Etsyversary Celebration ~~ 2 - 4 - 8

Come celebrate with me!!

On August 4 I will celebrate my 2nd anniversary on etsy. I couldn't be more thrilled and excited, and I want to share my excitement with you.

I will be running a two week long sale where everything in my shop is 20% off and FREE US shipping! No need to wait for revised invoices or paypal refunds... I went in and changed all the prices and shipping for easy check out.

Starting today - July 31 and ending August 14 - everything in valeriesgallery.etsy.com is on sale. Whether you want to stock up on some holiday gifts or just splurge a bit on yourself, you will find some great bargains!

And if that's not enough ~

I am giving away this beautiful hand knit wool braided cable scarflette to one lucky winner. Just in time for fall!


How to enter? Couldn't be easier - Just leave a comment wishing me a happy anniversary (don't forget to include your e-mail or etsy address!!) and I'll pick a winner on August 14th (my mother's 80th birthday!) Of course, I will have her pick the winner ♥♥ So just drop by and say hi and you will be entered. Good Luck!

Winners of last weeks raffle ~

These two bangles were up for raffle last week.






Hippiedippydesigns and HomemadeZen are the lucky winners!
Congratulations to both of you

I am starting a new line of felted / knit bangles in my shop and am very happy with the results. These start with reused plastic bottles (soda and bottled water) and are covered with wool yarn. These are then put through a process that will shrink and bind the wool fibers and make a wonderful cover.

Here are 4 more that are listed in my shop available for purchase:

Winter White - Petite:


Holiday Red - Large:


Woodlands - Large


Houndstooth - Large


Stop by my shop often to see more as they are added

Felted Bangles ~ and a raffle

It really surprises me that I have evolved into a "morning person". I remember when I was young, my mother had such a hard time getting me out of bed every day. I was the classic sleepy head. Now after several years of struggling to get my own children out of bed, I found that I just love being up and about in the early morning hours ~ Simply to enjoy the quietness of the house and a bit of time to myself.





This picture of the sunrise was taken yesterday morning when everyone in my family was fast asleep. I am so sorry they missed it, but it is just another of my treasured morning moments.

Morning is also a time that I have some of my best ideas. My lastest involves a new and improved felted bangle pattern that I have been testing the past few weeks. I am using plastic bottles as the base and honestly, cutting them up with a nice straight edge is probably the most challenging part! My husband tried helping by using the table saw... which totally turned out to be a disaster. Scissors are not the best, either. I found that a nice sharp razor blade works the best after measuring the lines on the bottles with a sharpie.

I cover the plastic with knit or crocheted designs and then put them through the felting process. Soda bottles work well for smaller wrists (2.5 - 2.75 inch inside measurements) and flavored water bottles work best for larger size wrists (2.75 - 3 inch inside measurements). My plan is to list these on etsy in the $10 - $14 price range (depending on design, materials, etc)

Here are a couple of my prototypes that are not listed on etsy. Both of these are size small and I am going to raffle them to two lucky winners on Monday December 1. Please leave a comment with what colors and designs you would like to see in the future. Include your etsy or e-mail address so I can notify the lucky winners.







Good luck to everyone!

Winner of Last Week's Mini Raffle

Thanks to everyone who commented on my blog with ideas for felted nesting bowls! I have already started making a set in primary colors that can be used for bowls or very cool stacking /sorting toys for toddlers.


ARTISANNE is the winner and I just wanted to take a moment to share her shop with you as she has a very unique shop!



This is from her profile that describes her work ~~
WHAT IS SEA GLASS?
Naturally recycled gems! Bottles, vases, automobile windows, glass from shipwrecks... in fact, anything made of glass that's been dumped in the sea and tumbled and turned for many, many years becomes Sea Glass. The longer it's swirling around, the purer and more perfect it becomes.

All Sea Glass & Pottery from ARTISANNE is 100% genuine & natural, tumbled by the sea, not by me! Every piece is collected by me from beautiful Scottish beaches!

Alzheimer's Research - I have an item in my shop at all times with 100% of the sale going to this worthy cause which will affect many of us one way or another.

Stop in and give her a visit... you will love what you find.




And Anne ~~ Enjoy your pin! Thanks again for participating ♥

Raffle ~~ One Lucky Winner

And it is so easy!

I really love making Felted Nesting Bowls and they seem to be rather popular. Not to mention the fact that they are very useful!















