Celebrate the "Father of Fairy Tales" b-day with a giveaway! Enter to win book and print on 1/28

Today's Google Doodle commemorates the 388th birthday of Charles Perrault with 3 illustrations by Sophie Diao (above). An academic and author, Perrault was a member of Louix XIV's court and influenced the design /construction of the Louvre and the famous fountains of Versailles, among other things.

close up of Perrault by  Philippe Lallemand

His most interesting claim to fame, though, is as "The father of the modern fairy tale." Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Bluebeard and others were already spoken of in oral folk tales, shared with children to teach them lessons on morality and act as warnings. 

Perrault, however, wrote them down. He gave these memorable characters (& more) life on the page, writing the tales in a way which entertained the upper class which he belonged to. His stories went on to influence the Grimm Brother's and others. For more info on Perrault and his stories, including where to read some online, check out the links at the end of this post.

Now, let's get this party started! 

On January 28th, one lucky winner will be selected from everyone who comments on my blog between now and then. This winner will receive an English translation of Perrault's Fairy Tales (Dover Children's Classics).

Plus a matted print of Red's Winter Walk. 

Red's Winter Walk by Stacey Merrill

To Enter The Random Drawing: Simply leave a comment on this blog before 1 a.m. EST on 1/28.  It is that easy! If your contact info is not in your profile, please leave an email address so that I can reach you if you are the winner. 

The winner will be announced at noon (EST) on 1/28/16. This drawing is open to all. The prizes have free world-wide shipping.

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Looking for more info about Charles Perrault and his stories? There is a lot to be found online. Here are a few links to get  you started:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Perrault

Who Was Charles Perrault? Why the fairy tales you know may not be as they seem.

Read some of his illustrious tales at Sur La Lune

Giveaway Day #7 - for the holiday spirits

This week just flew by! Today is last day of prize announcements & tomorrow the random drawings begin - woo hoo! For info on all 7 Days of Giveaways prizes, visit the links at the end if this post.

Today's prize may lift your spirits. It will certainly help you carry them. This stainless steel mini flask hold 1 oz of liquid and comes with a removable chain for use as a pendant. It also slips easily into a pocket.

I ordered a few of these with different images to see if I'd like them for my Etsy shop. My Once Upon A Time dancing skeleton design was originally printed on temporary tattoos for the INK art show last spring. This particular flask has the design slightly misprinted to the left of center but us otherwise in working order.

Leave a comment before 7 a.m. (EST) on 12/1 to enter the random drawing for this fun flask. Please add your email info if it is not in your profile.

Depending on when you are reading this, there may still be time to enter the other 6 days of giveaways. Check out the links below for details:

Day 1 - Win $20 gift certificate to Artsnark's Artifacts on Etsy.com. Ends 11/25
Day 2 - Winner's choice of 1 matted print from Artsnark Instagram gallery. Ends 11/26
Day 3 - Enter to win $10 Gift card from Michaels Craft stores. Ends 11/27

Day 4 - Win 3 bars of high-end chocolate from Mast Bros., Dandelion & Oxford Exchange. Ends 11/28

Day 5 - Enter to win 4 super-cute holiday rubber stamps. Ends 11/29
Day 6 - Enter to win a $15 gift card to Amazon.com. Ends 11/30

Pieces of Paris winner!

Hey there. How have you been? 

I've been a bit scarce around here lately. Life happens, you know what I mean? But I've made it back in time to announce the winner of today's random drawing.

I tossed the entries into random.org & out popped the lucky......

QueenBe from QueenBe'sAlteredNeeds

 

Congrats, QueenBe! I will contact you with instructions for claiming your Pieces of Paris.

Thanks to all who entered. I hope to post a new giveaway prize later today, so please stop back if you get a chance. Sorry to be flaky - 'tis just that kind of day week life.

Enter the FEST Treasure Hunt! Over $200 worth of prizes

It is finally May 1st! 

Do know what that means? 

The Florida Etsy Street Team Treasure Hunt has begun!

Later this month 1 very lucky winner will receive over $200 worth of fabulous handmade items from  participating Florida artists/artisans. It might even be you.... but only if you join the hunt!

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Florida Etsy Street Team Treasure Hunt Prizes

So how does it work?

From May 1 through May 12 visit the FEST blog (http://etsyfest.blogspot.com/) for your daily clue.

First this clue will point you in the direction of a participating shop. (By the way, you can find a list of all FEST members by clicking here.)

