Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas, everyone!!!!!  I am so happy that I discovered this whole art community this year and I can't tell you how much it means to me that I have all of you around.  I love reading your comments about my items and I so love reading all of your blogs and realizing how unbelievably talented you all are!!!  Thanks for making my year so great!

My New Flowers

Oh, how I've been neglecting this blog!!!  I sincerely meant to write so many times and always found myself running out of time.  My tutoring usually has these weeks of craziness when ALL of my students need to meet at the same time and for an unpredictable amount of time.  Needless to say, I just finished up one of those times and am so glad to have some quiet time around the holidays.  My husband is taking tomorrow off work so I spent yesterday and today doing just some "me" things, crafting being the focus.  Here are some of my newest flowers I just posted in my shop.  Beatles' fans, make sure you check out my Revolution #9 flowers!!!

Fearless Friday

This is dedicated to all those who fearlessly struggle through the crowds on Black Friday.  I could never do it in a million years - you would find me huddled in a corner somewhere mumbling peaceful words to myself, but I appreciate all of you who are able to endure it (and sometimes even like it) in order to find that bargain.  I would love to be able to be that fearless!

I do think these new apps for the iPhone and iTouch are pretty cool for you Fearless types:

My cheeks aren't even shimmering!

If you read my most recent Fearless Friday, then you know that I tried my hand at Martha Stewart's glitter painting.  Every other time I have worked with glitter (albeit, they were few and far between), I was pulling glitter out from my hair, eyelashes and fingernails for days.  Maybe I've matured (though I doubt it) and being able to work with glitter without making a mess is a passage into the next realm of crafting.  Anyway, I'm not saying that the room made it out completely unscathed.  I'm hoping my vaccuum is up for the challenge of sucking miniscule particles of shine out of my carpet, but I had so much fun that I don't care if I made a mess!  Here are the photos of my end result.  I still have to figure out how I want to finish the edges, but I am really pleased with how it came out.

Fearless Friday

I KNOW...I have been the BIGGEST slacker in history!!! I haven't posted anything in so long, but I do have an excuse. I had such a good time participating in the Shop Swap and Blog that I wanted to give those blogs time to be seen before I ramble on about something else.

But Friday is here and that means I need to grant you all with a Fearless Friday post: how about glitter...I hate it and love it at the same time! I always have! It always looks nice, but I never know what to do with it and it gets absolutely everywhere...everywhere...everywhere. Maybe it's just me, but I can never seem to keep it where I want it. So I kind of gave up on glitter a few years ago.

That was before I saw the Martha Stewart Living how-to on "painting" with glitter. It is soooooooooo beautiful, so I'm going to try it today. See, the fearless part comes from biting the bullet and knowing I'll make a mess just to turn out a beautiful, sparkly piece of art. Plus, you use your own photos. How cool is that!!!! I'll have to show you how it goes after I clean all of the glitter off of me, which I predict will require 3 showers. In the meantime, here is the link to MSL's glitter painting tool. Have Fun and Be Fearless!!

More Shop Swap

Many of you read my blog about Georgia from Yeah Hello Jewelry, my wonderful partner for the Shop Swap and Blog.  Now, you can read my interview on her blog.  Her blog is absolutely beautiful, by the way, so you will have fun checking it out!   http://yeahhello.typepad.com/blog/2009/11/meet-gail-gorske-of-gigi-goods-handcrafted-paper-goods-artist.html#comments

Yay - It's Shop Swap and Blog!

It's the day I've been telling everyone to wait for...my shop swap and blog package came and I want to tell you all about it.  My partner is Georgia and her business, Yeah Hello, http://www.etsy.com/shop/yeahhello sells the most amazing and fun jewelry!  I was so excited to get her package and became even more excited when I was opening up her sweet little boxes, all adorned with cute little stickers proclaiming her shop's name.  It makes you realize how fun it is to be a girl when you open up little jewelry boxes filled with goodies!!

Here are the photos of me opening up my treasure...make sure you keep reading to see her interview afterwards.

1. What’s the name of your business, what do you create and sell, and how did you get your start?

My jewelry line, Yeah Hello, is a fun collection of handmade jewelry and accessories tailored for women who are looking to jazz up their style with a little something different. Yeah Hello was born after I'd come across some plastic owl beads that I instantly wanted to turn into earring studs. The name came from a radio show drop that was of a man calling the show in this funny confused tone saying, "Yeah.. Hello?" I could never get that funny voice out of my head, thus I had to give it a life.

        2. Share some of your inspirations as they pertain to your art.

I'm inspired by fashion both old and new. Sometimes if I see a dress in person my mind will race thinking about the perfect piece of jewelry I could create for it. I like more reserved classic styles with a touch of flare. I would sum up some of my special occasion jewelry as timeless.

