Our November Holiday Giveaway!

For November we are having our biggest giveaway ever!  We have two boxes full of items donated from the talented and generous members of the Bluegrass Etsy Street Team.  One Grande Prize winner will receive a Large Flat Rate Priority box and a First Prize winner will receive a smaller box.  Entries are open to the USA and Canada only.  We want the winners to have their boxes around Thanksgiving so the contest will end and the winners will be notified on November 22nd.

Items in the giveaway include:
Aromatherapy packs from Glory Be Herbals
Snowman earrings, cell phone charms and zipper pulls from Creative Eye Studio.
A pendant from Abbey Dog Art.
Sterling Silver Beaded earrings ( red and green wreath)  and beaded bookmarks from Whimsy Beading.
Pearl earrings from Anibur in neutral shades.
A holiday fabric floral wreath from Spool of Plenty, Needles and Kims and Wandering Whimsies.
Spools of thread from Spool of Plenty.
A felted brooch from Needles and Kims.
A set of four coasters from FORMD.
A KEYS key holder from Knob Creek Metal Arts.
Soap, perfume and perfume samples from JASaromatics in Amber Blush, Sandalwood, Love At First Sight.
Photographic greeting cards from MommieDawn spotlighting the natural beauty of Kentucky.
Christmas ornaments from Wandering Whimsies.  One is a plush Santa and is absolutely adorable.
A stained glass tree ornament and a set of screenprinted note cards from Faces Are Funny.
A key Fob from Cow Girl Rosie.
A clutch purse from Vernon Ave.
A bracelet from The Misfit dreamers.

Some of the items are pictured above.  We invite you to browse the shop links so you can see the quality of the items being given away and, of course, start your Holiday shopping.  The total value of all items in this giveaway is over $300!

To enter leave a comment telling us what handmade items you would like to receive as gifts.  You can also have extra entries by tweeting this giveaway, posting this giveaway to your blog, and by becoming a follower to this blog (don't forget to leave the link in your comments).  You can find hundreds more handmade items by searching "teambluegrass" on etsy.  Good Luck and Happy Holidays!

Feature Friday: GloryBeHerbals

This weeks feature Friday shop is GloryBeHerbals Jackie Alberti Who makes some really awesome natural products. Keep an eye out from an article by Jackie on herbs and herbs and plants native to Kentucky. I know this will be a fascinating article as soon as we can get it together. But for now here is her interview so you can get to know Jackie a little better:


Tell us about yourself! What part of Ky your from, your family,if you have a day job? if so what do ya do?

I have been living in Lexington since I graduated from college in 1990. We moved to Kentucky when I was in 3rd grade-My Dad was stationed in Fort Knox. So I have lived in Radcliff, Dry Ridge, Richmond and Lexington. My parents and my brother live in Georgetown and my sister lives in Eastern Kentucky. None of us are originally from here but we love this state so we've stayed. In fact my Mother's brother has just moved back here from South Carolina. I have a teenage daughter and a husband (also a transplant from out-of-state). I do have a full time day job as a clerk at the Post Office, so I can help with shipping questions too!

What got you started in Crafting?

I originally started on my herbal path when I was in high school after I read Jeanne Rose's Herbal Body Book. I fell out of it for over a decade and rediscovered it about 7 years ago. I began to study herbs and essential oils pretty intensly on my own and finally decided to get a little formal education. So now I have certification as an herbalist and aromatherapist. It's not an easy education, either! You have to understand chemical compounds to be responsible in this business! All I can tell you is that I was on about a half dozen prescription meds in my early thirties. After incorporating herbs and aromatherapy into my life I don't take any prescription medications. It has had an enormous impact on my life so I want to help make a difference to other people.

Whats a normal day like for you?

I get up at 5 AM and have some coffee and alone time. I work from 7:30 until 4:30 and I run like crazy all day!!! When I have my lunch break I spend about 10 minutes eating and the rest of the time brainstorming-I always have something cooking in my brain and I always have a notebook handy to write down inspirations. When I get home I have dinner, clean up and then I have time to work on orders, my blog, new formulas, answer email, etc. I try to have a little time with my husband just to relax before bed. Actually, right now I'm working on this interview, and article, two orders, two loads of laundry and five months worth of samples to go in the spotted box........

Is there anything special you would like your potential customers to know about your work??

The most important thing I would like my customers to know is that I care about them like I care about my family. I will never use anything in my work that I wouldn't use on my own daughter. That's why I use the most natural ingredients I can and I only use pure essential oils, never fragrance oils. I believe in customer service so no one is ever going to be bothering with a question. I have met so many nice people doing this and I really love it!


Whats your favorite thing about Kentucky?

No matter where you go in this state it's beautiful! I think the fall colors in eastern Kentucky are every bit as beautiful as the New England colors they rave about on TV. Since I have family in New York, Pennsylvania and South Carolina, Kentucky has been a perfect place to live for my family.

What is your favorite product you make?

That's a really hard question. I think I enjoy custom orders the most and the perfumery. It's fun to make a scent that smells good and is healing to the person wearing it. Right now my favorite is my Introduction to Aromatherapy-it has all the stuff I wish my program came with. You can start making stuff the day you get it.

You can see all of Jackie's Natural bath and body products in her Etsy shop
For now here is a sampling:

Etsy Buy Handmade Glorybeherbals