Moonangelnay Photography, Handmade Art and Crafts, Etsy Features and Giveaway Blog

A new format for the BESTeam!

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 17:53:00 +0000

It's the weekend! And I get to try out a new format for the BESTeam features today. Rather than the usual one seller feature, our members are now able to showcase three at a time which is a wonderful opportunity for the team to help promote each other more often. So to cater for the 3 awesome sellers I have also changed the way I display this feature slightly. For anyone on Etsy with a blog that is interested in joining our team, please check out the link at the end of this post to visit our forum page.

BESTeam Mosaic

Elizabethmd
All items are clickable and will take you directly to elizabethmd's listings...

Elizabeth from Sarnia Ontario draws her inspiration from many different areas such as gothic and medieval, rockabilly and other vintage subcultures. Her jewelry shows off a range of different styles likely based on all of the things she admires and likes to research. Not holding back on bright colors, you can find items to suit a broad age range for gifting or as a personal treat!

Mossycreeksoaps
All items are clickable and will take you directly to mossycreeksoaps' listings...

Stop by Michelles gorgeous bath and body store and find yourself in a delicious indulgence of natural homemade soaps and other gifts. Michelle takes pride in her soaps and likens her processes to that of experiences with cooking; The fact that you can create such wonderful things using a few ingredients. And the scents used in her soaps sound just divine!

Bluewhitewear
All items are clickable and will take you directly to bluewhitewear's listings...

I just love jewelry from around the world and the jewelry of bluewhitejewelrywear certainly gives a lot to explore and discover. This is a beautiful shop with pieces that have gorgeous Chinese style designs or engravings. The use of gemstones makes each of the pieces feel close to nature and truely one of a kind!

For those of you with a passion for handmade, and you have a blog that is in need of a consistant weekly post to drive your traffic and help fellow artisans by doing the same. Come and join the BESTeam!

Revisiting cksilver!

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 16:11:00 +0000

Today I get to look back on the wonderful silver jewelry of cksilver! Enjoy!

BESTeam Mosaic

Revisted
All items are clickable and will take you directly to cksilvers' listings...

I had actually featured cksilver back in December, after having a lovely trip out to my annual City Frankfurt Market I had the pleasure of then browsing her handmade pieces which kept that lovely creative and inspired flow running through me. Although I hadn't purchased at the time, I had hoped to someday buy some of her jewelry as I find that her style suits my bohemian nature yet I can even see myself wearing her work on my more conservative or school run days too, just for that extra bit of personality to my outfits :)

I LOVE natural looking jewelry, and her store is full of silver gemstone pieces to suit all sorts of ages and seasonal occassions. Mom and daughter team Cindy and Marilyn pride themselves on their work, and their expertise and experience shows. They are inspired by nature and have very similar styles meaning their obviously harmonised pieces are the result of a harmonious partnership :)

There is so much more in the shop now, and it's really lovely to see how they have progressed since the first feature. I will certainly make a point of buying for Christmas this year :)

If you take a trip to their store, please stop by their blog too to discover much more, including features for fellow members of the BESTeam!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/cksilver
http://cksilver1.blogspot.com/

For those of you with a passion for handmade, and you have a blog that is in need of a consistant weekly post to drive your traffic and help fellow artisans by doing the same. Come and join the BESTeam!

Cute Hair Bows by ChickyDs!

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 08:19:00 +0000

Good morning, and my deepest love and thoughts for the USA today in rememberance for the events on 9/11 all those years ago. It's strange as I remember switching on the news the morning everything happened, and watching events unfolding before my eyes. It was a very sad and awful day, I can't imagine how it must've been for those in the fray and their families and friends. I am humbled by the fact that since 9/11 so many people have come together and done so much to set a great example for society in the USA, and it just goes to show that there is such strength in the human spirit. The best of wishes to you all.

Here is my feature on ChickyDs!

BESTeam Mosaic
All items are clickable and will take you directly to ChickyDs' listings...

You may remember Danielle from a previous feature I had done on one of her store Danizabeth, full of beautiful and vibrant retro photography! Today I have the pleasure of introducing her other store ChickyDs which shows of her talents as a crafter, and her hair accessories creations. Danielle from Peru, IL in the USA has always had a love for the arts and found herself growing up with the inner knowing that she would persue this avenue as a career. She both studied and works in Graphic Design by day, and her Etsy business was born out of an urge to do something crafty and a trip one day to a hobby store that inspired her to indulge further, beginning her Etsy journey.

Hey gorgeous and colorful hair bows are made literally for everyone, be it a newborn baby, fashionable teen, a busy career lady or a bride to be! There are tonnes of different designs to browse in store, yet you also have the option of contacting Danielle for bespoke accessories. There are so many styles that I noticed when browsing from extravagant bows, to beautiful sprays of ribbon giving a buyer lots of inspiration to accessorize their favourite outfits. The choice given is vast and she has even taken seasonal holidays into account and has plenty of suitable hair pieces to purchase for special occassions.

She has a blog which I have introduced in the past and it's good to see that it's still going strong, full of features, personal posts and pages to learn a bit more about Danielle throughout :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ChickyDs
http://www.danizabeth.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/Danizabeth2
http://www.facebook.com/ChickyDsAccessories

For those of you with a passion for handmade, and you have a blog that is in need of a consistant weekly post to drive your traffic and help fellow artisans by doing the same. Come and join the BESTeam!

The Face of Bounty?

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:06:00 +0000

Could Be The... Face of Bounty?
Please vote for Aayla :) ...

I am super excited at the fact my daughters entry into the Face of Bounty competition had been accepted and is now live for votes! I don't normally bother with competitions of this sort, yet on this occassion I couldn't help myself!

