Pay It Forward

When I saw this post on Meagan's blog, I thought it would be a fun way to interact with my readers.

Here are the details... Pay it forward. 

 Within 3 months I’ll create something unique to share with the first three people to comment on this post. But, in order to receive your present you have to play along. Spread the love on your own blog promising to send a little special something to the first three people who comment on your post. You get 72 hours (that's 3 days people) to re-post, or I’ll have to move on to the next person. Please only comment if you’re willing to pay it forward! Who doesn't love getting mail? Especially when it's "just because" mail! If you love getting goodies in your mailbox and enjoy spreading joy to others, be one of the first 3 to comment below (if you're a noreplyblogger, you're automatically out). 

Who's up for some fun mail?

What's New?

When I started making charms, I found myself very inspired.

I started out with just a few simple charm ideas, and they have exploded!

I usually get tired of my 'hobbies' fast, but I'm still very motivated with these.

I'm constantly brainstorming for new ideas, trying to figure out things that will appeal to my customer base.

Here are a few charms I've done recently:

As I said before, I'm always looking for new ideas. If you have something in mind that I don't currently offer, please feel free to email me & I would be glad to try to make it for you!

I fell in love today.

Today, as I was doing my bi-weekly round at Hobby Lobby, I came across this.

I was very, very interested, so I took it off the shelf & flipped through it.

I fell in love, right then and there.

Every page is beautifully different and inspiring.

I could think of so many things to do with it, but most of all, I thought of my mother & my daughter.

A snippet from my Mother's memory book [pre marriage/kids]

I love that there are different themes to choose from [I chose pretty]. They can be used for so many things! [a life planner, wedding planner, modern sketchbook, YOU name it!]

This, for me, will be an idea book and a memory book. I love that I'll be able to write down memories or ideas for projects, add pictures or mementos from adventures, and it will stay in a lovely little book that I can pass down to my daughter one day.

I don't know why I never thought of having one before, but I'm so glad I stumbled upon it.
If you need more convincing about how awesome this thing is, take a look at this:



So here's your chance.
I want to give one of my lovely readers a SMASHfolio of their very own.
I even want to customize it for you!


a Rafflecopter giveaway




Giveaway begins today & lasts through July 10th.






I was in no way compensated for this post. This review is completely my own, and the giveaway is sponsored by my pocketbook.

This should be fun...

The first 5 people to comment on this post with their email address will receive a handmade gift from me at a random time during the year. [US only, please]

Here's the catch: If you sign up, you must post this on your blog, and send handmade items to 5 people. Get those people to do the same & so on & so forth.

Let's make this a handmade year!

Are you in?

Christmas is coming....

There are lots of new items in my shop...

Perfect for all the little divas girls in your life.

Have you started shopping yet?

Because these would make great stocking stuffers.

Or these.

And what good is a bunch of bows without a cute bow holder?

Save 15% this week with code LOYAL15

email me at jaksart@rocketmail.com for custom bow orders!

Just this once

Yesterday Aaron and I made our way downtown to TroyFest. It's a little arts and crafts festival that they have here every year. I love looking at all the interesting artwork and hand made furniture that the vendors bring. Yesterday I was obsessing over these beautifully crafted pastel colored bird houses, but there were none in my price range, so we moved on.
I bought Adelei a pair of bloomers with our school Mascot's logo embroidered on them, but other than that, we just bought food :)

