Monday, June 23, 2008

Astrology Challenge Deadline Extended

We have extended the deadline for the Astrology Challenge to Saturday June 28th Midnight!! =)

The voting poll will be active on the POEST blog starting on July 1 and ending on July 31. Any visitor to the blog can vote. Recruit friends, family, cyber-buddies and the paperboy to visit the challenge entries and vote.

The winning entry will be prominently featured on the POEST blog along with a mini of the winning shop until the end of the next challenge. More exposure equals more traffic to the winning shop.

Please read through the Rules & Guidelines before submitting your entry.

Rules & Guidelines:


1. You must be a member of POEST to participate in the challenge.

"PaganTeam" tag must be used in listing.



2. The listing must comply with Etsy TOS.



3. “paganchallenge” tag must be used in the listing.


4. Email a photo, in jpg format, of the item and

the link for the listing in your shop to
poestchallenge@gmail.com


5. The item you submit must be an original work of yours.


6. Item must be completed and listed by extended entry date June 28 Midnight.


7. The item must represent the topic of the challenge.


8. All voting will be done on the POEST Blog

and tallied with a poll.


9. All POEST shops are eligible to enter.

If a member has more than 1 shop
they may enter 1 listing per shop.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Challenge Deadline June 21

Just a reminder that the deadline, June 21, for the Astrology Challenge is fast approaching.
The more entries we receive the greater exposure of our shops is possible.
If there are questions about the guidelines and rules you can email them to poestchallenge@gmail.com.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

New On Etsy!

An up Cycled corset a truly one of a kind piece. Click Here to visit the listing. To find out how it was made click here. Thanks for looking The Sacred Oak

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Facebook Page

In case I forgot to mention, here is the Facebook Page for our group - if you have a profile on there, be sure to Become a Fan of us!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pagans-of-Etsy-Street-Team/19138052180

I will do my best to keep it up to date with challenge info and any other events that we might come up with in the future.

As a Fan, you can add photos of your work to the group page, you can join in on discussions, etc.

If anything, it's another place to get exposure from.

~ Sunfire

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Altar Tile listing


This stoneware altar tile is wheel thrown then hand carved. A black terra sig was used to accentuate the pentagram at the leather hard stage, then the tile was glazed with lead free browns.

It measures 5 7/8" in diameter and is less than 1/4" thick.

Listing Here

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Sunflowers

Well, its summer! To celebrate the season, I've put together a Sunflower Treasury full of handmade desirables, a real blast of sunshine.. hope you enjoy it.

There are sunflowers blooming in the Hedgewitch herb garden and the online shop is full of happy sunflower cards in warm sunny shades.













Don't forget FATHERS' DAY...
Does your Dad like gardening? Why not choose a sunflower card this Fathers' Day? Your money will go towards supporting the important work of The Woodland Trust (Hedgewitch donates 10% of all card proceeds) plus if you mention Fathers' Day I'll include a sunflower mini-photocard FREE to use as a gift tag on a Father's Day gift.

Monday, June 2, 2008

POEST Astrology Challenge

Pagans of Etsy Street Team Astrology Challenge: June 21 – July 31

Let’s get those creative juices flowing and drive traffic to our shops as well!

For this challenge create something fabulous and original with Astrology as an inspiration. It can be anything to do with any form of astrology.

All entries must be listed in your shop and entered via email to poestchallenge@gmail.com on or before midnight June 21 EDT.

The voting poll will be active on the POEST blog starting on July 1 and ending on July 31. Any visitor to the blog can vote. Recruit friends, family, cyber-buddies and the paperboy to visit the challenge entries and vote.

The winning entry will be prominently featured on the POEST blog along with a mini of the winning shop until the end of the next challenge. More exposure equals more traffic to the winning shop.

Rules & Guidelines:
 
1. You must be a member of POEST to participate in the challenge.
"PaganTeam" tag must be used in listing.
 
2. The listing must comply with Etsy TOS.
 
3. “paganchallenge” tag must be used in the listing.
 
4. Email a photo, in jpg format, of the item and the link for the listing in
your shop to poestchallenge@gmail.com
 
5. The item you submit must be an original work of yours.
 
6. Item must be completed and listed by entry date.
 
7. The item must represent the topic of the challenge.
 
8. All voting will be done on the POEST Blog and tallied with a poll.
 
9. All POEST shops are eligible to enter. If a member has more than 1 shop
they may enter 1 listing per shop.



Rules and guidelines may change updates will be posted.

June Featured Member - Alchemille!

This is the second interview in a monthly series of featured members from the POEST team. These interviews are a great way for you to get to know our team and its members, as well as get some great information and advice from seasoned Etsians!

Our second interview is with Alchemille, proprietor of Alchemille's Garden.

