Giveaway from Bownanza Utah: Crochet Hat with Flower

Win this beautiful Crochet Hat from Bownanza Utah. 

One crochet hat - Stretchy, infant or toddler to adult size, usually fits age 2 to small adult. Easily fits any bow and a cute as a photo prop or winter accessory! Coordinating flower included.

Learn more about Jeanette, the artist behind this great shop, here on yesterday's Saturday Artisan post. 

Number of winner: 1 (One)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY. The contest starts now and ends on January 5, 2014. The contest opens to US and Canada (Free Shipping to the US). Open to Legal Residents (18 years of age or older). Don't forget to leave me a way to contact you. Entries without contact information will be disqualified. Entries that do not follow the rules will be disqualified. The contest winner will be drawn on January 6th. The winner will be selected by Random.org and be notified by e-mail. Adorebynat is not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes. I have represented each sponsor with the expectation they will fulfill their prizes and in a timely manner. The winner must respond within 48 hours after being contacted otherwise another winner will be randomly selected. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

Don't forget to check out other current giveaways here. Would you like to be featured as a Saturday Artisan and sponsor a giveaway? Here is how to apply.

Giveway from Tina's Crafty Creations: Beanie

Tina's Crafty Creations is giving away a wacky-faced beanie in your choice of up to 2 colors. Tina gets to choose the face. :) Any size. A beanie does NOT have ear flaps or ties.

Learn more about Tina, the artist behind this great shop, here on yesterday's Saturday Artisan post.
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Contest starts now and ends on August 11, 2014. Contest opens US and Canada. Open to Legal Residents (18years of age or older). Don't forget to leave me a way to contact you. Entries without contact information will be disqualified. Entries that do not follow the rules will be disqualified. Contest winner will be drawn on August 12th. Winner will be selected by Random.org and be notified by e-mail. Adorebynat is not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes. I have represented each sponsor with the expectation they will fulfill their prizes and in a timely manner. Winner must respond within 48 hours after being contacted otherwise another winner will be randomly selected. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.

Don't forget to check out other current giveaway here.

Would you like to be featured as a Saturday Artisan and sponsor a giveaway?

Here is how to apply.

Saturday Artisan: Tina's Crafty Creations

Meet Tina, our Saturday Artisan. Her small business can be found on Facebook: Tina's Crafty Creations. She makes about everything from shawls to blankets to hats and toys and they can be hand made just for you. 

Tell us a bit about yourself and what arts/ crafts that you make?

My name is Tina and I crochet. I am originally from Oregon, have spent many years in Nevada and Ohio, drove truck out of Utah and Idaho, and am now settling down in Indiana. I have 5 children and 1 grandchild with a second on the way! I make hats, scarves, hats, shawls, afghans, hat, baby clothes, kitchen items, hats, slippers, mittens, wrist warmers, and hats among other things. I am always looking for new things to try! :)
I also teach crocheting to many different people. Some are in person, some I help over the phone, and others I explain things through email. I learn a lot while I am teaching too. You never know where a new idea or inspiration might come from.


Info on the picture: Ken is my son and he is the one that actually got me going as far as the business aspect of things. Redd is my husband and he is the MOST supportive person in my life!  He also models just about everything I have ever made for me.  He is AWESOME!!!

What is the story behind your shop name?  

The name was fairly simple......my hubby said I was some-what crafty and one of my kids said that they LOVED my creations, so......Tina's Crafty Creations was born. My oldest son got me to put a facebook page together and the very first hat I made was an Angry Bird for him.

Who is your target market?

Everyone is my target market. The things I make can go for infants, children, teens, and adults. Many of my items become gifts for people I will never see.

Which part of creation process that you enjoy the most?

My favorite part of crocheting is when I see someone that loves it as much as I do. Someone that I can pass info along to or that passes it along to me. I really enjoy it when I KNOW that someone like what I have done.

What is your best seller?

Owl hats and wacky faced hats are my best sellers. Oh, and diaper wrap sets. Those are very popular!!!

How does your day go in general?

I wake up in the morning, have a cup (or 2) of coffee, pick up my crochet hook and crochet while talking on the phone, looking around on the computer or visiting on facebook. If I have errands to run I have a bag ready to take with me (in case I have to wait on things). Hooks are ALWAYS in my purse, car, crochet bag.......I just NEVER leave home without them.

How do you balance your personal and work life?

Since I quit truck driving, I am a stay at home crocheter, so it just kind of falls in place. If I do not crochet for a day I feel totally lost!

What inspires you?

People, tv shows, articles, other crocheters.......everyone and everything has the potential to be my next inspiration.

What is your goal for 2014?  And are you on the right track?

