I was going to wait until after dinner to write this BUT I've had such an incredible response this week that I needed to start early!!! So sit back and relax kids, I've got a lot of great deals, giveaways and incredible people that I'll be introducing to you! (but don't get too comfortable, cause you're gonna need to shop afterwards!!)

I'm going to start off with Giveaways!!

Creative Fly Designz


This blog giveaway gives you a chance to win a unique one-of-a-kind wire and glass beaded crocheted necklace and will be open from today October 23rd and will close November 7th at 10pm, EST.

It's super easy to enter! Just head over to Creative Fly Designz Blog to get all the details! This girl is so creative, I love everything she makes (it's not just jewellery!) So please be sure to check out her Etsy shop as well - you're going to need to anyways to enter her blog contest, so you may as well get a head start!

White Flag Designs


I so love White Flag's products! My fave is still the glow in the dark brain soap! So here's the deal with her blog giveaway.. Once White Flag Designs Blog ("The White List") has reached 100 followers, she's going to assign all the followers a number (based on the order they followed at) and use random.org to choose the winner. And the winner will win... "A Priority Mail flat rate box, size small, full of stuff. From my Etsy shops stuff, not just random stuff I found under my bed (unless you want that kind of stuff, idk). Stuff like soaps, lip balms, solid scents (all vegan, mind you), jewelry and accessories, and even maybe super secret sneak peeks at things yet to come." How great is that!! It's like Christmas - my favourite kinds of giveaways. So, head on over to "The White List", follow the blog and post a comment! And to get this giveaway really movin', feel free to twitter, facebook or blog about it yourselves! (The pictures are linked to their listings on etsy)


Devine3Designs



I've been a blog follower of Devine3Designs for a little while now, and I have to say, I simply love it. She's always writing blog posts of "how-to's" for making your own products, or helping you out to get the best photos for your shop! She's having a contest right now where 12 people can enter. She only needs 12 more followers to get to 100, so when she reaches her goal, those 12 people will be entered into a random draw to win a $25.00 gift certificate for her Etsy shop! So go quick kids, go to Devine3Designs Blog and follow away! Even if you don't win, you won't be disappointed - I assure you you'll learn something new that will help you out with your sales!



Dee's Deezigns

I recently met Dee on My Craft Corner! Right now she's hosting a giveaway on her Blog "Just another new blog". Entering the giveaway could win you a $20 gift certificate at her Artfire Shop!! Now there's something everyone could use for the holidays that are just around the corner! (eeek don't wanna think about that yet!) So head on over to Dee's Blog to enter today! (psst just so you know, Dee is BagLadyMama on etsy!!)



Family and Friends

I've been following Aik's blog for quite a while now (and more recently twitter) and she always seems to be having fantastic giveaways!! There's one she currently hosting for another etsian Chic Infinity. So head on over to Aik's blog to find out all the many ways you can enter! This giveaway closes October 31st. And here's what you can win!


Did you think I was done with Aik? Nope! She's having another giveaway! Let me just say, she has awesome taste in books, and does many book reviews. So head on over here to enter for a chance to win a signed copy of "Once upon a Nightmare" by Lee Moylan!


Now that you've entered all the giveaways, it's time to spend some money...

BeckLeeCottageDesigns



I just recently met BeckLee on My Craft Corner! And she informed me of an incredible deal being offered in her Etsy Shop. Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month (and was extremely sad to hear that she just recently lost a friend to breast cancer) she's offering an astounding 50% off anything pink in her etsy shop! And everything she makes from these sales, is being donated to Breast Cancer Research! So please, head on over to BeckLeeCottageDesigns Etsy page, and buy all the pink things :) Pictures shown are items from BeckLee's shop, which are linked to their listings.


Pikithins



I know I seem to talk about Pikithins every week, but c'mon, the girl is always having sales on her incredible merchandise! She now has an entire section in her etsy shop dedicated for October/Halloween sales - click on the link now to check out the entire section! Here's a couple of items to tickle your fancy! Click away on them to bring you to their listings on etsy.


DesignedByGinaLoiuse



As stated in last week's "Friday Night Deals", Gina Louise pulls a 20/20/20 every Friday!! And what does that mean? Well, it means 20 items, for $20, for 20 hours! So head on over to DesignedByGinaLoiuse on etsy and check out some incredible vintage and redesigned items! Here's one that's definitely gonna catch your eye! Click on the pic to bring you straight to it's listing!


Faeriemooncreations



I just met Faeriemooncreations on My Craft Corner! She has gorgeous items ranging from jewellery/pendants to knitted pretties! She has a whole Sale section on her Etsy site with some incredible deals, with up to 50% off the selected items! Here is one of her magnets that is on sale, (and above is a pendant on sale) click the pics to go straight to their listings!


Alright kids, one more! And it's a biggy!

HandmadeBoutiques

Now this link was given to me by Flauxers (you may remember her from a previous Feature!). It's a link to another blog called HandmadeBoutiques. I'm not going to write in ALL the etsy shops having a sale, because then it would be tomorrow! But definitely head on over here to see the entire list of stores having a 20% off sale!

