I've always felt there's beauty in darkness…

Fellow Etsy Sellers’ Wares

Alliecatbeads + Owl Silhouette

Thanks to a super sweet new friend on the etsy website, I had a perfect subject to paint for the owl contest starting tomorrow over on ebay! She found out I was doing an owl contest and asking for opinions on what type of owl painting and she began telling me about the great picture she snapped. Imagine this…it’s sunset and you are looking outside…you see an owl swoop up and land on a wire…the owl, pole and trees are in silhouette. Well, that’s the scene as she captured on film!

Here’s the finished piece, which be an entry in the contest:

If you are interested in some lovely bookmarks, jewelry, cards and other adorable items, please check out her shop by clicking here: alliecatbeads

Thanks so much Gina for the inspiring piece! I absolutely loved recreating that scene!!


Beautiful Steal of a Deal

During my time on etsy, I have met some really great friends. This particular post spotlights a lady who’s been a rock for me! Her name is Bette and her shop is called lvsbeadsnthings. (Just click her shop name to go straight to her shop.)

One new creation she has is such a perfect and affordable Mother’s Day gift. Her new birthstone rings:

How gorgeous are these? I love them! Plus she makes them herself, so they can’t be found anywhere else. They can be special ordered by just contacting her and they are only $12.99 each!!! What a BARGAIN!

Such a beautiful idea from a beautiful lady!


Awwwww Foohy!

Being from the South, we have some quirky sayings and exclamations. One of the funniest to me is when something doesn’t quite go my way, I might say “Awwwww Foohy!”

Imagine my delight to find a seller on etsy named “Foohy” with all sorts of wonderful goodies. How cute is that name and please, please look at her avatar – so perfectly cute. Who says there’s not innocent fun anymore!?!? I have visited her shop multiple times and she’s become such a dear friend. She actually has another shop in addition to her Foohy shop called “Mootsie“. Both of them are equally as fabulous. Foohy sells all sorts of wonderful supplies – paper, vintage, beads, charms and more. I am consistently inspired when I look through her things!!

Some petite pink pearls (imagine the possibilities!):

And some vintage brass lockets:

Then, Mootsie has so many lovely things like this Sense and Sensibility bracelet:

and this shabby/cottage/chic banner:

This lady is super nice and you will be oh-so-happy with anything you get from her. I happily sing her praises because she is so very worthy!

Love you Audrey!!

All photos courtesy of Foohy and Mootsie. :)


My Luck Is Changing??

I have always had no luck at contests and usually never win anything. This past week, though, I won a beautiful pair of earrings from JaniesJoli on etsy. She is such a dear friend to me and I met her almost a year ago, around the time I started with etsy.  Just look at them:

earringsfromjanie

They look almost black, but they are really a deep garnet color – so pretty! I love her jewelry AND her beauty/bath shop, too. She is oh-so-talented! Please visit her jewelry shop called JaniesJoli and her bath and beauty shop called BubblySensations. This lady is truly a sweetheart and such a joy to work with. You won’t be disappointed in anything you get from her!


Treasury Feature

I am so incredibly honored to be in treasuries. Any time it happens, it absolutely makes my day!! I need to start showing you those here, so I can remember who did what and repay them in some of my future treasuries, as well. I always try to include some of my friends, some people I don’t know, and some people who have featured one of my things, when I can. I think it’s just the right thing to do :)

Here’s the latest one made by acottagehearth:

 http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=39351

She features a treasury all about laundry and called it, appropriately, “Off Balance”. This is the item from my shop that she features:

Thanks so much, acottagehearth! It is adorable!!


Truly Inspirational

Just last week I mentioned getting my google reader full of the blogs I frequent. I absolutely LOVE this feature and highly recommend it to cut so much time off your day if you are physically going to each site. This allows me to see things sooner and easy – I am so diggin’ me some google reader!!

That brings me to my reason for this most wonderful post. One of the most inspirational sites I have discovered has to be one from a lady named Analise. Now, I don’t know her, but I feel like I do. She seems like such a sweet and wonderful lady. Click here to see her blog. Just looking at her pictures makes me so excited and inspired to create pretty things.

Here’s a little sampling of those things that just inspire me to no end:

All of these pretties and sooooo many more things that you will just swoon over are located in her shop leesiebella on etsy.


Black White Beautiful

I am up to it again!! My treasury is on the front page of etsy and I couldn’t be more thrilled!! Here’s a shot of it:

cozystreasuryonfrontpage-whole

I realize this may be too small to tell much about it, but it’s also on my flickr. You can see it better by clicking here.

