BLOG GIVEAWAY - Starts Today!

It's time for another giveaway! Who wants free stuff?

This giveaway is sponsored by ME - because I'm feeling generous!

First prize: Pink-n-purple flower dangle earrings

*Free US shipping too, international addresses get $2 shipping charge

When we reach 30 entries, we get

Second prize: (mystery)

When we reach 45 entries, we get

Consolation prize: FREE AD SPACE, right here on my blog, for 2 weeks!

How to enter: Visit either my Etsy Store or Custom Jewelry Site. Then, leave me a comment here on my blog - and mention your favorite item! You can enter once each day.

Earn extra entries by promoting this giveaway! Mention it on your blog - one entry! Create a forum thread on Etsy about it - one entry!

Contest ends at 9pm PST on Thursday 6/12.

Coming Soon! Another Blog Giveaway!

That's right people - I'm going to do another giveaway!

First prize wins these fun little earrings - perfect for summer!

If we get 30 entries into the contest...there will be a secondary prize too!

And....I'm even going to offer a consolation prize to the biggest loser. Free ad space on my blog!

Watch this blog for details - contest starts June 5th, ends June 12th!

Better late than never...

Congratulations to my latest giveaway winner... Bonghi Natura!

Giveaway's are so much fun - I'm lining up the next one now!

If YOU would like to be featured on this blog - with or without a giveaway - please feel free to drop me a line. See my profile page for email link.

Last Day to Enter

Be sure to visit JLC Studio's Etsy shop, and leave a comment HERE about your favorite item. Drawing will be held after midnight PST today!

I don't know about everyone else, but I'm very, very glad today is Friday. It's been a long week. Unfortunately, it's been a BAD Friday - not terrible, just not pleasant.
1. Almost ran out of gas, and I was of course already late to work
2. Came within inches of being sideswipped by a large truck, who suddenly pulled out of the break-down lane (no signal). The jacka$$ then TAILGATED me to his exit. Talk about being a bundle of nerves by the time I got to work.
3. Work...ugh. Let's just say nothing is working right, for no apparent reason.
4. I'm giving blood today. It's a great thing to do - but I HATE it. Stomach is knotted up.
5. Got an email from a customer. Some lovely earrings didn't survive shipping - and I tested that cement strength twice before shipping. So...not only will I have to rework, and figure out how to keep this customer happy (small gift?), but I need to investigate WHY. Did my cement go bad? Are any other creations at risk?!?

And it's only 10am...boy, I'm tempted to just not open email, and go hide in the ladies room until 5pm. But hey, I have these adorable pictures from Wednesday to look at...so I can force a smile.

Featured Store: JLC Studio

This week’s feature is our giveaway store – JLC Studio! Read the feature, visit her store – then leave me a comment here about your favorite item at JLC Studio to win the gorgeous earrings in my banner (and other great prizes!).

1. How long have you been selling on Etsy? I joined Etsy in December of 2007. I hadn't really heard of it before then but I did quite a bit of googling when I first decided to try selling on-line and I kept finding a lot of artists (of all kinds) who were selling there. I signed up right away! I didn't sell anything for the first three months...once my first item was sold though, I've kept a steady pace (selling at least one item a month).

2. How long have you been making your items? I actually just got into jewelry making last fall. We have a family get-together in October/November every year and my mom brought along all of her extra beads and jewelry findings (she likes to do beadwork in both needlepoint and crochet). All the girls had fun making bracelets and earrings and it just kind of started from there. Once I got the basic techniques down, I kept going with it and found that I really loved it. It's very relaxing to me and something I find I can do while watching T.V. or chatting on the phone. I think it's kind of a natural progression for me, being an interior designer, to be able to create something artistic and designed, yet structured (kind of like I do in my day job).

3. What inspires you in your creations? I've always loved wearing jewelry, especially earrings, and am constantly seeing pieces that I love. I tend to get inspiration from magazines or the internet or items I see others wearing and that is a jumping off point for my designs. I start with the basic idea but then make it my own with the elements I use. I like long, dangly earrings and sparkly stones and gems so I tend to gravitate toward them. I've also had a long love affair with precious and semi-precious stones so I like to incorporate stone as pendants or accents in most of my pieces. I try to make things that I would like to wear, some are fun and funky and some are more reserved...but I like to think that all my pieces have a certain refined and elegant look about them.

4. What is your favorite piece so far? My favorite piece is a necklace that I made for my sister for Christmas. It's a long necklace (it falls to about her midsection) and it's a combination of silver chain and pink rhodolite as well as sparkly pink glass beads that are strung on wire and joined together with the chain. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of it but it's similar to this item that I sold in my shop. I haven't been able to find that particular chain again so I can’t recreate it exactly...although I think I may have just found something that will work and am planning on making more of this type of necklace for a street/craft fair I'm doing at the end of May.