Here's a few of the featured stores on HandmadeBoutiques that's having a 20% off sale!
Flauxers, Knittopotamus, and Queen Kat's Crafts!!


Okay, i'm glad I started writing this 4 hours ago LOL. It would definitely be Saturday by the time I was done writing it if I started when I usually do!

Hope everyone enjoyed these Friday Night Deals!!
Now stop reading, and go shopping! (And feel free to stop by my shop sometime! hehe)

Good morning kids! Today's feature is Flauxers! I met this incredible girl during one late night chat, and we became fast friends. I absolutely adore all her products. At first, I thought she was a fellow flower photographer, as anything from her shop posted in the chats looked like professional flower photos - but it turned out that, nope! It was just pics of her creations with fake flowers. (so you know them there fake flowers look dang real!!)
So sit back, relax, and find out the wonderful person behind Flauxers! All pictures you see are directly linked to their listings on Etsy, so click away to find out all the details.



1. Let us know a bit about yourself.

Name: Tanya Hofford
Location: State College, PA


2. When did you start crafting? What/Who inspired you to become an artist? Do you do different crafts other than what you list on etsy?

I remember being really young and crafting with my Mom and Grandma. I'm not sure exactly how old I was, but I guess you can say it was in my "blood". I also used to make flower arrangements from anything I could find out in the back yard for my Mom - It's always been a passion and I'm so happy I'm making more than dandelion bouquets now! The artificial flowers idea came to me one day a few years ago, because I never had a really green thumb and I wanted to have my own flower shop. The jewelery, accessories and magnets were ideas I've had just since I've been on Etsy.
I actually do other crafts - like knitting, crocheting, and sewing. I'm still a novice, but enjoy all three of these activities. I'm actually in the process, and almost done, knitting a blanket for my nephew.



3. What was your sole purpose of opening up your shop?

As I stated above, I've wanted to open a flower shop for years, and I started my business, Flauxers, in June of 2008. I was looking for additional ways to get my products seen and purchased, when I stumbled upon Etsy, which has proven to be a great find!



4. How did you decide on a shop name?

My husband actually came up with the name. I was brainstorming for almost a month on a business name, and mentioned 3 or 4 ideas to him. Then he mentioned Flauxers.
Faux + Flowers = Flauxers (pronounced Flowers) He's such a creative and wonderful man!



5. What is your favourite item to create and why?

Hmmm... My favourite?? I actually really enjoy making all of them - I know it sounds a little crazy that I can't pick one, but they all allow me to play with flowers, and to make something that I really enjoy. I love my products so much that I've had to make replicas of some of them for myself! :)



6. What venues do you use to promote your work? Which ones are your favourite to use? Is there one that has been the most successful for you?

I use Facebook (http://facebook.com/Flauxers), Myspace (http://myspace.com/Flauxers), Twitter (http://twitter.com/Flauxers) and I have a Blog (http://Flauxers.blogspot.com). I'm still new to the blogging world and I don't update it as often as I feel I should. I'm still trying to get a hang of what goes into it and how to use it to it's best advantage. I seem to get a lot of exposure from Twitter and Facebook - I tend to update them more often than the other venues, as they've proven to send traffic my way!



7. Where do you hope to see yourself in 5 years concerning your crafting business?

I really hope that within 5 years it will be busy enough that I'm selling multiple products a day. In that time, I'll have been in business for a little over 6 years and will have all the kinks worked out of my processes, and hopefully have several new products to offer.



8. Is there any other information you'd like to share with us?

I would like to welcome everyone to visit my web page (http://www.Flauxers.com). There are many arrangements and items for sale there that are not listed in my Etsy shop. Also, I have a sale every month (I call them "Monthly Blooms") and they vary in amount and products on sale - this month is 20% off everything ordered from my website or my Etsy shop! Keep an eye out for the sale each month - as sometimes there will be donations made to a charity, or you could win something!
As far as advice to new Etsy sellers - be patient. Sales will come and sometimes it takes a while. If you ever want a little extra advertising or need a pick me up, head over to the Etsy chats. I've made some great friends on there and people in general are really nice. :)



9. Name a few of your favourite things!

When the dog bites, when the bee stings... oh sorry - that made me want to sing! :) Other than crafting, I really enjoy working with computers (I was actually a computer Networking Major in college), watching TV, talking to, and spending time with, family and friends, reading books in the Women's Murder Club series, or anything written my Neil Gaiman, and listening to music (Billy Joel, Jonathan Coulton and Barenaked Ladies are probably my 3 favourite bands/singers)



10. If you had a super power, what would it be, and why?

Is teleporting a super power??? I want to be able to get from one place to another in an instant, so I can make sure I spend as much time as possible with everyone I'm with, and accomplish so much more in my day!



And that wraps up my Getting to know you Tuesday Feature!! I hope you enjoyed meeting Tanya, and make sure to visit all her websites, become fans and followers, so you can continue gettin' to know this fantastic Etsian!