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!

Bluegrass Sept Giveaway: SmackinArt

Our lucky winner of the August giveaway from Purrprints is Jacque Curl of Missouri. Congratulations Jacque. Becca will be in touch with you when your prize ships!

We'd now like to announce our giveaway for the month of September!

This month's prize come to us from the very talented Tina Mackin of SmackinArt Studio. Tina is giving away three hydrangea watercolor greeting cards and a copy of her original 'zine, the "Poetry and Essay Issue."

Total value of this prize is $15.


To enter, please visit Tina's SmackinArt shop and come back here to leave a comment and tell us what you like about her shop or her art. If you tweet about the contest let us know for another chance to win. If you post this contest at your blog, leave a comment with the link for yet another chance to win. Finally, if you are not already a subscriber to our blog, enter your email in the subscribe box for another chance to win.

The contest ends September 30. We'll draw a random winner that evening and post by the first week of October.

Good luck to all and thanks for playing!!

Feature Friday: Carmen Garling of Dentedhalo Designs

Today we are highlighting the very talented Carmen Garling of Dentedhalo Designs. Carmen is from Frankfort and she always amazes us with her beadweaving skills. She also makes greeting cards in addition to her jewelry.


How did you first hear about etsy?

Wow, that's been a little while! I think that I first saw people with etsy shops in their signature lines on a message board I belonged to. I checked out their shops and started to hear a little more about etsy. I liked what I saw and read. I just loved that there was an online place just for handmade artsy things for sale by the artists themselves.

Tell us about a little about yourself and your favorite craft/art!

I'm originally a Hoosier, I've been transplanted here for quite some time though. I love Kentucky and call it home now. I have lived in Frankfort for nearly 17 years now. As far as crafts, anything goes! If it's crafty, I'll try it. Even though I am drawn to all types of crafts, I love beads and paper. I began jewelry making seriously about 4 years ago. I like to make cards too. I like to sew and scrapbook, but I just run out of time in a day to do all the things I'd like to.


How did you get started as a designer?

I think it comes naturally. My family is a very creative one. My grandmothers were both wonderful seamstresses. My maternal grandmother reupholstered furniture and my grandfather made and refinished antiques. I always had the example of re-purposing and fixing things, not throwing them away. You have to become something of a designer to make those types of things look attractive! :) My mother is also a seamstress of the best caliber, and my Dad is one of those types who can fix anything. I've gotten a little of both of them, at least enough to be passable with most things.


What inspires you to create?

Everything! Color, texture, joy, sadness, you name it, it ends up in my pieces. Even much later, I still look at a piece that I've made and it will bring to mind what was going on emotionally when I made it.


How long have you been a member of Bluegrass etsy and how did you hear about the team?

I've been a member for hmmmm, about 8 months maybe? Kim Ries and I struck up a conversation from a mutual board we belonged to and she couldn't say enough nice things about Team Bluegrass. I just had to join after all that!

Any advice you would give to aspiring designers?

A couple things spring to mind. Never quit learning about your craft! If you can learn a new stitch, brush up on basic skills, and broaden your horizons, do it! But most of all, make the best product you can, put your heart and soul into it, and have fun!


Anything else you would like to add?

Support other artists! I try to buy as much as I can afford to from other artists, whether it's someone selling supplies, or other arts that I'd like to support. Especially the local folks! One of the reasons I love belonging to a team like Team Bluegrass is the camaraderie of other artists, and sharing of ideas and marketing tips. It's also nice to see all the interesting types of crafts that everyone does. We may have several jewelry designers, but everyone has a different style and look.


********************
Thanks Carmen for allowing us to interview you! It's always so interesting to learn more about our talented team members!

To see more of Carmen's work visit her Dentedhalo etsy shop here. You can also follow her blog to learn more about her.

To see more of the talent from the Bluegrass etsy team, go to etsy, then type in "teambluegrass" in the search box. Enjoy shopping from the comforts of home and support the Kentucky Handmade movement!