Friday, September 12, 2008

EtsyForAnimals Birthday Bash Sale in over 180 stores on Etsy


Make a note of the dates : September 15th to September 30th In honor of EtsyForAnimals' Birthday Bash, during this period, many members of the EFA team will be accepting a 20% off Coupon in their shops.

There are over 170 shops that are currently signed up to accept the 20% off coupon here at Etsy including our team member PurrPrints and the EFA team store (which donates 100% of profits to animal charities on all sales). For a complete list of those shops stay tuned at the EFA website. You can use PurrPrints' code PURR in any of those participating shops (you don't need to switch to different codes every time you see a new one--each team member is promoting a different code as part of a little competition).

The nitty gritty: The coupon code "PURR" is good for 20% off the entire order price at any participating store (this does not include shipping). You can only use it once in each store during the sale period (though it can be used in as many participating stores during the sale as you wish), so make sure to stock up!

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Aquariann: Fantasy art and fantastic goodies

Aquariann is another fairly new member to Team SquidEtsy, and she's taken off with a bang. She has a number of lenses on Squidoo already, including one about her art. She creates fantastical drawings of fairies and other magical creatures and turns them into everything from prints and cards to bookmarks and magnets. She's taken a few minutes to answer some questions about her work and interests: read on.

Tell us about your art? I never did very well in formal drawing classes. I didn't enjoy standing up and trying to draw on a vertical surface, nor did I like any of the messy mediums I was instructed to use. Squinting at still lives and being graded on art wasn't fun. It wasn't until I started drawing what, where and how I wanted, without worrying about anyone else's opinion, that I started considering myself an "artist." By using ink and colored pencils, a 9x12 pad of smooth bristol paper, and my imagination, I'm free to let loose the fantastical world that dances within my mind.

What first inspired you to start drawing? In elementary school, my friends and I used to make up hordes of characters to write into a young adult series. However, I spent way more time drawing the characters and their situations than actually writing about them - a realization that occurred to me much later. It wasn't until college that it dawned on me to seriously try drawing - thanks to a new addiction to anime and comic books, the discovery of modern fantasy artists such as Amy Brown and Jessica Galbreth, and many art history classes where I got to drool over the beauty of 10,000 years of work.

What are you working on right now? In the past, I have used my magic to transform a few of my friends into fairies and my father into a pirate. Right now I am in the process of turning a childhood friend into a mermaid. She is an amazing stock photographer, and when I saw her pose as a mermaid on deviantArt, I was very excited.

How would you like to develop your shop in the future? Besides all the ideas I have for new drawings that I hope to someday put to paper, I'd like to branch out on my products. I'm especially interested in temporary tattoos and shirts, as I've been asked about them a lot.

What's your favorite item in your shop? What a tough decision! For the moment, it would have to be my newest artwork. "Aware" (bottom right image) is a breast cancer awareness fairy inspired by my mom, a survivor of 14 years. The lump was discovered in her breast back in 1994, but was misdiagnosed as benign until six months later. I was in 7th grade at the time, and have never been more scared in my life. The most vivid memory I have of that time isn't waiting in the hospital or helping with the drainage tube - it was when she had to cut her hair because of the chemo. Her hair had flowed to her knees the entire 13 years I'd known her and seeing her without it was a big change. I can't even begin to imagine how tough it was for her to recover from cancer. She is an incredibly strong woman.

What's the most interesting item you've seen on etsy? NoosedKitty was one of the first etsyians I purchased from. Her art is just so unique! Who else would think to draw a narwhal in a bakery?

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Art for Hair ~ Handcrafted Hair Sticks and More!


Another one of our talented squidetsy members is Art for Hair. Art for Hair makes handcrafted hair sticks, hair forks and earrings. One visit to her store and you'll be hooked on her wonderful accessories.

Here is a little bit more about Art for Hair:

Tell us about your craft/art?
I make hair sticks, hair forks and coordinating jewelry. The sticks and forks are hand carved and decorated with glass and silver beads and Swarovski crystals.

What first inspired you to start crafting?

I've always been creative, and my mother was an art teacher, so always encouraged me. I've always drawn and sewn, but started making hair sticks when I wanted to grow long hair but couldn't really find nice, non-damaging accessories. I started making my own instead!

What are you working on right now?
I'm working on a new line of embroidered hair barrettes and ribbon fasteners. Hair sticks and hair forks can only really be used if you have shoulder-length or longer hair, so I wanted to have items that those with shorter hair could wear.

How would you like to develop your shop in the future?

I'd like to do more custom orders, and expand my hair forks by working with more exotic woods, and getting better equipment.

What's your favorite item in your shop?

I love my Beaded Spiral Red Oak Hair Fork, actually I'd rather like to keep it for me! But of course, anyone who'd like to buy it is more than welcome :)


What's the most interesting/weirdest/funniest item you've seen on etsy?

Rose of Sharon Acre's Tooth Chips - Soap for your teeth - looks weird but apparently is better for your teeth than regular toothpaste. When I have money, I'll be trying this!

Store lens: http://www.squidoo.com/hairsticksandforks

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Thanks to our Top Entrecard Droppers for August!

We'd like to thank everyone who dropped their entrecard at Team SquidEtsy during August, and especially our top ten droppers. Our top ten droppers for August were:

1. Beyond Feron
2. My Gypsy Goods
3. The Peanut Butter Blog
4. Politics 2000
5. Make Every Day Your Lucky Day
6. Unique You
7. Thyme 2 Dream
8. Purr Prints
9. Art for Hair
10. Pink Crab Creations

These are all great blogs, check them out now! Again, thanks to everyone who dropped on us!