October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween! I wasn't sure about writing about Halloween today, since there seems to be such a split amongst the masses about it, but then I said "What the heck!" and did it anyway. Dressing up for Halloween and trick or treating has been something my sisters and I have done with our kids for the last 23 years. We always dress up as a family around a theme, so it's even more fun, when we're out and people realize that we are a whole idea and singular parts hanging out together. The year my oldest son was born, trick or treating happened the day before he was induced. We went as "Disney's Peter Pan", I was Tinkerbell, ha ha, can't you just picture that one? My DD was Tiger Lily, Nephew was Peter Pan, his mom was Wendy, his dad Captain Hook, other sister was Smee. We had a ball! Another year, we dressed the kids as Nintendo DS' (the original, thank you very much) and we each went as a game cartridge (used lots of gray sheets, fabric markers and paint and wunderwebbing).

Last year, I found a book called "The Halloween Tree" by Ray Bradbury and read it to my boys over the week leading up to Halloween. Here's the jist of the story -

A group of eight boys set out to go trick-or-treating on Halloween, only to discover that a ninth friend, Pipkin, has been taken away on a journey that could determine whether he lives or dies. Through the help of a mysterious character named Moundshroud, they pursue their friend across time and space through Ancient Egyptian, Ancient Greek, and Roman cultures, Celtic Druidism, Notre Dame Cathedral in Medieval Paris, and The Day of the Dead in Mexico. Along the way, they learn the origins of the holiday that they celebrate, and the role that the fear of death has played in shaping civilization. The Halloween Tree itself, with its many branches laden with jack-o'-lanterns, serves as a metaphor for the historical influence of these traditions.

The boys loved it!! I did as well. As a Catholic kid, I knew about All Saint's Day, and a teeny tiny bit about All Hallow's Eve, but the information in this story was sooo cool! If you get the chance, pick it up at your local library - Support Libraries!! - read it, you'll be delighted.

Here are a few "Halloween Tree" illustrations, I found while surfing the WWW.

Do you have any great Halloween reads or favorite films? Tell me yours and I'll check them out!


Well, I'm off to start prepping costumes for Hallelujah Night and Trunk-n-Treat at the church tonight! Enjoy your day, however you celebrate it!

October 26, 2011

What’s Happening

With

Promotional Frenzy Team

So here's the current promotions and new listings at the PFT!

Mega Sale for Beautiful Swag Store! 75% off the ENTIRE store!

Help BeautifulSwagStore clear out their summer and fall inventory! Many items are less than a dollar now. With prices this low, you can mark off your holiday shopping before the rush . This fabulous sale ends November 15, 2011. Use the Coupon Code: AFTERSHOWSALE  at www.beautifulswagstore.etsy.com  to receive your savings. As an additional bonus - if you have a handmade shop and help promote our shop during the sale, Beautiful Swag Store will post your button on the BSS blog store for one year of free advertising your shop. (This bonus is only available for family friendly shops!)

 

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This is Over the Moon Gifts first blog giveaway. One lucky reader a Personalized Bistro Mug from Over The Moon Gifts.

This large bistro mug is one of her newest products and makes a GREAT teachers gift. It retails for $6 and is personalized with the initial of your choice. You can choose the color of your initial. The mug fits perfectly in a Keurig.


For entry details, click otmgifts.blogspot.com/2011/10/give-away.html .

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KATIE'S ACRES

announces

a new series of CHUBBIES! Release date: October 26, 2011

These adorable Chubby Turkeys are just in time for the holidays!

Thanksgiving Chubby Turkey - Limited

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Please check out her new clearance section for items that have been reduced 30-40% off. 

Time to clear out for new merchandise coming this winter. 

Donut Pendant

Dishcloth Britches

 

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Ugly Duckling Beads

is offering an awesome special on her Digital Collage Sheets! 

"Buy Three, Get One Free" bundles! 

