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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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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Free Press Friday - Luv2Sparkle

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.

I noticed Sharon's work one day back in February, when I was browsing around on Etsy. She used to sell under the name L0ve2Sparkle, but she's busy moving her things to her new shop, which reflects her updated name. She's also active on Artfire (and, as you know, I'm partial to that studio).

Sharon has also quickly become one of my favorite tweeters. She's great at keeping her page updated, and she is even better at balancing fun, personal updates with her shop promotions. If Twitter isn't your thing, you can also find her on Plurk and Myspace as well!

Somehow, between balancing her "real life" as a pharmacy technician with her awesomely crafty alter-ego, Sharon also manages to find time to blog and maintain her own website. This girl is truly a sparkly inspiration!

Now, it seems like I remember promising you guys some sparkly stuff.... and I am a ninja who likes to keep her promises... so here you go! You may want to set yourself a spending limit before you start browsing. (And if you don't, and you spend too much, don't say I didn't warn you! :wink:) I've chosen just her resin pieces for her spotlight, but be sure to stop by her shops and check out her pearl and crystal work as well. You won't be disappointed, I assure you!



Now go say hello to Sharon! And, while you're there, be sure to mention you saw this blog post... because it gets you free shipping!

♥

* Want to be featured on a future Free Press Friday? Just leave a comment with your name and a link to your shop and I will be in touch! *

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Artisans Giving Back - Spoiled BratzWear

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.

Holly is the founder of Silver Hounds, a senior greyhound rescue assistance site. She started her organization about 4 years ago, because she met and fell in love with Speedo, a wonderful senior greyhound. According to Holly, "Speedo was turned into rescue when his owner could not afford his medical care and was facing cancer herself. He was in pretty bad shape and I realized that a lot of the smaller, private rescue groups could use help paying for these medical bills, since they are all privately funded." Sensing that there was a need, and that she could make a difference, Holly set up Silver Hounds to give assistance to as many of the "Speedo's" in the world as she could.

Silver Hounds is not an adoption agency. Rather, they are a support and assistance group. They work hand in hand with other rescue agencies to help provide funding for these wonderful seniors that, for one reason or another, have found themselves in need of medical care or housing in their last years. When asked to describe what Silver Hounds does, Holly told me "We run online auctions and collect donations from across the country. We have volunteers in several states who keep an eye on Petfinder for senior Italian greyhounds who could use some assistance and we contact them. We provide shelters and rescue groups with a handbook about this unique breed and a FREE martingale collar which they can't slip out of."

Holly works hard to ensure that senior greyhounds are given the love and care they so deeply deserve. All too often, these wonderful animals end up in bad situations with no hope on the horizon. Thank god that Holly (and so many others that help her) are willing to step in and take over to show these beautiful seniors that they are still loved and valuable.

Holly runs several auctions a year to benefit Silver Hounds, and she has already raised over $1,000 to help with medical bills. If you want to help her, you can go to the Silver Hounds website, or contact her through her studio.Holly is happy to take donations for future auctions, and, don't forget, if you buy your own special dog a cool outfit from SpoiledBratzWear, you're helping Silver Hounds as well! You can also check out Silver Hounds to see all the dogs she's helped to rescue, and you can even find the ones that are still looking for their forever homes. Be sure you also follow Holly's blog and twitter, as it's a great way to keep up with all the wonderful work she's doing!

At the very least, please stop by Holly's studio and say hello. While you're there, be sure to tell her how awesome she is for all that she does, too. (Because, let's get real, she is awesome, and she does deserve to hear it, right?)

* Please help spread the word about Holly and her wonderful organization. Feel free to retweet/reblog this anywhere you'd like! *

♥

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Free Press Friday - Broken Hallelujah

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?

Before I show you all the cute things I found in Brandy's shops, I wanted to let you know where you can find her if you just want to get to know her a bit better. First of all, she's on indiepublic, and if you check out her page there you'll see she has great taste in music, and she's interested in photography and sewing in addition to crochet! You can also find her personal page on Facebook, and, while you're there, be sure to go over and become a fan of her studio page as well! If you're like me, you'll also want to follow her on Plurk and Twitter, so you can chat with her. (Btw, she's super fun to chat with, in case you were wondering!) Brandy also maintains a blog and flickr page where you can see all her wonderful creations come to life!

Now that I've given you everything you need to stalk her, let's talk about these great little relaxing goodies Brandy makes! She has some cute little cloths for when you're kicked back in the tub, and some handy handmade lipbalm cases for when you need a "lip break on the go". But those are just the beginning! The real treats (IMO) are her slippers and headbands! Head over to her Artfire studio or her Etsy shop to pick up some pampering for your tired tootsies, and an awesome crocheted headband (because let's face it: just because your hair is down doesn't mean it has to look bad, right?)

Here are just some of the cute things I found browsing her shops:

Feel free to stop by and say hello to Brandy! And be sure you spread the word to the rest of the world, too! We all need a little extra handmade pampering, you know! :wink:

♥

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Do You Make a Difference?

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.

I want to start featuring each of these artisans on a weekly basis here on Ninja Jenn. My sincere hope is that you, my wonderful readers, will be both enlightened and inspired by what these awesome women and men are doing. I ask that, as you read their features, you take the time to look at both their studios and their causes. I will hopefully have the first feature up by next Monday, so please check back to see who is making a difference around here!

Additionally, if you are one of these artisans, please let me know! I want each of you to be a prominent feature here, and I want to do all I can to spread awareness of your cause. I promise I will not judge, so, no matter what your cause may be, if it matters to you, let it matter to me!

If you want to be featured in the future, or you know of an artisan that deserves to be recognized, please leave me a comment with your name and a link to your studio/blog!

♥

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