The morning I entered the competition, I had been going through tonnes of images of my children to update the family album, when I had come across this one and as I always do with certain photos I ended up in a blubbing heap of cuteness because my daughter really has brought out the soppy mom in me lol! And when looking at the company Bounty a bit later on for other reasons, I then found this competition... then found myself on the entry page... filling in the form... uploading the picture... send... Yup, so there we have it! Lol!

I would love to see how far my daughter could go in the competition in her catagory for this month, so it would be wonderful if you could offer your support and cast a vote for her on her page. I believe that you may have to register before voting. I am not sure about that. But if you do vote for her I'll be very grateful :) Have a great weekend!

Moonangelnay x

Release Me Creations by Zen25

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 22:07:00 +0000

Good Evening, and apologies for the lateness of this one! It's been a crazy Saturday of folk music, painted faces, knitting and morris dancers at my local annual folk festival so blogging so far has been impossible until now! I managed to get an app the other day to see if I could give blogging on the go a try (which I am yet to of course), but I am hoping it'll mean I can blog at the frequency I used to before my year became a blur!

But for now I want to share my feature on zen25!

BESTeam Mosaic
All items are clickable and will take you directly to Zen25's listings...

It's really nice to revisting the store Zen25 by Maureen from Fort Worth TX, as I had actually found some of her work recently when creating a BESTeam treasury and fell in love with the unusual style of her creations. It's lovely reading her profile again considering how admirable her sense of strength is, as her work was born from the need to cope with the coming tradgedy in her family, which has since become a stronghold of positive energy that she filters her creativity and personality into. So much so, that they are lovingly named "Release me Creations". And they are stunning pieces indeed.

There is something almost abstract about her jewelry, in a way that is still realistic but with these quirky hints of flair, be it something glamourous or punk, gothic or retro, and many other touches of different styles that make the uniqueness of her jewelry stand out all the more. No piece is alike not just in appearence, but in essence. And I think it's great that the work is so versatile as I know the pieces themselves would be for their owners when it comes to accessorizing.

She has a blog which is almost a double of her store in both beauty and interesting content. and worht a visit if you are looking for a cool new blog to follow! I particularly enjoyed her recent post about her shop inspirations! :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/zen25
http://www.releasemecreations.com/

For those of you with a passion for handmade, and you have a blog that is in need of a consistant weekly post to drive your traffic and help fellow artisans by doing the same. Come and join the BESTeam!

Charming Charms by Absolutelykismet

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 08:01:00 +0000

Hi everyone!

Glad to be back after a short absence recovering from some surgery a few weeks ago. I'm sad it hasn't been sooner really but I had a bit of a complication, and since been medicated up to my eyeballs due to some lung trouble. But I'm able to sit up comfortably now, which is good as my intrepid mini-me during a stompy fun afternoon slaughtered my laptop with my Lucozade last week, so I have to work with the PC at all times now!
Well before I blog about my last few weeks, I'll begin my return with a team post! Enjoy!

Charmed! check out the awesome work of Absolutelykismet!

BESTeam Mosaic
All items are clickable and will take you directly to Absolutelykismet's listings...

Absolutelykismet from Spearfish, Dakota started her beautiful charm journey a few years ago, inspired by her search for wine charms that she had planned to buy for a relative. Realising the expense of the ones she had found, she then had the idea to make her own personalized wine charms and ventured forth to create bunches for family members. Since she has been enjoying the freedom of expression and creativity in her style and thoughroughly enjoys being able to input personality into her work, based on that of her client base. She loves the fact that she is able to create individual pieces that are reminiscent of the personal tastes of those that work with her, from taking into account their favorite colors, their intention of use, and even catering to customers wanting to be able to wear her pieces!

Visiting her store is a vibrant and fresh experience. The images are done naturally and beautifully, really enhancing the bright colors of the listed items. It's hard not to get drawn into her work, as I found my eyes were roaming everywhere! There were so many really nice, delicate looking pieces of jewelry and charms, my favorites of course are included in my mosaic above!

She has both a lovely blog where she discusses her work a bit more, as well as covering other great artists and crafters in our handmade community, and she can also be followed on Facebook! Stop by and follow her when you can :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/absolutelykismet
http://absolutelykismet.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/AbsolutelyKismet

For those of you with a passion for handmade, and you have a blog that is in need of a consistant weekly post to drive your traffic and help fellow artisans by doing the same. Come and join the BESTeam!

Revisting AncientOils

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 22:46:00 +0000

Hi everyone! I have had the pleasure of being able to revisit the scented world of Lilly DelValle of Ancientoils' store this week and am looking forward to showing you some new favourites in the mosaic below of some beautiful balancing blends :)

BESTeam Mosaic Revisted
All items are clickable and will take you directly ancientoils' listings...

In my previous visit to Lilly's store I was extremely fascinated by her background and the fact that she has a lot of experience in her field, and the wonderful application of her knowledge in the listings throughout the store. Each and every item focuses not only on the item made, but an impressive and informative summary of the natural componants involved and their influence. Her knowledge is derived from her acheivements in metaphysics, and spirtual healing through years of study, qualification and experience in holistic healing which is something I think that makes her blends all the more special.
There is a variety of items to help support wellbeing in her store such as bath salts, mud masks, essential oils, formulas and more. Her items would make wonderful gift ideas, particularly to those that are looking to have a bit of relaxation or just for a beautiful handmade treat!
To check out my previous article for AncientOils please click here!
For more beautiful blends check out Lilly's store!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/AncientOils
http://livingvibrations.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/AncientOils

Flowers Hair Pins by Floresdelsur

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 08:42:00 +0000

Flowers for forever! check out the awesome work of Floresdelsur!

BESTeam Mosaic
All items are clickable and will take you directly to floresdelsur's listings...

