ETSY'S MSIA SEEK, FIND, AND WIN CONTEST!

MSIA (Metal Smiths In Action), an awesome Etsy Street Team that I belong to is offering a contest and a chance to win handmade items to all of YOU! The contest starts NOVEMEBER 28th and runs through DECEMBER 12th. 25 prizes are available and the contest is open to anyone! That means our International friends as well! We have hidden 3 icons in our shops that you must seek and find. When all three have been found, you get to choose a cool handmade prize from one of the participating shops. Visit the MSIA web page HERE to get more details and see all of the participating shops. Take a look at a MSIA Treasury Feature!




To see a detailed photo album of the prize pool click HERE!
I am one of the participating shops in this contest and my donated prize is a pair of handmade genuine sea glass earrings in cornflower blue and lime green. The head pins were hand fired and polished and all metal is made of sterling silver.:0)

My Etsy shop, LAKE ERIE BEACH GLASS is offering FREE shipping throughout the US and Canada through the end of December! :0)

Etsy TRASHION TEAM Trunk Show~BLACK FRIDAY!

Team Trashion Encourages Shoppers to GO GREEN on BLACK FRIDAY!

Going back as far as the 1960’s, the day after Thanksgiving has held the unfortunate title of Black Friday. The name was given due to the madness that happens in highly commercialized places of commerce, but mostly because of the heavy traffic on that day. Folks are at the mall before the sun comes up, cars fill freeways and parking lots, money is burned on mass produced products and the gas it takes to get to them. It can get ugly.

Team Trashion, a unique, eco friendly, international group of artisans on etsy.com visualizes a different sort of Friday following Thanksgiving. Team Trashion wants to encourage families to keep the car in the garage, leave their slippers on and curl up with loved ones and a second helping of pumpkin pie. Doesn’t that sound great?

On Friday, November 28, Team Trashion will provide holiday shoppers with a unique opportunity to shop for one-of-a-kind gifts that are innovative and eco friendly. Buyers will be able to connect directly with sellers at a virtual Trunk Show on www.etsy.com. Over 30 Team Trashion artisans will be showing a varied collection of handmade treasures all created from upcycled, repurposed or otherwise abandoned materials. The Team Trashion Green Friday Trunk Show will be overflowing with holiday shopping opportunities that would make Mother Earth proud. You will not want to miss it!

The Team Trashion Green Friday Trunk Show is at 7pm est – just the perfect time to grab a cup of tea and do a little shopping in the comfort of your own home. Here’s how you get there:

1 - Log on to www.etsy.com If you do not have an Etsy account click here it's free to join, and you'll be glad you did!

2 - Choose the “community” tab at the top of the home page.

3 - Choose the “Virtual Labs” tab at the top of the community page.

4 - Choose the GREEN Treehouse “room” within the Virtual Labs.

5 - Sit back and enjoy the Trunk Show!

It will be great to see you there.

I Made The Plain Dealer?!

Wow! Imagine my surprise when a fellow Cleveland Etsy artist notified me of this write up!

FASHION AND STYLE
Latest reviews, shopping and beauty tips & more...

To read the entire article and more click hear to go to THE PLAIN DEALER.

You can see more of the Etsy Cleveland Street Team's work by visiting us at Mojo's on Sunday, November 23rd or by visiting us individualy on Etsy! Search for Clevelandteam!

Recycled, Upcycled, Gourd Art by Patti Owens!

Patti Owens aka Lily-Puts Art is well known for her whimsical creations of folk tales through the recycling or upcycling of gourds! I happen to proudly own several pieces of here work including The Cow That Jumped Over The Moon and a children's painting on recycled wood. Patti sells some of her work both on eBay(type in her id as lilyputs-art) and on Etsy.
Here's a little bit about Patti...
"I started doing art as a child, but I wanted an eclectic whimsical feel in my home so I started creating again. I love wacky designs and mix-matched art in an environment. Once I re-found art I was unable to stop. Driven by a wonderful compulsion I continued to expand my ideas and art to share with friends and family. I have shown my art in a gallery in the resort area near my home with much success But being a full time special education teacher and part time after school supervisor, time did not permit me to continue with the projects. As you may have noticed I am inspired by childhood events and carefree times that once sparked my imagination. Finding the internet as a perfect venue for my whimsical creation has given me the freedom to make what I want, when I want without any expectations. Today my goal is to promote my own art and other green artist in the US. I started this little online shop to expand on my own without timeline and fuss." Check out Patti's art in her Etsy shop here.

Lebg Custom Wire Wrapped Amethyst Pendant!

I received a phone call from a customer who owned a beautiful 12.11ct Amethyst that she wanted wrapped in sterling silver. The Amethyst is trillion cut and is very deep. She tried to have it set but was given some difficulty and hi pricing so she thought maybe a sterling silver wire wrap would be best. Thus, I received the custom order.

