fantasy art and tree chatter of aquariann

I have been commandeering quite a few handmade giveaway prizes in the last year. Here be three of me shiny new treasures. I sailed to the Redhead's Homestead blog and departed with my very own custom guitar pick necklace from Susan Williams Designs . Susan has nearly 1,000 guitar picks in her possession, but knowing me, after swaying back and forth for several moments, I chose the one color in her shop that was out of stock. However, the pearly white one I picked next rocks my striped socks off just as much. I also got to choose two charms from her vast collection, which was an easier decision - I'm an octopus sucker for stars and skulls. I accepted her earth friendly suggestion of a rubber cord to string all the elements together, and she had it ready to ship that day! I have this Victorian inspired ring by Lisa of Elle Paisley Designs wrapped around my finger, thanks to a Halloween giveaway hosted on the Made In Vermont Etsy Street Team blog. This striking brass skull and ...

Jewelry and chocolates are given as tokens of affection during many holidays, but bouquets of red roses seem to bloom especially for Valentine's Day gifts. If you want a flower that won't wilt, better nudge your beau toward these lovely handmade creations by members of the Etsy Twitter Team. 1. HEARTS A-FIRE with Red Rose Flourish Card by Salon D'Arte 2. Red Flower Brass Filigree Ring by Momma Goddess Treasures 3. The Siren - Satin Flower Headband with Lace by Mandizzle 4. Paint the Roses Red Earring Posts by Frosted Treats

My garden of prizes from handmade giveaways keeps growing! Last month I won a custom crocheted hat by Kimberly of the Cotton Corner from the good. the bad. and the internet. blog. Isn't it adorable? Kimberly's had a lot of practice with cute - she's mom to six children! Her hats are popular among kids, but she also makes them in adult sizes. She has designs that feature flowers, stripes, polka dots, snowmen, even a football - and they can be created in any color of the rainbow. After weeding through the possibilities, I finally chose her flower earflap beanie in gray to match my wool jacket and two shades of blue because my legs practically live in embellished jeans. The hat sprouted from my mailbox the same day as I received the Winter Fairy bag from another Etsyian named Kimberly like the two accessories were meant to be worn together.

Magic is flying unfettered in the chilly skies of Etsy this winter. My icy fairy princess is frozen in two new wondrous treasuries, thanks to the glistening souls bundled up behind Liza's Whimsical Art and the AzureLune Photography shops.

Carapace waved her digital paintbrush wand again and organized the second annual holiday swap amongst the Fantasy Artists of Etsy that flutter frequently in our monthly team thread. You may still be tinged mossy green with envy from the gleaming glass sea treasures that Julie of Mermaiden Creations bestowed upon me last year, but just wait until you see what shimmied to my doorstep this time! Our swap partners are secret, so when Cara contacted me to ask for a high resolution image of my Winter Fairy Princess drawing on behalf of an unknown fae, my curiosity intensified threefold. The swappers that were participating have such a range of creative talents that I didn't have a clue who it could be or what it'd be used for. The wait for my gift to arrive was well worth it - look what danced from the graceful fingertips of Kimberly of Night Lily Design ! Isn't it the most whimsical bag you've ever seen? The shape is awesome - it'll certainly shield my possessions we...

Welcome to all the new Aquarians being born into the year 2011! At least to those souls that grow up following the Western sun sign zodiac system like I do, where the tropical date of Aquarius flows in the liquid vicinity of January 21 to February 19. Did that confusion over the 13th sign last week make anyone else see stars? I briefly researched the Capricorn sign, which I'd be considered under both the sidereal and the IAU astrology systems, and was reassured that Aquarius still rules my personality traits best. Besides, Capricornell just doesn't have the same ring as Aquariann, does it? For today's finds, I swam through the Etsy ocean to clear my head of the media madness and emerged with these wondrous handmade tributes to the Water Bearer. 1. Aquarius Fairy Art Doll by Fairies by Nuria 2. Aquarius Silver Locket Necklace by Mystery Oak Ranch Designs 3. Fortune Cookie with Zodiac Sign Charm by Lanyapi Designs 4. Aquarius Zodiac Horoscope Tie Tack by Zebra productionZ

Drink up, me hearties, yo ho! This plunder of handmade goods rifled together by Captain Elutheria marks me 50th treasury feature! It has everything ye need to sail the seven seas in style, including a spyglass necklace, maroon tricorn hat, and crocheted monkey minion. Don't forget the cloth treasure map to guide ye, the wooden sword to protect ye and me pirate bookmark to save ye place.

