1. You do not need to purchase anything to win.

2. To enter, leave a comment on this blog entry describing your favorite item from one of my online stores, located at Dancing Monkey Jewelry or Dragonfly Photography. You can enter as many times as you want – however - all entries must be made by a separate post. The odds of winning depend on how many times you enter and the number of entries received.

3. This is a weekly drawing – lasting 6 weeks. Each week there will be one prize. For the week of November 1, 2008 - the prize is a pair of Hand Crafted Pearl Earrings. The approximate retail value of this prize is $10.00. The winner will be chosen by random drawing (random.org) conducted by, Martha Hughes, operator of The Dancing Monkey Jewelry Chronicles.

4. Winners will be notified by email only. If you do not have a blog you will need to provide a valid email address at time of entry. If I’m unable to contact you or if the winner fails to respond to email within three (3) days from the time notification email has been sent, the win will be null and void and a new winner will be chosen.

5. Upon acceptance of their prize, all winners must agree to allow Martha Hughes release their name as a winner in a blog post on The Dancing Monkey Jewelry Chronicles. If the winner does not agree to this stipulation the win will become null and void and a new winner will be chosen.

6. The prize will be mailed by US Mail with delivery confirmation within seven (7) days of acceptance. The sponsor, Martha Hughes, is not responsible for packages lost or damaged in the mail.

7. The contest begins on 11/01/08. All entries must be received by midnight PST on 11/7/08. The winner will be selected on or about 11/8/08.

8. By entering the contest, entrants agree that the decisions of the judge are final.

The Six Weeks of Christmas Blog Give-Away...

Begins tomorrow!!! So, don't forget. There will be 6 give-aways, special promotions and maybe a few more suprises from both of my shops on Etsy - Dancing Monkey Jewelry and Dragonfly Photography.

And, last but not least, check out my new blog - Dragonfly Photography. My first post will be later on tonight - 6:00pm PST. Ever wanted to know the story behind the photograph? Well...this is where I'll be spilling the beans about the photographs I have for sale in my shop. I'm working a few features from some of my favorite photographers - all in all - it's going to be all about photography.

Best regards,

Martha

New Shop on Etsy has Photographs!!!

I'm a procrastinator - I love the challenge of having too much to do and not enough time to get it done. I think I'm a low-level adrenaline junkie. Any way, tonight I managed to post some photographs in my new shop on Etsy - Dragonfly Photography. Which puts me way ahead of schedule - I was going to do this on Friday night - just before the grand opening. But it's done!!! I'll have several more photos to post in my shop but these should do for now. The photograph to the left is one of photographs I listed tonight. It was taken during vacation at Alnwick Castle in England this summer. It's one of my favorites.

Then once I get Dragonfly Photography up and running I think I'll devote some time re-photographing my jewelry on Dancing Monkey Jewelry and put everything on a bright, white background - it's looking a bit dreary.

Building a Mailing List...

So, in my travels about the internet every now and then I come across a great blog posting on another blog that I'd like to share with you. Well...last night I came across a blog: Craft Show Tips blog - which offers great articles on craft shows and links to other great blogs. On the Craft Show Tips blog there was one post that caught my attention - it fantastic article on how to create a mailing list written by Amanda, one of the co-owner's of The Olde Village Depot - which is an online marketplace for primitive and country crafters. You can check out the "Building a Mailing List" at Village Press.

I've provided links so that you can check out these great blogs on your own.

DMJ Artists of the Week - October 27, 2008

I'm excited about the return of the "DMJ Artists of the Week" posts and I hope you are too. Routine, I have discovered, isn't such a bad thing to have in your life. Granted it isn't as exciting as have a life full of "spontaneity" or "adventure" - with routine you know what to expect, what to do and when to do it - like shop promotions.

This week I've discovered a theme for the artists I'm promoting - all of them are "green" artists - they are doing their take care of the earth by recycling, re-purposing and not using harmful ingredients in their products. To meet this week's featured artists you can either click o their names and be take directly to their posts or you an scroll through the blog for each post. So, without further ado, let's get to this week's featured artists!

The first artist is Laura from Xoelle, who's shop is full of lovely things that are reused, recycled or re-purposed. There's something about the history and sentiment that unloved, forgotten items retain that she loves and her creations breath a new life into them. Her shop is full of funky bow ties that are made from vintage neckties or my personal favorite the re-purposed drawer liner zippered pouch.

