FRIDAY FAVORITES

A little music, a little smile, a little musing, a little laughter, and a BIG sale ~ TGIF!

• My friend Rob...ok, technically, my son's friend, has a great blog, Politik!; Acquiesce? Revolution. and posted two terrific entries this week titled Songs that are immortal, send chills down your spine, and uplift your soul, Part I and Immortal Songs, Part II. The lists are indeed, timeless, and wonderful to read, revisit, and listen to. I especially enjoyed reminicising on Oasis's Wonderwall which will always remind me of son Andrew who sang the song at his Senior Show in high school and usually would always "wander" onto it eventually over the years to come whenever he was playing his guitar or was at the piano...

• Abby is smiling, really smiling - not gas, not dreaming - real smiles now! We've still to catch a full-mouth grin on camera, but here's a first-day "half-smile" as captured by her daddy.

• One of my favorite parts of the The Artist's Way are the great quotes that "litter" the margins of the pages...here are a few from this week that are really sticking with me:

"What we play is life" ~ Louis Armstrong
"You need to claim the events of your life to make yourself yours." ~ Anne-Wilson Schaef
"The events in our lives happen in a sequence in time, but in their significance to ourselves, they find their own order...the continuous thread of revelation." ~ Eudora Welty

• Last year my sister and brother-in-law sent my parents a Dvd of The Vicar of Dibley, a BBC series we had been unfamiliar with, but now we are fans. Alice, the vicar's "helpful" albeit rather clueless assistant at most times, is one of my favorite characters -- here she struggles with the concept of "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter..."

• And finally....don't forget! The "SPRING FEVER SALE" is still going on now in the shop! That means savings of 15% on ANYTHING with the words GREEN, FLOWER, or GARDEN in the title or description. Just put your items in your cart, proceed to checkout, and put "SPRING FEVER" in the "NOTES TO SELLER" and then WAIT for a revised invoice (or pay immediately and I will refund the discount to you through PayPal). One discount code per purchase. Catch "SPRING FEVER" while it lasts!

SPRING FEVER SALE - CATCH IT!

"SPRING FEVER SALE" GOING ON NOW in the Etsy Shop....Here's how it works: If a title or description has the word "SPRING," or "FLOWER," or "GARDEN," in it, that item is available for a LIMITED time at 15% OFF! Just put your items in your cart, proceed to checkout, and put "SPRING FEVER" in the "NOTES TO SELLER" and then WAIT for a revised invoice (or pay immediately and I will refund the discount to you through PayPal). One discount code per purchase.

How to find these spring goodies? Go to the shop home page and in the search window, enter one of the keywords: SPRING, FLOWER, or GARDEN and see what "springs up!" Here's a peek at what you can find:

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Catch "SPRING FEVER" while it lasts!

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Looking for even BIGGER savings? Be sure to stop by the SALE Section of the Etsy Shop where you'll beautiful pieces now at 25% off the original list price!

FRIDAY FAVORITES

The day has almost slipped away before I could post this, but "no worries," plenty of favorites to share FOR SURE today....

• "Hands down"....the #1 favorite is that today is officially the first day of spring! Woo-hoo! Let the sunshine, warm weather, and yes, even the spring rains (within reason!) begin ~ I am MORE than ready this year...

• I am a "collector of quotes" and this is a new favorite that I came across just this morning:

"The beautiful is everywhere." ~ Fernand Léger

• Some of you may think that my complete wardrobe is comprised of my "Goodwill Hunting" forays :-), but to be honest, I ♥ shopping just like the next "gal!" In fact, one of my "favorite" shops is Coldwater Creek ~ I love to peruse their latest catalogue or surf their site to see what might be new, finding their colors, designs, and textures refreshing and unique. So, when I can find a Coldwater Creek sale + free shipping + my yet-to-be-used gift card from Christmas (Thanks, Hannah! ♥), I can't resist what I think is quite the deal! Here are the "Friday Favorites" that came in the mail today!

• "Spring Blooms" Necklace and Earrings are DONE and ready to be listed (tonight or tomorrow!!) in the Etsy shop. The pink, green, and slight touch of soft golden yellow hues were inspired by the "Tulip Lovers Circles" palette highlighted in last week's "Tickling the Muse" post.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

FRIDAY FAVORITES

I've got another collection of Friday Favorites for you today...first up, answers the "age-old" question (hmm....sure!), where does Sue buy her earrings when she doesn't make her own??? I know you were wondering! Well, take a peek ~ yes, I did scoop them up finally after "dreaming of them" for quite a while! These Red Coral Drops are on their way to me right now from Lee at AbeleesHandcrafted. And, no, there aren't anymore for you....BUT

LOOK...you can find these beauties and more wonderful earrings at Lee's shop right now so be sure to stop by and check it out - incredible design and artisanship!