5. What are you dying to make someday? I hope to start doing some metalsmithing in the near future, which involves a small butane torch and solder. I haven't taken the plunge as of yet but this would allow me to set stones in rings and pendants. I have been itching to make rings! I'd also like to make small stud earrings rather than the long, dangly kind as some people (i.e. my mother) don't like to wear them long. Hopefully, I will be able to purchase the tools necessary to do this soon and will be offering my creations in my shop!

Visit Jen from JLC Studio at her blog too!

Don’t forget to leave a comment for your entry into our giveaway contest! One entry per day, per person.

Blog Giveaway! April 21st to April 25th

That’s right, more free stuff this week!

JLC Studio is sponsoring this week’s giveaway, and I’m sure you’ll love the prizes!

Enter on this blog (see end of post) every day between April 21st and April 25th. (One entry per person, per day) Drawing will be held on Saturday the 26th, and results will be posted Monday the 28th.

One lucky winner will receive these Giallo Sun Earrings:



These warm and modern drop earrings are made from amber-colored sea-glass beads with iridescent faceted glass rondelle beads. The beads are suspended from gunmetal ear wires and findings, which complement the color of the glass beautifully. Overall drop of 1 ½”. Includes free US shipping (small fee for international shipping)

ALL of my readers qualify for a 20% discount at JLC Studio’s Etsy store – be sure to mention “TexasTesla blog giveaway” in the notes to seller to get your discount! (Discount good until April 30th)

To enter, check out JLC Studio – then leave a comment here about your favorite item in her shop. PLEASE be sure to leave either an email or website URL where I can reach you when you win!

Giveaways!

Two bits of news this Monday morning...

First, since Vickie, the winner of last week's giveaway, did not contact me for her prize...we have NEW winners!
First prize - choice of earrings or art - Bunny B!
Consolation prize - $5 or 10% off my store - Dolls123!
(Both provided their email/blog address, so I'm able to contact them)

Second - starting this afternoon, we have ANOTHER great giveaway! This time sponsored by JLC Studio. You can start to enter NOW - post a comment about your favorite item from JLCStudio's Etsy shop, along with either an email address or blog/etsy shop URL so I can find you! Giveaway ends Friday - enter once each day!

BLOG GIVEAWAY - Just 2 days left to enter!

Win your choice of:
1. Stud Pink Flower earrings
2. Dangle amethyst earrings
3. Original "Cubical Art" piece (take your pick - will be matted and ready to hang on the fabric wall of your choice. More drawings coming today and tomorrow - lots of conference calls in my future!)

Good news - we've reached 30 unique entries, so we now have a consolation prize!
2nd name drawn gets $5 or 10% (whichever is better) off any item in my Etsy store!!!

Enter today (the 15th) AND tomorrow (the 16th) - just leave a comment here. Let me know which piece you like best from my Etsy store, and that's all you need to enter. One entry per day, per person...unless you link to this giveaway, then you get an extra!

Oh My, What a Weekend

Before I forget...be sure to leave a comment for your entry in my Blog Giveaway! (You can leave the comment on this post, so I'm sure to see it) One entry per person, per day - and you can earn extra entries by posting about this contest and providing me the link!

On to the rest of my post...

The weather here in Oregon was gorgeous this weekend - 75 degrees, sunny, light breeze. We spent much of the weekend outdoors, of course. Saturday was so much fun. First we drove to a local tulip farm, picked up some blooms and took a few pictures. After the tulip farm, we drove east of Portland, to the Columbia River Gorge area. Had a few misadventures trying to find a state park, with waterfalls, that we could actually locate a parking spot for. Apparently ALL of Oregon was outside on Saturday! We eventually pulled into a small turnout, where a very helpful Scottish gentleman (from the accent) guided us up a hill, behind a waterfall, and into some neat caves. He was meeting friends to rock climb in the area, and delighted our kids with his knowledge of the "Rat Caves" as well as demos of his climbing gear. What a treat!

After carefully climbing/sliding down the hill again, we drove back to Rooster Rock state park, where we enjoyed some time on the river, and played in the playground. We finished our day with dinner at Tad's Chicken 'n' Dumplings.

Sunday wasn't nearly as fun, at least for me and the hubby. We mowed, edged, pulled weeds, and cleaned the garage...while the children had watergun battles, bounced in their bouncy castle, ate lunch in the sunshine, and just generally did kid stuff. (Days like that make me want to be a kid again) The house looks better, but it's frustrating knowing we'll need to do all that work again in 2 weeks. Maybe less if it rains a lot. UGH.

When the rain moved in Sunday afternoon, I was finally able to relax, shower (!), and get a little jewelry making done. I finished a cute little bracelet, as well as some earrings for the "So You Think You're Unique" beading challenge. (Those will get posted on Monday on Etsy) So now we're back to Monday, and work, and 'normal' life.

Just a quick note about Feature Monday - it's not happening this week. Too much else going on! Instead, I'll be writing a post (probably for tomorrow) about step-by-step creation of a custom jewelry request. Hope you all enjoy it!

