Bloom and Bling

Today's feature is on BloomandBling! Shanna Williams is a stay at home Mom of two boys and two girls.

She loves to keep herself busy at crafting and promoting her shop. Promoting her shop is where I got to know her....she is a member of the Promotional Frenzy Team and that is what we do. Shanna just became a leader of that great team as well.

Lets hear what Shanna has to say:


If you are looking for a birthday gift, holiday gift, or just something beautiful for a special girl you have come to the right place! Our barrettes, headbands, bows, tutus, and other products are sure to bring a smile to the face of you AND your little darling!

Need an outfit for an upcoming photography session? Our tutus and flower headbands are perfect for getting those special photographs of your special girl!

We take great pride in our products and make every effort to be sure all of the products are the latest and most popular designs, at an affordable price.

Bloomandbling can also be found at these sites:

Facebook Fan Page:
www.facebook.com/pages/Bloom-and-Bling-Accessories/142162869153947

Twitter:
twitter.com/bloomandbling

Blog:
bloomandbling.blogspot.com/

Flickr:
www.flickr.com/photos/bloomandbling/

Be sure to drop into Bloomandbling to see her beautiful creations! Her daughter is the beautiful model!

Just for The Children

Today I would like to highlight a lady that is all about the children. Her wonderful shop and blog are both centered on them. I met Annie on the Etsy Angels Team...she is a wonderful addition to our team.

MyMiniMocs is Annie, the owner and designer of Mini-Mocs. Mini-Mocs, Inc. was started in 2005 for the love of babies' feet and the desire for a fashionable alternative in children's footwear.

My best friend & sister has six beautiful children and when it came time to putting shoes on their feet and keeping them there her choices were far & few between. She found herself limited to shoes made in China including many of the larger brands and most others all looked alike.

Developing mini-mocs became a mission. We set out to develop a child's shoe that put the health of children's feet first accompanied by the wonderful benefits of being incredibe flexible, machine washabie and having a stay on fit. Like all of our products Mini-Mocs are made with materials that exceed the US government safety standards for childrens product and are handmade in the USA. Mini-Mocs are available in four sizes. They are pediatrician recommended.

Annie's shop is bare right now as she is filling a huge wholesale order! But I am sure if you do not see what you are looking for she will be more than happy to help you out.

Her blog is a wealth of information on children...it is a must for parents.

Meet another Great Artist....DiVaRoCks

Today I would like to introduce you to another Great Artist of the Etsy Community - DiVaRoCks!!!

I will let Diva tell you about herself and I will highlight some of her very beautiful creations. I asked her 5 questions and she answered them beautifully so will just post them here:

1. I have an interest in several crafts, but they all have a common theme--I like to use a lot of color, whether its scrapbook paper, fabric, or painting. My father inlaw has given me full use of his wood shop, where I have set up a studio and I am learning to use the tools as I go along. I am currently working on a lake/beach house series, and I just finished a set of very colorful fish.

2. I first realized I was artistic at the age of five. My mom kept me in a never ending supply of paper, paints, etc. I even made a mural on my parent's freshly painted walls, and never understood why they weren't pleased with my efforts! When I wanted to learn to sew, she cut up her table cloth and had me sew it back together. When I was in the third grade I learned to crochet granny squares, and in the fifth grade I was given my first sewing machine for my birthday. I was a floral designer for Ben Franklin Crafts for about five years, and when I bought my first house I painted murals on the walls, which led to having my own decorating business for several years.

3. COUNTRY LIVING magazine featured Etsy a couple of years ago, and at that time I was working on a set of wood children's blocks for my grandchildren. My family encouraged me to make more and open an Etsy shop of my own, I have been hooked ever since!

4. I have sold my crafts at a local farmer's market, but I am not currently participating on a weekly basis.

5. I am currently working on a design plan for a playhouse made from fabric and pvc pipes. I have two grandaughters and I am always trying to find something unique that I can make for them.

DivaRocks is a member of the fast pace Promotional Frenzy Team!

Special Artist Feature - SusieTenzer

I have been having a difficult time lately coming up with blog posts so decided I will do something that is fairly simple and will help out other artists!

I am going to be featuring some wonderful artists on my blog. Today I will start with SusieTenzer.

Here is what Susie has to say:

I'm a colored pencil artist. I'm a retired teacher & returned to my artistic roots about a year ago. I've done many different mediums, but colored pencil is a great fit for me.

In the past year I've juried in art shows, opened my shops on Etsy & Artfire & was invited to sell my art in a gallery!

I heard about Etsy from a friend. I'm about to open another shop, ZigZagArts, which will feature decoupage glass plates, platters & bowls.


Susie just joined the Promotional Frenzy team which I am on and I wanted to help her feel welcome to the team and get the team to know a bit about her.

Here is a sample of Susie's beautiful work!

Good luck Susie with this shop and your new one!

You can also find Susie here:
http://susietenzer.blogspot.com/

Consignment Sales.

I have been sewing and selling my crafts for the past 6 years. My first sales were to co workers looking for baby items for showers and family. This lead to me being invited to a Christmas craft fair at one of our local high schools...it turned out to be a great venue for me and from there I was doing 4 schools in November.

While being a vendor there I met a number of contacts that worked or managed seasonal shops and was invited to put my products in their shops.

I now have my products in a shop managed by my sister at the Wood Island Lighthouse - they like to have mostly nautical themes.

I have a shop on the waterfront in Charlottetown that only takes crafts from local artists and they also like the nautical theme.

Another shop that has my product is the Orwell Historical Village and they look mostly for country themed items.

It is funny how each venue has their own style and what sells for them. They also each have their own consignment fee....it ranges from 20 to 30%. They all have great sales in bibs and potholders!

These 3 shops are shops I have dealt with for the past number of years and they have all been good experiences but there have been a few bad ones as well.

One shop that had my items for one year, returned them all stuffed in a garbage bag.. I never returned to this shop.

Another shop after going there about 4 times I finally got my items back and fly crap and all, so items were faded as they were hung in a window in the sun.

But all in all I like consignment but would advise anyone looking into it to be sure to keep a good accounting of what you leave and be sure to go periodically to check on your products.

I am in the process of gearing up for another year of consignment. I hope this year was a profitable and as good an experience as last.

Mother's Day is May 8th!

I can not believe Sunday will be May 8th and Mother's Day....where has the time gone.

I am not prepared for it at all....can you believe I am working a 12 hour day shift and do not know if I can get out of it. My son is not going to be pleased with me!

Do you have plans made? What do you do for your Mother on Mother's Day?

My mother is a very simple lady and does not like a fuss so we usually try not to all show up at once but plan our visits so there are not many of us there at a time. She does like to get little gifts. I am planning on getting her a watch and I bought this cute little note pad from Arriving Angels on Etsy:

My son and his wife usually have a BBQue at their house and the two mothers are there....they will get us small gifts from the boys. Her mother and I will get her something as well...this year one of the little things I bought her is this cute key chain from GlitterbirdGlamour:

Whatever the day brings I always enjoy just spending some time with my son, grandsons this year and my Mom. Mom is 75 years old and I worry each year it will be our last. So I will cherish every minute I get with her.

Hope all you wonderful ladies out there have a wonderful Mother's Day!!!