Aunt Star?

I'm gonna be an auntie!!! Meet my nephew:

Treasuries!

I was able to grab another treasury yesterday so I continued with my alphabet series. The Letter H! Now this one I not only kept to the letter theme, I was able to stick to a color scheme AND make it all Etsytwitter Team members! Whew! But I think it turned out well. Go show it some love!

I've also been lucky enough to be included in two other treasuries:

Love and Romance



Something Old, Something New

A call for macarons!!

1. Macaron days, 2. macaron success!, 3. Macaron # 4, 4. Blood orange poppy seed macaron, 5. Macaron Architecture Lesson..., 6. Macaron days, 7. my first macaron!, 8. Macaron.... at Macaron, 9. Macaron days - Please take one !, 10. rose macaron, 11. Macaron tower, 12. Macaron, 13. blue macaron, 14. Cashew Macaron, 15. Peaches & Cream Macaron, 16. I miss these !!!!



In August I'll be taking a class on how to make macarons at the Institute of Culinary Education here in the city (thank you hubby!!). So I'm already getting super excited! Would love if any of you have some macaron recipes you would like to suggest. I'm sure once I take this class, I'll become quite obsessed and want to make all sorts!

Etsy Twitter Team: Shop of the Week: A Cagey Bee

Etsy Twitter Team: Shop of the Week: A Cagey Bee



This week's shop of the week is Kris from A Cagey Bee! Another artist I've admired for awhile. I really adore her style!

About her work, Kris says: “I'm a painter, so my first love is creating the actual paintings - from sketching to swirling the paint around my canvas. But because I know a lot of us can't afford to buy original work, I try to offer a variety of lower cost reproductions: prints, notecards, and even little pendants with my characters!

I want my customers to know how much heart and soul and pure joy is poured into my work. I think most of my customers *do* know this, but it's not always easy to get a sense of who someone is via the internet. I was a very quiet, shy child and spent years creating elaborate stories for my imaginary friends. It's really no wonder that I've started to bring some of them to life in my paintings. The idea that I get to share that with my customers? That new friends from all over the world look at my girls and smile? I couldn't have dreamed up a better possibility for my life. :)”

Read her blog at www.acageybee.com
Follow her at Twitter: twitter.com/acageybee

As a special thank you to her Twitter pals, all prints in her shop are 2 for the price of 1 this week. Buy one print and simply enter the name of the second print you'd like in the notes to seller box. Double the cuteness!

Magazine Face Off!!

I may finally have a contender for my favorite cooking magazine spot! For the longest time it's been Cook's Country....no contest!



The covers are always SO beautiful, and even better yet...NO ADS!! I can't remember how they said they do that, but I love it! It makes for a thinner magazine but you aren't wading through a bunch of annoying ads. If you have not checked this magazine out...you absolutely must do it! Not only do they have some wonderful recipes, but some really ingenious tips from the readers. And I do mean ingenious. Stuff that will make you wonder why you never thought of that before and will make your cooking life just that much easier.

But anyway...back to the main reason for this post..the competition:



This is still your typical cooking magazine format, but I just love the inside stuff with the shows, tips, interviews and so many amazing recipes! I really don't think it will overtake Cook's Country....but it's definitely up there! And it really is chock full of so many yummy recipes.

I think I'm all gushed out so I'll end on that. :)

Stuff Under Twenty Giveaway!

Check out this yummy giveaway from wynndrew on Stuff Under Twenty!



You could win a lime and cranberry soap and body butter combo! Mmmmmm.....

Etsy Twitter Team: Shop of the Week: Tamdoll (SILVER Mountain Originals)

Etsy Twitter Team: Shop of the Week: Tamdoll (SILVER Mountain Originals)

Tammy Gross, of Tamdoll.etsy.com, also known as SILVER Mountain Originals, creates “an eclectic mix of unique fabric jewelry, the occasional art doll (and a couple of original sewing patterns for those), purses, totes and wallets – many of those 'upcycled' from repurposed fabrics.” She also has a few woven ribbons for sale that are quite unique.
She has such a wonderful eye for color and her style is really fun!





Special for the Week: Free domestic shipping on non-ribbon items. You will receive a PayPal refund for items not already specially marked as part of the sale. There are some items sprinkled about the shop that have SALE in the title and are specially priced through the springtime.

Expressions

I started on some new artwork this week. I've kind of taken a break from the fabric bowls. Although I do have a new idea that I'm very excited about. Maybe next week. In the meantime, how's about some in progress shots?

Through my entrecard wanderings, I found a blog that has a challenge going where you take a page from a book and using only a black sharpie, create artwork isolating text from the page...drawing...etc. I don't remember the blog but as soon as I find it, I'll link back to it. Anywho, I gave that a try and came up with a lovely little page that I really like!



I like it so much that I'm working on turning it into some wood artwork:



Then I also started a much smaller wood piece that's meant to sit on your desk, mantle..etc...rather than hanging on the wall.

I'm working on prepping the "canvas" right now. Using colored wood pieces to finish the edges. I haven't decided yet whether I will leave them the original colors, or paint them brown.



Then we have the makings of flowers to go on the above "canvas"!



I also got ambitious and decided to try to clean my work space. Buuuut, I came across a sketch book that has yet to be touched and decided to sit down and doodle a bit. This little guy came out of that (and yes, the work space is still a mess):

Etsytwitter Sidewalk Sale!

The Etsytwitter Team is have a Sidewalk Sale!! May 17th to May 23rd! Go here to see the full list of all shops participating and their sales.

For my sale...I will be offering free shipping worldwide!

Here are just a few of the awesome items you will find in this sale:

Sumikoshop



Inmyheadstudios



Acageybee


Now that's just a taste of what you'll find! So go check it out!

