We have great news from Santoro, well two really, not only have they won some very amazing and smile-worthy awards recently, for some product lines that we are proud contains gorjuss products, but they are bringing you something NEW today too!

Here’s what they’ve won:

Santoro won Gift Under £10, For their Eclectic Range of Emery Boards * ( the gorjuss nail files are part of this collection!)

Also, their Soft Touch Premium Journals have won the highly commended title

And although they have no gorjuss line in these cuties, we thoought we’d mention them anyway !: They also won the CARD & WRAP category with their new innotive  Pop n Rock cards!

Well done to everyone at Santoro, they just keep leading the way, and I am so proud they are tkaing my girls with them !

NEWLY RELEASED

We got news a few days ago that something new was being released, so I’ve been waiting for my Postman to arrive like a kid waiting for Santa !  Today it arrived with me, and it also popped into the Santoro online shop, I’m sure it will start reaching retailers near you, wherever you are, soon.. yes, it’s another soft journal, the same kind that WON an award !

Gorjuss Premium Journal with Pen, The Last Rose.

I have to admit I collect little diaries, especially illustrated ones, so I know a LOT about them, when I tell you the detail in this little lovely is amazing ( I dont know how they do it, it astounds me !) .. I really mean it !!

Remember if you own a store and want to STOCK it, then just contact Santoro!

A NEW PROJECT

I’ve just started a new journal  project, it’s called ‘Journal For A Cause’, if you wanna sign up and play along, all you need is a pen and a journal/notepad ! You can find the link in the sidebar —>

Here’s the very first page, Copic Marker on Kraft paper, which I love, the brown of the paper dull the colours down a lot but it gives it a nice tone ! So, I’ll be sharing these for the next week or two, if you wanna peek at my LAST PROJECT then you can view it in the slideshow below,to use it HOVER OUR MOUSE OVER IT, then either SLIDE the bar at the BOTTOM or use the left or right arrows !!!  ( See one you LOVE? Drop me a email, you could OWN IT!)

30 Day Journal Challenge ( My First Journal Project)

Thanks for reading, please leave a comment, I do read them all !

Wow you all loved our Guest this weekend I’m so glad I could introduce Melissa’s artwork to you , she has such talent !!

For the last week and a bit, I’ve been working on a little set of ACEO’s, its driving memad how long it takes me to do simple tasks, what could have taken me a few days a  year ago now takes weeks ! !

These ACEO’s are available NOW at our ETSY shop ONLY… Click to Visit it.

Right Onto this weekends Giveaway…

YOU COULD WIN: ANY two 8.5 x 11″ prints from the Little Prince Series!!!

So lets get picking some winners!!

I’ve consulted with The Random Robot and it picked comment number: 34

Which was:

Congrats Anna, contact us, (gorjuss[at]gorjuss.co.uk] and we’ll pass it on to Melissa for you! Let us know when it arrives with you, or share a pic with you holding it, we’d all love to see ( and be jealous!)

There were 22 Retweets, and Random Robot picked number: 14 !! Which was ReTweet 14, by:

Congrats Ellie_Mae !!! Drop us an email ( gorjuss {at} gorjuss.co.uk to arrange getting your Gorjuss Gift Certificate !

Hope you all had fun trying to win the Guest Giveaway, a HUGE thank you to Melisa from This Years Girl for donating such an amazing Prize this weekend! Remember we have Giveaways EVERY weekend, so bookmark us for future reading, all it takes is a comment ( or a Re-Tweet!)

Thanks for reading !

Melissa a graphic artist living and working in Pennsylvania and a mother to one beautiful little girl. She has been selling her Art through Etsy since December 2007. You can find her on the web here:
ETSY BLOG TWITTER FACEBOOK
But first, Let’s find out more!

Hello Guest Giveaway lovely! Please tell us a little bit about you , who are you, where you’re from!??
Hello! My name is Melissa and I’m a graphic artist and mother from Pennsylvania.
Tell us about what you make & your inspiration?
Most of my images are photo-manipulation, which is combining several photographs together to create an illusion or deception through various image editing techniques.
I’ve always loved and been inspired by anything fantasy and I enjoy creating my own little dream places.

What is your favourite item to make/sell ?
I’m always thrilled when someone purchases one of my prints,
It’s such a great feeling to know that someone likes my artwork that much :)

Do you have any favourite Etsy items you’ve bought?
My favorite would have to be our wedding bands from  singleBbeautiful.etsy.com!  :D
I also wear my Twilight Jasper Garnet Sterling Stacking Ring from Retsina.etsy.com every day,  I’m completely addicted to madhattersoap.etsy.com’s soap,
and I ‘m in love with my many prints from TheNebulousKingdom.etsy.com.

Do you have any other websites people can find you?
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JanuaryWish Blog: JanuaryWish.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ThisYearsGirl/111407845539292 My New Etsy Shop: VisualSentiments.etsy.com

Anything else you’d like to say?
Thank you gorjuss!!

YOU COULD WIN: ANY two 8.5 x 11″ prints from the Little Prince Series!!!

To Enter On Blog: Tell us what fantasy photograph you would like to be in and why?

for example, if you were getting a photo manip done, what would you get? Would you be a fairy in a dell? Or Flying over the Grand Canyon… I’d be the invisible man sitting in at the last supper (I know thats an easy manip)

For an EXTRA entry: we will accept you to VISIT ThisYearsGirl, find your favourite thing there ( warning: It may take a while, you’ll love it all!!) and copy the URL ( the www.sitename/faveitem.php bit!) and paste it into your comment here! Melissa would love to hear your fave items & it will DOUBLE your chances of winning to do both !! ( I’m sure she’ll read your comments too, so please let her know what you think of her lovely Creations and wonderful interview she did for you all !)

For an EXTRA EXTRA entry: For another EXTRA way to enter, Just hit the RETWEET button at the top of this blog and your RT will be entered into a draw too !

…. Good Luck and have fun, Remember if you are new to the blog, it can take up to 12 hours for your post to be checked an authorised… once its given the ok all further posts should appear instantly. So don’t panic…

Closes: Sunday Night at around 10pm GMT ( gorjuss time is shown on the blog clock!) Winner decided by Random.org. For Facebook readers, comments must be submitted on the actual blog www.gorjuss.co.uk/blog). You can enter as many times as you want on the blog ( but only one entry on twitter) just no back to back posting ( i.e someone should post between your posts!)

SPECIAL READER OFFER:

Gosh how generous is Melissa, she’s offering all you gorjuss blog readers, a very special offer in her shop ! 

Buy 1 small print (5×5 or 5×7) and get a second free. Enter ‘gorjuss’ and choice of free print in the message to seller area a checkout.

Good luck everyone, and a big thank you to”ThisYearsGirl (Melissa!)” for joining us this weekend and of course her generosity with the prize!

We dont have any times yet, the event seems to run all day, but if we find out our time slot, we will be sure to update this post and let you guys know !! Thanks for the continued support – you guys rock !

Have you seen the wonderful Imaginative Bloom sites yet?  They Find & Feature some great Arty Treats, so it was thrilling when we were featured a few days ago!! (you can find that Feature here!)

We’ve joined up with the great Arty guys over at Imaginative Bloom who are giving away an amazing prize pool of 19 prizes !

WOW.. so for your chance to win, take a peek at their site and see what ya have to do to get your hands on the lovely yummies, wouldnt that be a great start to your Summer?!

One more thing before I head off to dream pretty things   I’ve added two new blog links to the LINKS page at gorjuss.co.uk ! You can find ONE of them right here on the blog, in the right hand bar –>  With the handy code to copy & paste, they are .png so have a transparent background ( great if your blog theme isnt white!).. here’s a peek:

Feel free to use them, but remember to link back with them !!! (Tip: Use the code to copy & paste into your blogs sidebar!)

Thats all for now, leave a comment, say hello !

Also, the guys over at Crafthouse Press are always busy creating NEW craft products for you, and we’ve just heard that there might be NEW things for you gorjuss fans, being launched at QVC on July 24th ! Add it to your diaries now, so you dont forget, remember if you are NOT in the UK you can STILL WATCH ONLINE, to see what’s being released, a lot of shops ship worldwide so it’s worth a peek !

We’ll give you another reminder nearer the time, with links and channel numbers, but until then, SAVE THE DATE !!!

YOU COULD WIN: little handmade doll charm/pendant/ornament made w/ vintage beads!

I’ve consulted with The Random Robot and it picked comment number: 7

Which was:

Congrats Sue, contact us, (gorjuss[at]gorjuss.co.uk] and we’ll pass it on to Variation for you! Let us know when it arrives with you, or share a pic with you wearing it, we’d all love to see ( and be jealous!)

There were 19 Retweets, and Random Robot picked number: 17 !! Which was ReTweet 17, by:

Congrats Shirley_G_09 l !!! Drop us an email ( gorjuss {at} gorjuss.co.uk to arrange getting your Gorjuss Gift Certificate !

Hope you all had fun trying to win the Guest Giveaway, a HUGE thank you to variation for donating such a lovely Prize this weekend! Remember we have Giveaways EVERY weekend, so bookmark us for future reading, all it takes is a comment ( or a Re-Tweet!)

Thanks for reading !

‘I don’t consider myself an “artist.” I’m just someone who has always had crafty hobbies or side-projects.’ – A Quote from Variations interview at Zig-Zags Handmade This N’ Thats blog,

Let’s find out more:

Hello Guest Giveaway lovely! Please tell us a little bit about you , who are you, where you’re from!??
Hi Gorjuss, I’m Variation and I love to work with and explore a wide variety of mediums, hence the name of my Etsy shop! It’s really satisfying to explore a technique or craft by developing variations – sometimes subtle, sometimes more dramatic – and watch the work evolve. I love the surprise of discovery! Variation is located in the USA.

Tell us about what you make & your inspiration?
In addition to beadwork, I also knit, crochet, embroider, sew, dabble in bookbinding, letterpress, metalsmithing, collage, and digital graphics and animation… I do have a 9-5 job (tech industry), so I have to balance my time well. My online shop is “extra-curricular,” so to speak, which means I can only devote evenings and weekends to Etsy. For example, I might paint a half dozen doll heads after I get home from work, let them dry over night, them start wiring them together with beads the following evening.

My influences and inspirations come from anyone or anything that makes me say, “I want to be a part of that!” I’ve always been inspired by the amazing work I see from many, many artists and designers, past and present, across all mediums. I love work that introduces me to new forms and methods of creating, and I’m inspired by excellent craftsmanship (something I aspire to). I love the community that comes with sharing your work and learning from fellow artists. I’m also influenced by the world around us — nature, culture, science, travel. Even seemingly mundane things. All of this informs and inspires my work, and drives me to create!

What is your favourite item to make/sell ?
Since officially opening my shop last February, my focus has been the beaded doll charms. They’ve proved relatively successful so far, and don’t demand a lot of equipment or space (unlike sewing or letterpress, for example). I’m trying to transition into other types of jewelry like pins/corsages, and also paper goods and little handmade books.

Do you have any favourite Etsy items you’ve bought?
Other Etsy artists I admire and have bought items from are misakomimoko.etsy.com, quirkybeauty.etsy.com, and astulabee.etsy.com.

Whats the best advice you’ve ever been given?

The best piece of advice I’ve been given is “keep at it.” Persistence is so important!

Thank you for your Interview Variation, thanks for letting us find out a little bit more about you and your creations ! Now, lets see what you gave the lovely gorjuss Readers a chance to win this weekend..

YOU COULD WIN: little handmade doll charm/pendant/ornament made w/ vintage beads!

To Enter On Blog: Variety is the spice of life, and so tonight we want to know the spiciest food you love.. and how HOT it is… come on.. share the spice… keep the garlic breath tho!!!

For an EXTRA entry, we will accept you to VISIT variation, find your favourite thing there ( warning: It may take a while, you’ll love it all!!) and copy the URL ( the www.sitename/faveitem.php bit!) and paste it into your comment here! Variation would love to hear your fave items & it will DOUBLE your chances of winning to do both !! ( I’m sure she’ll read your comments too, so please let her know what you think of her lovely Creations and wonderful interview she did for you all !)

…. Good Luck and have fun, Remember if you are new to the blog, it can take upto 12 hours for your post to be checked an authorised… once its given the ok all further posts should appear instantly. So don’t panic…

To Enter on Twitter: We have a $7 GorjussArt Gift Certificate prize available for a twitterer winnerer too ! Just hit the RETWEET button at the top of this blog and your RT will be entered into a draw too ( the winning tweet will be chosen by random.org too!)

Closes: Sunday Night at around 10pm GMT ( gorjuss time is shown on the blog clock!) Winner decided by Random.org. For Facebook readers, comments must be submitted on the actual blog www.gorjuss.co.uk/blog). You can enter as many times as you want on the blog ( but only one entry on twitter) just no back to back posting ( i.e someone should post between your posts!)

Good luck everyone, and a big thank you to”variation” for joining us this weekend and of course her generosity with the prize!