My goal is to get a store front and be public all the time. I do a bunch of craft fairs, farmers markets, festivals, etc and I would like to have just one location where I can always be. I have not found the right place yet, but I think I am getting close!!!

What is the key to success?

Patience and persistence.

Any advice for others running their on-line shop?

Don't get discouraged. Building a business (online or in a store front) take time, patience, and hard work. Many people think that things either work fast or not at all, but that is NOT true. Just keep hanging in there!!!!

What does handmade mean to you?

Handmade means that everything is put together by hand and that it is not perfect. No two items will ever be the same.

What is your favorite quote, song, or movie?

I don't know.....there are soooo many!!!

Would you like to be featured as a Saturday Artisan and sponsor a giveaway?

Here is how to apply.

Saturday Artisan: Soozie's Cutie Patooties

Our Saturday Artisan this week is Susan of Soozie's Cutie Patooties (how cute her shop name is!!). I LOVE everything in her shop and amazed by her crochet works. Simply beautiful!. I love the colors that she uses too, vibrant and soft perfectly chosen. Learn a bit more about here through the interview below and stay-tuned for tomorrow's giveaway. 

Tell us a bit about yourself and what arts/ crafts that you make? 

My name is Susan and I'm a nursing student. I recently moved to Chattanooga, TN and am completely baffled by the weather. As a native Floridian I'm used to hot and humid with afternoon rains, not hot today and cold tomorrow. Most of the items that I make are done with crochet, which I've been doing for about 15 years. I'm still teaching myself how to knit and expanding on my jewelry making skills (I want a soldering iron for my birthday!). Every item that I make gives me ideas that I want to try for something new, so there's always a mix of items in my shop.

For us who love to travel, could you share a bit about your beautiful town/ city?

I've only been in Chattanooga for a year and I haven't even begun to explore all of the amazing things to see and do here. When my Dad was visiting we went to Point Park on Lookout Mountain and caught this beautiful view of the Tennessee River and downtown Chattanooga. There are so many outdoor and nature activities in and around the city. The caverns at Raccoon Mountain are spectacular and panning for gold and gems is a great treasure hunt. The new parks and trails just outside the Volkswagen facility provide something for every level of hiker and biker (although we only did the easy one). Plus there are so many great places to eat!

How do you promote your shop? I have a Facebook Fan Page, where you get the first look at everything that I make. I also use to Twitter, where you can keep up with new listings, promotions, and what I'm working on. I also have a blog, where I share different things I find or places that I go, feature other artists and shops, and post tutorials. 

Could you share on how your organize your products, we all can use a little tips here and there in this department? 

I'm still working on a system that really works for me. Right now I have all of my yarns in baskets and bins. There's a self for fabric, another for blankets and afghans that still need to be completed, and a basket of the four or five projects I'm working on right now. I have one bin for everything that's been finished but still needs to be photographed and several plastic containers of everything that has been listed in my shop. It's not the perfect form of organization that I have in mind but it's much better than what I had going on before (a complete mess!).

What is your favourite tool that you cannot live without? I think if you took my size G hook away from me I wouldn't know what to do. It seems that just about everything I make uses that one!

Psst! Get 25% off by using ADOREBYNAT coupon when you shop at Soozie's Cutie Patooties.

Giveaway: Everyday Circle Scarf, Turquoise

This week giveaway is sponsored by modestambition: a pretty Everyday Circle Scarf, Turquoise.

This soft versatile scarf is designed for hard everyday wear. It is crocheted from 100% acrylic and won't fade or shrink in rain or snow. The comfortable slouchy styling makes this a perfect choice for all day wear.

I encourage you to read her profile featured yesterday.

There are eight ways to win. Please make sure you leave a separate comment for every entry. How to enter to win:

Mandatory entry:

• Go to modestambition shop. Return to my Adore By Nat blog and simply leave a comment here about your favorite item from her store.

Extra entries (only qualify once mandatory entry is fulfilled):

• Earn 2 entries - Go to yesterday's post to get to know her more.
  

Leave a comment there (yesterday's post) on at least one the following: what you learn from her interview, what you want to see more on her shop, or any constructive feedbacks are always appreciated.

Come back here and leave 2 comments that you did, to ensure your entries are counted.

• Heart her shop and earn an entry. Simply let me know your Etsy username.

• Follow my blog and you earn another entry. If you're already a follower, you still get an entry, just says you're following already.

• Become my Facebook Fan and you earn another entry. If you're a fan already, you'll also get an entry. Let me know your FB username please.

• Tweet about this giveaway, add "@adorebynat" in your tweet. Each tweet worths one entry and you can tweet each day until the end of the contest (a maximum of one tweet per day is counted). That's a total of 7 entries!

