Shop of the week!

Visiting Jenco13 is a sure way to feel a serious need for something warm. Multi-colored shawls, scarves (with pockets!), cup cozies, cuddly baby blankets and more fill this Etsy store.

Jen freely admits that most of her items narrowly miss being kept. " I love each item I make and sometimes find them very hare to part with! I spend anywhere betweet 6-8 hours on a scarf to make sure my stitches are even and consistent. If its not up to my standards, I rip out the stitches until I'm satisfied. I only sell things that I would use myself. When I'm done making things, my husband, Joe, normally has to remind me I already have a million scarves and cup cozies of my own!"
Jen credits her mom, a graphic designer and artist herself, with inspiring her. "She is amazing with colors! We try to get together at least once every 6 months to do an art day for the girls."
Husband Joe is also supportive. "He is an amazing supporter of my art work and never says to me, "You're crocheting again?" He helps me pick out what my next projects are going to be."

on a personal note, I personally own a cup coozie and a scarf and they are wonderful! personal fav of mine!
To read the Full article please visit The Etsy Twitter Team Blog!

In a Time Crunch! help is here

It's the one thing everyone I know wishes they had more of: Time. If you could buy it on Etsy, it'd be the hottest product listed, especially as the holidays approach.

But despite modern attempts to get a handle on our time with everything from computers to iphones, we often find ourselves with to-do lists that never seem to end. Add owning your own business to the mix of family and daily demands and its a wonder that we get as many things done as we do!

Marcia Ramsland comes to our rescue with Simplify Your Time: Stop Running and Start Living, a book that aims to help you organize and prioritize your life without going crazy in the process. She takes us back to basics with some useful sanity savers:

• Use a Calendar - this simple tool can help you keep everything together at a glance, and that can be invaluable. Hanging calendar, computer, planner, blackberry, i phone- WHERE you keep it isn't important. Keep it in a way that makes it easy for you to refer to and USE.
• Use a List- your short term memory can only handle 7 things before it begins throwing out tasks. A list helps you take control of your day and to-dos before they take control of you, and also helps you see where the pitfalls are. Are you overscheduled? Do you need supplies or to prepare for a meeting?
• Plan Ahead- At night, take a break to think about tomorrow and what you will need- or want-to do the next morning. At noon, plan your afternoon. Assess what works and what doesn't, and adjust your list to fit what works best for you.
• Make 1 day each week Free Choice- one day or night a week, write "free choice" on your calendar and STICK TO IT. Do something you WANT to do, whether it's spending time with your family, shutting the computer off, taking a walk in the woods, or just relaxing. This recharges your inner batteries and gives your brain a quick vacation. The extra energy you have after doing this will help you accomplish more in the long run, as well as handle stress more effectively.
• Prioritize- everyone from our parents to our teachers and bosses remind us to prioritize. Decide the three most crucial tasks for that day, and do them FIRST. Not only does this give you a sense of accomplishment, it also insures that you won't be putting out fires later on something urgent that just "didn't get done" while you were working on other, less important things.
• Do 1 action per day that will help keep your life simple and in order
• Don't Be Afraid of a Routine - I freely admit that routines make me want to run screaming for the door, but having a few routines is actually as good for adults as it is for kids, and takes some of the stress out of your everyday life. Grocery shopping, bill paying, gym time, errand running, etc are all good tasks that can be scheduled for the same time each week, taking out the guesswork.
• Write in Pencil - this is good to remember, because life happens to all of us, and the best laid plans can be scrapped by emergencies, suddenly urgent tasks, and a host of other unexpected events. Writing your calendar in pencil makes it easier to be flexible.
• Control your Email- Schedule times to check your inbox ( 7am, noon, 4pm, for example). Invoke the 2 minute rule. If it can be handled in under 2 minutes, do it right then. Your inbox should be kept empty, so delete it, file it, or answer it. Longer responses can be addressed the next time you open your email.

Focusing on how we use ( or don't use ) our time can help us pinpoint stress and eliminate it long before crunch time hits, and that is the best sanity-saver of all. Well, besides an emergency stash of chocolate, of course!

This article is curtosy of Kristen from Fire Bird House on Etsy and The Etsy Twitter Team Blog!

Shop of the week

Visiting MindyG's Jewelry Boutique is like getting a glimpse into Aladdin's treasure cave! Glowing freshwater pearls, colorful gemstones, gold, and sterling silver are all hallmarks of this shop's exquisitely designed jewelry.