Some of you may know that I'm getting married next year, and something that has been taking up my time this week has been lots of searching on Etsy for someone that makes beautiful handmade and long lasting flowers as it is my wish to have a 50s style, handmade wedding (and the thought of all my flowers and bouquet dying eventually is horrifying lol!). So to my delight I get to feature the beautiful work of Marisa Kraiselburd from floresdelsur in Montevideo Uruguay, whom makes lovely flower accessories made from a selection of fabrics. They are extremely versatile, suiting both special occasions and casual wear and as the colors are so bright, and some of the designs are very modern/abstract, I feel that they would appeal to a broad age range too. I can imagine that her geometric, abstract looking flowers influence probably come from her experience as a graphic designer, yet crafting in general is something she has enjoyed doing since she was a child, and she has a passion for all types of craft. She also has a jewelry shop lasfloresdelsur.etsy.com with a small selection of beaded jewelry and also http://www.etsy.com/shop/craftsandpixels where she sells beading tutorials and some supplies that I'm sure you'd love to visit too!
Back to her lovely hairpins, I have to say my favourites are the large poppy style beaded and fabric flowers. I love things that make a statement and these surely do!
If you are able to stop by, take a moment to visit her blog, facebook page and twitter too :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/floresdelsur
http://www.lasfloresdelsur.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Las-Flores-del-Sur/126539847362890
http://www.twitter.com/floresdelsur

For those of you with a passion for handmade, and you have a blog that is in need of a consistant weekly post to drive your traffic and help fellow artisans by doing the same. Come and join the BESTeam!

Vintage Upcycled Art from RedemptionArt

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 22:15:00 +0000

Vintage lovers, check out the awesome collection in RedemptionArt's store!

BESTeam Mosaic
All items are clickable and will take you directly to Redemptionart's listings...

Connie from Volcano Hawaii likes to describe herself as the Queen of "Redeem", for the love of her passion for collecting timeless pieces and giving back their spark! Visiting her store is almost as fresh as the times the items listed were conjured up by their makers, as she interprets the soul of each piece with some pretty awesome photos. I found myself being extremely drawn into many of the listings for this reason, as her eye for quality shows in her vibrant displays of the items, which I believe is intended to reflect the Aloha Spirit as described in her profile. She is very passionate about the renewal of past items, and wants to offer her customers these beautiful finds in an affordable way. I picked some favourites for my mosaic above which was almost an impossible task as there are so many things that I wanted to share! But as you know you can easily visit her listings and shop clicking the links/images in this post :) Also you must take a moment to visit her blog (linked below) to read more about Connie and her life living in Hawaii. Her lovely bubbly personalilty shines throughout her posts, and makes her blog a very uplifting and enjoyable read. Enjoy!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/RedemptionArt
http://www.islandbuzzy.com/

For those of you with a passion for handmade, and you have a blog that is in need of a consistant weekly post to drive your traffic and help fellow artisans by doing the same. Come and join the BESTeam!

Cards by Creativitybugs!

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 21:31:00 +0000

Today I have the work of Creativitybugs!

BESTeam Mosaic
All items are clickable and will take you directly to Creativitybugs' listings...

Sandy and Sue are the busy hands behind the handmade card business they have affectionately named creativitybugs, and they are both sisters from Wauconda, Illinois! They are driven by that which is held dear to one's heart and work with the purpose of creating items that are meaningful and will be cherished in this way. It's lovely that they pour so much love into their cards and work by their company ethos, as it shows the spirit of the special vibe that is felt with gifting something that is handmade. Namely knowing exactly that love has played it's part in the creation of your card, and had inspired someone close to give to you with an artistic expression of love. They say that their company motto is "lovingly creating items for others to love & cherish". We guarantee quality workmanship as nothing leaves our "shop" unless it has been crafted with 100% craftmanship mixed in with creativity and a pinch of kindness & love", which I feel shows that they are very passionate about not only what they do, but about good customer service aswell. They currently stock various handmade cards and some very cute flower tealight favors, yet looking at their profile I believe they hope to achieve a lot more with the variety held in the store, namely having things like dolls clothing, paper craft kits and accessories, so this is one to keep an eye on for lots more to come!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/creativitybugs
http://creativitybug.blogspot.com/

For those of you with a passion for handmade, and you have a blog that is in need of a consistant weekly post to drive your traffic and help fellow artisans by doing the same. Come and join the BESTeam!

Cool Accessories by MissFormaldehyde

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 08:31:00 +0000

Good morning! It's been a bit full on this week so I have had to postpone my post about my little man's birthday, but have another fab feature to share so please enjoy!

So for today I have the work of MissFormaldehyde! Enjoy!

BESTeam Mosaic
All items are clickable and will take you directly to missformaldehyde's listings...

Kelly Formaldehyde makes the most awesome handmade accessories that remind me of the world of burlesque! They are so beautiful and designed I'm sure to make the wearer feel gorgeous and sexy. Kelly is from San Diego and makes her accessories for alsorts of occassions, be it weddings, parties, performances, nights out, there is a vast selection of items to choose from! Her source of inspiration falls into so many catagories, and come together so well to form the pieces she creates namely burlesque, gothic, lolita, tiki and more. You can't help but be wowed as soon as you land on the page as everything is so bold and colorful like a grand firework spray, and it's really easy to navigate for what you might like to find as she catagorises her pieces well on the left so the overall experience of visiting her page is as enjoyable as the accessories themselves. My favourites are her feather fascinators and the skulls and spiders section and all of the carved and feather earrings, of which I enjoyed browsing through the most as her section for earrings also has some really cool tiki tribal pieces that caught my attention. She loves custom orders and offers wholesale too, so don't hesitate to get in touch with her for any special requirements!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/msformaldehyde
http://msformaldehyde.blogspot.com/

For those of you with a passion for handmade, and you have a blog that is in need of a consistant weekly post to drive your traffic and help fellow artisans by doing the same. Come and join the BESTeam!

Handmade Jewelry by BeaderBubbe

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 07:58:00 +0000

Morning all! Hope everyone is enjoying a very festive start to the month of July! Happy Canada Day for a few days ago, and of course Happy 4th of July for tomorrow!
I have had reason to celebrate this week all the way from here in the UK as it has been my little man's 4th birthday! And in essence he has had 2 birthdays (lucky monkey!) since his "real" one fell on a weekday (we saw Kung Fu Panda 2! ... So cool!), and we hosted his epic fancy dress party yesterday (hosted by Wilma Flinstone and Batman of course... oh the awesomeness!). I will have a post about it in a few days, and images too! But yes as a result my week has been full and this post is obviously late for which I apologise!

So for today I have the work of BeaderBubbe to show my readers. Enjoy!

BESTeam Mosaic
All items are clickable and will take you directly to BeaderBubbe's listings...

Agnes is a very busy all round crafter, Mother and Grandmother hailing from Brooklyn, USA. Agnes is very passionate about jewelry making and hopes to make it a full time career once she has retired for which I believe is a wonderful long term plan towards doing what you love most. Her shop is full of variety as she is keen to use lots of different mediums and try new things like polymer clay, beads, crystals and much more. Although being primarily her handmade jewelry pieces, you can even discover her new hand painted SuzieQ apparel! Be it bracelets, earrings, necklaces, or cool toddler clothes, there's lots to browse and enjoy from her store. My favourite are her bracelets as i love how the beads have been strung together in a neat and uniformed way, using natural gemstones which would look amazing with any of my more dressy and sophisticated outfits, or even some of my more casual summer tops and dresses to make make them look very cool and bohemian :) I love being able to accessorize outfits and it's lovely that there are so many one of a kind pieces to choose from that could suit much of my wardrobe.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BeaderBubbe
Blog - http://www.beaderbubbe.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/beaderbubbe

For those of you with a passion for handmade, and you have a blog that is in need of a consistant weekly post to drive your traffic and help fellow artisans by doing the same. Come and join the BESTeam!

NeoVictorian Steampunk Splendor from Poisongarden

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 09:48:00 +0000

Woo It's Saturday! Hi all! Hope your weekend is going well :) Mine has been rather wet so far but hey, my garden is happy and I don't have to run about with the hose (score!). So more time to catch up with a few things :) I am featuring this awesome gothic inspired jewelry from a collaboration of artists in the shop known as Poisongarden today! Enjoy!

So here are the lovely workings of Melissa, Crystal, and Suzette!

BESTeam Mosaic
All items are clickable and will take you directly to poisongarden's listings...

Melissa, Crystal, and Suzette from Lafayette, IN USA all have a shared interest and passion in the more edgy side of the romantic genre, which reflects so beautifully in their handmade/vintage jewelry and accessories. I love the fact that they also bring new life to vintage pieces, making the old into something to be rediscovered as something fresh!
Their shop consists of gorgeous NeoVictorian/Victorian, Steampunk and Gothic inspired pieces from handstitched ribbon and beaded jewelry to hats and other cool things to adorn in your hair. I am peronally absolutely in love with their ribbon chokers and the gothic skeleton key necklace set. How awesome would they look with a beautiful corset?! Their work is unique, and whimiscal making your purchase extra special be it for yourself or for gifting someone you care about :) If you are interested in custom work then they are happy to take on board your preferences! Just get in touch with them in their store!
Being a part of the BESTeam they also take part in featuring other members of our fab team so don't forget to checkout their blog where you can also find more about them and a great portfolio page full of what they do :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/poisongarden
Blog - http://poison-garden.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/PoisonGarden/123138724371600
http://www.twitter.com/poisonousgarden

For those of you with a passion for handmade, and you have a blog that is in need of a consistant weekly post to drive your traffic and help fellow artisans by doing the same. Come and join the BESTeam!

A Blog Hop, Skip and Bubbles...

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:26:00 +0000

The long awaited...

... 1st birthday images are here! and the even longer awaited BLOG HOP returns! Scroll down to add your links!

I had been floating around the shops today (I could almost say quite literally) after spending a long morning going over shop listings and changing things AGAIN, looking for some inspiration for my sons birthday party when not only did the awesome idea come to me down the pink princess aisle of Toys r Us (and no it won't be pink... he'd NEVER forgive me LOL), but I remembered about the pictures I wanted to post for my daughters party in May!

I finally got a card reader for my DSLR so all the images are on the PC and safe... for now... *she says in hope* So yes! I have just a small selection here of the kids, cakes and other things I enjoyed making/admiring the most that day :)

Yey cards!

My recycled gift bag flowers! I still have some on the walls they're that AWESOME!

Cupcake preparations!

THE Cake :)

Happy siblings... for once lol!

Hope you enjoyed the pics :)

Now... hopping!

_______________________________________________

ADD YOUR BLOG TO MY WEEK LONG BLOG HOP!
Thursday - Thursday

Remember to add your blog to the "linky" and not just in the comments (although comments are appreciated)! This hop is growing by the week so thanks to those of you who have grabbed my blog hop button or the ones that have put the linky code on their own pages! The more you all share this linky, the more opportunities people have to find and follow your blogs! Lets keep this up! I try to follow everyone when I am able to (it may be in the same week or after a few weeks but I do back track so please be patient!) so to maximise everyone's chance of gaining followers try and follow as many as you can give time for :)

Grab This Button!

Here is how you can take part!

Follow my blog!
ADD YOUR LINK TO THE LINKY BELOW
NO ETSY OR OTHER SHOP LINKS! This is a BLOG hop. Please contact me if you are interested in taking part in other features, but this is exclusively for blogs :)
EITHER copy and paste the Linky code at the bottom of this post into YOUR OWN blog post OR Write a blog post including the Thursday Blog Hop button above (it's size will be 125px) OR Link to me using the Blog hop button somewhere on your blog.
(not mandatory but it helps) I know not everyone can, but if you have social networks like Twitter, Facebook etc send a message out about this hop to help spread the word about all the fab blogs people can follow!
Follow at least 2 or 3 others on the list and send them a blog comment to let them know! That way they can follow you back also :)

If I feel your entry isn't family friendly (ie: adult related, gambling or something else distasteful or spammy) I will remove your link.

