Artisan Corner ~ Bob Gast

 I want to start featuring Artisans that I have come in contact with and have worked with on very special custom orders.  My very first featured Artisan is Bob Gast.  Bob has an online shop on ArtFire.  Bob's ArtFire Store  bobsrockwerksandgemcutting
I "met" Bob when he asked to become a member of a group I started there called "Christian Friends On ArtFire".  Seems God puts people in your path for many reasons.  Some we recognize and acknowledge why and other times we never know.  I think at that moment Bob needed us (the group) and I needed to find Bob!  He jumps right in and is a strong prayer warrior for the group!

 Bob is a Lapidary Artisan and takes great love and pride in cutting gemstones, rocks and minerals.  He creates freeform cabochons for making jewelry.  He has some jewelry in his shop that he did the lapidary on the rocks and set them himself.  They are beautiful!  You can see the time he has spent working on the many stones in his store.  Bob is a perfectionist as most Artisans are.  Here is a bit of information on Bob taken from his Bio;  

"I have been interested geology, minerals, and rocks all of my life. When I lost my job and my job search proved fruitless I knew that I needed to do something to occupy my time and earn money. All it took was a trip to the Lake Michigan beach. There, I began to collect rocks and beach glass. I bought a dremel rotary tool and a bunch of bits and started to carve, shape and polish the rocks that I collected. I soon learned that there was a lot more to rocks and the lapidary arts than I realized. I was hooked. Whether I am carving a rock with my rotary tool or cutting on the cabochon machine I am in my element. I am learning new techniques and aspects of the arts everyday."

 I approached Bob a few weeks ago and he has been working very hard on a very special Christmas gift for my 3 sons and my brother.  I can hardly wait to see the finished product and give them to the guys.  It has been a pleasure to work with him.  He listens intently, offers suggestions, is prompt answering email messages and is very meticulous in what he does.  These gifts will be well received and will become a family "heirloom" of sorts.  
 
Please take some time and take a look at Bob's store and see all the beautiful things he has there.  If you are a jewelry maker this is THE place to shop for quality stones and gems for all your projects.  You will not be disappointed! 

Angel's BNR-#2 For Breast Cancer Awareness!

The Etsy Angels, once again, are hosting a BNR for Breast Cancer!  This will be our second BNR this month and the last one.  All participating shops will continue to raise money until the end of the month.  The BNR starts at 5:00 Eastern time and will run until 8:00 p.m., possibly longer if things are going as well as they did last time!  We had 85 sales from our last BNR, a number the Angel's were VERY proud of!

We will be posting the link to the BNR just as we open it so check our FaceBook page ("like us") and you'll know the second it gets underway!  Here is our FACEBOOK LINK.

Below you will see just a sample of items that you'll be seeing in the Angel's Think Pink BNR!  Join us.  Help us raise as much money as we can....and cross some folks off that Christmas list too!

Sock Monkey Hat

MamaJody

Pink Ribbon Fleece Blanket

SewingGranny

Crystal Pink Tennis Bracelet

 BeadedTail

MiniMoc Soft Leather Baby Shoes

MyMiniMocs

Join the Angels Today For Our BNR!

I have recently discovered the joys of participating in a BNR. What is a BNR you ask?

BNR stands for "BUY AND REPLACE." Someone creates a treasury on Etsy and if you want your item featured in this particular treasury, you have to buy one of the items featured in the treasury. It is so much fun: you get to meet a lot of wonderful sellers and it is a great opportunity to get some exposure.

If you are not an Etsy shop owner, it is still fun to participate because sellers usually offer tons of discounts, so you may end up getting a great deal that you would not haven gotten had you not participated. 

Based on my experience, if you are a seller, the key to a successful BNR experience is:

1. Great product photography

2. Don't have the most expensive item in the treasury. You want to see what the other items are priced at and try to stay in the lower end if possible

3. Participation is super important: when I am able to participate and interact with the other people who are participating in the BNR, I sell more items.

4. BNRs are a great way to get hearts. Don't forget to heart other sellers' items and add them to your circle!

5. If people invite you to attend a BNR (and chances are they will send you invitations after your first BNR experience), go and say hi! Even if you can't play, people do appreciate the fact that you took the time to visit and favorite the treasury.

Why am I telling you all this?!?

Because today, my dear Etsy Angel sisters and I are hosting our very first BNR! We are raising money in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month.

I would love if you joined us between 5pm EST - 8pm EST today.

The Angels Fall Fundraiser-Breast Cancer Awareness....

Breast Cancer.  I really hate those 2 words.  I have lost loved ones to this disease, I have seen friends fight it, heard of young mothers wondering if they will see their children grow up.  I have listened to stories of countless people that have been diagnosed with it....many of these stories from friends or family members that speak softly of those lost.....But I have also heard stories of those that fought the good fight and have made it....they were able to beat this disease down, stomp it into the earth, dust themselves off and turn and walk away from it.

Breast Cancer.  I think it is safe to say that in our lifetimes we will either know someone that has/had it or heard of someone that has/had it.  It touches so many.  Only with careful screening, self awareness, regular mammography and research will we see the numbers fall.

In 2011, it is estimated that within the U.S.:

• There will be 230,480 new cases of invasive breast cancer.
• There will be 57,650 new cases of in situ breast cancer.
• There will be 39,520 breast cancer deaths. 

I don't like these numbers....at all....  Research is expensive but without it we don't have a fighting chance!  So, please.........

• Do monthly self-exams....no one knows your body better than you do.
• Have a yearly exam with your Doctor, no, nobody likes to go but consider the alternative.
• Get "squished" yearly!  Get that Mammogram!  And if you cannot afford it there are places within your own communities that can help you pay for them.  Contact your local American Cancer Society or search on Google for help in your area.
• Eat a healthy diet, exercise, quit smoking.....
• If you think there is something wrong...DON'T STICK YOUR HEAD IN THE SAND AND HOPE IT GOES AWAY BECAUSE IT WON'T!  And the longer you wait the less your chances are of beating it! 

Be there for a friend or loved one going through this.  Go with them to treatments if you can, drop them a card, send a small gift that can help their treatment times go by quickly.  Call them, let them know your there for them.  Their attitudes can affect their treatments!

Here are some links that you might like to keep around...visit them and bookmark them, pass them on!

National Breast Cancer Organization

Cancer.Org

Y-Me

Susan G. Komen

And if you'd like, the Etsy Angels are raising money all through October for Breast Cancer non-profit groups in each Angels own hometown.  Join us, help us by making a purchase from any (or all) of the Angel Shops listed here in our blog  The Etsy Angels "Think Pink" October Fundraiser

Thank you....