FREE Ways to Help Charitable Causes

I'm so pleased to see how well the Hearts for Haiti Etsy shop is doing! The Etsy community has already raised over $20,000 for Doctors Without Borders' Haiti relief fund. My heart-shaped herbal heat pack went quickly to a generous overseas buyer. I'm so glad I was able to be part of this wonderful cause.

On the topic of generosity and helpful charities, I wanted to share with you a few ways you can help other causes for FREE every single day. There are several charitable donation sites out there that receive donations based on clicks from users. The money comes from the sponsors who advertise on those pages. It is a great fast, free way to do something positive. Here is a list of some great sites that do great things to help the environment, children, women and people of all kinds:

TheRainforestSite.com
TheAnimalRescueSite.com
TheBreastCancerSite.com
TheHungerSite.com
TheChildHealthSite.com
TheLiteracySite.com
EcologyFund.com
RedJellyfish.com
Care2.org

Do you know of other great ways to help great causes? Comment here with your links!

Hearts for Haiti Etsy Donation Shop

Some wonderful people started up a new Etsy shop last week called "Hearts for Haiti". This great cause is raising money to help the people of Haiti from the earthquake destruction. The Etsy community has come together to create a shop full of unique items, all of which are donated by the generous sellers on Etsy. The money raised by Hearts for Haiti will be donated to Doctors Without Borders, who are providing hospital and medical services to the people of Haiti.

Be sure to check out all of the wonderful handmade goods everyone on Etsy is providing to the cause and lend a helping hand! I have donated a special purple herbal heat pack in a heart shape. View the Warm Heart for Haiti purple heart heat pack.

Black Friday Weekend Sale!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your family and friends! I just got home not long ago from seeing my family in Connecticut and my husband's family in Massachusetts. It's a lot of driving, but well worth it to see the folks we love most.

Before I hit the hay, I just wanted to let you all know that I'm having a sale in my Etsy shop for Black Friday weekend! I'm offering 20% off everything in my shop from now through Sunday. I'll give you your discount as a PayPal refund, or if you are sending a money order, I'll give you the discounted total to send.

Visit my Etsy shop now to find mystical and unique jewelry, herbal hot/cold packs, original art prints and magnets and other fun gifts!

As always, thank you for your support! And remember this holiday season, Buy Local, Buy Handmade!

Support Your Local Economy

In the group I'm a part of, Artisans of WMass, our slogan is "Buy Local, Buy Handmade". Buying local is an important part of our team's outlook and is also an important part of living in western Massachusetts. We live in a unique area where more people are aware of the importance of supporting the local economy and keeping money within the community. More and more communities around the country are starting to see things this way, but we are still plagued with big box stores and corporate take-overs.

Etsy recently posted an article called New Rules: Support Your Local Economy. This interview with Stacy Mitchell of the New Rules Project at the Institute for Local Self Reliance shows her insight into why people do and should shop locally.

Read this article and when you're done, remember to Buy Local, Buy Handmade.

My Elven Bridal Head Circlet

Continuing with my show and tell about the stuff I'm making for my wedding, today I'll show you the head piece I made to wear for the big day. Our theme is somewhat mystical and fantasy-like with a natural theme as well. I've been telling people, when they ask about what I'm going to wear that it is something you might find at a Renaissance Faire or in the Lord of the Rings.

My dress is almost done, but not quite, but I have completed my jewelry, including the elven style circlet for my head. I do not have a photo yet of the complete jewelry and circlet with veil ensemble yet, but for now, here is a photo of just the circlet:



I created this head circlet in a style that would look somewhat elven and mystical. The dress is white with some purple trim and lacing. The main color for the wedding is purple. So, in the head circlet, I used purple amethyst oval stone beads. I also used white opalescent beads and silver seed beads. The front of the cirlet is made from hammered nickel wire and wrapped with smaller nickel wire. The rest is made from two different sizes of silver plated chain. The back closes with a lobster clasp.

What do you think? Should I offer this style of head circlet for sale in my Etsy shop?

Thanks for looking! I hope you all have a fantastic 4th of July weekend.

~Victoria~

Send Us On Our Honeymoon Sale! 15% OFF!

Okay, two posts in one day, wow! How could I forget to mention that I'm having a big sale?? That's right - 15% off the entire shop! That includes everything, even things that are already on sale! I'm doing this to help raise money to send us on our honeymoon in September. We're headed to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland for our post-wedding adventure.

So, if there is something you've been eying and looking to get, now is the time to get it! I will refund you the discount via PayPal after purchase, or if you are sending a money order, I will send you a discounted total to send.

http://weyakin.etsy.com

Thanks everyone!