Beki Hastings Archives - Where Women Create

Welcome to our Ninth day of

FABULOUS

Holiday Giveaways!

Today we are featuring:

Beki Hastings~The Rusted Chain

Elea Lutz~Nostalgia Organics

Kim Stoegbauer~The TomKat Studio

Maureen Cracknell

Beki Hastings~The Rusted Chain

Beki Hastings began making custom jewelry in 2003. Since that time, her products have been featured in various magazines, Pediped shoe advertisements, Law and Order Criminal Intent, and are sold in local upscale boutiques and internationally.

She now has a small team that works to create jewelry. Her designs feature the best of rustic elegance and trendy looks, with the end result being quality jewelry that will look as new and fresh years from now as it does today. Each piece is custom made using sterling silver, stainless steel, natural stones, and the finest components.

Beki is also a photographer and blogger. She lives in an old farmhouse in Kansas with her husband, and her three children, a daughter, aged 11, and two sons ages 9 and 4. A former flight attendant, Beki is truly enjoying being home with her children. Being a designer is, she says, the best way for her to remain home with her family and still have a creative outlet.

Please visit her at:

http://therustedchain.bigcartel.com/

http://www.blog.therustedchain.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Rusted-Chain-Jewelry/

https://twitter.com/#!/therustedchain

Beki is giving a $50 gift certificate to her store, The Rusted Chain!

Elea Lutz~Nostalgia Organics

Hello! My name is Elea Lutz and I’m the designer behind the playful toiletries and giftware company, Nostalgia, located in Arizona. My love for art and design began as a child. I was often found drawing on scraps of paper, sewing doll clothes or making gifts for love ones. Even as an adult, I still have my hand in some type of creative medium almost daily.

I started creating organic skincare remedies during my first pregnancy. And, with that inner artist always emerging, I would store my mixtures in decorative bottles and papers I designed myself. Nostalgia was ultimately born and the journey has resulted in so many unexpected opportunities.

One new project I’ve been working on comes from the whimsical packaging prints I designed for the Nostalgia toiletries line. After taking on a life of their own, I’m excited to now offer the designs on 100% cotton fabric and recycled gift papers.

Thank you for the opportunity to be a part of this creative community and share some of my new collection with you.

Please visit me at

Web: http://www.nostalgiaorganics.com

Blog: http://www.nostalgia.typepad.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/nostalgialife

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nostalgiaorganics

Elea is giving away a HUGE Nostalgia Organics prize package which includes:

3 Artisan Soaps -

Mud Pie

Henrietta

Sunday School

3 Apothecary hand cremes -

Mud Pie

Henrietta

Sunday School

1 Fat quarter of each of the following fabrics -

Mud Pie

Henrietta

Sunday School

Kim Stoegbauer~The TomKat Studio

In December 2008, Kim decided to leave her career in real estate to stay home with her young kids, Tommy & Kate. Always crafty and creative, she started a blog to share her craft projects, decorating and party ideas. She had recently decided to convert a room in her home to a craft “studio” and came up with the blog name “TomKat Studio” from the combination of her kids’ names. Kim’s blog quickly gained a loyal following and readers were asking if they could buy things that she was making, including hand-decorated frames and invitations. On a whim, she decided to open an Etsy shop. Within weeks she was overwhelmed with orders. Her daughter, Kate’s lollipop birthday party was featured on a very popular party blog, Hostess with the Mostess in April 2009 and the demand for her creations soared. Not being able to keep up with the demand, she closed up shop that summer and took a short break. She came back and reopened as a printable party shop.

Her designs have fueled the printable party trend. Her talents have expanded into photo and party styling, which she enjoys immensely. She frequently styles photo shoots for HGTV and other brands. She recently met her idol, Martha Stewart and was giddy with excitement. Her business has grown very quickly and she pinches herself daily to be sure this is really happening!

Through the blog, Facebook and Twitter, Kim connects with her readers and fans. It is her goal that she and her fabulous staff answer every email, inquiry and question that comes in.Kim loves nothing more than helping spread the word about other women/mom owned businesses with amazing products. Her weekly giveaways and features have helped catapult many businesses.

Kim loves pink, ruffles and all things pretty. She is a perfectionist, night owl and a teeny bopper at heart. She loves sweets, the Twilight series and is still a big fan of New Kids on the Block.

Kim’s work has been featured on MarthaStewart.com, Martha’s Dreamers in to Doers site, HGTV.com, Sonoran Living Live, ABC15 Arizona Morning and featured in publications such as Celebrate Magazine, Parenting Magazine, InStyle Magazine, 202 Magazine, The Arizona Republic and Go Gilbert Magazine. She is a weekly contributor for the HGTV Blog, Design Happens. She also writes for Project Nursery and HomeGoods.

Kim lives in Chandler, Arizona with her wonderful husband, Danny, their two sweet children Tommy {6} & Kate {4} and their chihuahua, Bentlie.

Visit:

http://www.thetomkatstudio.com

https://www.facebook.com/thetomkatstudio

https://twitter.com/#!/tomkatstudio

http://pinterest.com/tomkatstudio/

Kim is offering a $50 gift credit to anything in her store!

Maureen Cracknell

I am Maureen Cracknell. A stay-at-home mother of three, a lover of all things crafty and creative, and I make things by hand, at my home in small town Pennsylvania ♥. I started my blog in 2010 for a little space of my own — for sharing my passion to create, to document what I learn and how I grow as an artistic person, and to have a special place to keep some of those little projects and moments that myself and my family create together throughout our days. Almost two years later, Maureen Cracknell Handmade remains a simple, creative blog full of projects, fabrics, sewing, knitting, etsy, special family moments, and many other lovely things. Basically, anything that has to do with being creative and enjoying life!!! I’d love for you to visit me!

Follow my blog

Visit my etsy

Follow me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

For today’s Giveaway, Maureen is offering this custom made Holiday Pillow Cover with an insert included! Along with a $25 Gift Certificate to use in her Etsy Shop!!

WOW!

All you need to do to enter to win all FOUR of these prizes is comment below with your answer to this question …

What is your favorite handmade gift that you’ve received?

Thanks so much to our FOUR FABULOUS artists!

~We’ll see you tomorrow~

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Happy Friday everyone! For today's FABULOUS FRIDAY we've got two talented Jewelry artists for you to meet! First, here is Beki Hastings of The Rusted Chain . . .

Beki Hastings began making custom jewelry in 2003. Since that time, her products have been featured in various parenting magazines, Pediped shoe advertisements, Law and Order Criminal Intent, and are sold in local upscale boutiques and internationally.

Her designs feature the best of timeless elegance and trendy looks, with the end result being quality jewelry that will look as new and fresh years from now as it does today. Each piece is custom made using sterling silver, natural stones, and the finest components.

Beki is also a photographer and blogger. She lives in Kansas with her husband, and her three children, a daughter, aged 9, and two sons ages 8 and 3. A former flight attendant, Beki is truly enjoying being home with her children. Being a designer is, she says, the best way for her to remain home with her family and still have a creative outlet.

Our next talented Jewelry artist is Lisa Crone . . . .

I have been making beaded jewelry for approximately 18 years. I started out teaching myself and then discovered there were many publications available to learn new techniques. I have also taken classes during two beading cruises where I learned wire wrapping, peyote stitch and bead weaving. I spent a period of about 5 years traveling to local craft shows with a business partner to display and sell our designs.

A couple of years ago I was looking for inspiration to make a piece of jewelry, but couldn't seem to find any. I got my beads out and it just so happened that some recent vacation pictures were out on the coffee table as well. I picked them up as a diversion and had fun reliving our trip to Niagara Falls, Canada. It was then I had the "you got your peanut butter in my chocolate" moment. I thought it would be fun to try to replicate the falls in a piece of jewelry so I could remember the trip.I felt very energized and began looking for beads immediately. Once I finished that piece, I looked through other vacation photos and even started looking around in nature and the artwork I surround myself with and
felt like I had tapped an unused source of inspiration.

When I had a third of the projects completed and submitted them to a publisher for their feedback, I was ecstatic that they were interested and once it looked like we were going to do the book, they suggested I have a blog. I have been blogging every single day since and LOVE it. I have met wonderful people and been exposed to a loving and supportive community of artists and crafters that I had no idea were available anytime via my laptop!

It's been a wonderful experience and one that I hope is neverending! I enjoy featuring a new bead maker/jewelry designer each Friday, my own project on Saturday and showcasing a single bead or finding every other day of the week. I also enjoy teaching beading projects to groups or individuals, especially for the look of accomplishment on a person’s face when they have completed a beading project they never thought they could make themselves.

In addition, I have a bachelor of science degree from Bowling Green State University in the field of Child and Family Community Services and have been employed full time with the same company for over 19 years.

Thanks so much ladies for sharing your inspiring stories with us. It makes me want to pull out my jewelry kit and get to work!

How about you?

Beki and Lisa are each offering a giveaway to our WWC readers:

*Beki is offering a $30.00 gift certificate to her store, The Rusted Chain. She's also offering a special discount to our blog readers! Simply enter this code at checkout WWC10 for a 10% discount on your purchase! Please visit The Rusted Chain at www.therustedchain.com .

*Lisa is offering a copy of her brand new book, A Bead In Time to one lucky commenter. Please visit Lisa's blog at www.abeadaday.blogspot.com

Thanks so much ladies for your VERY generous donations!

To enter, simply leave a comment to this post.

Extra entries:

*Following WWC on Twitter www.twitter.com/wherewomencreat

*Following The Creative Connection on Twitter www.twitter.com/TCCEvent

*Adding a WWC button to your blog

*Adding a TCC button to your blog

*Tweeting about this contest

Please remember to leave separate comments for each entry. We'll be announcing our winners on Tuesday, so make sure to get your comments in by Monday, March 22st at Midnight (MST).

GOOD LUCK and HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!