Friday’s Favorites – Keeping It Local

Happy first Friday of 2014, everyone! It’s a good day.

We love our team Etsy Fort Worth linkup parties. If you have a Facebook page you want to share, click here for free advertising and networking:

 

We have two new favorite Etsy shops from the DFW area!

Wolf Blue Design creates one of a kind and custom stained glass pieces, ceramic art, handmade rustic tools, and more from Grand Prairie, TX. Just take a look at this gorgeous stained glass:

 

 

 

The Fairy Mermaid whips up wings, crowns, and other magical things from Arlington, TX! These charming, unique wings would look adorable on any aspiring fairy:

Plus, she really is a beautiful fairy mermaid! Check out her website to book her for events.

 

Now that I think about it, things are a little fishy around here today …

Share the Love,

Chelsea

 

December of Giveaways – Week 4!

It’s our last week of December giveaways! This week, we’re giving away this whimsical macaw feather fascinator:

Photo by VanZandt Studios.

This fascinator is handmade from naturally fallen, hand curled macaw feathers, white marabou feathers, a pink, green, and blue button finding with clear rhinestone accents, and vintage Austrian crystals floating mid-air on monofilament thread. The snap clip on the back makes the piece very versatile to wear (it can be turned at any angle.)

Here’s a close up of the piece:

It’s easy to enter:

1. Follow us on Pinterest here.

2. Pin the Pin It To Win It image on any of your Pinterest boards.

3. Comment on this blog post with your Pinterest username.

You can enter a maximum of once a day by completing steps 1-3.

The Week 3 giveaway will last through Sunday, 12/29/13. Open to US residents.Winner will be randomly chosen, and announced Monday, 12/30/13, on this blog page, our Facebook and Twitter accounts, and the winner will be contacted via the email listed with the account they use to comment (if possible.) Winner must respond via email (to buymelovestore@gmail.com) within 48 hours, or another winner will be randomly selected.

Good luck, and happy pinning!

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Chelsea

Whatever Weekend – Icepocalypse 2013 (and Boredom Busters)

Thursday evening, it started to sleet, and Friday morning, we woke up to this:

I know it may look like snow, but it’s mostly 2 inches of ice on the ground and street. Our driveway isn’t smooth concrete, by the way – it’s gravel – and it still looks like this, but packed down and slick from walking on it.

Now, to those of you up north, this scene might look pretty familiar, but to those of us in North Texas, it’s pretty rare. We tend to get snow once a year, around February, but ice like this is unusual. Of course, the city wasn’t prepared, so the roads weren’t prepped, and most of us are stuck at home. Fortunately, we’re within walking distance of a few gas stations and dollar stores, and we’re friends with our neighbors, so we haven’t been totally isolated. Arlington is a big city, though, and many people who live here work in Dallas or Fort Worth, which means they have to make it out of their icy neighborhoods before they can get on main roads and highways to make it there.

So, we’re just waiting for Monday, when things are finally supposed to start melting for good.

If you’re getting a little bored from being stuck inside, don’t forget about entering our giveaway here – today is the last day of our first week of giveaways!

Here’s a list of Etsy shops to peruse: Icepocalypse Sale. Don’t forget, if you shop any EFW members’ shops, you can enter to win a giveaway worth $100!

How about some grown up snow day activities …

… Or kid-friendly snow day actvities?

You can always start a new Pinterest board with pics of tropical vacations and summer outfits, or dance around to your favorite music to stay warm!

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Chelsea

Join us for a good scare!

You may remember the custom orders we did for our friend, Tiinia, and her Friday the 13th wedding at a Dallas haunted house’s grounds (which was all featured on Offbeat Bride – how cool is that?)

We’ve become friends with Tiinia and her husband Kevin, who play delightfully creepy characters at 13th Street, and Alex, the owner/operator of the haunt grounds, and we’re constantly in awe of their talents!

