And we are back! This week’s Etsy Adore is a lovely, little, up and coming shop from a blog friend of mine. Ashley has such a mix of things in her shop, Joyful Star, there is definitely something for everyone and it is all adorable!

Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m Ashley, 24 years old and married for a year-and-a-half to an awesome bearded man. I’m a vegetarian, the oldest of five kids, from Ohio, but lived everywhere (I mean, every. where.), currently residing in Cleveland and working at a university. I spend my days (stuck!) in a cubicle and my nights and weekends taking design classes, crafting, and designing. It’s a good life. I’ve blogged about being a 20-something tree hugger on my blog, Our Little Apartment for a while. (Though I tend to go off on tangents more often than not, just a fair warning.)

How did Joyful Star come to be?
Basically – an internet friend told me to. For the full story, go here.

You have a very eclectic mix in your shop. What is your favorite medium to work with? (fabric, paper, design)
That is difficult – I love, love, LOVE sewing because the feeling of creating a functional product is such an empowering, almost triumphant, thing. I love fabric a LOT, as well, and have been known to go far out of my way to pick up some cute fabric. Also, with sewing, there is so much more to learn. There are countless more things I’d like to learn how to sew, skills to develop, and ways to grow as a sewer (or is it seamstress? See! I still need to learn that.) But I also adore designing! In fact, I could say all the things about designing that I did about sewing – so much more to learn, such satisfaction, just wonderful! I guess I don’t have an answer, I just LOVE that I get to do all of this! Exercising creativity is an awesome thing, no matter what medium you use.

What’s your favorite item in shop?
Currently in my shop, probably this hobo bag, because it’s a pattern I created myself, I seriously adore the fabric, I’m all about functionality, and the photos show me looking like a total dork. I just made a couple of bags last night (including a yoga mat tote!), so look for those up soon!

Name three favorite Etsy shops.
Choosing is so difficult! First, definitely Hydra Heart – adorable, handmade, vegan, organic shoes! I haven’t saved enough money to buy a pair, but I’m so lusting after them. HappyTape is a fun store, I love to decorate my packages with the tape. I actually discovered it the DAY she started listing things, right now they’re pretty wiped out with all the attention they got from Apartment Therapy, but I have my eye on this tape. Lastly, KungFuCowgirl! Not only is her shop brimming with fun and cute things – she does business the way it should be done, insanely quick shipping, friendly communication, and freebies! Love her.

Ashley is going to be giving away either a custom blog header OR a hobo bag to one lucky reader. Winner’s choice!

You know the drill.

To enter:

• Go to Joyful Star and take a look around.
• Pick out your favorite item.
• Come back here and comment with the name or link to your favorite item.
• To get extra entries: blog or twitter about this contest and leave a link to it in a separate comment.
• Anyone with a valid email address can enter. You don’t have to have a blog.
• The winners will be chosen using the integer generator on random.org and notified via email.
• Get your entries in by Sunday, May 17th at 11:59PM and you’re in!

Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed! You’ll be the first to hear about all the great giveaways and features going on!

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Hi everyone!

I know giveaways and features have been few and far between lately. I’m getting ready to change that! We will be back to weekly giveaways and features very soon. I’m booking and scheduling them right now.

If you have an Etsy shop or have a favorite you would think would be perfect to feature here on Oh How Lovely Shops, now is definitely time to speak up!

Leave a comment with a link to your own or your favorites.

Thanks!

Jamie

P.S. Don’t forget to subscribe to this feed and follow me on Twitter.

COMMENTS CLOSED

This week’s giveaway is a from a fun shop I stumbled across not too long ago called Wonder Thunder. There are all kinds of fun illustrations and screen prints. From clothing to reusable bags, there is definitely something for everyone. Check out our little interview!

Tell us a little about you and your shop.
Wonder Thunder is a collaborative project between Meagan Claire Hall and Sasha Barr. We’re based out of Seattle, WA but are originally from Murfreesboro, TN. We make screen-printed and sewn functional items. Everything from the imagery to the packaging is made by hand from our basement studio. Our shop is full of anthropomorphic food and animals, bright colors, and hopefully items that will brighten your day.

How did you get started screen printing?
Both of us learned to screen print in college. Sasha, at the University of Memphis, was a printmaking major, and has honed his skills for the past seven yeas printing posters for lots of bands. Meagan was a textiles and surface design major at the Appalachian Center for Craft. Her screen-printing was in the form of making repeat print fabric for sewing. Currently, Sasha does all the screen-printing for Wonder Thunder!

There are lots of food based illustrations, what’s the deal?
When not printing and sewing away down in the basement, we come upstairs and spend some serious time in the kitchen. There is a lot of baking, concocting, and general eating going on at our house. We like making yogurt, cooking fish, baking cakes, and trying out recipes. At the moment we’re also experimenting with lacto-fermented vegetables, a really tasty and really good for your guts way to preserve vegetables (and other things) We’ve made a few batches of pickles and sauerkraut that are amazing.

I love your reusable veggie bags. Are there any other ways Wonder Thunder is ecofriendly?
We make our goods to be used for a really long time. From the printing to the construction, we try to make a quality item that you can use and keep in your home for a lifetime! In the end our items will biodegrade since we avoid polyester (plastic!) and use cottons and other biodegradable materials. If you’ve ever received a package from Wonder Thunder you know that we use recycled packaging. Sasha brings home used envelopes from work at Sub Pop and we tape them back to ship out to you! We avoid using plastic if at all possible in our product packaging. We package our tshirts and place mat and napkin sets with fabric. Personally, we do a lot of recycling and composting! We do as much as we can!

What’s your favorite item in shop?
We both love the vegetable bags a lot, really. But Meagan has a super crush still on the Strawberry Guts Stuffed Banana. Angry toast is pretty great, too.

Name three favorite Etsy shops!
Tinctory! Clayflower22! Backwards!
We love this manipulated fabric, plants growing from creepy brains, and even though backwards is created by Meagan’s sister, we still love underpants.

You can find Wonder Thunder at http://www.wonder-thunder.com and http://themostwonderousofthunderous.blogspot.com or send them love notes at:  wonderthunder(AT)gmail.com

Meagan and Sasha are hooking up one of your lucky readers with your own set of Happy Vegetable Reusable Vegetable Bags. I can’t even lie, I’m totally jealous because these are really really cool and not boring like most vegetable bags!

To enter:

• Go to Wonder Thunder and take a look around.
• Pick out your favorite item.
• Come back here and comment with the name or link to your favorite item.
• To get extra entries: blog or twitter about this contest and leave a link to it in a separate comment.
• Anyone with a valid email address can enter. You don’t have to have a blog.
• The winners will be chosen using the integer generator on random.org and notified via email.
• Get your entries in by Sunday, April 5th at 11:59PM and you’re in!

Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed! You’ll be the first to hear about all the great giveaways and features going on!

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COMMENTS CLOSED

I recently purchased something from this shop for my birthday outfit and since my birthday is this week, it couldn’t be a more perfect time to feature this shop! The Flora top I purchased is stunning and I cannot wait to own more from Eliza + Axel.

Tell us a little about you and your shop.
My name is Morgan, but you can call me Eliza (everyone else does  I spent my first 17 years in a small town in Western New York.  From there, I went on to attain a BFA degree in Fashion Design & Product Development from Stephens College in Columbia, MO before ending up in Little Rock, AR working as an assistant designer for a southern based retailer.  Currently I live in Hot Springs, AR with my boyfriend and our german shepherd puppy, Axel.  I run a nifty design studio/showroom out of my apartment that is my pride and joy.

Who is the Axel to your Eliza?
Axel is a family name I have always loved and is also the name of my highly uncoordinated German Shepherd puppy.  He and I are a team; he entertains me and I provide the food.

How did you get started sewing?
My mother was always making clothes for my sisters and I, but I didn’t become interested in fashion or sewing until I started high school and began designing and beading my own figure skating dresses.  I had figure skated throughout elementary school and began to compete when I entered high school, but dresses were expensive so I learned to do all the beading myself which lessened the cost.  From there I went on to design modern dance dresses for a local ballet company and eventually ended up with a degree in fashion design.

Tell us how you use recycled materials in your designs.
Working in the fashion industry you start realizing just how much useable fabric ends up in landfills.  At my previous job we tossed several thousand pounds of textiles out each year.  I wanted to develop a way to turn that waste into lovely and useable objects to wear and so, Eliza + Axel was born.  Currently I use reclaimed fabrics as the trims (textured flowers, appliqued circles, etc…) on my tees, but eventually I would like my garments to be made completely of reclaimed fabrics.

What is your favorite item in shop?
Its hard to pick a favorite, but of all my tees I would have to say the Flora is my most cherished style.  Its tunic length which I love and the petals are oh-so-feminine.  Its wearable and yet completely unique; I get tons of compliments every time I wear it!

Name three favorite Etsy shops.
Only three?  This is hard, I have at least 20 favorites I would love to include!  Well, here are three of them…
gaiaconceptions.etsy.com – I’ve been saving up for her new “fountain dress” but I’m thinking I may need to add a few more of her styles to my order.  These are clothes you can live in and layer; I love that!
myrakim.etsy.com – Myra creates the most amazing hairpieces and I am beyond honored to be able to name her as one of my customers.
iheartnorwegianwood.etsy.com – Angie is such an incredible artist!  I love items that blur the line between fashion and art and her pieces do just that.

Eliza will give one lucky reader a Flora tee of thier own. Trust me when I say that these tops are gorgeous. I cannot wait to wear mine out!

To enter:

• Go to Eliza + Axel and take a look around.
• Pick out your favorite item AND which color you like.
• Come back here and comment with the name and color or link to your favorite item.
• To get extra entries: blog or twitter about this contest and leave a link to it in a separate comment.
• Anyone with a valid email address can enter. You don’t have to have a blog.
• The winners will be chosen using the integer generator on random.org and notified via email.
• Get your entries in by Sunday, March 29th at 11:59PM and you’re in!

Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed! You’ll be the first to hear about all the great giveaways and features going on!

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COMMENTS CLOSED

I’m super excited about this week’s Etsy Adore feature for Rewined Recycled Glassware. I recently purchased a set of these myself so I’m happy to be able to bring them in as a giveaway! Let’s hear from Zeke about his shop.

Tell us a little about you and your shop.
My name is Zeke and I am the proprietor of the etsy site ‘bodhicitta‘. I make REWINED RECYCLED GLASSWARE: utilitarian glassware made from recycled wine bottles. March 7th was my one year anniversary on Etsy. I have been working with glass in different forms at various levels for 10 years. I have a day job making custom stained glass windows and I also do flame working in addition to making the recycled glasses (one cannot have enough glass in their life!). I live by myself with a couple of houseplants I manage to keep alive in a just-the-right-sized house in Greensboro, NC. I moved here in 2007 to be closer to my son, Marley (who then moved to California ) I am lucky to have some great friends who take good care of me. Everybody asks what ‘bodhicitta’ means and in a nutshell it means ‘having the mind of loving-kindness’. Living life with an awareness and intention to be kind.

How did you get into working with glass?
Ever since high school I have been fascinated with glass, especially glass bottles. It’s hard to explain but I am mesmerized with the fact that glass can be manipulated by fire and changed into so many different useful things with out ever losing it’s quality. To me it’s a magical substance. Primal forces like fire, time and gravity are the tools used to work glass and there are days when you are in tune with all these and you feel in tune with some deeper fundamental power. Glass is my siren song and so I have been drawn to any opportunity to be involved with it. And I have been lucky those opportunities seem to have manifested providentially; from learning flame working in Atlanta to stained glass here in Greensboro.

When did you first see the potential in recycling glass bottles?
On a practical level-we cannot as a community of life continue to make 28 billion bottles a year and throw “away” 66% of them. It is simply unsustainable and will ruin this planet for future generations if we don’t take some responsibility and change our behavior. When I started reading glass recycling statistics I knew there was something I could do to help. My glassblowing mentor and friend Mike Kennedy has been making these for decades and he showed me how.