Collage sheet images can be used for jewelry cards, ATC, hang tags, scrapbooking, labels, gift tags, greeting cards, paperweight, ATCs, ACEOs, magnets and more. Their use is only limited by your imagination!

The Way We Were 2

Digital Collage Sheets Best Deal

Stop by on Friday for more shopping fun!

October 24, 2011

by sewZinki.etsy.com

I wasn't sure what I was going to blog about today (like you haven't heard that one before, lol), but then inspiration struck!

Today's Topic: Do You Remember When?

from Zalavintage.etsy.com

I know I'm not the only one out there who gets stuck in a rut trying to figure out what's the next move to make? Should I follow the latest trend? For that matter, WHAT is the latest trend? I admit it...I'm older than you thought I was. But it's okay, I forgive you. Yesterday, I had a full length discussion with one of my students on the latest trend. She insisted that her new "designer" jeans were all the rage (my words, not hers) right now! "Urban Legend", "MooMoo PooPoo", "FlyByNight", I don't know who she said the designer was, all I know is, I took one look at the stitching on those back pockets and was immediately thrown back to the early eighties and Sasson and Jordache jeans.

from SoftDew.etsy.com

She refused to believe it! She thinks SteamPunk is new stuff, doesn't understand the concept of Vintage at all. Her mom and I started reminiscing about all the stuff we thought was cute and cool "back in the day"

Let's see how old you are! It's okay, nobody can see those grey hairs but me and you!

from MimisMenagerie.etsy.com

How about these oldies but goodies?







What about these?

from OliiveJuice.etsy.com

from DancinglyDenise.etsy.com

         

from SugarCookieLady.etsy.com

from CarnivalOfTheManiac.etsy.com

from LittleBirdandChick.etsy.com

If you remember any of these things, and you know you do, you are officially VINTAGE! Enjoy - you're trendy!

Slide your trendy self over to the Art Commons page and see another Trendy Artist to Know!
lostlemonade101.blogspot.com/p/art-commons.html

October 18, 2011

. . . . . . . . . ▂ ▃ ▅ ▆ █ ❣❣❣ THE BABY BNR BASH ❣❣❣ █ ▆ ▅ ▃ ▂ . . . . . . . . . .


► Tuesday, October 18th ... 10AM TO 12AM (Midnight) EST/Etsy time

►BABY BNR BASH OPEN AT 【link to come Tuesday morning at 10 am etsy time】 crystalgaylephotography.blogspot.com/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

►Rules:

1. Call out shop you'd like to buy ANY ITEM FROM. Min $5. (see comment below)

2. Wait for curator ok.

3. Post your purchase amount & transaction # .

4. Post item you'd like featured.

• Minimum buy in $5.00 after discount, before shipping

• Each additional $5.00 per purchase entitles you to an extra entry (ie. $10 purchase after discount, before shipping = 2 tickets)

• Have 10 friends come by and say you referred them and receive one ticket. Each shop can only be referred by one shop, not multiple shops.

• For each ticket (entry), please convo the following information to www.crystalphotography.etsy.com ...


✿ Crystal's Twin's birth date/s:
✿ Twins birth times:
✿ Twins birth weights:
✿ Twins birth length:
✿ Genders of twins:

October 17, 2011

You’re Invited!!

Where: Baby BNR Bash!

Click the link below tomorrow for the link

www.crystalgaylephotography.blogspot.com

When: October 18, 2011

       10:00am to 10:00pm (etsy time)

Occasion: 
         CrystalPhotography  is having TWINS!

Here’s how it works:

With each minimum purchase buy in of $5, you receive a ticket to be entered for some great prizes.

Each ticket entitles you to guess the

• ·         Delivery date
• ·         weight
• ·         length
• ·         gender

The closest guess will win a prize pack.  There will be up to 4 prize packs awarded.

Don't want to buy in, but still want some tickets?  You can win tickets for referring people as well (remind them to post who sent them when they stop in).  More details will be posted in the opening thread.