Next the clue will direct you to one of the items in that shop. If you are looking at the correct listing, you will see that day's secret word.

Each day there will be a new clue & new secret word. The 12 words will combine to form a question.

Email the answer to this question to FESTTreasureHunt@gmail.com along with your name. Entries will be accepted until 11:59 PM EST on Saturday May 14th.

The winner will be randomly selected from those who answer correctly. This lucky person takes home all of the prizes!

Please note: The treasure hunt is open to folks over 18 who are residents of the USA or Canada. You do not need to be a member of FEST or Etsy to play. Organizers of the hunt are not elegible to win.

Ready to get started? Here are some handy links

Gather the clues here: http://etsyfest.blogspot.com/ 

Read more about this hunt on the original Florida Etsy Street Team Treasure Hunt blogpost.

Full List of FEST members

See some of the awesome prizes

Want to know more about the treasure hunt sponsors?

While there are hundreds of talented folks on the Florida team, following are some of the etsy sellers who generously donated prizes to this great game. To visit any of their shops, just click on the purple name.

DMCJewelryCentralFL - I'm a south Florida native living in Central Florida. I came to jewelry making late in life after becoming fascinated with the lore and metaphysical properties of gemstones. I truly enjoy making people happy by giving them a place to buy reasonably priced, quality, custom jewelry. 

Uniquenique - Originally from South Africa I now live and work in the United States. I am fascinated by the world around me and try and incorporate that into my work. Although I work in a lot of different mediums my favorites are glass and wire. I love to experiment and create without that outlet I think I would permanently be on overload. It is a wonderful feeling when something you created makes someone else happy.

FeyFripperies -  I'm Heather Daniel. I have always been an artistic kind of person. My inspiration comes from the desire to sparkle and make something personal for others. I enjoy making other people happy and when I am crafting, I put a lot of heart into my pieces. 

fragiacomoglassart - I'm a stay at home mom who's been lampworking for 5 years now! I love every minute and LOVE working with all the bright, fun colors. My favorite beads are the ones with as much color as possible. I hope my beads make others as happy as they make me!

angeloco - I am a native Floridian and have always lived near the ocean. I am very blessed to be surrounded by the sounds and smell of the sea at all times as my home studio is in the city by the sea, St. Augustine, Fl. 

ashleykmckenzie - My name is Ashley and I live in Madrid, Spain but I'm currently in Florida for a few months. I enjoy all types of arts and crafts and meeting others who like to create! My inspiration comes from all of the beautiful people I've met in my travels around the world, especially the children!

hannahbird - Hannah is a freelance illustrator living in Jacksonville, FL. She works primarily in watercolor and ink, specializing in fantasy, fairy tale, and children's book illustration. Her shop features prints, paper goods, art pendants, and original paintings.

runningwithescissors - I’m Barbara, a lifelong (50 years and counting!) crafter and owner of Running Withe Scissors an ETSY Shop devoted to paper crafts. If you can put paper to it, I’m into it! Hot items at my shop include University Décor items and - believe it or not- Christmas Card Address books. I sold 17 of them last December alone and 45 in the last year. Stop by and wander through the shop!

feedyoursoulthreads - I created Feed Your Soul Threads while doing a bit of my own soul searching. We are only here a short time and while life is demanding we have to remember that we all deserve a break, some R&R, some time to be creative and to just be you. My upcycled designs encourage you to slow down and take some time to Feed Your Soul .

TealwaterDesigns - I have lived along the Gulf Coast (Northern Panhandle) of Florida for the past 20 years, it is a beautiful area of the world. I have a wonderful husband, two stepchildren who are now grown, a sweet dog and an adorable kitty. I grew up in New England (Branford, CT) and I thought I would end up back up north once I was done with college but I started dating my husband right before I graduated from UWF and that was that...I wasn't going anywhere!

sewZinski - Iowa girl living in Florida. Crafting full time and loving it! I make hand embroidered and hand painted eco-friendly accessories for you and your home.

Zizzybob - From Fort Lauderdale. Creates fabric postcards, bowls, and garlands from cotton and assorted embellishments

MiGoPhoto - My name is Sara and I've been hooked on creativity my whole life! I just love travelling and taking photographs of the fun places I have been and beautiful things I have seen. I also have a shop on Etsy where I sell clothing, purses, and accessories that I sew, having been trained by my mother and grandmothers in sewing

ArtSnark - If you read this blog, you may know too much about me already... but just in case: I'm Stacey Merrill, mixed media artist & jack of all trades. When I'm not wearing assorted hats for R&R Games I can usually be found tinkering in a variety of materials, traveling, blogging or gardening.

