Oh, The Prizes!
Keeping with tradition, I've rounded up another fantastic group of artisans who are kind enough to be providing the most wonderful prizes. The giveaways on Mercantile Muse are about highlighting some of the talented people who are working hard as part of the handmade movement. A movement, which at it's core is about: creating, getting back to a place where quality counts, having a personal connection to the things we buy and the people who make them, caring about what is made and what is bought, becoming a less disposable society and a more caring society that values things that are made with love and hard work, to knowing and understanding that there is a person behind a product who cares about what they make and who receives it. Damn, I'm glad I'm aboard that train. It's all good, right?
The artisans, crafters & makers who are sponsoring this month's giveaway are a diverse group and I think you're going to love them and what they have to offer. Do me a favor though. Help me highlight these makers of things handmade....tell people you know about this giveaway and what it's about. I know you'll want to keep it all to yourself, but these people and this movement deserve some recognition, so go on- share a link. (There are even buttons at the end of this post to make it easy to share this giveaway on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and so on. All you have to do is click.)
Please give these talented people a moment of your time. Read about them, investigate their shops and their other links. You'll be richer for it, whether you win or not.
Ready? Are you by the fainting couch? What? You don't have a fainting couch? Then by all means, do sit down. Get ready to swoon. One lucky person is going to win ALL of this.
1. Papyrusaurus
Ashley is the brainchild behind Papyrusaurus, where you’ll find whimsical prints for your walls, ornaments and funky stationery to send to far off places. She accepts custom orders and always looks forward to making something amazing with, and for, her customers.
2. Studio Mucci
Studio Mucci makes whimsical LUXURY PAPER DECOR out of high quality tissue paper. Whether you’re planning your wedding, birthday party or redecorating, Studio Mucci products can be used to brighten any event or transform your home into something magical. Everything is hand-made with love, and a great deal of care. Based in Stillwater, Oklahoma Studio Mucci serves a global market, which includes both direct customer sales and retail distribution to the world's fashion elite.
3. oBo Creations: OOAK 'Dragon Skin' Pendant Necklace
Olga lives in Geneva and recently opened her etsy shop which features colorful OOAK hand painted jewelry. Her signature style is a "dragon skin" pattern that she creates using a special paint technique and that results in magical unpredictable shapes and color shades. Each piece is unique as final result always is unpredictable. Her collection includes pendants, rings bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and bobby pins. Olga plans to increase her hair accessory rang, while introducing some small non-jewelry items such as key chains, portable mirrors, etc. – all featuring her signature "dragon skin" technique. The name of Olga’s shop, oBo is drevied from her name, and her owl logo was inspired by the fact that ‘since her job takes most of my day and often evenings, she only has nights to craft and run her Etsy shop’ and she has also been collecting owls in all shapes and formats for the last decade.
4. Foothill Fibers 'n Photos: Crocheted Mini Wrislet Clutch
Originally an East Coast native, Kate decided on an adventure, quit her day job as an accountant, and took the cross county journey to California, ending up in the beautiful foothills of Gold Country. Creating crochet and knit pieces has become a constant in my life (along with seeking out vintage treasures for her other shop Story Tellers Vintage). [Keep your eye out for an upcoming guest post by Kate on the accounting side of business]. Foothill Fibers n’ Photos offers crochet and knit clutches, hats, scarves, patterns and original photography. Handcrafted with Care.
5. Hybrid Handmade: 2 Sets of Art Photo Postcard Notes/suitable for framing
http://www.etsy.com/shop/hybridhandmade
While many of you may know Cari-Jane Hakes of Hybrid Handmade as a metal-smith and jewelry designer/maker, she is also a trained architect and photographer who records the everyday details and little things many of us often miss. Her designs draw on her architectural work and respond to the many natural phenomenon that intrigue her and those that she captures with her camera whether it is color, texture, or light. Cari work series reducing the world as she sees it into pieces of wearable sculpture and art.
6. Lucky Cat Handmade: Shabby Chic Coin Purse
Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/LuckyCatHandmade
Lucky Cat Handmade is the creative outlet of Mafalda, who is Portugal and makes coin purses, glasses cases, bags, zipper pouches and other fabric accessories. Lucky Cat got its name because Mafalda and her husband are convinced that their 3 cats are so spoiled (and that they’re lucky to have them too!). Mafalda loves incorporating Japanese fabrics, cotton and linen blends, cat and other cute prints in her designs. It makes her happy to ship a custom order and later read her customers feedback about how happy they were when they saw it or when they gave it as a present to someone they love. She strives to make beautiful and useful items that cheer you up when you use them, all handmade with the best materials, care and love.
You will find Lucky Cat Handmade here:
7 & 8. Bates Mercantile Co. & Lia Artisan Concrete Designs: Planter/Votive Holder & Archival Photo Print
That’s us. Pam and Garrett. I’m the illustrator (crafter, writer, artist, good cook, photographer, blogger, etc, etc), he’s the concrete craftsman. I’ve been creating as long as I can remember, while Garrett has been working with concrete for 26 years. We opened (ok, I opened and brought him along for the ride) or etsy shop in December 2010. I’ve had my own advertising/marketing/pr business for 18 years and needed an outlet so that I could create just for the sake of creating. Garrett, after building high end, complex foundations for residential and commercial enterprises for many years, started his own studio-Lia Artisan Concrete Designs- and is exploring concrete in a new way. He is enjoying casting concrete (on a much smaller scale) that is decorative in nature and geared to both home and garden. You'll find some of his designs available through Bates Mercantile Co.