On a more philosophical and spiritual level, I feel like I am living out this metaphor, or this hard wired myth that my life seems to follow. It is the redemption story. The story of the underdog comeback. The phoenix rising from the ashes. In my teens and twenties I miserably failed as a human being. I was selfish, ignorant, and filled with hate. I was destructive and made the lives of those around me miserable. Luckily I ended up in prison. There I finally admitted I didn’t know how to live, and I had a lot of time to try and figure it out. I went on a deep intellectual and spiritual quest for wisdom. One of the fruits of which was a simple understanding that we are all interconnected. What I do affects the whole; my actions, positive and negative, ripple out like waves when a pebble is tossed into still water. It’s a big circle, a cycle, Karma. I learned I had a responsibility to choose what pebbles to toss, and like it or not we are tossing pebbles all day everyday. I needed to be part of the solution. That’s where bottles come in. They are the perfect extension of my inner life. Here is something people take for granted. They use it and toss it away and never think twice about it. But these bottles still have value and usefulness. With a little love and a little effort these bottles can be given a beautiful second life. People sometimes are like bottles.

The bottles you use aren’t the only thing recycled, your packaging is as well, right?
I am a dumpster diving addict! It really is hard for me to drive past a dumpster full of all sorts of things that I see as still very useful. I ship all my glasses in boxes I reclaim from the dumpsters or collect from local businesses. The Green Bean Coffee house has been a great source of boxes and newspapers which I shred to use as cushion for the glasses. I also use recycled gift packaging that I hand stamp with “Rewined Recycled Glassware” then use real wine to put on a wine glass stain. I also get lots of stuff at the thrift stores. My work desk and storage systems (file cabinet) are thrift store scores!

What is your current favorite item in shop?
It changes. It usually is one of the newer things I am working on. So currently it is the stemless wine glasses with an etched map of the world on it. When I think of it, I always hear the song “He’s got the whole world in his hands” in my head and I smile…you can have the whole world in your hand too!

Name three favorite shops.
www.ecoeveryday.etsy.com My friend Betsy makes the BEST eco friendly laundry soap and she is just an awesome person!
www.witchhazelhandmades.etsy.com Another friend of mine Justi is the crafters crafter. Even if the world would go to pieces she would be crafting something! I respect that.
www.ifop.etsy.com The little friends of printmaking make the coolest prints! I am in love with good affordable art and these crazy kids from Wisconsin got it goin’ on!

Zeke and Rewined Recycled Glassware are teaming up with us at Oh How Lovely Shops to give a mixed set of stemless wine glasses. Now I can attest to how amazing these are so this is definitely a giveaway you want to make sure you take part in!

To enter:

• Go to Rewined Recycled Glassware and take a look around.
• Pick out your favorite item.
• Come back here and comment with the name or link to your favorite item.
• To get extra entries: blog or twitter about this contest and leave a link to it in a separate comment.
• Anyone with a valid email address can enter. You don’t have to have a blog.
• The winners will be chosen using the integer generator on random.org and notified via email.
• Get your entries in by Sunday, March 22nd at 11:59PM and you’re in!

Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed! You’ll be the first to hear about all the great giveaways and features going on!

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COMMENTS CLOSED

This week’s Etsy Adore feature is from Portland General Store. Initially, this shop’s Nellies Naughty Night Out Boudoir Biscuits Lip Creme caught my attention and I posted about it back in December. Since then a number of other items have been added to my own personal wish list so I thought it was only right to feature Lisa and her shop!

Tell us a little about you and your blog.
On top of making my body care products, I had a baby 7 months ago and am in nursing school, so I’m quite busy! I’ve always been interested in health and well-being, and that has spilled over into the choices I made when I started Portland General Store, which focuses on high quality, organic, and vegan products using as few chemicals as possible. I also tried to incorporate a vintage look to my products that is reminiscent of the past when there might have only been one general store in town to get all of one’s goods. I actually believe we’re heading back to similar times, as all of these large corporate chains collapse around us and oil prices go up, I believe more people will be living in small walkable cities or “yogurt towns”.

