What happens when a pirate tries math...

In answer to comments, yes, Pirate Day IS in September, but I put it on my calendar for August. *headdesk*

So... it may yet happen. But that's smack dab between moving day and the renaissance festival, so I can't make promises.

Arr, 'Tis Sad Indeed...

Some bad news, me hearties.
I had planned to have a grand party this weekend, to celebrate International Talk Like A Pirate Day, but alas, life has caught up with me. Between fast-approaching deadlines and personal crises, I regret to say that the party has been cancelled.

HOWEVER, I had so much fun at our last one that I'm still planning to do another. Not sure when yet, but it'll happen. :-)
And maybe I'll make it pirate themed, too.

Raffle BNR!

Such a crazy day I'm having!

Those of you who enjoyed the party I had here a few weeks back will like this:

I’m helping Irihana spread the word this morning about the opening of our team's Back to School Raffle BNR! Tons of prizes and lots of great stuff – come on over with a few dollars and join the fun! Raffle drawings every hour until over $500 in goodies are given away!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTA1OTc0MzN8NTcwNDk2MDg3/preview-open-10-am-est-irihana-back-to

If you don't have an Etsy shop, no problem! After you buy just tell them you want me to take the open spot.

Devious Bwahaha and all that.

(Yes, it's legal)

It's been awhile...

I've been getting a lot of chatter about my TARDIS bags lately. Some of you are wondering when (or if) there will be any more for sale.

The Answer Is...

YES!

But I have some things to do first. Right now I'm working on Assassin's Creed costumes. About the time they're done, I'll be moving to a new location. But once the dust settles (and I cozy up in my new, improved workspace!) I'll be setting to work on another run of them. I already have 3 advance orders (possibly more), so if you want one reserved for you, leave me a comment or message me on Etsy. I have a special folder in my inbox, just for advance orders on things.

If you're not yet sure, don't worry. I'm guaranteeing to have at least one that is not on reserve. You just have to get there first. ;-)

Winners!

Our winners throughout the day:

White Rose: Rory the Roman Scrabble Pendant from BlackMithril

Black Mithril: $12 Gift Certificate to ElspethsWhimsy

White Rose: $5 earrings from TrannyTrinkets

Violamom: Stetsons Are Cool Scrabble Pendant from Black Mithril

Niffum: FREE item from ElspethsWhimsy


Congratulations, all! Keep checking in- planning an event for Talk Like A Pirate Day.

Thanks for participating!


Oh, the solution for the ULTIMATE CHALLENGE! was "It's My Party"
'Til we meet again, God bless you all.

THE ULTIMATE WINNER

Congratulations to Niffum!

She won the ULTIMATE CHALLENGE! (which must always be written in caps and end with an exclamation point).

Now she may choose the item of her choice for FREE.

(This does not count reserved items. However, I may be able to make you a custom version of a reserved item if you wish.)

The Challenge Begins...

Here's the challenge. Throughout the day I posted three coupon codes- one on each site. I need you to find all three and organize the letters used to make a phrase (Ignore the numbers). The first person to come back to me with the proper phrase wins the challenge and the free item from my store!

:-)

Ready?

GO!

Final Results and... THE ULTIMATE CHALLENGE!

Well, the names have been compiled, the numbers counted, and I have called upon the Wise One once more (thanks Mom!),

The winner is....

*virtual drumroll*

VMUMMY!!!! AKA Violamom! Since she isn't here at the moment I'll send her a notification on facebook. Congrats!

And thank you again, Mithril, for the contribution!


Now for the ULTIMATE CHALLENGE!
(which cannot be written without caps and an exclamation point)


Whoops, hang on, just got word that one of our contestants has nommables to consume.

While we wait, here's the prize:

ANY item from my shop for FREE. Due to my current broke-as-a-beggar status, I'd appreciate it if the winner could pay the shipping, but if not, I'll cover it. ;-)

Yes, once again, ANY ITEM.

FOR FREE.

Y'all excited?

DOUBLE CHANGE OF PLANS

This was going to be a post about calling it off until tomorrow. Instead, we'll play one more round. Still not sure what to do about the Ultimate Challenge, though. I suppose those who have stuck around all this time are the only ones worthy to attempt it, so maybe we'll do that.