I absolutely LOVE street food, and I'd be lying if I said that wasn't the main reason that I wanted to go. There were SO many choices. Too many choices, really, for my indecisive husband and I to choose from. We got the classic chili dog with fries, and quickly realized that although it was really good, we wished we would have gotten something else. Not long after we ate our lunch, Aaron decided it would practically be a sin to go to a festival and not get a funnel cake. And so we did. Only while we were in line for a funnel cake we saw that they ALSO sold deep fried oreos.
Folks, if you've never tried a deep fried oreo, you are seriously missing out. Heaven in your mouth. This is not a lie.
We didn't even finish it all before I felt like I was going into a sugar coma [I know, not good for the baby, but I just couldn't help it!] However, I kept seeing people walking around with Italian Ice. Not that crappy blended ice stuff, but the real, gourmet looking kind. I just couldn't do it. I wanted it so bad, though. We quickly decided that we would have to go back on Sunday to get lunch, and satisfy once and for all our street food fix until next year.
So that's exactly what we did today.
We headed back downtown for lunch and ended up getting the best grilled chicken [on a stick] that I have ever tasted in my entire life, ribbon fries, and of course...Italian Ice.
I chose the Blue Raspberry flavor and it was so delicious that it made me sad to eat the last bite.
Yes, I am a food-a-holic.

It's a beautiful morning

This weekend has been so simple, yet so fulfilling!
Yesterday started out awesome!
Aaron went to the local donut shop and came home with a few of these for me


Beautiful braided pastries with strawberry syrup and cream cheese drizzle.

I ate the first one so fast, I forgot to take a picture. Thankfully I had another.
I spent the rest of the day putting up a shelf, getting rid of useless stuff we've collected over the years, cleaning & organizing the baby's room [and I finally got a frame for the first ultrasound!].






Only thing missing on the dresser is the T.V.

And since we only have TWO tiny closets, we definitely had to get a dresser for the baby's clothes. I did finally come to terms with the fact that I can no longer fit into my size 5 jeans, so I put them into a space bag, sucked out all the air, and made room for my maternity clothes.

For now, we're set. We're just waiting to find out the sex of the baby [tomorrow!]
Our baby shower is coming up in three weeks, and I couldn't be more excited! Some people have asked me why I am having it so early, and honestly? I'm a planner. I can't stand not having a plan. I feel like if I waited until 30-35 weeks to have a shower, I would feel unprepared. So, early it is! And then I'll still have plenty of time to acquire the rest of the things I need.

Today has been a very peaceful day. I've been making lots of new headbands, so check them out!

This weekend...

This weekend has been very relaxing and very productive.
I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you to all of you who sent me well wishes.
I am feeling MUCH better, and I have my voice about 75% back.

My husband had drill this weekend, and there were a TON of things that I've been wanting to do, but haven't had the time. So I used all this free time I had to get it all done.
First off, since I passed out before 8pm on Friday night, I had an early start Saturday. Yep, my body decided it was time to get up at 7 am. What kind of craziness is that?!
Anyway, I took advantage of it and painted my nails
while watching Letters to Juliet.
Finished up two fun little side projects for two special friends, more on that later.
Made a bunch of new headbands and started some new hair clips, too.


Speaking of headbands, all of my are on sale, 15% off.
Just use the code VDAY2011 at my shop.

Today I made 4 1/2 dozen cookies, 4 dozen mini cupcakes, framed two paintings and one print, made chunk crayons, went grocery shopping, and worked on my lesson plans/examples.

As good as this weekend was, I'm REALLY sad to see the week approaching. But with every day that passes is one day closer to my due date :):):)
Hope you all have a great week!

Craft Fair::Day 6

Greetings from Indonesia!

Hi lovelies, I’m Christine from Jakarta, Indonesia. I’m new on etsy shop and I’m so excited running it! ♥ Jamie invited me to announce my new e-shop at her online craft fair, and it’s just beyond great! (Thanks, Jamie! Love you so much!)

About LVEB

Soooo LVEB is my dream come true. I love everything eco friendly and LVEB is the way I prove myself to what I love. Here you can find everything neat, eco friendly, artistic yet culture-high fashion and accessories!

I have two items featured on etsy treasury, which are this:

my fav red top {I hope your's too! ^^} you can find it here and here.

And this:

Batik bangle! you can find it here.