• Blog about this giveaway to earn 2 entries. Leave two separate comments here please providing me with the link to your post.

• Purchase an item from modestambition or my shop and earn 5 entries for each purchase. Don't forget letting me know by leaving comments :-)

Contest starts now and ends on April 17th, 2010. Contest opens worldwide.

Don't forget to leave me your e-mail address. Entries without contact information will be disqualified. Entries that do not follow the rules will be disqualified. Contest winner will be drawn on Sunday, April 18th by a random number generator. Winner must respond within 48 hours after being contacted otherwise another winner will be randomly selected.

Saturday Artisan: modestambition

Meet this week Saturday Artisan: Anne Lawrence, the artist behind a great shop, modestambition.

Learn from her on how to be creative starting from tackling other crafts to how to make her packaging pretty and environmentally friendly.


Tell us a bit about yourself and what arts/ crafts that you make?
I studied art and art history in school. I learned to crochet when I was eight. I’m the type of person who always has to have their hands busy. I am constantly working on or thinking about new projects. I love to crochet and work with fiber, but I’m also a big fan of paper – collages, origami, making paper, and so on. In my Etsy shop I focus on
crochet, but I’ve starting making more elaborate sewn and collaged paper tags for my items for display at craft shows.

What is your favourite item in your shop?
Currently, I’m really excited about the hoods I’ve been making. They are each so unique. I make sure to challenge myself on the technique for each of these.
Here's one:

What is your best seller?
My crocheted button pins are by far my best seller off Etsy at local craft shows.

On Etsy, my crocheted shrugs are very popular for the mother-of-the-bride and bridesmaids.

What inspires you?
I am inspired by color, texture, interesting fibers, period literature and films, Jane Austen, folk art, contemporary art, and things I see on the street.

What is your favourite tool that you cannot live without?
My crochet hooks of course!

Any advice for a newbie running his or her on-line shop? Try different ways of promoting yourself and really think about your audience. Be as original as possible and true to your own ideas.


During this recession time, tell us one thing that you do to save
money?
I try to make the presentation of my mailed items as lovely and thoughtful as possible. I’ve started sewing little pockets from scrap fabric instead of using tissue paper.



Crochet is fairly light and durable so shipping is easy.
I also reduce paper waste by printing the invoice and mailing label on the same sheet of paper, then I do a quick little accordion fold so the label information faces out and the
invoice is tucked inside with a little arrow showing from the outside and the word “receipt”. I hate producing extra paperwork and paper waste so this keeps things easy for me.


Anything else you would like to share?
In my art day jobs I work to connect people to art. Buying handmade is one of the most direct ways for people to experience art/craft in their lives. You may be able to buy something cheaper at the mall on sale, but when you buy from the maker you create a link, a relationship, really, that is not only more meaningful but that brings us back to a human scale.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's giveaway sponsored by modestambition!

Giveaway: Olive Green Hand-Crocheted Wallet

This week giveaway is sponsored by RobinsFlight. Win a beautiful olive green and brown wallet.

I really encourage you to read her profile featured yesterday where you could always learn a thing or two from her. Thank you to those who left sweet comments, always appreciated!

There are Seven ways to win the giveaway with a total of 18 chances to win. Please make sure you leave a separate comment for every entry. How to enter to win:

Mandatory entry:

• Go to RobinsFlight shop. Return to my Adore By Nat blog and simply leave a comment here about your favorite item from her store.

Extra entries (only qualify once mandatory entry is fulfilled):

• Heart her shop and earn an entry. Simply let me know your Etsy username.
  
• Follow my blog and you earn another entry. If you're already a follower, you still get an entry, just says you're following already.
• Become my Facebook Fan and you earn another entry. If you're a fan already, you'll also get an entry. Let me know your FB username please.
  
• Tweet about this giveaway. Provide me with your tweet please. Each tweet worths one entry and you can tweet each day until the end of the contest (a maximum of one tweet per day is counted). That's a total of 7 entries!
  
• Blog about this giveaway to earn 2 entries. Leave two separate comments here please providing me with the link to your post.
• Purchase an item from RobinsFlight shop and earn 5 entries. Don't forget letting me know by leaving comments :-)
  

Contest starts now and ends on Feb 27th, 2010. Contest opens worldwide.
Max 18 entries per person please (based on the rules above). Don't forget to leave me your e-mail address. Entries without contact information will be disqualified. Entries that do not follow the rules will be disqualified. Contest winner will be drawn on Sunday, February 28th by a random number generator. Winner must respond within 48 hours after being contacted otherwise another winner will be randomly selected.