From Massachusetts Zooguu

Ladies and Gentlemen , I am introducing you this week Zooguu and her lovely, fun, vibrant and colorful shop. Her designs are so unique and every piece is custom order. She works from her studio at Massachusetts with her husband and they create these wonderful unique plush toys for you or your loved ones. Please enjoy this wonderful artist's answers...

S: What is your name and what is the story behind your shop’s name?

J: My name is Jen Gubicza. The business name is a combination of two things: "Zoo" for animals, and "Guu" for Gubicza.

S:When did you start your business?

J: I started selling my plush in January 2006, under the shop name "sweetestpea". I changed the name to Zooguu a couple of years ago when I started doing this full time and really thought about my business and where I wanted to take things.

S: What are your motivations /inspirations in creating your work?

J: I love making things with my hands. There's a satisfaction in knowing that you've created something that someone will enjoy. I love hearing stories from my customers and finding out what people have named their new friends. It's wonderful to be able to create a physical, hug-able object and make it exactly I want it to be. I also really enjoy being my own boss and making my own hours.

S: Tell us about your daily routines.

J: I usually sew most of the day. My husband traces and cuts out the animals I need to make, and I work on them throughout the week. It's wonderful to work with him, because he helps keep me organized, and we can set goals. I tend to sew by color, so it's sort-of-like a puzzle every week. I look at the animals and work out in what order I need to sew to be most efficient. At the end of every day, I enter the animals made into a master spreadsheet to I can track everything. When an animal sells, I also put that date in and where it's going. At some point, I'll make a map on my website of where all of Zooguu animals live. Another part of my routine is to get out of the house and take a nice walk every day.

S:What is your favorite book?

J: I think I've had the most enjoyment from the Harry Potter series in recent years.

S: What was your last travel destination?

J: I just got back from a short trip to Maine, and I frequently travel to New York. We do craft shows every week, and we usually travel out of state at least once a month.

S: What do you do to relax?

J: Sitting on the back deck with a glass of wine on a summer evening is pretty great. We also enjoy going to see performances at the Symphony.

***GIVEAWAY***

Jen was so generous to offer any of her ornaments from her etsy shop for her giveaway. If you want to be a lucky winner please follow the steps. It is pretty simple!

Please visit her etsy shop and post a comment under this post with the LINK of your favorite item from her shop and please don't forget to add your email address.

http://Zooguu.etsy.com

Please also follow my blog.

The giveaway will end August 8th at midnight! The winner will be chosen using http://www.random.org/

From New Jersey Jessica's Design Shop

Please welcome my last guest from New Jersey , Jessica's Design Shop.She is a graphic designer with a background of architecture. After she designed her own wedding stationary , she got so many compliments and decided to help other brides with her designs. Her creations are not only functional but also very elegant.

S: What is your name and what is the story behind your shop’s name?

J: My name is Jessica. I don't really have much of a story behind the name of my shop, it's where I create my designs so it's my design shop.

S:How did you find Etsy and what made you join to Etsy?

J: My cousin crochets and she has a shop here on Etsy. I started mu business through my blog and it became very popular right away so I wanted to get more exposure. After doing some research, I found that Etsy seemed like the right fit for me.

S: What inspires you in creating your work?

J: My education is in architecture and I think that a lot of my work comes from that. Maybe not so much the motifs, but definitely the composition of my designs.

S: We would love to hear your daily routines if there is any.

J: My daily routine is quite busy. Without too much detail, I take care of my baby and work. There is usually a trip to the post office and UPS in between. And I try to watch a little tv at night if I can.

S:What is your favorite book?

J: OK, my favorite book at this point in my life is Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy. I guess I am in total baby mode, but this book helped me through this past year and I really enjoyed it.

S: What was your last travel destination?

J: Walt Disney World.

S: What do you do to relax?

J: Umm, I don't know how to anymore!!!!

S: Do you have any suggestions to a new Etsian seller in creating and maintaining their shop?

J: Renew, renew, renew and make sure your photos are good.

From New Jersey LittleOwlSoapCo

As I stated earlier this week, I am hosting another Etsy artist from New Jersey , Garden State. My new guest is LittleOwlSoapCo in which you will find hand-crafted vegan soaps and body washes. You can almost feel and smell these beauties from her lovely shop. Let read more about this wonderful artist...

S: What is your name and what is the story behind your shop’s name?

J: My name is Jen Katehos, and Little Owl Shop is named after the Athena noctua (Little Owl), was sacred to Athena, the Greek goddess of, among other things, wisdom and handicrafts. I'm half Greek, and carry a medallion in my purse with Athena on one side and the Little Owl on the other. When I needed a shop name, I looked no further.

S:How did you find Etsy and what made you join Etsy?

