Holiday Gift Giveaway Hop :)

Hurray for giveaways, lots of giveaways!

I'm taking part in the the Holiday Gift Giveaway through Simply Stacie, a blog hop filled with great giveaways from lots of different blogs & through many different businesses.

First mine:
I'm giving away a $20 gift certificate usable on anything in Sam's Stuff ArtFire Studio, a shop of eco friendly, handmade & vintage photography, art, household items & ephemera. In addition to these items, most samsstuff Etsy items are listed here: eco friendly, handmade & vintage jewelry, accessories & clothing, in other words, great gifts for just about everyone!
Anyone is eligible to enter!
 Main entry:

Comment here and tell me what country you are from (US, Canada or International).

Bonus Entries:

1. Follow me on Twitter.@samsstuff

2. Like my page on Facebook.

3. Stop by my shop & tell me your favorite item.

4. Join my Blog Frog Community (button on the sidebar)

5. Follow my blog on Google Friend Connect 

Good luck & have fun!

Rules:

The giveaway begins at 12:01 AM EST on December 1 & ends on December 5 at 11:59 pm EST.

This giveaway is open to everyone & the winner will be picked through Random.org. The winner will be notified via e-mail & will have 72 hours to respond. If the winner doesn't respond within the 72 hours, a new winner will be picked. 

For other blogs & other giveaways, check out the blog linky list!

Spring Destash part 2

Here are a few more destash projects:

1. Souvenir Kitsch Earrings

Vintage 1955 porcelain earring pieces, from my grandmother's collection. Tucson, AZ

Jade beads, from an old bracelet that came apart

Black crystals, purchased, but not this month, used in many other projects

Vintage metallic finish ceramic beads, from an old necklace

Silver color wire, used in many other projects

Ear Wires purchased a while back, on a clearance shelf, because you can never have too many ;)

I liked the way they've turned out, the color mix that's kind of retro & works so well with the vintage pieces. I wouldn't have worn the original earrings, but I like these.

2. Hand Crocheted White Wallet

White cotton yarn, left over from a little purse that I made awhile back

Sari fabric lining (not shown) blue, left over from several other projects

Black Satin Embossed Ribbon, left from another project

Blue button, clearance item that was so cute I had to buy it & save it for something

Great as a little wallet or business card holder.

3. Retro Peyote Style Beaded Choker

The beaded piece was something that my grandmother had made & never finished. I like the colors she chose & I think that she was actually making a choker.

Black satin ribbon

Bone disk beads, purchased several years ago & used in many other projects

Hand embroidered white cotton ribbon (not shown) added for extra comfort & stability, I have a lot of this that I use for labels

Sewing thread, used in many other projects

I like the colors & patterns she used & I couldn't leave it unfinished. 

I hope you enjoyed a glimpse in these pieces & my destashing. I wish I could say this made a dent in my "stash," but well...um, anyway. How about you? Are you working on anything right now?

 

Spill the (Jelly) Beans Sunday Blog Hop

For this one, hosted by "Crafty Girls Workshop" you leave a comment answering "What Easter or Spring related  projects are you working on? If you are not working on anything Easter or Spring related, are you working on any craft type projects & what are they?" Me, I'm not really working on anything Easter. I just finished some embroidered garden markers, that are springish, though they can be used year round, inside. I am working on some magnets, for "On the Refrigerator Door's" magnet swap & I'm starting a necklace, headband/a ring or two. What about you? Are you working on anything?.
Available: samsstuff on ArtFire

ArtFire Pro Account Discount codes

Just a quick note today. Are you a crafter? Do you have vintage stuff to sell? Have you thought of opening your own shop? As many of you may know, ArtFire recently raised their rates to $15.95 per month, for a pro account. (You can still get a free account, without all of the extras). Stop by & check them out. Take a look at the different accounts they offer. As a Pro seller, I have five codes available for the old $12 a month rate. If you are interested in having a Pro account with ArtFire, let me know & I'll get a code to you, so that you can get an account at the old $12 a month rate! You'll keep the $12 rate, as long as you keep your pro account. You can downgrade to the free account at any time, but if you decide to upgrade, after that, it'll be at the current rate, now $15.95 a month. Let me know! The codes expire June 1. I have a few more left . SAM

* I'll need a valid e-mail address or an ArtFire username (you can set up a free account, so you'll have a username, then upgrade to pro).

If you're here from SITS or somewhere else, for the codes, I'd love it if you'd take a look around! This isn't the last post, it's just where I have the post about the codes. Thanks for visiting :)

November ArtFire Group contest

Hi everyone!

