& if you cut us, we will just bleed garnet.

Happy Monday everyone!  Hope everyone had a great weekend.  If you're in the path of Issac, hope you find safe grounds & stay safe!  I'm in South Carolina, we'll just be getting rain, which isn't really anything new lately, ha.  Well, today I don't have a feature.  Instead, today's post is dedicated to my love of USC - Carolina that is!  Check out my Etsy treasure as well: I Bleed Garnet.

LightShine Designs

Today my features are a little different.  I usually only feature one shop per day, but there are ways for shops to get featured without having to wait.  As a result, I am featuring not one, but TWO awesome shops.  The great part is both shops are based out of areas near me! :)  Our first shop is based out of Nichols, SC - LightShine Designs.  LightShine Designs is a little different than the previous shops I've featured.  Most focus on one thing such as jewelry or photography.  This shop specializes in photography and jewelry.  One of my favorite items from this shop would have to be the Blue Rose Engraved Wooden Beaded Adjustable Bracelet.  I love the bright colors.  With that being said, don't forget to check back at noon (12pm EST) to see our second feature of the day.  Now, let's get to know a little more about LightShine Designs.

Q: How did you come up with your shop name?
A: I  thought long and hard about the name for about almost two whole weeks.  I knew that I couldn't change it on FaceBook once I made my page, so I made sure it was something I could live with first before making my FaceBook business page.  One night I was laying down to go to sleep and thinking about it, before starting to say my prayers, the old children's song "This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine..." came into my head, and hence LightShine Designs was born.  I started out wire-wrapping my raw gemstones which I have mined in NC and then started to venture into other areas of jewelry and accessories.  I am a self-taught photographer who mostly deals with natural views and still life, but have recently started offering portrait services locally at affordable prices. 

Q: Do you only sell online?
A: I sell online and in person.

Q: What inspires you?
A: All kinds of things inspire my creativity.  Nature, photography, and the colors of life that surround us everyday inspire me in my jewelry design.  I often have no idea what I am going to make until I sit down with all of my inventory to do it.  I am inspired by vintage items as well.  In photography, I can be inspired anywhere and everywhere I go to snap a shot, so many mundane things can become breathtaking in the eye of a camera.

Q: What is the hardest part of what you do?
A: The hardest part of what I do is promoting honestly.  Trying to get my stuff out there and my shop known has been a thing I've worked at really hard the past few months.  Besides that I love what I do so it is not very difficult, although sometimes wire wrapping can be kind of rough on your fingers after doing it for awhile.

Q: What is one of your favorite items from your shop?
A: Currently my favorite item is my Handcrafted Steampunk Inspired Sparkle Drop Swarovski Crystal Clock Jeweled Necklace on 16" Chain.

Q: Do you only sell on Etsy? If yes, what made you decide to use Etsy instead of sites like ArtFire and MadeItMySelf?
A: I only own a shop on Etsy, but I also sell through FaceBook, and through Ebay auctions. I also have a website which links to my shop on Etsy. I have a business email in which to receive custom requests as well.  I checked ArtFire out and found that I didn't really like the prices or set up with their shops.  I have never checked out MadeItMySelf.  I am thinking of starting to use TopHatter.  I'm also on Twitter.


Q: Is Etsy your only "job", or is it something you do on the side?
A: Yes, currently Etsy is my only official job.  I am unemployed and looking for work otherwise.  I also act as part caretaker for my mother who has been sick for the past two years battling lung cancer and heart problems.  I graduated from college with a Paralegal Associates Degree in 2010, but have not found work near home in the field as of yet.  I am currently looking for an at home online job until I find another one. 

Q: Are you attending any art shows in the future?
A: I would love to, but currently have no plans to do so.

Q: Any future projects?
A: Plenty!!!  I have custom orders right now which are waiting on supplies to make a "Fifty Shades of Gray" jewelry set, and also a "Vampire Diaries" charm bracelet.  The upcoming project I am most excited about is the Charity Line of my handcrafted jewelry in which the pieces will represent different diseases/causes and all of the proceeds of which will go to the charity that represents each of them. 

Words of Advice from LightShine Designs: Stick with it.  It can be frustrating at first and hard to get noticed and can be discouraging.  If you truly love your craft and know you have what it takes, then don't quit!  Just stay positive and keep trying.  I would suggest making sure you have a FaceBook business page, an Etsy shop, a website, and a unique email address just for your business. The more online accounts you can make with your name and your information, the more likely you will be in gaining fans, customers, and overall popularity.  Also, make sure you photograph your products nicely, a photograph makes the item for the customer.  I suggest natural lighting, and they have many DIY light box ideas online.

Website: www.lightsdesigns.com
Twitter: @LightSDesigns
Shop: www.Etsy.com/shop/LightShineDesigns
FaceBook: www.facebook.com/LightShineDesigns
E-mail: LightShineDesigns@yahoo.com

Insane!!!!!

