Halloween Items 3

This is my third post dedicated to bringing you a little selection of interesting Halloween items from Etsy - and I've got another 3 fabulously spooky items to share with you this week!

My first item this week comes from a fellow member of the Etsy Knit1Treble2 team, Steph Thornton of Loophole. Her item is this amazing autumnal wool.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/76999196/hand-dyed-light-worsted-wool-yarn

To celebrate being featured in my blog, Steph is offering you 20% off in her Etsy shop when you use coupon code BLOGLOVE - valid until 11.59pm, Monday 31st October!

As a fellow knitter, I am of course attracted to Steph's shop! The colours, the textures, so many yarns! But for those who prefer to buy the finished article, there are a wide array of items - gloves, scarves, and even jewellery. A great shop for anyone who knits or who loves to buy knitted items!

I asked Steph a few questions about her Etsy shop ...

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE YOUR HALLOWEEN ITEM?

I love bright colours, and the colourway that suits me best is orange/red/brown. Orange shades are obviously indicative of autumn as the leaves give us their fabulous annual display, but the colours work so well as a lift any time of the year. The initial inspiration for this yarn was actually some lovely nasturtiums in my garden!

TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR SHOP.

My shop is full of everything I love to create in my relaxing time. I learnt to knit and crochet many years ago, and find it very relaxing - and it stops me biting my nails! I adore colours and textures, and enjoy embellishing solid-colour items with beads, ribbons, and flowers. Everyone loves an extra little flourish!

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED ON ETSY?

I really can't remember how I first found out about Etsy. I browsed it for weeks before registering to buy a few items, then it took me several months to pluck up the courage to set up my own shop! I am very lucky that I am building up an increasingly steady flow of sales. It always makes my day to find somebody loves one of my items enough to buy it, no matter how big or small!

Photographs of Steph's wool are all copyright Steph of Loophole.




My second item this week is this fun Trick or Treat bag from Leah at Organi Luxe.

To celebrate being featured in my blog, Leah is offering you 10% off in her Etsy shop when you use coupon code TRICKORTREAT10 - valid throughout October 2011.

As the name suggests, OrganiLuxe specialises in organic and eco-friendly items. This is great and I think that these days people do appreciate the use of quality and eco-friendly materials. But as well as this, the shop features practical household items in so many colours and designs. And I just love the Halloween bag designs!

I asked Leah a few questions about her Etsy shop ...

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE YOUR HALLOWEEN ITEM?

My mother and I wanted to give people the option to carry a reusable Halloween bag, as opposed to those plastic bags you see everywhere. It was actually my mom's idea. She came up with the general look for the bag, and I sketched out the little Halloween characters for each bag. She's the seamstress, so she sewed the bags and appliqued the designs on the front.

WILL YOU BE "TRICK OR TREATING" THIS HALLOWEEN?

Yes, we will definitely be Trick-or-Treating this year! My kids are 6 and 2, and they'll both be pirates for Halloween. My daughter (the 6-year-old) has been planning her costume for months already! My son doesn't really know what's going on yet, but he'll be excited when it's time to get all dressed up! And they'll definitely be using our Halloween bags for their candy collecting!

TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR SHOP.

Our shop is made up of entirely organic items. Every single product we offer is handmade from only 100% certified organic cotton fabrics. We have bags and totes, purses, lunch bags, sandwich and snack bags, accessories like glasses cases and coffee cozies... And we're constantly expanding our product line. Right now we're focusing on holiday gift ideas, so you'll see baby blankets, gadget cases (like iPad and Kindle holders, etc) and teacher gifts as well.

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED ON ETSY?

We were inspired to start our business because of my daughter, Jillian. She was diagnosed with multiple severe food allergies shortly before she turned one. I did a lot of reading to try and figure out why she had these horrible allergies, and I kept finding research suggesting that chemicals and toxins in our environment may have something to do with the rise in childhood allergies (among other childhood diseases). The first thing we did was clear our home of the worst toxins. We started cleaning with organic/veggie-based cleaners, and we started eating organically. Pretty soon we noticed a lack of nice organic products - everything we could find was beige or green. We instantly thought we could add color and style to the organic world, and we started making organic products ourselves. A friend of mine suggested Etsy back in early 2008, and we've been growing there ever since!

  
Photographs of Leah's Halloween bag are all copyright Leah of OrganiLuxe. 





My third and final item this week is this parasol from Ann of designAnn.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/78738144/ivory-brocade-parasol-designann-original

To celebrate being featured in my blog, Ann is offering you 10% off in her Etsy shop when you use coupon code JAMMYDESIGNSTHANKYOU - valid until Tuesday 18th October 2011.

Although this item is not strictly speaking a Halloween item, I was attracted by the uniqueness. In fact, the whole Etsy shop is full of different and unusual items, and in a variety of colours. I think these would look amazing as part of a Halloween outfit!

I asked Ann a few questions about her Etsy shop ...

TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR SHOP.

I started my shop several years ago but didn't get serious until now. I am a fashion designer by trade but find I am attracted to all things creative and artistic. I am still working on getting all my items listed in my shop. When my shop is complete, you will find many exquisite garments and accessories. Specializing in high-end women’s coats, wraps and accessories using tailored silhouettes with feminine detail. I create one-of–a-kind garments of distinction.

 

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED ON ETSY?

I got started on Etsy because I shopped on Etsy. I knew the diversity and quality of Etsy offering were excellent. I felt it would be a good place for my things - a haven for all things creative.

 

WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS AMBITION? (E.G. TO QUIT THE DAY JOB)

Oh, yeah! Quit the day job would be great! Not work at all would be even better!!!

Photographs of Ann's parasol are all copyright Ann of designAnn.



Thank you to Steph, Leah and Ann for providing the three inspirational items for this week's post!

The final post in my Halloween items series will be up on Wednesday 26th October. If you're interested in taking part, please convo me on Etsy and include links to a few of your favourite Halloween items from your own Etsy shop. If I like your item(s) then you might get to see them here! Like I did with Steph, Leah and Ann, I'll send you a couple of questions to answer about your products and your Etsy shop.

I hope you're enjoying my Halloween series! Please let me know what you think!