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.
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 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!
♥
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
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!
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!).
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!
Hi everyone!
Please forgive my lack of quality posting today. Unfortunately there are things that need to be dealt with immediately in the "real world", and this has prevented me from being able to finish my regular Monday post. I promise I will be back soon with more cool ramblings and awesome artisan features.
Please send some good thoughts and well wishes my way.... as I will be doing for each of you!
♥
Woo hoo! We made it to the weekend again! Time to trade in those paint-splattered, glue covered crafty clothes for a sexy outfit and some killer heels! Time to put down that tired old coffee cup and go out for some luscious cocktails! Time to grab some of that gorgeous handmade jewelry you've got and go sparkle all over town!
What's that? You don't have any handmade sparklies? Well guess what? This Free Press Friday edition is just for you!
Meet Sharon, the talented face of Luv2Sparkle! She's from Maricopa, AZ, and she has got just what you need! This awesome lady has been super busy filling her studio with all kinds of sparkly treats! But, before we get to those glittery goodies, I wanted to tell you a little bit about Sharon and where you can find her online.
Happy almost Friday everyone! Let me start with just a quick reminder: If you haven't left a "Ninja Fact" yet, and you want to be considered for the free prize, please be sure you do so by midnight (EST) on Sunday, 19 April 2009. I'll be taking Monday to review the "facts" and I'll post the winner on Tuesday!
Now, on to the new goodies!
I'm working on something I think will be really awesome for my studio. I can't tell you all the details right now, but I will give you a few hints:
A while back, I was nominated for my first blog award. The award is the "Sisterhood Award," and it's given to blogs that show great attitude/gratitude.
As a stipulation of receiving this award, I must nominate fellow bloggers who deserve the Sisterhood Award. The rules to getting this award are these:
1. put the award logo on the blog and/or post
2. nominate other blog(s) that you feel show the spirit of the award. (attitude and gratitude)
3. let the nominees know about the award, comment on their blog
4. link to the nominees in a blog post
5. to show gratitude and friendship to the person that gave you the award, link to them in a blog post
Today I'm making my first nomination! (Don't worry, there are many more to come!)
It's been a little under three months since I started writing this blog, and I've gotten to know a few of you quite well through your comments, emails, forum posts, and the like. But I don't feel like many of you know much about me.
I considered doing one of those little wildly popular memes where you list x number of facts about yourself and then tag x number of people hoping they will do the same. But then I remembered that I hate those things. I hate feeling like I'm guilting my friends into divulging information or writing lists (or a combination of the two).
Before we get to this week's artisan, I just want to thank each and every one of you who helped to make last week so wonderful. It means the world to me. After the resounding success of the first Artisans Giving Back feature, I feel certain that it's a post I will continue to do for as long as I can. I sincerely hope that together we can continue to help our fellow artisans make a difference. ♥
This week's featured artisan is Holly Mastromatto, from Flagstaff, AZ. Holly is the creative genius behind SpoiledBratzWear, and she is truly a joy to know. I've had the good fortune of considering her a friend since my first week on Artfire, and I know there are so many other lives she's touched as well. Holly is creative, kind, outgoing, and supremely generous. I have repeatedly seen her go out of her way to help others on Artfire, and she is always there when someone needs a kind word or a burst of encouragement. So it should come as no surprise that Holly is also actively giving back to the world around her.
Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all have awesome plans for the weekend, and I hope you are all giving yourselves some much deserved time off! It seems we all work so hard so many odd hours of the day and night, so we definitely need to learn to kick our shoes off, let our hair down and just relax sometimes! In honor of that, this week's Free Press Friday featured artisan is one who has some awesome goodies that will make our relaxing all the better (and more stylish!). Her name is Brandy, and she is the artisan behind BrokenHallelujah.
Brandy is from College Station, TX, and she just graduated from college at the "ripe old age" of 22. For the last four years she's been selling her crochet online, and let me just say, this is not your grandma's crochet! I honestly never knew crochet could look so cute and fashionable! Brandy makes items that are not just gorgeous, but useful as well! And we all know how important that is in times like these, right?
I was in the Artfire forums the other day and came across a post about Blockhead Radio and its "stalker challenge". It seems that they are searching for the biggest, baddest stalker they can find, as they wish to award said stalker some fabulous free prize.
Well, hello!
This is a contest made for me! Not only am I a nosy ninja stalker already, but i love fabulous free prizes! I simply must win this contest!
On Monday, I had my first "Artisans Giving Back" feature, and yesterday I saw the most amazing thing happen! I watched as Amy talked about her cause in the forums, and other artisans blogged, tweeted, plurked and did their best to spread the word about Amy's event. It was awesome to watch as Amy's passion spread throughout the community, and word of what she was doing made it around the globe.