Wandered onto a very cool website a few weeks ago via my blog-hopping. This site will "age" your photos 100-150 years in a matter of seconds, allowing you to then save the newly "antiqued" copy. Why? Not sure - fun, scrapbooking, photo effects....you figure it out. Here's a sample I had some fun with from last summer's vacation. The shot is of a church on Boca Grande, FL:

Voila! Turn of the century Boca Grande!

The website is labs.wanokoto.jp/olds. HINT: when you get to the site, if it is all in Japanese, you can "switch" to English up in the top right hand corner. :-)

Favorite new music this week - have to mention the new U2 album. Find it, listen to it...enjoy! Repeat often. I also discovered a new artist (for me) and have been enjoying her music all week ~ Michelle Featherstone. This is the song that will get me every time:

And...finally, favorite Abby picture of the week is the beginning of her career as a real Buckeye -- titled, "WHO SAID, "Go Blue?"

NOW OPEN....at WINK ELF!

While SignatureSterling at Etsy continues to be my strong home base, I have been exploring different artisan venues this year - 1000 Markets, ArtFire - and now I'm so pleased to have "opened doors" at WinkElf, a smaller, but "boutique-minded" site that's easy to navigate and presents a wonderful assortment of quality items for shoppers. You'll be seeing more items added to the WinkElf boutique in the days ahead, but for now, this is the "debut" necklace waiting for you there!

~ SIMPLY STERLING...but the greatest of these is LOVE

BLAH - BLAH - BLAH...Ok, Happy Valentine's Day ;-)

Yes, it is February 14th, Valentine's Day, and yes, I will post, but no, I will NOT get personal...so if you're here to try to get "juicy details" - move on...about as personal as I'm going to get today is to let you know that one of my best Valentine's ever was waiting for me this morning from Hannah (2 yummy special treats, of course) but a wonderful card declaring me to be the best mom ever (and she "seconded" the sentiment in her own writing :-)). Now you know that will warm my heart for a long, long time!

I did do some online surfing to see what Valentine goodies might catch my eye to share with you today and found some fun things and great new shops...

I LOVE this card from Hidenseek, an Etsy shop in the UK. This extremely talented artist brings to mind old-style children's books and fairy tales....and I couldn't resist the little girl's red dress and brown hair, although my hair was always cut in a pixie!

And, yes, now you know where my post title actually comes from - these soaps caught my eye when I was searching with the keyword "Valentine" and MariaElenaEvents has them in a large assortment of scents to choose from - a great deal! Plus, I really had to appreciate her sense of humor...

Now, for those of you who just can't make up your mind today...you may need this from FiligreeandFindings on ArtFire! What a great find!

Sometimes I like to window shop, and yes, even buy occasionally when I can, jewelry instead of making my own (I know, it's shocking, isn't it!)....if I could, these babies would be in my cart today! Maybe tomorrow (if you don't beat me to them!) ~ from one of my favorite artisans and a great pal, too...AbeleesHandcrafted on 1000Markets:

So, I do wish you a very wonderful Valentine's Day ~ may you be surrounded by all those who love you and filled with love yourself ~ blah, blah, blah! ;-) Peace...

P.S. A little "Valentine 101 Romance Advice" from Hannah as we're driving home from the "mountain" today ~
HANNAH: "Y'know, I think, alotta guys think it's romantic to teach their girlfriends to snowboard on a day like this and they're wrong."
ME: "Really?"
HANNAH: "Yeah, I mean, I can't tell you how many times I've heard on the lift, 'Why did you tell me to do that?' or 'You told me to do it that way!' or 'I just want to go home!' They should just let them learn on their own. I don't think I would want anyone trying to teach me how to snowboard."

You heard it here, guys -- listen up! Dinner and a movie - don't make it complicated.

GOODWILL HUNTING

Those of you who know me well, know by now that this title does not refer to a very good film, but to my shopping fetish...yes, at a terrific nearby Goodwill Store where I always find, sometimes after a bit more hunting than other visits (that's part of the surprise factor) amazing deals ~ designer and mall-brand fashions, rarely worn (even occasionally with store tags still on!) at GW prices!