How you did get into making your own soap products?
Well, I was first interested in starting a business that focused on local artisans, primarily in Maine because that is where I was moving to at the time. I then narrowed my focus to making soap. I bought the supplies for making soap, and admittedly, never made one bar! I skipped right over to making body care products — cremes, lip balms, butters, colognes, scrubs… I still have ideas for making some unique bars of soap, especially since I have the ingredients and supplies…

You have such a great variety in your shop, from soaps to pets to yummies! Any plans for more shops?
I have a separate Etsy shop called ieatmuffins (named after my obsession with muffins!) that I just started for my art. I’m currently working on a series of mini hipster paintings, inspired by the people I lived amongst in Brooklyn.

What is your favorite item in your shop?
I would say the mud scrub. It’s such a unique product and one that I use daily.

Name three of your favorite Etsy shops?
This is always changing. Right now I like blackeyedsuzie — I’m totally fascinated by her process of doll making. If I could afford it, I’d definitely buy one! theblackapple has been a favorite for a while now, because she’s uber creative and successful, such an inspiration. And finally, I would pick dahliasoleil — she’s from New York, and my sister, who’s a stylist, has two of her hats and they’re awesome!

Lisa of Portland General Store will be giving one lucky reader a jar of her Snow Butter!

To enter:

• Go to Portland General Store and take a look around.
• Pick out your favorite item.
• Come back here and comment with the name or link to your favorite item.
• To get extra entries: blog or twitter about this contest and leave a link to it in a separate comment.
• Anyone with a valid email address can enter. You don’t have to have a blog.
• The winners will be chosen using the integer generator on random.org and notified via email.
• Get your entries in by Sunday, March 15th at 11:59PM and you’re in!

Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed! You’ll be the first to hear about all the great giveaways and features going on!

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This week’s Etsy Adore feature is from probably my favorite shop on Etsy…of all time. And that is out of a lot of shops! I featured Softspoken once before to show off the pretty items I, myself, own. Now it’s your turn for a chance to win something from this lovely shop! Let’s see what Rachael has to say first though!

Tell us a little about you and your shop.
i spent the first seventeen years of my life in small town mississippi.  from there i went to attain an english degree at the university of alabama before ending up in columbia, south carolina for my masters in library science where i’ve lived for 3 years now. i’d been on etsy for a while before i started my shop in may 2008 while recovering from an appendectomy.  i was working as a librarian at the time, and even though i’d thought it was what i wanted as a career, i found myself stifled and bored and always unhappy.  as soon as my etsy sales took off i knew i’d quit my full time job as soon as it made sense to do so.  in october 2008, i decided to take a small step by leaving to take a part time job though that only lasted a month.  by november i was 100% etsy and learning to love the taste of beans and rice.

How did you get into crocheting?
my mom taught me to crochet when i was 7 or 8.  i remember falling in love with the shell stitch and thinking it was the prettiest ever.  everything i made had to have shells in the pattern somewhere.

You’re starting a clothing line of your own design that is totally adorable. What led you to that?
i’m actually fairly new to sewing and clothing design.  i think i started (outside of a brief home ec stint in 7th grade) around july 2006, but i don’t think anything i’ve done recently has stirred my creativity more.  i knew as soon as i started that this was a skill i wanted to refine, and i love collecting and absorbing vintage sewing manuals and how to’s.  i’d love to take a patternmaking class and a few design courses, but unfortunately there’s not much offered where i live now.  i’ve definitely had to learn how to do things my own way.

What is your favorite item in your shop?
it once was the bubble berets, but after christmas i had to take a bubble beret break.  they’ve by far been my most popular item, but as spring approaches i do love the big bow mini dresses.

Name 3 of your favorite shops.
neneee.etsy.com – she’s been so supportive through my whole etsy experience.  her clothing creations and reconstructions are so creative and different – i’m always anxious for her next update.
yarnovermovement.etsy.com – i can personally attest to the beauty of her handknit scarves.  one of my most favorite wardrobe items.
erinkobie.etsy.com – cute illustrations!  she drew up a custom design for me which i hope to have tattooed sometime in the near future.

Rachael is giving the winner of this giveaway the option of a dress from her new line OR a cowl and beret combo!

