the SEMI-finals: ROUND D of the 2010 handmade world cup

row one
skinny laminx
jezzeprints

row two
BiscuitScout
kathymellor

--> vs. <-- row one
LianaKabel
Epheriell

row two
marygracejewellery
TracyAnnDigitalArt


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row one
emmapardos
masaoms

row two
iomiss
mylittlebooks

--> vs. <--

row one
janeyclothing
BlackLotusDesign

row two
GreenWorks
irisoconnor

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goodness sakes alive!
ONLY 4 teams remain!

round C of the handmade world cup saw a few more BIG handmaking nations lose the vote, while others triumphed! congrats to all the teams that prevailed! yay handmaking!

so welcome to ... round D! we're down to the semi-finals! only 4 amazing handmaking nations remain. over 1000 votes have already been cast in the 2010 handmade world cup (a superfun & friendly celebration cheering on the world of handmade while our football/soccer counterparts thrill the world at that *other* world cup!)

the winning (top-vote-earning) team from each ROUND C match has moved forward.

who will win?

our new ROUND D quarter-final matchups are:

match 1
south africa vs. australia

match 2
spain vs. ireland

...............

now you get to vote all over again!

each round of voting counts towards the final drawing of who will WIN the grand prize (a $30 shopping spree in the shop of your choice! same rules as before:
there will be 5 rounds of voting.

each round (except the final!) will have various matches to cast your vote! the teams with the higher number of votes in each matchup will proceed to the next round!

the PRIZE is a $30 shopping spree in the Etsy shop of your choice, FROM the winning country! so for example: if south africa wins the 2010 handmade world cup voting, then the winning entry will spend their $30 prize in ANY south african-based Etsy shop! :) (donated by me, rikrak! :)

woohoo!! each ROUND will be open for voting for approx. 3-4 days. so be sure to get your votes in.

the total number of entries will be the cumulative ballots from round 1+ round 2 + round 3 + round 4 + round 5!

NOTE: you do NOT need to have voted for the winning team to win. it will be a random draw of all entries!

:: ROUNDS ::

* the country that receives the most votes each round will proceed to the next round! so be sure to VOTE each round to increases your chances!


:: PLEASE MAKE EACH VOTE A DIFFERENT COMMENT BELOW! thanks! ::

you can earn a ballot for EACH match you VOTE on!
so... a sample vote for ROUND D

"comment 1: match a = i vote south africa!
"comment 2: match b = i vote ireland!
(you get the idea)
"comment 3: i tweeted (give link)"
" comment 4: i did a facebook update (give link)"

---> this ROUND of matches CLOSES MONDAY june 21st @ 5pm EST

1. vote.
you can vote ONCE for each match. (i.e. this ROUND you can vote up to 2 times, once for each match!)
= 1 entry for each vote


2. twitter, facebook, or blog about this event
& come here and tell us
= 1 entry for EACH

3. become a follower or subscriber to this blog! :)
& come here and tell us
= 1 entry

4. leave a forum comment in this etsy thread here
about a handmade item from another country (not your own!)
that you LOVE!
& come here and tell us
= 1 entry

** please make sure that each entry is it's own comment and links to an email, or has an email address attached, so that i can contact the winner! **

on tuesday, june 22nd the winners of each match from ROUND D will be posted, when the LAST round / LAST match (only 2 teams will be left!) begins!

so come back then to earn more entries, too!

yay and happy friendly competition, nicies!
yay handmaking around the world!

and thanks so much to the lovely countries from Round C that unfortunately didn't advance: brazil, greece, england & italy! happy handmaking, nicies!

go teams!
& have a great handmaking weekend, nicies!

& happy father's day
to all of those WONDERFUL daddies out there! yay to dads who take time to handmake with, create with, cheer on, love, appreciate, and encourage their kiddies.

i was so lucky to have a great dad like that, and to marry one, too.
hugs!

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collections & a giveaway: with the broken plate

...........................................
yippee!
it's handmade earth week here @ the rikrak studio: 7 days of celebrating eco-friendly handmade, and meeting some of the amazing artists behind future-friendly, sustainable indie businesses that you & i love!

today's our second: a fabulous broken plate pendant & necklace GIVEAWAY with the fabulous Juliet of the Broken Plate pendant Co. each giveaway will be up for 8 days. be sure to come back each weekday between now and earth day (next thursday) to enter all 7 giveaways - you're gonna LOVE them! - and meet some of the fabulous folks behind the green handmade movement!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

--------> UPDATE: <---------
check out all of the giveaways!

1. a beautiful handwoven recycled rag rug by *fiveforty* here!
2. a necklace by the *broken plate*, here.
3. a gorgeous eco chic seatbelt bag by *alamodestuff* here.
4. a fashionista's dream moo moo dress by *julesmae* here.
5. a lovely textile necklace by *vadjutka*, here.
6. a pair of fabulous wall pockets by *greencouchdesign*, here.
7. a gorgeous rose organza purse by *karen meyers* , here.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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there's a special magic in creating pure beauty from things broken.

in life.
in learning.
in art.

the fabulous juliet of *the broken plate pendant co.* crafts her beautiful magic with every gorgeous piece of recycled plate jewelry she creates.

each little shard of broken pottery, china, porcelain meticulously comes alive as a featured treasure in her amazing recycled & reclaimed works, and to me, she's an eco magician.

a visit to her lovely lovely world and i know you too will be captivated by this superstar. her ability to give new life to old plates and "transform broken pieces of a shattered family dish or wedding plate into wearable heirlooms" with her custom work is pure eco magic; reusing and recyling magic, at it's beautiful best!

thanks for showing us the *lovely* in future-friendly making, broken plate! you can catch up with her in her lovely shop, her wonderful blog, on twitter & on facebook.

and thought you might like a glimpse into some of beautiful pottery she collects, but DOESN'T break! :)

............................................

who (are you) : Bio here
what (are you collecting) : Vintage and handmade mugs
when (did you start) : 5 years ago
how (many do you have?): 20 or so
where (do you find them) : Thrifting, Etsy and craft shows
where (do you keep them) : I have them in rotation in my kitchen
what (‘s a crazy/interesting story behind one) : I bought my first handmade mug at a ceramics sale at my college 5 years ago. Before then, I never really thought about what I drank my coffee from (and didn’t drink nearly as much coffee.) The mug was signed by a ceramics professor that I did not really know because I never took ceramics. The next semester I took a stained glass class being taught by the same teacher that made the mug. I am still using the processes that he taught me to make my jewelry now.
what (piece would you like to add): There are SO MANY that I want to add. Right now I am stalking Pinkkiss Pottery and Van Wagoner Studios for the perfect addition.
why (do you love them) : My 2 favorite times of day are morning coffee and afternoon coffee. Sometimes that is the only time that I can just sit for a minute. Honestly, I break plates for jewelry because I love ceramics. Mugs are a way for me to express my love of ceramics without breaking them.
which (one is your favourite) & why : Right now, I have three favorites, all made by Justin Rothshank which I purchased at The American Craft Council Show this February.
what (else do you collect) : I collect a ton of plates to break. I have no room in my house to collect anything else.

......................................

ah! i love it, juliet! and a kindred coffee-loving addict, too! wonderful! and now.. one lucky reader will WIN....



a recycled china necklace made from a vintage 70's plate with sterling ball and 16" chain! wow! gorgeous! thanks so much, juliet!

1. go visit the fabulous the broken plate shop!
... take a look around ... come back here and leave a comment in this post about your favourite goodie from her shop & why you love it!= 1 entry

2. leave us a comment about something you recycle!
... = 1 entry

3. become a follower of the broken plate on twitter (she's @thebrokenplate). then come back here and tell us!
... = 1 entry.

4. become a broken plate facebook fan . come back here and tell us about it!
... 1 entry

5. leave a comment over in this etsy thread here sharing an eco tip.
come back here and tell us about it. = 1 possible entry

6. tweet on twitter
about this giveaway and come back here and tell us! please be sure to include @therikrakshop so i can find you! :) = 1 more possible entry.

7. blog about this giveaway and leave us a link to it in a separate comment here.
= 1 more possible entry

8. follow or subscribe to the rikrak studio blog
and leave me a comment here telling us that you do! = 1 more possible entry.

9. :: PLEASE NOTE:
each entry must be it's own comment.
thanks! ::

..........................................

:: RULES ::
a) it is possible to have a maximum of 8 entries total per person.
b) please make sure to leave each entry as it's own comment. thanks!
c) using random.org, 1 winner of the broken plate pendant giveaway will be chosen on friday, april 23rd @ 7pm EST.
d) open to contestants worldwide.
e) please be sure to leave me an email where i can reach you if your account doesn't link to one. thanks.

................................................

yay to beautiful recycling!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

--------> UPDATE: <---------
check out all of the giveaways!

1. a beautiful handwoven recycled rag rug by *fiveforty* here!
2. a necklace by the *broken plate*, here.
3. a gorgeous eco chic seatbelt bag by *alamodestuff* here.
4. a fashionista's dream moo moo dress by *julesmae* here.
5. a lovely textile necklace by *vadjutka*, here.
6. a pair of fabulous wall pockets by *greencouchdesign*, here.
7. a gorgeous rose organza purse by *karen meyers* , here.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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collections: with neawear

i just love seeing what folks are collecting. i guess i kind of feel it tells us just a little bit about what inspires them, what they love, and what they choose to surround themselves with in their home. today, i'm delighted to present the next in the rikrak studio's collections series: 11 & a 1/2 quick questions with a wonderful artist on what they're collecting, (apart from their art supplies! ) hope you'll just love: handmade mugs with the wonderful Janick of neawear.

......................................

who (are you) : Janick, not quite 28, from Montreal.

what (are you collecting) : Handmade pottery mostly for the kitchen and mostly drinking vessels.

when (did you start) : About 3 years ago, when I started selling my own stuff for fun and wanted to buy from other great artists with the money I made.

how (many do you have?) : It's still a small collection, but I can't stop growing it pretty quickly. About a dozen mugs and cups, and more than half a dozen other pieces.

where (do you find them) : Locally at boutiques and craft shows, as well as online.

where (do you keep them) : Where they belong! In cupboards and on counters.

what (‘s a crazy/interesting story behind one) : I don't know about ONE, but i get these phases when I feel like using only that same mug for like a month, and then I switch. Obsessions, sorta.

what (piece would you like to add): Oh it's so hard to choose! I have to stop myself daily to buy more... I can’t always, I bought a new one yesterday!

why (do you love them) : Because they represent all that is handmade, from start to finish. And I can use them daily.
which one is your favourite & why? I would have to say my Deirdre Wilson mug: it's like a pretty baloon and perfect size for a big morning coffee.

what (else do you collect) : Handmade rings and apothecary jars.

...............................

........


..............


so many thanks, janick.

janick, of neawear, is such an amazing phenomenon to me!
she's a celebrated artist, who runs 2 very successful full time shops on Etsy.
her work is creative, inventive, & she captures my imagination every day in so many ways with her phenomenal sense of angle & style & emotion in her beautiful photos. photo of her work, her life, her morning. etc.

i have been known to spend countless periods of time blissfully lost in her gorgeous flickr photostream, pouring over her images that just make me speechless. & i know many would agree with me that her incredible blog,

Creativadoration, is one of the most captivating reads & pleasures for your viewing around!


she's a fulltime artist who inspires me everyday.
thanks, nicey.

please be sure to visit her shops: neawear: to adorn yourself & adorn your walls. & neablossoms: for beautiful supplies.

visit her beautiful blog here.
& her most inspiring photostream here.

have a most inspiring day, lovelies!
cheers to inspiring artists!










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