
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Custom Mini Journal Project

Monday, August 1, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
SalonDArte vending at Beat Cup Craft Fair July 31st
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Dada Bazaar photos and OWH Bloghop
Winner Announced!!!
This was a short and whirlwind week and I participated in the Dada Bazaar on Thursday night at Dada Restaurant in Delray Beach, Florida. This is a monthly event with 15-20 vendors and live music at this restuarant that resides in a historical house. I have to admit I feel quite at home at this venue with it's laid back atmosphere, porches to lounge on and it's cool, artsy vibe.
I'm so happy it's the weekend again so I can catch up on my ZZZ's and take some time revisiting some of my new crafty friends I met online last weekend. If you have some free time, check out last weekend's Operation Write Home Memorial Day Bloghop for great cards, and how to's.
Now to announce my blog candy giveaway from 67 comments left on the last post....
selected by Random.org ... a DRUMROLL please...


Redonna said...Great card. I know your sister had to love it. Send my heartfelt appreciation to her and her husband for their service to our country. TFS, Redonna
CONGRATULATIONS!!! I am packing up an assortment of crafty goodies to ship out on Monday! Can't wait to hear from you Redonna...thanks so much for visiting during the OWH bloghop.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Swimming in the Tropics for Operation Write Home's Memorial Day Bloghop
Welcome to this stop on Operation Write Home's Memorial Day Bloghop 2011. This is my third year participating...thanks so much for joining us in celebrating!!! Our family is so proud and grateful for all of our men and women serving in the armed forces. My brother-in-law was deployed to Afghanistan in April. So we are keeping ourselves busy making cards and sending care packages.
I have gone TROPICAL with this "Miss You" card. My "LITTLE Sister" was married Christmas of 2009 in Hawaii and is now officially part of Hawaii's Army National Guard unit. Since this is a 5 x 7 card, I mounted it to foldout pocket card that I stitched pages into. I sent this off to my Lil' Sister so she can write a special something to send to her hubby overseas. We actually got to spend Christmas with them and our whole family this past Christmas in Chicago. I describe more in length about this card later in the post...My Little Sister is 10 years my junior and nearly a foot taller than me. This photo is from her deployment ceremony that was in Fort Lauderdale last January. A last minute surprise and change of plans by her unit -AND- it was so wonderful I was able to see her off from where I live.
**BLOG CANDY** I will be having a RAK giveaway of goodies from comments left between now and June 1st. Good luck!!!
Keep on hopping! The next stop is
with Laura at Scrappin' Daphne
Have a happy & safe Memorial Day Weekend! If you have ended up here in the middle of the hop, click Operation Write Home Memorial Day Bloghop to get back to the top of the hop!!!
{{ artful hugs }} : ) Sb
ABOUT THE CARD...
I stamped the fish bowl on patterned water paper and added more depth with markers blended with water brush pens. I also stamped images on recycled film {acetate} with Staz-on and colored the flourish with marker. I layered this on top of the blue fishbowl for depth. Between the layers is a fish and heart on hook from the same "Sushi Bowl Party" set. I added black embroidery floss coming out of the bowl to the top of the card.
The pineapple patterned paper is Basic Grey and is so fun and tropical. The stamped flourishes are accented with pink marker. This card just screams "PINA COLADA"!!!
SalonDArte at upcoming event June 2, 2012
SalonDArte will be at the Dada Bazaar on June 2nd at Dada Restaurant in Delray Beach, FL. To keep up with Dada Bazaar events click here. See you there!!!
Friday, April 22, 2011
Dada Bazaar - May 5, 2011
Our very first INDIE craft show was May 5 at Dada Restaurant in Delray Beach, FL. My best friend Chelsea joined me and helped set up my display. She was my "display designer" and I think she did an awesome job setting up my Objects D'Arte!!! We'll be there again on June 2nd...all are invited to come and check it out. Great art, music and food all in one place. Aside of the mid-evening downpour...it was a great night : )
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Exciting things this month....
Coming soon - http://www.SalonDArte.com !!!
I have a web guru working on this right now since I'm up to my ears in making ornaments for a craft booth I'll have on March 26 at the 54th Annual Youth Day Festival in Oakland Park, Florida.
I'm soooo excited!!!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
FromNancysHeart brings Smiles to all Seasons...
This weeks EtsyTwitter Team Featured Etsian.
