One Little Word....

Hello all! I hope you had a wonderful holiday and are gearing up for a great New Year! My whole family was super sick over Christmas so it was just the four of us celebrating and spending time together for the past 10 days...which, eventhough we were sick, was special and nice. We will be celebrating more with family this weekend now that we are feeling better...yeah!

Every year Ali Edwards starts the year off with her One Little Word project. I think it is a wonderful way to start the New Year with intention and focus. And it's more than just a 'resolution' that will most likely be forgotten or brushed aside as the year goes on.

This year my word is NURTURE.

As a mom, nuturing my children comes naturally and I commit to it fully. However, I want to focus on the word nurture in a greater way this year. Nurturing all my relationships...with God, my husband, family, and friends. And nurturing myself...mind, body, and soul.

I hope to blog about my word once a month to help stay focused on it and document where it is taking me. Already I have many thoughts about actions I can take this year around the word nuture...more date nights with my hubby, attending church more regularly, more girls' nights out, learning new things, having a spa day, exploring my interests more...but I also want to let the word develop some things in me naturally. So maybe I'll need to do some meditation or journaling to help guide me as well.

Do you have a word for 2011? Or a resolution that you are really excited about? I'd love to hear what it is!

Etsy Inspired Challenge #119 - Ling Glass

Welcome to another Etsy Inspired Challenge! This is the last challenge of 2010 but we'll be back in 2011 with a bunch of great new shops, sponsors, and some new DT members too! Our featured shop this week, Ling Glass, is filled with beautiful jewelry, lovely colors, and great designs.

I was inspired by these two pieces. The colors are so pretty, especially with the lovely touches of silver. So that was what I focused on when creating my project.

Using My Mind's Eye BeLoved collection, American Crafts brads and rosette ribbon, and Stampin' Up's mini library clips, I created this:

At first I was going to turn this into a card but now I think this will actually be the perfect accent to the first page of an album I am working on for my aunt who lost her husband earlier this year.

Our sponsor this week is Wilson Designs Stamps. They offer high quality photopolymer clear stamps for the modern crafter! They are hand drawn and made here in the US. I really like their newest set, Ride Away With Me. And by playing along this week, you could win the adorable winter set, Snowy Wishes!

You could also win a $10 Gift Certificate to Ling Glass! Sounds like a great little gift to give yourself! :)

So, to play along in the challenge simply:
- Visit Ling Glass and find an item that inspires you
- Create a project of your own
- Post your project on your blog or online gallery, referencing the Etsy Inspired Challenge, the featured Etsy shop, and the item you were inspired by.
- Link your project up to the Etsy Inspired Blog by Friday, December 24th at noon PST.

Be sure to pay a visit to the rest of the Design Team...I know they have some projects that will knock your socks off! :)

Ashley

De

Emily B.

Emily N.

Joy

Kerry
Laurel Beard {December Guest DT}
Savannah

Stephanie

Virginia

Have a wonderful weekend! We are staying home today...enjoying some family time, playing games, wrapping gifts, and creating a gingerbread house...should be fun!

Treasury Tuesday - Champagne and Roses

Hello! Just popping in to share my newest treasury...Champagne and Roses.

For a closer look at these beautiful items and the links to the shops that sell them, click HERE.

Short and sweet for me today...enjoy your evening!

Motivational Monday - So Close!

My goal last week was to hit 100 sales in my Etsy Shop. I am up to 96 so I am hoping for at least 4 more sales this week to finish up this year. I am currently sold out of my girl card making kits but plan to have more for sale by Wednesday. And remember, to help me meet my goal I am offering all of you 10% off your entire purchase this week! Simply enter the Coupon Code: HolidayGift10 during checkout and it will automatically take 10% off you order (not including shipping charges).

So, this week I am focused on finishing up my Christmas shopping and crafty gifts. Another goal is for my family to be healthy...my little guy got a fever this weekend but is feeling a little better today.

What goals have you set for yourself this month? Anyone finished with their Christmas shopping? How about those Christmas cards...are they all sent? Make this the week to meet those goals!

Etsy Inspired Challenge #118

Woohoo...the weekend is here! Not that my weekend will be any less crazy than this week has been but that's okay...'tis the season for lots of fun activities, get togethers with friends and family, and shopping/decorating for Christmas!

Fortunately I found some time to do a little crafting this week after being inspired by our featured Etsy shop, the Tzaddi Shop. The Tzaddi Shop has gorgeous jewelry...I especially love her circle glass pendants which have such beautiful designs. As soon as I saw all the lovely peacock necklaces, I immediately dug into my BoBunny Peacock Lane stash and created this card using BoBunny's current card sketch challenge.


I just love the teal and purple combination...so rich and pretty! I think I might use this for a non-traditional Christmas card for my Aunt.

The Tzaddi Shop also has a home store HERE if you are looking for some extra inspiration or lovely home decor! Tzaddi Shop has offered up to all our players, followers, and friends a 15% discount to both Etsy Stores [Tzaddi Shop and Tzaddi Home Shop]. Just enter code TZContest15--they will send a revised invoice or a rebate after purchase. How awesome is that?!