That is a pretty sweet deal! When you win, if you can’t make up your mind, feel free to choose a dress and send it my way

To enter:

• Go to Softspoken and take a look around.
• Pick out your favorite item.
• Come back here and comment with the name or link to your favorite item.
• To get extra entries: blog or twitter about this contest and leave a link to it in a separate comment.
• Anyone with a valid email address can enter. You don’t have to have a blog.
• The winners will be chosen using the integer generator on random.org and notified via email.
• Get your entries in by Monday, February 23rd at 11:59PM and you’re in!

Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed! You’ll be the first to hear about all the great giveaways and features going on!

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This week’s Etsy Adore feature is Mulberry Street.

I’ve had items from their shop a few times on my blog. I also now own a pair of these and they are perfect! They are incredibly well made and so pretty. Jennifer was absolutely great to work with and she is giving a great prize to the winner of this giveaway! Let’s find out more about her and her shop first.

Tell us a little about you and your shop.
My name is Jennifer, and I live in Houston, Texas with my wonderful husband and two dogs.  I stumbled upon Etsy one day while reading dooce.com, and I was instantly smitten with the whole Etsy world.  I mean, what a fantastic idea!  It was during this time that I had recently graduated from law school and was taking some time off to rediscover my creative side.  I have always secretly wanted to own my own boutique, so I jumped at the chance to open up a shop on Etsy.  (Well, it wasn’t really that spontaneous.  It took a while to plan everything, but I was really excited about the initial possibility of having my own shop).  Since I first learned to crochet while living on Mulberry Street, I thought it would be fitting to name it after that.  Currently, my shop features crocheted accessories for women and now apparel for dogs.  I plan to delve into the home décor arena next.  My shop is just a great outlet to express myself.

How did you start crocheting?
I first started crocheting many years ago (wow am I that old already?) when I was attending New York University and living on Mulberry Street.  New York was bitterly cold during the winters, especially for a girl from Texas; I needed more scarves; and there wasn’t much to do when there was three feet of snow piled outside of my door, so I did what anyone in that situation would do—I picked up a crochet hook and some yarn, and the rest is history.   Well, that’s probably an over-simplification of it, but I must give some credit to my mom.  She was always sewing, crocheting, and knitting when I was little, so I think I inherited it from her.

I noticed you’re starting a new line of dog apparel.  Can you tell us a little about that too?
I think the creation of Linus + Hayley, which is named after my two dogs, was inevitable.  It was only a matter of time before I started making them clothes.  First of all, it’s pretty hard for me to find clothes that fit my pleasantly plump pups (one is a French Bulldog and the other is an English Bulldog), so I thought, why not make custom dog clothes?  Second of all, I have the cutest dogs ever (no bias here!), and they love to show off to the camera (or is it just that they love the treats behind the camera?)…

What is your favorite item in your shop?
Hmmm…this is a hard one.  I spend so much time on all of my creations, and I truly love all of them.  But if I had to pick just one, I’d say the Bamboo Shrug.  It’s great for the springtime and silky soft.  Plus, I’m really into the sage green color.

Name 3 of your favorite etsy shops.
Sew Bettie – I just ordered some awesome fabric from Sew Bettie.  Did I mention that said awesome fabric has French Bulldogs AND English Bulldogs printed on it??  How cool is that!

The Black Apple – I think the “Salt Meets Pepper” print would look lovely in my kitchen.

Kristybee – Her photographs are so serene.  The colors and subject matter of her work exude calmness.

Jennifer is giving one lucky reader a $25 gift certificate plus free shipping to Mulberry Street!

You can treat yourself to your own Valentine’s Day gift!

To enter:

• Go to Mulberry Street and take a look around.
• Pick out your favorite item.
• Come back here and comment with the name or link to your favorite item.
• To get extra entries: blog or twitter about this contest and leave a link to it in a separate comment.
• Anyone with a valid email address can enter. You don’t have to have a blog.
• The winners will be chosen using the integer generator on random.org and notified via email.
• Get your entries in by Sunday, February 15th at 11:59PM and you’re in!

Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed! You’ll be the first to hear about all the great giveaways and features going on!

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I’ve had my eye on this shop for quite some time and finally I ordered myself one of the items that will be given away (picture at bottom). Wei’s shop is full of the most amazing little accessories and customizable items. She is an absolute pleasure to work with as well. Let’s find out more about Wei and her shop!