Blog Contest! Enter now!

Just an update for everyone...

We have 19 entries so far - just 11 more to get a consolation prize added!

After much though, I've decided to offer the winner his/her choice of earrings as well as the option of original artwork. Your prize options are:

1. Stud Pink Spring Blossoms

2. Amethyst Makes it Better dangles

3. Choice of Cubical Art, matted and ready to hang on the fabric-covered wall of your office! (See one offering at the bottom of this post)

Don't forget - mention this giveaway on your blog, and get an EXTRA entry!

Giveaway!!

Life in the Cube
Originally uploaded by texastesla

Starting today - enter to win your choice of earrings from my store (which one...come back tomorrow to find out!) or one of my "Cubical Art" original drawings - like this one!

Visit my Etsy store, and leave a comment on this blog about your favorite item. Make sure to leave a webpage or email address too, so I can contact my winner. You can enter ONCE per DAY.

See the post below for more details and ways to earn extra entries! Drawing will be held Thursday 4/17.

Giveaway - Woo Hoo!

Ladies and Gentlemen...are you ready?

Starting TOMORROW - Thursday, April 10th...

My FIRST blog giveaway!!!

I will be offering the winner a choice of earrings (one of the lovely selection in my Etsy store...but I'm not telling which just yet), OR an item from my "cubical art" series. (Pictures posted tomorrow as well)

To enter - please browse my Etsy Store, and leave a comment about which item you like best. No more than one entry per person, per day. Be sure to leave me a way to contact you if you win!

And a few incentives for YOUR help in cross-promoting this:
Mention my blog/store/contest on your site, and get 2 entries (must provide link)
When the number of people entered reaches 30, I will offer 1 consolation prize
when it reaches 60, I will offer 2 consolation prizes

Contest ends Wednesday April 16th, drawing to be held Thursday April 17th.

Ready? Go!

The Masses Have Spoken!

And the answer to my blog poll on giveaways is....

Kinda unclear.

I'm going to leave it up through tonight, just to give everyone a chance to vote.

My thought at the moment is to offer a choice - either a set of earrings OR "cubical art", winner's pick. I'm also going to offer some %-off consolation prizes, # of which depends on the number of participants. I'll be posting my cubical art soon, so you can see what the choice really is!

Perhaps my next will be a semi-custom bracelet, since that seems popular.

And if you are one of the people who checked "I'd like to donate an item" - PLEASE, please, please convo me with details of what you'd like to offer!

Other great blog giveaways!

While I'm deciding what to do for my own giveaway...here's a few great ones I've run across!

Persimmons Gal - $40 of merchandise, including jewelry and handmade cards

Woolies is offering a pretty pendant on this site.

On JLC Studio is a cute pair of dangly earrings from Pretty Sweet Designs.

For art photography fans, suburose is holding a "green door" giveaway of a great print from Wanderlust Designs.

Or how about some great new soap from Rebecca's Soap Delicatessen?

Finally, pick your own prize from Etsy Artists of Color, $25 value. Wow!

Your Ad Here?

In my poll above (please vote if you haven't already!)...I included a bit about "I'd like to donate..." just for kicks and giggles. Still, 3 people checked it!

Are people interested in donating a small item for a giveaway on this blog, in exchange for essentially free advertising? If you ARE - please leave a comment (with a link or email address) or email me at texastesla (at) gmail (dot) com with what you'd like to 'donate'!

Here's what I'm thinking:

You provide an item of at least $10 value for the giveaway. (You can send to me or promise to mail yourself)

You get:

Top of blog mention for length of giveaway (1 week)

Feature of your store in this blog

Free ad in this blog for length of giveaway

As much promotion as I (and you) are able to drum up in Etsy forums, flickr, myspace, etc

Did You Know I Can Draw Too?

Yep, I can. This fact amazes even my hubby, who’s seen my Darth Vader and Mystery Machine free-hand drawings at previous kid birthday parties. (So he should know better!)

Yesterday, in the middle of a completely boring teleconference, I started drawing. Not mere doodles…not for this conference. I had a solid 15 minutes of nothing worth my time, so I decided to actually DRAW. I took pen to paper, and created the mini scene in front of me…annoying phone, stack of notes, and cup of Pepsi. For a 2” x 2” drawing, it’s actually quite good – I even mockingly named it “Tele-Blather” and affixed it to a large yellow Post It. It’s now decorating my cubical wall.

Which got me to thinking…about a little mini series of drawings, all work-related. I wonder if anyone would be interested in it. I could even mat and self-frame them, attach them to cubical “tape” so they’d stick to those annoying fabric walls. Hmmm…

Along those lines, I’m also thinking of doing my first blog giveaway. Unless someone wants to volunteer an item (and I’d promote your store/blog like crazy for it – even create free ad space)…I’ll have to generate the item. Would people prefer a small jewelry item, or perhaps one or two of the mini-scenes I’m thinking of? Perhaps I should run this as a poll.