Very cool giveaway

Very cool giveaway over at Custom Zombie's Undead Ramblings blog from Agonysdecay. You can win your choice of ring!

I had to add this shop to my favorites. Seriously. I will be buying something as soon as I get some extra $$$. This shop has something for every Goth/zombie/horror/macabre/Victorian enthusiast. Jewelry, soap, hair accessories, and more - all in one adorable little Etsy shop!

Check out the giveaway before it ends July 25th!

Mr.Sogs (via Familylicious)

I was skimming through the blog-o-sphere this morning and found this great review (AND giveaway) on the Familylicious blog. - click here to check it out -

Upon reading the review and seeing all of the adorable pictures that were posted, I immediately fell in love with Mr.Sogs creatures.

I checked out his Etsy shop and loved every bit of what I found. Strange little plush creatures. According to his shop announcement:
"All the creatures from Mr. Sogs are handmade and every creature is two of a kind with an identical twin so that none of them will ever be lonely. Every pair is unique and can be adopted as a pair or individually."
How cute!



Definitely check out the review on Familylicious, and have a look at his Etsy shop- filled with bunnies, and Penguins, and Creatures; Sea Suckers, OddVarks, and Orbs! You're guaranteed to find a strange, new friend to love.

Uprinting Business Card GIVEAWAY!

-THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED-

I know that many small business owners and Etsy sellers, like myself, are always in need of business cards. You ship them out with orders, you give them to friends...and let's face it, ordering them can get costly. ...But hat's something one of my lucky readers won't have to worry about for awhile because Uprinting has offered to give 500 business cards to one of my readers. And even better...not only will the winner win 500 business cards, but they will receive free shipping! I have used Uprinting before and I was very pleased with the quality of their products. They offer gloss, matte, and even recycled cards.

The Prize:

500 Business Cards for One (1) Winner
Sizes: 2 x 3.5”, 2 x 3”, 2 x 2” (square card) or 1.75 x 3.5” (slim card)
Paper: 14 pt gloss cardstock, 14 pt matte cardstock or 13 pt recycled uncoated cardstock
Specifications: Full Color Both Sides; Offset Press; 3 Business Day Printing
Shipping: FREE UPS Ground Shipping
Print online

This giveaway is open to US Residents only.

To check out their business cards, templates, or to design your own go to: http://www.uprinting.com/Business-Cards.html

To Enter:
Comment on this blog telling me what you would use these business cards for. Don't forget to leave your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win!

Extra Entries:
Follow Ella Etc. on Twitter (1 entry)

Become a fan of Ella Etc. on Facebook - (1 entry)

Follow this blog - (1 entry)

Comment on another one of my blog posts, and come back to this post with a link to what you commented on - (1 entry)

Purchase an item from my Etsy shop, leave 'uprinting giveaway' in message to seller box at checkout - (2 entries)


GIVEAWAY ENDS Sunday, MARCH 28th, 2010.

The winner will be chosen via random.org. Good luck, everyone!

Life is a cabaret!

Personally, I love cabaret/burlesque style. There's just something about corsets, lace, feathers... And as I have been looking for a few new pretties for myself, I browsed Etsy for the most fabulous Burlesque-inspired items I could find. I came across quite a few beauties (some of which I would just love to call my own, so I simply had to add a few of them to my favorites). I made a list, which was difficult, I found SO many great things!

And The Winner Is...

The winner of the Spectrum Cosmetics giveaway is.....

Jessica!

Jessica, I will contact Erica and get your info to her right away so she can contact you and get those samples out to you!

Spectrum Cosmetics - Review & GIVEAWAY

Erica, of Spectrum Cosmetics, was nice enough not only to let me do the interview - but a review of her products! ...AND A GIVEAWAY!

I don't wear eye shadow as much as I used to, and when I do I typically gravitate towards vibrant colors. Usually, with bright eye color (or really any eye color) you get it and it's really bright and pretty in the package, but then when you put it on it's really light, you have to wet it and put it on thicker than you should have to. Then, it just ends up cakey, and lasts an hour...Ugh. No fun at all. If you're looking for pretty shadows and pigments on a budget, you can find yourself hard-pressed to find a good product.

Erica let me choose 5 colors that I would like to try (was difficult choosing, with so many pretty colors), and was very sweet through all of our convos. The 5 colors I chose were: Peacock, Poe, Lenore, Green Man, and Under The Sea.

-THE REVIEW-

Peacock


I REALLY liked this one, it just might be my favorite. The name is very fitting for the color, a very pretty, shimmery blue-green. It's not dark, it's really vibrant and beautiful. I applied it dry, and with only one coat, and got great results! I highly recommend this product. Definitely worth buying...and at $4 you can't go wrong! It would cost the same price (or more) in a drugstore for a lower quality product.

