Congratulations to Whimsical Witch winner of the Roots & Shoots, Buds & Blooms Challenge

Okay, so I have to apologize for the blog posts lagging. All of us here at the Pagans of Etsy Street Team have been busy little witches, especially with the Harvest season upon us! With that said, I'd like to congratulate the winner, Whimsical Witch, for getting the most votes in our latest POEST challenge called "Roots & Shoots, Buds & Blooms" with her beautiful item, "Herbal Adornments - Glass Vial Charm Necklace - Pure Magic"


You can view this and her other magickal items at:

www.WhimsicalWitch.Etsy.Com

Bright Blessings,
Moonlit )O(

Pagan Prompts

Looking for suggestions on what to blog about? Well, I've created a new site that will be updated weekly with new pagan-related blog prompts.

http://paganprompts.blogspot.com

Not much there yet, but I hope to have a new topic posted each Thursday. Have some suggestions already? Feel free to comment and share, and I will add them to my list.

~ Sunfire

Colored pencils and the gypsy spirit

Perhaps you are wondering what I have been up to. I have been of course enjoying my activist leanings and looking for work. I have been taking two classes one on colored pencil drawing and one on heart centered meditation. A new writing group has captured my attention. Here is a piece I just posted.

Gypsy Spirit

My childhood was full of the moves associated with a military family. It is through these many changes and uprootings that I grew a gypsy spirit. It’s a way of seeing that is always stronger when there is a turning in my life. I think of it as a survival skill that comes out when needed. I had already moved 4 times in the same general part of the country. We were about to move again to an unfamiliar place when I first noticed it.

The summer before our move while my father was stationed in Okinawa and we were living near my grandparent's. A photograph of a smiling boy playing near the surf hung over the old mahogany crib in the bedroom at the top of the stairs at the house my father grew up in. I had seen it before, but this time it spoke to me not in words per se but I could feel the handsome boy on the beach who looked to be close to my own age. It was a beautiful picture but I had a very bad feeling about it.

I asked my aunt who this was. She told me that it was my father as a child. She was unusually dismissive, I did not believe her and felt even sadder. One day after my fathers return. He was preparing the car for our cross country trip while I sat in the driveway, I had his un divided attention so I asked him about the picture. He too said that it was him as a child. I out and out said “Daddy don’t lie to me” and I described exactly where the picture hung in his family home. He told me that it was his younger brother Georgie. After some prodding, bit by bit he told me that he died in an accident as a child when he was 5. He was upset about talking about it so I did not ask any more questions. Later I found out that my father had only been 7 when their older brother accidentally ran over Georgie, while test driving a car. Dad and Georgie had been very close and I don’t think that my father ever got over that loss. This helped me understand my father better over the years and I am grateful for this.

The gypsy spirit was still with me that summer. The night before we moved to the strange new place, I dropped of to sleep and asked to see where we would be living. Sure enough in my sleep I flew over the new town, when we got there it was exactly as I had seen it.

I did describe the town to my dad before we got there.... Even though it tickles me, the gypsy spirit actually it is a very powerful tool and a peaceful type of protection. It helped me stand my ground against my father who had an angry streak and served me well in my youth when I traveled parts of the world by myself. Oh, sometimes it just serves to make my life a little more magical and fun. Other times it really has saved me from harm. Although there have been times when I knew I was walking into a risky situation and did so anyway, because I was confident that I could handle it. I am not sure that all this spiritual swashbuckling was ethically sound, but it sure was fun. I may have taught someone a lesson they needed to learn. My philosophy is we are here to have fun and if make we a difference that’s good too.

I can share some of those “I am reading you like a book so don’t cha be messing with me tales” and other stories where I met some pretty mystical travelers who maybe had a little more control over their powers and I could clearly recognize but I didn’t want to be messing with them.
What brings up these musings on the gypsy spirit is that …I am now in a major transitional phase. Recent years may have dulled my edge a bit. Ten years ago, we found this marvelous hand hewn “tree house” hidden from the road in a clearing. It was not advertised in the paper the sign on the mysterious drive said for “sale by owner.” I kicked up the maple leaves on the decks to the song in my heart. I was about to receive some money from my share of a business. The timing was good and we bought it. It still makes my heart sing. Many animals cross the meadows, birches glow amid the pines and it has been a good place to raise a family. Since my youngest is a senior in high school and my sweetheart has moved on. I decided to take a heart centered meditation class as I prepare to make a decision on my next step.