One of my favorite ETT Teammates and I featured this item during my Christmas in July Extravagana. You will find your fill of Fun & Festive seasonal decorations by FromNancysHeart at Etsy. There's Thunder & Lightning, and Lightning Bugs but what about the least famous brother... the Lightning Bulb? Santa's favorite insect of them all - The Lighning Bulb! This cute little guy certainly shines a whole new light to crafting GREEN : ) Sb
Nancy has been making little characters for years and never tires of the joy it brings. "Making their little faces just makes me smile and I love telling a story about each one." This imagination and love shows in each item description! Nancy gets most of her ideas from watch all the children in her family. She says "I never have enough time in the day to be able to capture all of their experiences and joys. I love their stories and try to incorporate their imaginative fun". She's pretty economical, too: "I love that I use little pieces of wood to create one item...it's great on space!"
Nancy is relatively new to social media, but it figured prominently in her goals for this year: exploring "The virtual world; and expanding my own knowledge of how it runs." Her aim is "to motivate and inspire customers back into handmade" by "tweeting and sharing creations of other ETT members along with other Etsians on Facebook ~ I hope to bring both family and friends to see the joy and wonderful artistry that's in the world." That's a goal that all Etsians can appreciate!
Nancy's plans for this Winter/Holiday Season include bringing out some new items for the family, possibly even a group gift! "I'm going to show items that can be multi personalized, possibly for a family; or for Grandma with the names of her grandkids." And special for this week, she'll be releasing a few new designs!
Bringing traffic and sales to your Etsy shop can be a challenge. Nancy has worked to create quality photographs and Twitter raport to accomplish this feat.
Free Shipping 10/18 through 10/24
Just mention code SOTW1018
in the comments section
~~~~~~~
Follow Nancy at
Etsy Shop: http://www.fromnancysheart.etsy.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/fromnancysheart
Blog:
http://www.fromnancysheart.blogspot.com
FirebirdHouse feeds your passion for Vintage...
This week's EtsyTwitter Team Shop of the Week
Introducing FirebirdHouse, the Etsy shop of Kristen Evans, and our Etsy Twitter Shop of the Week. FirebirdHouse offers books, jewelry, and home accessories. The common theme? Kristen loves using reclaimed and recycled materials as well as new. She says "I really love old things, especially books, and I am passionate about not losing a piece of history to the trash can or the landfill if I can help it." Her ultimate goal is to make everything that comes out of her studio a true work of art that is also useful and unique. It is not surprising that she is inspired by beautiful vintage items, everything from "furniture to an Art Nouveau book", she says.
Browsing FirebirdHouse, it is evident that her work is, by its very nature, unique and one of a kind. Kristen thrives on this variety: "When you work with vintage, you get used to the fact that every piece will be different. I am constantly challenged and inspired by what I do."
While Kristen is talented with updating vintage jewelry, her true love is vintage books. She is looking to move more into bookbinding and has just signed a gallery contract to do just that. How exciting to be able to do what you love most...and be recognized for your work! Congratulations, Kristen! She plans to migrate her FirebirdHouse inventory over to journals and other bookbinding efforts to reflect her changing focus.
Kristen is an accomplished Twitter user. Her only secret? "to interact as much as I can. My twitter-hood is a fantastic group of people, and I find them encouraging and inspiring." Conversely, to bring traffic to her shop, Kristen lists consistently (usually several times a week) and she uses posterous.com to post links to her new work in multiple places at the same time. "These are the best ways I have found for bringing people...to my shop."
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/firebirdhouse
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/firebirdhousedesigns
Blog: http://firebirdhouse.posterous.com
Jewels that are out of this World by starbabyonline
Meet Debby Carter of starbabyonline, this week's Etsy Twitter shop of the week. Debby makes jewelry with an ethnic/organic feel and loves working with glass, semi-precious gemstones, and sterling silver. No newbie to jewelry design, Debby has been intermittently designing since 1973, discovering a love of beads early in life. In fact, she admits "working in a bead shop was the first job I ever landed! The owner was smart; she knew she'd get my salary back in my bead purchases."
Her creations are one of a kind because "I want everyone to have their own unique piece." Luckily, Debby finds inspiration everywhere: a bead, a fashion, a movie. As she puts it "Seriously, it could be just about anything... how the weather feels that day..."!
And she loves a lot about her craft-
* Her materials, "There are *always* new beads coming out";
* the social side of beading: "I've met so many friends starting with a conversation at a bead or craft store"; and
* even sharing her skills: "I'm paying forward everything I've learned from others."
Debby is making a big change this season: "I'm moving my 21 years worth of possessions from my three BR house into a house-share that's already furnished. Not coming at the best time of the year for me, because I can't devote as much time to Etsy as I'd like. After my move is complete in November, I'm going to list as much as I can on Etsy as possible. There'll be some great promotions going on with that too!" Something to look forward to!