J: I heard of Etsy a few years back on the fabulous Knit and Tonic blog, and in 2007, I started out as a buyer. In 2009, when I started making more body wash than I could use in a decent amount of time, I realized it was time to open at Etsy shop of my own.

S: What inspires you in creating your work?

J: I'm inspired by the chemical process by which soap is made. Combining carefully measured oils, water, and lye, and observing the ingredients from a completely new substance is fascinating to me.

S: We would love to hear your daily routines if there is any.

J: I commute nearly 2 hours each way to work and back, and I do a lot of reading and planning on the train. By the time I get home, I'm exhausted, but usually have an hour or two to take care of some creative business. Then it's dinner with the hubby and time for bed. The weekends are when I get to focus on making soap and experimenting with making lotions, scrubs, and lip balms.

S:What is your favorite book?

J: This changes constantly, but the last book I read that really delighted me was "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" by Marisha Pessi. It's the kind of book I wish I'd never read so I could read it again all over for the first time. Before that, it was "The Historian" , by Elizabeth Kostova. ( Apparently, I like my books wordy.)

S: What was your last travel destination?

J: Costa Rica for my honeymoon.

S: What do you do to relax?

J: I read fiction, watch ( a lot) of HGTV, knit, and sew.

S: Do you have any suggestions to a new Etsian seller in creating and maintaining their shop?

J: I'm fairly new at this myself, but I know it is very important to reply promptly to convos and to communicate with buyers. People love knowing that you've received their order and that it's on its way.

***GIVEAWAY***

Jen was so generous to offer any of her body wash/lotion sets from her etsy shop for her giveaway. If you want to be a lucky winner please follow the steps. It is pretty simple!

Please visit her etsy shop and post a comment under this post with the LINK of your favorite item from her shop and please don't forget to add your email address.

http://LittleOwlSoapCo.etsy.com

Please also follow my blog.

The giveaway will open to US only and will end July 8 at midnight! The winner will be chose using http://www.random.org/

From New Jersey Hannahshandwork

I started my third week with the state of New Jersey. This week ;different from other weeks, I will be introducing more than one very talented artists from the Garden State. My first guest is Hannahshandwork whose outstanding book bindings took my attention. Her work has a taste of royalty and an eye for detail. Please enjoy my interview with her.

S: What is your name and what is the story behind your shop’s name?

H: My name is Hannah Smith, and my rather unimaginative shop name came from thinking I was going to sell a variety of items when I first opened my shop, and I wanted everything handmade to fit in.

S:How did you find Etsy and what made you join Etsy?

H: I found Etsy through a friend who already had a shop here, who knew I could sew and book bind, and was looking for some way to work from home.

S: What inspires you in creating your work?

H: When I'm designing a book, I usually put out all my leather, materials and embossing tool, and create a book in my mind, to decide what looks best together.

S: Tell us about your daily routines.

H: I wish I was organized enough to have a daily routine, but the only thing that is regular is checking the computer first thing in the morning for transactions or emails, and then checking back periodically throughout the day.

S:What is your favorite book?

H: I love to read, and I don't think I can narrow it down to just one book. I think the books I return to most often, though, are the ones by Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.

S: What was your last travel destination?

H: My last trip was my most frequent trip: down to Virginia to visit my sister, brother-in-law, and four crazy-but-wonderful nephews.

S: What do you do to relax?

H: I love spending time with family and friends, I love to read, I take long walks, and I visit the library's classic movie section regularly.

S: Do you have any suggestions to a new Etsian seller in creating and maintaining their shop?

H: The only advise I can give others is the same advise I was given myself, and am still trying to apply: Write good descriptions, take fantastic photos, list items often, and don't give up! The more time and effort you give to your business, the more likely you are to thrive!

***FREE SHIPPING***

Hannah was so generous to offer FREE SHIPPING for the week ( ending date July 5th) to anyone who mentions Floweredsky blog in "Message to Seller" section.

From Pennsylvania Karenfaulknerart

I am so excited that I am in my second week of my weekly featured artist series.

This week, I am honored to introduce Karenfaulknerart who creates peaceful and soothing watercolor paintings from Pennsylvania.

S: What is your name and what is the story behind your shop’s name?

K: My name is Karen Faulkner, and as you can see, my shop karenfaulkneart is named after me. Not terribly creative!

S:When did you start your business?

K: I've been painting watercolors for about twelve years now, starting first strictly as a hobby and later selling them locally since about 2004, by word of mouth, in local shops on consignment and taking commissions. I opened my Etsy shop in June 2007 thinking "let's see if I can sell ten or even twenty watercolors". I have never imagined this level of success, recently having reached 750 Etsy sales.

S: What are your motivations / inspirations in creating your work?

K: Nature, emotions, love, healing, serenity.

S: Tell us about your daily routines.

