Giveaway Day #1: The Pretty Peacock (CLOSED!)

Welcome to the first day of The Giveaway Diva's Eight Days of Giveaways! Sorry the event name sounds so lame...couldn't think of a better name! =( I have been feeling so guilty for not keeping up on my posts and giveaway so I wanted to give you guys a treat for being patient!

Today’s giveaway comes from The Pretty Peacock, the work of a very talented jewelry designer, Ana Simpson. Each of her pieces are finely made by hand with love and dedication. The pride and joy that Ana has for her work is evident in every single one of her unique designs. I love how that although they are perfect for everyday they still have the fine details that can translate well into a night on the town! She uses very high quality materials such as sterling silver, fine silver and gold fill! And all the sparkly jewels that she includes in her designs for the bling factor aren’t just any old crystals but from Swarovski! I love Swarovski because not only are they super duper shiny but they are the best at what they do and their quality is superb! So you know Ana only uses the best materials out there!

I love how The Pretty Peacock is so eco-conscious! They use recycled products for all their shipping needs which is a big plus in my books! I always love how companies can still create the wow factor in the packaging at no expense to the environment. Fine Silver which is one of The Pretty Peacock’s favorite material to work with is also eco-friendly. At first I was confused because why is Fine Silver eco-friendly as opposed to plain old silver. Well I learned that fine silver is actually “reclaimed silver” from the tech industry! Your probably wondering like I did, that if it was “reclaimed silver” then it must be that great quality, but rest assured that you are getting a great product! Fine silver actually starts in clay form, which is so cool! There is a bunch of scientificy stuff but basically once this clay is heated at a very very high temperature all the clay bits burn away and what is left is 99.9% pure silver as opposed to the more common sterling silver’s 92.5%! So hey you are getting the closest thing to perfect silver, and perfect is a good thing!

Let’s learn a bit more about Ana through her interview:

Name: Ana Talukder Simpson

Name of shop: The Pretty Peacock

Location: Seattle

Favorite item from your shop: I love the Good Karma Collection. Fine silver is my favorite medium to work with mostly because it is eco-friendly and allows me the versatility to really do what I want with it! This collection is filled with pieces that have an East Indian feel to them - so it allows me to pay homage to my culture!

Tell us a little bit about yourself: I am the mother of two little hooligans and the wife to a techie-geek extraordinaire (and my #1 fan!!). I started making jewelry a handful of years ago just on a whim - but for me, if I love it, I get obsessive about it. I threw myself into learning as much as I could in the areas/materials that interested me most and started making things for my family and friends.

When and what made you want to open up your shop? I became an entrepreneur after a lot of encouragement and support from my husband. When you are making a business out of your creative endeavors is incredibly difficult and full of self-doubt. You need to make sure that you are surrounded by people who are supportive - but equally willing to give you criticism and reality checks when you need it!

Tell us a little bit more about your creation process:
I am always designing - whether it is in my head (at 2 AM, laying in bed, trying to sleep!!), or on paper...I am always looking to find that something new that is going to move me to create it. When I do sit down at the bench, I have to have music on, I have to be singing and I just let it flow!

Where do you draw inspiration for all your amazing designs? Inspiration is a funny thing. I couldn't tell you a single thing or instance that inspires me - it's all so collective. I love clean lines, but I also love rich texture - sometimes you can't meld the two. Growing up in an Indian household, I was always around 'richness' - in colors, textures...everything about the culture is palpable. I try to emulate that same emotion in many of my works.

If you could have one super power what would it be and why?
I would LOVE to be able to be in 2 or 3 places at once...but I'm pretty sure every mother would like to have that power!!

Anna has also been so awesome to set up a discount code to save 10% off PLUS free (first class) shipping forthe duration of the giveaway. It's one use per customer and is opento US and abroad. Use the code word "DIVA" (make sure you put it all in capitals!!)

The Giveaway

Ana was so awesome to provide the amazing Mini Sparklette Birthstone Earrings! This extra special piece is hand crafted out of fine silver and will be customized with a birthstone of your choice! I also like how the taglette has an amazing and very ornate design on the front, and since the design is part of the silver and they do not have a specific mold for the tag, ensure that each tag will be truly one of a kind!

The retail value for today's giveaway is: $42.00!!

How to Enter:

1) You must go to The Pretty Peacock's site and choose another peice that catches your eye and let me know in a comment (1 entry)
2) Sign up for The Pretty Peacock's newsletter for four extra entries
3) If you are a new blog follower you get four extra entries
4) For my loyal blog followers you rock! And since I love you so much, you guys get six extra entries
5) Post my button up on my blog for five extra entries
6) Blog about this giveaway, my giveaway event and include a link to The Pretty Peacock (www.theprettypeacock.com) and you will get five extra entires

7) If you make a purchase from The Pretty Peacock let me know for ten extra entries!
8) For every giveaway that you enter on my site let me know for one extra entry! (Current giveaways only! Past giveaways don't count!)

Wow so many ways to win this awesome prize! This giveaway will end on September 10th!

Don't forget to check back tomorrow for another great giveaway!