Now I could always meditate from the heart, but I am most comfortable zoning out and flying around. I can be very grounded and still fly around. My teacher tells me to try to stay in my body and be more focused. I picked an unusual medicine card~ armadillo reversed. It is a card about protection shields and armor. There is a lot to that. On the surface, it could mean that I have been standing still for too long. Ten years is my record for staying in one place. In my case perhaps that is the challenge. I am still mulling it over. The time may not be quite ripe for a sudden physical change… though other changes are happening.Perhaps I will be able to come up with an outside the box way to travel and stay here. Time will tell.

POEST member, Kathy Crabbe, on GetWitchified.com

Get Witchified episode 11 features an interview with artist and soul reader Kathy Crabbe from LuLuDesign.Etsy.com. Above are samples of Kathy's wonderful artwork. Be sure to check out Kathy's Etsy store.

Kathy is having a giveaway on her blog:
January Celtic Mermaid Print Giveaway: Sign up for the New Moon Newsletter for your chance to win at SoulReaderBlog.Blogspot.com. Up for grabs is the lovely "Silkie" - A Celtic Mermaid Print. Check it out here.

Click here to listen to the show!

Get Witchified is a podcast that delves into the witchy world of spellcraft, divination, the paranormal and everyday life with your host Oseaana December. Oseaana is the Creatrix at The Moonlit Sea and also a member of the Pagans of Etsy Street Team.

Stay tuned to Get Witchified for more POEST member interviews!

New at The Sacred Oak

(click the pic to go to the listing!)

Cinnaberry Votive Candles

The smell of cinnamon and Berries together in this lovely set of 6 votive!

And Featuring our Candle Gift Sets! These are made by The Order! Your choice of 2 votive gift set or 3 Votive gift sets! More will come! Give the gift of scent and light to that special someone in your life!

Yule & Christmas Sales

Yule is coming up on December 21st and Christmas will be here shortly after on December 25th, which leaves less than a month for gift shopping! In celebration of both holidays, the Pagans of Etsy Team is offering various promotions in over 30 member shops. The sales include discounts on Christmas/Yule items, all items, giveaways, free shipping and more!

Below is a list of participating shops and available promotions. Please see their shops for more details and exact dates - they may not hold their sale during the entire sale period:

3sistersmagickshoppe - 20% off for all PaganTeam members plus $2+ off selected items for any customer
AngelicGems - Everything 10% off and orders above $50 shipped for free from 11/28 to 12/01
AthenasDisciple - 20% off everything in the shop
BellaMental - 15% off all items except custom orders, write "paganyule" in notes to seller to receive the discount - offer lasts from 11/28 until 12/21
BrightlyBlessedBeads - Free shipping up until Christmas
DragonHoard - $2.5 off every $25 spent; free surprise gift with purchase from 11/28 to 12/25
DragonsMoon - See shop for details
FollowTheRedBrickRd - 10% off of items over $10, and 15% off items over $50, put "paganyule" in notes to seller to receive dicount
GBaneyx - 20% off all items from Black Friday - Cyber Monday (11/28 - 12/01)
HappyHaven - See shop for details
HarvestStorm - 20-50% off selected items & Free Shipping on purchases including any "ACEO Bounty" cards
KarenElizDesigns - See shop for details
LavenderDragonHerbs - Mens and Womens Sprays buy 1 get 1 half off; Sachets buy 1 get 1 half off; Tinctures Buy 1 Get 1 half off; Teas and Incense 15% off; Gift Baskets 25% off; Or choose to get 25% off your total order of $20 or more; Every Purchase will be entered into a Drawing for $25 Gift Cert; See shop for details on getting the discounts
L. & T.A. Frank - 10% off everything from 11/17 to 12/17
LWaite - Most items $2 - $8 off until Jan. 1, 2009.
LuluDesign - See shop for details
Magical Alchemy - Free shipping on all herbs & teas from 11/28 to 12/24 and a reduced price on both "Frankincense & Myrrh" mixed resin and room spray
MeaCulpaBodyandBath - Free sample with purchase
MeriGreenleaf - See shop for details
MoonLitCreations - 20% off all Jewelry during December
Nefaeria - Some readings will be buy one, get second half price from 11/28 to 12/25
NightMaiden - 50% off everything and free shipping Black Fri thru Cyber Monday (11/28-12/01). After 12/01, 20% off pagan and metaphysical items - look in the sale section
Oakling - 33% off all meal planning kits for black friday/cyber monday and extended further for Yule
RainaDelMagick - Free quartz crystal with all Yule sales and free shipping on sales over $25.00
RainFeather13 - See shop for details
SerenityFields - Free shipping on holiday scented container candles
SnowWaterWoolWorks - Select items on sale
SuzeesJubileeZ - Free shipping on all items and a free catnip cat
TheDancersSpirit - Free gift with purchase
Tunrida - All orders over $50 get a free set Oracle Runes until the Winter Solstice (Dec. 21st)
Vermorlian - 20% off all our altars, altar sets, smudges and wands from 11/27-12/5
Vidia2Be - 25% all items for black friday (11/28) and cyber monday (12/01)
WhimsiGals - See shop for details