So submit your blog into the linky tool by clicking on the submit text and you're on your way :) This tool will expire on Sunday night and is accessible using the top navigation of my blog! Happy hopping!

Studioahimsa Stationary and Prints

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 11:11:00 +0000

Hi everyone, apologies for the lateness of this weeks BESTeam feature. I don't want to have to go into too many details but I've had a few things I've wanted to do this week before going through a string of hospital appointments for the rest of this month. So I am behind of course and trying to catch up with everything!

So for this week I want to introduce the lovely artwork of Greg and Tazim from Studioahimsa!

BESTeam Mosaic
All items are clickable and will take you directly studioahimsa's listings...

Greg and Tazim from Vancouver Canada both have backgrounds in design, Greg's forte being in Graphic Design and Tazim in Interior Design with Art History being something shared between them. Their Etsy store is full of awesome sets of gift cards, tags and other stationary. All made on 100% recycled paper and using non toxic inks, these fabulous handmade pieces are not only made with skill and love, but are considerate and economical too! :)
They have a great respect for nature, which is the inspiration behind what they do having drawn their ideas from the beautiful landscapes in Canada and it's natural inhabitants.
I just love the variety of artworks in the store, which for me look like a collective of different styles from all over. Some of my favorites are their gift tags which use a styling I can only liken to that of William Morris which is one of my favorite artists ever! But also I love the two limited edition linocut landscapes. They are done in such a beautiful way that reminds me almost of the orient. So lovely! Yet moving away from the more classic designs, they have an adorable linocut golden robot image which my son has taken a liking to! And for myself I love both the kitchen utensils and the rows and rows of coffee as a more modern favorite!
For more wonderful gift ideas, check out their store!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/studioahimsa
Blog - http://www.beingtazim.com
http://www.facebook.com/studioahimsa
http://www.twitter.com/studioahimsa

For those of you with a passion for handmade, and you have a blog that is in need of a consistant weekly post to drive your traffic and help fellow artisans by doing the same. Come and join the BESTeam!

The Scented World of Ancientoils

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:44:00 +0000

Hi all! Today I am blushing and can't seem to stop! Please mosey on over to our BESTeam leaders blog to read the wonderful feature she has written for my shop! I absolutely love it!

Now for today I have been introduced to the scented world of Lilly DelValle of Ancientoils!

BESTeam Mosaic
All items are clickable and will take you directly ancientoils' listings...

Lilly has a very interesting background behind the work that she does in her store. Having a degree in metaphysics, and having practiced spirtual healing are part of her impressive itinery for which she also holds certifications of Holistic Healing! Through visiting her store and browsing it isn't hard to see the influence of her work and study in all of her bath salts, mud masks, essential oils, forumlas and other wonderful listings to promote balance of our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. It's a wonderful thing to be able to involve such knowledge into items we would use each day to aid our states of mind and being, and are very important for without balance we cannot focus, perform or be at our best. My mom has studied crystal healing and the both of us have achieved Reiki 2, so her items are something that I also have a great appreciation for and would enjoy as the perfect relaxation or medicinal healing gift knowing that great knowledge and experience are incorporated into each blend.
From her knowledge of aromatherapy you are able to look into each of her listings and gain new insights into the purpose of each blend, and directions for use including the ingredients individually which she explains very well, and find what is right for you with ease :) Be it anew oil for you oil burner, one of Lilly's gorgeous sounding Nail Formula's or some beautiful bath salts for a well earned soak at the end of a long day you'll find plenty of choice at Ancientoils!
For more wonderful gift ideas, check out Lilly's store!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/AncientOils
http://livingvibrations.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/AncientOils

Gorgeous Beaded Jewelry by Plumbeadacious

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 17:54:00 +0000

Well it has been so long since a feature has donned any of the pages of this blog, I had almost wondered whether or not I was ever going to get back into the swing of things. But belated as it is I am glad to reintroduce my weekly BESTeam features and want to begin this week with the amazingly beautiful beaded jewelry of Plumbeadacious on Etsy!

BESTeam Mosaic
All items are clickable and will take you directly to Plumbeadacious' listings...

LeAllyson Meyer is the wonderful lady behind Plumbeadacious and hails from Severance, CO, United States. I first had a looky in at LeAllyson's store a day or two ago when first receiving the team email, and my goodness! If I could've gushed about how beautiful her store is then I would have! Still! even a few days late her store is just stunning! beautiful popping colors, and so many shapes and lines that make your eyes want to follow like they are little pathways. Amazing work! I have since taken a peek at her blog which to me shows off LeAllyson's great eye for piecing things together and showcasing joyful colors and beautiful things. I noticed she has a lot of different things from the gorgeous treasury she has recently posted, to posts about lovely fnids and her beautiful Iris flowers. (I miss mine from my old house!). The page itself is like a beautiful garden that had me as compelled to look around like I did in her store. Having read her profiles on both pages it is very evident that she is passionate about her jewelry making craft, having now being making jewelry for 7 years after being introduced to the art of beaded jewelry by her daughter, and has been selling her work for 5 years now. She works with lampwork beads, crystals, Czech glass beads, freshwater pearls and semi-precious stones, uses a variety of metals as findings, and also makes beautiful beaded lanyards which I think are so cool for the workplace!
Besides the work itself I just LOVE the way her shop looks, and particularly want to say how great and eye catching her shop banner is. I just cant take my eyes off it the piece captured in the image is so lovely, it just captures everythign about what she does and certainly made me want to look further when first landing in the shop. I would recommend anyone landing here to spend a moment checking out her work, you will definitely fall in love!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Plumbeadacious
http://www.beadaciouslyyours.blogspot.com/

For those of you with a passion for handmade, and you have a blog that is in need of a consistant weekly post to drive your traffic and help fellow artisans by doing the same. Come and join the BESTeam!

