Gorgeous pottery giveaway by Ivy Pottery & Crafts!

Aren't these gorgeous? Sharon Ivy over at Ivy Pottery & Crafts is doing a giveaway for a $25 gift certificate to her Etsy store and FREE shipping!  Get on over there and check it out!

Just some of the beautiful pieces...

Tuesday is Treasury Day (I've just decided)

I'm addicted to treasury-making on Etsy.  Much like my blog-envy problem, treasury-making involves coveting others creative genius and ability to produce wonderful items.  Seeing as how Etsy just hooked up with HGTV (Feelings? Thoughts?), treasury-making has become even MORE exciting and competitive to be featured on the front page.  But that's not why I do it (although it would be awesome.)  I love to browse Etsy, in fact I spend way too much time doing so, but it gives me so much inspiration and delight to see the beautiful things my fellow artists are making.

Here is my latest treasury:

Dark and Stormy

Beautiful items!  Give it a try - it's fun!  My theme was "Dark and Stormy."  I picked the most eye catching items that came up in searches for keywords like "dark," "cloudy," "rainy," "storm," etc. that suited my desire to focus on dark gray, silver and a hint of red.  I rearranged them in the treasury until I was satisfied, tagged it with keywords, and clicked publish.

The sellers were sent a message, some posted about it on their blogs or in item descriptions.  I find it's a great way to connect with other sellers and maybe even get a few new shop hearts.  But mostly, it's just fun to shop and collect without ever having to spend a dime (would if I could!!!)

I shall try to post a new treasury every Tuesday.  Happy voting, fellow Washingtonians, and have a great night!

Growing a new business and Blog Hop (hope this works...)

Things have definitely not been slow around here, which is great!  I'm very glad to be busy.  I'm still learning how to perfect my craft (working on efficiency), stretching my creativity and finding the balance between work and life (the biggest struggle I face working from home.)  I'm also learning that networking and promoting my business is a big priority as well.  So this week I'm trying some new things, including posting on the Etsy forums to connect with other sellers and doing a Blog Hop (which I really have no idea how to do, I'm following the directions I got from http://moonangelnay.blogspot.com/, who's post I saw on the Etsy forums!)

I'd encourage readers to check out some of the blogs below!  Hopefully their readers will do the same.  ;)

Tacoma Etsy Craft Party on June 18th!

From Etsy's website:

"Let's celebrate! Today, along with ReadyMade and Meetups Everywhere (and you), we're launching Etsy Craft Party, a global initiative to energize your local community, make art together, and throw a party in your neck of the woods. We want to celebrate crafting together on June 18, 2010 (which just happens to be Etsy's birthday) with as many celebrations across the globe as possible."

And thusly, I give you the Tacoma Etsy Craft Party on June 18th! http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=122505821114587#!/event.php?eid=122505821114587

The location is Hello, Cupcake in Downtown Tacoma, at 1740 Pacific Ave. Come by the open house from 3-6 PM and learn how to make some arts and crafts for a small donation, buy some delicious cupcakes, browse items from Etsy sellers and get to know each other! Everyone is welcome! It would be a nice excuse to collect some donations to aid wildlife rescue efforts in the Gulf of Mexico as well. Our party is going to kick so much ass it will hurt us more than it hurts you. So mark your calendars people!!! June 18th from 3 - 6 PM! Be there or be SQUARE...