The stone IS absolutely beautiful! I knew I could do the setting but there would be some new challenges to face. The angle of the stone with not much of an edge made the wrap very difficult to achieve. I did however bend the cage wrap at an angle that the stone would sit right in it like a normal prong setting would. I pulled the wires over, gave it a bail, and then decorated the top with swirls. We both agreed that we wanted the face of the Amethyst to show as much as possible. This is what I came up with. I think it turned out really beautiful!

Lake Erie Brings Us More Than Just Beach Glass!

Combing the Southern Shore of Great Lake Erie is like treasure hunting! Although we collect mostly sea beach glass that has washed ashore we do enjoy finding other objects as well. Occasionally we are surprised by a specific find of interest. My son Jason found this piece of drift wood off the coast of Lake Erie in North East, Pa. Upon further examination of the piece it definitely looks to be part of an old ship wreck. How awesome of a find is that! I will be doing quite a bit of research trying to figure this one out but if any of you maritime historians out there want to lend us a clue, we would be greatly thankful!

This piece is heavy and measures about 8 inches in length about 5 inches wide and about 1 1/2 inches thick. It was evidently mounted with wooden dowel rods as one of them are still stuck inside the piece. I have been studying Lake Erie shipwrecks on the South Shore Quadrangle for some time now and can't help but wonder if this came from one of the 1800 Wooden Schooner vessels that met their fate in an infamous Lake Erie Storm! Maybe its time to take a trip back to the Erie Maritime Museum with our piece!

Cleveland Etsy Street Team Trunk Show at Mojo's!

Some of my fellow Cleveland Etsy Street Team members and myself are getting together for a trunk show and some chit chat at MOJO'S November 23rd, 2008 from 10am-4pm. At least 12 members will be displaying their wares including:

Jill Slaby * Lake Erie Beach Glass * LaPetite Fleur * Virtual Lori
Lazy T Crochet * HandmadeGoods * Beautiful Era * Ramona
Petite Libellule * Stargazer Designs * Smashing * Leah Ana Designs

We hope to see you there! :0)

"PING" The Orange Hobnail Duck!

Look! Its the Holy Grail Find in the Sea Glass World! There I was just walking along the coast line of Great Lake Erie when I saw a little sunny sparkle of orange. It was a ways into the water and at first, I thought it was the corner of a brightly colored fall leaf that had gotten trapped under some pebbles. Then, I second guessed myself and thought I should bend over to take a closer look. Of course a gentle wave was about to take that fiery little object away. I quickly grabbed the sparkly with a handful of pebbles and a wet cuff and shoe. Too my amazement it WAS the elusive and beautiful ORANGE sea glass that all sea glass enthusiasts covet! I ran down the beach toward the rest of my family with the biggest grin plastered to my face. They of course shared in my excitement but also pointed out that I must have pee'd my pants a little bit. Thank goodness for little children as my youngest daughter so cleverly changed the subject back to the glass by pointing out that it looked like a duck's head. Such incredible imaginations come from the littlest of ones! Thus, "PING" was born!

I have only collected 3 worthy pieces of orange in my life time up to this point and this is definately the best of the finds for me. It is well rounded and smoothed. The characteristic bump (of head of the duck) leads me to believe that it came from a decorative orange hobnail piece. In researching the piece I came across OODLE, a site that sells antiques including a beautiful Fenton Orange Hobnail Fairy Lamp! Being the impulsive buyer that I am, of course I have to have it to add to my collection! :0)

2009 SEA GLASS FESTIVAL is in ERIE PA!

The votes have been taken and tallied and it is now official! The 2009 North American Sea Glass Festival will be held October 17th & 18th, 2009 in my home town of Erie, Pennsylvania! The Bayfront Convention Center, overlooking Erie's Bay will be the venue to house the festival. The natural light will shine beautifully through those windows making it the perfect spot to display hundreds of unique sea glass collections from around the world, beautiful classic and unique creations of jewelry and art, informative lectures, and more! For room deals at the Sheraton Erie Bayfront, next-door to the Bayfront convention center, please call the Sheraton Erie Bayfront - (814) 454-2005. Limited rooms available. Don't forget to mention you'd like the “Sea Glass Festival deal”.

The 2008 festival that was held in Lewes, Delaware was a huge success with thousands in attendance! When the tickets were sold, we distributed name tags for entry and when those ran out, we just simply marked the hand with an X! It was an incredible show! Here is a snap shot, above, of the 2008 festival and I'm looking forward to being a part of the 2009 festival as well!


For more information on the 2009 sea glass festival visit the North American Sea Glass Festival site here.

Sea Glass Photo Stands!

I thought I had heard of everything! But sea glass photo stands are new to me. Tracey, a friend and fellow sea glass enthusiast has her own shop on Etsy like myself. We often find ourselves in friendly competition with each other but I have to tell you, she is always coming up with something new, fresh, and funky!

I loved this idea so much that, of course, I had to blog it! What a terrific idea for a gift, for your desk, or for any of you sea beach glass crafters out there (and I know there are a lot in Erie!)who want to display it a long with your favorite sea glass find photo right in your studios! You can check Tracey out in her shop, SteppingStones or her bio here.