Yay for winning!

Tree in the Coriander pot holder by http://beanpicklesprouts.etsy.com

I have recently started following a really great blog, ChristopherandTia. Every Monday they have a really fun "Monday Suck Day" giveaway. Each Monday they feature a different Etsy shop. You leave a comment telling them what you like the most in the shop, and why Mondays suck so much, and later in the week they do a drawing.

A couple of weeks ago, I won! Yay! I chose this gorgeous pot holder by Amy Knight of http://beanpicklsprouts.etsy.com! When it arrived in the mail a few days ago, I could not have been more pleased :) The fabric is even prettier in person, it is incredibly well-made, and has a great slot to put your hand in, way better than any pot holder I've ever seen before. She has tons of other great stuff in her shop too, like super adorable baby items. While you're surfing, be sure to check out the super-cool recipe cards and boxes in ChristopherandTia's shop, too!

Thanks so much you guys!

Scrabble Tile Challenge!

By now most of you are probably well aware of the ubiquitous scrabble tile pendant. My friend Ryan of LittlePutBooks covered them in beautiful Italian and Japanese papers and sold them hand over fist in cute little decorated tins. Many other Etsy sellers took up the same idea and ran with it, and Ryan has since sold the scrabble tile business in exchange for some personal down-time.

Still, the cuteness and craft potential of the Scrabble tile has not disappeared! I am now selling the tiles in packages of 100 in my shop. If you want to make your own washi-covered pendants but aren't sure how, Ryan has a fantastic tutorial. I would like to challenge you, however, to make something new and different with these multi-purpose little tiles! Perhaps a different type of jewelry, your own game, even a sculpture or fantastic piece of altered art or collage. Send me your photos of your finished projects, and I will post them here in my blog. At the end of September, one lucky winner will get a $10 gift certificate to be used in either one of my shops. I can't wait to see what you make!

The first entry is from http://LydiaLayne.etsy.com This is her own version of a scrabble tile pendant in which she uses graphics that allow the natural wood of the tile show through:

And the winner is....

Here is a great big thank you to all of you who voted! After a very elaborate decision-making process (as you can see from the photo), the winner is blogger mattos of http://bellacosaart.com
Yay! She wins $10 to spend in my shop as well as some extra goodies :)

Of course, I will always be offering new original artwork, but thanks to the poll results, keep your eye on http://LeaKarts.etsy.com for some prints and other fun stuff! And remember, I want you to have the artwork that you love, so I am always willing to work with you whether it involves custom work, a payment plan on an original piece, or a print that may not be available yet in my shop. Just let me know!

Survey Says...

"Flirtation," 2008 by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

I have been long considering offering prints of my work in my etsy shop, rather than just originals. I know that buying original artwork online can be daunting, and I understand why, especially when the originals are in the hundreds-of-dollars range.

So today I am introducing a poll (see the top right-hand corner of my blog) and a contest! First, take the poll, then leave a comment in this blog post. Be sure to leave some way for me to contact you! A shop link, link to your blog, or your email address. When the poll closes on June 4th, I will draw all of your names from a hat. The lucky winner gets $10 to spend in my LeaKarts shop, plus some extra goodies. Yay!