Top 3 (plus me) Tuesday! It's all about BUTTONS!

Do you love buttons? I just love all the colors, shapes, textures and sizes they come in and now I have discovered some wonderful shops that create fabulous items with buttons. So today I am sharing them with you...maybe you'll be inspired to create a button project of your own or just buy one of the lovely items these shops have to offer! :)

First up is TessaAnn's shop which is filled with fun and colorful handmade buttons. Take a peek at what she has to offer:



Super cute, right?! Are you imagining the possibilities?! I have had my eye on Tessa Ann's shop for awhile now and she is always coming up with new ideas, great color combinations, and fun seasonal buttons too! And for all you paper crafters who visit me, Tessa Ann is a talented scrapbooker too...you can check out her blog HERE. I'd love to hear what buttons in her shop catch your fancy! :)

Next up is the Button Boutique, a shop filled with adorable hair accessories and jewelry using fabric covered buttons. I am thinking I might need to get this pretty rainbow bracelet for one of my son's friends!

Don't you just love all the colors, especially with those polka dots!

And how cute would these clips be for wearing to school?!


The third shop that impressed me with her buttons is RBK Creations. I was particularly impressed with Ariela's bridal button bouquets and boutonnieres...such a creative way to use buttons and fun idea for a wedding bouquet!



Who knew buttons could be this pretty! Be sure to check out RBK Creations for more colorful button bouquets that are great for any occasion or home decor.

And since I am featuring buttons today, I decided to share my button tree cards with you all too! :) My button tree thank you cards were the first item that I listed in my shop and now I am expanding the line to include seasonal button tree cards and birthday cards too! I am also always happy to create some custom button tree cards for you if you are looking for a particular sentiment, occasion, colors, or a greater quantity.





As always I would love to hear your thoughts about the featured shops and any suggestions for things you might like to see on an upcoming Top 3 Tuesday.

And if you missed my post a few days ago, I am having a giveaway! Click HERE to check it out!

Fun and Fabulous!

I just created a new treasury on Etsy and filled it with tons of cute items from some talented sellers! Check it out here: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=79337

Hope you are having a great day! I am headed outside to enjoy the sunshine!

Fun and Cute Christmas Cards

Yesterday my parents were able to come over to watch my boys for two hours so I could get some projects done. It was sooooo helpful! I finished up two orders for my Etsy shop, one of which was for a bunch of my button tree thank you cards (one of my most viewed and hearted items). And while I was putting those together I thought, 'These would make adorable little Christmas cards too!'

So, with Cath's Fun and Cute Moxie Fab challenge in mind, I created this card:


What do you think? I think sets of these cards will be showing up in my Etsy shop as we get closer to the holiday season! :)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! I will be back on Tuesday to share 3 great new Etsy shops that I have recently discovered!

Etsy Inspired Challenge #51

Happy Saturday everyone! This week's featured Etsy shop is Red Crow Arts, a wonderful shop filled with unique mosaic art and clay creations. There are two prizes being given away this week so be sure to play along in the challenge! Check out Ashley's blog for extra details!

Here is the item that inspired me:


At first I was going to go with a fall/apple/teacher type project but all this week Paper Crafts Magazine has been celebrating the release of their Holiday Cards and More issue and Cath has been challenging everyone to get working on those holiday cards and projects. Sooooooooo.......I created a Christmas card instead!



I am entering this card into Cath's Clean & Graphic Challenge. And this weekend I am hoping to work on more holiday projects as well as some birthday cards for a friend!

I hope you are enjoying your weekend so far! Be sure to visit the rest of the Etsy Inspired Design Team members to see what items from Red Crow Arts inspired them and the amazing creations they came up with! Then take a little time to find your own inspiration and create a new project of your own!

• Ashley (Link your project up here)
  
• De
• Emily
• Heather
• Jackie
• Joy
• Kristen
• Lee
• Shannon
• Sherry (August Guest Designer)
• Tiffany
• Tonya

It's Giveaway Time!!!

As a huge thank you to all my blog followers/visitors and everyone who stops by my Etsy shop I am giving away 2 prizes to two lucky people...one of which could be you! :)

My Etsy shop has been open almost 4 months now and I am celebrating over 200 hearts, almost 30 sales, and meeting lots of great people, not to mention all of my paper crafting buddies who still come to visit me here on my blog (even though I have been a little absent in the paper crafting communities).

Sooooo....I'm am letting you decide which prize you would like to win.

First up is a prize for those of you who would like some of my cards. You can choose between winning two custom cards OR a set of 4 apple thank you cards like these:

If you want to try to win this prize please visit my Etsy shop and then come back here and let me know which item is your favorite, what you would like to see more of, or if there is an item that you think I should add to my shop.


If you are a fellow paper crafter you may be more interested in this prize:

There are a variety of 6x6 papers which include Basic Grey and Stampin' Up. I am also including the September/October 2009 issue of Paper Crafts Magazine, some eyelets, rub ons, and more! I will be looking through my stash and adding more to this prize over the next two weeks.

