Life Expressions Feature and Giveaway!

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With us beginning the year in a new home and having to start over, it gives us the opportunity to be much more mindful about the items we chose to purchase and bring into our home. We are choosing to make a lot more of our purchases locally and from small businesses and handcrafters. This blog is a great place for me to feature and introduce you to some wonderful SAHM artists and crafters.

The first business i'd like to feature is Life Expressions by Shawna, a home decor business that is run by my SIL.

Shawna is am a stay at home mother of 5 (youngest not pictured). She loves to create special, original signs and sayings for people.  All of her signs can be personalized and customized. You pick the saying, color of board, color of lettering and the size that you would like the sign to be and she works her magic and creates something beautiful for you.

Shawna orders the lettering for each sign and then buys the wood, cuts it, sands it, paints it and applies the lettering by hand.

All of the signs are on real wood so they all have that uniqueness that wood grain and knots add.

You can check out Shawna's Facebook page, and by 'liking' it you are automatically entered to win a free sign! You can also look around at some of the items that have already been created, the different styles and the color options that are available. Shawna creates signs for every season, and occasion!

She is located in West Michigan, and takes custom orders for her signs.  You can also find her set up at local craft shows, and you can even book your own "Make and take" party if you live in the area!

i love the different block sets. She has several seasonal themed block sets that really capture the season.  She offers a variety of different styles, shapes and colors. Almost everything can be customized! You can view many different examples of her work here.

i also really love the family signs. She has some with the child's name and birthday, some with the family name and many that have wonderful quotes or sayings about family.  There is a really a huge variety to choose from and the design possibilities are endless!

Shawna has generously offered one of my readers a family Birthday Sign with 50 shapes for names, hooks or ribbons to hang the names.  

Please enter on the rafflecopter form below. You might have to wait for it to load.a Rafflecopter giveaway Make sure and read terms and conditions, this giveaway is open to US only.

Old Silver Apiary Feature and Giveaway! CLOSED

 
Old Silver Apiary is a small family run apiary located on Cape Cod. They have created a simple yet luxurious line of products using local beeswax,  local honey, local hand harvested herbs, organic oils, organic shea butter and scented only with essential oils. 

 Old Silver Apiary is run by Tara Sullivan Garvin and her family.  i've known  Tara for many years, and am super excited to feature her on my blog again.  A couple years ago, i featured some of her photography. 

When Tara first started learning about standard practices in conventional beekeeping  she was stunned. The "mystery" of why our bees are disappearing didn't seem to be much of a mystery at all. 2012 was the worst year for honey bees yet in the US, but she strongly believes we can turn it around and she wanted her family to have a small part in that. 

The bees of Old Silver Apiary live on an 8 acre organic farm.  At Old Silver Apiary, they only work with local bees to try to strengthen the bee population as a whole.  They practicing a biodynamic approach to disease and mite treatment, raise local queens and are experimenting with different types of hives. This winters goal is to build several top bar hives.

They get many gifts from the bees, so they decided to use them to help fund their expanding apiary. Using their own (or in a pinch local) beeswax, honey, organic oils, local herbs and butters they have created a line that they are truly proud of. They hope you'll love it as much as they do. 

Old Silver Apiary offers lip balms, salves, body butters, bathing salts and gift sets. They are all handmade in small batches.  Their products are always packaged in reusable tins or mason jars and shipped using upcycled packaging or Caremail recycled packaging.

Buy it!

 Like what you see? Want to try it out for yourself? Head over to the Old Silver Apiary Etsy shop where you can purchase some of her wonderful products!

Win it!!

Tara has generously offered a Farmer's Salve and a coconut Lime Lip balm to one lucky reader! To enter, please use the rafflecopter form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Twisted Flame Glassworks artist feature and giveaway!!

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i always enjoy featuring and helping to promote new artists on my blog. 
Alan Jeskewitz, is a  borosilicate glass artist out of Chicago area. His etsy shop features many lovely glass pendants at really great prices and all pieces include free shipping!  

A bit about Alan.  