Birthday Princess!

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Sun, 22 May 2011 11:04:00 +0000

Sunday! - Coffee and Cake
Mish mash mosh, children everywhere, actual cakes and bubbles...

My baby is now 1 entire year old! And wow what an exciting day we had last Saturday. The sun was shining, my food didnt turn into a complete mess (hurrah!) and despite madam's protests at all of her grown up birthday guests (she's still very clingy bless her) I believe that she had a very lovely day :)

I would have pictures of the party by the way! But my SD card has a corrupt image on it and I can't copy ANYTHING onto my PC. I have a reader on its way to see if I can transfer them direct (as opposed to through the camera), and hopefully i can show you some pics next weekend!

Anyway, onto the day! I myself was pretty pooped throughout the afternoon having been up in the wee hours baking cakes dancing to Outkast to keep me awake, whilst my other half was doing a big clean up around the house. It was one of those things where it hadn't exactly been planned that way but kind of happened regardless of the plans, as you know with kids it NEVER works out how you hope it will. We just make plans to make ourselves feel better and efficient don't we? LOL! So night owls we were!

My concerns were that I had possibly sabotaged the cakes as my tired and flappy arms began to flag as time progressed, yet luckily for the party guests they ended up looking and tasting pretty good! Phew! I decided to leave decorating them until the morning which was a good idea as the birthday girl decided at 2am to wake up just in time to celebrate the time of her birth, and inadvertantly spoiling the surprise of the amazingly flowery handmade decorations and balloons (the little monkey). A few hours were spent entertaining her with a present (the coolest wind up caterpiller EVER), watching her plough into balloons galore, and touching up on the last of my photo montage of her first year. It was all good, it worked out well in the end! I had fun decorating the cakes in the morning using lots of edible glitter, strawberries and wafer flowers! I haven't been so girly in years it was great!

Im really chuffed with how they turned out. I'm not into a lot of the things you see in the shops that they have for baby partys and was secretly horrified by just how much Disney stuff there was in my local card shop for party decorations, so ours were about 95% handmade by me, and were reused or recycled. I have this awesome flower circle punch that i used to use for labels for my hats but i had this amazing idea the day before as i rifled through a ton of old gift bags that were in the paper recycling, and made great use of them by making patchwork style paper flowers. They were a great hit with the guests and the kids, I was ever so chuffed!

In our garden i figured as a time saving mechanism, rather than decorate the trees, fences etc I got out a bubble machine and had that running for most of the day, along with the sand pit and pop up play house the children were really happy and seemed to enjoy themselves :)

My little man was a bit jealous so was frequently telling me that his sister still had presents to open (as he wanted to play with them lol!) but I was proud of him for being a good boy for the day. He has lately been a bit grumpy, probably to do with all the party planning goings on. But he made a great host for all of his friends and did a great job of leading and entertaining everyone, including us grown ups! My little girl had spent most of the day chasing bubbles or being held as she finds anyone but me or my partner an excuse to be a bit dramatic so that was an interesting dynamic to the day! It was rather silly but bless her she was giving everyone smiles in the end. :) It was a great day, I'm really pleased it all worked out.

Anyway! Until next time, have a fab Sunday!

BOO! ... I'm Back :)

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Mon, 16 May 2011 16:44:00 +0000

Boo! - I see You :)
crikey where's this one been?...

Well... When was the last time I posted? (Checking) Like, March? Wow that's quite unbelievable for me after managing to post weekly for so long! But there has been so many reasons behind it. You'll remember me being slightly overwhelmed at the time with work? Well... it got worse (better)!

I can't complain because it was such a great thing at the time to think YES! My business is successful! But man, I had really been plundered in at the deep end. I had to pretty much stop everything I was doing in every aspect of my life, apart from caring for my kids so I could work. Literally... including meals and sleep. It was shockingly busy. After the first busy day it became apparent that there was more for me to do so I had pretty much given up bed to work on hats, to hopefully ensure I wouldn't let anyone down. I worked throughout most of the nights in that period that I could keep my eyes open for, for about 5 weeks on the trot. It wasn't pretty, I looked like something out of a horror movie each day through fatigue and had on a few occassions collapsed because of it. But there is a reason behind it and it was due to the fact that Etsy had popped one of my hats into one of their Etsy Finds emails and my gosh the response was phenominal. I only found out like 30 mins after it happened when wondering if all the emails from Etsy in my inbox were a glitch LOL! I had a few hundred orders to contend with plus hundreds of emails to deal with in that first week, which just kept coming (but not as severely) in the time to follow. I was overwhelmed and overjoyed to begin with as it was such a positive thing to have happened but looking back I wish I was better prepared as I certainly won't be doing all nighters for a month again lol!

My mistake was not making stricter policies, or being clear enough in my listings about what buyers can do to buy/get in touch/etc, and as the vast majority of my query emails were actually answered in my shop announcement, I found myself getting highly frustrated by the fact that people were quick to email me before checking elsewhere, which after few tens of dozens of emails did start to get frustrating as I wasn't working on the orders. It's surprising to think about how much time I spend on my emails but I had always envisioned my business being personable, but I lost so much work time to emails which really could have saved my butt on the whole polava if I had made my shop more newbie friendly.