Okay, here 'tis. Another gracious donation by BlackMithril!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/78705887/reserved-for-elspethswhimsy-raffle?ref=tre-507371664-3

This is the last raffle of the night, so just check in and remind me you're here! I'll count up everyone and consult the Wise One again, and we'll see where it goes! When I announce the winner I'll announce the Challenge rules and prize, too.

No, I didn't Die. DID YOU???

EDIT: Just a reminder- checking in at any point during the party enters you for the last raffle!
~~~

Well, no one's here, so it was Mithril x3 against White Rose. Again the Wise One was consulted, and Rosie won!

Congratulations, Rosie!

I'm thinking, since almost everyone has gone, that I'll wait for people to check in again before I move on. So if you're here, let me know! We still have two prizes and the Ultimate Challenge yet!

P.S. Coupon code SPRY35 is now inactive. New code posted elsewhere. Remember, purchasing from my shop wins you 3 automatic entries into all raffles!

ETSY SPOTLIGHT and THIRD RAFFLE

SPOTLIGHT ON: TrannyTrinkets

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TrannyTrinkets

Stephanie is a SoCal girl who loves making jewelry. In her words-

“My shop is a hobby gone wild. I could not find jewelry for myself that fit well. So I just started making my own. Taking classes and learning new things. My goal is to make affordable jewelry using silver, gem stones, glass and beads. I love to solder things too. I gladly take custom orders. Just ask!”

I received my order from her just today, and let me tell you, each item is GORGEOUS! I can't wait to wear them.

Her items range from $2 to $35 and include all sorts of gems and goodies- including pin-up girl pendants (blush).

Here's one of my favorite items:

I almost bought it, but I decided on this instead:



So now you see how beautiful her items are, I'm sure you're excited to hear our next raffle comes from her shop!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/78692751/reserved-for-bnr-raffle?ref=tre-507371664-2 She's offering your choice of any $5 pair of earrings in her store. YOUR CHOICE! Ain't it grand?

How to? Here you go:

I was going to ask y'all to convo me, but instead I'll have you bring the info here. What I need you to do is to go to my facebook page's wall ( www.facebook.com/elspethswhimsy ) and look at the posts I've made. One post has a picture of fruit, another has a picture of a sea creature. I want you to come back here and tell me what fruit and what sea creature they are. Okay?

You have 15 minutes.

GO!

EDIT: Due to it being suppertime and all, I'm extending the cutoff to 5:45pm EST.

TWITTER RAFFLE WINNER! and ADJUSTMENTS?

After a False Call (for which I may never forgive myself), it turns out that MITHRIL won the Twitter Raffle by virtue of having bought an item and receiving her 5 "forever" entries!

Her prize is a $12 gift certificate to my shop: http://www.etsy.com/listing/78707263/reserved-for-july-29th-raffle-gift

Congratulations!

For latecomers- Rules and general whatsits are posted here: http://awhimsicaladventure.blogspot.com/2011/07/party-time.html

Also remember that you get 5 "forever" entries with every Elspeth's Whimsy purchase made during the party. These automatically enter you into EVERY raffle.
Though considering the low turnout we should maybe make it 3 extra instead. Mithril, is that okay with you?

RAFFLE WINNER and ETSY SPOTLIGHT!

Raffle entries are now CLOSED. The wise one being consulted (thank you Mum, who is out running errands and barely understands the contest much less knows who's playing), has chosen entrant #2, meaning our beloved WRosie has won the Rory pendant! Congratulations!

EDIT: P.S. From now on things will also pop up on my facebook page- www.facebook.com/elspethswhimsy and my twitter feed- www.twitter.com/elspethswhimsy .
(You can read them both without having an account.)


For those latecomers, general rules and suchlike are posted here:
http://awhimsicaladventure.blogspot.com/2011/07/party-time.html

SPOTLIGHT ON: BlackMithril

Allison Williams is a self-proclaimed “Geeky girl”, creating geeky jewelry and other fun stuff, including custom items.

Her specialty is scrabble tile pendants, and my goodness, the selection! She even does custom tiles, just for you. My personal favorite is “Starry Starry Night” with the TARDIS in it. :-)

Her products range from $2 to $50, and include multiple fandoms- I was excited to see lots of Doctor Who and Firefly amongst them.

The most remarkable items, I think, are her resin steampunk pendants- bits and gears seamingly floating in a clear resin. Here’s my favorite:

And the jewelry isn’t just for girls. She has some great men’s items, too.

 

Go on, go check out her shop. I dare you to not find something you like.

FIRST RAFFLE

Our first raffle is a Scrabble Tile Pendant by BlackMithril http://www.blackmithril.etsy.com/!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/78705795/reserved-for-elspethswhimsy-raffle

For this first one we'll make the rules simple. Just comment with your name! If you want, tell me what your favorite Doctor Who quote, episode, or character is! Entries close at 3:40, so come on in!

When 3:40 hits, I'll use a random number generator to choose the winner. Should be announced around 3:45.

Ladies and Gentlemen, BEGIN! :-D

PARTY TIME!

Welcome to Elspeth's Whimsy's First Giveaway Party!

Hopefully it'll go well and there will be more! My sister and I are already discussing a Treasure Hunt for Talk Like A Pirate Day.

Okay, here's the bits and pieces you'll need to know.

First, DISCLAIMERS:
~Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, and Etsy are all not responsible for anything that may happen in the course of this party.

~I am not responsible for any glitches in Blogger, Facebook, or Twitter that may occur during the party.

~I am not responsible for any problems regarding prizes donated by other Etsy sellers. Not that I expect any- these sellers are great people, good customers/vendors. :-)

Second, GENERAL RULES:
~Play Fair! No buying prizes that aren't yours, no hostile or foul behavior/speech. Failure to comply will get you one warning, then the boot. It's either that or Imperial Torture Drone. Your choice.

~In order to win, you must have a valid Etsy account or create one by Monday at 8am, EST. If you do not do so, the prize will go to a secondary winner with a valid account.

~You must be 18 or older, or have parental permission to play. If you lie to me about this, may onions fall upon your head!

~Please "pick up" your prize by August 5th. If you do not, the prize will revert back to the seller to do with as she sees fit.
           HOW TO PICK UP YOUR PRIZE: Follow prize link and checkout as you would if you bought a regular item. The item will be listed for 25 cents with free shipping. This covers the listing fee for the seller.

~You do not need a Twitter or Facebook account to play most games. There will be one exclusive to Twitter, but that is one amongst many, I assure you.

HOW TO ENTER:
Requirements will differ raffle by raffle, but in general it is some variation on commenting somewhere. ;-) I'll give you specific instructions as we go.

To start us off, here's a Coupon Code. Buying from my shop during the party will yield you 5 extra entries into ALL contests, so here's some extra incentive. :-D

AIM29 for 29% off your order.

There will be more codes later today, but each one will render the last void. They may be higher or lower. It's up to you to decide whether to take the chance and hold out for the next one!

So who's ready to play?

NEWS- Hopefully FINAL schedule and info for tomorrow's Party!

Tomorrow I will be holding a many-faceted sale-slash-party.

There will be coupon codes.

There will be raffles.

There will even be a Treasure Hunt!

But in the end, as the dust settles, only one person will be found worthy of the

~*~ULTIMATE PRIZE!~*~

What prize is that, you may ask? Well, I shan't tell you until the time comes to compete for it. But rest assured it's a good one. I've already been called insane for doing it.

The various events won't just be here. Some will be on facebook, and some on Twitter. For those of you who don't have one or the other, don't worry. You can still read both accounts, you just can't respond. Most response-required contests will be held here, where anonymous replies are enabled (though of course I need you to sign them with your Etsy name or other name by which I'd know you).

There will be response-required contest(s) elsewhere, but I've worked it out so everyone will have a chance at something.

Schedule is as follows:
3:00 EST- Party begins here on the blog! Yes, I know I said noon elsewhere, but I forgot that a lot of you are still at work, and I don't really have enough stuff to do a party from noon to 8!

Various codes, raffles, and giveaways will pop up over the next hours, until finally at

8:00 EST- Party ends with the announcement of the winner of the ULTIMATE PRIZE!

It's PARTY TIME!!!

Yep. My 29th Birthday is TOMORROW!

So, some of you know I was planning a special sale for tomorrow. Well, my dear family is taking me out for most of the day, so I cannot do so. So, I am having it on FRIDAY, July 29th, Lord willing.

Here's what it'll be like so far- There will be various coupon codes and sales throughout the day. Some will only be announced here. Some will only show up on Facebook or Twitter. You have to be on the lookout, because the best ones will only last a short time.

There's a very good chance there will be a 70% or MORE code popping up at some point. I may even devise some devious treasure hunt for a prize...

So keep a weather eye, lads and lasses. There's treasure to be had this Friday! :-D

Yo ho ho! Or does nobody actually say that?

SPOTLIGHT ON: Gayl's Goodies

Today I'm here to tell you about Gayl's Goodies, a Christian owned and operated Etsy shop!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Gayl1956

Every time I visit, I'm once again reminded how much I love that place. I was so pleased to find out that, to top it all off, she's a Christian, too!

Here's a little bit about her:

"Christ inspires much of my design. I love working with God-made, rather than man-made materials. That allows energies to flow and creativity to flourish."

Her beautiful works run from $2 to $125 (and she offers layaway on some items!).

Her current specials (as of Monday- I believe they're still current) are as follows:

SPECIAL40 for 40% off earrings
BNR20 for 20% off $10+
OMG33 for 33% off $25+

Here are some photos of her lovely work!



I'm spotlighting her today for another reason, too. She's trying to raise money to pay for some medical bills. Being epileptic, I know how expensive it can be for simple specialist visits and prescriptions.

So, now that you've seen her work and her specials, do you really have any reason not to buy something? :-)

Costume Diary- Lucy's Camp Dress.

Brace yourselves, lads (or lassies). This will be a long'un.

A few months ago I was commissioned to make an adult-sized replica of Lucy's Camp Dress from "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe". I was to do the sewing, she the embroidery. I live on the East Coast. The buyer is from California. We do not wear the same size. Could this BE more of a challenge?

We worked it out, though. We were meeting mutual friends in late June, and were able to have a fitting while there. :-) Very thankful we did, because I'd made some small miscalculations.

I started with this pattern, discontinued but avaliable for sale on Etsy!
http://www.etsy.com/listing/72585911/simplicity-9162-size-a-8-10-12-14-16-18 Bought it ages ago- a basic princess line dress with all sizes in one envelope, on sale, was hard to pass up. I'm thankfull I did, now. It's nearly impossible to get princess-line dress patterns these days.

As you can see in the link, the pattern features a low V-neck in the front and the back. The dress I'm making has a high round back and a shallow V front with cut outs. So some pattern alteration had to be done. Newspaper became my stand-in for the usual vellum or parchment (both more expensive than necessary).

Alterations were as follows- redraw front and back necklines, add a seam at the waist on either side, draft new oversleeves, draft a mock underdress (including taking the point out of the fitted sleeves), and make a placket for the back.

In the end, the dress didn't turn out quite accurate. Technically there should be no side seam below the waist, but for ease of cutting, I added one. There also should not be lacing on the sleeves, and the back cording should be sewn in at the top. But when one takes a design made for an 8 year old and turns it into an adult costume, liberties must be taken.

...and there's the call. I must run. The good news is, I've finished the rest of the stuff I planned for the beginning of the week, so I can get on this first thing tomorrow.

ALSO! Stay tuned for a very special feature on Gayl's Goodies ( www.etsy.com/shop/Gayl1956 ) in the next few days!

We Interrupt This Blog to Bring You An Important Announcement

Fello Etsy Member KottageKreations is in danger of losing her home. Her friend built this BNR to help out. No need to tell them I sent you, just stop by and buy if you can. And pray either way.

Thanks, and God bless.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTA0NTQ2NDl8NDI1NTMxNTcw/friend-in-need-bnr-for-kottagekreations

Adventures with Elspeth- Costuming on impossible deadlines

So, as some of you know, I'm currently in the midst of making a replica of Lucy's Camp Dress, from the recent film version of "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe"
Here's a run-down and plenty of photos from The Wardrobe Door:
http://costumes.narniaweb.com/lubluecamp.asp

But not only is it a replica, it's an adult sized replica! Because I am just that insane. ;-) Today was day 2 of sewing. I wish I'd taken photos of the pattern drafting and cutting. I think I'll take photos of some of the changes made to the original pattern, etc.

Anyway, I'd hoped to post a lot of photos tonight, but due to the late hour this seems to have become more of a placeholder post- a "coming soon" if you will.

I've decided that I'll be journaling this summer's costuming adventures here, for all my Etsy friends to see. These are the sorts of things I'd sell if I could afford to make them non-custom order. First up, the aforementioned Lucy dress. Next, a tunic based on Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Finally, I am making myself a Claudia Auditore costume. And interspersed in all that, when I can't get the sewing machine out, I'm working on doll-sized replicas of other movie costumes.

And that's my summer! Stay tuned for photos and breakdowns!

Newsy News of a Newsish Fashion

So, as some of you know, my birthday's coming up! July 27th I will be 29 years old. Yes, one step from THIRTY.

To honor this momentous occasion, Elspeth's Whimsy will be having a

COUPON

EXTRAVAGANZA

 

I will be running multiple coupon codes, ranging from 15% to 50% off for various parts of the shop. EVERYTHING will be on sale! Stay tuned- I'm thinking of running contests and giveaways, too. Any ideas on that subject would be welcome! I'll keep you updated as it gets closer to the date.

God bless!

"Well, I'm Back."

Who but Samwise Gamgee could make those few words sound so perfectly homey?

Yes, I have returned from the land of holiday- a much happier journey than dear Sam's, to be sure. I'm afraid I did cave and buy books, but they were good books. Almost pristine copies of Stephen Lawhead's Pendragon cycle- the first three, at least. And I was given books for my birthday (Yes, it's a month away, but I had my party on holiday!)- A volume by Elisabeth Elliot, a picture book of faeries, and Andrew Peterson's "Monster in the Hollows" (READ THE WINGFEATHER SAGA! ;-) ).
I also bought "The Soldier's Cross" and "The Shadow Things" by sister authors Abigail Hartman and Jennifer Frietag, respectively.

Blogs thereof (Check them out!) http://scribblesandinkstains.blogspot.com/ and http://thepenslayer.blogspot.com/

So... many books! Shall I ever read all of them? YES.

Yesterday I got my shop back in order. I shipped out my sale, removed all the notifications of being away, and switched my banner and avatar back to the normal one. Life is slowly returning to "normal", though I'm still as busy as ever, making three costume reproductions before September!

And now I must go. There is pizza calling my name...

Hey, what are you doing here?

What, can't a girl blog on her holiday?

I'm currently visiting the Penslayer and Co.
Poor Co. probably gets tired of being constantly associated with said Penslayer, but that's the way it goes.

Today we are off to the used bookstore. Can I stand it? Can I go in and not buy ANYTHING? I honestly don't know. But I've worked hard to save money for this week, and I don't want to blow it all at the beginning. Still, there are a few titles I've been trying to find, and if they have them, I'll probably purchase. The sad thing about liking old books is so many of them are out of print. And then to find matching editions is another thing entirely. Which is why my bookshelf is extremely untidy and wibbly wobbly. I buy the editions I can find, whatever condition, size, or shape.

Well. The Penslayer is coming to pick me up in less than an hour and I have neither armed myself with pretty clothes nor with food. I am contemplating my vintage hat, though...

Sale Ends TONIGHT!

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm having a sale!

Coupon Code OFFWEGO for 50% off any one item in my store!

So why would I repeat myself? Because the sale ends tonight at 6pm EST, and I don't want you to miss your chance! So as of now, you have approximately 4 hours left! Hurry!

See you there!

A Sale and An Enquiry

Inquiry? I like it better with an E. Not sure what the difference is, if there is one.

Anyway, Sale first:

That's right, crazy sale time! No knowing how long this one will last, so take it up quick!
Next Sunday I'm off on holiday to visit fellow bloggers for a week. In honor of that, I'm holding a sale!
Coupon code is OFFWEGO and the special is 50% off any one item! Sale ends soon- before the end of the week, though not certain /when/ before.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now for the Enquiry.

Could anyone tell me how to make a multi-page blog? I know a few people who have more than one page, but for various reasons I've not been able to get an answer.

I'd appreciate any help in the matter.

Thanks!

This Week's Sale

I've decided to try and run a different special each week. This week's? Coupon Code MADHATTER for 30% off any and all hats and fascinators in my shop!

