Winner Alert!

Congratulations Lesley!

We have a winner and it's none other than Lesley, from the great shop and blog Smidgebox. Leslie is going to be receiving a $50 Gift Certificate to use any way she wishes in my shop, plus will be getting a Body Balm and Spritzer from Sweet Petula, in her choice of fragrance. Thank you to everyone who participated in our FREE LUNCH giveaway and most importantly gave us some great ideas for holiday items.

Stay tuned because here on The Spotter there really is such a thing as a

FREE LUNCH!

Free Lunch!

It's been a while since we've had a FREE LUNCH here on the spotter so in order to help ease the pain of this "recession" we're serving up a hearty portion today. Hope you're hungry because we surely have something for y'all to sink your teeth right into...

How about a $50.00 gift certificate to use at the newly launched http://www.inkspotworkshop.com/? Or are you hungry for some bath goodies, compliments of Sweet Petula? How about both? Yepper, I said BOTH!

All you need to do in order to try your luck at winning both is to click on over to both InkSpotWorkshop and Sweet Petula, sit back and take a look around. Then come back here and let us know how you would use your winnings. You get bonus points for suggesting items you'd like to see in our shops for the up coming holidays.

The winner will be chosen and notified via e-mail on Monday, August 17th - so please make sure to leave a way to contact you. Once notified you will receive a code to activate your $50.00 InkSpot Workshop gift certificate, plus your choice of scents (Sea Spa, Ruby Grapefruit or Lavender) for both a Sweet Petula Aromamist and Hand & Body Balm. You all know I'm a huge fan of Sweet Petula and my bed is not ready for sleeping until I spray my sheets with the Lavender Aromamist. She also writes a gorgeous blog, click here to check it out.

Best of luck to you all and remember... there really IS such a thing as a FREE LUNCH!

iCANDY - Mother's Day Edition

Directions: For optimum viewing pleasure click on collage

This week's iCANDY is brought to you a few days early in order to show you some last minute Mother's Day ideas. These are my favorites!

1. Memento Jewelry - Jeanne Flint, Atlanta, GA $125.00

2. I {heart} U Mug - Vessels and Wares, Atlanta, GA $20.00

3. Mommy Tee - Fire Daughter Clothing, Scottsdale, AZ $26.00

4. Luxury Gift Set - Sweet Petula, Seattle, WA $42.00

5. Custom Silhouette Pillow - Le Papier Studio, Chicago, IL $24.00

6. Custom Mommy Calling Cards - Sarah and Abraham, Chicago, IL $14.00

ENJOY!

The Many Sides of ETSY Sellers

Most creative people have many facets to their interests and hobbies and probably a touch of ADD:) Since opening my second Etsy shop, Fire Hydrant Press, I've been taking notice of other sellers who have multiple shops. If I could clone myself I would have several shops to showcase all of my diverse hobbies. I'd have a shop for my chunky crocheted blankets, one for cross stitched keepsakes, one for edible goodies, and one for bubbles since I've always wanted to try my hand at making bath products.

One of my favorite paper shops Rifferaff, has recently undergone a complete makeover and is now a gorgeous soap shop. Of course Shannon is wrapping her soaps in her signature, hand printed wrapping sheets. She also has a highly informative blog called Make It, where she documents the ups and downs of running a small craft business. Thanks to her I was inspired to feature some "other sides" of a few of my favorite Etsy sellers.

How about Cassie, of MB Jewelry? This fellow Atlanta seller not only makes lovely pieces of jewelry, but has quite an eye for vintage style. She is making some adorable cards, paper weights and other cuteness over at Mint and Ivy.

Trained as an Architect, Vana, of Le Papier Studio not only can print a custom silhouette on just about anything these days, she can also make a stunning charcoal structural drawing. What a great Father's Day gift and you can see all of her work at Arkitektur.

Mia's understated elegance is showcased in her paper shop, Story By Mia and now she is designing jewelry with the same appeal at Mias Shoe Box. I love to see how a designer's style is transformed via different mediums.

Although both are soap shops, I love Cory's packaging and products and am a regular at Sweet Petulas. How fun is her new shop for pets called {what else?} Good Clean Dog?

Here is one little gem to really keep your eye on. Mega talented Jessica Gonacha, aka Jessica Swift (appearing Summer '09) is not only my new local Atlanta Etsy buddy, but is just exploding with creativity these days. She is now making her whimsical style of illustrating into digital files for all to enjoy. If you are the crafty type, get a set of her clipart and you can make just about anything from journaling pages, artwork for your wall, or fun iron ons for t-shirts. The sky is the limit over at Shadow Juniper.

For more Etsy sellers who have multiple shops, visit this thread http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6124213

If you have many sides to your creativity, go ahead and give yourself a plug right here:)

I Found Heaven!

Shhhhh! Don't tell anyone .... I'm going to let you in on a little secret.... I found HEAVEN! at least I'm pretty sure. Check out my new stash! Thanks to the sweet Cory, who puts the SWEET in Sweet Petula. I was lucky enough to receive this care package from a trade we did last week. Can I just say, my bathroom has been transformed into the best smelling spa ever. There is nothing more luxurious than taking a bath or shower using high quality products that are rich with moisturizing ingredients and {the best part} aromatherapy!

Featured in picture from left to right 1.) Sweet P. Cleansing Body Wash 2.)Sparkling Bath Tablets 3.) Lavender Moisture Balm 4.) Lavender Aromatherapy Spray 5.) Shea Butter Lavender Body Wash 6.) Ruby Grapefruit Shea Butter Soap.

The Lavender Aromatherapy Spray has become my new night time ritual, just a little spritz all over my sheets has me falling asleep before my head hits the pillow. The Sweet P. signature scent is a serious new favorite. I use the body wash each morning, with it's light lemony cookie scent, you get energized and it helps jump start the day. I'm so impressed with the quality of these goodies, I just had to tell everyone! I originally found Sweet Petula while pouncing on Etsy, I fell instantly in love with the girly packaging. Little did I know they have been around for 8 years and even have an incredible boutique, located in Seattle {worth a trip to the NW}.

Not every item listed above is available in Sweet Petula's Etsy shop. If you see something in her catalog, just contact Cory and you can order it. Be sure to check out her new line of all natural products for your dog, called GOOD CLEAN DOG. Of course the packaging is just as cute and why not have a pooch that smells as great as you?

With my paper obsession, I just had to show you how adorable her business cards and thank you note cards are. She even included this super cute kitty paperclip. Check out their blog Sweet Petula is the WHOLE package!