Please see promotional items below:





Members - please feel free to use the above images for your items and avatar to help promote the sale. Here is a blurb: To celebrate both Yule and Christmas, the Pagans of Etsy are having a sale! Over 30 shops are offering you discounts and freebies as you prepare gifts for your family and friends. Please search by "PaganYule" to find promotional items.

***
Update 12/16/2008: Our sale was mentioned by Darkly Fey in her blog & podcast - Thanks very much!

POEST Member Interviewed on GetWitchified.com

Shaman Amy Frank from LTaFrank.Etsy.com was interviewed on the podcast Get Witchified (A)nother Podcast for Witches. Shaman Amy shares with us her amazing tradition and spiritual path that blends Mongolian Shamanism and Native American spirituality.

Listen to Shaman Amy's interview in the Get Witchified podcast #7 available for download at GetWitchified.com and on iTunes.


Get Witchified is a podcast that delves into the witchy world of spellcraft, divination, the paranormal and everyday life with your host Oseaana December. Oseaana is the Creatrix at The Moonlit Sea and also a member of the Pagans of Etsy Street Team.

Stay tuned to Get Witchified for more POEST member interviews!

Elements Challenge Winner - Tunrida!

Our winning entry was the Elements of Transformation, Necklace to Bracelets Set from Tunrida with 65 out of 166 votes, seen below. Click on the image to go directly to the item in store.

Runners up include:Walk In The Woods with 44 out of 166 votes for her Elemental Honor - ACEO set, and KrystalMoon74 with 42 out of 166 votes for her Ethereal Goddess necklace.

Tunrida and the winning entry will be featured in our blog until the next challenge voting begins.
See more items from Tunrida below:

Sometimes It's the Little Things ...

I'm offering FREE US SHIPPING on all my ACEO work thru December 2008.

Work like this:

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade walkinthewoodsllc.etsy.com

Stop by my shop, browse around - make a special request even! And just for today - breathe deep and enjoy what you have!

Dragons Blood Votive Candles

Set of 6 Votive Candle's
The Dragons Blood fragrance will warm the room.
We dyed ours yellow made with Palm Feather wax

Halloween Sale

Halloween is coming up in only 2 weeks on October 31st and Samhain is coming up on November 7th! In celebration of both Halloween and Samhain, the Pagans of Etsy street team is offering various promotions across many member shops. The sales include discounts on Halloween/Samhain items, all items, giveaways, free shipping and more!