"Working as a technician at a large telecommunications company, in Chicago, I have always looked for a creative outlet to escape. I have worked with wood, clay, paint, metal but nothing would hold my interest until I met glass.  Being an avid fisherman I decided to combine glass and fishing. Designing and producing a line of lures was fun but took a turn down a path I decided not to go down. Moving to a more art rather than function approach to glass has been an amazing learning experience. Buying every book and video I could find and watching every You Tube video made about glass, In three years I have been able to learn a lot but still feel I haven't scratched the surface on what flame working has to offer."

 " I'm finally at a point I feel I have learned enough to start to sell my work, I have opened an Etsy store and began to get my work and name out there. I have a lot more to learn and as I do my art will change as I grow with this amazing creative outlet."

You can view more of Alan work in his Etsy Shop Twisted Flame Glassworks.  If you are looking for a certain shape or color pendant, you can contact Alan directly about custom orders through etsy. 

You can also connect with Alan on facebook at Twisted Flame Glassworks. 

All of his pendants are made with borosilicate glass on a torch and annealed in a computerized kiln to remove any stresses to the glass. The annealing process ensures that your pendant is strong and durable enough to last a lifetime.

  

. The lamp worked flower pendants are all one of a kind and each one is signed and dated by the artist.  This one has an encased cubic zirconium, so lovely!   Most of the pendants in his etsy shop are priced between $10-$50,  very affordable for a piece of hand made art! 

Alan has generously offered this beautiful glass pendants to a lucky reader!  The pendant measures 26mm and is 12mm thick. It has a cubic ziconium encased in the center, and a steel loop. This piece would look stunning on a simple cord necklace, or incorporated into your own beadwork.

Please enter on the rafflecopter form below, you may have to wait a moment for it to load.
Open to US addresses only.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Handmade and Local Gift Guide- 2011 Revisited.

 Last year i put together a gift guide with some of my favorite handmade and local shops. i thought it was a great way to help promote friends, family, crafters and small businesses that i love. 

i wanted to put together a new one for this year, and decided to look up last years post as a template.  However, last year's gift guide post is missing.  i checked dates, did searches...went through the posts month by month...but it seems that Blogger decided to eat the post. Who knows how many other posts have spontaneously disappeared? :( 

 

Thankfully i still had the picture saved on my pc.  So here is the list i put last year. Please take a minute to check out some of these fabulous shops!

1. Bee Kind Family Farms is a small family farm, focused on : sustainability & Love for mother earth.  This shop belongs to my friend Jaime and her husband who reside in the blue Ridge Mountains of NC. They sell honey, beeswax products and organic/hemp clothing. You can connect with them 

Bee Kind Family Farm on Etsy.

Bee Kind Family Farm on Facebook.

You can also follow their journey in homesteading on their blog http://www.offgridhomestead.blogspot.com.

2. Red Rooster Coffee Roaster is artisan roasted in small batches, one block from the only stoplight in Floyd, VA. It is my local coffee shop, and one of the regions only Certified Organic Fair Trade coffee roasters.You can connect with them 

on their Facebook page

and on their website.  

3. Seven Feathers Tribe makes the most fabulous felt toys, and clothing. (check out her arm warmers!!)  Cre the seamstress behind these wonderful items is an incredibly sweet and talented WAHM of 6!  Also located in the Blue ridge mountains of  NC.  You can connect with them

Seven Feathers Tribe on Facebook. 

Seven Feathers tribe on Etsy.

4. Simple Bright Moon specializes in handmade organic/hemp clothing and the adorable owl pillows featured above. Located in Boone, NC Abby uses fabric and materials that are locally bought or hand dyed hemp by a fellow artist.

Connect with Simple Bright Moon Clothing on facebook.

Visit the Simple Bright Moon Etsy Shop

5. Patchwork and Pinecones / Pixy Patch are the online shops of my friend Danielle. She lives in a small town in Amish Country, Pa. which has a long history in quilting and patchwork. She makes a variety of great gift items including reusable produce bags, aprons, headbands and more! Connect with Pixy Patch on Etsy

Patchwork and Pincones on Etsy

and on Facebook!