The prizes are AWESOME! Over 30 shops have donated almost $700.00 worth of great prizes!!!!!

Come on by, stay for awhile – and when you do, tell ‘em  LostLemonade sent you.

October 11, 2011

Wow, what a week! I've been busy promoting the business, getting the kids to and from school, doing classes, cleaning, cooking, well, you get the picture. The highlight of my week, however, was Saturday afternoon and evening. It started at five o'clock when my adult and teen dance ministries presented two dances at a neighborhood church. It was so awesome to see my older two sons and two of the female teens present a piece that addresses useless teen violence and being ready for your time, no matter when that is. The music was "Chariots" by Brian McKnight (see below) and they truly touched some hearts during their presentation. The adults were equally inspiring as the danced to Angie Winans' version of "The Lord's Prayer". From there, my sons and I went to a friend's house to spend an evening playing "Michael Jackson" and "Just Dance 2" on the Wii. My friend's mother was in town visiting and so there was a house full of people, adults and kids, playing and laughing, scarfing pizza and sodas and just basically having a good time. It was so much fun and I felt truly blessed to be included as "one of the family" for the night.

There is nothing like friends and family. When my kids were younger and I wasn't so single, I used to have "dates" with my kids individually and as a family. Once a month, each child had a morning or afternoon or sometimes, we could only squeeze in a few hours, with just me. Walks, trips to the mall, breakfast, a movie - all my undivided attention on him or her and all his or hers on me. Those are moments I wouldn't trade for the world. Sometimes, it meant a work deadline was a little late or I didn't get that extra hour of sleep, but the joy of a smile, a laugh, a shared inside joke, a tear, a compromise.....to coin the phrase "priceless".

In this time of our rush-rush, hurry-hurry, microwave society, sometimes we forget to stop and see the people around us that we are "working for", "sacrificing for", "taking care of". Start small, take 5 minutes each week for the special ones in your life. Jot a sticky note of thanks, turn off the cell phone and tell a joke or listen to really bad one, share a cup of coffee, make a memory. When everything is said and done, over and gone, those are things that will carry on.

My friend told me that her doctor once asked her "If you had twenty-four hours left to live, what are the five things you would do in that time?" I know what I would do, what would you do?

October 6, 2011

Ten Rules for Being Human

by Cherie Carter-Scott

1.    You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it's yours to keep for the entire period. 2.    You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called, "life." 3.    There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error, and experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately "work." 4.    Lessons are repeated until they are learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson. 5.    Learning lessons does not end. There's no part of life that doesn't contain its lessons. If you're alive, that means there are still lessons to be learned. 6.    "There" is no better a place than "here." When your "there" has become a "here", you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here." 7.    Other people are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself. 8.    What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you.  The choice is yours. 9.    Your answers lie within you. The answers to life's questions lie within you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust. 10. You will forget all this. Reprinted from: www.bluinc.com Something each of us should keep in mind as we face each morning with God at our helm. Peace.

New on the Art Commons!

Week of October 3 -9, 2011

Wow, I can't believe I missed a week on this page. Not to worry, the artist of the week is worth the wait.

 

  Kathleen Robinson-Young

introduces

Digital Tapestry

I found my calling as an artist mid-life. Always described as a creative person, I was reluctant to think of myself as an artist. But with a strong need to do something creative with jewelry left by my grandmother, and determined not to dispose of all the colorful pieces except within my family, I purchased a beading book, a set of basic tools, and went to work. I had no idea the journey I was about to embark on...

I try to keep my beads and jewelry fresh by constantly pushing the envelope. I want my beads to "inspire" the designer, my jewelry to "lift up" and encourage the wearer, and both to make an impact.

Digital Art is is fairly new to me, but I enjoy the challenge it presents. Feel free to let me know what you would like to see available (sizes and concepts/styles).

Lady Bliss

Ladies of Art Nouveau

Background Design Boards

Angels 1

Visit Digital Tapestry and Ugly Duckling Beads by clicking on the links.