Bluegrass Etsy Street Team Equestrian Challenge 2010

In celebration of the Alltech FEI Equestrian Games held at the Kentucky Horse Park this year, the Bluegrass Etsy Street Team held a team challenge for projects inspired by horses and the games' events.

Several amazingly talented and creative members of the team rose to the challenge, and the variety and scope of the entries is astonishing! A few of these gems have already sold!

Here are the entries:

World Equestrian Games Glycerin Soap

Upcycled Small Tan Felted Wool Purse With Horses OOAK

Epona - OOAK Shell and Swarovski Beaded Bib Necklace

Ghost Horses Leather and Satin Cuff

All About the Horse Crewneck

Crocheted Equestrian Riding Cap

Horse Locket

Embroidered Horse Racing Pigment Dyed SweatShirt

Sterling Silver Equestrian Necklace with Horse Head and Horseshoe

The most votes will pick the winner. The winning entry will recieve a badge graphic for use on their blog, shop, or various promotional materials.  The last day for voting is November 5th.  The winner will be announced on November 6th.

Kentucky Wild Weeds: Storing Roots

Today we have another installment of Kentucky Wild Weeds, written by team member Jackie Alberti of Glorybeherbals.

Harvesting and Storing Roots

Fall is the time to harvest roots to store for future use. Roots will store much longer than leaves and flowers and will remain “fresh” for years if handled properly.

The first thing you should do is to do your homework about the particular plant you are harvesting. Some plants have to be a certain age or they won’t be useful-this would be tragic all the way around if you kill an innocent plant and waste your time. Also, some plants like American ginseng may be illegal for you to harvest without a permit from the state. Here are some useful guidelines-Coneflowers (Echinacea) should be 4 years old; Ginseng 4 -7 years old; Goldenseal 3-5 years old. I strongly recommend raising your own endangered plants so that wild stands aren’t depleted!

After you have dug up your roots you want to wash them really well then cut them into small pieces that will be easier to work with later. Then comes the hard part-lay them out in a dry dark place to thoroughly dry. This will probably take months but it’s well worth the wait since you will have years worth of medicine on hand. Check them periodically to make sure they aren’t developing any mold and they are drying out.

After they are dried you can store them in plain brown paper bags away from heat and light.

Companionplants.com has lots of bare roots for sale if you are interested in raising endangered plants on your land. They are located in Ohio so shipping is fast to anywhere in Kentucky and I have always received beautiful stuff from them. If anyone knows of a Kentucky source let me know!

Our Holiday Giveaway!

We are excited to announce the winner of the November giveaway!! Wanda B. of Winnipeg, Manitoba is the winner of the necklace from 3Magpies.

Our December giveaway will be drawn in two short weeks so that the winner can enjoy it during the holidays. The December giveaway is created by our very own Belinda Johnston of WanderingWhimsies. Be sure to check out her shop for other cute whimsical items for the holidays!


Description: This 5 1/2 inch star shaped wood snowman is holding a banner made from a piece of vintage quilt with "Joy to the World" hand-stitched across the banner. Several small jingle bells adorn the edges of the banner.

The snowman is painted a light buttermilk color, sanded along the edges and lightly antiqued for an time worn appearance. This beautiful country primitive snowman ornament does have a wire hanger attached for hanging on your tree or wreath, but will also stand on its own on a shelf or mantle.

This item is valued at $15.95.

Want to win? Here's what you need to do. Visit the WanderingWhimsies etsy shop here. Come back to this blog post and leave a comment on something in Belinda's shop. Give Belinda ideas about what you like or ask a question of her. For additional chances to win, subscribe to this blog, become a follower, tweet about the contest or put the contest on your blog. Be sure to let us know with separate comments so you get additional chances to win.

We'll draw a random winner on December 15 and will post that week.

Good luck to all and Happy Holidays from the Bluegrass Etsy Team!!

BEST Team in Print

Our Bluegrass etsy team recently advertised in Arts Across Kentucky, a local magazine focusing on Kentucky arts and crafts. We are so proud to be the recipient of a etsy team grant to help us cover the cost of the ad. The ad is on the inside front cover - a great location!

In case you missed it, we just had to show it off a little more.

Our thanks to team member Brandy of WickedSisterDesigns who created the art for us!

Go Team!