Several weeks ago, our friend Stephanie from Studio Longoria sent me a message with a great idea. Since we (JuJu Eyeball) and another of our Etsy teammates, Amy of Larkspur Studio and Frankensister all sell Halloween appropriate items, why shouldn’t we contact some local haunted houses to see if we could set up shop on the grounds?

I instantly thought of Alex and his awesome haunts, 13th Street Morgue and Dungeon of Doom (which neighbor Reindeer Manor.)

So, I got in touch with him, and we’ll be setting up booths this Friday, 10/18, and next Friday, 10/25; we’re so excited! It’s definitely a unique job. It’s not an arts and crafts “show” or convention, and we won’t be working typical show hours, which are usually morning to mid afternoon, or afternoon to evening. Nope, we’ll be set up in time for the houses to open at 8, and we’ll close the place down around 12:30 a.m. So, if you’re in the DFW area, and you’re looking for some fantastic Halloween fun (maybe after a Friday night football game?) come out and see us!

Pinteresting People – 5 Pinners to Follow

It’s easy to sign onto Pinterest and quickly fall down the rabbit hole of beautiful images, yummy recipes, DIY projects, wedding planning, kid activities, crafts, fashion, funny quotes, and cute animals! Needless to say, there are plenty of interesting (or “Pinteresting”) people to follow, but if you’re looking for some new content, here’s a list of some of our favorite Pinners.

Etsy Fort Worth – Ok, so we may be a teensy bit biased here, but, really, our team pins some awesome stuff. There’s everything from member items for sale to DIY and craft projects to fun themed boards like “Sweet Nostalgia.” Who doesn’t love pictures of The Muppets and Bob Barker? While you’re there, you can follow individual members from our team by looking to see who’s pinned some of the content.

Offbeat Home & Life – Ever heard of Offbeat Bride, the awesomely wacky site for all things nuptially related? If you haven’t checked out their sister site’s pins, do not passgo! Even if you don’t think you’re “offbeat enough,” trust me – you are. You will love Ariel and her team of weirdos, and they will love you back.

Alison Erion – I have no idea who Alison is, but if you love vintage and antique fashion (among other things, like sewing, quilting, and homesteading) she is one lady to follow!

Tiinia Auler – Tiinia has become a good friend of ours, and she happens to be a fabulous makeup artist in the DFW area! She pins some of the most gorgeous makeup and fashion inspiration, and some of the most bizarre and beautiful images. I see something excited and new from her every day.

Stephanie Robot Pop – Stephanie pins some of the most colorful and geekerific things I’ve seen, and I love it! Follow her and add some sunshine and rainbows to your day.

Of course, you can also follow us, if you haven’t already! Our business account, LoveAndEyeballs, is full of Etsy fun and what inspires us, or you can follow me personally here.

Share the Love,

Chelsea

Make It Monday – Martha’s American Made Awards

If you look to the right of this post, below the photo of me looking very colorful, you’ll see a new button that looks like this:

Yesterday, a friend from our local Etsy team, Etsy Fort Worth, shared the link for our team members to nominate themselves for Martha Stewart’s Made In America Awards. The finalists from the six categories will receive an AM gift basket, and will be featured on the site and on Sirius radio. The first prize winner receives $10,000 to use toward their business, and a trip to NYC!

All you have to do to enter is click the green button on the right (or the picture below,) check out our profile, of course, and click the “nominate  yourself” button at the top right of the page. You’ll select your category, add any photos, videos, and links you’d like to share, then write a short bio about yourself/your business, and answer a couple of questions. You can save a copy of your profile before publishing it, and once you publish, you can edit your profile if you notice any mistakes or something you may have left out.

A sneak peek of our profile!