Our sponsor this week is Clare Dempsey who has two great shops which offer die cutter dust covers, scrap bags, and more...check them out HERE and HERE!

This week there are 3 fab prizes to be won so check out the Etsy Inspired Blog for all the details on how to play along for your chance to win!

Be sure to pay a visit to see the rest of the Design Team's Etsy Inspired creations too!

Ashley
De
Emily B.
Emily N.
Joy
Kerry
Laurel Beard {December Guest DT}
Savannah
Stephanie
Virginia

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Remember, I am offering 10% off your purchase in my Etsy shop until Friday when I will be taking a break for the holidays. Simply enter HolidayGift10 in the coupon code box at checkout and it will automatically take 10% off your order (not including shipping charges).

Treasury Tuesday - The Perfect Party!

Can you believe 2010 is almost over?! Every year I feel like it has gone by so fast. In thinking about the New Year, I thought it would be fun to find great party items on Etsy. So here are my must haves for the perfect New Year's Eve party!

To see these items up close along with links to the shops that create them, click HERE.

I also found two other great holiday party themed treasuries.

Cranberry Party

Holiday Party

Have a wonderful evening! I've got to work on a few Etsy orders and some Christmas gifts too!

Motivational Monday - Making it Happen

Hello all! I hope you had a great weekend! We were busy, busy celebrating my son's birthday...party, pictures, and a trip to the zoo...lots of fun! However, I didn't get much time to craft! :) But I was DETERMINED to achieve the goal I set last week so I asked my hubby to take care of my little one today while I created a few cards for the Paper Crafts Card Creations submission call. I am proud to say that I was able to create 4 great cards and got them submitted this evening...cutting it a little close, I know! But I did it! Now, to wait and see if any get picked up for publication.

Another goal I have almost reached is 100 sales in my Etsy shop. I really want to make that happen this month and I will be closing my shop on Friday, December 17th, so that I can enjoy the holiday without having to worry about my shop. That means I only have a little more than a week to get to 100 sales. So, in order to encourage you all...I am offering 10% off your entire purchase (not including shipping charges). Simply enter the coupon code HolidayGift10 during checkout to receive the 10% off.

Hopefully, I will be able to say that I have met my goal next week! :)
I'll be back tomorrow with a new Etsy Treasury that is sure to get you ready for the New Year!

Happy Holidays - Etsy Inspired Challenge #117

Happy Saturday friends! Today we are celebrating my little man's birthday...can't believe he's turning 3! Tomorrow we are getting Santa pictures taken and probably getting our Christmas tree so it should be a fun weekend!

For today's Etsy Inspired Challenge, our featured Etsy shop is Paper Seeds. Paper Seeds features creations with original paper designs and mixed media works of art. I really like all the nature inspired items in this shop and was inspired by that as well as some colors I found in the shop.

So, I broke into my Crate Paper Snow Day collection, which I won from the Paper Crafts blog (Yeah!), and created this card.

I just LOVE this collection by Crate Paper...so fun and the great self-adhesive chipboard accents and stickers made this card super easy to put together! I used Papertrey Ink's kraft cardstock and some American Crafts rhinestone brads as well.

Here are the three pictures/items I was inspired by from Paper Seeds' shop.


Our sponsor this week is Digis With Attitude. What a fun name--and their images are super fun and sassy!

There are two prizes to be won this week so be sure to play along!

**Go to the Paper Seeds, look around, and find an item or two that inspires you.

**Create your own inspired project and link it up to the Etsy Inspired Blog by Friday at noon.

**Please give credit to the shop/item you found your inspiration from and link back to the EtsyInspired blog.

**If you upload to an online gallery, please use keyword EIC117.

These ladies are sure to have more wonderful projects to get you inspired!

Ashley

De

Emily B.

Emily N.

Joy

Kerry
Laurel Beard {December Guest DT}
Savannah

Stephanie

Virginia

Treasury Thursday - Gifts for Everyone on Your List!

Happy Thursday everyone! If you are still in need of some great gift ideas, I have you covered! Today I created a treasury full of fabulous items from my fellow Washingtonians and I am going to show you some of my Etsy Christmas purchases too!From great jewelry to fun art prints, these shops have something for everyone...guys, girls, teachers, kids, babies, and even the dog lover! Click HERE to see these items up close along with links to the shops.

And here are some of the things I have already bought this holiday season on Etsy.

How fun are these capes from Pip and Bean?! I am so excited to give these to my boys. I got to customize the colors and instead of the Superman S, I put their first initial on them. I can't wait for these to arrive and see how my boys like them!

I am super excited to try out these sidewalk paints from Sidewalk Sensations! There are a variety of colors and they have mini sets that would make great party favors.

I am also planning to get some yummy lip balms from Flourish Bath & Body. I love the pear and will be sure to pick up a new flavor for me to try too! :)

Have you purchased some great gifts on Etsy this year? Feel free to share you fun finds in the comments section!