Tell us a little about you and your shop.
I was born to and raised by an architect father and a restaurateur mother in Taiwan. I picked up drawing in a very early age, for which I won several national awards. After graduating from an arts and design academy in Taipei, I immigrated to the united state, obtained a degree from the college for creative studies in Detroit and has since worked for a number of graphic-design and marketing firms. I had always enjoyed making things by hand for myself. Later on it expanded from making favors for family parties into designing invitations and all visual displays for friends’ and colleagues’ weddings. Then it dawned on me that there could be a possibility that someone would purchase custom-made goods–wow–that would be a dream come true. A friend of mine, Natalie, had been selling her handmade goods on Etsy for a while by then. Seeing her success gave me confidence to try it myself. Therefore, Wei’s Open Secret was born.

What led you to the name “Wei’s Open Secret”?
For a while, I was really into this site called the Carrotbox. It is a site dedicated to all those wonderful rings made of glass, Lucite, resin, plastic, jade, wood, bakelite and even stone, except for metal. So when I was considering a name for my online shop, my mind was stuck with the word “box.” however, I couldn’t come up with anything I really like with that word. Then my brother, who’s a copywriter, came to my rescue and suggested Wei’s Open Secret. He said, “you’re sharing your highly personal and personalized designs with the public, so it’s in a way similar to sharing your secrets, isn’t it?” ok, sold!

Do you do all the illustrations in your shop yourself?
Yes, I do everything in illustrator. The pen tool is my favorite! Sometimes I use photoshop to jazz things up. Growing up in East Asia, I was heavily influenced by the Japanese culture and its pop arts. I used to read a lot of manga (Japanese comic books) and dream of being a manga artist.

I’m a big fan of Choo Choo The Owl. Which of your characters is your favorite?
Choo choo the Owl is definitely my favorite. I created it because of my love for the Harry Potter book series. I know I am overdue on coming up with more characters. Any ideas?

What is your favorite item in your shop?
My favorite item in my shop is Mao-Mao The Cat Gratuity Comment Cards because my brother gave me the inspirations. Whenever he and his co-diner had a wonderful dining experience in a restaurant, they would leave this really lovely note on the back of the credit card receipt to the server. I thought it was so sweet. Of course, if the server unfortunately did a really bad job, they would also write a note explaining why they unwillingly left a quarter as tip (laughing…)

Name 3 o f your favorite Etsy shops!
Lillyella (lillyella.etsy.com) is one of my favorites. I love to stop in and see what new pieces she has created and add each of them to my favorite item list. I’ve purchased items from her for my friends and myself. The craftsmanship is wonderful and each item comes well packaged in a box. It makes me smile when I open it.

Kup Kup Land (kupkup.etsy.com) is another favorite of mine. I’ve not purchased anything from it yet. But I love checking out her shop, which is full of imagination. It is just plain fun!

Finally, Craft Pudding (craftpudding.etsy.com) is my model for success. Everything she makes looks simply wonderful. I am impressed by and truly admire her talent. Hope one day I will do as well as she does.

The winner of this week’s giveaway will receive one personalized Choo Choo the Owl luggage tags. You choose what color you would like Choo Choo to be, what saying is on it and all yoru personal info on the back.You can find instructions on the ways to personalize it here. I absolutely needed one for all of my adventures and now everyone will keep their hands off my bag!

How do you win?

To enter:

• Go to Wei’s Open Secret and take a look around.
• Pick out your favorite item.
• Come back here and comment with the name or link to your favorite item.
• To get extra entries: blog or twitter about this contest and leave a link to it in a separate comment.
• Anyone with a valid email address can enter. You don’t have to have a blog.
• The winners will be chosen using the integer generator on random.org and notified via email.
• Get your entries in by Sunday, February 8th at 11:59PM and you’re in!

Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed! You’ll be the first to hear about all the great giveaways and features going on!

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This week’s giveaway is the first I’ve done from an edible Etsy shop! I actually featured Kitchen Witch in one of my Holiday Gift Guides and the fabulous Casey decided to do a giveaway with Oh How Lovely Shops!

