Treat yourself to a Spa Day with

EtsyTwitter Team's Shop of the Week

It's Wednesday, mid-week, hump-day & half way to the weekend. So this weeks Etsy Artisan is much needed...so it's time for some much needed spa-therapy to get you through to the weekend. Enjoy : )

Becki Krska, of AmbientLights.etsy.com, creates several types of items for home fragrancing as well as bath and body items. She’s on a mission to make you and your home smell like heaven!

For home fragrancing she makes 100% Soy wax candles, 100% Palm wax Warmer Melts, Aromatic Sink Freshener & Gentle Cleansers (these are neat, be sure to check them out!). For bath and body items she makes goat’s milk hand and body oval soap bars (dye free) and goat’s milk Soap on a Pouf, which is similar to soap on a rope but it's on a shower pouf! Her shop also carries Natural Lip Balms (both flavored and unflavored), and Hair and Body Mist with Aloe and Vitamin E.

“I have spent countless hours and many months researching and testing my items to find the best materials available that I can use to create premium quality products at an affordable price. I don't make any item available for sale unless I love it and I have proven through thorough testing that it is a fantastic item!

“My inspiration to create comes from within. I have always enjoyed crafting and creating things; it's a part of who I am. I love the satisfying feeling of making something with my own two hands. For me it's thrilling and exhilarating to create items. It makes me feel good! Also, I always smell great because I spend so much time around fantastic fragrances, that's a good thing!”

She ships internationally. All US orders have flat rate shipping no matter how much you purchase. I know you want to smell good, too, so take advantage of this one-week-only special offer:

15% off ALL items OR Purchase three 7.50oz 100% Soy Jar Candles for only $20.00 (regularly priced 8.50 each) (15% off does not apply to the 3 for $20.00 special, it is already more then 20% savings!)

Special discounts do not apply to shipping. She can send you an invoice reflecting your savings before you make your payment or you can pay for your items and she will refund your savings via PayPal.

Most of her items have a quantity of one listed but she has more! Please feel free to contact her if you would like additional quantities of any item and she will create a custom listing just for you.

Follow her on Twitter @AmbientLights

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade AmbientLights.etsy.com

EtsyTwitter Team's

Shop of the Week: Joslin Jewels

Sheridan Joslin, of JoslinJewels.etsy.com, creates, in her words, “fine wire wrapped and gemstone jewelry”. But if you take one look at her shop you can see that it involves so much more than that. Just saying “fine wire wrapped and gemstone jewelry” about her shop is like saying the sculpture David was just sculpted out of plain old marble and is no big deal! Her work is intricate. Her work is simple. Her work is the kind of art that the artist makes the infinitely complex look like it took no effort at all to make and that, my friend, is the hallmark of a great artist.

“Whether simple or intricate, I meticulously craft each piece of jewelry I create. I use only fine metals and carefully selected gemstones. Each piece is original and most are one of a kind.”

The earrings pictured above have wonderful lines. I like how the shape of the ear wire comes down and makes the jewels look as if they are in a bowl. The wire wrapping appears flawless. These earrings would go with almost any outfit from daily casual to dressy business to elegant evening wear.

“I love gemstones as much as I love a good puzzle. Making intricate wire jewelry is like a challenging puzzle. It involves shaping and forging straight wire into intricate designs with no soldering -- only wrapped connections.

“It's an art that dates back thousands of years, and many of the techniques used today are the same as those used in ancient times. With only a few simple tools and careful manipulation, a skilled jewelry artist can sculpt wire into beautiful works of wearable art.”

And that is exactly what Sheridan does with her work. Check out her shop and be amazed!

Follow her on Twitter @joslinjewels
Blog: joslinjewels.blogspot.com
Become her Fan on Facebook: facebook.com/JoslinJewels
Second Etsy Shop: BijouxRomantique.etsy.com
Second Facebook Fan Page: facebook.com/BijouxRomantique

Special Deal until 9/27/09: Buy one or more items over $25.00 and choose one item worth up to $25.00 for FREE! Simply enter "etsytwitter" and the name of the item you would like to receive for free in the Notes to Seller box during Etsy.com checkout.

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade joslinjewels.etsy.com

All photos copyright to Sheridan Joslin/Joslin Jewels

EtsyTwitter Team's

Shop of the Week: Handmade by Sandi

Sandi is one of my EtsyTwitter Team mates - her work is diverse and beautiful with meticulous attention to detail. I love her furry felted bowls - they are surrealist to me - something from one of Salvador Dali's dreams. She always is helping out our team, sharing information, getting out the word and is the first one with FollowFriday love on every Friday. Here's my shout out to you Sandi and I'm giving you many Shop hearts and {{{ HUGS }}}.

Sandi Myers, of HandmadeBySandi.etsy.com, creates wonderful handmade items. Her shop is a smorgasbord of crocheted items, shawls, coffee cozies, felted bowls, earrings, sewn items, and aprons. Her talent is amazing that she makes so many different handmade items!

