And the winner is........

KATIE!! Katie was post # 39 and she said "this is a great blog!! So encouraging to a college student living off a small income" ...... I hope these goodies brighten your day Katie!!

I had a lot of fun doing this giveaway and I really enjoyed all of your comments!! Thank you so much again for your encouragement and support! I really appreciate ALL of you;)

One of you asked a question about how the "shop" works....... and if all the items I feature are for sale ......... how to contact me for pricing and such ...... so I thought I'd give an update:

When I opened the studio last December I was splitting the space with my studio partner lily. The studio is located in an "up and coming" area that just got rezoned and named as the Pendleton Street arts District. Because of the area , I wasn't sure how foot traffic and sales would be and assumed I would just be using the studio as a work space to paint my furniture and supply my booth at Antiques on Augusta (where I rent a space) which is open 7 days a week with regular hours! All of us in the studio were planning on being open the first weekend of every month for what is called "first fridays" and we would see how it went! WELL ...... it went, and is going really well !! Knack has grown so much over this past year .......lily and I now have our own spaces because we both needed more room .......and it has become apparent that my studio has now morphed into a studio/ retail space! I have just had walls and platforms installed to block off the work space from the retail space and we are going to see how that works! My studio is open the first weekend of every month and during the week "by chance"!! I'm normally there working, and I do have people pop in to purchase and /or pick things up ....I can't always guarantee that there will not be wet paint and saw dust everywhere, but it is what it is!! I do sell some of the items that I post about, but not all. I will usually do a post to let you all know what is new and coming to the shop! As far as ordering or finding out pricing on items in the shop , just email me at barb@knackstudios.com and let me know what you are interested in and we can go from there;) I have already talked to my web guy , and we are looking into a shopping cart for my website within the 2009 year. Once that is up and running it will be easier for you all to purchase Knack goodness!!

So all that to say ..... things are growing and moving at a steady pace, and I am growing and learning right along with it!! Adjustments are being made and steps are being taken to grow ...... but always at the fore front of my mind is that I want to keep what is important in life at the top of my list, and that is my family . Success for me is not having a thriving retail store that is open every day of the week raking in the dough....... success is a happy, healthy family and relationships.

I have included a photo with this post that I took of the storefront last week as the window platforms were going in so that you all could see what it looks like!

I hope this helps you all understand a little more about knack and what I do! Feel free to ask any other questions you might have! Have an awesome Monday!! xoxo