As for Twitter and promoting her Etsy Shop, Debby feels it is important to promote others as much as she promotes herself, but it is also critical to speak up and let people know she has an Etsy shop!
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/starbabyonline
Facebook: starbabygems and starbabyreadings
Blog: http://starbabyslittleuniverse.blogspot.com
Friday, October 1, 2010
EtsyTwitter Team's having a Wonderland Wedding
Special Event OCTOBER 1st - 9th
Planning a wedding can make you crazy with all the activity that surrounds it. It’s hard enough to find a dress and a caterer and a band, never mind thinking about the little extras that make the event fun and memorable. The EtsyTwitter Team is creating this event for the bride-to-be so she can find unique items in one place. Our wedding gift to the bride will be great specials and discounts that will make it easier on her wedding budget.From October 1 thru October 4, Fall weddings will be featured. A splendid display of all the Autumn colors will make for a beautiful wedding. Items for themed weddings - Halloween, Victorian, Goth, and Southern Bell will add to the fun.
From October 5 thru October 9, Winter weddings are in season - snow white, sparkling blue ice, warm reds, Christmas and New Year’s. Come back everyday and see how the EtsyTwitter Team can help you have a magical celebration.

Add POP-art to your Cuppa Joe at dizzlePOP!
This weeks EtsyTwitter Team Shop of the Week...
Some of dizzlePOP's popularity stems from Gigi's great customer service and fast shipping. Not one to rest on her laurels, her goal this year has been to make sure she has enough inventory to be able to turn her orders around quickly, but that's not her motivating force. She says, "For me it's not the numbers but the joy of creating and sharing!"
Gigi feels that Twitter is the best tool that brings business to dizzlePOP. Her secret? "Have relationships with your followers and those you follow." It's not just about the marketing, but the relationships you build through the medium of Twitter than can cause someone to check out your shop and stumble upon that 'just right' purchase. However, she does have a secret Twitter pleasure: Gigi loves to "watch views after a tweet and...to watch the number rise!"
Gigi is planning a holiday special starting sometime after Thanksgiving, but this week she's offering a shop of the week special!
If you order 3 or more, shipping is free!
~~~~~~~
Find dizzlePOP on
Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/dizzlepop
Twitter: http://twitter.com/dizzlepop
Special thanks to Judy of WellspringCreations for writing this post!
Sb : )
Jusshar is just Sew Fabulous!
EtsyTwitter Team Shop of the Week - jusshar
As for ideas, Beth doesn't just get inspired; she is driven! "I just have an internal need to create. I knit and/or crochet every single day. I can't imagine NOT creating." Another thing Beth loves about her work is its mobility. She'll take it along on trips, car rides...even to her kids' school events! And if she's not getting the result she wants? "I can just unravel it and start over."
On the business front, Beth is planning to revamp her blog and website. She also plans to change the direction of her work from trying to hit trends to creating the items that come from her own imagination. This will be a challenge as she is a full time student in graphics and web design and planning a move to North Carolina where she plans to continue her college education. She wont' be alone though, as her youngest son will be attending the same college!
As for Twitter, Beth does tweet, but considers herself a "dabbler". As a business tool, she approaches social media carefully as she is concerned about being spammy. "That's such a turn off for me personally." Bringing business to her shop has been a struggle, although she has concluded that her sales are cyclical, with increased activity over the holidays. With her busy college schedule and planned relocation, Beth is planning to put her Etsy shop on an indefinate break on November 30th. "I'd like to sell out my Etsy shop(s) by then."
Etsy Shop: http://jusshar.etsy.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jusshar
Facebook: http://facebook.com/jusshardesigns
Blog: http://jusshardesigns.blogspot.com
Have your cake and wear it too with FrostedTreats!
EtsyTwitter Team Shop of the Week
The EtsyTwitter Shop of the Week is FrostedTreats, featuring the creations of Jessica Mount. Since 2008, she's used polymer clay to make delicious looking cupcakes, cakes, cookies, pea pods, roses...and the occasional pig in an ice cream cone! While most of the tiny sculptures are wearable charms, Jessica has expanded her product line to include general accessories: bookmarks, push pins, magnets, etc.
For inspiration, Jessica collects photos, mostly from the Internet, of a variety of items: flowers, cakes, owls, fortune cookies, teapots, butterflies (and a few of her brother's pick up truck, though she's not quite sure how they got in there!) Always open to new ideas, when someone says "Oh! You should make..." she adds it to her list!
About her work, Jessica says "Since clay is my medium, the possibilities of what I can create are only limited by my own imagination. That is why I LOVE custom orders. I love having someone ask for something abstract and being able to say, "Yup! I can do that!" The only greater feeling is when they receive the finished product."