She takes special care to make the items for her customers as if she were going to use them herself. If she’s not satisfied with them, she won't sell them! Her jewelry craftsmanship is divine. Her felted bowls are a lot of fun! And she makes the cutest aprons for your littlest cooks!

She is always on the lookout for new inspiration. “When ever I see something that has been crocheted - I try to figure out how it's done, and try it. When thinking about my next felted bowl project, I look for unusual containers that I can use to shape my bowls.”

I really love Sandi's felted bowls. This is a relatively new project for her and she's jumped right in trying new things and making great bowls to hold pretty much anything such as your cell phone, jewelry, coins, odds and ends in the kitchen, office, or craft room, and even business cards at craft shows. They are great for kids, too, because it can hold their little trinkets and they can't break the bowl!

Her favorite thing about her craft: “It's relaxing - I enjoy sitting in the evening crocheting something and seeing it come together. When that project is done, I have to decide which one I want to do next - and with so many projects in mind - I'll not run out anytime soon!”

Sandi is also one of the Etsy Twitter Team’s top tweeters! “I tweet when I list a new item, I write about it on Facebook, and try to make my tweets interesting so people might be interested in visiting my shop and finding out more about me!” She’s really good at retweeting other team members’ items and always has a nice word to say about everybody! She’s an absolute delight to work with and I really enjoy having her on our team!

Follow her on Twitter: @SandisTs
Read her blog: www.sandists.com/Wordpress
Fan her on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/HandmadeBySandi
Shop her supply shop on Etsy: SandisTs.etsy.com

*Special Deal for the Week* - Free Shipping on all items in her “End of Summer Sale” Section

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade HandmadeBySandi.etsy.com

All photos © Sandi Myers/Handmade By Sandi

A little bit of Italy

Just wanted to share a little piece of art. An "Italy" theme ATC that I made using a photo my Dad had taking on a trip to Europe when he was 15. I'm so glad that I get my artistic influence from both sides of my family - my father and my maternal grandmother, who taught me to paint when I was 14. Making art is something that is a daily necessity...just like the morning coffee. I may not always be actively creating something every day - but the creative wheels are turning and need to be greased often. I always am taking photos, sketching down ideas, and delving into art history. I just learned yesterday that Edvard Meunch in his later years liked to paint outdoors and would set out all his paintings around his yard with him, & treated his creations like his children. Hmmm what a strange similarity...many artists feel like their creations are their babies...
: ) SMb

Arts & Crafty goodness for the kids...

EtsyTwitter Team's

Shop of the Week: In My Head Studios

This weeks Etsy Artisan is my twitterista friend Vickie, who is the leader of our awesome group of Etsians that comprise the EtsyTwitter Team. I met her while tweeting when I first joined twitter and made fast friends. She has helped me so much in getting my shop together - and she's pretty humorous, too. She is generous, caring, always willing to lend a hand and is a great artist, too. It is quite a challenge for an artist to work on such a small canvas, and her works are so interesting, unique and GREEN, too. I encourage you to spend some time visiting In My Head Studios. SMb

Here is one of my favorite mixed media pieces: Summer Garden Collage Art Pendant

34-year-old artist Vickie Porter, owner of In My Head Studios, has a passion for paper. "I love everything about paper-the way it feels, the sounds it makes, the colors and textures. It has dimension, and I try to use that in my work."

A self-professed perfectionist with an eye for detail, Vickie's exquisitely crafted pendants create miniature spaces that call to mind old letters, or the box of special treasures you had as a child.

Says Vickie, " I have to make art like I have to breathe! I intentionally keep a messy desk so I can be inspired by the play of papers together. I have WAY more ideas for art than time to do it in!"

Using scrabble tiles and upcycled vintage dominos as the base for her pendants allows Vickie to "create something new from something old" and the addition of beads, dangles and charms give the beautiful pieces texture and movement.

An avid Twitterite, Vickie uses her three Twitter accounts not only to "connect and form relationships with people. I talk to them, post useful links, and funny stuff" but also to "share my creative process so people get to know my craft as well as me. I strive to have people think of my work when they think of me."

In addition to working fulltime as an artist in her home studio, Vickie is also leader of the 175-member Etsy Twitter Team. "Running the team is truly a joy and a blessing to be part of! The members have created such a close community-I'm really proud of that." Recently, she made the decision to help start up and run the Facebook Fans of Etsy Street Team (FFEST) with several other women. "They are all very talented and I am really excited about this new venture!"

In My Head Studios is happy to do custom pendants. "If you dream it, I can do it!" and ships jewelry all over the world. " I guarantee you will love wearing your pendant as much as I enjoyed creating it!"

On Twitter: @inmyheadstudios

On Etsy: inmyheadstudios.etsy.com
Her Blog: inmyheadstudios.blogspot.com

SHOP OF THE WEEK SPECIAL:

15% off all orders (not including shipping).

Discount refunded via Paypal.

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade inmyheadstudios.etsy.com