Everyone give a big welcome to Darlene Anderson of Prairie Creations Ornaments!


Darlene has offered to give away her Mocha Fling Ornament (picture below) to a lucky reader. To enter visit her shop and come back and tell us what your favorite item is in the comments! The winner will be chosen using random.org and will be announced in a weeks time.

Let's get to know a little more about Darlene...
-Introduction on you
Hi! I am a die-hard country girl who has lived in the country for most of my life. I have always loved crafting and creating and several years ago I decided to focus on ornaments and try selling some of my “creations” online. I left a high stress job as an office manager/bookkeeper and started doing smaller bookkeeping jobs out of my home in order to have more time for my crafting. Besides crafting, I love to garden and am an avid horse lover. My husband and I live on a small farm and raise a few cattle also. I have three grandchildren who live nearby and I really enjoy spending time with them and they love to come to the “farm” for horseback riding, fishing and lots of other country activities.


-How did you get your start on Etsy?
I came across Etsy when looking for ways to sell my craft items online. It has been a wonderful and easy way for me to sell and get exposure for my products.


-How did you choose your shop name?
My shop name is based on II Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” Since some of my “creations” are angels made from pieces of broken china that I find in old homestead dump sites and other treasure hunting adventures, I liked the idea that something broken and discarded could be given “new life” as Christ does for us. The “Prairie” part comes from the fact that I live on a farm on the prairie that was homesteaded by my husband’s great, great grandparents.
-What does a typical day look like for you?
I’m a morning person and my husband leaves for work early, so I have my quiet time reading my bible and spending some time with the Lord before I do much of any thing else. I’m most creative early in the day, so I try to work on ornaments and new designs before I move on the the rest of the day which includes bookkeeping jobs, gardening, working on my listings, etc. I’m the “hired hand” here on the farm, so I’m usually involved in some aspect of feeding cattle and raising crops for part of each day, too!

-If you could be anywhere in the world for one day, where would it be?
Since I’m pretty land-locked where I live, I would love to spend a day on a beach. Not necessarily to swim, but because I’m fascinated by all the shells and things that are washed up on beaches and I‘d love to treasure hunt there!

-What is your favorite Bible verse?
I have a lot of favorite verses, but my very favorite has to be Phillipians 4:13 “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.” That one gets me through a lot of busy days!

-What is your favorite Etsy item listing to feature?
Usually my latest creation is my favorite, but currently I think my favorite is the quilted ornament with zebra fabric and the rhinestone cross. My granddaughter actually suggested the design based on a favorite western style purse that she carries.  I'm also partial to "Grandma's Lilacs" because I love the idea that we live in a place that has little signs of those who were here before us.

-URLs to where else we can find you on the internet (Facebook fan page, Twitter, your own
dot.com, your blog, etc)
My blog/website is:
http://www.prairiecreationsornaments.com
Facebook as prairie creations ornaments
And I’m on Twitter:
@darlkay52

Thank you so much for participating and allowing us to get to know you a little better Darlene! Everyone please go check out her shop and her cyber spaces :-)
And the winner of last week's featured artist giveaway (Maria of Designloveshare), is JoyfullySewnDesigns! Congratulations! Someone will be contacting you both soon.