Interview and Giveaway with Crafty By Nature Studio

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED * A WINNER HAS BEEN SELECTED

COMMENTER #1 : FROM MY EYE

HAS WON HEALTHY SKIN BODY BUTTER FROM

CRAFTY BY NATURE STUDIO

thanks to all who commented!

~

I've got a special treat for you today! An interview AND a giveaway with the talented Karen of Crafty By Nature Studio!

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF: My name is Karen Buoncristiano, I am 34 years old, and I have always enjoyed making things myself and crafting. I am married to a great guy who is very supportive of my crafty goals, and he is also crafty himself, from learning to throw pottery on the wheel to designing and creating mosaic tables. I suppose we have lived in Ohio for about five years. Before that, I have lived all over, but mostly in Annapolis, Maryland. I really love Ohio and the people here are so friendly and charismatic. I have been taking ceramics classes here at the Columbus Cultural Arts Center for about four years. If anyone is interested in trying their hand at making pottery on the potter's wheel (or any other art form), I highly recommend the Cultural Arts Center. In fact, I still take classes there to this day and I hope to never stop taking ceramics classes there! It is a great place and very welcoming for new artists and for people who are just starting to try pottery or any other art form offered there. Lastly, I do have a full time job, too, besides my Crafty By Nature Studio endeavors. I work for the gas company doing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) which is basically computer mapping of gas lines and much more. I do cherish my crafting time because I enjoy it so much when I am making something wonderful and natural and useful for people to use! Crafting and pottery keeps me going, and really lights my fire!

WHAT IS YOUR SHOP AND WHAT DO YOU SELL: Crafty By Nature Studio is my shop. I try to keep everything sold by Crafty By Nature Studio as ecological or earthy as possible. I think the theme of my shop is right in the name, because I handcraft nature-inspired crafts, crafts that use all natural ingredients, and I recycle as much as possible including my clay. Crafty By Nature Studio sells a variety of all natural body care products, handmade pottery, and nature themed arts and gifts. Right now, the focus is on the all natural body care products including Healthy Skin Body Butter, Working Hands Skin Repair, relaxing bath salts in two scents (Relaxing Lavender and Breathe Better Mint), luxurious Eco-Lovely Lip Balms available in two savory flavors (Vanilla or Mint), the sensuous Eco-Lovely Lotion Bars, and aromatherapy candles for ambiance. Pottery has been ranging from bowls to mugs to goblets lately. Nature inspired art gifts currently underway are the cute "peanut hummingbirds". I created hummingbird ornaments using a peanut and a toothpick for the beak, then painted them to look like ruby throated hummingbirds and added wings. They're really cute!

HOW DO YOU PROMOTE/MARKET YOUR SHOP: I am on Etsy of course and I have links on Facebook. I have recently started a blog and that has been a lot of fun. Occasionally, I send crafty emails to friends and ask them to pass them along. I haven't tried twitter as of yet and I am not sure if I am missing out or not. I do also have my own website, which I have made several sales off of already. Sometimes, word of mouth is helping me to get business and then I can just tell people, "Go to www.craftybynaturestudio.com and you can buy your body butters, hand creams, pottery, or lip balms right then and there"

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SHOP GOAL IN THE NEXT 6 MONTHS: My biggest shop goal in the next six months is twofold. First, I aspire to survive and learn from my very first crafty show, which is the two day Grove City Fall Arts and Crafts Bazaar held on Saturday, November 13th (9am-4pm) and Sunday, November 14th (10am-4pm). I am so excited for my first show ever! I want to learn as much as I can from it, and my second goal for the next six months is about more shows. I plan and hope to get into more shows and gain more exposure and more learning. I already have figured out that part of making goals happen means that I just be more vigilant on keeping track of the calendar for when the shows are held and also for when the application deadlines are for applying to be included in a given show. Sometimes I say "Get it together, Karen, and use a calendar!"

5 THINGS THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY: Just about anything purple, my whippet dog, crafting, throwing on the potter's wheel, and of course my crafty, very handsome husband is apprenticing with me to be a potter too (and he's learning quick!).

A huge thanks to Karen for letting us in on the secrets behind the shop! She's also doing a giveaway to one special reader. Here is the info you need to know:

HOW TO ENTER: Leave comment on this blog post! Show Karen some love!

WINNER: 1 winner will win Karen's Healthy Skin Body Butter

DEADLINE: Winner will be picked an announced on Sunday, October 24th @ 8pm EST.