Pay It Forward & A Sale!!

I am joining in with Sahara Sky Design to pay it forward.

Here's what happens:
~I will make a handmade gift for the first 3 interested people who comment on this post.

~I have 365 days to do it in…

~What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise!

The catch is that you must participate as well:

~you must have a blog

~and before you leave your comment here, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going.

Just cut and paste this one if you like, which I did!

From November 22-30 I am offering FREE SHIPPING on any Ornaments, when you buy 3 or More at my Etsy Shop !! Come on over and check it out!! Plus for my readers only - reduced prices on the sets of Ornaments displayed on the left sidebar!

Handmade Wood Toys!

Katherine has a wonderful wood toy shop on Etsy! Rising Phoenix Toys has been on Etsy since July 2008, and has a great variety of wood toys any child would love to get for Christmas! Katherine also has a wonderful BLOG that she updates on a very regular basis.


How did you decide on your shop name? Why did you start your business? I got the idea to start Rising Phoenix Toys during the pregnancy of my first child. I wanted to make him a special gift. I can't crochet or knit, but I can work with wood. I had some wood blocks left over from the sculpture class I took in college and that's where the idea came from. The name Rising Phoenix Toys came from a theme for the past few years of my life. I've been going through a rebirth stage and I saw the creation of my own business as part of my rebirth.

When did you start woodworking? Did someone teach you?
I pretty much taught myself to do woodworking. I found out that I liked it when I took a sculpture class in college and found that I preferred it over drawing.

Where do you have your wood shop? Do you have a picture? If not, what does it look like?
I have a small worktable I work at that fits in the shed behind my home. I have to pull it outside to work at it. It's actually kind of nice to be able to do some work outside.

What would you love to add to your working space?
I would love to have a more official work space, like a garage. I would be more efficient if I didn't have to set up my tools before working. I would also love a belt sander and a table saw. I've been using my dad's and I'm afraid that I'm bothering him too much.

What’s your supply addiction; is there a specific color or type of supply you just can’t pass up?
I love exotic woods! My favorites are zebrawood and rosewood. They can be hard to find and can be quite expensive so I don't really stock up on them. When I do, I enjoy working with them and looking at the finished product. I love anything with an interesting grain.

Which item in your shop did you enjoy making the most and why?
I really enjoyed making the Apple Tree Puzzle with Owl. I like painting little details like the owl. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30687298

So Many Things to Tell You!!

First - more ornaments that I've received swapping! This cute bear and the Christmas light earrings I traded a bag for. They come from this wonderful shop: Blue Skie Designz. They have some of the cutest charms, rings, earrings, ornaments and much much more! I love these earrings, think I'll wear one of each color :)


This amazing ornament came to me from Robin as part of the Ornament Swap. She has the most beautiful Porcelain items in her shop: Robin Harley Porcelain Art and Graphic Design. The picture just doesn't do it justice.


I really need to get my Christmas tree set up soon! With all these amazing ornaments to put on it - I won't need lights!

Here is this weeks Wish List! I would love to find any one of these (or more) under the tree Christmas morning! Please check out the shops and see if there isn't something that catches your eye :)



Do you go to craft shows? Have a horrible time trying to figure out how to set up your booth? I found this really great blog that has ideas on how to do just that with some really wonderful pictures. Craft Show Designs has really great display ideas for almost every kind of craft. I wish I'd had access to this blog 2 years ago when I was doing shows!

Speaking of craft shows - I've started a new blog. I know - your saying to yourself "What? Another one?" Yes - another one :)




This one is dedicated to doing 3 craft shows per year. You can click on the above graphic to check it out.

Don't forget to enter the Open House Give Aways and check out all the great shops there too!
Hope you all have an awesome weekend!

I'm in a Give Away!

As some of you may know - I LOVE GIVE AWAYS!! Entering or hosting - it doesn't matter. This time I'm part of one over at Purr Prints. This is to celebrate Etsy Giveaways reaching 1000 followers (and the soon to be new sleeker and more efficient site redesign - it's going to be so cool!). They are having a great big giveaway of free ads and goodies from the volunteers on EtsyGiveaways--otherwise known as the Thanks-giveaway.

There will be 16 winners (10 of ads, and 1 each for the different shop prizes). Here's a picture of the prizes to be won (mine is on the bottom right hand corner)


So head on over to Purr Prints and enter to win one of the prizes!! The Give Away Ends on November 29!