Our Next Awesome Donation is from AS2Designs

Our next donation is a 8 x 10 Floral Print and a set of 2 gift tag cards from AS2 Designs!  If you love nature you are going to adore AS2 Designs Donations!  Her shop is filled with tons of beautiful photos of flowers!!  Browsing her shop is like running through a field of flowers on a warm spring day!!  So lets sit back and get to know a little more about what inspires AS2 Designs!!


Tell us a little about yourself!

Hi, I’m an Alaskan Artist. You can find my work at http://www.as2designs.1000markets.com/.  I work in photography, mix media and paper crafts. During summer months I’m running around my little town on my bike or walking. You can spot me always carrying my camera so that when I spot a pretty collection of flowers I can snap away.

Since I have a complete brown thumb for growing anything; my photography focus is floral. It brings a calming effect into my creative side.

During the winter months my activities turn to activities such as cross country skiing, walking and selling my creations at various craft shows and holiday bazaars.

What inspires you when you are making your products?

When doing my photography it’s stepping into the buyers eyes and seeing art through their eyes. Otherwise I could become very wild in my creations as my guy says. I tone my work way down so that its more natural and something one would find in home who loves flowers. I took photography college courses over the years and just totally enjoy the freedom it offers me. I’ve loved photography since I was a kid with my first ‘brownie box camera’. If I could get a photo assignment with National Geographic a lifelong dream would be fulfilled!

My greatest thrill is working in my photoshop elements7 computer program and taking my photos into the wild zone that the creative side of me craves!

When I create my mix media/papers crafts I just go with things that I would like to own. The major theme of my mix media creations are Victorian, Cottage Style, and Steampunk. It’s the girly girl side of me. Otherwise I would be out in the community doing construction work. Yep I have my own construction and power tools. It’s a job that fills a notch of my orderly mind. I am available for hire ~ have references for several home remodeling jobs I handled from start to finish for customers.

What is your favorite product that you have made so far and why?

Has to be the photo that I have donated for the Team EEAT. I just love the simple look to the bud with a waterdrop coming off the petal. As a watercolor photo it just appeals to me. Several folks have also told me that they love this photo – it’s a favorite! Hence the reason for it being an item that I hope raises funds for the Etsy Edible Arts Team.


 Any tips for Etsy newbies or those who are starting their online business?


Do what you love. Otherwise it becomes a chore. Selling online is very hard and demanding. Join teams, different selling venues, and remember to Promote ~ Promote ~ Promote yourself, your products, and your shops! One final word of advise "always believe in yourself" ~ Don't let others tell you "you can't do that".


All of us from Team Eeat would like to thank AS2 Designs for her donation!!!  We thank you from the bottom of our stock pots!!  If you like what you have seen in the post inregards to AS2 Designs work, then you will absolutely adore her shop!!  So go on go take a peek!!

Many Thanks!
Team Eeat!

Another Awesome Donation from Bears Banners and Graphics!!

V as I like to call Vanessa is donating a $20.00 Gift Card to be used in her shop!  Just so all of you are aware V does all of the graphic design for Team Eeat!  She is the one that put the blog design together, alsong with the buttons etc that you see!  So as I am sure you can tell she does some AWESOME work!  On a personal note V also just re-designed all of my labels for my shop, she had over 30 labels to do and she did them in a flash!!  So lets get to know a little bit more about V!!

Tell us a little about yourself!
My name is Vanessa and I own and operate Bears Banners & Graphics on Etsy http://bearcengic.etsy.com/. I am married to my wonderful husband Emil and we have a sweet lil dog named Flora. Emil takes care of the website design portion of our business and I do the graphic design.
What inspires you when you are creating designs?
I gain inspiration from a variety of places. My office faces my backyard with the window just beyond my computers monitor. I get to observe nature (birds, stray cats, squirrels, lizards and more). So I would say the creation around me. Flowers, animals, trees etc.
What is your favorite product that you have made so far and why?
I love our printing packages. They are all eco-friendly using recycled paper and soy inks. Printed professionally on a digital printing press. These cards will really get your business noticed.

Any tips for Etsy newbies or those who are starting their online business?
Tips for newbies:     
• Provide excellent and creative descriptions for your products.
• Treat each customer with great care and always do more than what is required. 
• Take your product images in natural indirect light. On a windowsill or back porch and try to use the same background for each image to provide uniformity. This will make your image stand out instead of the background.

If you need a new graphic designer or some printing done go to Bears Banners and Graphics, you won't be dissapointed!  V is easy to work with and she is great at communication!  V Thanks soo much for donating to the Team cause!!  We LOVE U!!

Team Eeat

An Awesome Donation for your furry family members from Pets Jubilee Team!

Well its that time again, for another feature from a awesome Estian!  Pets Jubilee has donated a Mini Sampler Box to our Silent Auction.  Lol even your furry friends will have something to choose from at the Auction!!  We are still accepting donations, so if you want to be featured on our blog just click the Donation button for further details!  Lets sit back with our cup of Joe and find out a little bit more about Pets Jubilee!!

Tell us a little about yourself!

I manage the Pets Jubilee Team on Etsy. We began selling our pet sampler boxes a year ago this month, which is very exciting. The boxes are filled with items from participating team member's shops so the customer can see the quality of the products before committing to a full size order. We're a very close knit team and support each other both on and off Etsy.

2) What inspires you in this venture?

All of the items in the box are donated by the individual artisans who make them. In return, I promote the members and their shops and organize activities (with the help of the team) to bring attention to all of us, both individually and as a whole. The money we raise goes towards promotional and supply costs and the remainder is donated to the SPCA. We are a very charitable group. Several of the individual shops contribute a portion of their proceeds to different charities, both human and animal. We hold monthly challenges where the contestants donate what they make to a chosen charity.

3) What do you love most about your roll in Pets Jubilee?

I love the people I meet! There is something warm and wonderful about a person who loves their pet. We have a monthly chat the first Saturday of every month and its just amazing! Complete strangers come together and start talking about their pets, sharing flickr photos, telling stories, and we can talk and laugh like we've known each other forever. The people who enter our pet photo contests, who buy our boxes, who attend our events are all immediately like life-long friends. We have non-team members who have been posting in our forums for over 6 months, following along with team events and our individual day to day lives. Its just wonderful.

4) Any tips for Etsy newbies or those who are starting their online business?

• Get out there! 
• You can't post a few items to your shop and then sit back and think the sales are just going to come pouring in. You need to purchase from fellow Etsians and get some feedback. No one likes to buy from someone who doesn't support the community. 
• Join teams, hang out in Etsy chat and the forums. Make a blog, a Facebook account and a Twitter account. I don't understand the whole SEO Google thing, but I do know that the more links you have to your shop, the more likely Google and other search engines will find you. Link to other shops and they'll link to you. Have a link to your shop in all of your emails and have business cards with you at all times. 
• Participate in blog giveaways (but don't give away your product to the blogger for them to review). 
• Use all 14 tags. 
• Make the title of your product searchable. If someone wants a handmade purse, and your title is something cutesy that doesn't even contain the word "purse", then chances are you'll be pretty low on the search results. 
• Take great pictures even if you have to get a "Photography for Dummies" book.  
• Presentation is so very important. When a person opens a package from you it should be like they're receiving a present, even though they purchased it themselves. Think "Wow"!  
• Include business cards and a bonus item. 
• Check out the shops of successful Etsians and see what they do. 
• Keep your shop fresh and updated daily. 
• Most importantly, tell everyone you meet about your shop. Word of mouth is the best publicity and its FREE :)  

All of us at Team Eeat would like to thank Pets Jubilee for their donation!!  So if your little furry family members need some treats visit Pet Jubilee and they will love you forever!!

Another Awesome Donation from Heathers Handmade Creations!!!

Here is another AWESOME shop that has donated to the Silent Auction!!  Give a big Eeat Thanks to Heather from Heathers Handmade Creations!!  Heather is another VERY talanted paper artist!  For those of you that have ordered from my food shop, you will have seen one of her cards!  I send them out with every order!  She does an awesome job!

Heather is donating these ADORABLE Cup Cake Cards!!

Heather is a person that is passionate, creative and very gifted when it comes to designing her cards! Yes there are many card shops on Etsy, but I have yet to find one that has her unique flair for design or for the quality that she provides!

I know about her quality first hand as I have ordered cards from her several times! Each time I have been pleasantly surprised with my orders!! Not only is it the quality of her cards, but Heather is very nice and easy person to get along with. She cares about her customers and wants to be sure that they are happy with their purchases.  So lets sit back, relax and get to know a little about Heather!!

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself:

Heather: I'm 36 years old,married, no kids. I started cross stitching at a early age, took up beading, then crocheting, but not till 2.5 years ago when i took up scrap booking did i really get hooked on a craft. I started out with 12x12 layouts, then took up card making 2 years ago when i ran out of pics to scrapbook. I love hockey, the Leafs and Oilers :) and i love my dog and two cats. I work full time as an embroidery machine operator, and have been doing so for 11 years now. (god!) lol~ Heather also resides in lovely Canada...brrrrrr..........

 

Q: What inspires you when you are creating designs for your cards?

Heather: I get a lot of inspiration just from my stamps, I can look at a stamp and then in my head know what papers, colors and embellishments to use. I am also able to picture the layouts of my ideas in my head. I'm addicted to ribbon and embossing.

Q: What is your favorite card that you have made so far and why?

Heather: My favorite card I have made so far is the Love Bird card. I had the stamp set for a while and when I finally got around to using it, it just came out way better then I expected. I love the heart with the flourishes the best, I plan to do some nice valentines cards with that stamp.

Q: Any tips for Etsy newbies or those who are starting their online business?

Heather: The tips I would give to anyone starting out, is to just have fun! Don't' expect too much to quickly, I think most expect to sell a lot and sell right away, it doesn't always happen, and disappointment can come quickly. I joined not expecting anything but to list my cards. If someone likes and buys them that is great!!

Q: What are a couple of your favorite Etsy shops and why??

Some of my favorite shops are http://www.lucatedde.etsy.com/ he made me the best dog portrait ever and was my first big purchase on Etsy. I was his first sale and it was just a nice experience.

I also love http://www.bluesaphire.etsy.com/; I have never bought from her but I think she has the best sock monkeys around! I just love looking at them to cheer me up, she was my first international sale and even with high shipping she has come back again and again, that makes me feel good :)

I also love http://www.buttfreckle.com/ if I ever have a bad day i just go to her shop and I'm instantly cheered up lol !!

Oh yeah and http://www.txbutterfly74.etsy.com/ as well she has been my best Etsy friends almost since joining and i talk to her nightly she is a paper crafter as well, and we have lots in common!!

So you can see that Heather is an easy going and fun person which is really reflected in her work! What she is to modest to tell you, when you look at the pictures of her cards you would assume that she printed off the images that she uses, which is what I thought when I first saw her cards. In actuality she hands stamps each card and then the color that you see is hand painted with water color pencils!! She does custom orders for any occasion, and not just limited to cards. She also has these adorable gift card holders that would be PERFECT for the Holidays that are just around the corner!! So do yourself a favor and send the ones that you love a card from Heathers Handmade Creations to bright up their day!!

We hope that you will visit Heathers shop!  We would also like to thank you so much for donating to our cause!


With Many Thanks!
Team Eeat

Our First Featured Shop! TXbutterfly74!

All of us from Team Eeat would like to THANK  Txbutterfly74's shop for making a huge donation of her beautiful paper art to our Silent Auction!  I have personally ordered from TX on several occasions and her paper art ROCKS!!! 

For those of you who don't know yet Team Eeat is going to be doing a Silent Auction in November to raise funds for its members continued culinary education!  If you would like to be featured on our blog please click on the Silent Auction button on the side of the blog for more details!!

As I mentioned above I have ordered from TX before and example is the pendant above, I ordered it for my sister! A cute black cat!! They pendant arrived in a flash and it was really an awesome piece of work!! So when I find those that are masters at their crafts I have to share it with the world!! After all I can't be too selfish.....hehehehe....

So I did a little interview with TX, and here it is!!

Tell us a little about yourself: My name is Cherilyn and I will be 35 years old in February. I moved to beautiful Austin, Texas in August of 2000 from South Florida with my long term boyfriend, Alexis . We have three beautiful dogs. Alexis and I love to collect vintage musical instruments. Haha what TX forgets to mention is that she paints and she does it well.  You can see some of her work on her Flicker account!

Your store has a wide range of items from chic pendants to adorable tags, what inspires you to create all these adorable items? My Inspiration comes from a lot of sources like nature, music, colors, life or other creative people. I absolutely love to brainstorm with someone to help both of our inspirations shine. It's a beautiful thing!

What are some of your favorite shops on the net? Oh my goodness! Everyone is so talented on Etsy! I am so addicted to these shops, checking on the multiple times a day to see what they are doing!

Here are a few of TX's Fave Shops:

Miss Avocado : Very cute Aceo's

Nushkie Design : Needle and Wet Felted Creations to Treasure

AmberSky's : Very Cute Jewelry

Heathers Handmade Creations: Awesome Cards and Tags

Hillsidebakery's: Some VERY awesome fudge!!! Hehhe she has other stuff too!

Well besides being a great artist TX is a VERY sweet lady!! So do yourself a favor and give her shop a try!! You won't be disappointed!! Hehheh I would also check out her fave shops, there are some really awesome items!!

Once again THANK YOU Cherilynn for donating to our cause!!  We all appreciate it greatly!!


With Many Thanks,

Team EEAT

Team Eeat Silent Auction!!

Team EEAT will be hosting a Silent Auction in November to help to raise funds for its members continued culinary education. Running a business that deals with food is a costly endeavor, especially when trying to keep up with culinary education!


We as a Team has designated November funding raising month, a portion of our sales will go to the Team Eeat Scholarship program. This program is designed to help those struggling with all of the fees of their culinary educations!


What YOU can do to help!

1. Team Eeat is in need of items for the silent auction. We currently have 4 shops participating and would like to get a couple more!

What you get out of donating an item for the auction, we will highlight you on our blog that currently has over 160 followers. You will get a full 24 hours of promo time on the blog via a shop interview!

2. Come participate in the silent auction!! There will be lots of cool things up for auction!!


The auction will take place in the middle of November and it will all be done on our blog! All proceeds will go to the Team Eeat Scholarship fund. So if you would like to donate and item and be featured on our blog please contact us via email at TeamEeat@yahoo.com.


Many thanks to all of you food lovers and your continued support of Team EEat!

 

Seeing Red instead of Brown

Lentils, a small but nutritionally mighty member of the legume family, are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber. Not only do lentils help lower cholesterol, they are of special benefit in managing blood-sugar disorders since their high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal. But this is far from all lentils have to offer. Lentils also provide good to excellent amounts of six important minerals, two B-vitamins, and protein-all with virtually no fat.

The calorie cost of all this nutrition? Just 230 calories for a whole cup of cooked lentils. This tiny nutritional giant fills you up--not out.

Try Red Lentils in any of your recipes! Red Lentils are more colorful than the brown and green varieties hence it is all that I use for cooking.

Any chef will tell you: the more colorful the food ~ the more it appeals to all your senses; especially our sense of sight. Brown foods mean they are dull and boring; many times brown foods are also associated with health food fanatics. Too often many of us believe we are eating healthy when we are not. Examples would be having brown rice it’s the best for you but most restaurants serve white rice which most of the nutrients are bleach out. Many people associate white is clean and fresh, plus it showcases other colors well. Next time you shop pick up a small bag of brown rice and mix it up with your large bag of white rice to get you a bit closer to being healthy. Take small steps for insuring a longer life for you and those you love.

For fun plus tomorrows healthy meal ~ try my own recipe and favorite:

Mediterranean Red Lentil Soup

1 cup dry red lentils

1 large onion

1 leek

1 Chicken breast with Bone

1 cup Chicken stock

2 garlic cloves

5 cups water

1 cup cooked rice

Seasoning: ½ teaspoon of each: allspice, smoky paprika, black pepper, cumin, coriander,

SERVES 4 cooking time 1hour 15 minutes to 2hours

Chopped onion into large bit size pieces, slice leek about ¼ thick (wash and clean in cold water after slicing) dice garlic cloves.

Caramelize onions in 5qt cooking pot with ½ teaspoon grey salt, and ¼ teaspoon white pepper.

Once onions are caramelized add All the following: lentils, leeks, garlic, spices, stock, & water in large 5 qt pot. Bring to boil and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Turn heat down to medium add chicken breast and simmer for 30 minutes. Take breast out and slice/dice off bone, discard bone and add diced/slice meat back into pot. Add rice and cook all until mixture is thicken. About another 30 minutes.

Serve with pita bread, and black olive/tomato salad with goat cheese chunks.

The Power and Beauty of Cauliflower

Cauliflower, a highly nutritious vegetable, contains many nutrients that can help prevent a range of diseases from cancer to cataracts.

Cauliflower is a member of the 'white' family in terms of fruits and vegetables. Included in this group are other natural foods such as bananas, mushrooms, onions, and garlic.

Cauliflower contains allicin, which can improve heart health and reduce the risk of strokes, and selenium, a chemical that works well with Vitamin C to strengthen the immune system. Cauliflower can also help to maintain a healthy cholesterol level. Folate is also found in cauliflower, which is a B vitamin that is needed for cell growth and replication. For this reason, it is often recommended that women who are pregnant or may become pregnant eat significant amounts of cauliflower in order to help their unborn children develop properly. Of course, cauliflower is an excellent source of fiber, which helps to improve colon health and can even help prevent cancer. And, most recently, it has been discovered that cauliflower, as well as other cruciferous vegetables, such as brussel sprouts and cabbage, contain indole-3-carbinol, a substance that can affect the metabolism of estrogen in the body, and prevent breast and other female cancers.  [i]

But did you know not only can you find ‘white cauliflower but it comes in different colors?  During the summer many farmers markets carry the colored varieties such as Purple and a green variety; that many times I tell my better half that it is broccoli so they will eat it – he says he doesn’t like cauliflower but sure eats a lot of this green variety! 

Cauliflower steamed with a dash of salt and pepper is a joy.  Many folks favorite; of course; is cauliflower with a cheese sauce.  Add cauliflower to soups, casseroles, or eat it raw, and have at least ½ cup twice a week with your dinner ~ Remember it is a fun food that helps women to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

---

[i] oohoi.com

Tips N Tricks: The Incredible Edible Leek

 So today's tip and trick is the Leek! A leek you say, what the hell is a leek. It's that thing at the grocery store that looks like a green onion on steroids!!!

Wikipedia defines the leek as:

Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum(L.) J.Gay

The leek, Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum (L.), also sometimes known as Allium porrum, is a vegetable which belongs, along with the onion and garlic, to the Alliaceae family. Two related vegetables, the elephant garlic and kurrat, are also variant subspecies of Allium ampeloprasum, although different in their uses as food. The edible part of the leek plant is a bundle of leaf sheaths which is sometimes called a stem or stalk.

Why use a leek you may ask, well because it has a subtle onion flavor, not strong at all. It's darn tasty to!!! You also might be thinking to yourself well what tips or tricks could you possibly have for a leek???  Well the tip is on how to to wash a leek. A leek is like an onion it has many layers, and the stem is open not as tight as a green onion. So dirt etc tends to get stuck in the stems! So how do we was a leek, well there are two ways:

1. To wash a whole Leek halve the leek length wise, splay open the layers, and run water over them until your sure that all the grit has been removed. See pretty straight forward and simple!

2. To wash sliced Leeks soak the sliced leeks in a bowl of cold water. Let them stand undisturbed for about ten minutes to let the grit fall to the bottom of the bowl. Scoop the leeks out gently, taking care not to stir up the grit. Pat the leeks dry.

Now that you have some clean leeks what can you do with them, well you can make Home At Least Leek Salad, the recipe is courtesy of the Food Network (one of my fave sites).


Dressing:


3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 to 3 sprigs thyme, stripped from stems

1 teaspoon stone-ground mustard

1 garlic clove, lightly crushed with the side of a knife blade and quartered

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

3/4 cup olive oil

Salad:

6 leeks, soaked in salt water to remove grit and thoroughly rinsed

2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup olive oil

6 ears fresh corn, boiled until tender and cooled to room temperature

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil or if dehydrated soaked in water to rehydrate

6 small sprigs parsley


Directions:

Through the feed opening of a running blender add, 1 at a time, vinegar, thyme, mustard, garlic, honey, salt, and ground black pepper. Leaving the blender running, slowly add the olive oil in a thin stream. Set aside until needed.

Slice the white and tender green parts of the leeks into 1/2-inch diagonals. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a skillet and saute until tender. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Slice the corn from the cobs and place in a bowl with the sauteed leeks. Cut the sun-dried tomatoes into 1/2-inch pieces and add to the bowl. Toss with enough of the dressing to coat. Do not feel compelled to use all of the dressing.

Serve garnished with parsley and additional dressing on the side.

There are over 700 hundred recipes for leeks on the Food Network site, so if you haven't ever cooked with leeks I suggest you give them a try and you might surprise yourself! They make a great soup!! Well thanks for joining me in this tips and tricks segment

Bake Sale - Come Join Us!

It is time once again for our Virtual Bake Sale! It will be held on October 14th at 8pm EASTERN time in Etsy labs: http://www.etsy.com/virtual_labs.php

Games, Giveaways, and Gifts!
Games will be played throughout the night to win prizes!

Team Members will be having amazing sales! Check out these deals and prizes:

A Thyme Too Bee Comforted
Sale: 15% off entire shop, excluding shipping
Prizes: 2 10% GC to be used in either of my shops!

LittleSnowflakes
Sale: FREE Eggnog Snickerdoodles Sample pack with each order*
*One Sample Per Customer
Prizes: 2 15% off Gift Certs to be used in LittleSnowflakes.com

Sweet Lollipop Shop
Free crystal jewels sample pack with every order
prize: Free bag rainbow jewels candy

Fancy That Cookies
Sale: Free dozen bite size of the "Toffee and White Chocolate Chip Cookies" or a dozen bite size of the "Chocolate Chip Cookies(with or w/o Lavender), when you buy $20.
Prize: 2 15% GC to be used in both of my shops.

Covered In Chocolate Bakery & Catering Shoppe
Sale: Free Sample pack of Amaretto Cookies (one package per customer)
Free shipping on any order over $30.00
prize: two white chocolate candy Moose Lollipops

Megs Creations
Free 1/2 dozen shortbread with all orders plus,
Sale! Spend $50 today and I will give you a $10 gift certificate for any future purchase from me! Spend $25 and I will give you a $5 gift certficate.
Prize Free Snickerdoodle Mix (pint size)

ScreamingTeaPots

October Bake Sale!

It's that time again! Time for Team EEAT to get together and have a Virtual Bake Sale!

October 14th, 7pm EST

Etsy Virtual Labs

Come join us! Get to know the members of Etsy's Edible Arts Team, Play Games, and Win Prizes! As always, we have a fun night planned!

Bake Sale Discounts offered! The list is coming soon!

*Sales only good on the night of October 14th