Nesting bowl sets are great at the home or office to keep all your tiny items organized. Everything from jewelery, buttons, paperclips and candy are right at home in these beautiful sets.




But when one of my customers got a set for her toddler to use as a stacking toy, it got me thinking. What a wonderfully soft, safe and educational toy!

So, I am going to get busy making some more sets and would love your input. And for your efforts one lucky winner will receive a $4 felted pin of their choice as a reward.



Simply leave a comment here (WITH your e-mail or etsy address) and comment on what color combinations, sizes and/or uses for nesting bowls you like and I will randomly select one lucky winner! It just couldn't be easier!

The winner will be selected on November 15 (Saturday) so the winner will have their pin in time for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

And don't forget to visit valeriesgallery.etsy.com to view more felted treasures!

20% off Sale in celebration of EtsyForCharity's First Anniversary

I just love the snowmen!
Here is another one that is brand new in my shop and is on sale at 20% off in celebration of EtsyForCharity's First Anniversary!

¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•. ¸¸.• ♥ ETSY FOR CHARITY ANNIVERSARY SALE ♥
Celebrate EtsyforCharity's 1 year anniversary from October 15 through October 31!
During this period, I will be offering 20% off everything in my store. (Not valid with any other discounts and does not apply to shipping charges.) What better way to start your holiday shopping? At checkout, simply type "Anniversary" and your email address in the message to seller and pay nothing until I send you a revised invoice through Paypal. It's that easy! Also, be sure to visit our team store at http://EtsyForCharity.etsy.com, where you can "Shop to Give." Every month we sponsor a new charity. This month's proceeds will be donated to StandUp2Cancer.

Check out the participating shops here. And don't forget, every purchase you make during this team wide sale will get you a chance to win some great prizes. Check them out!

.... and the winner is.......

Thanks so much to EVERYONE who entered my raffle. I can't think of a better way to celebrate a year on etsy than to share with my friends and other shop owners.

The winner is: Jeweledelegance who wrote:

Congrats on your upcoming etsy anniversary!!You have a wonderful blog!

You can visit Jewel's shop at: jeweledelegance.etsy.com Congratulations, Jeweled♥♥

NOW......... LET THE SALE BEGIN!

From now until Friday August 8, I will be having a 25% off EVERYTHING in my shop. Simply proceed to check out and write ' Happy Estyversary" in note to seller and I will send you a revised invoice at 25% off the current prices (excluding postage).

Come on in and celebrate with me.

Etsy 1 Year Anniversary Approaching Quickly

Wow. Time does fly when you are having fun! August 5th will mark my 1 year anniversary as an etsy seller and I just can't believe that I have been here a year.

Through this past year I have learned most of the ins and outs of etsy, completed all the necessary paperwork to become a ligitimate business, developed my craft to where I envisioned it and made enough money to keep it going without going in the red! But most importantly, I have made so many friends. Whether chatting in the forums, messaging within treasuries, or working with one of my team members, the etsy community is incredible.

Initially, I was so nervous to acutally open up a shop. I spent hours just looking at all the wonderful art and crafts on etsy as an unregistered user. Two weeks later, I took the plunge and believe it or not my first sale was 2 and a half weeks later. THANK YOU Deebs! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5043222. I will never forget my first sale!

Etsy makes it so easy to become part of whole. I joined street teams and met so many talented and wonderful people. I currently belong to etsyhookers, FAM (Fabulous Artistic Moms), Etsy For Charity, and Indiepublic. All of which have wonderful team members that show so much support in all ways: professionally, artistically and personally.

But the real reason for this blog entry, is to let everyone know that I am very excited about being around for a year. So, I am offering a simple raffle to celebrate. The prize is this grape bowl that I am most proud of and is valued at $30. This bowl measures 5 inches high and is 5.5 inches wide.

How to enter? Just reply with a comment here in this blog and I will have my husband pick a winner out of a hat. Include your e-mail address and when the winner is picked, I will notify them via e-mail to get the mailing address. There is no need to have an etsy shop - everyone can enter!

Winner will recieve the bowl and it will be shipped to them free of charge. This is totally FREE. The winner will be drawn on August 4 - exactly 365 days from my opening.

Just my way of saying THANK YOU for helping me make it through the first year. And I intend to be around for many more!

Cheers!

Val