I Must Have These!

I was browsing for last night's post, and I was in the "Found Objects" section on Artfire. While I don't think these quite fit in that category, I will say that I must have them.

I truly do not believe my blogging life will be complete until these cute little stickers are covering each and ever key on my keyboard.

My only fear is that they won't work on my mac keyboard. Does anyone have any thoughts about this? Or do any of you know where I can find other stickers like this (anything cute and whimsical will do) that will fit on a mac?

I simply can't go on without this extra dose of awesomeness!

♥

p.s. Want your own set of super cute keyboard stickers? Check out nothingelegant's shop on Artfire!

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Supply Sellers Deserve Love, Too!

Lately I've been doing a lot of online window shopping. And, as usual, I find myself going time and again to supply shops, searching for something unique and inspirational to get my craft mojo going. But tonight, as I was doing just this, I thought "Why don't I ever feature any supply sellers on my blog?"

Part of me thinks that it's because most supply sellers tend to blend into the background, quietly doing their own little thing, never demanding much attention from the masses. Another part of me worries that I've been subconsciously brainwashed to believe that supply sellers are somehow inferior. That's the part that scares me!

I want to say right here and now that I would never purposefully think or say that about any supply seller! And, honestly, I don't really believe most of us feel that way. But yet we treat them that way, don't we? We never make spotlights about them. We don't extol their praises in the forums. We don't even usually twitter or Plurk about them (unless they happen to be on the Crazy Train).

Based on this, I've made a desicion. I'm going to start finding my favorite supply(s) each week, and doing a regular feature of my favorites from around the web. The way I see it is, it wouldn't be much fun trying to craft without supplies, and where better to get those supplies than within our own handmade community, right?

So here are my first submissions for Super Supply Sellers Day around here. All of them were found on Artfire, and you can click each picture to take you to the seller's site. Also, hovering over the pictures will create a pop up telling you why I chose each item!

I'd also like to propose that each of you take a minute today to find a supply seller (or three) and give them a little promotional boost by tweeting, plurking, or blogging about them. After all, they do deserve our love, too, right?

♥

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I've been a bad, bad blogger...

I need to apologize. I've been so slack lately with keeping up my blogs. I try so hard to post on a regular basis, but lately I've just been being lazy. I promise I will get back to posting soon. Please forgive me. I've just been so super busy with custom orders (which is a great thing!).

I've also got some wonderful news (just in case you haven't heard): I've been named editor of the business tips section on HandmadeNews.org! I'll be working with four wonderful columnists to try to make our department wonderful, fun, and educational. So, if you haven't yet, please check out HandmadeNews! (Right now it's still in the start up stages, but it should be fully functional very soon!)

I hope you all have a wonderful Monday (as wonderful as Mondays can be anyway!), and I will see you all tomorrow!

♥

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Artisans Giving Back - Hazelnut Cove

Psst... guess what?

I've found another awesomely generous artisan over on Artfire... so you know what that means, right? Time for the third edition of Artisans Giving Back!!!

I'd like you all to meet Sunday O'Brien. She's the artisan behind Hazelnut Cove on both Artfire and Etsy. I saw Sunday post in the Artfire forums about a walk she does to benefit MS, and I contacted her to try to find out more about her story and how we can help her out! It turns out that not only is Sunday an awesome artisan, but she's also got a heart of gold!

I asked Sunday to tell me a little bit about the walk she's doing, and this is what she said: "I am currently involved in a walk for the MS Society. It's the MS LifeLines Walk Berkshires 2009; and, it takes place on September 27, 2009. According to the MS Society, every hour of every day, someone is diagnosed with MS. The society uses 85% of walk proceeds to fund education, support, advocacy, and research. They do things like modifying homes to make them accessible, funding respite care so family caregivers can take a break, and supporting research into nervous system repair and protection, pediatric MS diagnosis/treatment, and long-term impacts of MS." Sounds like a great cause to me!

Sunday chose to get involved with this walk because her sister was diagnosed with MS in the early 90's. According to Sunday, "Her progression was slow, going from a cane, to a walker, and finally, to a wheelchair. She now needs assistance with many of the most basic tasks - the ones so many of us take for granted each day." She's actually been interested in doing a walk like this for some time, but until now, her life hasn't permitted it. Sunday also told me she's been trying to get into shape for her own reasons, and, by doing that, she's realized that she can do this now! As she put it " The September walk is 5 miles; so, I still have some training to do; but, I know I'll get there. I just keep telling myself that I'm walking because I'm blessed enough that I can. There are those, like my sister, who would give anything to be able to walk 5 feet. This is the least I can do for her and all the others struggling with MS." What an inspiring statement!

If you want to help Sunday, you can go to the National MS Society and sponsor her directly. (The money goes straight to the MS Society; and, they immediately record your name to [her] Fundraising Honor Roll and the amount to [her] progress meter.) You may also donate to her via PayPal, and she will include your information and donation the next time she sends in her batch of donations. Finally, she has items in her studio you can purchase between now and September that will have the proceeds donated to her walk fund.