I’m so excited about it!! YAY! Happy Friday!!


It happened!!

I can’t believe it!! I was featured on the front page today around 12:30 p.m.!! The treasury I was in was made by one of my sweet etsy friends kimiko611 and was so pretty. It was an honor to be chosen by her for the treasury and then just a cherry on top to be on the front page. Here’s a shot of it (thanks lvs!):

3075318182_52f70139c6

What a way to start a month!! Happy December!


My Birthday

Thank you all for making my birthday so very special!! The warm wishes, the wonderful compliments!! I tell you – you sure do know how to make a girl feel good…and you know how to make her forget that her age is on the steady incline!!!

Using the random number generator to choose a number, it chose the winner of my blog birthday contest!! And the winner is:

 lv’s beads n things

Here’s a copy/paste of the winning number generated:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

6

Timestamp: 2008-11-10 23:08:27 UTC

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

I just had to share one of the gifts I received from Charles for my birthday. A while back, I had this little fellow on my wish list and was soooooo excited to see him in person today!! How adorable is this:

He is positively the cutest thing and is going in my new studio when I have it up and going. To see another one like him and maybe snag something adorable for yourself, check out this most adorable shop on etsy called fioretta.

The stitches on this little owl are perfection, as are her color choices and the overall design. I just love him!! Hats off to the lovely lady who created this little guy and thank you for being able to part with him!!


Pretty Glass Connection

Earlier this week, I found some super cute glass tiles from a lovely etsy seller “The Glass Connection“. Click here to see her shop. And, please note, if you buy something from her, the shipping is SUPER FAST and her items are nicely packaged!! Here’s what I found:

After a little time with me, they are completely ready for the Shabby Chic/Cottage home! Here’s a couple of them now:

How sweet they turned out!! My biggest problem is letting go of these things that I’m working on. Isn’t it terrible that I want to keep it all? LOL – I’m soooo not kidding!!

Happy Sunday dear friends!


Etsy Spotlight – dandyapple + Yummy Pizza

A Milan etsy seller recently found me on etsy using the shop local feature and I couldn’t be happier that she sent me a convo. 

She has the most adorable shop called dandyapple with some of the CUTEST pendants you’ve ever laid eyes upon!! Here’s a little sampling of her GORGEOUS work:

I was reading her blog a few days ago and she had blogged about cooking pizza and she has a nice little step-by-step recipe on there. Now, I didn’t use it yet, as I was more lazy and used a mix for the crust, but here’s my little pizza:

I made a pepperoni pizza with lite sauce and it was sooooo good!! Now, it wasn’t as good looking as Miss dandyapple’s, but she sure did inspire me to make this one and I’m thrilled that she did!!


Givin’ A Hug

A little over a month ago, I purchased some items from a super sweet etsy seller julscrafts who included a sweet little plastic canvas framed poem entitled “Hug”. It makes me giggle every time I read it…it just makes me happy. I thought it would be a fun idea to share it with other people, too. The first person who either emails me or leaves a comment here for it, gets it next. I only ask that you display it for a month and then pass it on. What a wonderful thing to think of all the places it might go and how many homes it could live in! Plus, the smiles it would bring!

Here’s a picture of what it looks like (displayed beside of my sugar canister in some of my new open shelving in our newly remodeled kitchen):

Happy Saturday!!!


Lovely Tags Have Arrived

Back on August 10th, I blogged about a lovely crinoline tag swap I had signed up for. Click here to see the ones I made for this fun swap. What fun and creativity it sparked!

Then, yesterday, I received my tags from all the other wonderfully talented ladies. How pretty are these:

(left to right: M, Maija, Tiffany & Amy)

(left to right: Jessi, Margie, Sadie Lou, Andrea)

I am so inspired by each of them and am so happy I participated in the swap!! Thanks Andrea for this wonderful opportunity to be involved with these super sweet ladies!


Finding a Happy Lake

Have you been to the happylake etsy shop? If you haven’t, please click here to see her gorgeous creations. I met Elizabeth (happylake) on etsy and she is such a wonderful person! One might be tipped off as to her talent by knowing she’s been on the front page of etsy more than once…and she has also been in the Etsy Finds newsletter. How cool is that??

This is one of her handsome leaf candle holders:

And, this is one of her stunning bowls:

one of her lovely vase sets:

and this gorgeous covered jar – look at all that texture:

With the holidays fast approaching, these would make very lovely gifts for the special people in your lives. I know I have already received several from her, too. They are so well made – you won’t be disappointed in the quality of this award winning artist!!


