Thursday, October 7, 2010

It's Thursday already?

The weeks are serioulsy flying by. So I was talking with a friend of mine who's thinking about opening up an Etsy store, and realized a lot of people don't know about this:  the Jo Ann's mailing list.  If you sew, and your near a Jo Anns, this is one of the best things ever!  I think they still send out flyers in the Sunday paper as well.  There's usually at least one 40% off any item coupon, and every so often they do something called coupon commotion, which is literally pages of 40% off coupons.  Plus, if you have a resale license you can sign up for tax exempt status and a VIP card, which gets you 10% off your entire purchase every time you shop.

Check it out here:


Mailing List:  https://www.joann.com/joann/profile/login.jsp?contactPref=true

Friday, September 24, 2010

My very first Giveaway!

So I'm kind of excited, I've decided to do my very first online giveaway!  Winner chooses their prize of either:  A big ghostie, a small ghost card holder and 2 mini pumpkins, a wine bag and small ghost card holder or a fabric pumpkin of your choice. 

To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment with a link to your favorite item in the etsy shop and why it's your fav!  I'll pick the winner using a random number generator on Friday, October 8th.  Make sure to leave your email so I can contact you if you win (it will not be displayed).  Earn extra entries by liking B&B on facebook to the right.










Good luck & Happy Halloween!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

It's Officially Halloween Season!

Wow, Halloween is in full swing at our house.  I almost took some pics of the craziness, but there was no way I was going to publicize that.  I honestly was worried that someone at Hoarders would be calling.
So, instead, here's a big group of ghosties in progress.
So I think I'm going to attempt to start doing some regular posting.  So how about a Thrifty Thursday post?  Kind of lame, but hey, I've learned a lot in the past year, a ton of it from other bloggers sharing tips so I guess I should start sharing the wealth, right?

This ones local, but you can probably scout out something similar in your area.  Wednesday is now my favorite day of the week, and yes, I'm a weirdo, but here's why:  Half off all clothing at the Salvation Army.  This is where I get nearly all of my stocking fabric.  I come from a long line of junk collectors.  My grandma actually remembers scouring local dumping grounds for treasures with my great grandpa.  He would take things home, clean them up and create things like fishing lures and walking sticks.  I was about 3 years old when he passed away, but I can vividly remember walking through mazes of tables showcasing his finds, organized into categories only he could decipher. It was the coolest thing. 


Anyway, that being said, the hoarding instinct thankfully dwindled to controllable in my case, but I LOVE looking through peoples stuff. Estate sales, yard sales, thrift stores.... I love that something has a story to it before you even begin, it makes it a lot more interesting.  When I was in school, blank canvases would really freak me out.  There was something foreboding about them, and honestly I kind of still find painting a little stressful. But when I start with something that was found, it's totally different. Instead of creating something, I'm kind of just exemplifying it, taking something that someone didn't appreciate it and making it beautiful, in a way rescuing it.  And I don't get the blank canvas freak out.


That's what I love about the stockings.  So, check out your local salvation army or whatever thrift store is close to you and see if they have a half off day.  I SCORED yesterday.  So today I'm off to reorganize the whole studio so stockings will be ready to go.  I can't wait to start listing my new finds! 

Lastly, I'm working on a couple of new Halloween items that I should have listed by Saturday.  Mini sculpey pumpkins, Boo Block & Ghostie sets, scarecrows and a bride & groom ghostie.  Check out the store if you get a chance! http://www.bloomandbarnacle.etsy.com/

And here's a peak of some new Christmas items: