A Very Awesome Pirate Wedding!

Special thanks and congratulations to Mollie and Scott on their wedding adventure in Florida! Mollie is this month's featured customer, wearing the Jessica style choker from my shop, and matched earrings... Similar jewelry work can be found at Archeress Arts.

Welcome to a very special edition of my shop blog, in which we travel to the wonders of Florida, and visit the scene of Mollie's wedding, on Halloween, 2009!

Happily, no pirates were harmed during this marriage. ;)

Fun was truly had, by all descriptions provided by the bride, and I'm happy to see that my little shop was mentioned among other fellow Etsians during her treasure hunt, in this article in the December 7th edition of The Offbeat Bride. The reception, held in high seas fashion, was hosted on the 'pirate ship' Pirates Ransom, based out of Clearwater, Florida.

Mollie's order was one of many brides visiting my shop in late August, and I am just thrilled at how spectacular her set coordinated with the rest of her outfit, from boots to corset, to mini tricorn hat (made by Topsy Turvy Design). Her husband's frock coat and tricorn are no less amazing, and truly, Etsy has a trove of handmade artists with a spectacular sense of style and adventure.

Visiting the article in the Offbeat Bride mentioned above was just a glimpse into a single day that will last for a lifetime of memory, and I am honored to have been a small part of such a wonderful assemblage of the perfect piratical fashion, for a truly awesome customer.


Thank you so much, Mollie, and I hope you and Scott share many fine adventures ahead together, with fair weather, swift winds, good health, and fine friends and family. May these holidays find you both in high sprits, and may your New Year be one full of prosperity and joy. :)

P.S. I've asked my husband about us possibly taking a trip to Florida to sail on The Pirates Ransom after Christmas. ;)

Happy Holidays!

"Jessica" style choker, available at my shop. $39.00, and free shipping until 12.24.09
http://archeress.etsy.com

Hope everyone's having a wonderful holiday / Christmas shopping season so far! The Free First Class shipping sale for holiday shoppers is still ongoing until 12-24-09, and new items such as scarf pins, hairsticks, and a few new chokers have been posted to the shop. My production time has been cut off for now, due to other commitments, but my Etsy shop remains well-stocked with a few favorites, like the Jessica choker above, which works well with those elegant holiday events and balls.

Since I have been meeting up with several new customers so far this shopping season, here are a few tips to help make your shopping experience at my shop go a bit smoother:


1) Make sure your PayPal address is up-to date. This is a big issue, and can easily be avoided, as can the delays involved in holding up shipment to make sure the order is going to the right place.

2) If you need expedited shipping, tell me right away - I can issue an invoice with the updated shipping fees attached so you'll get it sooner. Right now first class shipping is free, but if you ask me for Priority, I'll knock $3.00 off the price of Priority shipping, anywhere, until 12-24-09. No kidding, really!

3) Is this a gift? If yes, I will drop-ship to other locations, and not send the PayPal receipt out with the package - and I'll add a mini note-card with your name inside as the giver, so nobody's left guessing. :)


CUSTOMER PHOTOS:
I am sure there are more ways to make your shopping experience go smoother at my shop - and don't forget, I also accept photos (PG, please!) for my blog here, to showcase customers wearing my work. It's fun, it's free, and featured customers are always welcome here. I love sharing these photos and testimonials with friends, so please feel free to send in some photos of you wearing my stuff!

(Not So) Shameless Plug for Another Etsian:
Lastly, a plug. :) Not for my shop - but certainly for another talented Etsian.
Damsel In This Dress on Etsy. http://damselinthisdress.etsy.com - if you have a thing for corsetry, pirates, wenches, and fantasy costuming... Go. Look. Gawk. I mean it. I bought my first bodice from her on Black Friday, and will be coming back for more. I can't sing her praises enough, so I am passing word along to you guys to check her stuff out for yourselves. :)


Again, thanks for stopping by again, and I hope everyone's having a wonderful yuletide season.

2009 HOLIDAY SALE!

Archeress Arts is pleased to announce that it is participating in the 2009 IndieSmiles Etsy Black Friday Sale!

The sale begins with FREE WORLDWIDE FIRST CLASS SHIPPING in my Etsy shop from November 27 2009, to November 30, 2009.

FREE FIRST CLASS SHIPPING to the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia is available from November 27 2009, to December 24, 2009.
This part of the sale for both my Etsy shop AND my Artfire shop!

PLEASE NOTE: I won't be doing any custom orders during the sale, so if you'd like something especially made for you, not from inventory, I am available to create new items 11-3-09 and 11-15-09!

Thanks!

Shop Update, 10-26-09

Photo by my husband, Greg, on September 13th 2009. Wild turkey "surprise" in Colchester, CT - we had a few visitors hop the fence into our backyard, and then back into our neighbor's yard, shown here, to rejoin the flock. There were at least 2 hens, and another 7 poults (juvenile chicks).

Welcome again! Halloween is almost here, and not long after, so too, come the holidays. Life has become increasingly busy these days, with a break coming up, thankfully, before the holiday shopping officially begins.

Starting November 1st, my production schedule will resume for two weeks, for a limited run of custom orders. A small queue has already started to form, and I am accepting orders in advance of my production date.

What else is going on?

First.... the good news.

As of November 16th, 2009, all orders placed within my Etsy and Artfire shops will include delivery confirmation to shipments made within the domestic United States. This will prove especially helpful for those orders placed for holiday shopping!

Also... the FREE FIRST CLASS SHIPPING SALE is coming back!
From November 27th (Black Friday) until December 24th (Christmas Eve), all orders placed to anywhere I ship to will have the shipping fees refunded back to you by PayPal.

Now... the bad news.

November 16th also marks a year since my last price increases.
And sure enough, after reviewing my materials costs, everything has certainly gone up.

To battle the poor economy, I will only be raising prices on certain items, and will still be offering occasional free shipping sales, or bridal sales, going forward. I understand times are hard for all of us, however, as my suppliers raise their fees, so too must I keep up with them, to stay in business for you. All of my discounts offered within my shop policies will still remain in place, however, and there are occasional planned and "whim" sales coming up (free first class shipping for orders over $50.00, and free Priority shipping for orders over $100.00).

Current pricing will remain in effect until the end of the day on Sunday, November 15th.

Planning on getting married this spring, or going to the prom toward the summer? Try getting a custom order in now, before the rush later on in the season, and take advantage of the current prices while they are still here. Come November 16th, the prices go up - and my window of production for custom orders will close, until early February, 2010. So please contact me with an Alchemy request for any custom work you may be interested in, and I'll place you in the queue immediately.


Thank you, and in the meantime, have a wonderful handmade Halloween.
Hope to see a bunch of you back here for November's announcements - no tricks, but there are more treats to come!

It's That Time of the Year Again!

Special thanks to Nikki, for sharing her wonderful wedding photos! Here she is, wearing the Grainne choker and circlet, from this past spring, 2009.

All of the wedding orders are finally caught up and complete, right in time for the Halloween shopping season! Thank you, ladies, for working with me and being so patient as we picked out designs together. I really hope you and your bridesmaids look fabulous on your wedding day!

The air is starting to get cooler, and the apples on the tree in our backyard are baseball-sized from all of the summer's dousings of rain. Mister Rogers, our neighborhood juvenile red-shouldered hawk, seems to have flown the coop to find a new nest, and in his place, we've been visited recently by a flock of turkeys - 3 of the poults (chicks) even hopped the fence to wander around where we'll eventually be putting our garden.

The baseball season is slowly winding down, too. The Norwich-based Connecticut Defenders are currently in playoffs with the Akron (Ohio) Aeros, down 1 game in the series (soon to be 2, according to the game's audio in the background), and then they're away to Ohio for the rest of the series. Good luck, guys... we'll miss you. If you're not into minor league baseball, the Defenders (formerly the Norwich Navigators, farm team for the San Francisco Giants) play at Dodd Stadium - which was less than 1/4 a mile from where we used to live. They are going to be moving at the end of this season, and there's still no word on which AA team is being brought in to help fill those seats.

But enough about baseball....


Besides crafting commissioned wedding jewelry, I've been slipping a few new items in here and there in my Artfire shop, and my Etsy shop. There's been some inspiration for new jewelry, as you've seen already in the previous post's circlet. Although I'll be taking a brief break to work on another SCA scroll, I will be accepting custom orders for another queue after this, with work slated to start up again on 10-4-09.

Meanwhile... new stuff! Planned for the October shop listings, you'll see....

* Halloween themed belled anklets
* Pins!
* Fall themed hair sticks
* Bodice jewelry
* More circlets

Photos etc. will be coming up soon.

As for upcoming sales..... ;)

All sales from my Artfire shop for the remainder of this month will be offered with Free First Class Shipping. (Shipping fees will be refunded via PayPal). Just mention this blog posting!

Thanks, and I'll see everyone back here soon!

Sale! Celebrating 3 Years on Etsy!

The above circlet was created as a custom order for one of my recent bridal orders (best wishes, Michelle!). I'm considering creating a special Halloween one and may offer these as a new line in my shop, if there's enough demand!


Because I felt like it, and because it's Labor Day weekend, and, I've been on Etsy for 3 years as of Sunday, September 6th....

Everything in my shops, BOTH Etsy and Artfire, is offered with free first class shipping to wherever I ship to (US, Europe, Canada). This sale begins today, 9-4-09, and ends at 11:00pm EST on Tuesday, 9-8-09.

So that should give everyone plenty of time to go enjoy the last of the summer here in the U.S., and then come back to shop for Halloween, masquerade parties, Fall weddings, and plenty of other fun occasions to wear pretty shiny things at.

Shipping will be refunded by PayPal. As usual, to all my International customers, I only accept PayPal; US customers may pay via PayPal, credit card (via ProPay), personal check, and money order.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. :)

Twilight Inspired New Moon Hair Sticks!

http://archeress.artfire.com

Welcome back! Vacation's over, we had a blast out in PA. It was a bit of fun, a lot of volunteering work, and my husband and I both have plenty of new memories, a few new friends, and met with several old friends while out west. We decided to pack up the canvas tent a little early due to a predicted rainstorm approaching overnight Friday into Saturday, and arrived home on Saturday afternoon - plenty of time to finish a project I'd started before the trip to Pennsic.

These hair sticks are *only* available in my Artfire shop. I really think they hit the "ferret button" aka "ooh shiny" factor, just right. Each is decorated with multiple AB and clear austrian crystal bicone beads on strands of silverplate chains, and is topped with a set of unevenly spaced rhinestones (this set is the prototype and is being sold as-is, adhesive visible and all). Adding to that celestial feel are a pair of crystal crescent moon charms, and honestly, if I had a broken piece of red ribbon to affix, I certainly would do so to accentuate which cover design I was after on this one.

I figure these would be great to wear to the opening of New Moon, scheduled to release on 11-20-09 in theaters in the U.S. In the meantime, if these are popular enough, I may consider making more....


This pair is $40.00, and as mentioned, is being sold as-is in my artfire shop above.

Vacation and Custom Orders

Due to Vacation, my Etsy and Artfire shops will be closed from July 30 - Aug 9, 2009.

I am taking reservations for custom orders, but production will not begin until 8-10-2009.
There is currently a waiting list (see below).
All orders are arranged by urgency, especially w.r.t. wedding dates.
Estimated turnaround time for orders is presently 1 week.

(Brides, please ensure that you give me your wedding date when requesting custom work!)

Where am I going on vacation?
Pennsic: Our tent will be somewhere off to the left in that photo. (Slippery Rock, PA)

(A little more about Pennsic can be found here: http://www.pennsicwar.org/penn38/GENERAL/info.html#FAQ )

I won't be merchanting at this (insurance fees would kill my budget), but I may run an ad or two for my shop in the Pennsic Independent. For those wishing to tag along about the "Pennsic War" online, you can read up at The Pennsic Independent's website. http://www.pennsicindependent.com/

See you back at the shop, after "War"!

Artfire Cross-Promotional Sale!

It's been a while since I first opened my shop on Artfire, and I'd like to sweeten the incentive for my readers to participate in a spur of the moment sale on my jewelry in BOTH my Artfire and Etsy shops.

What is this sale, you ask?

This is a "Buy 1 in Artfire, Get 1 for 10% off on Etsy" deal.
(Psst. Brides to-be may really want to pay attention here if you want something for yourself, especially if you have no gift for your Maid of Honor yet! Or if you want to go in on a purchase with a friend.... but hey, I don't do this often, so don't miss out!)

The Rules!
Since I have limited stock in my Artfire shop, this sale will either last until all 10 or so of my current inventory there is cleaned out, or until midnight Eastern this Thursday, July 9, 2009 - whichever comes first. This offer is for ONLY current inventory, since I am swamped with projects until mid-August and cannot do custom work until then. (Please help me keep a clean shop, and help me achieve my first Artfire sale!).

Simply put....

Step 1: Shop around my Artfire shop at http://archeress.artfire.com

Step 2: Buy an item, mention this sale in a note to me by indicating "AFSALE" somewhere in your note on Artfire.

Step 3: Login to Etsy, and purchase the other item from my shop at http://archeress.etsy.com, with a note to seller indicating "AFSALE" to get the 10% off refunded to you via PayPal.


Both items need to be purchased to qualify for the 10% off, thanks!
By the way.... Combined purchases of $50.00 or more heading to 1 address also qualify for free first class shipping, just so's you know. :)

Enjoy!

A Touch of Twilight Controversy

(Above) Kristen, left, wearing the Lucrezia necklace, and Britten Johnson, right, wearing the Jessica necklace. Both wonderful ladies wore my creations to the Twilight Vampire Ball in Georgia this past winter!

A while back (at least 3 months ago or so), I began tagging some items in my shop with the search term "Twilight". Since then, I've met some really wonderful customers, incuding Britten, currently the Featured Customer. You'll see some photos of this lovely lady above and to the right, from when she attended the Twilight Vampire Ball.

Since then, apparently times have a-changed on Etsy.

This evening I received a note from content @ Etsy. Summing it up, I have been asked to remove all tags of "twilight" on my jewelry creations unless they pertain directly to the series, or are directly related to the time of day termed twilight.

I am really disappointed, but I have since removed the tags.
While I don't know who flagged my shop, and will likely never know who or why, I am not willing to risk losing one of the stongest venues for my jewelrycraft over someone else's bad day. Rather, I will continue to include in my item descriptions a simple suggestion that the jewelry would be great to wear to one's next Twilight party or ball.

I really hope to continue seeing fans of Twilight visit my shop. I am still just a noob to the series, and have yet to read the book or see the movie myself, but the thought has crossed my mind to send a gift to Stephanie Meyer or her fan club's president , in appreciation of her work.

In the meantime.... at least Artfire has not treated me this way. My Artfire shop still awaits its first customer, but hopefully that will change in due course.

Thank you, all of you, who appreciate my work - Twilight fans, or just fans of pretty shiny things in general.

If you'd like to continue following my shops, you can find me at:

http://archeress.etsy.com

and

http://archeress.artfire.com


I don't have Twitter, but I do have a FaceBook fan page.
You can find it at the link below.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Colchester-CT/Archeress-Arts/38430232262

Thanks!


UPDATE: 6/13/09, 9:00PM EST
Tim from Etsy's Content Team has given me the go ahead to mention in the description that the necklace would be perfect to wear to Twilight parties.
(I'll still miss out on the advertising angle, but at least the description can point this out to potential customers!)

Home Sweet Home!

We did it! We're finally moved in... now to get unpacked. ;)

All shops are open and ready to go, considering I marked all the boxes with my inventory and have them in easily accessible places. Right now, I am only selling from stock - I have some partially finished pieces from before the move, however, I'd prefer to move existing inventory before I make new stuff, and am on a bit of a time schedule for other projects as we unpack here.

So... with that, I am offering FREE FIRST CLASS SHIPPING on *all* my items once again, until we're settled in. Please help me keep my new house nice and clean, and purchase a little something for your next event.

(And hopefully, when the new place is set up, I'll be able to provide a shot of my new work area, if you're curious).

Still Moving!

Howdy everyone!

Things are going well with the move, we're about 70-80% done. The grass is already getting taller at the new house, and we'll be in need of a good mow before we're done moving in, if the weather can just stop being wet for a weekend...

Right now, all the supplies, tools, and inventory are already packed and moved over to the new place, about 20 minutes up the road from here. While I can't make any new pieces right now, I'm willing to go open up some boxes to pull out existing stock, as long as anyone interested has an idea of which colors or styles (design names) they're looking for. A good idea of which designs I usually sell can be found in my Etsy Sold Items link - here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop_sold.php?user_id=82972

First Class Shipping will be free, but again, I'm only selling what items are left in my current inventory right now.

If you are interested in a particular design in a particular color of glass and metal, just shoot me an email at archeress . arts @ gmail . com (without the spaces), how soon you need the necklace(s), the name of the necklace design, and the minimum neck length needed.

Currently, we're aiming for mid-May for finishing up our move, but we may not be fully moved into our new house until late May. All shops, Etsy and Artfire, and the occasional eBay single listings, should be back up sometime in June.

Thanks for your patience, and please keep an eye on this blog for the shop re-opening notice!

Moving Right Along....

We're still packing and moving, the shops are all still closed (no eBay listings either), and all of my inventory and supplies are packed and moved into our new house. We expect to be fully moved in no later than mid-May, but in the meantime, here's a photo of me in my new duds, from the Coronation of Andreas IV and Gabriella II, Their Majesties of the East Kingdom in the SCA. (Photo courtesy of my husband, from April 11, 2009).

The belt, earrings, and jeweled collar are all my creations. The Spanish Ropa gown, kirtle and hat was made for me by a dear friend, Mistress Bess Darnley, from up in Nova Scotia, and transported down by way of THL Estela du Fraise.
Thanks to both ladies for making this outfit happen, and on time for a wonderful event.

Gearing Up for the Big Move!

We did it! We're going to closing on our first house on Friday 4-17-09.

My husband and I will be moving just up the road about 20 minutes from here, to a lovely New England town. The house is just about biking distance to the edge of the town green, a farmer's market, coffee, and of course, spitting distance to a comic book store. Must... resist... urge... to restart my collection of Shi, Kabuki, and X-Men comics.... Seriously though, we're going to be pretty tight on the budget for a while as things settle, so I won't be TOO tempted. I might walk in to take a walk around though. ;)

So as things wrap up with the Moving Sale, I can tell you it's been a hit, as has my return to eBay. I won't be posting too many items at a shot (yes I still dislike the policies there, but what can one do), however, it's great to see some old familiar faces in touch with me again, as well as make new friends there.

This weekend sees us off at the Coronation of Andreas IV and Gabriella II, an SCA event in the East Kingdom. There will be a short closing court as Their Majesties Darius IV and Alethea I end their reign, followed by a flurry of activities throughout the day before first court begins. As my husband and I will be on the entourage, our day will be equally busy, attending to Their Majesties to-be, but there will be down time in-between to schmooze with friends and relax.

Additionally, in the previous few weeks, I've been leading a new team on Etsy dedicated to the Society for Creative Anachronism, called SCAEtsy - you can find members' shops through the search term 'scaetsyteam'. Plenty of great historic and historic-inspired stuff, as well as SCA-centric medallions and other goodies. And it's not just a group for shopkeepers, either. Buyers are permitted, provided everyone follows a decent code of conduct / courtesy toward one another.

Right now, though, I am really trying hard to finish up my first jeweled belt for my gown this weekend, sewn by a wonderful friend helping me make sure I am dressed to Their Majesties' whims for First Court on Saturday. Truly, this lady is a MacGuyver with a Sewing Machine and bits of scrap fabric she had available. An Elizabethan gown in a week, an English hood overnight. The photos look amazing, and I will find out if it fits tomorrow night. *fingers crossed*

I'll be sure to post photos of the outfit here later. In the meantime, Happy Easter and Happy Passover to everyone celebrating this weekend, and safe journeys to all. I'll see everyone back here late Sunday night!

HELP ME MOVE SALE!!!

Welcome!

Spring is finally coming, and you know what that means!
....Besides the fact that I really need to clean out the closets, scrub things, etc. ;)

Weddings, proms, spring dances, SCA events, and soon, faire season!
There's even jewelry for Moms. Don't forget Mother's Day is coming!
And there's plenty of adornments for everyone, at prices that won't break the budget. So go, take a browse through my shops, on Etsy and Artfire, and "heart" your favorites.

I still have my HELP ME MOVE sale going on strong on Etsy, with FREE FIRST CLASS SHIPPING to anywhere I sell to.

There'll even be promos here and there on Artfire and eBay, for anyone looking to keep their shipping costs down.

Speaking of eBay, I am still around, and have had a wonderful 9-10 years of selling there, but business has grown, and times have changed. While I had a great start through eBay, it's just not the same there anymore. I have been very disappointed in all of the changes in eBay's policies in recent years, and still return for the occasional promotion, but have lost faith in their ability to meet both the needs of sellers and buyers alike, particularly in the handmade goods business. There is no end to the copyists there either, which is unfortunate, however, if you've been to my shop before, you know my level of customer service, and you know the quality of my work - and my work ethics.

But if you have never shopped from me before, here's what I can tell you:

I am but one person, not a factory, and you can count on me to hand-assemble and inspect each twist of wire, each link of jewelry, during and after my jewelrymaking. There's nothing factory-made about my items, except for the materials, which I select with care. If I receive defective components, I simply will *not* sell them - they hit my "circular file" and get put out to the curb. Generally I have some patterns that I reproduce on a regular basis, however, occasionally you'll run into something really one-of-a-kind, and while I have worked with large and small orders alike on a regular basis, I don't do wholesale and resale, preferring to keep my customer base close to my heart, where it should be. :)

And yes, if you've been to an SCA event on the East coast of the US, you might have even met me. I can't even begin to tell you how much it thrills me to see my customers, in person or in photos, wearing or using my jewelry and art (hopefully I can introduce a few of them to you soon!). It's fantastic to meet so many wonderful customers, knowing while each piece has it's own story, that history continues with each new owner, travelling either to a Twilight Ball, a wedding, or just pausing in historic recreation groups for a snapshot of an age gone by.... Each story is just as unique as the jewelry's owner, and I would like to thank you all for bringing a little joy into my life over the years, for purchasing the shiny things I enjoy creating on a regular basis.

I hope my creations have brought as much light (or darkness if you prefer!) and wonderment into your life, too.

Thank you all.

Help Me Move!

Welcome back!

March certainly came in like a lion up in this part of Connecticut, with 14" of snow dropped on us last Monday. Over the weekend, a warm front moved in, and melted all but the last bits of that foot, thawing out just in time to re-freeze this week.

Can we have Spring now? Please?

As mentioned above... We're moving! Hopefully.
My husband and I are in the middle of purchasing our first house, which has passed inspection, and will have plenty more room to set up a studio in than we currently have in our apartment. We'll be staying in Connecticut, but relocating "just up the road", by 20 minutes, if all works out well for us.

So to help me lighten the load a bit, I'm offering a sale on ALL current inventory, starting Monday next week (March 16th), and ending April 10th, or sooner depending on Closing. So get ready, and take advantage of the discounts while you still can, starting next week!

And to sweeten this...
I am going to be introducing wedding packages to the shop this spring. Keep an eye out for discounted packages based on purchase of bride + bridesmaid sets!
These will be for custom orders only, depending on my availability - but don't forget I offer free shipping for ALL purchases of $50.00 or more.

The Turning Point

And now for something completely different....

Every so often, I enjoy plugging other Etsy artisans' work. That is, I can't tell you how much in particular I love the earring stands made by Ed Roberts, artist and owner of The Turning Point.

Each piece he makes includes a lovely piece of turned wood, highly polished, not only gorgeous, but functional as well. I use his earring stands for my shop when I am on the road for shows, and have at least one for my own use too. Presently, I'm considering buying one as a birthday gift for someone dear to me, and although it's too late for Valentine's Day as a gift at this point - it's not too late to pick one up as a Mother's Day gift, if you're looking to beat the crowds, and want something small and easy to hide.

Ed is a very friendly artisan, and extremely helpful - and his items ship *fast*!

So... Go! Take a look!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6476993

Birka 2009

Archeress Arts
Originally uploaded by KayleighMcWhyte

And we're back!

Before anything, I want to thank everyone who stopped by my table, whether to schmooze or shop, or make sure I was eating/drinking/stretching periodically. It was a long day, and I don't think I did too bad. Personally, I believe if I am going to return to Birka next year, I will need to offer different items to be more successful, and I hope time is eventually granted for me to add some new things to my inventory.

FEBRUARY SALE:
In the meantime.... in time for Valentine's Day, I am running a SALE.
(Two, actually!)

Once again, Free Shipping for First Class Mail to *anywhere* is being offered at my shop on Etsy. http://archeress.etsy.com from now until February 14th, 2009.

Part 2 of this sale begins on 2-15-09. While free shipping won't be offered after the 14th, I *am* going to reduce the prices on black, red, and otherwise goth-themed items. Keep an eye on my SALE tab in my Etsy shop if you miss out on the first part of the sale. :)

Thanks again, and have a wonderful month!

Gearing Up for Birka, and More!

Here we go again!

It was a great holiday season for us, and thank you so much to everyone who stopped in at my shop to take advantage of the CT Etsy Team Holiday Sale. Free shipping via First Class and $2.00 off Priority certainly helped to move things along smoothly, and the shop has finally started seeing a steady customer base. It's wonderful to meet so many new people, old friends, and buddies who share similar interests - and I'm more than happy to keep creating new items for eye-candy!

So... It's a New Year, and already, I am working on my first appearance at a con-sized event called Birka, run by the Society for Creative Anachronism. On January 30, 31, and 1, we will be attending this event at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester, NH - the shop will be open at the hotel on Saturday the 31st *only*. As such, I will be temporarily closing my Etsy shop, from 1/29/09 to the evening of 2/1/09.

What sort of event is it?
Glad you asked!
Event details are here: http://www.eastkingdom.org/event-detail.html?eid=1684
Attendees wear pre-16th Century costume, which rules out the golden age of pirates, but still leaves plenty of other time periods and cultures open, across Europe, Asia, and North Africa, through time. From Roman, to Celt, to Medieval England, France, Germany, and so on... We aren't quite re-enactment, but we try, or just plain have fun. Don't have a costume? Show up, and see the friendly faces at information point about loaner garb!

And if the event is too far... Not to worry.

A sale is coming, in February....