Many thanks to all contributors to this Treasure Hunt. Special thanks, extra hugs and virtual roses & chocolates to Sarah (MiGoPhoto) for doing so much to bring all of this together!

And thank you to all readers who play along. Now get of here & go solve some clues! Good Luck!

We have a winner......

Hey there. How have you been?

Just got back from the Maine holiday a couple of hours ago. Plum tuckered out but remembered pick a winner of Risa Tritabaugh's original painting, Among The Flowers.

Among The Flowers by Risa Tritabaugh

So, with help from random.org, the lucky winner is.....

Sarah  from Sadie Kate's Crafts & Such

Congrats, Sarah! I will contact you today with instructions for claiming your prize.

Many thanks to Risa for donating this wonderful prize! If you missed Risa's features earlier this month, be sure to check them out - click here for a studio tour & here for a visit with the artist.

Also thank you to all who took the time to leave a comment & enter this great giveaway. The next Thursday Giveaway will be announced on 8/26, with a random drawing held on 9/9. 

However, if you pop back before then I have a little something up my sleeve. It just might take me a couple of days to get it posted. 

'Tis my 18th Anniversary tomorrow (where did the time go?) so I may be a bit scarce this weekend. I'll catch up with you soon though.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

New Feature & Prize: Kim Smith + her Over The Rainbow Bracelet

Over The Rainbow bracelet made by Kim Smith
for sale at Hearts For Haiti

I Love This Bracelet!

Last month while visiting the nonprofit etsy shop Hearts for Haiti I stumbled over this colorful bracelet. It is made of memory wire, plated glass pearls & seed beads by Kim Smith from Kimmsmith.etsy.com. Beautiful piece, great price & free shipping - I decided to make it mine. Plus I loved knowing my $ is going to a good cause.


All money spent at Hearts For Haiti is donated to Doctors Without Borders once etsy & paypal fees are removed. As of 2/8 Hearts For Haiti has raised $29,079.92 (after fees) If you have some time, please check out this fantastic shop. A variety of items have been donated by hundreds of Etsy sellers and all shipping is free.

I love my new bracelet (it is even prettier in person) and decided to share. I contacted Kim and she made another for Thursday's Giveaways. I then purchased that bracelet from Hearts For Haiti & will give it to one very lucky winner.

To enter the random drawing for 1 Over The Rainbow memory wire bracelet, leave a comment on this blog before 1 a.m. on 2/25. That day 1 winner will be selected using random.org. The bracelet is one size fits all. This drawing is open worldwide & prize ships free. Make sure you have contact info in your profile or comment.

Kim has also popped in today to share some of her colorful thoughts and photos. Kim lives in the UK, where she creates the vibrant bracelets that she sells in her Etsy shop.

Sweet Sakura beaded charm bracelet by Kim Smith

Thanks so much for dropping by, Kim. What would you like to share about yourself today?

KS: I'm a beadaholic! I am married to Ian who is so supportive and praises my work always. I have 2 boys Kristian 17 and Jamie 8 who are football mad! I sing to myself all day whilst beading.

Just Pearls Memory Wire Wrap Bracelet by Kim Smith

KS: I love walking to gather inspiration, watching my boys play football, lunching with friends and spending time with my supportive family. I love all sorts of crafting and I'm constantly amazed by the beautiful things that people make. I love anything that is different. I dream beads and constantly come up with new colour mixes so my journal is always to hand.

Tilly Floral Earrings by Kim Smith

When did you 1st become interested in beading?

KS: My first encounter with beads was when I was about 5, my grandad gave me a big bag of coloured beads, I strolled through the park on the way home happily with my mom when a huge dog bounded playfully at me, I lost every single bead and cried all the way home!

Mermaid's Garden Beaded Necklace by Kim Smith

KS: I have been beading now since 2007. My sister used to make jewelry and I always admired her; she tried to show me how it was done one day, it was fiddly and needed patience, it just wasn't for me even though I had always loved beads since childhood! I was made redundant from my job quite a few months later and had lots of spare time on my hands and was very bored so I decided to have a play but kind of doing it my way, from that day on I became addicted!