Owner Mindy Greenville finds inspiration for her work in nature, fashion, music, and traveling with her family. "Its a great outlet for my creative side," she says." In addition to her online boutique, Mindy also designs custom bridal/bridesmaids jewelry locally in the San Diego area. TO read the full article please visit the Etsy twitter team blog!

Give Away

WINNERS Are : wantsandwishes, Nicole, Debby, Jodie, and Cory. You have all been contacted via email. thanks for entering!

Hello all, well I've had a wonderful summer and wrapped it up with a great labor day weekend here is Toledo, Ohio and have been thinking all week about my next giveaway. With the holiday season right around the corner and trying to get my etsy shop ready, I thought a giveaway was a fun thing to get insight on what is appealing to you!
So here it is!

5 x $25 Gift Certificates to 5 Jewelry Fanatics!

All you have to do is just VISIT and Comment! Easy pezzy right?

To enter simply:

• Visit my etsy shop and pick a favorite item
• Post your comment here on my blog as to why you like it.
  
• Please provide a working email address by entering it in my giveaway sign-up box below.
  
• Leave your first name & last name in your comments so I can confirm your email address as a valid entry.
• For a BONUS Entry, please comment on my etsy forum thread about your favorite item in my shop too!
  
• Extra BONUS Entry, post to your TWITTER! Include @southpawstudios and I will know to add your BONUS Entry.
  

I will be giving away 5 complimentary $25 Gift Certificates to my etsy shop to help jump start your holiday shopping! The giveaway closes at Midnight (EST) on Wednesday September 30th! Up to three entries per person (comment, twitter, forum). Don't forget to share this giveaway on your Twitter and Facebook...

Enter my Giveaway

Email Address: *

First Name: *

Last Name: *

Email Marketing by VerticalResponse

Featured shop of the week

Sheridan Joslin, of JoslinJewels.etsy.com, creates, in her words, “fine wire wrapped and gemstone jewelry”. But if you take one look at her shop you can see that it involves so much more than that. Just saying “fine wire wrapped and gemstone jewelry” about her shop is like saying the sculpture David was just sculpted out of plain old marble and is no big deal! Her work is intricate. Her work is simple. Her work is the kind of art that the artist makes the infinitely complex look like it took no effort at all to make and that, my friend, is the hallmark of a great artist.

“Whether simple or intricate, I meticulously craft each piece of jewelry I create. I use only fine metals and carefully selected gemstones. Each piece is original and most are one of a kind.”

“I love gemstones as much as I love a good puzzle. Making intricate wire jewelry is like a challenging puzzle. It involves shaping and forging straight wire into intricate designs with no soldering -- only wrapped connections.

“It's an art that dates back thousands of years, and many of the techniques used today are the same as those used in ancient times. With only a few simple tools and careful manipulation, a skilled jewelry artist can sculpt wire into beautiful works of wearable art.”And that is exactly what Sheridan does with her work.

Check out her etsy shop and be amazed!

Shop of the Week

Becki Krska, of AmbientLights.etsy.com, creates several types of items for home fragrancing as well as bath and body items. She’s on a mission to make you and your home smell like heaven!
For home fragrancing she makes 100% Soy wax candles, 100% Palm wax Warmer Melts, Aromatic Sink Freshener & Gentle Cleansers (these are neat, be sure to check them out!). For bath and body items she makes goat’s milk hand and body oval soap bars (dye free) and goat’s milk Soap on a Pouf, which is similar to soap on a rope but it's on a shower pouf! Her shop also carries Natural Lip Balms (both flavored and unflavored), and Hair and Body Mist with Aloe and Vitamin E.
To read the full article please visit the Etsy Twitter Team Blog !

Shop of the Week

Sandi Myers, of HandmadeBySandi.etsy.com, creates wonderful handmade items. Her shop is a smorgasbord of crocheted items, shawls, coffee cozies, felted bowls, earrings, sewn items, and aprons. Her talent is amazing that she makes so many different handmade items!

She takes special care to make the items for her customers as if she were going to use them herself. If she’s not satisfied with them, she won't sell them! Her jewelry craftsmanship is divine. Her felted bowls are a lot of fun! And she makes the cutest aprons for your littlest cooks!

She is always on the lookout for new inspiration. “When ever I see something that has been crocheted - I try to figure out how it's done, and try it. When thinking about my next felted bowl project, I look for unusual containers that I can use to shape my bowls.”
To read the full article please visit The Etsy Twitter Team Blog