Not only that, I have another fashion items on my shop:

brown pillow dress! This is way too cool! Very neat and lovely to be worn on thanksgiving! ^^

This dress is way too elegant… Hands down.

and hand-batik bangles

Batik wood bangle —you’ll get 2 pieces!

Batik wood bangle

And another batik wood bangle

Can’t wait to have one? We offer a giveaway to a lucky one! Yaaay! ^^

Yessss, the lucky one will get one of my bangles above, which is this one:

Batik wood bangle

This bangle is traditionally painted with batik process along with Indonesian batik motifs, so perfect to be worn with any clothes!

And how to get it? Simply comment this post before Sunday, October 24th, then Jamie & I will pick the winner according to the generator!

Can’t wait to see ur comments, too! Thanks for stopping by on LVEB and looking forward to your purchase on my shop!

Salam, Christine

Craft Fair::Day 5

Hey everyone!
I'm Annahita from forever88 and the newly-opened (aka brand-spanking-new) forever88 gifts. I hope that this little place on the world wide web will turn into someplace where all sorts of people can find gifts for all sorts of people! I currently have some fabulous and fun earrings for sale.



GIVEAWAY: Today I'll be giving away your pick of any earrings in my shop!

To enter just visit forever88 gifts and let me know which item is your favorite!

For an extra entry - follow my blog - forever88!
For another extra entry - heart my shop on Esty (leave your username in the comment).

Thanks so much y'all and enjoy these last few weeks of fall!

Craft Fair::Day 4

Hi there - and happy craft fair! :)

My name is Michelle Clement, and I run a little paper shop called Bubbly Shnooks - mostly goodies for scrapbooking, but I have lots of cheery cards, stickers, art prints, and embroidery patterns, too - and I'm currently about to expand my line to include soft plush toys and crocheted goodness! I've been an avid crafter since I was little - my mom is a quilter and all-around crafty lady, so she had me sewing, painting ceramics, beading, you name it since I was small. I love anything crafty, but I really enjoy sewing, scrapbooking, drawing, embroidery, cross-stitch, and I have recently become obsessed with all things yarn/knit/crochet - especially from vintage patterns! Mostly, I want the things I make to bring a smile to someone's face - mine or a happy customer's - with their cute, cheery little faces!


I myself, am getting ready for my first real-life few craft fairs this upcoming holiday season and I'm *so excited*! There's something so lovely & fun about making away like an elf for a few weeks, gathering cute display items, making my handmade goodies pretty with gathered supplies, and hoping they find new homes with fellow handmade-goodness lovers. I really really love them to bits - and shopping at them, especially! I'm still trying to figure out how to Christmas shop while vending at the fairs I'm doing this year...lol.

At holiday craft fairs, I like to shop for Christmas cards and ornaments, specifically, around the holidays - for years and years I used to collect or make a bunch of the same kind of ornament for everyone I gave a gift to, and it was different every year (so over the years they end up having a mini collection of ornaments from me, and I have the same). When I'm searching for the perfect little holiday thing at a craft fair, I always look for something cute that has an unexpected/new element about it - and that's usually by way of color, for me.

I really really love bright, happy colors - so I love an unexpected Christmas color combination (that goes above and beyond the typical red, white & green) - like pink and yellow, or bright pastel colors that somehow still have a holiday feel to them. Not to mention the untypical ornaments I love - the quirkier the better! I'd definitely hang a cute moustached man on the branches of my tree (in fact, I keep one on my wall year round!), or use fun stickers & tags to spruce up the outside of a gift I'm giving.

I hope next time you're milling around the craft fair you'll look for unexpected colors to grace your home or presents this holiday season, too, because they sure bring cheeriness and fun to the holidays - and there's so much more out there than just red & green! And if you can't find any fun new holiday colors or moustached men for your tree, stop by Bubbly Shnooks' table! :)

Thanks so much for having me at your craft fair, Jamie & Heart Homemade!
Happy upcoming-holidays, everyone!

