Sunday Seller Feature - Wildemoon

Tell us a little bit about your craft; what you do, how you got into it and how long you’ve been doing it.
I've been crafting since I was a little girl. My mom was always amazing about getting me art supplies, and my grandma was always letting me play with beads and teaching me little bits of sewing and knitting. I grew up an environment where creativity was encouraged, and that made a world of difference.

Where can we find your products?
I have things all over, but most things can be found on Etsy (http://wildemoon.etsy.com) or my "Buy Stuff" page of my personal site (http://www.biteyourtongue.net/daydream/buystuff.html). You can also get updates via my blog (http://wildedesigns.blogspot.com) or Twitter (http://twitter.com/wildemoon).

Where do you derive your inspiration from?
Everywhere. It can be anything from a song I heard on the radio to a quote a friend sends me. Obviously seeing all the amazing art and design and jewelry from other crafters can be wonderfully inspiring too. It's all about that magic moment where a color or a word or a thought sparks something in your head that says, "Must. Make. Stuff."

Do you buy handmade? What products do you like purchasing?
I absolutely do. I've found some beautiful jewelry on Etsy (I have a particular weakness for dangly earrings), and I'm a big fan of finding handmade jewelry and other items at conventions, craft fairs, and online.

What mediums do you use to promote your products both online and offline?
Offline I sometimes post business cards on the bulletin boards at work (I work at a university) just to get people to stop and look. Online I use the Promotions forum at Etsy, my Twitter account, my blog and just communicating directly to friends and family if I put something up I know they'll enjoy. I think I've had more sales from people randomly stumbling across my shop from something I put out there months ago than immediate sales from promotion, however.


You are in your favorite craft store. What is your guilty pleasure?
Beads. Even if I have nothing I need to make, I have an impossible time walking past a pretty, shiny bag or string of beads on sale. I just see all these things I *could* make with them. In my craft room, I have a ridiculous amount of beads just waiting for the right project - and someday I'll find one for all of them.

What do you do on your spare time aside from your business?
My online art and craft sales are a sideline for me at this point (though if I ever ended up selling enough regularly, I'd certainly consider changing that). I actually work as a graphic designer at a university, so my time is split between work, online pursuits like roleplaying and selling, and my boyfriend and our pets. It's a nice balance for me since I feel like I have an opportunity to accomplish things in a lot of different areas without any of them really suffering for lack of attention.

Is your workspace neat and tidy? An organized mess? Tell us a bit about it.
It's a mess while I'm working but tidy otherwise. I get a bit OCD about making sure things are organized and easy to find because chaos in my workspace frustrates and distracts me. I end up cleaning instead of crafting or creating art if I don't keep things orderly. Besides, it's a lot easier to find a red bead if all the beads are sorted by color and things like that.

Featured Seller Questionaire.

Pick six or seven questions in addition to the first question (the one asking to explain your craft) to respond to. Please include a link to your shop and if you would like, you can also add your Twitter/Blogspot if you have them. Please list your top three favorite items in your shop; I will use them for their pictures throughout the article. Please email the completed questions to goddessminerals [at] live.com and you will be notified if/when you are published on http://goddessminerals.blogspot.com for the seller feature.

Tell us a little bit about your craft; what you do, how you got into it and how long you’ve been doing it.

Where can we find your products?

Where do you derive your inspiration from?

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself.

What was your best or most positive experience with a customer?

Do you buy handmade? What products do you like purchasing?

Do you participate in craft shows? Why/why not?

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?

What mediums do you use to promote your products both online and offline?

You are in your favorite craft store. What is your guilty pleasure?

What do you do on your spare time aside from your business?

Is your workspace neat and tidy? An organized mess? Tell us a bit about it.

How long does one piece of work usually take you to create?

If you could hang out with anyone alive or dead for one day, who would it be and why?

Any advice for those interested in turning their hobby into a business?

Have Makeup Questions?

What is the best way to cover the dark circles under my eyes? How do I make my thin lashes look fuller and thicker? What is a good bronzer that won't make me look orange?

Do you have a burning makeup or skin care question?

I'd love to hear from you! Anything pertaining to makeup from application to colors and techniques and skin care questions too, please feel free to post a comment and next week I will be going through the questions and try to answer every single one of them. As a makeup artist I can't even begin to list all the answers to questions I have gotten over the years, so what a better way then to accept questions from my readers?

I look forward to hearing from you all!
Ask away!

My First Blog Post!

So I finally gave in and got a blog; now to write some entries and really get started! On this blog you will find makeup tips and tricks, featured sellers from a site I share with all kinds of lovely artisans called Etsy., and of course sharing some mineral makeup from Goddess Minerals, my very own mineral makeup shop!

I thought I would start off my blog by offering some great tips for makeup and skincare; enjoy!

• Make sure your blush is well blended into your foundation or it will look unnatural and add five years to your look. Yikes!
  
• Go to a beauty supply store and purchase disposable mascara wands (sometimes called 'spoolies'). Apply your mascara as usual and then use one of the disposable wands to run through your lashes to volumize and separate.
  
• Never shake your nail polish bottles before application as this causes bubbles in the polish itself that can be transferred to your nails and give a textured, uneven look. Instead of shaking it, roll the bottle in between your hands for an even mix.
  
• If you wet eyeshadow to use as a liner, do not close the lid for a day. Let it air out and dry properly or bacteria will grow.
• Foundation or cover up (even bronzer!) does not end at the jawline. Blend into your neck so there is no defining line.

Those are my tips and tricks for makeup for now; check in for more coming!

Also, I want to know; what is your favorite makeup product or item? Why?