Update: Etsy Secret Santa has 10 Participants, Join in the Crafting Fun!

Recently Fae Gems has launched a crafting holiday event: the Etsy Secret Santa Extravaganza! The premise of the event is based upon the ideal that artists should be able to share their art with each other. When we share pieces of ourselves with strangers, it’s like opening a portal directly into our hearts. More realistically, promoting art trades on Etsy drives traffic to your Etsy shop, exposes your artwork to a wider audience, creates crafting networks, and allows you to get your hands on some truly incredible gifts!

The Secret Santa event has just reached its initial goal of ten participants! I challenge you to match those numbers; sign up for the Secret Santa Extravaganza, and solidify your commitment to becoming involved in the Etsy community! To read the full FAQ about the event visit the link above.

To sign up use my contact page to provide your (1) name, (2) Etsy Shop domain, (3) country, and (4) please specify if you are willing to ship internationally.

For every friend you get to sign up for Secret Santa you will receive a surprise present directly from Fae Gems & Baubles!

Give a little to get a little, a brief Q&A on Fae Gems’ Secret Santa:

Q: How does Secret Santa on Etsy work?
A: You will be assigned an Etsy artist to send a gift to! Afterwards you can look around their profile to get a sense of what they might like, maybe drop them a line. Make your gift (and throw in some extra business cards so your new friend can help promote your shop!) and send it off via Etsy’s “other” payment option. This serves as a trade, and neither party will need to spend any money, but both will be delighted to receive Etsy holiday cheer! Additionally this “trade” will count as a sale and will allow partners to review each other’s products!

Q: I thought SECRET Santa meant, well, secret?
A: In a perfect world, yes. But we do not live in ideals! Etsy’s “Other” payment option serves as a trading platform for artists, and ensures that sensitive information will not be abused. You can pretend it’s still a secret because you don’t actually know the other person ^~^.

Q: What is the value cap for Secret Santa gifts?
A: $20

Q: Can I buy my secret Santa gift?
A: No! This defeats the purpose of disseminating your art, silly! Network, make contacts, spread your unique love!

Q: Why a Secret Santa for Etsy?
A: This is a viable way to get involved in the Etsy community actively. You will be exposed to artists, crafters, and creators, all while exposing your own work! And who doesn’t love getting awesome secret Santa gifts?

Q: How will Secret Santa partners be chosen?
A: At random of course! Either through an electronic program, or a good ol’ draw of the hat. (On December 15th, sign up soon!)

Q: How will I know who my Secret Santa partner is?
A: You will recieve an Etsy message with all the necessary details.

For more Etsy events, DIY Crafts, and New Age quips follow Fae Gems’ Blog & Like Facebook for updates.
You can also check out Fae Gems on Etsy!

   

Cleansing & Purifying Gemstones with Earth, Air, Water, & Fire

If you’re an active gemstone fanatic like I am, you are continually collecting new crystals as they call out to you from the shelves. If you’re lucky, you may live in an area where you can find them in nature! If your gem bowl is overflowing with beautiful stones it’s easy to forget to cleanse all of them.

Gemstones do not perform optimally when they have absorbed conflicting energies from their environment; routine cleansing is necessary to keep your crystals ready to work with. Crystals that require cleansing have a tangible drowsiness to them. Each person experiences this phenomena in their own way, you may feel a certain kind of sensation in your hands when you hold it that feels heavy, or grimy (even if the stone is clean), the crystal may make you uncomfortable or antsy. Personally, when my stones need a cleansing they seem to almost call out to me for a metaphysical “bath” when I hold them; a spiritual connection is necessary to sense the needs of your gemstones. Treat them not as objects, but living beings with needs beholden to their own unique energies and personalities.

The most common way of recharging your gemstones is by smudging them with white (or dessert) sage. This method satisfies the elements of earth (the sage) and fire (the smoke, or act of smudging), but it is not the only method of cleansing crystals. Invoking the elementals in our everyday lives are important to actualize our spiritual connections in multiple facets of our physical realm, as opposed to having solidified spiritual commodity times– where the spiritual is estranged from the essence of our daily routine.

Cleansing with the Energies of Earth

Working with the earth elementals in stone cleansing could be argued to be the most organic of the four elements,considering crystals are formed within the Earth. Did you know that Citrine heralds the inane ability to purifying other stones? Simply lay your crystals on a Citrine cluster for a day, and most impurities will dissipate.

Cleansing with the element of Earth can be as simple as placing your crystals in a dish of salt overnight, or burying your stones and performing a cleansing ceremony with the gnomes.

Rosemary has the power to cleanse gemstones of impurities too.

Cleansing with the Energies of Air

The Sylphs are the air elementals, they control the winds of Earth and can be found frolicking in gentle breezes. To cleanse your gems with the power of Air expose yourself to the windy planes and ask for their blessing on a windy day. Invoking their presence inside of a sacred circle is another way of connecting with the element of air to cleanse your stones, by means of incense smoke, symbolic for the missing winds.

Cleansing with the Energies of Water

Purifying crystals with the water element may be the most diverse, and easily accessible, of all the cardinal corners. You can seek the Undines in any body of water, including your bathtub with the right invocation. I enjoy taking my gemstones to the sandy shores to swim with the spirits of the water and literary wash impurities away.

Cleansing with the Energies of Fire

Candle magick is an effective means of cleansing gemstones of collected energies. Passing stones through fire is a simple practice, yet be warned: you risk burning your fingers, as well as marring the stone if it is passed too slowly through the flames. Simply invoking the spirit of the Salamanders while candles burn can be an effective means of cleansing gemstones.

What methods are you most comfortable with when cleansing your gemstones? Comment below!

For more New Age quips, Etsy Tips, and DIY Crafts follow Fae Gems’ Blog & Like Facebook for updates.
You can also check out Fae Gems on Etsy!