The part that amazed me the most though was watching as my fellow artisans not only gave of their time and energy to help Amy promote, but so many gave so freely of the money they had as well. (Let it be said that, in this economic crisis we are facing, the handmade community didn't even think twice before they reached into their hearts and wallets and gave all they could to make a difference!)
Just wanted to give you guys a quick little reminder about the Artfire Easter Egg Hunt.
It's going on now, and you can find the full details over here. (Just so you know, you can win some awesome gift certificates, and there are now extra clues available for those who got stumped the first time they went hunting!)
I apologize for not posting more today, but I'm feeling a little under the weather... I promise I will be back tomorrow as my normal self.
Now grab your baskets and get going before all the eggs get found!
♥
A while back I asked you guys if you knew of any artisans that give back to the community around them so I could start featuring them here on Ninja Jenn. I've had a small, but awesome response to that post, and today I get to feature my very first "Artisan Giving Back"! Her name is Amy Cavaness, and she's the artisan behind AmyDesigns on Artfire. I hope you will take the time to read about her and visit her studio, and I am sure you will be as moved and inspired by Amy as I've been!
Amy is an amazing seamstress, and in her studio you will find all sorts of gorgeous goodies! She has aprons, clothing, wall hangings, and purses, all made with the most amazing attention to detail! But, being an amazing artisan isn't all she does. Amy is a mother of 4, a wife, a dog and horse owner/lover, and an avid dancer! She and her husband love to line dance and trail ride in their free time, and they even train horses using Natural Horsemanship methods. You can find Amy on facebook, blogspot, and ByHand.me as well!
On Tuesday, April 7th, 2009, Dean will turn 21 years old. In honor of his birthday, Amy will be donating 100% of her sales to the National Association for Down Syndrome. Please stop by her shop and take a look... you may see something you love that will help out this wonderful organization! (Also, birdysknits on Artfire has graciously offered to donate an additional $5 to NADS.org for each sale that Amy makes on the 7th. Please stop by and say thank you to them as well!)
After a week of not having a clue what day it is (yes, it's been that kind of week), I am happy to find that it is officially Friday! It's time to kick off our shoes, take a long lunch, and get ready to celebrate the weekend! It's also time to check out the work of a fellow artisan!
This week's Free Press Friday featured artisan is Birch Soaps, aka Katie. She's from Seattle, WA, 22 years old, and engaged to another artist. (Lucky girl... Can you imagine the creativity in that household?) Katie works as a design consultant and conservation framer for Museum Quality framing during the day, and creates her wonderful handcrafted goodies in her off time. In her studios, she sells handmade beauty products, including soap, lip balm, and lotion bars.
* So I'm a little late posting about this, and for that I profusely apologize. But, on the good side, I'm only a day late, so you still have plenty of time to participate! *
There is an awesome, eco-friendly giveaway going on this month on Artfire. Thanks to the hard work and innovation of RiskyBeads, there are 11 studios participating this month. All of the products are earth-friendly, and it's super easy to enter.
Since the day I joined Artfire I have been in love. I love the people in the forums. I love the art on the front page. I love the staff who treat us like real people (not just dollar signs and statistics). I love the sense of community and feeling of family I get when I am there. I even love the off color humor and tiffs we get into sometimes. I just love being there.
But I feel like that is all about to change.
You know that feeling when you're standing on a beach and the tide goes out? The way you can feel as the ocean pulls away from the sand, desperately trying to take you away with it? How it seems as though, at any moment, the very earth beneath you will just crumble and erode away?
I had a pretty rough day yesterday, and I was sitting at home feeling crappy about it all.... but thank goodness for friends. A friend sent me these in my email yesterday. She said she saw them in a restaurant and thought of me, so she copied them to her blackberry and forwarded them on. They were just what I needed to hear, so I thought I would share:
"People are often unreasonable and self-centered, forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
I've noticed that there are a lot of artisans who generously give of their time and talents to help the community around them. I am continually amazed at the outpouring of kindness and compassion shown in the handmade community. So I want to give back to those who have given so much to everyone else.
Well so do I, which is why I'm hesitant to share this info with you guys...
But, in the spirit of kindness and in the hopes that my overly taxed karma will be kind to me, I am going to let you in on something cool: there is a giveaway going on for some really super awesome earrings and a surprise gift.
Where, you ask? Over on The Vintage Jewelry Collector's blog!
WOO HOO! It's Friday! And we all know what that means, right? Time to stage a "ninja invasion" of another artisan studio and see what sort of awesomeness we can find!
This week's artisan is someone I found on Artfire just recently. She posted in the forums, and I couldn't help but take a peek inside her studio. She's Creative Critters, and her work is so cool, I sent her an email asking her to let me feature her on a Free Press Friday post. She was kind enough to say yes, and I am so happy she did! i can't wait to show the world her awesome art!
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