If you are interested in winning this prize, please leave me a comment letting me know what you enjoy about my blog and what you would like to see more of from me here on my blog.

Thank you all for taking the time to visit me, leave such sweet comments, and supporting my shop!

Extra giveaway details: You have until Wednesday, September 9th at midnight PST to enter. I will announce the winners here on my blog on Thursday, September 10th and winners will have one week to contact me and claim their prize.

Top 3 Tuesday - Shops that Give Back

I am excited to share these three fabulous shops with you today! Not only do all three shops have wonderful items but they also give some of their proceeds to charity. I love that when you purchase from these shops you will be getting a great item/gift but also giving back to some great organizations.

First up is PippiChick, a shop filled with iphone/gadget cases in all sorts of fun fabrics. Jen is the owner/designer of PippiChick and she donates a portion of her sales to a different animal charity each month. You can see a list of her past donations as well as a little bit more about Jen and her shop by checking out her Profile. Here are a few of my favorites from her shop:

My mom would love this one.













Wouldn't this case be a great gift for a music teacher?!











This is my personal favorite! Check out PippiChick to find one that suits you!










Next up is Hooks of Hope, a wonderful shop run by a mother and daughter team that donate 15% of each purchase to PostPartum Support International, an organization that helps women suffering from postpartum depression receive the support and treatment they need for this condition. Hooks of Hope carries colorful scarves and dishcloths/washcloths along with a few other items and they even have a sale section which currently includes this adorable baby blanket.




Here are two sets of dishcloths from their shop that I have my eye on!

I love the fall colors and think the yellow ones are so cheery!

The third shop I am featuring today is actually the shop that inspired me to focus on charitable shops this week. Laura Slocum is the owner of two shops: Laura Slocum...Painted and Creatively Tangled from which she donates 20% of her profits to the American Cancer Society. Laura, herself, is currently undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer...you can read more about her story in her shop or on her blog. Laura is part of a group of fabulous Etsians who all are giving a portion of their proceeds to the American Cancer Society to help find a cure for this disease. You can search Etsy using the term etsyprojectembrace to find over 400 items that can be purchased to help support this cause.

Here are a few of my favorite items from Laura's shop:



Beautiful, right?! I really love her magnet sets...they are all so pretty, very reasonably priced and come in a tin ready for gift giving!

I hope you all will keep these shops in mind when you are looking to buy some gifts or something special just for you! I would love to hear your thoughts on these shops and if you know of other Etsy shops that donate to charity please feel free to include them in your comment too!

Blog Candy!!!

Interested in winning some crafting goodies?! Ashley, is giving a flat rate priority box full of fun surprises to one lucky person! All you have to do is post the Etsy Inspired Birthday Bash blinkie (like the one in my right sidebar below) on your blog and leave her a comment letting her know you did...easy peasy, right?! So go check out her post HERE for all the details and get that blinkie up on your blog for your chance to win!

Also, as promised, I will be offering up some blog candy and a giveaway from my Etsy shop later this week so stay tuned! :)

Pop back by tomorrow to see which Etsy shops I am featuring for Top 3 Tuesday this week!

Etsy Inspired Challenge #50

Well, I am a day late but I do have a small project to share for this week's Etsy Inspired Challenge. I was off enjoying the Oregon Coast this past week with my family...it was beautiful and we had some much needed time together just playing on the beach and having fun! I am relaxed and refreshed and can't wait to get tons of crafting done this week! :)

The Etsy shop this week is Mrs. Kwitty's Cottage. Her shabby chic style is what inspired me the most. I immediately grabbed my Cosmo Cricket Honey Pie paper and then began figuring out what I wanted to create. I decided to try something new, a little triangle box...take a peek!



Wouldn't these be cute for a wedding or baby shower favor?! You can fill the little boxes with candy or some other small surprise. If you are interested in creating some of these boxes, THIS is the tutorial I used.

Now I hear there are two prizes up for grabs this week so take a peek at Ashley's post for all the details!

And although I haven't had the chance to see what my fellow DT members have created yet, I am sure they have some fabulous projects for you too since they are all so very talented! :)

• Ashley (Link your project up here)
  
• De
• Emily
• Heather
• Jackie
• Joy
• Kristen
• Lee
• Shannon
• Sherry (August Guest Designer)
• Tiffany
• Tonya

Etsy Inspired Challenge #49

Hello everyone! I hope your weekend is off to a good start! Mine is busy, busy, busy as we get ready for a little vacation!!! :) Needless to say I have not been too motivated to craft this week but I did still get a card done for this week's challenge.

The featured shop is Melissa Kate. She has lots of great cards, paintings and photos! I really loved the simplicity and theme of this card:


Now, remember when I said that I haven't been overly motivated to create this week...well my card is basically a CASE of this great card above. Not very original, I know! :) But still a cute card, right?!


I am sure the rest of the design team has wonderfully inspiring projects for you!