Lemon Lush Charm Bracelet by Kim Smith

How do you choose the colors & patterns for each design?

KS: My inspiration for colours can come from the most bizarre things such as a colour combinations on a shower gel bottle, wallpaper, fabric, a pattern on a dress or a gift box.

Monet Water Lillies beaded charm bracelet by Kim Smith

KS: My main inspiration though is my garden and childhood memories of the hours I spent in my grandparents award winning garden full of flowers and orchards! My nan and my mom taught me every craft I know and always inspired me! The inspiring feedback from customers and other artists makes me want to keep doing what I'm doing and I love every moment of it.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, Kim. It has been great fun! Also thank you for donating your fantastic Over The Rainbow bracelets to both Hearts For Haiti and the new Thursday Giveaway.

Many thanks to all who take the time to enjoy this visit with Kim today. Please leave a comment to enter the random drawing. If you simply can't wait to get an Over The Rainbow bracelet of your own, click this link to visit Hearts for Haiti where there is another one for sale. They are also available in Kim's Etsy shop, Kimmsmith, along with an assortment of other colorful & affordable jewelry pieces.

Winner of Sunset Parking Lot Matted Print is....

GINNIE MARIE!

Congrats, Ginnie Marie! You are the lucky winner of Harry Boardman's fine art print. I will contact you today with instructions to collect your prize.

Sunset Parking Lot by Harry Boardman

For anyone who missed them, click through to visit Harry's interview & studio tour features. You can see more of Harry's art at these online locations:

http://365monsters.blogspot.com
http://365monsters.etsy.com
http://HarryBoardman.etsy.com
http://www.portraitsbyharry.com/
http://www.harryboardman.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Harry-Boardman/9012343994

Pop back later today for an interview with another talented Etsy artist. Also see the next giveaway prize & sign up to enter.

2 New Winners - who will it be??

Welcome back! I can't believe it is Thursday already?! Where does the time go?

Thanks for the great response to the prizes listed last Thursday. Today we get find out who the lucky winners are. Will it be you?

Prize #1 is a vibrant hand dyed scarf from AJ over at StormOne.etsy.com

Want to see more pics of the scarf or read about AJ? CLICK HERE for last week's post. OK, random.org has spoken and the winner is

Congrats BETSY !!!

Ready for random drawing #2?

Prize #2 is 100 Custom Printed Postcards from Uprinting.com


CLICK HERE for last week's post which has prize details. The lucky winner of this prize is

Congratulations In Juneau!!!

Betsy & In Juneau, I will contact you today with info on how to collect your prizes. Many thanks to all readers who left comments & entered these drawings. Special Thanks to AJ of StormOne and Uprinting for their generosity!! Please click through & visit their sites if you have the time.

Check back here later today
I'll be announcing a new giveaway prize!

Plus we'll have a visit from an artist whose creations are perfect for Halloween. Be forewarned ... his muses can found under the bed, in your closet or perhaps in your darker dreams...muhahahah...

Who won the Michaels Gift Card?

First off, sorry about the late posting. Having big problems with Blogger today & it refused to let me post till now.....

It’s that time of week again! Today’s prize is a $10 GiftCard to Michael’s craft stores. With help from Random.org and my official button pusher, Frankie, we’ll find out who won this week’s random drawing……

Congratulations Maureen !!! I’ll contact you for your address & mail it right out. Have fun shopping & creating! If you want, send us a pic of what you make & I’ll post it here for everyone to see.

Great turn out this week! Thanks to everyone for playing.

Tune in later today a Double Giveaway with a twist! While I’m showcasing a new featured artist & fabulous prize, my guest will be showcasing my art on her blog. … and she’ll be giving away one of my matted drawings! So come back again & play along, okay?

New Giveaway Art, Alice with Tulips - ends 8/13

Welcome back! If you are looking for the winner of today's noontime drawing (for the craft supplies tote bag) click HERE. If you'd like to enter the new random drawing, you've come to the right place. If you want to go directly to the prize & rules, scroll to end of this post.

Had a some time to play this morning with a few stamps I bought at the The Queen’s Ink booth last Friday.

I’d popped into the booth to ask a question about Judikins Diamond glaze and found myself in stampers heaven! (By the way, click HERE to order a sample of Diamond Glaze.)