Here's an example of last week's successful "hunt" :-)

• 3 pairs of very gently worn jeans (great condition - ready to wear!) - Lee, Casual Corner, J Jill...$5.99/pair

• long wool plaid pleated skirt (looks brand new condition) - Talbots...$2.99

• black dress blazer (also looks brand new condition and looks terrific with skirt above) - Alfani...$4.99

• long brown herringbone blazer (again - did anyone ever wear this???) - Ralph Lauren...$4.99

• fun denim blazer/jacket (I know you think I'm making this up, but seriously - swear it looks brand new...) - Ann Taylor...$4.99

Yep, grand total, after necessary sales tax...$38.36.

Now, to date, I have tried unsuccessfully to share this shopping venue with my 16-year-old daughter (her reaction - "no way!). But, I may be making some headway. When I walked in the door this week with my BIG bag of goodies, she exclaimed, "You went shopping....can I go shopping?" To which I replied, "Sure, I'll take you where I went." That' s when she noticed the bag more closely and responded "Oh, you went there." I did tell her that I would be happy to give her the same amount of money I had spent shopping and she could spend it shopping wherever she wanted to - :-)....she, of course, jumped at that offer (I mean, c'mon, no 16 year-old is going to pass up $40). But, then she did look very carefully through the bag and commented, "Wow, well, you know I might want you to take me there some time so I can try to find some dress pants."

Aha - Mom has maybe scored!

WEEKEND ESCAPE

Hannah found herself with a FIVE day weekend (!!!) off from school (although not from work ~ alas!) and was lamenting the fact that many friends were "escaping" the "great white North" (or least the "great cold Midwest" for what they hoped would be warmer, more southern locales...while we didn't have the time or resources to do that, we did attempt a "girls' getaway" to enjoy - and I THINK we were successful. Here's a peek at our 48 hour excursion:

While we were only about 30 miles away, we felt quite pampered by checking in to the new Hilton Hotel and "splurging" (thanks to a AAA offer) by a stay on the Executive floor, complete with breakfast and perks. The whirpool was warm, wonderful, and EMPTY...except for us both nights ~ how perfect!

Our first night Hannah picked Cheeseburger in Paradise for our dinner plans - another great "escape" (the decor, the music, the food and drinks - you could ALMOST forget the weather outside!). After dinner and a warm soak in the whirpool, we relaxed with an in-room movie that neither of had heard of but both enjoyed a lot, City of Ember, - a sci-fi/fantasy (not my usual fare - but it was really good - comes out on DVD tomorrow if you want to check it out!):

Then - a great night's sleep - after some "Twilight" reading in bed, of course (she's on the 4th book; I'm on the 3rd one!)....

Next morning, after our almost private breakfast in the Executive Lounge, it was time for some mother-daughter shopping at the mall next door (with a very quick sprint from the car to the closest store since the actual temp. was -15...yes, -15!). We started off with "Mimi" shopping since we found the very BEST "Mimi" store - "Janie and Jack" which also was having an awesome sale!! Oooh, Sarah will be very, very happy! :-)) Then, shopping turned "serious" as we split up to get the most done before our movie time...we both ended up with what Hannah is calling our "rocker" tees (LOL!!) -- this one is hers (the one she got is black and it actually comes from a Christian line of products called "Sanctify").

And this one is mine - LOVE the color - and the words, of course, speak volumes - what can I say? Rocker? I dunno...

I also picked up some LaSource items from Crabtree and Evelyn to "take a bit of our getaway" home with us (same items that the Hilton uses -- smell great!!).

Then, off we headed to see the BEST movie ever -- if you haven't seen it - RUN now or make plans immediately to see it. It was a "sleeper" that now is the frontrunner to sweep the Oscars - seriously - and it should! AWESOME film - "Slumdog Millionaire"

We were finished in time to get back to the hotel, unload our goodies, and arrive at the in-house spa for our scheduled...ahhhh....massages.....did I say, ahhhh, already??? Oh, yes!

Dinner, again Hannah's pick, was Molly Woo's - she went with sushi and I tried Molly's Feast, a vegetarian dish with great tofu. Our waiter was an incredible "dish," as well, and I kept telling Hannah that I just might need to rethink my thoughts about younger men!! LOL!! She, on the other hand, suggested that she might be ready for older men - ha!

Our evening was complete with a visit to Barnes and Noble (now you know who picked that one) :-)....and dessert at the Cheesecake Factory - YUM-OH!! One more soak in the whirpool and some more "Twilight" reading before nodding off -- and our quick, close mini-escape came to a close in the morning with an awesome breakfast buffet before scooting off to get Hannah back to reality (aka "work").