Also check out her food blog.

6. Tangled Up in Yarn is my friend Angie's crochet business that allows her to stay at home with her children.  She makes fabulous crocheted hats, ear warmers and costumes here in the Blue Ridge Mountains of VA. Her hats are the perfect gift for the little ones on your shopping list.

Tangled up in Yarn on Facebook

Tangled Up in Yarn on Etsy

7.  Old Gates Farm is a small farm in Castleton, VT where they raise pastured meats and eggs, veggies and bottle their own wood-fired maple syrup. The Old Gates online store is a spot for them to sell handmade soaps, hand knit goods, farm photography and maple syrup.

Old Gates farm On Facebook

Old Gates Farm on Etsy

You can also follow their wonderful blog .http://www.oldgatesfarm.com/

8. Life Expressions By Shawna Lowther.  Shawna is one of my SILs, she is a stay at home mother of 4 and loves to create special, original signs and sayings for people.  Her signs are made with real wood, so that all have that uniqueness of the wood grain and knot.  The signs can be personalized and customized, you pick the saying, color of board, color of lettering and the size! You can connect with her on facebook.

Life Expressions by Shawna on facebook  

9. Tiemeyer Glass is my husband's website.  Although he typically specializes in marbles and pendants, during the holidays he makes icicle ornaments, and glass pens.  These make great gifts.

You can connect with him on Facebook.

You can also see more of his work on his website Tiemeyerglass,com.

10. The Enchanted Tree is my online shop. i started off selling handmade clothing and beadwork online back in 1998.  Over the years i've changed my focus, and played around with different mediums. Right now i'm focusing on my little bendy dolls, but plan to be selling Waldorf dolls in the near future. i also hope to eventually get back into beading one of these days. :)

You can visit my (neglected) website here. 

and my facebook page here.

11. The beautiful crocheted boots are the work of my SIL, Kaytlyn.  i'm not sure she is still running her Etsy shop though, so i don't have a link to share at this time. 

12. BigFam15 is my Inlaws Etsy shop. They specialize in reasonably priced weaving and spinning tools made from rescued, saved, or recycled wood.  You can find mini looms, drop spindles, shuttles, warping bars and more!

BigFam15 on Etsy.

i hope you enjoy the list, and take a few minutes to peek around some of these fabulous shops! i'm working on a new gift guide for this year and will be featuring a few different artists and crafters in the coming weeks! Don't be surprised if i have a few giveaways as well!

Playing at Panther Creek

This past weekend we spent most of our time outside playing in the garden, hiking in the woods and just enjoying the days,
Just down the road from us a bit, in Dugspur Virginia, is one of our favorite places to play in the spring. We follow Panther creek road along Big Reed Island creek, until we come to our favorite spot. There is a small area to pull over, a trail that leads to Big Reed Island creek, and a trail that follows a smaller creek back into the woods.



It is so hard to get a good pictures of the area, but their are huge rock wall and they are all covered in wild phlox, columbine and bleeding hearts.

i love the wild flowers i find here. These are the Wild Phlox.

The family loves sitting up on this huge rock that overlooks the creek. i admit it makes me a bit nervous, but it's actually not as scary once you are up there as it looks in the picture.

There is a small trail near the big rock that leads down to the water. The energy from the water rushing over the rocks here is just amazing. It truly leaves you feeling energized and alive.

My favorite part of coming here is wandering into the woods looking for wildflowers. i always find lots of common wildflowers, like the anemones, columbine and the wood violets. This time i found one i wasn't familiar with at all. It's a very interesting plant, with a spray of these tiny flowers. When we got home, i spent quite a bit of time online trying to figure out what it is. It isn't listed in my wildflower book.
The plant is called Yellowroot, and is named for it's yellow roots. The roots were used by Native Americans to produce a yellow dye.

This would have been an awesome picture if it was in better focus. All along the tops of these rocks were wild bleeding hearts. The rocks were over 6 feet tall, so it was hard to climb up to get the picture...but there is probably 6-8 feet of the bleeding hearts all in a row.