The selection & quality of designs were truly amazing!

some The Queen's Ink project samples

So was the booth staff. I enjoyed a great demo on embossing. And got answers to all kinds of questions on stamps, glazes & adhesives. But since you are probably here to find out about next week’s prize, I’ll save most of that info for another day.

Next Thursday's Prize was made using a print of my original tulip painting and an Alice in Wonderland stamp from The Queen’s Ink.


The tulips were printed on textured paper & then enhanced with watercolor pencil for some extra pop. I then added Alice, colored her in a bit & sprayed the whole thing with a UV resistant finish. This piece is signed, dated and matted. It fits in a standard 5 x 7 frame.

TO ENTER: Simply comment on this blog before noon (EST) 8/13. It is that easy! 1 lucky winner will be randomly chosen. Drawing is open worldwide with free shipping.

By the way, for those of you into the online Art Challenges this week’s Mix it up with Melange prompt is Archetype. I’m having fun with this one!

New Giveaway! 250 Free Stickers of YOUR design

It is that time again!

Time for you to jump aboard the giveaway train!

The last prize was customized by me. If you want to find out who won the Art Box , click HERE.

This Prize will be designed by YOU! Now how cool is that!

This week’s Thursday Giveaway sponsor is

They print just about everything, from business cards to wall banners & a variety of items in between.

They also print Custom Stickers!!

1 lucky winner will receive 250 Free Custom Stickers of their own design. Imagine what you could do with these!! Promote your business or blog. Use them in the kitchen, label your stuff, or just show off your cool artwork. The possibilities are endless!

This giveaway is a little different than my usual. Normally you just sign in before Thursday to be included in the random drawing. This week the folks over at UPrinting.com are asking: How would you use 250 custom stickers? Just leave your answer in the comment section of this blog before noon (EST) on 7/16 to be entered in this awesome random drawing.

The sponsor also has a few disclaimers:

Giveaway is open to US/CAN residents only (sorry International readers). Shipping of prizes is not included and must be paid by winner. UPrinting.com reserves the right not to print obscene or offensive materials.

All designs submitted in the form of a giveaway may be used by UPrinting.com for online marketing and promotional uses. The designs will be used solely as examples and not be printed or commercially distributed.

Also, please be sure your contact info is correct. You don't have to leave an email, as long as I can track you down easily through blogger. If I do not hear from you within 5 days of your name being drawn, I'll go back through the list and choose an alternate winner.

The winner will be announced shortly after noon (EST) on Thursday July 16th.

This prize has reminded me just how much I've been slacking off when it comes to promotional materials. I need to get it in gear & design some business cards for my Etsy shop, ArtSnark's Atrifacts. Here is a blog promo image for my own sticker printing.


Now go get your creative juices flowing!! But before you go, leave a comment saying how you would use 250 free custom stickers. You’ve got all week to enter. 1 random winner will be drawn at noon (EST) on Thursday July 16th. Good Luck!

New Giveaway - this one is customized for the winner!!

Hello All. How's everything this week? If you are looking for the winners of today's random drawing click HERE.

If you're looking for info on the latest prize, you've come to the right place! Couple of tweaks for this Thursday Giveaway: This time I am giving away one of my creations (I feel like I should do a mad scientist chuckle or something. Oh, what the heck.....mwuhuhuhuha...). And it will be customized. More on that in a minute.

Also, there will be NO random drawing next Thursday July 2. The winner of this prize will be drawn at noon (EST) on Thursday July 9th.

Remember Edgar Allan Poe Box I posted last month?

No? Well click HERE to see detailed photos.

I'd just started a similar box & thought how cool it would be design it for 1 lucky winner. I've only just started sanding & staining but he's what I've got so far:

And this is the lid without a center image:

This is where you come in!

The winner of this box can either choose a print of one of my pieces (you can pick from the images on this blog as well as in my etsy shop) OR send me a picture you have taken. Just make sure the you have the rights to the image you send me. I do not want to infringe on the rights of either the model or the photographer.

Also send me either a favorite quote or poem & I will incorporate parts of it into the box (See the Poe box blog post for an example). Please make sure that the text is not currently copyrighted by someone else. The text can also be of your own creation, in fact that would be very cool!

I will take the image & text you send me, add a few tweaks of my own and voila - your very own one of a kind wooden box. The closed box measures approximately 5.75" x 4.25" x 3.25"

I must stress that this box is for your personal use only. The final piece is under my copyright and is not for resale or redistribution.

