BESTeam Store Review: Mysticwynd

I was very pleased and excited to learn that my shop review assignment of the week was our great & wonderful BESTeam leader Karen of the shop Mysticwynd. On the selling side, she specializes in necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, accessories, and gift items.

On the just being a all around great person, she has been a tremendous help with making me feel comfortable in the group and has always been around to answer the barrage of questions I fired at her the first few days I was a newbie to her team. If you want to buy from someone who is geniunely a pleasure to deal with personally and professionally, she is your gal!

Among the things in her shop that caught my eye are:


XLong Exotic Red Floral Earrings with Antiqued Brass - like beautiful trumpet flowers wrapped in scrollwork-like antique brass, I know I would definitely want these with any long, slinky red and black number dress I wear out.

Yellow Glass with Brass Earrings - Luscious Lemondrops - antique brass again...get the feeling I like these? I do, but she has a lot of it and does it well. They are like little, glowing orbs of yellow sunshine on your ears.

And my all-time favorite is the Oceanus Charm Bracelet with Pearls, Shells, Crystal, and Glass. Wow, do I love this piece. I seriously think I must have squeed when I saw it. Ocean charms are a weak spot with me and there is plenty on this ocean-themed piece to keep you enthralled with its charms (yeah, that's a pun) for years to come.

You have to stop by her shop and check out her goodies. With over 140 items there at such reasonable prices, trust me, you are going to find something that will make you hit that "Add to Cart" button!

Contact her by:

Blog - http://mysticwynd.blogspot.com/
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/mysticwynd
Twitter - http://twitter.com/mysticwynd

An Etsy conversation - How do you get out of your creative ruts?

Understanding why we get into a "rut" helps deal with the issue and keeps us from getting frustrated. The word "rut" definitely misinterprets the problem. Our brains are designed to work in balance, the left hemisphere with the right and vice versa. Because one is adept at analytical issues and the other at abstract and creative concepts, overworking either one trips a "time out" switch that stalls our efforts. It is then time to move on to something else - for me the more opposite the diversion, the better. Gardening, designing a website, doing house chores all reset (or reboot as us nerds call it) my brain so I can go back to my bags or parasols with a fresh perspective.

It is important for every creative artist to find their most effective distraction. For some like me, it is something as opposite the creative arts as possible, i.e. something that engages logic, calculations or chores. For others it is turning to the inspiration found in their fellow artist’s projects, however they are found on the internet, through books, art galleries and of course, in the amazing patterns and designs found in nature and the universe themselves. It does not matter how or where you find the source, the important thing is you expand your awareness to include something else in this universe that will refresh your mind and eventually allow you to return to the project and either complete it or move on.

Remember, everything in nature – and we all are a part of nature – is cyclic. Every person, place, project and thing has its time to bloom, and pushing it when it isn’t ready or the time is not ready for it, does both you and your project a disservice.

Thoughts on an Etsy Conversation: Why we get into a creative "rut" and what to do about it

Understanding why we get into a "rut" helps deal with the issue and keeps us from getting frustrated. The word "rut" definitely misinterprets the problem. Our brains are designed to work in balance, the left hemisphere with the right and vice versa. Because one is adept at analytical issues and the other at abstract and creative concepts, overworking either one trips a "time out" switch that stalls our efforts. It is then time to move on to something else - for me the more opposite the diversion, the better. Gardening, designing a website, doing house chores all reset (or reboot as us nerds call it) my brain so I can go back to my bags or parasols with a fresh perspective.

It is important for every creative artist to find their most effective distraction. For some like me, it is something as opposite the creative arts as possible, i.e. something that engages logic, calculations or chores. For others it is turning to the inspiration found in their fellow artist’s projects, however they are found on the internet, through books, art galleries and of course, in the amazing patterns and designs found in nature and the universe themselves. It does not matter how or where you find the source, the important thing is you expand your awareness to include something else in this universe that will refresh your mind and eventually allow you to return to the project and either complete it or move on.

Remember, everything in nature – and we all are a part of nature – is cyclic. Every person, place, project and thing has its time to bloom, and pushing it when it isn’t ready or the time is not ready for it, does both you and your project a disservice.

BESTeam Store Review: Elizabeth MD Designs

Why is it everyone I meet on the ‘net who is from Canada is so friendly? They are some of my favorite people in the wwworld to talk to, so I was interested in seeing if that friendliness was reflected in the Etsy shop and blog of someone I had not spoken to yet. It certainly seems so with Elizabeth, the owner of Elizabeth MD Designs.


In the blog posts in between her reviews of our fellow BESTeam sellers (i.e. the more personal looks into her life POV [point of view]), she shows a sharp eye for bringing us the wonderful visual images out there on the internet. Her big heart shows through her thoughtful pieces on holidays such as Mother’s Day and in this duo of Silver Butterfly Heart Earrings & Necklace offerings she sells in her Etsy shop for Japan’s Animal rescue and support relief. I have such a soft spot for animal lovers who donate all or a portion of their shop proceeds to good causes, I like this gal already!



I want to give Elizabeth an extra hug here because she works through some difficult life challenges and yet goes the extra mile to put up a YouTube channel as a way of keeping in touch with her audience when she cannot do craft shows or delivery local orders in person. You might say every person out there seems to have a YouTube channel these days, but so many people don’t do anything with it, or use it as an obnoxious way to advertise. I found her videos frank and honest, refreshing and touching. Again I say, I like this girl already. Her simple jewelry is beautiful in its choices of color and style…I have seen the beautiful, porcelain-like Cream and Blue Rose Ring beads at bead shows and know how pretty these can be.