Let’s See Etsy is a brand new Etsy feature site, and I am very proud because our gorjuss girls were in the VERY first post to be featured on it ! Visit it here: Let’s See Etsy * (and dont forget to bookmark it to find great etsy Finds !). Big thanks to them for featuring us !! x

The journal project I’ve been working on for the past month has now finished   I am so sad it has ! Here’s apeek at ALL the pages that were completed during it :

Here’s the LAST page for it too:  –>

We’ve had loads of interest over these pages, and although I was gonna hang onto them as it was a personal project, I decided to offer them to you, they deserve a good home to go to, so if you have fallen in love with any of them let me know, but yell quickly as I’m sure they will go fast !

Most are on brown Kraft paper, around 5″ x 7″, so could be easily framed ( if Interested in framing by us, just ask, we’ll see what frames we have in stock !)  Some have girls on, some have ot her wee things on, you’ll hav eto look through them to see, i didnt manage to do EVERY number, so if you’re wondering why a number is missing, I missed the day !

As Im going through Journal Page withdraw, I’m starting another project ! This one is by the same leader,  the wonderful Janel over at www.iheartrunwithscissors.com who comes up with the most fantastic prompts for the pages ever !   Janel is planning on adopting in a few years, and is asking for a small donation in return of  being included in the next project, it is def worth it, so if you are interested ( no drawing skill required!)  you can find out more here:

Now I mentioned lovely Emma, DT for Crafthouse Press yesterday, and showed yous ome of her amazing creations using Crafthousee Press gorjuss kits ! Now I want to tell you about the QVC Customer Event Show in Central London,  and show you some pics she took while there ! She made looooads of lovely cards for the event, you can view them in more detail on her blog,  (dont forget to add it to your fave blog reader/bookmarks !)

Isnt this great? Sorry I didnt notify you all about the event, I can only pass on what I get told, and I’ve only just found out!

But, it looked like a great event, and everyone looks happy ! Check out the gorjuss Make & Take table, ( apparently there were queue’s for this table !)

Looks like fun

If you were there, do feel free to share your pics with us, of your time there or even your Creations, I’m sure everyone would love to see more!

ANd finally, we’ve heard from the great people over at Mail Me Art Project, that their exhibition is finalised,here’s the info:

An exhibition of Mail Art with an amazing collection of envelopes and boxes from around the world decorated by some of today’s most talented illustrators and artists.

Red Gate Gallery
209a Coldharbour Lane
London SW9 8RU
United Kingdom
www.redgategallerylondon.co.uk

Exhibition Opens: Friday 30th of July 2010 6.00 pm to 11.00 pm (All Welcome!) Exhibition runs from:  Fri 30th of July – Thurs 5th of Aug 2010 Opening Hours: Fri, Mon, Tues, Wed:
11.00 am to 6.30 pm – Sat: 12.30 pm – 5.00 pm   Last day of Exhibition:
Thurs 5th of August: 10.00 am to 5.00 pm

There will be a matching book being published with pieces involved in the project being included, I already have a copy of the first book and it’s fab – you can find it on Amazon here –>

The matching book for THIS exhibition ( and project) will be released for pre-orders soon, I will notify you when it is, I promise !! If you are in London at the time of the exhibition, please do pop along and show your support, a lot of hard work went onto organising the project, and I wish I could be there, oh, and do take a few photos for me !!!

Thats all for now, I’ll be back with more gorjuss news soon !

  Arent they great? These are the everday creations of Emma, Crafthourse Press DT member, she has such a flair with the gorjuss decoupage products, and you can see that you CAN make such wonderful things out of them !!

As you can see in these two pics, the Decoupage kits make FAB cards too, they are diecut so easy to pop out, and I think they come in layers so you can see they 3-D effect they have ! Arent they great !? But.. she makes them to s how how YOU can too, so if you are looking at them and yearning over them, then why not pick up a packet and see how you do !

(All above Image Credits go to Emma!)

These are the NEW product from Crafthouse Press, the pyramid kits, they come with diff girls in the packs, so you can collect them all, or just start with one packet, they give a great effect, and are easy to use !!  Big thanks to Emma for showing us how to use them!! ( And letting me use her photos !)

You should be able to find these packs in  your fave Craft shop now !

FEATURE

We were featured ! On a great site called

‘Etsy Item Of The Day’ !

Thanks to everyone there for choosing one of our Etsy shop’s items to be featured there, we’re very proud !

Now down to drawing some winners….

YOU COULD WIN: Rainbow Brooch & Claraluna Cloud Brooch!