Also, I will post images of the final piece on my blog.

If you are good with these stipulations & want to play along, simply leave a comment on this blog before noon (EST) Thursday July 9th. Again, there will be NO random drawing on July 2nd. All who comment over the next 2 weeks will be entered in this random drawing.

Just a note: Please be sure your contact info is correct. You don't have to leave an email, as long as I can track you down easily through blogger. If I do not hear from you within 10 days of your name being drawn, I'll go back through the list and choose an alternate winner.

I'll announce the winner shortly after noon (EST) on July 9th. I'll contact you & see about getting your choice of image & text. Once I have these it may take up to 3 weeks for me to finish the box. (It could be sooner; I just want to give myself some room). When the box is complete, I will ship it to you at my expense. This giveaway is open internationally.

Hmmm.....I think that about covers it. If you think of something I missed, or have any questions just let me know & I'll do my best to clarify.

Thursday Giveaway part 2 - 2 Chances To Win

Welcome ! It's that day of the week again!

You know, the 1 where you get to see what new Thursday Giveaway is up for grabs. Hold onto your hats, we’ve got double the fun this week!

Yep, 1 talented artist, 6 original ACEOs and 2 winners!!

Melanie has a fabulous online etsy shop, Studio27. She offers a colorful variety of artwork in several mediums. There are original paintings, cards, swirly linocut prints, and ACEOs. I love all the vibrant colors & movement in her artwork. Plus her prices are amazing!!

A Mother's Love ACEO

Melanie’s wonderful creations seem to flow in a series. Today’s prizes come from 2 different series, so there will be 2 separate winners picked next Thursday (6/25). Woo Hoo x 2!

To Seek His Fortune ACEO

Both prizes are sets of ACEOs. What is an ACEO? I’ll let Melanie explain:

“It is a tiny, collectible work of art in any medium. The only requirement is that it be 2.5 x 3.5 inches, but it can be oriented in either direction. They can be placed into photo magnet sleeves to decorate the fridge or a file cabinet at work, they can also be made into cards or framed......the possibilities are endless!”

Cherish Every Moment ACEO

The 1st prize is a set of 4 ACEOs from her collection that I’ll call the Family Portraits. Melanie has altered prints from some very cool vintage & antique photographs and embellished them with text from old books. The layers of text add a poetic touch to the intriguing images. In her words:

"For these original mixed media collages I used a prints of vintage 1940's photos, and then collaged text from old books onto them, and then affixed them to bristol board paper."

Sisters ACEO

After random winner #1 has been selected, a 2nd winner will be picked. The Next Prize is a pair of ACEOs from Melanie’s Goddess Series. This fabulous series is a truly eloquent collection and a steady seller at Studio27. Melanie can explain it better than I:

"An Everyday Goddess is the story of a woman - an everyday woman with a delicate spirit. She believes in Karma and celebrates the magic of living every day....and sometimes her imagination gets the best of her! These are ACEO (Art Card Editions and Originals) original, being 2.5" x 3.5" in dimension. I used marker, ink, colored pencil and collaged text (patiently found in old books) on bristol board paper."

Darkness Falls ACEO - from Goddess Series

I don’t know about you guys, but I always enjoy hearing more about the creators behind such interesting art. I asked Melanie to share some info about herself:

"I love the magical moments in life......watching raindrops as they ripple in puddles, blowing bubbles, watching the crescent moon rise in the twilight sky. It is always these simple moments that take my breath away.

I studied art at the Montserrat College of Art in Massachusetts and the Maine College of Art in Portland, Maine. My work is very inspired by indigenous and tribal art. I am very fortunate to live in a beautiful little cabin in the woods....so the forest world around me also inspires my work."

Winter ACEO - #45 in Goddess Series

By the way, check back in a few days for a peek into the real Studio27, where this talented artist works her magic!

Many thanks to Melanie for her generous donations and for taking the time to share with ArtSnark’s readers. Plus an extra large helping of gratitude for helping me out of a last minute bind today!!!

You’ve seen the prizes (the ACEOs pictured here). Now jump aboard the giveaway train! Shipping is free & this giveaway is open to international entries as well. To be entered in both random drawings: just leave a comment on this blog before noon (EST) on Thursday 6/25. At that time, the 2 winners will be picked using Random.org. C’mon...play along!! You know you want to :D

Just a note: Please be sure your contact info is correct. You don't have to leave an email, as long as I can track you down easily through blogger. If I do not hear from you within 10 days of your name being drawn, I'll go back through the list and choose an alternate winner.