So I have had multiple shop/listing/appearence overhauls to try and not only make it all "make sense" and easier to work out how to find information, but I figured it needed a facelift too. Hence the new banner :)

Ah it's nice to be back though, and it's nice to have learnt something big about my business that I think will help me greatly in the future! Although I have to say something odd has been happening with Etsy recently that seems to have slowed loads of shops sales down. Has anyone noticed it with theirs? I scoured the forums and someone said that one of their Etsy friends who's one of the top Etsy shops selling like hundreds of things a week is down to single figures which just isn't right at all, and I had honestly thought that maybe it was just that time of the year :s

I hear on the grapevine that Google has been making it more awkward for internet users by introducing more keywords for their "don't you dare use these on your webpage" list. For Etsy users, if you're lucky to be syndicated it will effect you most definitely. Words like adult were an issue before, in or out of their obvious context. But now words like shipping are a problem! Which for me meant changing ALL of my listings to make sure I don't disappear off the internet. It's a good thing I'd been planning on it anyway as part of my overall big shop changes. But yeah some people in the forums believe that's a large part of this low views, low sales problem of the past month. Who knows but I do hope it changes soon. These are livelihoods we're talking about for a lot of established sellers (new ones too) and I think Etsy needs to talk about it as they are aware of it! In the mean time I'm looking into advertising, making new hats etc so it's time I can make use of still, although I would like to start earning more consistently again.

It's leaving me with lots of time to enjoy my daughters babyhood as on Saturday she'll be 1 entire year old! My baby! I can't believe I'm at this point already and she has done so well bless her in her first year. She's walking now, enjoying baby signing to the point of using it to communicate and not just to make us smile :) and she's playing lots with her big brother too. I can't wait for the day, I'm hoping it'll be sunny so we can have a little party in the garden.

So until the weekend, as I'm unsure I'll be blogging again until then have a great week!

moonangelnay x

Glass and Jewely by AlexandersDesigns

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 17:12:00 +0000

Belated - BESTeam Mosaic
weekly shoutout to the dedicated workers that like to help other handmade artists...

So sorry this is as late as it is, and that i haven't posted a hop this week! It's been a hard week of all nighters, mucho work and crazy mom duties so i've had no option really! One of my hats got featured in an Etsy newsletter on the 22nd and that totally overwhelmed my business so as a result I've been keeping myself on my toes and lots of things have had to be put off. But I have this fab feature for you today which I am very glad to share with you :)

alexandersdesigns on Etsy... I love the awesome glass work and jewelry from husband and wife team, Jenny and Skip Alexander from MO Kansas City. They describe the work as being 'Ugly Glass' in their shop title although I would rather say their stuff is artistic, fun, intriguing and abstract! It seems that both have worked hard over the years and have spent the time and training over the years to grow their skills along the way to achieve the unique result of their jewelry seen in their store.
Jenny having an artistic background found her love for beading and jewelry making over time, which lead to both her and her husband both taking lampwork classes, Skip himself later learning the art of Metalsmithing. Using Swarovski Crystals, lamp work and glass beads, semi-precious gemstones, sterling silver, fine silver, pewter, and gold, together they create all the amazing pieces you can browse and enjoy in their shop, and for me it's been wonderful looking through all their pieces and discovering new favourites :)

http://alexandersdesigns.blogspot.com/ Their Blog!

For those of you with a passion for handmade, and you have a blog that is in need of a consistant weekly post to drive your traffic and help fellow artisans by doing the same. Come and join the BESTeam!

All items are clickable and will take you directly to alexandersdesigns' listings...

Thursday Blog Hop Link Party #23

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:29:00 +0000

Argh crazy week! Other than having to deal with a bout of plaigerism in my Babamoon shop, I also had some amazing news that I had apparently had one of my hats featured in an Etsy email newsletter... and my already busy schedule has BOOMED to something beyond comprehension so I'm a bit tongue tied as to what to do with the blog other than what I have been doing for a while (Tuesdays and Thursdays). Phew I have my work cut out for me. Anyways! Happy Hopping!!

ADD YOUR BLOG TO MY LONG WEEKEND BLOG HOP!
Thursday - Sunday

Remember to add your blog to the "linky" and not just in the comments (although comments are appreciated)! This hop is growing by the week so thanks to those of you who have grabbed my blog hop button or the ones that have put the linky code on their own pages! The more you all share this linky, the more opportunities people have to find and follow your blogs! Lets keep this up! I try to follow everyone when I am able to (it may be in the same week or after a few weeks but I do back track so please be patient!) so to maximise everyone's chance of gaining followers try and follow as many as you can give time for :)

Grab This Button!

Here is how you can take part!

Follow my blog!
ADD YOUR LINK TO THE LINKY BELOW
NO ETSY OR OTHER SHOP LINKS! This is a BLOG hop. Please contact me if you are interested in taking part in other features, but this is exclusively for blogs :)
EITHER copy and paste the Linky code at the bottom of this post into YOUR OWN blog post OR Write a blog post including the Thursday Blog Hop button above (it's size will be 125px) OR Link to me using the Blog hop button somewhere on your blog.
(not mandatory but it helps) I know not everyone can, but if you have social networks like Twitter, Facebook etc send a message out about this hop to help spread the word about all the fab blogs people can follow!
Follow at least 2 or 3 others on the list and send them a blog comment to let them know! That way they can follow you back also :)

If I feel your entry isn't family friendly (ie: adult related, gambling or something else distasteful or spammy) I will remove your link.

OnbehalfOf Art and Photography

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 08:04:00 +0000

Belated - BESTeam Mosaic
weekly shoutout to the dedicated workers that like to help other handmade artists...