As we follow the little creek in the woods, there are a series of small pools and waterfalls that the kids love to play in. Sage loves to find salamanders and their are little fish and crawdads that dart about in the pools.

Although i have never seen a rattlesnake here, i have been told that they can often be seen sunning themselves on the big rocks in the summer.

The farther we walk up, the mountain the more water falls and pools. Each one just as fantastic as the last.

As we were leaving we passed a huge puddle at the entrance of a two track. i asked kenan yto pull over so i could check for tadpoles, and the puddle was full of them!! So i scooped up a few and brought them home. The last few years we've raised tadpoles, and this year will no different. :) It is always fun to watch them turn into frogs.

i love this time of year! We go hiking and exploring every chance that we can. i'd really like to find some new places to explore this year, although i'm also eager to visit some of our favorites like the Cascades, and the Grayson Highlands. The kids start spring break this week, so we are already making plans for a few places to hike. My boy wants to plan our hiking around local Bigfoot sightings, while my girl is determined to find Totoro.




My father considered a walk among the mountains as the equivalent of churchgoing. ~Aldous Huxley

Seven Feathers Tribe Artist Feature and Giveaway!

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Artist Feature: Seven Feathers Tribe

About Cre, "I have been a crafter as long as I can remember. I am always crafting. Always. Just ask my family. From jewelry work, soapmaking, candlemaking, lampworking, sewing clothing..I could go on and on..and now toymaking! My latest passion is making felt food products and felt masks. My daughters are my biggest inspiration and are always tossing new ideas my way. Our family lives in a small hollar nestled down in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We peddle our wares on etsy and we vend at several local festivals in and around the Asheville area. "


i have been a huge fan of Cre's work for many, many years. Back in the day, she made gorgeous patchwork clothing with the most intricate, beautiful appliques and her business was known as Oceantribes. She still sews some clothing items and does amazing applique work, but her focus has changed a bit as she and her family have grown and evolved over the years.

In the last few years, Cre's focus has moved away from the patchwork clothing and towards making eco-friendly children's toys and masks. She uses Eco-Fi felt (also known as Ecospun) for her handcrafted toys and masks. It is made from 100% recycled post-consumer plastic bottles and is compliant with the Consumer Product Safety Act, making it a great, eco friendly choice for children.

If you visit her etsy shop, you'll find it packed full of lovely felt play foods, imaginative masks, felt crowns for dress up play, market bags and more! She makes an amazing variety of play foods. She pays special attention to detail and craftmanship. Her felt masks are very creative and original, she has lots of woodland creature masks, ogres, birds and many more!



Show some support to this fabulous mama who creates these amazing handmade toys so that she can stay home with her children.


Buy it! You can purchase Cre's work through her Etsy store Seven Feathers Tribe.

Win it!
Cre has generously offered one reader their choice of felt mask.

Entry is easy!! 1. To enter, Visit Seven Feathers Tribe , then come back and leave me a comment letting me know which mask you would choose if you win!
Leave a separate comment for each entry you complete and be sure and include your email so i can contact you if you win!!

Extra Entries!! (do mandatory first!)
2. Add Seven Feathers Tribe to your favorites on etsy. Leave your etsy id in the comment.
3. 'heart/favorite' your favorite item in her shop. Leave your etsy id in the comment
4. "like" Seven Feathers Tribe on facebook. Leave me a comment with your FB name!
5 follow Cre on pinterest. Leave me a comment with your Pinterest name!
6. follow my blog via GFC! Leave a comment letting me know you do!
7. be a fan of my page on Facebook. Leave a comment letting me know you are and your FB name!!
8. Share the giveaway post on FB or twitter. Leave a link in your comment! (can be done daily)

**Rules**

• Giveaway ends March.14, 2012 at 11:59pm EST
  
• Winner will be contact by email, and posted on the blog.
  
• Winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email or another winner will be chosen
• This giveaway is open to everyone
  

i hope you enjoy these artist features! i plan to be featuring a new artist/crafter a few times a month. That's my hopes anyway, life often gets in the way of what i'm planning... but i would really like to spotlight a few folks who's work i really love.