And speaking of which, I've been featured in another BNS. So if you're an Etsy seller, using that code will also get you a spot in a BNS treasury!

God Bless.

Featured Seller- OceanStyle

Why should the spotlight always be on me? I recently came in contact with the owner of OceanStyle and instantly fell in love with her work. Her silver jewelry is truly divine. Just look at the intricacies!






This extremely talented British shop owner lives in the Cayman Islands these days. She describes her life there thus:
"Every day I get to open my curtains to the warm sunshine and clear skies, float silently in an underwater world of colour and fish just like an aquarium, eat my evening meal outside in the warm evening breeze and go to sleep to the sound of the waves lapping on the shore.

Its beautiful. So relaxing. So friendly."

Now, wouldn't you like a bit of that to wear?


You can find her creations at:
http://www.oceanstyle.etsy.com/

http://www.oceanstylejewellery.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/OceanStyleJewellery



P.S. Along with all her jeweling talent, she's also a photographer! http://www.oceanphotography.etsy.com/

Creativity Block? Ramblings of a Creative Soul

What happens when you have oodles of ideas, but no one's buying?

Your workspace starts to get overwhelmed with merchandise, that's what happens. :-P

I have a creativity block. It's not like writer's block, where it's a lack of ideas. No, this is a HUGE amount of ideas, and no outlet. I would say no interest, but I've gotten quite a few favorites of late, and was featured in THREE treasuries just this weekend. So there's plenty of interest, just no one's buying.

Which leads me to the question, "Why?"

Am I doing something wrong? Are my prices too high? Too low? Do I look desperate? Am I discrediting my own work by being painfully truthful about any flaws in the vintage items?

Whatever it is, I find myself unwilling to move forward until I've cleared out what I have laying around. Which means all these awesome ideas sit in my head, waiting for storage space.

Here's one way offbeat idea I had recently, and if anyone reads this blog, I'd really appreciate a comment on it, even if it's "You are crazy, woman" or "That's the worst idea I've ever heard". Seriously. I need feedback.

Steampunk clothes for kids.

I figure not all of the steampunk lovers are childless- there have to be a few kiddies here and there. But when I look around, I don't see any clothes for them. None to speak of, anyway. So I'm thinking- do stuff that's somewhat Steampunk, somewhat Victorian, and 100% Whimsical and fun to wear. I've been wanting to do kid's clothes for awhile now, but they take up more space than necklaces and hats...

This truly has been a ramble. Right now I'm (still) working on two TARDIS bags. I've had requests for a few men's waistcoats/vests, and I'm thinking on some Victoriana purses.

Oh! While I'm here. Latest items from the Use It Up Project:
~Dalek Bracelet
~Seal of Rasillon Pendant
~Good Cluck Necklace (though I /did/ buy some eye/head pins and the charm)
~Galinda and Elphaba fascinators (one of these days I'll do a post detailing construction of the former)

And the Two Hearts And A Rose set are also loosely included. The wire and earring posts are new supplies, but the rose beads have been languishing for far too long.

Yet to be listed: The Vincent Headband, Selkie Bracelet, and an as yet unnamed pendant/necklace.

Adipose Babies and other random happenings

So. The past few days have been moments of creative Whovian insanity. Last night into today I set about to make an Adipose baby plushie. I mean, who DOESN'T love the cuteness?

I tried some new techniques- soft sculpture, hand sewing polar fleece... AND it's part of the Use It Up Project! Yes, I made it without buying ANYTHING. It really was great fun. My only regret is that I did a lot of it at night, after I'd shut down the computer and gone up to my room, making accuracy pretty tough as I had no reference photos/videos. He's cute, but he's not quite what I'd hoped for. And so I'm planning to make a few more, smaller (life-size, actually), and see how they go.

Bought fabric for some more TARDIS bags. The TARDIS 2.0 will be made of Duck cloth (just as soft but a little bit sturdier). Still need to go get some zippers, so they're on hold awhile longer.

Right now, I'm working on all sorts of oddments. My ADD means I'm finding it tough to keep to any particular project. I've a bunch of jewelry, headbands, cuffs, and fascinators waiting to be listed as soon as the last bits of each are completed.

As always, stay tuned for more developments!