One of the groups that I am in on ArtFire is having a contest for November that I am taking part in. We have several fine entries & you can vote for one of us here (I'm not allowed to tell you who the entries belong to, even my own). The winner receives a widget for their studio. Here are the entries:







To vote, just click on the voting widget, on the sidebar! It won't let anyone see the results, except the person who is moderating the contest. I'll let you know who wins when the contest is over.

Thanks for voting, I hope you enjoy our entries! SAM

* The winner was the "Fall For Me Necklace" by Melek Designs
The Carmel Necklace (one of my favorites) was by spottedtummy
The fall bracelet was by RMB Designs
The embroidery was by samsstuff (me)
All items where from artfire studios

Black Wednesday through Friday!

A little shop sale news today!

Samsstuff on Etsy will be participating in a Black Wednesday sale, for everyone who wants to avoid the whole Black Friday thing! All handmade items will be 30% off *Wednesday through Friday. Which brings me to the Etsy promotion. I will keep the sale going through *Black Friday, in order to participate in Etsy's site promotion. Look for the tag "etsyholidaysale" for participating items, in my shop & throughout Etsy. Check out this link for other Black Wednesday promotions

As always, I offer free gift wrapping, just let me know if you want something wrapped & what occasion the gift is for, Christmas, holiday, birthday...

Also, every item in my Etsy shop comes with a free thank you gift, so something for you, whether you're purchasing for a gift or buying a little something for yourself!

Try out samsstuff on ArtFire for handmade & vintage household type items, most items are $20 & under & many are around $10, great for little stocking stuffers. Check out their holiday gift guide for items under $20, while you're there.

Shop vintage, shop handmade, reduce re-use & recycle!

One last thing: I've decided to donate a portion of every sale, in the Etsy store, through January, to Autism Speaks. They're doing great work in getting insurance reform passed, in individual states (sadly, our state did not pass this reform) & nationwide. They are also doing great work with research & awareness.

I hope everyone is doing well! Have a great Thanksgiving & don't get too stressed out by "Black Friday" & the whole upcoming Holiday thing :) SAM

***Etsy shop sale extended through Tuesday (12/01)

Communal Story...Alien Monster Boy Loves Medusa Girl

I thought I'd try something different here, something that I haven't really seen elsewhere. I thought I'd try sort of a communal story. I'll write my own, elsewhere & we'll write one together. At some point maybe we'll compare, just to see how different the stories become, after starting out in the same place. I might even start this in my ArtFire studio, so there'll be three different stories. What do you think? Sound like fun? What do you think comes next?

That Alien Monster Boy loved Medusa Girl is certainly true. Of that we have no doubt. The evidence is clear. The question of how they met remains. How where they able to have a relationship? How did this pair come to love each other, across time & space? We only have bits & pieces of their story. Tiny particles of archeological evidence that survived millenia, scattered over time & space. Together, we will have to discover their story, using what bits & pieces we have or are yet to discover.

Unique Gifts...

First: Shop news
I have been busy re-shooting many of the of the product photos to make them clearer & less cluttered. The original idea was that of 'laundry,' to make the photos look like laundry, scattered about by a breeze, hanging or laying about the home & while a lot of the shots where nice, they where cluttered or didn't give a clear picture of the items in the shop. If you haven't stopped by in awhile, stop by & take a look. Let me know what you think. I've kept some of the other photos, just not as the first image.
New items:
Cool Turtles Bracelet
Cute Green Wallet/Make-up bag
A great little orange wallet/make-up bag
Hand crocheted orange tote
Vintage Leather Bracelet
Hand embroidered, reinvented vintage 70's tank top
Vintage late 70's punk stop preppies pin
Vintage 40's blue rhinestone cuff bracelet

I've finished moving household items from Etsy to ArtFire, so stop by the studio & take a look. There are a number of additions, as well.

So, now on to the main topic of this post, a phrase that I saw recently: unique gifts, something that I wanted to explore. It's a term that can have many different meanings & could be used in many different ways. For instance, as individuals & collective groups, we have unique gifts, things that we do well in some way. Some of us are artistic. Some create amazing works of art visually or aurally, things that make us think in new ways, lead us in new directions. Some create with the written word, taking to new worlds with their words. There are those that are gifted mathematically or who create with science. Some are gifted in business, advertising & marketing. There are sports figures who amaze us with their abilities. Some have the unique ability to help others. We each have unique gifts, some immediately obvious, some yet to be discovered.

