Help me Out or Just Chat

Hey lovely people, I think that you guys who read my blog are pretty cool people.  I would love to know you guys better.  I kind of love "meeting" people on the internet and I can't follow every single person who follows me anymore (Seriously, since when do I have over 100 blog followers?! Oh yeah, since this month.)  If I don't follow your blog through GFC, I might actually still follow it through Bloglovin', but I have so many blogs that I follow, I need to practice restraint and stop following more unless I see one and go, "Wow, we need to be virtual BFFs this instant!"  I can hardly keep up with all of the blogs I follow as it is.  That being said, I still find people fascinating and would love to email with you guys or at least chat in the comments section.  My email is jaythejedi@live.com, because I'm a Jedi (in case you didn't already know).  Feel free to email me about anything you want.

Second thing: I have started featuring a Blog of the Month and Shop of the Month now.  I have decided that the Blog of the Month will be a blog of any size that I am particularly in love with that month.  The shop will be an Etsy shop with amazing products and fewer than 50 sales.  I feel like this is a great way to help other Etsy sellers who haven't sold a lot yet and might be feeling less-than-thrilled-and-positive about that fact.  Each month the featured blog and shop will receive one month of free ad space on my blog, as well as a feature post about them.  The shop portion will include three of my favorite products from their shop.  I'll also include any social media links that the shop and blog owner would like to share.  I already picked out the blog and shop for next month, but I could use your help for the following months.  I would love it if you guys would share all of the lovely little Etsy shops you come across on your travels.  It could even be your own!  They don't have to have less than 50 sales.  I still do occasional Etsy Interviews and those will be with shops of any size.  Besides that, I also love Pinning like crazy all manner of wonderful Etsy products to my Etsy Pinterest boards.  I love to do everything I can to support handmade businesses of all sizes.  It's really my passion, so I would love your help with doing that.

To summarize, email me about anything your heart desires at jaythejedi@live.com, comment on my posts if you'd like (I don't even have annoying CAPTCHAs), and share all of the lovely Etsy shops with me.  Please and thank you and have a lovely day.

Giveaway: I Love Indie Gift Box!

I discovered Indie Gift Box a little over a month ago.  I was so excited to buy one but they had already sold out for the month.  I waited until the beginning of this month and then I purchased my first Indie Gift Box.  I anxiously awaited its arrival, and I got it today!  For those of you who have unfortunately not known the joys of Indie Gift Box, it's a box full of handmade goodies from artists.  You buy one for just $25 and you get to know the theme, but what's in it is a surprise until it arrives.  It's full of lovely handcrafted items.  It also has lots of great discount codes for shop purchases.  It's definitely worth way more than $25.  I won't tell exactly what was in it until they reveal the contents on their blog, because not everyone has received theirs yet and I don't want to spoil the surprise.  I do however want to share some of the loveliness with one of you wonderful readers.  So here's a tiny glimpse of the contents.  The winner will receive three surprise items as well as all of the business cards with coupon codes.  The codes do expire at the end of December so this giveaway will only last for one week.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Etsy Interview: Neil from Art by Neil Slorance

I "met" this guy through one of my blog friends on Twitter and he is awesome so I interviewed him about his Etsy shop, which you should all check out.

This is tied for my favorite thing in his shop. Poor sad robot : (
I just want to hug it and make it all better.

 

It is tied with this. I do love robots : )



It is also tied with this.
 

 
1. Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Hey! My name's Neil Slorance, I'm an illustrator from Glasgow in Scotland. I'm 25 and have a pet tortoise.

2. Tell me a little bit about your shop.
 

My etsy shop is where I put up my prints, pictures and other bits and bobs. I set it up about 2 years ago and so far it's been ticking over nicely.

3. How long have you been making art?

 

Since I could hold a crayon really. I spent most of my school days doodling in jotters and making wee comics about superheroes I'd make up. I really wanted to be an artist although I stopped for a good while in my teens while I was pursuing music but got back into it around the age of 19/20.
 

4. How long have you been selling art?

 

I started selling about 5 years ago, I remember I took my painting to a market stall in a library. I remember feeling totally chuffed when I sold my first painting, I guess because I wanted to be an artist when I was a kid and this was me taking my first step.

5. Why did you start making art?

 

I guess everyone starts making art as a kid and then as we grow up for whatever reasons some of us stop. I've kept going mainly because it's the best way I've found to communicate my ideas and thoughts, and where as I'm not a great talker and I stumble on words my pictures have given me a voice.

6. What inspires your art the most?

 

Life? Any part of life I feel strongly enough to make a picture about. Aside from that just when I get excited about something e.g I've been playing a lot of mario so I made a mario picture.

7. What advice do you have for new Etsy sellers?

Try and have a wide range of products, especially little things, they are your bread and butter. 

 

8. What advice do you have for aspiring artists?

 

Don't be afraid to show your work, even the stuff you're not proud of.

neilslorance.com
flickr.com/photos/osm_art
twitter.com/osmart

So be sure to check out all of Neil Slorance's stuff. If nothing else, definitely visit the shop and his Flickr stream.  He draws so many amazing things!

And definitely leave me a comment letting me know if you have an Etsy shop and would like me to interview you.

Achieving my Goals

I achieved one of my goals for my Honeybee Alley shop today, which was to get some of my jewelry in a real shop.  Four of my necklaces are now available for purchase at a lovely little shop called Wish.  I'll be writing about the shop and sharing pictures soon, because I seriously love that place.  The owner is the sweetest lady.  I also got all of my wisdom teeth removed today and my face is still numb, so I'm dribbling ice cream down my chin.

And in case you were wondering, these are the four necklaces: