Int'l Doula Month - Giveaway #4

Michelle is the owner of Woman In Bloom - an etsy shop that specializes in Yoni, Uterus, and Belly art necklaces. She has some amazing pieces, my own personal favorites being the mature Yoni pendants!

She is giving away two beautiful necklaces.

The first is a tiny "Blooming Belly" pendant.

The second is a yoni/vulva/vagina pendant that she created especially for this giveaway!

Also, for the month of May, in honor of International Doula Month, anyone that makes a purchase from her shop and mentions this blog will receive a 20% discount. That is definitely an awesome deal, thanks Michelle!

As always, I like to get to know the amazing women behind these masterpieces, so enjoy a glimpse into the mind of Michelle.

My name is Michelle. I live in the mid-west on a couple of acres surrounded by one of my very favorite things, trees! I am an artist, a wife and a mother. I create my little works of art from a home studio. Life is good!

How I came to create my “expressions of the feminine” is quite serendipitous. It was actually studying a flower that gave me the initial idea. I had just started experimenting with polymer clay and was very interested in making jewelry. You see depictions of flowers in jewelry all the time. The similarities between the vulva and a flower are stunning. The thought of the female body in such a beautiful way appealed to me. I began to compare the lovely details of one to the other and decided to create my first vulva/vagina pendant.

Around this same time I decided to stay home with my little girl. I also wanted to have an outlet for my creativity that would allow me to have some “me” time and would bring in some much needed money after leaving my job. My work was well accepted and I’ve been growing as an artist and selling my pieces ever since. What I do has come to mean so much more to me now but this is how it all began.

What makes your heart skip a beat, hold your breath, or sigh with happiness:

This one is far too easy… my little girl! She is amazing. I’m so blessed.

If you had to choose one item that you sell, what is your favorite and why:

I would have to say my “Eden” style pendants. They are pendants that are loaded with tiny leaves, vines and flowers. I put so much work and love into all those little details. I love to create these little works of art. It is so rewarding to me to see it all come together. Women of course chose the pieces that speak to them but these are among my very favorites.

When you think of a doula, what do you think:

I think of the assurance and peace of mind they bring to a mother-to-be. Every pregnancy, especially a first, brings insecurities and many questions. To have an advocate there to help them through and celebrate this beautiful time of their lives is a wonderful blessing.

Consequentially, what do you think of birth practices in the U.S. right now:

I am certainly not an expert and I’ll be honest, it isn’t an issue that has been in my forethought, but I do know that it seems to me that surgery has become far too prevalent. Don’t get me wrong, there are certainly many instances that require the need for cutting but it does seem sometimes that doctors too quickly jump to the most invasive option first. I know so many women that have had c-sections. It is like they are encouraged to schedule these things for convenience sake. I’m just not sure that is the safest, healthiest and most easily recoverable option.

Anything Else that you would like us to know about you:

I would love to share more about my artwork. I’m very proud of it. I’ve had great support. I’ve had wonderful women from all over the world that have reached out to me to say thank you for creating a beautiful depiction of woman. Uplifting and honoring women and their right to feel good about and express who they are is so important to me. It is amazing to get such great feedback. Granted, not everything over the years has been positive but I certainly do not let that stop me. My work has been so therapeutic for me. My wish would be for us all to love ourselves as women, and love our own bodies, seeing the beauty that was created in each of us.

I often use themes to express woman. I strive to express a woman through a myriad of ideas and opinions so that any woman can find something that speaks to her own sense of self expression. I also love to create custom pieces for those women that can’t find just exactly a piece that expresses them.

Thank you again Michelle for your beautiful works of art!

RULES FOR ENTERING:

Remember, EACH OF THESE count as one entry. You have to complete the first entry to be able to be able to have the other entries counted. To have them counted as one entry each, they must each be fulfilled with their own, separate, comment. Be sure that your comment contains your email either in the body of the message, or through your profile.

• For your initial entry, you must visit her store, then come back and let me know which is your favorite item and why in a comment.
  
• For an additional entry, post a link to this giveaway on your FB OR create your own blog post regarding this giveaway, with a link to this post, then comment with a link back to your blog post/FB post.. Then, copy and paste a link to that in a comment here on my blog.
  
• For an additional entry, become a follower or my blog, then notify me by commenting. If you are already a follower, simply notify me by commenting as such.
  
• If you took advantage of the Early Bird Entries, you can add any/all of your Early Bird entries to this giveaway by commenting with the words "EB Entry".
  

Entries will be closed on May 29th, at midnight, and the drawing will occur on May 31st, at noon.

Happy entering!!!