My Stalking Abilities Have Been Challenged!

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!

I signed up with them the other day, and I'm pretty impressed with the small bit I've seen thus far. To show my love, I've added Blockhead Radio's blog to my blogroll, set up scheduled tweets to help promote them, and plurked about them as well! I even did the "extra credit" step of adding Chris Huff to my blogroll!)

I plan to add widgets to this blog and my other one, and I am trying to find them on the various social sites so I can follow/friend them!

They've suggested extreme measures, such as strapping oneself to a telephone post and proclaiming the love, naming stars after them, and getting tattoos with their logo. While I have no objection to permanent ink on my body, or purchasing celestial bodies, I am afraid climbing a phone post is out of the question. (The local authorities have reminded me more than once that they do not find ninjas scaling public property amusing...)

My question is this: what do you propose this ninja do in order to prove her "commitment to sparkle motion"? I have a few ideas in mind, but before I let you in on them I'd like to hear what you suggest!

I look forward to hearing all your creative ideas! And remember, no idea is too far-fetched for this ninja!

♥

Read more...

I am so proud right now!

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!)

The first person I noticed go "above and beyond" was James from BirdysKnits. Less than an hour after Amy first mentioned her sale on the Artfire forums, James posted to say that he and his wife, Birdy, had decided to donate $5.00 for each sale that Amy made on Tuesday! I was so happy to see such a warm and generous gesture!

Then, on Tuesday, as I watched my own tweets get retweeted over and over again in 6 different countries, I got an email from 3zArt and LaDeDaCreations. In that email, they told me that the AFSneakers (a group I belong to that "ambushes" sellers on Artfire who haven't made a sale yet) had decided to ambush Amy and her son Dean. Realizing that not everyone could afford to purchase something from Amy, they offered to set up a donation site where we could give what we were able in support of NADS, and in honor of Dean. We discussed that if we could raise $50.00 we would be thrilled, and we all began spreading the word as best we knew how.

Boy were we in for a shock!

Within the first hour of setting up the donation site, the AFSneakers had raised $46.50! By the end of the eight hours we had allotted to collect our donations, we were able to raise $182.50 to give to Amy and Dean for NADS. Even now, as I type this at nearly 3:00 AM, I am moved almost to tears by such a fast and astounding response!

As of 10:30 PM, Amy reported that she had made 3 sales, was matched for each sale by James and Birdy, recieved donations through her studio, and (including the donations raised by the AFSneakers) had a total of (so far) $265.50!!! I also know that donations are continuing to come into the AFSneakers site, and I feel sure Amy will make a few more sales before her day is over. I can hardly wait to hear the final totals!

I am so proud to be part of such an amazing community. The kindness, compassion, and generosity I've seen these last few days has reaffirmed for me that I am just where I should be right now. Thank you, each and every one of you, for reminding me of the good in this world. May you each be blessed for the kindness and love you've shown! (BTW, if I didn't mention you by name in this post, please do not think it means I didn't notice. I assure you that each of your names has been permanently engraved on my heart after this!)

♥

* Want to learn more about the AFSneakers? Come join us for our next Artfire Ambush! *

Read more...

The Artfire Easter Egg Hunt

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!

♥

Read more...

Artisans Giving Back - AmyDesigns

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!

As busy as she is, Amy still finds time to give back to a cause that's very near and dear to her heart. Amy donates what she can to the National Association for Down Syndrome, a Chicago regional organization. According to Amy, "They train moms of young kids with DS to visit brand new moms in the hospital or shortly after they get home, give them up-to-date literature, etc. They have area playgroups, and lots of other activities. And they're basically a clearing house for info you need when you discover your baby isn't like the ones in the "baby books". Their advocacy continues through adults with DS."

Amy first learned of this organization on April 7, 1988. That's the day her second child, Dean, was born. (Dean has Down Syndrome.) When I asked her why she chose this cause, Amy replied " I was too young for pre-natal testing, so I didn't know he had DS until after he was born. This organization was a godsend and I felt empowered by the knowledge they gave me."

As trying as I'm sure this path has been for her, Amy has been able to find beauty in it. She told me (when asked what she enjoyed most about her work) "I've loved encountering moms with young ones with DS-especially if Dean is with me-so I can "testify" a little bit! Dean is an awesome guy and my life has been so enriched by him. It hasn't always been easy, but I know I'm a much better person for knowing and loving him."

Amy wrote a poem about 15 years ago that has been featured on the landing page for the Malta Down Syndrome Assoc. and a website for people who want to adopt kids with DS, among others! I'd like to share that poem with you:

I Dreamed-by Amy Cavaness

I dreamed he'd be born beautiful and healthy.

He was.

I dreamed he'd tell me that he loves me.

He tells me every day.

I dreamed he'd be bright and funny.

He is - his humor is wonderful.

I dreamed he'd ride a bike, catch a ball and wrestle with his big brother.

He does and his brother loves it.