Giveaway: $10 gift certificate for Bubbly Shnooks - can be used toward anything your heart desires in the shop

To enter, visit my shop and leave a comment on this post on this blog with your favorite item.

The gift certificate giveaway is open internationally - anyone can enter - and will be sent over to them via a gift certificate code that they can redeem with me via Etsy.

Blog: www.michelleclement.typepad.com/blog
Shop: www.bubblyshnooks.etsy.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/michellealynn

Craft Fair::Day 3

Hi everyone! I'm Cassie from Southern Domestic Goddess and I recently opened my Etsy shop Navy Baby Designs! I sell custom tutus and appliques and I hope to add more to the shop soon.


My Grand Opening sale is still going on and all of my tutus and tutu costumes are currently priced 10% off! This includes custom orders.

My bestsellers so far are the Ghost Tutu Costume and the Red and Black tutu.



I can make a tutu in any size and any color or color combination that you can think of!


GIVEAWAY: Today I am giving away a $15 gift certificate to my shop! You can use it on one of the items already listed OR message me about creating a custom item just for your little one!


To enter just visit Navy Baby Designs and let me know which item is your favorite!

For an extra entry- "like" Navy Baby Designs on Facebook!

For another extra entry- heart my shop on Etsy (leave your username in the comment).

Craft Fair::Day 2

While I think most of Jamie's readers know me through my blog, some of you newbies probably don't. My name is Sara and I'm awesome. I also share my awesome with the world at my blog- Sara's Organized Chaos but I also make stuff. That's right- you can own a little piece of my awesome! Lucky duck. My Etsy shop is called ScrapinSara's Gifts because I'm scrappy and my name is Sara. So clever I am...

But I got started in scrapbooking about ten years ago and have gradually become addicted to paper and ribbon. I'm not ashamed to say I own paper and ribbon because it's pretty and I have no plans to use it. I have done cards and scrapbooks for friends and family for the last few years for some extra money but started my Etsy shop almost two years ago. I don't have the time or the resources to really promote my shop like some hardcore shops are doing so I am mostly word of mouth. I like making things for people and I put a lot of time into all of my projects.

The big thing with me is that I really believe you need to put some effort into gifts. I really dislike it when people just put something in a gift bag because it feels half assed and where's the fun in that? I support Etsy shops because you know what you are giving someone is handmade, it's going to be unique, and it shows you put some thought into it. But I am also a big mail sender. I'm pretty sure I alone am keeping the post office in my town going. I am sending cards and handwritten notes to friends and family all of the time, with or without reason. I think the coolness of a handwritten note is still there...it's just that people have gotten lazy. But if you have a cool card you are more inclined to use it. Which is why you should BUY MY STUFF. That and you'll be infinitely cooler because you did.

I am available for custom orders of cards, invitations, treat and favor bags/boxes, gifts, customized picture frames, scrapbooks, etc- contact me directly at slinkies_r_us@hotmail.com or through Etsy conversation. Every purchase comes with extra goodies from my own stash AND you have the satisfaction of knowing my kids get to eat another day. :)

Give away:
A set of 6 'Rock Star' cards

Craft Fair::Day 1

I am happy to announce that this week I am hosting a craft fair on my blog. Each day will feature a new blogger who will talk about their craft and also host a give away. On Sunday, winners from each give away will be picked and posted here on my blog.

_____________________________

As you all know by now, I am an artist. Lately, though, I have been crafting a lot. That is actually what inspired this whole craft fair idea.
I've been making headbands, hairclips, and brooches

but just recently started making aprons, as well.


While most of my stuff can be found in my etsy shop, I am more than happy to do custom orders.

I am giving away a set of hair clips
and a $5 gift certificate towards a custom order.

To enter:
*Leave a comment telling me your favorite item in my store.

For extra entries:
*Post on your blog [or tweet] about this craft fair and leave your link in a comment.
*Become a follower of my blog.

Giveaway ends 10/23/2010

Come back tomorrow for a new featured blogger!!