Verde Lifestyles Grand Opening ~ Coming October 1st!

We have been blessed this year with an increasing number of stores wanting to carry our products.

We are very excited about the latest carrier of Bliss products, Verde Lifestyles -- set to open on October 1st. Verde Lifestyles is an online venue that will be residing at http://www.verdelifestyles.com. For those who aren't aware, "verde" means "green." Verde Lifestyles is dedicated to carrying products that support a "green" lifestyle by being natural, organic, recycled, etc.

Itching to redo that bedroom? Check out these great items that you'll be able to find on their site. :

Don't forget, they will be carrying these Bliss Candle jar styles in Cozy Home, Harvest, Pumpkin Spice, and Victorian Christmas!


For more information, check out their "teaser" blog article at http://blog.verdelifestyles.com/2009/09/10/website-teaser/.

-Suzanne, Your Candle Lady :)

Featured Etsy Artist: Thinking Mama

Featured Etsy Shop: Thinking Mama

1. What is your shop name and what do you sell? My shop is called Thinking Mama and I make things using recycled wool and cashmere sweaters. I make baby hats, coin purses, coffee cup sleeves and water bottle covers. I'm an ecologist by day so many of my items have designs that are inspired by nature.

2. What is your shop URL?http://www.thinkingmama.etsy.com/

3. What is your blog URL?http://www.thinkingmama.wordpress.com/

4. When did you start selling on Etsy?I started selling on etsy just after Christmas last year, so not quite a year.

5. What is your favorite thing about Etsy?I love all the great things people sell! It's hard to keep the money that I make because there are so many amazing things I'd love to buy. I also love that it's a community and people are generally really nice and helpful. I don't feel all alone on etsy.

6. What is your favorite thing about what you sell?I love taking sweaters that people don't want because they have little holes, or they're really outdated styles, and turning them into fresh, modern creations. I love that most of my things are one-of-a-kind, since my materials are limited, so I get to try new designs and fun color combinations a lot.

7. What is your favorite item in your own shop and why?Right now my favorite thing that I sell are my water bottle covers. They're for metal bottles like Siggs or Klean Kanteens and I mostly make them as custom orders. I love making designs that the customer will love and it feels good to make it easier for people to use eco-friendly water bottles. Now they have something warm and cozy to add style to their bottle!

8. What teams do you belong to?I belong to the EtsyMoms team and also to a local etsy co-op. It's the Portland Independent Artisans Cooperative, or PDX Indie for short. It a really supportive group and it's been great to connect with other artists in my city.

9. What is the most fun thing you do to promote your shop?I use my coffee sleeves! It's a good excuse to go out and get a cup of coffee.

10. What are some of your favorite finds by other sellers on Etsy?Since I love science and nature, I really like the slighty nerdy kids things that Electricboogaloo makes. I also bought my daughter a handmade doll for her birthday from WeeFaerieFolk and she's the most beautiful doll!

11. What do you do in your spare time?Spare time? I feel like I don't have much of it! When I do I love to knit and go on walks outside, though not at the same time.

12. What blogs do you follow?I read a lot of knitting/crafting blogs. I love to see what other people in the crafty world are up to.

13. Do you have anything else you would like to share? Nope!

Featured Etsy Shop: EcoBangle / Always Love

Featured Etsy Shop: EcoBangle / AlwaysLove

1. What is your shop name and what do you sell?
I have two shops ... EcoBangle ... is where I sell one of a kind bangles for men & women. Each Ecobangle is hand crafted in my studio and each is made of 98% recycled materials.
My 2nd shop on Etsy ... alwayslove ... is where I sell an eclectic mix of my creative work. At ... alwayslove ... you will find original paintings, altered prints of my original work, painted bowls, unique ... one of a kind jewelry, photographic prints, vintage paper ephemera (great for collage artists and collectors), etc.

2. What is your shop URL?
alwayslove http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5700027
EcoBangle http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5841969

3. When did you start selling on Etsy? I began selling on Etsy in March of this year and I have really enjoyed the process and the artists I meet here. It is so exciting to be able to sell to customers all over the world. My work is now in Hawaii, Colorado, Connecticut and the United Kingdom.

4. What is your favorite thing about Etsy? It is a wonderful gathering place for artists. I love that you can see work from artists and craftspeople from all over the world. I also love meeting others have a passion for using recycled materials in their creative work.

5. What is your favorite thing about what you sell? My favorite thing about selling EcoBangles is what they represent to me. Utilizing cast off materials to create expressive, original jewelry for men and women. I do everything I can to leave a small footprint on our planet and creating and selling my EcoBangles is my way of spreading the message.

My favorite thing about selling my work in my .. alwayslove shop ... is just that ... selling my original paintings and hand crafted, uniquely designed art pieces. It is such a thrill.

6. What is your favorite item in your own shop and why? My favorite item in EcoBangle is ... hmmmm ... the Map Lover's EcoBangle 1. Because it is the first map wrapped EcoBangle that I designed. I love the colors in the map and the way they interact with the colors on the base of the EcoBangle. The Map Lover's EcoBangles are great conversation starters ... where is that? have you been there?

My favorite item in .. alwayslove ... is ... wow, that is hard to decide ... it would have to be "Where I Meet Fish". It is an original painting on recycled materials set within a shadowbox frame. I love the texture, colors and content.

7. What teams do you belong to? Right now I belong to the Trashion Team. All of the members take recycled materials and create great art pieces from them. It's what I know and love.

8. What is the most fun thing you do to promote your shop? Honestly ... the most fun thing I do is participate in blog features like this :)

9. What are some of your favorite finds by other sellers on Etsy? Here is a list of the shops I have purchased from so far this month, they were such favorite finds that I picked them up for family Christmas presents. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5116508 very cool keychains http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5473050 wonderful soaps http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5503896 great bookmarks and of course .. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5098894 where I bought lovely soy candles from suzanne!

10. What do you do in your spare time? I create new things, paint, write, read, watch movies, camp, canoe, swim, play backgammon and hang out with my family. That list makes it seem like I must have a lot of spare time ... LOL

11. Do you have anything else you would like to share? The coolest thing about Etsy is that I have found so many other creative people to interact with. I love this community of creative souls :) ... join us and do your Holiday shopping with Etsy sellers!