Knotty Val artist feature and Giveaway! CLOSED

i'm really excited to share my latest artist feature with all of you. Val is a good friend of mine, and an extremely talented artist. She does some of the the most detailed and extraordinary knotwork i have ever seen. She is also a very taleted beader and painter! You should see the mural she painted on the back of her neighbors shed! Unbelievably cool!


A bit about Val.
"I have always been drawn to color and pattern. Straight lines and monotones bore me. I love trying new crafts and "up-cycling" old stuff. If I can paint it I will. A picture framer for more than 20 years I have had the good fortune to see amazing art from all over the world and from all types of artists in all walks of life....just going to work everyday. Art impacts our lives every minute of everyday, something I am sure I already knew but it was driven home working with people, helping them to display and conserve their personal treasures."


"When my daughter was born in 2004, I wasn't really expecting her, I was getting ready to have a teenager and my very own craft space in our new house but that became a nursery and crafty plans went on hold for me. When I first got online and discovered the community of crafty people there I was inspired to start weaving again, it being something I could do that my young daughter couldn't do much damage with."

"I have been so inspired to keep creating by the women and men I have met in this online community. My daughter loves art and I am really looking forward to sharing all my crafty cravings with her. I have always been happiest when creating and working with color."


"I taught myself to flat weave after a friend bought a Guatemalan "friendship" bracelet while on tour following the Grateful Dead. I love to do beadwork too, and look forward to the day when I have a dedicated space for beading.

Val has offered a special discount to my readers. Use the coupon code "123buyknotty" to receive 20% off anything in the shop, does not include shipping.

Now for the Giveaway!!!
Val has offered this beautiful bracelet to one of my lucky readers!!
This lovely bracelet measures
1 1/4" wide and 6" long. It has 9 colors and 36 strands.

MANDATORY ENTRY CLOSED

1. Head over to Knotty Val on Etsy then come back and let me know your favorite item!

Please include your e-mail address or make sure it is visible in your blogger profile so i have a way to contact you if you win. Otherwise a new winner will be chosen!

EXTRA ENTRIES
please leave a new comment for each extra entry. If you qualify for 5 entries, leave 5 separate comments.
(make sure you did the mandatory first!!)

1. Add Knotty Val's Etsy Shop to your favorites (heart) 1 entry
2. 'Heart' your favorite item in her etsy shop.
3. Like Knotty Val on facebook the 1 entry

4. Follow my The Enchanted Tree blog via google friend connect. 1 entry
5. Be a fan of The Enchanted Tree on Facebook. 1 entry

6. If you have purchased an item from Val in the past (recently or back in the day) leave a comment on her facebook wall about the item or where/when you got it. Then comeback here and leave me a comment letting me know you you did! 1 entry!
7. Share this giveaway with your facebook friends, Tweet the giveaway or Blog about it! 1 entry each.

**Rules**

• Giveaway ends July. 21st 11:59pm EST
  
• Winner will be chosen via Random.Org. i will then contact them by email, and post the winners name on my blog.
  
• Winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email or another winner will be chosen
• This giveaway is open to everyone.

Novica Review- Fair Trade

Novica is one of the leading fair trade artisan websites. They work with National Geographic to give talented artisans around the world a place to express their artistic talents and provide access to the world market.

i have always been drawn to unique artwork and clothing from other countries. However, once i became aware that many times artists are not paid a fair wage for the product i became hesitant to buy many imports.



Novica provides fair trade products made by artisans around the globe. They want you to know who you're buying from, to feel an attachment to the product, and to the hands that created it. One of my favorite features on the Novica site is that there is an artist story at the bottom of every product. So, you can see the artists who are actually making the items. When you purchase an item from Novica, an artisan card is included with each item.


i really enjoyed browsing the Unique Gifts section. Novica has put together a versatile collection of hand-crafted treasures from artists around the world ranging from silver jewelry for him and her to Eco-Friendly gifts. The Eco friendly selection includes items that are sustainable and natural as well as items made from recycled or reclaimed materials.