Below is a list of participating shops and available promotions. Please see their shops for more details and exact dates - they may not hold their sale during the entire two weeks:
AthenasDisciple - 15% off everything in the shop
CobaltQuilter - 15% off any item tagged "paganhalloween"
Dragon Rags - 20% off all items (not including shipping,) difference refunded/adjusted invoice via Paypal
DragonsMoon - Freebie with any purchase, Free shipping to USA, Outside USA 15% off, Tarot Readings 31% off
ElysianFields - free shipping to USA
FollowTheRedBrickRd - 10% off any purchase, 15% if you purchase more than 3 items. Free shipping in US on item totals over $20, and everywhere else for totals over $30
GreenWomanCrafts - Halloween items on sale and free shipping with multiple purchases
GypsySkies - 20% off all items
HarvestStorm - 10% off everything
Hattielicious - 15% off everything sale
HowlingCaterpillars - 20% off halloween items
JansBeads - Free shipping on all items and a surprise with each order
LavenderDragonHerbs - Buy any 25 Pk Incense and get a 4 stick sample pk Free, Buy 1 Any Tea and get 1 extra ounce Free, Buy 1 Dog or Cat Sachet and get 1 free, Buy a Set of Moth Sachets and get 1 extra Sachet Free, 25% off All Gift Baskets, 15% off All Tinctures and 10% off All other items in my shop, Each purchase will also be entered into my monthly $25 Gift Certificate Giveaway, Drawing held Nov 5th
L. & T.A. Frank - Everything 10% off
LWaite - October sale - many items are 2 to 6 dollars off
Magical Alchemy - Free shipping on all herbs
MagickMermaid - 10% off total purchase
MeriGreenleaf - 15% off all Halloween/Fall items
MoonLitCreations - 15% off all Jewelry
NascarWitch31 - 15% of anything in the shop
Nefaeria.etsy.com - $5 off Haindl Rune Oracle readings (usually $15.00 with discount $10.00)
ShadeSongs - 20% off all Halloween category items
Halloween items on sale and free shipping with multiple purchases
StarryDance - 10% off everything
SusanSee - 20% off entire shop
TheBirchTree - Halloween items on sale
TheMoonlitSea - 10% off anything in the shop
Tunrida - Oracle Runes on sale (including the ones for beginners), $20 instead of $24.45.
Vidia2Be - 10% off everything and a free gift with any purchase

Please see promotional items below:





Members - please feel free to use the above images for your items and avatar to help promote the sale. Here is a blurb: To honor Halloween and Samhain, the Pagans of Etsy are having a sale! Over 25 shops are offering you discounts and freebies in celebration of a very pagan kind of holiday. Please search by "PaganHalloween" to find promotion items.

October Elements Challenge Voting

View all of our wonderful entries and cast your vote! The voting poll is located on the right sidebar. Anyone and everyone may vote. Polls will close at Midnight on October 31

Click on each entries image to visit their full listing

October Featured Member - Athena of Earth's Energies

This is another 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!

This interview is with Athena of Earth's Energies.

What is your Etsy shop address and name? Where else can we find you?
EarthsEnergies.etsy.com - For now it's just on Etsy.

What is the main thing you make and sell in your store? What else do you make and/or sell?
Pagan inspired original hand-drawn wood burned boxes is the main item in my store. I also make sculptures, altar tools and devotional items for ritual, as well as woodburn breadplates that can be used in ritual for the great rite.

How and when did you get started with arts and crafts?
I was inspired to create one of my first designs as an assignment(A sculpture of Hermes)
for a class, and every since that day 6 years ago, my muse has been present.

Where do you get your inspiration?
My inspiration comes from everything, everywhere, and from many people. I can be watching television, reading a book, and it will inspire me to create something. There's a park across the street from my apartment building and on most days, I get to walk through the park and soak up its grounding energies. It helps to open the way for inspiration...I often like to daydream, meditate, or when on a plane...I love getting the window seat and just get flooded with ideas and inspiration to create, so I'll jot down the idea. When I work with a clay medium, I never know what I will create with it; It's such an inspiration to get my hands immersed in a fresh mound of clay.

What are your favorite materials?
Clay, Wood, and right now, I'm trying out some recycled materials. I like working with acrylic and glass beads for toppings on my boxes. I love the enchantment of working with glitter. It's so sparkly and reminds me of flickering stars. I craft with glitter as I view it to be a representation of the divine spark illuminating everything we touch. It's one of my favorite finishes on my items.

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. Every since I was a young girl, I've felt like a Pagan...my aunt used to call my sisters and me Heathens because we'd dance on Sundays instead of going to church.
My parents believed in freedom of religious choice as long as you weren't harming anyone. I've always been interested in the dual nature of religion. I knew physically there was a mother and father, and always wondered spiritually where the mother was to the god...I didn't know she was called 'Goddess' until some 26years later.
I've been on the Pagan path traditionally for 10years. I've done my solitary studies as a means to find my true religion. I've studied many other traditions and the Wiccan path resonated within me.