My Latest Etsy Shop Infatuation

There’s a super lady who featured me in her blog recently whom I adore. On etsy she has two shops – one of them is brand new dsignsbymelissa and the other is her supply and destash shop melp1979. I really have to talk about her because she has always been so super sweet to me AND she has the cutest little creations!! Look at this super cute button bracelet of hers:

I am going to HAVE to get one of those bracelets really soon – they are toooo cute not to own!! I should definitely put that on my “things I want for Anniversary/Birthday/Christmas list”!!

I have bought several things from her supply shop back before she had her jewelry shop. Some were supplies – mosaics and gems. BUT, my favorite purchase? A super sweet button ring that I love! It’s so cute and so eyecatching. It never fails that I get compliments on it when I wear it. Here’s a photo of it:

I hope you get a chance to shop in one of her lovely shops. Not only are her pieces remarkable, she is also a wonderfully sweet and fun person….not to mention interesting!! This super talented young lady is also starting her own interior design business. How cool is that???


Surprise Packages – Want to Win??

Yesterday’s blog post reflected my surprise to have already reached (and surpassed!!) 160 sales!! Guess What? I thought since I was surprised, it would be fun to surprise a winner, too!! I have a nice little goody package put together with several cutie pie things. Some that I’ve made and some that some of my wonderful Etsy friends have made – HOORAY!

 What is it? I’m not tellin’!! At least not until the winner has received it! This will be fun! I don’t know about you but I’ve always loved surprises – it’s like being a kid again…and I try to live like a kid as much as I possibly can!!

Any person who purchases from my shop between now and Saturday, June 21st will automatically be entered. I will come here and post those names as well as what was purchased. Each item purchase will be an entry.
Also, there’s no purchase necessary to win…so all you have to do is post a comment on any blog entry!! Your comments count beginning with today’s date, so have fun – each comment is an entry for you and since all comments go to my email, I can keep up the count on there. Then, I’ll use a random number generator to choose the winner….and let’s do two prizes this time…a grand prize and a runner up prize. Winners will be chosen on Sunday, June 22nd! Sound like fun?
Commence to posting comments!! Have fun!

Something Else That Makes Me Happy….

I purchased this on etsy and wore it for the first time today and let me just tell you that I’m absolutely adoring it:

Here’s a close-up pic of this super cute little necklace:

This came all the way from Singapore and a lovely little shop called natureautumn. Click here to see her fun shop. Thank you NatureAutumn!! I am in love with this necklace!!!


A Beautiful Mud Hutt

Luckily, I found a super sweet shop on etsy and purchased a sweet little dish:

Let me tell you, when I opened up the package, I squealed with delight! This is the cutest thing and I have it specially placed for my most important piece of jewelry – my wedding rings!! :) What a precious place to keep my precious rings! You have to check out Jen’s “Mud Hutt” shop and see what she has going on. She has the most adorable things and I’m certain you’ll find something you just have to own, too!!

Thank you Jen!! I love it!!


A Beautiful Necklace

This past weekend, I found a necklace that I just had to have. You know…one of those that has character and has an artistic vibe….one of those that you just know you are going to get compliments on when you wear it…

It came in a couple of days ago and I have to tell you – it’s better than I ever imagined! I have heard so many compliments on this lovely seller’s shop and I knew her work was gorgeous, but until I opened that package and looked at the necklace in person, I had no idea how gorgeous!!

Here’s a picture of what I’m so in love with:

Click here to see the gorgeous shop called voleurdebijoux and browse through her lovely and unique pieces of jewelry.

Until you have one of these in your hands, you have no idea how very special it is!

**picture used by permission from voleurdebijoux (her photography style is soo nice)


Appreciation to My First Customers

I thought it would be a nice thing to show appreciation to my customers and show you their shops on my blog, so you could see their talents, too!
My first sale went to a lovely shop owner of Handmade by Annabelle – click here to see her sweet shop. She has some lovely items (and she’s a sweetie, too!) and I’m personally fond of her handmade baskets! Be sure to visit her! Here’s one of them:

My second customer has such an adorable shop! Bearly Time to Scrap (click here to see her shop) has a nice mix of things from buttons to beads to tags and these little tear bears that are to die for:

I am giddy over those little fellas and their sweet little faces – too cute!