Novica also has an extensive jewelry collection, featuring beautiful handcrafted Sterling Silver Jewelry, precious gemstone necklaces, and earrings.

Don't know what to give a special someone? The Unique Gift section has gift ideas for everyone; Anniversary gifts, Corporate gifts, Gifts for Animal lovers, and more. You can shop buy price range, by region, by category, and by individual artist. Their original and unique gift ideas will make it easy to find the perfect gift!

Another interesting feature on the Novica site is the Novica Live. NOVICA Live is bringing handcrafted items into homes across the nation, creating a unique, interactive shopping experience through fun, lively home parties. For those of you who enjoy sharing handcrafted fair trade products with your friends you can sign up to host a Novica party and help spread the word, and benefit the lives of many more artisans.

i really love what Novica has created. It is a wonderful online marketplace that bridges the gap and brings all of these unique artisan treasures together in one place for an easy shopping experience. You can feel good about your purchases, and feel connected with the artists whom your purchase is helping.


You can connect with Novica on Facebook, and also on Twitter. You can also visit the Keeper of the Arts section to watch videos of the individual artists.

Novica provided me with a gift card to review their store, but these opinions are 100% mine. i really feel like this is a great store that showcases the talents of these wonderful artists and provides a place to purchase fair trade, high quality items.

Old Gates Farm Artist Feature and Giveaway! CLOSED

i am super pleased to introduce you to the wonderful hand crafted work of Old Gates Farm.

Kris, the face behind the Old Gates Farm Etsy shop, is a mama to 3 little boys, wife to a farmsteader, and an avid crafter when ever she can find a spare moment.
She actually grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan, attended the same college that i did and has family in the same area that Kenan and i used to live. What a small world. :) Ten years ago, she moved to Vermont, met her husband and has settled down to try and grow what they eat and raise their babies in a simple way. Old Gates Farm is located in Castleton, Vermont.

It is a small family run farm, with two milk cows, pigs and chickens. You can visit the website to learn more about the farm and see some amazing pictures of the gardens and land.
Kris has been crafting since she was very young-thanks to her crafty mom (dortdesigns.etsy.com) She's always knitting something and has been trying her hand at sewing after receiving a hand me down machine from an aunt.


She creates a variety of goods including handmade soaps, knitted goods, doll slings, market totes and more!



Besides oldgatesfarm.etsy.com, Kris sells her crafts, produce and meats at the local farmers markets during the summer and fall. She also vends local craft shows during the holiday season.



See something you can't live without?? You can purchase items through the etsy store here. Kris also loves to do custom work and can be contacted through etsy or the website (www.oldgatesfarm.com)

Now for the GIVEAWAY!!

Kris has offered one reader a $15 GC/credit to Old Gates Farm Etsy shop.

MANDATORY ENTRY

Head over to the Old Gates Farm Etsy store and let me know your favorite item!

Please include your e-mail address or make sure it is visible in your blogger profile so i have a way to contact you if you win. Otherwise a new winner will be chosen!

EXTRA ENTRIES (make sure you did the mandatory first!!)
please leave a new comment for each extra entry. If you qualify for 5 entries, leave 5 separate comments.

1. Add Old Gates Farm Etsy to your favorites (heart)
2. Follow the Old Gates Farm Blog

3. Follow my The Enchanted Tree blog via google friend connect. 1 entry
4. Be a fan of The Enchanted Tree on Facebook. 1 entry

5. Share this giveaway with your facebook friends! 1 entry

6. Tweet about the contest, including a link back to this post. leave a link to your tweet.

7. Blog about the giveaway. Include a link to Old Gates Farm and to this post, leave a comment letting me know where to find it. 1 entry
8. enter another of my active giveaways for 1 entry.

**Rules**

• Giveaway ends MArch. 1st 11:59pm EST
  
• Winner will be chosen via Random.Org. i will then contact them by email, and post the winners name on my blog.
  
• Winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email or another winner will be chosen
• This giveaway is open to everyone.