EDIT: Giveaway is officially over! Congratulations to Lyudmila , the randomly chosen 172nd commenter. Andrea of Earth Sense Jewelry isn't only eco-friendly - she's generous, too. She's contributing the beautiful necklace above to the welfare of one of my reader's outfits. The unique metal pendant is upcycled from a previously adored pair of earrings. Blue vintage beads are strung amongst glass and metal beads to a length of 20.5 inches and clasped with a toggle. This necklace will surely gravitate attention its way, whether worn to work or out on the town. Designing interesting jewelry helps Andrea unwind from her graduate studies. She's working toward a career in wildlife conservation and believes strongly in reducing our footprint. In addition to reusing materials from old accessories, Andrea actually makes her own recycled plastic soda bottle beads. She even colors them using candy wrappers, chip bags, and other similar items that are not recyclable. She makes a...

Last year, I had lofty hopes of participating in each monthly FAE Art Dare and being able to release my first calendar from the ACEOs produced. I hit the sky flying with my Star Stretch illustration of a winged wolf for the January Full Moon ... and then crashed back to earth. Daily life distracted me from drawing any more lunar lovelies. This year, I'm determined to create enough new art works to put together a collection for 2012. For inspiration, I rocketed around the planet of Etsy to find out what wondrous 2011 calendars other fantasy artists dreamt up. 1. Whimsical Landscapes 2011 Calendar by Juli Cady Ryan 2. Enchantment & Fantasy Art 2011 Calendar by Rachel Anderson 3. 2011 Fantasy Art Calendar by Samantha Nowak Illustrations 4. Miniature Fairy House 8x10 Calendar by Spirited Woodland

Valentine's Day must be drawing nigh. My fairy art is featured in two shiny new collections, both gleaming with red jewels of handmade wonders. I'm blushing roses! Thanks to MySassyGlass of the EtsyTwitter Team and Anika's Art of the Fantasy Artists of Etsy Team for being such sweethearts.

TrinketsByM twinkles with unique handmade treasures, including chainmaille, natural stone, and metal jewelry designs. Several pieces feature pendants inscribed with powerful words, such as "Imagine", "Forevermore" and "Love." I was tickled fuchsia to discover this one of a kind Brandy Necklace , especially after sipping on a delicious Sangria this weekend that included a splash of apricot brandy. The self-taught jewelry artist, Emily, lost her job of over six years just three weeks ago. Since then, she's latched onto her Etsy shop to the point of reaching insanity, or sanity depending on the viewpoint. In her exquisite madness, she's offering my blog readers 10% off! Just checkout with coupon code "aqua10" before January 17, 2011. Want to advertise your shop and help support my blog at the same time? Become a blog sponsor like TrinketsByM !

Better face the truth that the The Fancy Dragon so eloquently illustrates in her resplendent collection - dragons are just that amazing. And so are the talented artists of Etsy. What other kingdom could you find dragons ruling upon fantasy art glass pendants, fairy hairsticks, wooden puzzles, glazed mugs, eye masks, silver rings, embroidered pouches, pinback buttons and more? My Peridot dragon is proud to call it home.

EDIT: Giveaway is officially over! Congratulations to the randomly chosen 7th commenter, AJ of Erthe Fae Designs ! It'll be raining Puppycatmeow! accessories for one of you, my pets. Tressa the Hairdressa is offering a $30 gift certificate to her Etsy shop cascading with fun hair extensions, wigs and fantasy hair pieces. Her creations are awesome for costume or every day use - she can custom match her designs to your own hair color. Tressa has been a hairstylist for 20 years, and began braiding hair at Renaissance festivals 8 years ago. In between faire seasons, she started making hair extensions to fill the fantasy void. That expanded into dreads and fairy falls ... and now she can't stop dreaming up new and unique hair creations! Customers can instantly transform their hair with a fauxhawk, extend it into a fabulous braid, or wear an instant up do for a wedding. She also offers headbands and hair rosettes that will make you look fabulous any day! Win this giveaway and you ma...