Let me first off says, I’ve actually been able to taste some of the delicious goodness that comes from this shop. I had the Vanilla Marshmallows and a Heart Shaped Brownie. Those were to die for and the brownie would have been even better had I gotten it with walnuts! I decided to share and gave some of the Mini Creme-filled Cupcakes to my brother and father and those definitely got a stamp of approval and said to be far better than a certain store bought packaged brand! They also said the Whoopie Pie was awesome. Casey was a pleasure to work with and shipping was lightning fast. Definitely an A+ Etsy seller in my book!

Before I tell you what Casey will be giving to one lucky reader, let’s find out more about Kitchen Witch.

Tell us a little about you and your shop.
My name is Casey, and I’ve had my Etsy shop since June 2008, selling all manner of delicious baked goods and confections.  When I’m not up to my elbows in sugar and butter, I’m usually sharing a laugh with my husband or chasing our two daughters around (or trying to keep all of them out of the sugar and butter).  Life is good!

I didn’t find out until recently that you could sell baked goods on Etsy. Many are unsure because people are selling food. How do you reassure your customers your items are safe to eat?
I didn’t realize that people were nervous about buying food on Etsy!  However, the short answer is that I have a license to bake out of my home from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. My kitchen has been inspected and approved.  I’m a professional, people!  Seriously, if buyers are unsure, they should be in touch with the Etsy sellers directly to ask the questions they want answered.  That’s what is great about Etsy!

I love that everything in your shop is all natural. Second, I think it’s a very cool option that you can order items ready to bake. Why did you come to these decisions?
The idea for kitchen witch came to me when I had my first baby. I was swamped twenty-five hours a day and underwhelmed by the selection of “baby foods” offered on the grocery store shelves. The ingredient lists were…troubling to say the least. I created a line of gourmet, ready-to-bake cookies, brownies, scones and biscuits, knowing that many moms (like me) would rejoice at discovering wholesome, easy and delicious treats to share with their families, with no mess to clean up! I vowed to create a line of products that was all-natural, containing no preservatives, nothing artificial, and most importantly, NO HYDROGENATED OIL.

However, when I joined Etsy, I realized that many buyers wanted treats that were “ready-to-eat,” so I experimented with offering my gourmet cookies and brownies baked fresh and shipped that day.  Then I added fun stuff like Vanilla Marshmallows and Whoopie Pies.  I haven’t looked back since.

What is your favorite item in shop right now?
I’m really into the idea of creating a line of “Retro Snacks.”  My Crème-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes and Whoopie Pies are a gourmet version of the snack cakes we all had in our lunch boxes in grade school, with one big difference: they are delicious.  Plus, they’re made fresh with all-natural ingredients, while still bringing a little fun to the table.  Then again, I can always eat a warm, freshly baked cookie (or five).  And the heart shaped Fudge Brownies are a delicious way to say “I love you” on Valentine’s Day.  (That was more than one, wasn’t it?)

Name three favorite Etsy shops.
I had a ball ordering gifts for Christmas this year from tinycupcakes.  And I love the work done by poppyseedtree (a fellow Philadelphian).  For the adults, I’ll admit that I ordered some hilarious Christmas cards from Tiffany at OMGseriously.

Casey has decided to give one lucky winner 2 dozen cookies! I’m seriously jealous because the Kitchen Witch cookies were the only other thing I really wanted to try. I’m always on the hunt for the best chocolate chip cookie around! Well, Kitchen Witch has four different type of cookies and the winner will be able to choose 2 kinds and receive a dozen of each. If that doesn’t get your mouth watering, I don’t know what will!

To enter:

• Go to Kitchen Witch and take a look around.
• Pick out your favorite item.
• Come back here and comment with the name or link to your favorite item.
• To get extra entries: blog or twitter about this contest and leave a link to it in a separate comment.
• Anyone with a valid email address can enter. You don’t have to have a blog.
• The winners will be chosen using the integer generator on random.org and notified via email.
• Get your entries in by Sunday, February 1st at 11:59PM and you’re in!

Don’t forget to subscribe to our feed! You’ll be the first to hear about all the great giveaways and features going on!

click to subscribe

P.S. Tons more giveaways at Bloggy Giveaways!