For me being a Pagan is a magickal and spiritual experience for me. I like connecting to deity, being able to channel my energies. I love performing rituals, drumming, dancing, playing music, and enjoying the freedom of being in nature, walking the earth and feeling the energy of life, and the ground beneath my feet. When I'm crafting, I'm working with the true essence of the sources available to me. The earths natural sources has an energy that breathes and pulses. A majority of the time, when I try to craft from an idea or recreate a piece, it doesn't manifest itself as I see it, so when I'm crafting, I'll close my eyes and just let go.

What advice would you give to beginners in your art or craft?
Follow your inner muse. Don't make excuses for your art. Be fair when critiquing your work. If you think it's finished and to your standards, then it is. Remember your work is one of a kind, even if it's similar to someone elses' work. Don't be afraid to get the asking price for your work.

What advice would you give other Etsy sellers and those interested in opening up a shop?
Let all your friends and acquaintance know you have a shop on Etsy, network, market your shop locally. Don't expect to become an overnight success. Don't panic if you don't sell anything right away, or if it slows down. Take regular inventory of your merchandise. Don't be wary of looking at many of the other Etsy sellers that aren't in the Everything Else category. There's lots of amazing sellers on the site. Don't hesitate to convo with other sellers. Never be afraid to ask for advice about your shop or ideas. AND..........
Never, Never, Never Give Up.

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?
No not yet. I work as a freelance Fashion Stylist for magazines, and am looking to work as a costumer for television and film.

Being able to freelance has given me the balance to do both my craft and my work as I'm still involved with extra curricular things with my coven and school. I like to keep busy and enjoy all that I'm doing. I make sure to give attention to Etsy and my craft every few days out of the week.

1 Week Left to Enter

Just a reminder.
All of the October "Elements" Challenge Entries must be received One Week From Today.
Details can be found here

Crème Féerique / Faery Cream

Autumn is a time for introspection and...inspiration. For me, it is time to reconnect and work deeper with the Underworld and the Faery Realm.

We often forget about our Fairy Godmothers yet these loving & caring beings of light help us and protect us on a daily basis. So I decided to celebrate them with a Crème Féerique (Fairy Cream in french) loaded with love, sweetness and natural goodness...I believe it's "Faery Approved" ;).

This cream is handmade with organic sweet almond oil infused with real Madagascar vanilla bean, natural/unrefined cocoa butter (which has a natual chocolate-like scent), unrefined beeswax, organic aloe vera gel, whole milk powder (fairies love milk), vitamin E & a Faery blessing.

It smells wonderful and I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do...

Autumn Blessings

Just a little seasonal meditation to share . . . 

In the quiet stillness of late morning she arrives.

Her voice, still soft, has been whispering in the leaves for days. Yet today I hear her breathe deep, stretch and I catch her scent, distinct in the quiet air. She is ready. She is ready to assist my world in its journey to darkness and chill. She is ready to put to rest all that is exhausted. She is ready to guide the green divas back to their fair realm of the underworld. She is ready to help us rest, but not before abundance is recognized, honored and blessed.

Her voice, still soft, whispers, “Get to work little one. Get to work.”

Ashe. Ashe. Beautiful autumn blessings to you all. Enjoy the Bounty!

A Few Things . . .

. . . that struck me as beautifully seasonal!

Etsy Buy Handmade Pagans of Etsy

Hedgewitch Sale

I hope everyone has had a great summer (and anyone in the other hemisphere is enjoying the first signs of spring!)..

.. this is just to let you know that Hedgewitch is having an 'end-of-summer' sale, so its a good time to visit and grab a bargain!

Blessed Path

I wander the woods seeking clarity and wisdom . . .

The Whimsical Witch

. . . I bask in the warming embrace of every season . . . 

Breath of the Dragon

. . . and my heart opens to infinite dreams . . .  

KrystalMoon Beads

. . . may your path be ever blessed!

Circlets, Fairies, and Elements

Circlet of The Butterfly Blue

To finish off our current circlets this one is blue woven wire with a butterfly charm. You can visit the listing by clicking here!

Fairy's of Earth

These earrings were inspired by the element of earth. To visit the listing click here!

Fairies and Roses

To visit the listing click here!

Free Shipping on all jewelry until October 1st! World Wide Shipping and combine ordering is available. We also Have Gift Certificates!