I dreamed he'd have big birthday parties with lots of friends and cake and presents.

He's had six.

I dreamed he'd one day get on a bus and go to kindergarten.

He did it yesterday - my heart full of love and my eyes full of tears.

I dreamed he'd make us proud.

He has, and he's inspired us.

Dean has Down Syndrome.

I never dreamed that.

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!)

* If you'd like to learn more about NADS, or how to donate, please visit NADS.org. Additionally, you can google for information on local organizations that benefit children & adults with Down Syndrome. *

♥

Read more...

Free Press Friday - Birch Soaps

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.

As I was browsing through her shop on Artfire, I found myself starting to drool a little. All of her products look so inviting, from her awesome pictures to her delicious fragrance descriptions. I also kept going back to stare at her Chocolate Covered Strawberry soap so much I made my own stomach growl!

Katie has studios on both Artfire and Etsy, and she also uses Trunkt to reach out to wholesalers. She's an active tweeter, and you can also find her on Flickr and indiepublic. I would advise that you go check out her Flickr page, and don't just look at the soap (as tempting as it may be to get stuck there!)... click over to her other albums and check out her awesome shots of fire spinning! (This is something I've dabbled with in the past, and I know how challenging it can be! I am super impressed by these pictures!)

Please stop by Katie's studios and say hello her! And, while you're there, if you find something you like, mention you saw this post (at checkout) and she will send you a free lip balm with your purchase! (Thanks, Katie for your kind offer to my readers!)

Thanks so much for letting me feature you, Katie! It's been a pleasure to meet you, and I wish you best with your studios!




♥

* As always, if you'd like to be featured on Free Press Friday, please leave me a comment with your name and link to your studio(s)! *

Read more...

April 2009 Artfire Giveaway!

* 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.

The giveaway is going on from April 1st until April 7th, and you can see all the participating studios and the rules here. Each artisan has provided a product for the giveaway as a way of promoting both themselves and Artfire. Additionally, all the sellers are offering 10% off in their studios for the duration of the giveaway! (To claim your discount, enter this code on checkout: RBAPRAF10P**.)

I'm not going to list all the artisans here, but I will tell you that the discount code works in my shop! I posted earlier about the Earth Day pendant I'd made for this project, and if you win the giveaway it will be in your basket of goodies!

So please, head over to RiskyBead's blog and read all the rules. You have nothing to lose, and you might just end up with a whole lot of cool stuff!

♥

Read more...

A Trip to the Beach

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?

Well, that's how I feel right now.

This "beach" that I am on is washing away.... and I am scared I may have built my sandcastle a little too close to the waves. I can feel my walls crumbling a bit.... and I can look around this "beach" and see a lot of other castles that are in danger as well. These waters we've seen lately have been kind of stormy, and a lot of new things have washed up on our beach. Some days have brought beautiful things, while other days have deposited only debris.

In the last few weeks our beach has seen a lot of new castles being built. There are small, simple, almost timid ones. There are the standard "straight from the bucket ones". There are grandiose palaces with all sorts of adornments. And, sadly, there are even some builders who have chosen to build forts designed to do nothing but keep the other builders away.

I love these castles around me. Each one is different. Each turret is unique. Each gives me a glimpse of the heart of its builder. I don't want to watch them all wash away.

But the tides are inevitable. They are ruthless and unforgiving. They will go out. They will take with them at least some of these things I've seen lovingly built.

My only hope is that when the tide does go out it won't take me with it.

I've poured my heart and soul into the castle I've been building here. I've walked this beach, day after day, offering help to my fellow builders. I've wiped sand from eyes when it was kicked there by another. I've helped rebuild after bullies stomped castles to the ground. I've even tried to draw blueprints when newcomers couldn't find how to begin their own castles.

I know that not all castles are built on a strong foundation. I realize that some are too close to the sea, others are too far. I am aware that the bullies may not ever fully leave this beach I love. I understand that there will always be days when the waters are rough, or the winds are too strong, to be any good for building.

I just hope that I can remind myself, and my fellow beach lovers, that the tides, just as they go out, will one day come in again.

I pray that when they do turn, I will be able to look down this beautiful shoreline and see each of those castles I love still standing, mine included. I will not be taken out with this tide. Try as they may, the bullies will not storm my castle and get away with it. This beach is mine, and it is yours, and it is our job to defend the things we've built upon it... and to rebuild when necessary.

I know it's scary when the bullies are around. I can see see the fear in the faces around me. I can hear the doubt in your words. But I am begging each of you to not be taken in by them. Don't let yourself become a destroyer. Don't let our beach become desolate and ruined like so many other beaches we've seen. Remind yourself that it is more fun, and more wonderful, to take this sand and make something beautiful from it. Remember that storms will pass and sunny days are ahead. Know that the bullies will one day tire of this beach if we just ignore them and continue to build.

And, in the meantime, if you need help building (or even rebuilding) your castle, just let me know... I will do all I can to help beautify this beach I love...

♥

Read more...