Also, I want to know what YOU think. What would you like to see from my shop? What is your favorite aspect? As I move forward into the world of Etsy, I want to figure out where my customers' interests lie, and where my own lie. Let me know your opinions and ideas- they'll help a lot!

Thanks!

SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIALS!

Yep, it's sale time!

1. EASTER SALE

Free shipping on any order, now until 6am EST. Code is "SNSFREESHIPPING"


2. DOCTOR WHO PREMIERE SALE

Because today is also the season premiere of Doctor Who, I'm listing some Whovian items and putting up a sale all week. It was going to be just for tonight, but there are so many Who products I've yet to finish that I'm extending it. 15% off all Who-related items. Code is "WHIMISCALWHO"

God Bless! Happy Easter!

Flitting From Flower To Flower

Well, here it is. Elspeth's Whimsy has cross-pollinated, as I like to call it. Now you should be able to get direct links to and/or feeds from my Etsy store, my Twitter account, and my Facebook Page.

All of these networks will be used to promote my store as much as possible. There will be special coupon codes, advance notice of sales, and any other goodies I can cook up.

I'm already being followed on Twitter by a gentleman whose blog is devoted to serendipitous discoveries of beauty (my words). If I get 25 "Likes" on Facebook, I'll be able to get a nicer name for my page (I'm assuming this means I can rid myself of all the numbers after my page name).

So. This blog is devoted mainly to project blogging (I have one almost ready, just as soon as I've finished its mate), with a few updates now and then on other things (like this post). To get the special goodies, follow me on Twitter and/or on Facebook!

Thanks!

A NEW Challenge

Well, over the past few months I've realized something. My original challenges have switched places in importance.

So now I have a new challenge- make a line of products created from my stash as much as possible. How regularly I make them is secondary to that.

This project will have a long name: "The 'Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, Or do without' Project". At least, that's the name for now. My first piece from the project has just been shipped out with my first sale, as a free gift. What was it? Well, I'm not going to say until it's delivered. After all, I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise. :-)

But hopefully things will continue well- I've got loads of vintage still waiting to be listed, after all!

~Elspeth

New Listings!

Well, I still haven't really set out on my challenge. I'm beginning to think it will never happen. But! All is not lost!
Yesterday, I SOLD A HAT! YAY!
Today, I listed some new ones, so for those of you who have been wondering when things will stop looking so stale in my shop- go have a look. :-)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/elspethswhimsy

It Begins! ...sort of.

Well, my shop is up and running, and there are Things To Buy. That's the good news. The not-exactly-bad-but-not-good-either news is that I do not have anything for the Challenge yet.
I'm working on something that I will count as next week, as I really only spent about an hour on it this week.

Also, tomorrow I get to take some money and go shopping for proper supplies and such. These do not count against the "Only use your stash" rule, because it is things like tools and displays, not crafting bits themselves. Mum will be very happy if I buy my own pliers and dikes.

So stay tuned. Hopefully there will be something of note by next week!

The Challenge

Hello, all. For the purposes of this blog, my name is Elspeth. It's not exactly my real name, and I have other screen names, so please don't get confused. If I've sent you this link, yes, this is me.

So I had a crazy idea- which I basically stole from a million other people. Yes, this is one of those "so many things in such and such a time" blogs. My challenge as it stands is to create one new project per week, and list it on my Etsy shop. Now, I haven't yet got my shop up and running, so I can't do much listing, but I've already made a project and have just inherited a bag of vintage hats to sell, so things should be interesting before I start listing other items.

I have no set start date as yet- right now I'm neck deep in musical rehearsals, but I plan to start before the show's over. Just keep nagging me if I haven't started.

Oh yes, the secondary challenge- almost forgot. I further challenge myself to make said projects out of items already in my stash. I haven't added this in the primary challenge, because I know at some point I'll need a certain thread or some snaps or something and have to go buy them. But I'll muscle through without them for as long as possible.

Am I crazy? Only time will tell.