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.
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! *
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:
1. It's jewelry.
2. It's a collaboration with one of my favorite fellow artisans.
3. It's totally cool and unique, and it still has that "ninja flair" to it.
I really wish I could tell you more, but we ninjas are a superstitious lot, and I am terrified I will jinx it if I say too much, too soon. But I promise that as soon as I get the first one done I will post pictures and details for your perusal and approval!
Please wish me luck as I try to iron out the details on this latest super secret Ninja mission!
♥
p.s. Don't forget to check back tomorrow for Free Press Friday! (You're going to love the sparkly treats I have in store!)
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!)
I hereby nominate 3zArt to be a recipient of the Sisterhood Award for Blogging. 3zArt not only goes above and beyond to help her fellow artisans/bloggers when they are in need, but she has also set up a wonderful group called the AFSneakers to brighten the day of wonderful new artisans!
3zArt, you are an inspiration to me! I am proud to be able to nominate you, and I hope you will accept this award and display it proudly! Thank you for all you do!
Please go by her blog and say hello to her! Or stop by her studio and tell her congratulations!
♥
p.s. I've also created my very own blog award, which certifies 3zArt as an "Official Ninja"! I plan to give this to my fellow artisans for performing their duties in the most "ninja like" fashion.... So check back to see who the next recipient of these awards will be!
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).
To be honest, the more I think about listing out facts about me, the more I wander if anyone will even care. So here's what I'm gonna do: If you guys want to know something about me, you have to leave a comment and make up one random fact about me. It can be something funny, something serious, something totally random... whatever you choose. For every "fact" you guys provide, I will provide a real fact in reply.
If you want to know more than one thing, leave more than one fact. And if you are content to let me continue being a faceless ninja, then feel free to say that as well!
I can't wait to see what "facts" you all can come up with!
♥
p.s. I've also decided that the fact that makes me laugh the hardest will get a surprise gift. So be creative! I know you have it in you! :wink:
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! *
♥
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:
♥
© Blogger templates ProBlogger Template by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008
Back to TOP