        3. Describe your creative process.

Ah, it's a tough one! I'm a perfectionist at heart, so sometimes I wrestle with an idea for days/weeks/months if it's not coming together nicely. It's hard to know when something is complete. Lots of ideas evolve from the starting point. Often times I need to sleep on a design before I can look at it again with fresh eyes.

***This is Georgia's workspace. Look at how organized she is...and she has a cool map showing where she has shipped throughout the world.

        4. What are some of your favorite websites, blogs, and magazines these days?

I'm really enjoying flicker these days. It's amazing to connect with people from all over the globe share work in a peer to peer setting.

        5. What’s new? Any products or projects you’d like to share?

I've been slowly adding new items to my Hello Metal line - which I'm having so much fun developing. While on my honeymoon in Seattle this summer, I felt a strong need to diversify by adding everyday silvers and golds into my repertoire after seeing first hand just how many women really do wear gold or silver on a daily basis. The rest has been about the challenge of using only one material to represent the style and flare of my other collections.

**I saw these on Yeah Hello's shop when I first found out Georgia was my partner and I immediately fell in love with them.  Imagine my excitement when I found them in my package!!!

        6. Since this is about sharing great art, are there any other artists/shops you would like to give a little shout out to?

There are so many great artists and handmade shops out there. Too many to choose from! I always tell people (if they haven't already) to go discover etsy. It's an amazing network of crafty people. You can find just about everything on there. Stop buying gifts for people at the huge chains and malls, yeah they may be convenient, but with etsy you're almost always guaranteed to find something affordable, thoughtful and rare tailored for the recipient which makes it a win-win for all.


***Definitely, definitely check out Yeah...Hello's shop as soon as possible.  Georgia is a great artist and a sweetheart.  It's no surprise that she is a trained pastry chef because she makes all of her jewelry look scrumptious - the beautiful coral color of my ring she sent me just makes me think of the prettiest buttercream frosting I've ever seen.I'm so glad I got to know her a little better through this experience and I will definitely be going back to her shop in the future!!!

Yeah Hello's blog:  http://www.yeahhello.typepad.com/
Yeah Hello's facebook fan page: http://ro-ro.facebook.com/pages/Yeah-Hello-Vintage-Inspired-Jewelry/45110606078
Yeah Hello's shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/yeahhello

Fear...ful Friday

Ecards | World Wildlife Fund

I know Fridays are usually my Fearless Fridays, but I couldn't resist the Halloween connection here.  I hope everyone has a Ghoulishly Good Halloween!  Use the link above to send creepy animal ecards to your favorite haunt from the WWF.

Mmmwwwaaaahahaha....

It's just another manic Monday...

whoawo, I wish it were Sunday, whoawhoaoo, That's my fun-day...

Sorry, I slipped into the Bangles lyrics for a minute, but I'm back. That's what you get for growing up in the 80s!!

I'm getting my package ready to send out to my SHOP SWAP AND BLOG partner and I want to make sure you watch my blog in the next week or so for the exchange to happen. I'm so excited! I won't tell you what I'm sending because I want it to be a surprise for her, but I'll give you all the details when the time comes. Stay tuned...

Fearless Friday

More Pink-tober!

Within the last few weeks, I have heard so many amazing stories of brave women who have defeated or are in the process of fighting breast cancer.  I can't imagine the courage this takes.  In this spirit, I have picked several Etsy items from different artists who are participating in breast cancer awareness.  I know there are so many out there, but here are a few of my favorites:

Why dogs don't like Halloween

You may have seen some of these photos because I just received it as an email, but it was so cute I had to pass it along to all of you.  I know my dog, Pancake, doesn't like Halloween because he HATES the doorbell...and he's not too fond of visitors either.  He actually doesn't mind his pumpkin outfit, but he has never had to wear anything like these costumes:

Great Apron Giveaway

Oh, how I love great aprons!!!  I never gave them much thought until a few years ago...and ever since I have wanted a really cute one.  If you feel the same way, you have to check out this wonderful apron giveaway, hosted by The Fancy Lady: http://thefancyladygourmet.blogspot.com/2009/10/handmaidens-cottage-apron-giveaway-and.html#comment-form

This is the apron she showcases, but the giveaway lets you pick your favorite.  How much flirty fun is that???!!!

I messed up

Sorry, I was working all day today and just realized now that I gave the wrong link before for binspired (since I was running late this morning and not thinking about what I was doing).  Aaaagghhhh!!  Don't you hate when real life gets in the way of blogging?!