Regardless of what you choose, or whether you choose anything at all, please let Sunday know we support her and wish her the best with her upcoming walk! And, if you can't help her financially, why not take the time to tweet or blog about her and help her spread the word! (At the very least, please stop by her blog or twitter and tell her hello... you'll be glad you did, I promise!)

♥

*Do you know another artisan who's giving back to the community around them? If so, please let me know! I'd love to feature them here!*

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My Newest Project

Good Monday morning guys!

For the first time in a really long time I am super excited to see Monday roll around! You want to know why? Because it means that the grand old USPS will pick up the new goodies I just purchased yesterday and start bringing them my way!

Now, this might not seem like such a big deal to a lot of you, but these aren't just your average everyday new goodies. Do you remember a while back when I talked about my surprise I have in the works? Well, the wonderful Larry of Chelsea Lynn Designs is the artisan I alluded to in that post. And dear, amazing, hugely talented Larry has finished, listed, and shipped the pieces he is helping me collaborate on!

I am about to burst with excitement!

So, while I won't yet tell you all that I have planned, I've decided to show you what Larry made for me. Take a look at these beauties!

Aren't they awesome!? (They're blanks that I am going to use for new pendant bases!)

I've always had this idea for pendants I want to make using vector images, but until I met Larry I had no way to get the ideas to come to life. But when I saw the wonderful scroll work Larry could do, I knew he was the man to ask!

Hopefully I will have them by mid-week, and by this time next week I will be able to show you at least one finished pendant. So wish me well, and do a little "quick shipping dance" for me, too!

I'm off to wait by the mailbox!

♥

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Free Press Friday - Sunny Days Embroidery

Boy am I ever glad it's Friday! This has been one trying week, and I don't think I have ever been happier to see the weekend roll around. In honor of this crazy week I've had, I chose an artisan for Free Press Friday who helps bring the fun back into life. Whenever I have a bad day, or need something to break an angry or foul mood, I go window shop in her studio. I have yet to leave without a giggle.

Meet Fran, the Queen of Quirky. She's the genius behind the awesome patches, lipbalm holders, koozies and assorted other awesomeness at Sunny Days Embroidery. She's been selling on Etsy for three years, and she's been on Artfire since November of last year. I've had the pleasure of getting to know Fran on a more personal level because she's one of my Plurk buddies, and I can assure you she is every bit as cool and funny as her studios imply. In addition to her shops, you can find Fran on Twitter, Blogger, and Myspace. She also has a really cool Flickr page (which is where I stole all the pics in the post!).

Fran holds a special place in my heart because so many of her pieces involve ninjas. On top of that, she's even helping me design a cool, custom ninja patch to repair my beloved snowboard pants! (On one of my many falls last year I ripped them, and now my little ninja booty gets cold and wet when it hits the snow! Thank goodness Fran is coming to my rescue... I guess you could say she's literally helping to save my ass!)

Please check out all the fun, funky finds in her studios! I've chosen my favorites for the spotlight below, but I assure you there are far more goodies there than any mere spotlight can hold! Go say hello to Fran, and remember, she always welcomes custom orders! (Btw, for every order Fran gets right now she's donating $1.00 to her friend JoAnn to help offset the cost of her husband's upcoming surgery. So, not only would you be getting something cool and truly unique, you'd be doing a good deed in the process! What more could you ask for?)


♥

* Would you like to be featured on Free Press Friday? Just leave a comment and tell me that! I'll be in touch shortly!*

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And the Winner is...

First of all, let me say thanks for all the kind words and thoughts you all have sent in the last few days. I am still dealing with some things, but I think it will all work out ok in the end. It really means the world to me to know that so many out there are thinking of me. It's giving me the strength to get through all this mess, and you will never know how much I appreciate it!

Now... on to the fun stuff!

After all the fun responses I got to the "Ninja Facts" post, I've had a hard time deciding which one was the funniest! So, in the interest of fairness, I decided to put everyone's name in a hat and have my wonderful mother draw the winner. But wait! In case you haven't figured it out, one of my weaknesses is that I want everyone to be a winner.... SO.... I've done what I can to at least ease the "pain of losing" a bit.

First of all, I decided to draw two winners, instead of the one I first mentioned. And second, if you left a post and you are NOT one of the two winners, I will be happy to give you 50% off your order from my studio! (Just be sure you remind me when you checkout so I can refund the proper amount!)

I know, I know... get on with it, right?

Drum roll please....

And the winners are:

LaDeDaCreations and Alisuns!!!!

Congrats ladies! Please go pick out something you'd like in my studio! (You can go ahead and buy it so I have your address, just don't pay... I will mark it paid as soon as I get the email!)

Thanks everyone for playing! I had a blast reading all your wonderful facts!

♥

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