In summary, you will enjoy shopping with Elizabeth, as her 100% happy-camper reviews attest to in her store. Take advantage of her gift certificates and custom work and you won’t go wrong.


Elizabeth and I are members of a great team – BESTeam (Boosting Etsy Shops Team). We support each other’s Etsy shops with intense social networking and promotion of each other on our Facebook, Twitter and Blog ‘sites. Want an article written about YOUR shop each and every week? Want to write about others and support their creative efforts, thus Paying it Forward? Then get on over to the team page, visit the team blog or forum and see if you can keep up with us. If you are the BEST, we want you on our team!

New Item Matching Clutch Purse for Parasols

My friends suggested I create purses to go with the parasols. This is the first one I have tackled. It matches my Burgundy and Iridescent Green Wedding Parasol that I put up in the Etsy store July 2nd. I took leftover trim and cover material to cover a black clutch purse, adding satin rose flowers I had originally bought for the parasol. While it turned out the flowers weren't needed for the parasol, it was great to find a use for them on this neat little compact purse.



I particularly love the design of this purse because it holds a multitude of things a gal needs that my first Little Black Bag collection couldn't handle all at once - money, change, credit cards and a full size Android cell phone. To my delight, my Samsung ‘droid fits perfectly in the zippered change pouch. It’s wonderful having it so handy and not buried at the bottom of a bulky purse – especially when I have only a few seconds to find the darn thing to answer those incoming calls!



Right now this is a one-of-a-kind piece. I don't know that I'll make another like it unless it's a special request for a customer. I have too many ideas for other designs, so get this one while you can.

New Item Matching Clutch Purse for Parasols

My friends suggested I create purses to go with the parasols. This is the first one I have tackled. It matches my Burgundy and Iridescent Green Wedding Parasol that I put up in the Etsy store July 2nd. I took leftover trim and cover material to cover a black clutch purse, adding satin rose flowers I had originally bought for the parasol. While it turned out the flowers weren't needed for the parasol, it was great to find a use for them on this neat little compact purse.



I particularly love the design of this purse because it holds a multitude of things a gal needs that my first Little Black Bag collection couldn't handle all at once - money, change, credit cards and a full size Android cell phone. To my delight, my Samsung ‘droid fits perfectly in the zippered change pouch. It’s wonderful having it so handy and not buried at the bottom of a bulky purse – especially when I have only a few seconds to find the darn thing to answer those incoming calls!



Right now this is a one-of-a-kind piece. I don't know that I'll make another like it unless it's a special request for a customer. I have too many ideas for other designs, so get this one while you can.

Off the Wall Expressions – a BESTeam Etsy Shop Review

When I went to Off the Wall Expression's Etsy shop, I got very excited just looking at all the wonderful examples of their vinyl decor in their featured items section. Such bright bold designs always have a great appeal in their beauty and stark simplicity, especially when done right, as Tina at Off the Wall has done.



Little did I know when I visited this fellow TEAMBest member's store that I would also discover the perfect gift for my husband and one with almost universal appeal...the “Chocolate Periodic Table of Elements” vinyl wall decal! I think I seriously must have "squeed" with delight! He accidentally saw the picture as I was writing the review and commented that he wants it for when he redoes our kitchen, thus confirming my suspicions that it would be the perfect gift for my “cooking man”.



Another that quickly became my favorite was “Moments” simply for its beauty of script and profoundness. It would go perfect on any living room or dining room wall. Even a bedroom or room used for meditation could only benefit from its presence.



A third favorite one is the "chalkboard vinyl decals" and what a clever idea it is! Place them anywhere, write on them with chalk (which they include) and erase with a chalkboard eraser. Hmmm…I wonder why I might be attracted to it?

The husband and me at San Diego Comic Con 2009

There are also nature themes with birds, cherry blossoms, ones celebrating kids, perfect for decorating their rooms, bible verses, decals for the dance floor at your wedding reception and more.

While they are not currently doing any custom designs in order to add new ones, they do have a special "Christmas in July" coupon code good for 10% off. You need only to "like" their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/offthewallexpressions to get the code . That much off their already very reasonable prices is a steal…so go steal some right now!

More links for Off the Wall Expressions:
Blog - http://offthewallexpressions.blogspot.com/
Twitter - offthewallexp

Tina and I are members of a great team – BESTeam (Boosting Etsy Shops Team). We support each other’s Etsy shops with intense social networking and promotion of each other on our Facebook, Twitter and Blog ‘sites. Want an article written about YOUR shop each and every week? Want to write about others and support their creative efforts, thus Paying it Forward? Then get on over to the team page, visit the team blog or forum and see if you can keep up with us. If you are the BEST, we want you on our team!

Heading towards...something

Dragonflies never rest, are always darting about their environment as if in an eternal search for something. You could say I am the same way. My crafting studio is crammed with books, beads, lace and fabrics. There is always a new parasol, jewelry or purse design to be found out there and I am on a never-ending quest to hone my sewing skills 'till I find it. When will I know when I have that perfect design? When you can't resist buying something.

But truthfully, we never reach perfection and I'm not looking to be perfect. I just want to have fun and make something that makes someone go, "Ooooo, that's pretty."

If you do, then I’ve done my job.

Heading towards...something

Dragonflies never rest, are always darting about their environment as if in an eternal search for something. You could say I am the same way. My crafting studio is crammed with books, beads, lace and fabrics. There is always a new parasol, jewelry or purse design to be found out there and I am on a never-ending quest to hone my sewing skills 'till I find it. When will I know when I have that perfect design? When you can't resist buying something.

But truthfully, we never reach perfection and I'm not looking to be perfect. I just want to have fun and make something that makes someone go, "Ooooo, that's pretty."

If you do, then I’ve done my job.