Lenore

I absolutely loved this shade of purple. It went on exactly the same color as shown in the pot above. It's a slightly shimmery purple pigment, a really nice shade of purple. After Peacock and Under The Sea, this is one is my third favorite. I thought it looked nice. If you're looking for some pretty purple pigment - look no further.

Poe

Personally, this wasn't a favorite of mine. I preferred Lenore in terms of a purple color. But, that all depends on what colors you like and what looks good on you. This is a matte purple, a very true shade.

Green Man

This one was my least favorite of the five products I tried. Again, it all depends on what you like and what colors you feel comfortable wearing. This is a matte spearmint green shade. I just didn't feel it looked that great on me, but it could definitely work on some people.

Under The Sea

Loved it. Loved this color. I couldn't decide if this one was my favorite or Peacock, but I would definitely recommend this shade to anyone. It may look similar to Green Man in these pictures, but this one is so much prettier in my opinion. It's shimmery, and not in a weird silvery way that shimmery makeup can sometimes have. I was really impressed with this color. I think it would work on just about anyone. (Side note: Of all the five shades, my boyfriend thought this one was the prettiest by far. Said it was his favorite, no question.)


THE GIVEAWAY!
Erika has offered to giveaway 3 sample pigments of the winners choice!
She has 59 fabulous colors to choose from, so you have a nice selection to choose from. (And might I add, the sample bags are fairly generous you could get at least 2-3 uses out of them.)



TO ENTER:
Leave a comment with your favorite Spectrum Cosmetics color. Leave your email address so that you can be contacted if you win!

EXTRA ENTRIES (LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY):

- Follow this blog

- Purchase an item from Spectrum Cosmetics. Then come back here and leave a comment with your Etsy username, and that you made a purchase.

- Subscribe to the Spectrum Cosmetics YouTube channel

- Heart the Spectrum Cosmetics shop.

This contest ends February 12, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST.

The winner will be chosen at random and will be announced the following day. This giveaway is only open to U.S. residents. This prize is not redeemable for cash or a shop credit. None of these pictures were touched up. All of the opinions I have given are my own, and I was not paid to give them.

Spectrum Cosmetics - The Interview

I'd like to introduce you to Spectrum Cosmetics. Erica, owner of Spectrum Cosmetics, specializes in making pure mineral makeup. You can view her shop HERE.



Name? Age? Location?
Erica, 25, Pennsylvania.

What is the purpose, principle business aims, target market, policies and values of Spectrum Cosmetics?
My purpose is to provide natural cosmetics at a more affordable price. My target market is any one that loves makeup, and doesn't want to have chemicals slathered all over their face! My main policy is to be as helpful and fair as I can be. I want to keep my prices low, so everyone can enjoy them.

How long have you been selling cosmetics?
Though I have been making my own cosmetics for years, I just recently discovered Etsy in August of '09 and began selling my own cosmetics around October of that year when I realized that there was a lack of it available.

What inspired you to make your own cosmetics?
I was tired of not knowing what it was that was in my cosmetics, and I'm entirely AGAINST animal testing. Favorite colors were always being discontinued, and the prices of things just kept raising, so I began doing research, and testing colors out on anyone that would let me near them with a brush. :)

Are your products Vegan-friendly?
99 percent of my products are vegan friendly - However, there are 1 or 2 that do contain carmine. All ingredients are listed for each individual color though, so there are no surprises.

Have your products been tested? On?
All ingredients that I use have been FDA approved. And, I test thoroughly on myself and anyone around me.

What do you use to make your products?
All pigments are natural substances such as mica, titanium dioxide, tin oxide, iron oxide and similar substances.

What do you do when your not selling or making your products?
When I'm not selling or making more product I'm busy with my boys. I'm a mom of a very active 6 year old, and a curious little 5 month old baby.

What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?
None, I've done factory work, I've made windows, and Zippo components, fuel cells, medical supplies, plastic injection moldings, I worked retail FAR too long. I was a cook at a golf course, I bar tended, and even worked at a pizza shop, and I have to say that working at home and being with my kids is the most gratifying.

Finally, what is your most cherished handmade possession?
Anything that my son makes.

And The Winners Are....

It is time to announce the winners of both the Ella Etc. Resin Sprinkle Earring giveaway, and the CinCin's Crafts Handmade Earring giveaway!

The winner of the Ella Etc. Resin Sprinkle Earrings is...

Twistwear!

And the winner of the CinCin's Crafts Glass Earrings giveaway is...

Emily!

Emily, CinCin will soon be contacting you via email.

Congrats to the winners, and thank you to everyone who entered!

Valentine's Day is on it's way...

It's almost Valentine's Day. Some think it is the most romantic day of the year, while others think it is a totally overrated day to celebrate commercialism.
For those of you who are celebrating this year, I've made a list of some of my favorite handmade Valentine cards! And well, those of you who aren't celebrating will at least get a chuckle out of some of them. I've found the sweet and the sleazy, and everything in between! Hope you find something you like!