OnBehalfOf on Etsy... It has been a while since featuring an artist and I'm very excited to share Kate's work with you today. I think her art shines a beautiful ray of light out to it's viewer as her intent is one to be admired , as she uses 90% of her proceeds to go to those that need it most in developing countries. You can really feel the heart and soul of her projects and their correlation to her purpose for them as the images carry a life of their own, translating something of suffering into hope through the protrayal in her art. They are truely spectacular pieces for their vibrance, their message and for Kate's selflessness, kindness and talent. I really do feel privalaged to have the opportunity to share her cause on my blog. Anyone making a purchase from her store will know that their monies will go to help a variety of causes that she lists in her shop announcement like Lahash Internationaland the Water Mission as a few examples, and if you take a trip to her blog you can find more about the work including a link to another blog of hers describing her trip to Africa during 2010 http://ktgresh.blogspot.com/, which really makes an interesting read. You must stop by her store and blogs to learn more about her travels and the inspiration behind her work :) Truely beautiful.

http://artonbehalfof.blogspot.com/ Kate's Blog!

For those of you with a passion for handmade, and you have a blog that is in need of a consistant weekly post to drive your traffic and help fellow artisans by doing the same. Come and join the BESTeam!

All items are clickable and will take you directly to OnBehalfOf's listings...

Thursday Blog Hop Link Party #22

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 08:08:00 +0000

Hi everyone! I'm still having a bit of a struggle managing my time currently so my apologies further for the lack of posts. I've been quite frustrated this week actually as I STILL cannot find my beloved DSLR charger and I'm so desperate to get some work done for my moonangelnay shop, plus capture more images of my family. I may even just buy a new one as it seems to have just totally vanished in the house move lol! Well... better keep looking hadn't I? Anyway Happy Hopping!

ADD YOUR BLOG TO MY LONG WEEKEND BLOG HOP!
Thursday - Sunday

Remember to add your blog to the "linky" and not just in the comments (although comments are appreciated)! This hop is growing by the week so thanks to those of you who have grabbed my blog hop button or the ones that have put the linky code on their own pages! The more you all share this linky, the more opportunities people have to find and follow your blogs! Lets keep this up! I try to follow everyone when I am able to (it may be in the same week or after a few weeks but I do back track so please be patient!) so to maximise everyone's chance of gaining followers try and follow as many as you can give time for :)

Grab This Button!

Here is how you can take part!

Follow my blog!
ADD YOUR LINK TO THE LINKY BELOW
NO ETSY OR OTHER SHOP LINKS! This is a BLOG hop. Please contact me if you are interested in taking part in other features, but this is exclusively for blogs :)
EITHER copy and paste the Linky code at the bottom of this post into YOUR OWN blog post OR Write a blog post including the Thursday Blog Hop button above (it's size will be 125px) OR Link to me using the Blog hop button somewhere on your blog.
(not mandatory but it helps) I know not everyone can, but if you have social networks like Twitter, Facebook etc send a message out about this hop to help spread the word about all the fab blogs people can follow!
Follow at least 2 or 3 others on the list and send them a blog comment to let them know! That way they can follow you back also :)

If I feel your entry isn't family friendly (ie: adult related, gambling or something else distasteful or spammy) I will remove your link.

HeadpinWear Gemstone Jewelry

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 07:36:00 +0000

Tuesday - BESTeam Mosaic
weekly shoutout to the dedicated workers that like to help other handmade artists...

HeadpinWear on Etsy... Cathy hails from Benicia, CA which is a state that I have always lovingly associated with all things grounded, earthly and beautiful. It's wonderful that Cathy's store epitomises the thoughts that are stirred up in my about California as it reminds me a lot of a very beautiful person I know that lives there and lives a very beautiful life.
Cathy's Jewelry uses my favourite type of pieces to make the whole, as a lot of you know already I just LOVE gemstones, dark metals and Swarovski Crystals and Cathy's store is just full of them. The colors throughout her shop are quite neutral, but full and variagated so you can experience a variety of earthtones, and some of the findings are just super cute, like butterflies and starfish that further connect the work to the beauty of nature. Cathy believe's that jewelry is meant to enhance your being and complete that part of your daily style, and I personally think that her work is stunning and could really compliment any person wanting to express something beautiful about themselves through their style. Please take a moment to visit her store! I have 6 of my favourites in the mosaic below but there is so much more!

http://headpinwear.blogspot.com/ Cathy's Blog!

For those of you with a passion for handmade, and you have a blog that is in need of a consistant weekly post to drive your traffic and help fellow artisans by doing the same. Come and join the BESTeam!

All items are clickable and will take you directly to HeadpinWear's listings...

Thursday Blog Hop Link Party #21

noreply@blogger.com (Moonangelnay) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 08:01:00 +0000

Morning all, Happy Hopping! :)

ADD YOUR BLOG TO MY LONG WEEKEND BLOG HOP!
Thursday - Sunday

Remember to add your blog to the "linky" and not just in the comments (although comments are appreciated)! This hop is growing by the week so thanks to those of you who have grabbed my blog hop button or the ones that have put the linky code on their own pages! The more you all share this linky, the more opportunities people have to find and follow your blogs! Lets keep this up! I try to follow everyone that lists so to maximise everyone's chance of gaining followers try and follow as many as you can give time for :)

Grab This Button!

Here is how you can take part!

Follow my blog!
ADD YOUR LINK TO THE LINKY BELOW
NO ETSY OR OTHER SHOP LINKS! This is a BLOG hop. Please contact me if you are interested in taking part in other features, but this is exclusively for blogs :)
EITHER copy and paste the Linky code at the bottom of this post into YOUR OWN blog post OR Write a blog post including the Thursday Blog Hop button above (it's size will be 125px) OR Link to me using the Blog hop button somewhere on your blog.
(not mandatory but it helps) I know not everyone can, but if you have social networks like Twitter, Facebook etc send a message out about this hop to help spread the word about all the fab blogs people can follow!
Follow at least 2 or 3 others on the list and send them a blog comment to let them know! That way they can follow you back also :)

If I feel your entry isn't family friendly (ie: adult related, gambling or something else distasteful or spammy) I will remove your link.