 

Voting starts August 26, so be sure to add our profile to your favorites list for later! Mom is looking for a house right now, and we’ve been planning out our studio space (who cares about the rest of the house, right?) So, if we win the grand prize, part of the money will go toward renovating one or two of the rooms to create a space where we can make and market together, and where we can invite customers to talk about custom orders, and host fittings for models. We are in serious need of a collective, designated space for our work, so that we can collaborate on projects, and store our supplies in one space. I’m especially excited to designate an area for taking photos, with different backdrops and a light box, without having to take it all down and reassemble it to save space in our current, small apartments.  

Of course, if we don’t win, we’re just excited about the opportunity for free exposure. By creating our profile, we’ll reach potential customers that haven’t heard of us before, who’ll visit our Etsy shops and other links, and get to know us better. If you or anyone you know has a handmade business, take the opportunity to put yourself out there! It could be craft, design, food, gardening, or style related. Nominate yourself (or make them nominate themselves,) because you never know who’ll fall in love with your product.

Share the Love,

Chelsea

It’s Always Time To Give!

If you’ve been watching the news, you probably know that Moore, OK has suffered through devastating tornado damage, and is trying to rebuild thanks to the awesome amount of assistance they’ve received. Unfortunately, it’s that time of year for tornadoes, and other places that have suffered damage may not qualify for government assistance, or get a large amount of media coverage to let people know how they can help. One example are our neighbors in Hood County, TX, who are also trying to recover from a tornado that demolished the towns of Granbury and Cleburne just one week before the tornado in Moore. Fortunately, people everywhere are fantastic and giving, and a couple of ladies from our Etsy team suggested we use our annual craft party as a way to raise money to donate to the disaster relief in Hood County. You can find more information about the party and how to donate here.

In other news, our team member, Julie, of Coco and Cocoa, is giving away a $40 gift card to another team member’s shop: Peach Plum Pear! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment with your favorite piece from the Etsy shop, so get yourself on over there.

Share the Love,

Chelsea

Friday’s Favorites – Summer Lovin’

So, I don’t know about you, but we haven’t had much of a spring here in North Texas. We’ve had one big storm (which brought devastating tornadoes to towns around us – you can donate to the disaster relief through Red Cross here,) and a few days in the 70’s, but mostly we’ve gotten sunshine and highs in the upper 80’s and low 90’s. That’s the beginning of summer, if you ask me.

In celebration of our early summer, this Friday’s Favorites list is full of sunbeams and bohemian loveliness.

This beautiful leg chain is a natural evolution of this year’s body chain trend!

This sparkling honeysuckle scented soap by our friend Cassie at Clover Hollow is subtly glittery, and made from the finest ingredients.

Turn the back yard into a movie theater with lots of pillows, cushions, and fairy lights.

Tiny yellow gingham print, puff sleeves, dainty trim, and collar make our vintage empire maxi dress a spring and summer dream!

This golden sunstone and chalcedony necklace by Bespangled Jewelry lets you bring the beach with you wherever you go this summer.

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Chelsea

Whatever Weekend – Local Arts & Crafts Shows

If you’re looking for fun, inexpensive, or family friendly events to check out in the Dallas/Fort Worth area this month, take a look at the wonderful festivals and arts and craft shows that are going on!

Local shows and festivals on Pinterest.

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Chelsea

Happy National Earth Month!

Happy Earth Month, everyone! I’m so glad to see that the earth-friendly living “trend” isn’t just a trend anymore, and that people are taking notice how much we affect the earth around us. A large part of our business is reusing and repurposing the old into new items to make a positive ecological impact.

The other day on my other blog, Chelsea, Like England, I wrote a post about easy upcycling projects you can do around the house as you do your spring cleaning.

I received an email today from Michaels with lists of re-useful projects, including fashion, furniture, decor, and even a block party idea to celebrate Earth Day. They’re also teaming up with American Forests to plant trees with just a simple text.

Just a few days ago, I reposted this pledge on our mission’s Facebook page, encouraging our students to pick up ten pieces of trash each Tuesday. This works anywhere, of course, not just on a college campus, and it’s a great way to celebrate Earth Month way beyond April.

Share the Love,

Chelsea