My 3rd sale went to a lovely shop called Wonderfully Sew Knit who has lovely goodies like bags and aprons. Click here to see her shop. Look at this sweetie:

My fourth & fifth customers don’t have shops, but I’d like to thank:
alyanna – such a sweet, lovely lady and left some joyful feedback that really touched me! THANK YOU!!
sunsign – she left me my very first feedback for an item I sold – THANK YOU sweet lady! You have no idea how excited I was when I read my first one!
I wanted to make sure that I documented these first five customers – you are so special and so appreciated!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

More Goodies Arrived Today!

More great things arrived in the mail today that will be free gifts to my first 5 customers in my new shop! Hooray!! You have got to see these. First, there were treats from kishcrafts and look at these:

  • A sweet chocolate glazed donut
  • A sparkly sugary donut (the pic doesn’t do this one justice – it’s sparkly and pink)
  • A key lime pie slice (look at the teeny lime slice on top – tooooo cute!)
  • Two chocolate chip cookies
  • A slice of carrot cake
Oh my – aren’t those just the cutest? And, they are teeny, tiny little works of art. To see more like these, click here to go to her shop “kishcrafts”. You will be seeing things that are so great that they are OFF the CUTENESS charts!!

She also asked me to tell any of my blog readers to mention they found her from my blog (thecozyloft) and she would give them a 10% discount! WOW – how sweet is she?? I am so excited to be able to tell all of you that!! Just make sure you send her a conversation through etsy so she can send you a corrected invoice reflecting the 10% discount. YAY!

Today, I also received some of the sweetest soaps from YappsCottageDecor – click here to see her shop. She already has so many wonderful things in there and has some more goodies coming soon to her shop. Look at her shop announcement for details! The soap smells so good and such lovely packaging. Look at this:

There’s pink sugar, lavender, lemongrass, and two white soaps that seem to be unscented. I’ll find out for sure on those. She has really great prices, but the big thing is they are sooooooo cute!

Be sure to check back later today when I have some photos up of things you’ll find in my shop available tomorrow!

More Sneaking Peeking & My Mama

The goodies just keep on coming in…you know…the ones my first five customers are going to get for FREE with their purchases??

I received some today that did not come by mail or carrier, but transported by automobile to my door…by my most talented and crafty Mama. She is the person I talk to about every artsy and craftsy thing I’m doing in my life, and she sells things online now too!

For the longest time, my Mother worked at a hospital as a nurse and would craft things like Sock Monkeys, crocheted baby shoes and all kinds of sweet little goodies. Her co-workers would see these things and place orders. Eventually, she would leave the medical world and she owned her own bakery. Her bakery would bring customers in from everywhere and the smells that came from that wonderful place – sooooo delicious! Because of two heart attacks, she did have to leave her bakery dream behind.

Now, she sells a few things online and has just opened her own very new etsy shop. Please see her sweet shop by clicking here – her things are sooooo very sweet!

She sent 5 different things:

  • A cute Grocery Bag Magnet with so many miniature items inside like drawer liner, cereal, a newspaper, fruit and more!!
  • An adorable bag of potatoes magnet. I have had one of these for YEARS that she made for me and I love it so much. They are so very adorable!
  • A precious red and white lollipop that has the clear protective wrap on it.
  • A sweet tiny sundae in a clear sundae cup. Look at the tiny straw (for when the ice cream “melts”)!

  • And, my personal favorite, a teeny-tiny miniature pink and white lollipop. It’s so very cute and sweet and adorable and lovely! Just like my Mama!!

Here’s a picture of them:

There’s more to come and those will be in soon, I’ll keep you posted on that. Also, don’t forget to look here tomorrow evening for things that I’ll have for sale in the shop on Saturday!


Gift Items Starting to Arrive & Sneak Peek

I mentioned a few days ago that I decided to order a few items from fellow etsy sellers to give as free gifts to my first 5 customers on opening day this Saturday (that is sooooo close!). I received the first package today of the sweetest tiny gift boxes from creationsbylaura. You can see her sweet shop by clicking here and finding her scrapbooking goodies. These teeny adorable boxes would be perfect with a little gift or candy and left on a co-worker’s desk…or hubby’s/wife’s pillow…or…well pretty much anyone! Thank you sooooo much Laura!!
Here’s a pic of Laura’s little precious boxes and she sent several different colors:

The clock is ticking fast as I’m getting everything ready to be opened by Saturday morning. I hope not to disappoint anyone!

Be sure to check back to see more sneak peeks of what will be available on Saturday!! ;)


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