Anyway, here is the correct link: http://binspiredmama.blogspot.com/2009/10/seven-handmade-alternatives-to.html

My fortune cookies are getting around

I've got a blog for everyone to check out: http://binspiredmama.blogspot.com/2009/10/halloweentreat-for-moms-to-boost-your.html
It's an awesome blog with very good ideas, and I'm happy to have my paper fortune cookies included in her latest post.  I keep rolling out the fortune cookies for friends and family and they are becoming a big hit for Halloween.  Now, I've got to start stocking up for other occasions.

Hope everyone has a great day!!!

Great deals; great shirts

Several of you commented that you wanted to see my purchases from the Ellembee sale I so joyously blogged about on Friday.  Although I went mainly to do some early holiday shopping, I did find 3 shirts for myself I just had to have (but since it was a sale, I don't have to feel guilty at all, right?).  I'm posting the photos of all my great buys here so you can see more of her super cute designs.  Some items were marked down because of small imperfections, others were her older designs, and others were just regular sale items.

I happily came away from the sale with 2 totes, 5 shirts, and 1 hat (which wasn't an Ellembee design, but looks very cute with all of her shirts), and 4 of those items will become holiday gifts...not too shabby!!!!

If you missed my post on Friday and you like these designs, you should definitely check out Ellembee's shop on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5691356

She is a very talented designer and she's always adding new things to her shop ... I noticed some scarves last time I visited that I might need to give more attention to :)

In the end, I'm so glad I went, not just for the great shopping, but because I love learning from all of my fellow Etsians.  She ran a very organized sale and had a great plan for raffle prizes.  Plus, I can wear my new fortune cookie shirt when I list new paper fortune cookies on my shop (they've been a big hit for Halloween and I plan to extend the line for weddings and baby showers, etc.).

I hope you enjoyed my shopping experience!!!

Fearless Friday

My fearless act is going to be delayed until tomorrow.  That is when I'm going to be going giddy over Ellembee's sale in White Lake, MI.  I am sooooo happy to be a neighbor and easily pop in to take a look at all the wonderful shirts and other items she is putting out at discounted prices.  My fearless act:  not going over my budget!!  This is the time of the year when I should be spending money on Christmas gifts for others, but the desire to add to my own wardrobe is going to be extremely high when I see all of those wonderful designs.      ...I'm going to have to befriend more people who wear my size before Christmas comes around :)

****If you are going to be in the Detroit area tomorrow, check out Ellembee's shop announcement to find out more about her sale: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5691356

And if you're not going to be here, you can still drool over her designs online.

Cards for the Troops

For our October challenge, the Etsy Paper Street Team decided to make thank you cards to send to the deployed troops.  I made a few yesterday, but found I was in a doodling mood this morning and created this card to add to my collection.  I guess this is kind of like show and tell, because I wanted to share it with all of you.  I love to doodle, but never take the time to do it much.  When I do, it almost always comes back to swirls...I LOVE SWIRLS.  They always remind me of a sea nautilus.

Let me know if you would like to send your own cards to the military and I will check with our team to see if we can add them to our shipment.  I'm sure they would appreciate anything.

It's getting cold outside...

I guess I won't be able to enjoy a long autumn season of crisp, but warm days because it looks like we are going right into winter (whether I'm ready for it or not).  At least the leaf colors are just as beautiful (if not more) as any other year.  I added my first true holiday card a few days ago to my Etsy shop.  I apologize to those of you who don't know about our crazy Michigan tradition of always pointing out where we live on our hand.  Those of you who have had to endure it will understand what this card it all about!

Have a great Monday, everyone!!!

Fun Friday

No Fearless today...ALL FUN!!  It just sounds like people might need a fun thing to get them through until the weekend.  So, have your hand at Reversi above.  I'm not going to keep it up for long, but I thought you might enjoy it if you need a little break.  I loved this game when I was a kid and I got pretty excited when I just saw it.  If you've never played, it is addictive!  Have Fun!!!!!!!

Brussel Sprouts

We finally had some of the wonderful brussel sprouts that are in season for dinner tonight.  I've been looking for different recipes, and I found this really easy one from Rachel Ray's mag:

Halve the sprouts, mix with olive oil and sea salt, bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or until tender.  Serve with cut up apple and cooked bacon pieces. 

This was so easy and so delicious!  It was one of those perfect fall dishes.

Just a little sad

My Detroit Tigers just lost in an amazing 12 inning tie-breaker :(  I'm a little sad and had to grieve about it just for a minute.  I know it's not even close to being the end of the world, but it is always sad to see those poor guys faces when they realize they're not going to the post-season.  Oh, well.  I'll be better tomorrow!  Have a great day, everyone!!!

Mega March for Michigan Humane Society

I hope everyone had a GREAT weekend!  I walked for the Michigan Humane Society on Sunday and it was a great success again.  All the dogs were so well-behaved (I know better than to bring mine because he would have been the exception) and the rain held off.  Here are some photos of the happy fur-monsters!