K: I don't always do it in the same order every day, except that brewing is always first. I check e-mails for orders and get them carefully packaged and addressed for shipping. I see if I'm low on inventory of any prints, or if there are any new recently sold originals that I think would reproduce nicely. I paint! The best days for that are when the morning sun is shining in the windows near my drafting table and I can look out and see the birds and flowers. Usually I play music while I'm painting.

S:What is your favorite book?

K: Tough to choose one, I'm an avid reader. I like "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron and return it often.

S: What was your last travel destination?

K: Arizona! It was my fifth time there. It has inspired a couple of my abstract paintings.

S: What do you do to relax?

K: Walk and ride bike on nearby trails, go to gym, cook, plant herbs and flowers, read, listen to music, have lunch with friends. A day with all of those plus creating some art would be an ideal day!

***GIVEAWAY***

Karen was so generous to offer any of her giclee 4x6 fineart prints for her giveaway. If you want to be a lucky winner please follow the steps. It is pretty simple!

Please visit her etsy shop and post a comment under this post with the LINK of your favorite item from her shop and please don't forget to add your e-mail address.

http://karenfaulknerart.etsy.com

Please follow my blog .

The giveaway will open to US only and will end June 17 at midnight! The winner will be chose using http://www.random.org/

2-

Mediterranean Street Team Sale up to 50%OFF

Etsy Buy Handmade Floweredsky

Mediterranean Street Team is proud to announce that our team is making a huge sale up to 50%OFF with member designers participating all around the world with different categories like Handmade Accessories, Ceramics, House wares, Jewelry, Paper goods, Embroidery, Crochet and Knitting Crafting… Just make a quick search with the tag “msteamsale” and grab these hidden treasuries before anyone else does…
List of participating shops:

Floweredsky.etsy.com Murano Glass Evil Eye & Beaded Jewelry
Zerva.etsy.com Crochet bags, scarves more
Bayanhippo.etsy.com Handmade bags, purses, totes for women !
Toosis.etsy.com Silver Jewelry
NewMoonCrochet.etsy.com Handmade Neck Warmers and gloves
aysetugrul.etsy.com Handmade Elegant Jewelry
potglasshande.etsy.com Hand made pottery and glass products..
HouseJewels.etsy.com Unique embroidery
filofashion.etsy.com Knit crochet scarves shawls gloves and more
Meliscraft.etsy.com Handmade supply
Meltemsem.etsy.com Unique metalwork jewelry
Handebilten.etsy.com Handmade unique silver jewelry
Warmandsoft.etsy.com Knit crochet scarves shawls gloves and more
Periay.etsy.com Knit crochet scarves, shawls gloves and more

Monday Motivation

1. Burlap French Paris Slip-- Petitcoterie

2. Papillon French Cameo--Crushjewels

3. ARHUS Everyday Purse White Cotton Strap Ant Design -- Ikabags

4. 2010 Calender Everyday Paris -- Littlebrownpen

I wanted to give some spot on my blog this week to honor the memories of the visit that I made to Paris this past year . I had neither any plans nor thoughts to go and wonder around in Paris for 8 days this past year . This visit came out of blue with a little bit of surprise to all of my family . I am dedicated this lovely visit to my fellow Etsian friends. And special thanks to IKABAGS for opening their house to me and my family.

Featured Artist MerCurios

I absolutely love this wonderful jewelry artist's work and enjoy seeing her collection. Her ideas motivates and cultivates her line of work. Her designs are outstanding with an expressionist touch. She and I have encountered by her purchase from my shop a while ago...I stumbled upon her line again the other day... Please take a look what she had done and turned them into gorgeous one of kind jewels:

Gaia

Prosperity

Please visit her Etsy shop to see more of her gorgeous work:

http://mercurios.etsy.com

You can find more of these evil eye beads at http://floweredskybeads.etsy.com

2nd Annual Yart Sale

Hi to all, 

I am so excited to announce that I will be a part of YART Sale this year between Wednesday June 10th-Sunday June 14th, 2009. 

Let me give you some information about this. It is a great event sponsored by TEAM ESST which I am a member of. You can get more information at http://teamesst.blogspot.com/

A "Yart Sale" is an artistic spin on the traditional Yard Sale: Art+ Yard Sale+"Yart Sale". There are many art museums, artists, and groups that have Yart sales annually to raise cash.

Please be sure to check back here and in my shop on Etsy ( http://floweredskybeads.etsy.com and http://floweredsky.etsy.com ) for specials. See you at the "Yart Sale".

I have 2 shops that I will be attending to the Yart Sale:

http://floweredskybeads.etsy.com

I will be offering 10% discount on the orders of $30.00 or more , plus FREE pair of small leaves earrings as a gift.

http://floweredsky.etsy.com

I will be offering FREE domestic shipping on the purchases of $35.00 or more , plus FREE pair of small leaves earrings....

YA GOTTA YARD