• Ashley (Link your projects up here)
  
• De
• Emily
• Heather
• Jackie
• Joy
• Kristen
• Lee
• Shannon
• Sherry (August Guest Designer)
• Tiffany
• Tonya

Now, there are two great prizes up for grabs this week so be sure to go check out Melissa Kate's shop, find some inspiration, and create a project of your own for your chance to win!

Have a great week everyone! When I return from vacation I just might have a little giveaway for you all! :)

New Projects to Share!

Hello all! I have been working on a ton of projects for my local scrapbook store but keep forgetting to take pictures of them before I turn them in! ACK! However, they are featuring a few of my projects on their blog right now so you can check them out HERE. The layout is one of my favorites of my two boys, there are a few cards too, and the mini album I did was super easy but I love how it turned out. I just used some Creative Cafe Tags for the album pages, a little patterned paper, letter stickers, and the October Afternoon Cherry Hill word stickers to create a fun little album about what Happiness is to me! :)

Last night I also played around with some brand new American Crafts paper from the Blue Skies collection. I love the tree paper in this line! Here are two cards I created:


I am still debating whether to put sentiments on these cards or just leave them as note cards that can be used for any occasion. I am going to make at least two more coordinating cards so I have a nice set.

I hope you all are having a great week! I will not be around much next week...spending some quality time with the family! However, when I return I will have some special surprises for all of you so stay tuned!

Top 3 Tuesday - Fine Art Photography

Happy Tuesday everyone! Hope your week is off to a good start! Today I am sharing 3 Etsy shops that totally inspire me with their photography. I would love to be able to take pictures like these talented ladies! :)

First up is Shannon's shop, shannonpix. I love the soft quality many of her pictures have...I get a sense of peace and joy looking through her shop. Take a look at this beauty!


I always seem to be attracted to dandelion photographs. I think it reminds me of my childhood, always making wishes and believing in those dreams too...such a great quality to hold on to as we get older!

And I can't mention Shannon's shop without linking you to the photograph that attracted me to her shop in the first place. Photographs of oceans/water are another favorite of mine and the serenity of THIS piece totally drew me in.

And speaking of water photographs, check out this beautiful picture from Lilac Pop Photography.

Isn't this gorgeous?! I love it! And Janna's shop is filled with wonderful photographs...I would love to hear which one is your favorite!

The 3rd shop for this week is Tatiana Rene Photography. She has some really unique angles and items that she photographs. Here is a stunning black and white of Union Station:

And she has a great beach/ocean photograph too which you can check out HERE.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the Top 3 for this week!

Do you remember those cute little owls I shared with you last week? Well one of them is on it's way to my house right now! :) You can see him HERE. Featuring all these great shops each Tuesday may not be good for my budget! :) But maybe I will get a lot of early Christmas shopping done! I am going to try to restrain myself but I really am impressed with all the wonderful talent and products on Etsy and I love discovering new shops.

I hope you are enjoying discovering these shops with me too! :)

Etsy Inspired Challenge #48

It's Saturday which means another Etsy Inspired Challenge and yet another fabulous shop! Jessica Rose just oozes talent and those of you who love Unity stamps will recognize this girl's work. Check out Jessica's shop Volume twenty five for tons of wonderful prints and inspiration. I have two projects to share today although one was not created by me. :)

Aren't these old fashioned candy jars so adorable! Since I have the Unity stamp of this image I of course had to use it for a project this week! However, as soon as I stamped the image my oldest son saw it and asked if he could color it and use it for a card. And I thought...What a great idea! :) This image is perfect for kids to color in and I think his card turned out wonderfully. He also really wanted me to share it with all of you, so here it is:

Next up is my project.

I was inspired by this piece to create a card and also play around with my photography a bit too. Check it out:





This week Jessica Rose is generously giving the challenge winner any 8x10 print in her shop. You all are soooo lucky! I wish I could win!

Be sure to check out THIS POST for all the details on how to play along with us in the Etsy Inspired challenge and if you can get a friend to join you this week you will have a chance at an extra prize too!

And of course the rest of the design team has some inspirational eye candy for you too!

• Ashley ( link your projects up here)
  
• De
• Emily
• Heather
• Jackie
• Joy
• Kristen
• Lee
• Shannon
• Sherry (August Guest Designer)
• Tiffany
• Tonya

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I am off to my first all day crop with my fellow Design Team members from my local scrapbook store, Lasting Memories. I am super excited to get to know the rest of the team, have some 'me' time, and hopefully get a ton of projects completed! My biggest goal is to create a 25 days of Christmas mini album.

Blog Feature

I hope you all have had a wonderful day! I am working on some new Design Team projects for my local scrapbook store that I will share with you all soon! But today I just wanted to mention that Megan from Studio M.M.E. has featured my shop on her blog today along with a little interview. Check it out...you just might learn something new about me or maybe you'll fall in love with some of Megan's work! :)

Also, for all you Etsy shop owners who visit my blog...if you are interested in possibly being featured on my blog for one of my Top 3 Tuesday posts (see below for this week's post) please post your shop in THIS THREAD so that I can make sure to take a peek!