Designing Diva is giving away FREE pendants!

WHAT!?
That's awesome news. I found her site Diva Buzz, when I was featured in November as part of her "Wish-List Wednesday" Blog, where she was wishing for something I made.
What a feather in my cap!


Once I started poking around and reading, I found her offer to give you one her glass pendants free*.
*Ahh, the asterisk.
Its free, but you have to pay $4.95 shipping. Not bad!
Here's the link to read more and see if you fall in love with her work.

FREE PENDANT HERE
Choose from her designs HERE

As a glass fuser myself, I was interested in how this worked. I think its a fun way to get people into your shop and poking around. I was hooked and started reading.
Have fun, and if you decide to get one, let me know!

Environmental Art - plastic soda bottles for Christmas

Genius! I love when I come across an artist who makes it big with a simple idea.
The new Neiman Marcus Christmas Book is out now, featuring a host of fancy pants things. One that struck me is Michelle Brand's gorgeous Cascade Lancashire Chandelier which retails for only $12,000. It's made with recycled plastic bottle bottoms, precisely cut-out into flower shapes , filed, and strung together (with little plastic tags that look like the ones in which clothing price tags are affixed, you know, with the gun). Genius again!
I've long been fascinated with mobiles and chandeliers made out of quirky things, and tried to make my own before. I thought I would make a business out of it once, buying an antique form to embellish, then realizing that the shipping/tangle issue would be too much for me and gave up. I could've been Michelle Brand.

Her message is to convey that we can be part of the solution to our big mess. Recycling can be beautiful (and lucrative).
Read an article here from naturalhome magazine for more info.

ps- thanks studio marcy for pointing out the neiman marcus catalog!!

Shout Out!

This SHOUT OUT goes to AnnMarie of superduper fame!

This is her Deluxe Burlesque Flower Headpiece in lavender and silver. I cant resist this glamourous look! Theres a photo in the listing (if you click on it) that shows the different colors she has and they each have their own personality. I can see wearing this to any event really, or a really lame event to make it an insta-party! Yahoo!

I like that the feather is a sort of gray and moody, lending to the idea that the person wearing it is from another era. "Victorian" is one of the new trends spotted by etsy recently, and this could certainly fit there too. I wore a "superduper" piece for my wedding and I now have something really special to wear that reminds me of the biggest party Ive hosted.

It puts me in a girly mood just having it lay on my dressing table.

Everyone ought to visit her shop to find all sorts of delights. But hurry, she JUST made her 100th sale and is on a roll! Way to go!

EDITORS NOTE: I want to add a side note here, and point out a comment that I received here about the feather pieces. It comes up A LOT and think its something that AnnMarie hears over and over again...
Heres the comment:

"These are really cool. I've always wanted to wear something like this (especially with feathers) but never felt like I could pull it off."

And this is my response: Yes, you CAN pull it off, silly dilly!! And theres a few ways to go about it. One is to attach the feather clip just a little lower than your ear, kind of tucked as if it was a flower in your hair. This makes it more of an addition to your hair than a hat-like piece. I wear the small feather clips in the back of my hair just above my low ponytails when I waitress, and they arent crazy looking, most people are delighted.

Heres a photo of me wearing my newest superduper piece, which isnt a big over-the-top piece, and would be easy to add to any wardrobe.

Another way to enable yourself to wear them without feeling like your heading to the kentucky derby is to find a color that blends with your look. If your hair is dark, get a black feather combo with maybe a sprig of blue or red to pop. This really adds volume to your hair, and a lot of pizazz without the look of a showgirl (though I dont know why anyone wouldn't want to look like a showgirl, they have so much fun!).

Heres a photo of my sister wearing one that shows how it can blend a little and still add glam.

You could also go the showgirl route for parties though. Everyone likes the gal that looks like she cared enough to dress up for the party. The nice thing about these is that all you have to do is clip and go. You really don't have to do much to look like a million bucks.

Featured Shop: Whimsy & Spice

Whimsy & Spice

Homemade Cardamom Marshmallows

Whimsy & Spice was founded in 2008 by the husband and wife team of Mark Sopchak and Jenna Park, who combine their skills and more than 12 years of experience in culinary arts and graphic design to produce a distinctive line of handmade sweets.

These sweets include Hazelnut Chocolate Whisky sandwich cookies, Rose & Black Pepper thumbprints, Homemade Chocolate Marshmallows and Honey Lavender shortbread cookies, to name a few.

Coconut Five Spice White Chocolate cookies

I can't get ENOUGH of this photography!! I have never tried this product and I'm endorsing it.

This should tell you something about my last posts' tips. Product photography is the difference between yummy and I NEEEED this..NOW. This looks like it was shot for a magazine, a menu, something for real. The thing is, everyone on Etsy is for real, or trying to be, but getting it to appear that way is really tough. If you are trying to get great photographs and just can't seem to get the results you want- try, try again. I, personally, had to fiddle with my camera and some free photo programs for months before getting a look I liked. You can also hire someone to do this for you if you have a product that you can make multiples of. This way you only need to make great images once over, and reuse them. If you constantly have a new, unique item- you will need to find a set-up, or photography system that will allow you to get the right images every time.

Pumpkin Ginger Sandwich Cookies

Consistency (in photography) is another reason why this shop is SO gorgeous. I saw an image/product that I liked, drooled a little, and clicked onto the next- and viola! MORE goodness. I just kept clicking away and all items had the same serene, gourmet, delicious-just-baked-I-need-to-be-wearing-a-robe-drinking-hot-cocoa-being-pampered look.

Whimsy and Spice classic sampler box

Another great thing I found in this shop, is a picture of their packaging. It shows me that they care about presentation, and I am more likely to purchase from them, than someone who will wrap their cookies in a paper towel and bubble wrap. I could visualize myself shipping these off to a friend as a gift. Another gorgeous photo.

Congratulations Jenna and Mark!