The phrase unique gifts can also describe the physical, perfect items that we seek out to give each other, that one great gift that suits both giver & recipient, describing the relationship between the two perfectly. These can be difficult to find. Department stores & malls are filled with gifts, not unique or one of a kind, but mass produced items, carried in many places, easy to find. Some are high quality, some are low, but what most share is an absence of the unique. This is where the handmade movement comes in. Many handmade items are one of a kind, by their very definition, unique. Most others are made in small batches, individually designed & limited in production, artistically created, telling its own tale. Gifts can be hand made, by the giver, the ultimate expression of giving, giving of the self, from the heart. There are many great sites out there for finding unique gifts, gifts that display the unique talents of gifted individuals, most even have sellers who sell the supplies for creating your own perfect gifts. One that I would like to mention here is ArtFire. Check it out if you're looking for that perfect gift, want to create a perfect gift or even if you're looking to discover your own unique gift. SAM

Free Stuff all over the place!

Today I've decided to start off by talking about some of the great sites that are out there, great sites where you can receive wonderful, empowering advice on everything from becoming a stronger you, outside & in, to tips on helping the planet, healthy fashion & make-up advice & even great reading ideas, all for free. Not only do receive all of this but each also runs an abundance of great product giveaways! Stop by & check out each of these amazing sites.
Girl Get Strong

Filled with great articles on fitness & health for mind & body, as well as food for thought blogs by a multitude of site users. There are always numerous giveaways going on for items that are good for body & spirit. I recently won a beautiful set of earrings from Etsy seller Sleepy Moon just for writing about my favorite beaches (the California beaches of my childhood) & I currently have my eye on a yoga giveaway. Check them out!
Style Substance Soul
Divided in three basic sections, this site is what it's wonderful title implies, a place filled with great articles on style, substance & food for the soul. They also run regular giveaways of great products & books from each of their categories. I just recently won 'swag' from a company called Rosie. They make items specifically for working women, not those that work in offices, but those that work out in the warehouses or out in the field, like our grandmothers (or great grandmothers) during the time of "Rosie the Riveter." I love the Rosie T-shirt, very cool, whether you're wearing it to work or not. I can't wait until my tee arrives!
Lastly, for the crafty among you there's CraftStylish filled with tutorials & articles written by members of the craft community. It's a great place for inspiration, camaraderie & a gathering spot for all the great work that's out there. They also run great giveaways, mainly pulled from the great craft books that are currently available. I haven't won any of these yet, but I did receive two of their great magazines, just for posting an article.
So, all of this brings me to my second giveaway. I love dolls, stuffies & softies & there are many amazing & artistic pieces out there to be had. I've posted some of them on ThisNext & recently did a spotlight featuring some nice ones I've seen on Etsy, so this giveaway is about dolls, stuffies & softies. The one pictured is from my new ArtFire studio, where I've moved all of my household items, but for this giveaway I want you to post a link to some of the great dolls you've encountered online. They can be from Etsy, ArtFire or anywhere your heart desires. Two shops that I really love are Ninon & Junkerjane.
For a second entry, tweet about this contest & post your tweet here. You can also have another entry if you blog about this contest & let me know back here. The prize will be a doll & toy making book "Old Fashioned Dolls & Toys" by Better Homes & Gardens, 1992 (vintage by some rules, not vintage by others) filled with all kinds of interesting doll & toy projects & patterns. The giveaway ends 8/31 & the winner will be randomly selected from all entries. Have fun!
Stop by & take a look at the new shop, when you get a chance. I'm steadily adding to it. Let me know what you think about the colors & overall look of the shop. Should I keep the same banner as the Etsy shop or create a new one, what's your opinion? I've added some new things to the Etsy store as well, more vintage stuff & a handmade, OOAK item or two, so take a look, when you get a chance.
Thanks for stopping by! SAM

Congratulations!

So, the first thing that I would like to do today is say congratulations to Debbie of Shanasshop for winning my first ever give away & to thank her for her awesome blog entry.! I had a great time packaging her winnings. If you get a chance, stop by her shop & take a look at all the cool stuff!
I've been busy, mostly with work & haven't had much time for anything fun or interesting.
I have added some fun things to ArtFire:
An Alien Monster Contemplates the Surf A framed, original drawing.
Peace Dots Keepsake Box A tiny embroidery.
Alien Flowers A tiny, framed embroidery.
The King & Queen of Hearts A tiny framed embroidery set.
And some to Etsy:
Vintage Mod Earrings
Feeling Green Bag A hand crocheted, hand stitched bag.
Vintage Fishing Design Cuff Links
I have also added items to "This Next?" Many of them are from Etsy or ArtFire shops, so stop by & take a look! One of your items may be there & while you're there take a look at the awesome finds from site users throughout. It's a great resource for shoppers & trend spotters!
I hope to have a new give away soon, so watch for it & watch for more mentions of other great shops & sites!
Take care,
SAM