I was looking through recent local news articles & came to the conclusion that there is NEVER a dull moment here in South Carolina. I would like to move to a LESS insane state, lol. Check out the following articles from this week alone:

Van Slams into BB&T - Can't see that big building?
Lady Kills 4 People For Insurance Money - Maybe you can use that money to get outta jail now.
Skeleton Found Under Couch - Well, that's one way to bury the dead.
Shoplifting Rogaine - Guess he/she really missed their hair.
Counterfeit for Apple Pies - Someone's hungry
Arrested For Hitting Woman W/ BBQ Lid - Umm, I really have no comment for this one...
Man Passes Fake $100 at Dollar Tree - Must be trying to buy the whole store.

Officer Caught W/ Teen Prostitute - Just because you have "power" doesn't mean you can get away with everything.

To accompany these crazy people, check out the treasury below.

Santa Clause is Coming to Town...

In 15 days that is :D In the meantime, check out my Santa filled treasury & enjoy the song below it.

^^^Click image to go to treasury^^^

Halloween Party/Bash & Contest

The Halloween party / costume contest Saturday was LAME. I had fun walking around, freaking out people, getting my photo taken with 10000 strangers, even made 3 little kids cry by just walking by them, but the costume contest was the lamest thing I have ever seen. The rules were, the judges had to give you a ticket in order for you to be in the contest. One of them stopped directly in front of me, smiled, and walked off. No ticket. I mean, I thought my costume was pretty cool, even worthy for a chance. I don't care so much about winning as I do about being in a contest. My husband does all of my costumes (hand made) & I think he does an amazing job. Everyone that I saw Saturday even thought so. The judges were to busy looking for a stupid lady dressed up in a tampon box. Seriously, a tampon box got a ticket & I didn't... I was very disappointed that night. But I have entered 3 other online contests. Voting has only started for one though & it's the banner up top above the giveaway part. Please click it :) This Halloween I was a Serial Killer Zombie (4 hours of work), Fallout 3 Ghoul (3 hours of work), & a Mutated Cannibal that is pictured below (7 hours of work). Hope you all had a spook-tacular Halloween!


P.S.: Please help me in the two Halloween contests that are posted above the giveaways up top. The 2nd one you can vote 5 times per day (even on the same person). Please help me.

31 Days of Halloween

As of today, I have decided to host 31 Days of Halloween on my blog starting October 1, 2010. It will end, of course, on Halloween. What exactly is 31 Days of Halloween? Well, it's all things Halloween for 31 days. I will only blog about Halloween related topics such as the history, myths, props, movies, shows, contests, etc... My website Spirits From Beyond will also host a night (or maybe a week) dedicated for story sharing. Share all of your experiences with the paranormal. Go on over & sign up =] I know the site needs major updating, but just ignore it for now. It will be fixed up before October. I will post at a later time as to when that will occur. If there's anything you would like to see during 31 Days of Halloween, feel free to let me know. You can leave a comment here, or use the "E-Mail Me" button in the right column. I can't wait :-D Oh, grab the button in the left column & post it to your page/blog =]

In other news, I received some great samples from Abundance Yeah. Abundance Yeah makes gourmet fruit butter, jams, preserves, flavored salts, rubs, candy and more. I received samples of her Sesame Curry Salt, Kickin' Jerk Rub, and Lil' Southwest Taste season. She also included three recipes. I can't wait to try the kickin' jerk rub with her grilled jerk shrimp recipe.

Also, I've decided on my top three career choices (after I finish my AA degree). They are, in no order, graphic design/digital arts, photography, and CSI. I thought and thought about this Friday as I need to start applying to schools since I only have 2 classes left before I graduate with my AA degree. I love graphic design and have been doing it for years. However, I looove photography. In order to have both, I would have to do photography because they both go hand in hand. Now CSI, that stuff grabs my attention like no other. I love watch those kind of shows & always wonder what it was like to actually do that. Well, if I did CSI, photography would be incorporated with it. Sounds like I can't have a three right? Wrong. I came up with a solution. If I take up CSI, photography would be in that & I could take up graphic design on the side. There's so much competition in the digital arts field that graphic design isn't guaranteed a steady job. So, as for now, that's my career plan: get a degree in CSI & take up graphic designing as a side job. Now the hard part: finding the right school. It seems like every single school I find ends up being a for-profit school. For-profit schools are educational institutions that are run by private, profit-seeking companies or organizations. I also read this article where some people went undercover as students, and some of the for-profit schools told them to lie on their Financial Aid & also encouraged fraud. In other words, you don't want to go to a for-profit school. Here's a list of for-profit schools: click here. I would LOVE to have a school here in South Carolina or North Carolina. Would be nice to actually visit, but it's not a must. I'm wanting to do my degree online since it's just easier and more convenient for me. I did find one good school, but they only offer a certificate in CSI. So I'm kind of stuck =[ If anyone knows of any schools that aren't for-profit, please let me know.

Check out these 4 great Etsians:

Bloody Severed Head with Glass Prop
By: BlackWaterFX


Gory Horror Gothic Art Print-8x10-Exhibit C
By: TheStripedTurtle


Bubbly Bloody Brain Soap
By: ajsweetsoap


Creepy Cute - Bloody Arms Earrings
By: TeaDollHouse