Thursday Giveaway Part 1 – Lucky winner is...

DG !!!

Congrats, DG!! Let me be the 1st to “happy dance” on your behalf today! I will contact you in a few minutes & forward your info to Karen. I know will enjoy whichever sparklies you choose.

Many thanks to everyone who visited this week. This was the kind of week where your encouraging comments made life’s challenges easier to bear.

Also a very special thank you to those who commented on your favorite Will Oaks Studio pieces. Karen can now use this info to decide what to send to upcoming shows. Once her shows open, I’ll post the locations. Then any of you in the area can stop by the galleries & see her lovely work in person. And maybe go home with a new piece you “just couldn’t live without” (wink wink nudge nudge)

A heartfelt thank you to Karen Stahlecker! It is the generosity of talented sponsors like Karen who make Thursday Giveaways possible. If you haven’t had a chance yet, click on the Will Oaks Studio banners to visit her online shops. You will be impressed by the variety & beauty of her jewelry pieces. Also click HERE to check out her blog. She posts some fabulous nature photos regularly.


If you’d like to play again, pop back later today. I’ll have some great prizes (yes prizes with an “s”) from a brand new sponsor!

Thursday Giveaway part 1 - Today's WInner

Random.org has spoken.

Thursday Giveaways new winner of the Canvas Remix book is
Cyber Hippie!

A hearty congrats, C.H.! I hope you enjoy the many projects you find in the book. Send us a pic of what you make & I’ll post it here for everyone to admire :D

Special Thanks to Jennifer at Trial and Error for donating this awesome prize! Psst...by the way, Jen is giving away another inspiring art book on her blog this month. Pop on over & take a chance. You could get lucky! If you have the time, please visit her etsy shop, BlueSkySunburn to see some of Jen’s colorful art.

Thanks to all who entered this random drawing. You make my Thursdays so much fun! Check back a little later today to see this week’s new giveaway prize. Here’s a hint: If you’ve been following this blog, you have seen this sponsor's wonderful pieces before….

Thursday Giveaways Part 2 - Passing my luck on to you!

Thanks again for all the fabulous comments! I think I have as much fun (if not more) hosting these giveaways as you do entering them! Earlier today I revealed the 2 random winners of the noontime giveaway. CLICK HERE to see who won.


A few days ago I was the lucky winner of a book giveaway over at Trial and Error. Artist & blogger, Jennifer WIlliams, has been doing a little destashing in her monthly giveaways. When I found out I'd won a copy of Alisa Burke's Canvas Remix - techniques for creating mixed media accessories, I decided to share.

I nicked this image right off the Trial & Error blog - Thanks again, Jen!

You can find out more about the author (& artist) Alisa Burke HERE. I had fun looking around her blog. She has a lot going on. Cool projects, workshops & other creative stuff. I really enjoyed this tutorial on making sticky canvas backed earrings.

Just leave a comment here at ArtSnark's between now & noon (EST) next Thursday June 11th to be entered in the random drawing for this very cool book! Only 1 lucky winner will be picked next Thursday.

And please be sure your contact info is correct. You don't have to leave an email, as long as I can track you down easily through blogger. I still have 2 unclaimed prizes from past drawings. I think I have to institute a new rule. (Bleck- I hate rules) If I can't contact you or if I leave a message & you don't respond within 10 days of your name being drawn, I go back and choose an alternate winner. I hate to do this, but I've got to keep things moving.

When you have a minute today, pop on over to Trial & Error and see what Jen has been up to. While you are there, sign up for HER monthly giveaway! She is giving away a different art how - to book, but I'm not going to tell you which one. You have to click through to find out & enter! Here's a direct link to Jen's June Giveaway.


Also be sure to visit her etsy shop, Blueskysunburn Creations and check out her colorful artwork. She has a fabulous blend of boldness & whimsy in her paintings & mixed media pieces. I really love the mix of figurative & abstract art. Here's a selection from her shop (again nicked off her blog). Click the pic to see some more....c'mon, you know you want to ;D

Phew, this gal is prolific! To see more of her fun & colorful art, visit her flicker site HERE.

Wait! Before you leave today, make sure to comment here to be entered in next Thursday's drawing for the Alisa Burke's book, Canvas Remix. And thanks again for stopping by!