My FIRST GIVEAWAY! Win a Beautiful necklace from SarahCatePhotography!

It's time! I just couldn't wait any longer! My first giveaway!           

The fabulous Sarah from SarahCatePhotography has offered one of her beautiful peices of jewelry to one of my lucky readers!

I asked Sarah to answer a couple of "get to know you" questions so we could all get to know the creative mind behind the beatiful work...



How long have you been making jewelry? What inspired you to begin?

I started beading when I lived in the middle of nowhere in Oregon. I didn't really know anyone, and we lived in this tiny one-stoplight town with absolutely nothing to do. I worked at a craft store and started beading on a whim for something to do. I think I probably wanted something to match a specific outfit and couldn't find anything in stores. Also, since I'm a big girl, I tend to have a hard time finding necklaces in particular that will actually fit me well without being too short or too tight. For the first year or so that I beaded, I mostly used fishing line (because it was cheap and strong), and then started using wire, making more intricate designs, and branching out to make earrings, bracelets even the occasional anklet. I was very lucky in Oregon to know a couple who mined for natural agates. They would come to store every month or so and give me first pick of polished natural agates for wire wrapping.

When I moved to Texas, I worked at another craft store and used my discount to boost my beading supply cabinet yet again, and every 6 months or so I get into a mood and do a boatload of beading. Most of the beading I do now is by special request, or because I need something to photograph, but I still have all kinds of jewelry leftover from other beading binges that need to find new necks to hang from!


 How long have you been taking pictures? What inspired you to start? 

I dabbled in photography a little bit in Oregon too, but it really took off about 6 months after I moved to Texas. For Christmas my godmother bought me a Fuji s5700 after a long and thoughtful search for a better camera. It was sort of a stepping stone between your typical point-and-shoot, and the more serious changeable lens dSLRs on the market. I spent the next year honing my craft, learning the camera's manual settings slowly but surely, mostly be experimentation and .. well, by accident!

Somewhere along the way it became clear to my friends and family that I actually have a decent eye, and tend to notice and photograph everyday things that most people don't even notice. In 2008 I got brave and asked my dad to support my new addiction and was rewarded with the (then-new model) Canon Rebel XSi. Another year of practice and learning, this time a little more seriously and I finally feel like I really know what I'm doing-- most of the time. A lot of my best shots are still about 25% happy accident. I'm into my 3rd year of photography as a serious.. hobby (for lack of a better word) and have every hope that someday it will be my primary career. And even if I can never quit my day job, I love the creative release of photography, and the way it forces me to look more closely at the world I live in.
 

OK! So lets get to the giveaway!
 
One lucky lady/or Mr. Lady (lol) will win this lovely Seahorse necklace by SarahCatePhotogphy!

 

How To Win:

*Leave a comment for EACH entry*

(If an entry is says "3 entries", leave 3 separate comments for that entry)
Please include an email address with each entry!

Mandatory Entries:
•Publicly follow my blog or let me know you already do.

•Visit SarahCatePhotography and leave a comment telling me what other product you'd like to own.

Extra Entries:

•Follow me on Twitter. (1 entry)

•Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter and leave a link. *this can be done once a day* (2 entries)

" RT- Win a fabulous necklace  from @SarahCatePhotog! http://tinyurl.com/29nzzvb @kniftythrifty #giveaway"

•Blog about this giveaway and leave a link. (5 entries)
•Follow SarahCatePhotography on Facebook and leave username in comment (2 entries)
•Follow SarahCatePhotography on Twitter (1 entry)

Giveaway begins 12am Monday May 10th and ends 12am on Saturday May 15th. Winner will be chosen by Random.org and announced Saturday! Winner will be notified by email and have 48hrs to respond before a new winner is chosen.