Somethin Lovely Is Up For Grabs Tonight!

As promised, there's another giveaway on The Creative Mixx! Thanks to Nathalie of Skeptis, (a shop where you can find Eco-Friendly jewellery) you are in for a treat tonight!!!

Now y'all know that I am in love with all things Vintage, so I am happy to showcase some "vintage inspired" jewellery that mixes the past with the present. Straight out of Montreal, Quebec - Nathalie is passionate about the 3R's - Reduce, Reuse & Recycle. The items that you are about to see represent that wonderfully.......

Before I show you my Skeptis faves, let's get to know Nathalie a little better~

How did you get started?
A lot of my obsessions start with me trying to make something myself instead of buying it. Jewelry is great because it's easy to get started quick and doesn't require expensive equipment. I learned techniques by reading and looking at other people's work. It's slowly replacing my last obsession which involved a 500 specimen tropical indoor jungle. I bought seeds from all over the world and grew some amazing rare plants but I'm down to about 50 plants now. Happily jewelry doesn't involve insect control and so much humidity that algae starts to grow on the windows!

Where do you get your inspiration from?
Mostly from the materials themselves and the constraints that pop up when you're using recycled/vintage materials and trying to keep your prices down. It's frustrating not to be able to use some beautiful new beads but it's incredibly rewarding to find eco-friendly alternatives. I also used to live in a very poor part of town. The people there are really creative when it comes to getting what they want for free. They grew more trees, vines and vegetables than anywhere else in the city using recycled materials for trellises and planters. In summer, entire apartment facades are completely covered in lush grape vines grown in garbage bins. It's amazing what you can do when you think about materials differently!

Tell us one thing that most people don't know about you....
I'm an amateur naturalist. I've always struggled to find a way to combine my scientific curiosity with art. If I had been born in the age of discovery I probably would have been a naturalist/illustrator like Ernst Haeckel but today to be a scientist requires one to specialize. With art you can talk about anything and I really love what artists are doing today to combine both disciplines - It's nice to see others who think jellyfish and fungus are worthy of contemplation!

Any advice for newbies starting out?
There isn't any one way to succeed. You can waste a lot of time trying to do all the 'right things' or making things you think others will want. There are people out there who want your stuff so don't give up on your concepts, just work hard to make them great!The best resource for ideas and tips is the Etsy forums - everything you want to know about techniques or selling is there! I also have a blog were I discuss eco-friendly jewelry and business practices so a lot of things that have worked for me are discussed there. http://skeptis-thisisgreen.blogspot.com/

I definitely appreciate Nathalie's efforts in using eco-friendly alternatives with her jewellery line....In our day and age - living "green" is where it's at y'all:)

Here are my absolute faves~

Now are you ready for this fabulous prize?????

Here's what's up for grabs this week~

This lovely silver feather necklace is made from half of a pair of vintage clip-on earrings that were converted into a pendant. The silver chain is salvaged and everything about it is eco-friendly including the packaging in which it will travel!

So here are the contest rules.......
This contest will run from Monday November 9 until Sunday November 15.

Ways to win:
1. All followers (both existing and new ones during the contest period) get one entry.
2. If you leave a comment telling me what your fave skeptis design item is?, will get you one entry, (that means 2 entries for followers who comment).
3. If you have a blog and promote it to your readers by providing a link back to my blog's contest page - then that will get you one entry as well (that means 3 entries for followers who comment and post about the contest on their blog)

Note: If someone would like to enter and does not have a blogger account, they will get one entry by sending me a comment via email to: thecreativemixx@gmail.com And if you post a comment as "Anonymous"... that's cool. You'll get one entry as well, but you'll have to send me an email with your contact info.

When the winner is announced on Sunday, you will have 48 hours to respond to my email. If you do not respond, then I will select another winner.

I have to give a big shout out to all my followers so far!!! I can't believe that I'm at 84 followers - A-MA-Z-ING!!!!!! Seriously, Thank-you sooooo much

CLICK HERE to visit Skeptis!

1Luv peeps~