A bit o' fun with buttons

I realized it's been a while since I did some wood artwork. This was alot of fun and I'll probably make a few more of these (maybe in different designs). Plus it feels good to use up some of my many many buttons. Funny though, I'm planning a trip back to Missouri at the end of June to visit my mom and hit some yard sales and what do you wanna bet I'll be bringing back some more buttons. :)

Available here in the shop.

Etsy Twitter Team: Shop of the Week: South Paw Studios

Etsy Twitter Team: Shop of the Week: South Paw Studios



South Paw Studios offers an ever-changing selection of handcrafted jewelry designed by self-taught, Toledo, Ohio, jewelry artist, Katy Mims. She designs necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. She also offers a bridal line and a wholesale line.

I really love Katy's work but you know what else I love? Her photos! She takes nice crisp photos and I love the background that she takes them on. Her shop is just very consistent too! Lovely!



Special for the Week: 15% off your TOTAL order plus free worldwide shipping. Enter code "EtsyTwitter" in Message to Seller and all discounts will be refunded promptly via Paypal!

Turning Japanese Part 2

So after my last post I decided my next treasury would be a japanese one. So please go show it some love and click and comment. :)

Turning Japanese

Does anyone speak or read Japanese? I want these badly!!



Actually ever since our trip to Japan, I've been obsessed with Japanese fashion. I love it! But it seems very tricky getting your hands on some of the items. Like these shoes! I want!! I would certainly settle on a cheaper version....$756...eep!!

I'm thinkin'

I'm thinking that I want to join a CSA! There's one in our neighborhood and I've just been dying to join one since last year. Just the idea of getting a bunch of fresh fruits and veggies every other week (there's only 2 of us so we would have to get a half share) is very exciting to me! Plus it would force me to cook new things as well. Potentially getting veggies I don't eat on a regular basis. Yum!!

The CSA I'm thinking of joining is Jewish but they accept non Jewish members as well. :)

Well we'll see.

Another thing I'm wanting to get into is teas. Specifically loose leaf teas. I bought a Tasting Notes app on my iphone where you can set up different types of tasting note journals (wine, cheese, coffee, tea etc). This is just another thing I've been thinking about for awhile. I guess one thing at a time.

But I'm definitely keeping my eye out for a good teapot! A small one preferably because I'll be the only one drinking it. I'm not really sure what makes a good teapot. I like the look of these:




I've been following a blog called Lainie Sips, which of course has only made me more curious about trying different teas!

I think a really great way to get introduced to tea is a tea of the month club. With this particular choice, I would also get a teapot. Oh I'm getting excited just thinking about getting started! ha!

Purple Petals!

Newest bowl in the shop!

Etsy Twitter Team: Shop of the Week: Bellflower Textiles

Etsy Twitter Team: Shop of the Week: Bellflower Textiles

Bellflower Textiles is the Shop of the Week!!

Megan makes bright and cheerful fabric products for you, your home, and your children. She combines quilting techniques and a love of vibrant color to create modern and quirky children’s tees, crayon and pencil rolls, reusable coffee sleeves, tooth fairy pillows, and hair accessories. She works out of her home in Seattle, Washington, where she also tends to her two year-old daughter. Selling on Etsy since August 2008 has garnered her close to 300 sales. And I can see why! Gorgeousness!! So many fun and colorful items!



Special for the Week: Free Shipping!! Mention “Twitter” in your Notes to Seller and she will send an updated invoice with free shipping or refund your shipping price if you’ve already paid. 


Heads or Tails?

So as I mentioned before, a positive to going back to Missouri last week was being able to see family that I haven't seen in awhile. One of which was my little brother. This is still something that is odd to me. I'm almost 30 years old and I have a little 9 year old brother. From my dad's second marriage.
Anywho, he was extremely excited to see me and was very attentive and constantly nearby at all times. Which was great! It's been....probably about 4 years or so since I saw him last. And what a crafty little guy he is! He's been wanting to see Twilight and read the books....um, dad if you're reading this...no. So he made a Twilight sign out of a foam sheet and pipe cleaners. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of that.
But he knows I have a pug and he made me a pug out of pipe cleaners too!



Any opinions on which is the head and which is the tail? I say the head is the white piece. Only because he made a point of saying it's a pug and pugs have curly tails! :)
Either way, I love it and think it's super precious!

Etsy Twitter Team: Shop of the Week: Tamara Garvey

Etsy Twitter Team: Shop of the Week: Tamara Garvey

This week's Shop of the Week is Tamara Garvey! I'll tell ya, this is one very talented lady! I've been a big admirer of her work for awhile!

Tamara says: “I draw fun, whimsical, pen-and-ink scenes, usually involving at least one animal and/or tree, as these are my favorite things to study and draw! I sell them as prints in different sizes, including ACEOs, as well as note card sets.

I'm really inspired by the classic pen-and-ink artists Edward Gorey and Aubrey Beardsley. My drawings are made with care in my cute home studio, usually with my dog snoozing on the floor nearby. I'm saving up for a large-format printer of my own so that I can have complete control over my prints (that sounds diabolical! mua ha ha), but in the meantime I have them done at a print shop nearby that does an awesome job. My prints have great color and are printed on nice quality card stock.

My drawings are inspired by my walk to work through Savannah, Georgia's squares, magazines, other artists/crafters on Etsy, color combinations of a stranger's outfit, tattoos, particularly cute dogs at the dog park...anything really!”






So go go go!
Check out her shop, her blog and follow her on twitter! :)

It's a G thing

I was finally able to grab another treasury so we've moved on to the letter G!!



Etsians featured:

aecutting, bridgetdavies, millalove, designsmayamade, jamesgoetz, soapsense, krtwood, TheCuriousNomad, jenkraska, buildersstudio, tinyminds, piccalillitoo,