NEW YEAR ~ NEW SHOPS...NOW OPEN!

Yes, 2009 brings SignatureSterling opening new doors! You'll continue to find us, as usual, at Etsy, our original home, but as of today, we are also, slowly building a shop at ArtFire, a wonderful new venue for artisan creators of all "muses." Hope you'll stop by and check out the new "digs" soon ~ and if your creative juices have been flowing and have been looking for a place to "land," consider ArtFire....it's a wonderful place to be for sellers. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions about my experience there so far. AND, if you do become a "neighbor," don't forget to let them know you heard about ArtFire from me when you sign up! Thanks!! :-)

Coming soon.....SignatureSterling at 1000Markets!

Talented, Busy Beaders..."Must-See's!"

Some of you know that along with my association with Etsy, I've been fortunate to be a part of some incredible "street teams" ~ groups (some large, some small) of artisans who come together in a common mission for creative, marketing, and support purposes. One of my newest, smallest (and therefore, most intimate and friendliest!) and most talented (IMHO!) teams has been the Artisan Beaders Street Team which formed earlier this summer. We are a juried group and keeping our membership limited (small) has allowed us to develop close bonds of friendship and support across not only the country, but the world - we are an international group!

The mission statement of ABST (Artisan Beaders Street Team) is "Begin with a passion for beads. Combine with creativity. Mix with encouragement. The result is Artisan Beaders; a charismatic group committed to providing the knowledge, resources and support to help members succeed in their entrepreneurial dreams." I know that I feel so blessed to be a part of such a talented group of women, willing to share freely their art and journeys. Each of these artisans has her own shop on Etsy so be sure to check out their beautiful work:

Abelee's Handcrafted
Beadwright
Broken Teepee Designs
Catie's Blue
Creative Treasures by Donna
Crysallis creations
Crystal Impressions
Deronda designs
Elbit Enterprises
Jael's ArtJewels
Kaskaad Handmade Jewellery
M. Augusta Woodland
Orion Designs
Shiny Adornments
SignatureSterling
Studio Marcy
The Jewelry Box

Two other special ABST "must-see" sites are the Artisan Beaders blog where you'll see regular updates on "Color of the Week" and featured items, and MORE importantly ~ NOW through the holidays....a weekly GIVEAWAY!! Whatta Deal!

And, if you want one-stop shopping for the holidays, be sure to "bookmark" the Artisan Beaders Holiday Guide where all of the ABST shops are listed, linked and highlighted with wonderful pics of some beautiful creations from each shop. It's a great holiday shopping resource to keep in your "internet favorites."

Remembering....

Not quite "Caribbean" but as close as I get, and I'll take it! :-) Just found out Sarah and Mike will be heading to the condo as well in a few weeks - a great way to end the summer!

Naturally, all that time on the beach was inspiration for these pieces...
CARIBBEAN DREAMS Necklace


CARIBBEAN DREAMS Earrings

English Gardens and Beautiful Sunsets!

Well, proof that beautiful sunsets can happen anywhere! :-)

And...some new pieces inspired by the beautiful artisan lampwork beads of DerondaDesigns which made me think of rich, wonderful English gardens...a matching set if you like! Check out the new listings in the shop.

ENGLISH GARDEN Necklace

ENGLISH GARDEN Bracelet

ENGLISH GARDEN Earrings

Last Day to SAVE!

Today's the FINAL day of the Artisan Beaders' "No Fuel Required" SALE! Members of the team are offering discounts and/or free shipping.

Through MIDNIGHT (EDT) tonight, all items in SignatureSterling, are 20% off (except for custom orders and gift certificates). Simply check out as usual, put "NO FUEL" in "Notes to Seller" and WAIT for a revised invoice before making payment.

You can find ALL of the ABS Team items by searching tags on Etsy using ABSTEAM.

Etsy Artisan Beaders Street Team "No Fuel Required" Sale!!!!

With fuel prices higher than ever, what could be easier than forgoing your trip to the mall and shopping from home? The Artisan Beaders Street Team is holding a “No Fuel Required Sale”.

Members of the team will be offering discounts and/or free shipping from Sunday, July 13th through Saturday, July 19th. All items in SignatureSterling, will be 20% off (except for custom orders and gift certificates) if purchased during the sale. Simply check out as usual, put "NO FUEL" in "Notes to Seller" and WAIT for a revised invoice before making payment.

You can find ALL of the ABS Team items by searching tags on Etsy using ABSTEAM. Happy Shopping!