My next is artist is Kate from Om Shanti Handcrafts - she is a herbalist and jewelry maker. Her products are fabulous. How do I know? Well...I sound overly familiar with her products, last week I placed an order with her. I bought her Three for Lips o0o Three pack of luxurious lip balms - in Chai, Everything Citrus Ever and Tangerine Vanilla. So far, I've only tried Tangerine Vanilla and I have to say I like it a lot!

My last promotion is for an artist who does not have a shop on Etsy. Matter of fact, promotion is a little more personal than the other promotions I've done. It's for a good friend of mine, Lisa, who, along with a group of partners, have started their own line of natural men's grooming products - Rehab London. This is a great line of product While I was visiting her this summer she showed me a sample of her product - The Calm Balm - it smelled wonderful and I sort of sampled a bit of it and really liked how it made my skin feel - smooth and not greasy. It's unfortunate, that this line is for men or else I'd be using it. Rehab London is based out of London and you can purchase their products from their web-site (they ship everywhere - even to the US).

So that's it for this week. I hope you will check out the shops/blogs/web-site of my featured artists.

Xoelle

Tell me about your shop. What will I find there?

My shop is full of very useful beautiful things that have been repurposed and recycled from forgotten vintage items. I like sailors, geeks, baking, and holidays, and that's all reflected in my store.

How long have you been in business?

I've been making and selling online for 5 years or so, but have just recently decided that it requires more of my attention.

Where do you sell your creations?

Right now I am exclusively on Etsy. My shop is located at http://www.xoelle.etsy.com

Do you have a blog or web-site?

Yes I do! I've blogged for many years. You can find me at http://www.xoelle.com

Who is your favorite crafts person/artisan or favorite web resource?

I love Heidi Kenney at http://www.mypapercrane.com, she's an example to me, and made me realize that one can live a crafty-family-art-filled life.

Are there any upcoming craft fairs/art shows that you’ll be participating in this year?

I've never done a show! I've been accepted to Stitch Rock though, and will be participating. http://www.rockthestitch.com

Omshanti

Tell me about your shop. What will I find there?

I have an ever-expanding line of all-natural herbal bath and body products. My newest products include body sprays.

Good Smellin Bug Stuff -- Smells good, works, and no DEET! What more could you want?

Minty Footy Spray -- Peppermint, spearmint, tea tree, relaxes tired feet and smells. So. Good.

Leanna's Favourite -- Lavender and chamomile for those stressful days when you don't have time for a bath or even a cup of tea.

Ease the Burn Sunburn Spray -- Thoroughly tested (never go camping without sunscreen), and it works.

My herbal products also include salves, soap, bath salts, lip balms, herbal teas, and milk baths.

I also make beaded jewelry. My current favourite piece (it changes a lot!) is called I Won't Be Your Yoko Ono. It's tigereseye discs with two different colours of coral, separated by tiny silver seed beads. I do my clasps myself, and this necklace has one of my better efforts.

How long have you been in business?

I played around with starting a business last summer, but it's only been about six months since I started getting serious. Call it February 2008 if you want an attempt at precision.

Where do you sell your creations?

I sell on Etsy: http://omshanti.etsy.com/ and also in the Creative Cafe Salesrooms: http://www.creativecafesalesrooms.com/storecatalog.asp?userid=31

Do you have a blog or web-site?

My blog is at http://omshantihandcrafts.wordpress.com/ and it's simply named after my shop. I talk about new products, things I'm working on, and my kitten. These days, mostly my kitten.

Who is your favorite crafts person/artisan or favorite web resource ?

I have learned a lot from TeachSoap -- http://www.teachsoap.com/. They have recipes and ideas and lots of great references, not only for soap but for lotions and bath bombs and all kinds of herbal things.

Are there any upcoming craft fairs/art shows that you'll be participating in this year?

I'm selling at Rhythm on the Rails -- a weekly free concert series in Niwot, CO. It's every Thursday night until September 11, from 6-9, and
so far the music has been great! Their web site is: http://www.bceproductions.com/rhythm-on-the-rails/

The DMJ Artists Promotions Are Back!!!

Yep, that's right! This popular blog feature will return this Monday, October 27th. I've got 2 great artists and one great entrepreneur to tell you about.

There will be a few small changes to the format. For starters I'll be featuring 3 artists instead of 5, the interview questions will change (they're starting to bore me) and there will be a few surprises which I'll leave until later. So, get ready. I think you're going to enjoy the new format and meeting the artists that I will be featuring.

It's great to be back.

Martha