What is your Etsy shop address and name? Where else can we find you?
My shop's name is Alchemille's Garden and can be found at Alchemille.Etsy.com
I also have a website at AlchemillesGarden.com
And a Blog at Alchemille.Blogspot.com
Currently my products are found exclusively on Etsy.

What is the main thing you make and sell in your store? What else do you make and/or sell?
I mainly sell artisan tea blends, natural skin & bodycare as well as botanical incense. All natural and made with herbs (organic, pesticide-free and ethically wildcrafted). My teas and bodycare items are freshly made upon request.
I'm also working on a small line of natural cosmetics: I currently have a loose face powder and lip balms but should carry tinted lip balms (more like lipsticks) soon.

I also plan on going back to sewing and painting a little (I have degrees in art and fashion), so you should see some accessories (knit and sewn) and art pieces appear within a few months...

How and when did you get started with arts and crafts?
Well I've always been the artist and the dreamer of the family. My parents have plenty of drawings, paintings and poems that date back to my childhood. I started making more elaborate paintings, clothes and accessories in highschool (where I graduated in applied arts) and naturally continued exploring my creative side in a fashion school (I have a degree in fashion and textile design). I started learning about herbs 15 years ago on my own and it took a long time to realize that it was my true passion.

Where do you get your inspiration?
Nature is my main inspiration, with a good dose of spirituality, music, gardening, litterature and art. I find that I'm more creative when I stay away from magazines and media in general.

What are your favorite materials?
Herbs of course! There are so many ways to use them and experiment with them. But I also love fabrics, yarns, paper/books (I've always been fascinated by writting and the power/imaginative force behind words)...I like raw materials that are just waiting to be given a shape, a life and a purpose.

As a member of the Pagans of Etsy Street Team (POEST), tell us a little bit about your Pagan path and what being Pagan means to you, especially with regards to your art or craft.
I've known (or sensed) since childhood, that there was more to life than meets the eye. That life had to be more than people's everyday routine. My spiritual awakening (and beginning of my journey) happened when I was 18, I felt a deep change and an unusual peace without any apparent reason but I didn't recognize myself. 1 or 2 years later, I met a girl (who has become a very good friend of mine) who opened my eyes on esoterism. She had some knowledge about wicca and I was glad to have found somebody at last, who could answer my questions and quench my spiritual thirst. Wicca and witchcraft was interesting but not my thing. I continued with angelology and kabbalah which helped me developed my senses. It's only after I got married, moved to the USA (I'm french) and met my friend Marie (who owns a spiritual shop) that I got deeper into spirituality. Psychic-mediumship has done a lot for me and has given me great comfort. I was now able to communicate with the other side: family, friends, ancestors, loved ones...And slowly overcome my fear of death (I've had a couple close calls in my life). But my true path, which started 2-3 years ago, is shamanism which I have found to be my call and the missing link between so many things. When you see life through the eyes of the shaman, everything starts to make sense and you can see the bigger picture.

Being a "woman of the land", I feel a natural connection with celtic/faery shamanism.

What advice would you give to beginners in your art or craft?
My advice is to be passionate about what you're doing. This craft requires to always learn and improve your skills. I am aware that it requires time, patience, devotion and commitment (you learn all your life). Build your knowledge from different sources. You may or may not agree with everything you read and choose to work with some herbs instead of others. Don't be influenced by fads and fame. Trust yourself and your intuition. There's no need to learn about hundreds of herbs, it's better to know a few trusty herbs well...This is the path of the wise woman ;).

What advice would you give other Etsy sellers and those interested in opening up a shop?
Etsy has done more for me than other (and more widely known) places. I've had my shop for a little bit more than 2 years now and it's doing a little better each year. I'm also proud & blessed to have a few faithful returning customers who have allowed Alchemille's Garden to grow and the adventure to continue...I've been blessed with a good start right away while I know some newbies don't have this luck. Just remain positive and patient, things will come to you.

Is Etsy a full-time job? If not, what else do you do to pay the bills and how do you balance Etsy with that and other things in your life?
Etsy is my only job. Though I am working on a series of classes on Shamanic Herbalism that I should start teaching in the Fall (to complement my herbal creations). I would also love to do healings and readings but I don't feel quite ready yet.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

MySpace Update

Hey guys - just wanted to make a quick post to let everyone know I've finally got around to taking over the POEST MySpace.

http://www.myspace.com/pagansofetsy

If you haven't added us as a friend there yet, please jump on over and do it already!

I've set the Top Friends to a larger number, and put it on Random, so we all get exposure when people check out the profile.

I hope to have a cool layout soon, but I don't have the time today to find something good. Hopefully by the end of Thursday, though, I will.

If you have any comments/suggestions, please let me know! I want to make it awesome for everyone!

~ Sunfire