Jessica's goal this year is to continue expanding her product line. She says "Even though I love the idea of wearing a little cupcake around my neck or strawberries dangling from my ears, not everyone is into that sort of fashion statement. I've been working on creating more gift-able items...that way everyone can enjoy a little extra treat without worrying if the color of their frosting matches the rest of their outfit!"
In addition to her Etsy shop, Jessica will be showing her creations at a few craft fairs and market tables through the fall in preparation for the holiday season. She's been sketching out some holiday ornaments and...listening to her customers who are looking for gifts to give, that has defined her holiday focus. Look forward to all these new creations in FrostedTreats over the coming weeks!
Jessica has found that Twitter is her main form of bringing traffic to her Etsy shop "Since I started tweeting about my handmade crafts (as well as cross-promoting for things that catch my eye!) my sales and traffic have been phenomenal!" Her advice: "Tweet others the way you would like to be tweeted! If you see something that catches your eye, tweet about it! Having someone else gush over your work is so much more rewarding than gushing over your own projects. Make connections. Build friendships and networks with crafters like yourself and with people whose talents amaze you!"
Jessica's creativity is matched only by her enthusiasm!
Etsy Shop: http://frostedtreats.etsy.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/frostedtreats
Facebook: http://facebook.com/frostedtreats
Blog: http://frostedtreats.blogspot.com
Special Thanks to Judy of WellspringCreations for writing this post : )
Thursday, September 16, 2010
EtsyTwitter Team at the Harvest Festival -
Best in Show at
HARVEST FESTIVAL!! ~Let's shop!


Make sure you check out the Harvest section of this amazing shop! You can also find
Scarves, Neckwarmers, Cowls, and Bangles.
Include code ETTHarvest at purchase for a complimentary Simply Fun bangle - choice of colors depends on availability




Hope your finding some great deals for the holidays. If not do not give up hope there are many more shops we can help you find that perfect gift in - just search type in search words { etsytwitter harvestfestival } in Etsy and you can see all our Team's creation.
Thanks for shopping HANDMADE : ) Sb
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Find Haute-Couture at Yarncoture...
EtsyTwitter Team Shop of the Week
This week the Etsy Twitter Team is featuring yarncoture, the Etsy shop of Maryum Karim. Maryum is a knit/crochet accessories designer who makes an entire line of knit and crochet sweaters, hats, shrugs, scarves, brooches, spa items, and in the near future, perhaps, even bedding and home decor items!
The designs of yarncoture are aimed at customer comfort and satisfaction. Maryum offer a wide range of products and price points to accommodate every preference and be attractive to any budget. Maryum adds, "I also specialize in custom work to provide my customers with a "haute-couture" boutique experience...there's always going to be something special that a man or woman would like to own in their wardrobe and the experience of creating something special for someone is truly...rewarding".
Looking through her shop, it's not surprising that Maryum delights in using the finest materials and trying out new stiches and techniques. And inspiration? She says "Anything can inspire me..a strong personality, a beautiful vintage button, some soft fluffy yarn...anything! I can see a specific person or a specific group of materials and I will try to create around those things to fashion together something extraordinary."
Keep an eye on yarncoture for new designs for the Fall/Winter 2019-2011 season! Maryum is halfway to her goal of 300 sales this year and she's hoping the winter season will bring in lots of sales...and very satisfied repeat customers!
Maryum uses Twitter in a way reminiscent of fine shopkeepers by greeting everyone, talking a little bit about what she's working on, responding to other people's tweets of interest, and maybe tweet about some of the items in her Etsy shop. She believes that keeping her virtual shelves stocked with new and unique items is what brings sales to her shop...and that great customer service results in wonderful word-of-mouth advertising!
Free Worldwide Shipping on SELECTED items
Free Shipping on EVERYTHING shipped within the U.S. and Canada
20% off on all Basketweave Knit Scarves and
20% off on all Amazing Chunky Skinny Scarves
~~~~~~~
Check out yarncoture through these venues!
Etsy: http://www.yarncoture.etsy.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/yarncoture
Blog: http://www.yarncoture.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HandKnitsbyYarncoture
..and how about her latest Fall Collection video?!
Thanks to Judy of Wellspring Creations for writing this article!
: ) Sb
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Getting an inside look at inmyheadstudios...
EtsyTwitter Team Shop of the Week!
Our Etsy Twitter Team Shop of the Week is inmyheadstudios featuring altered mixed-media domino and game piece jewelry, microscope slide glass pendants, ACEOs (Art Cards Editions and Originals) by the talented Vickie Porter.
In describing her work, Vickie puts it best "I have a seriously good/bad relationship with perfectionism so my customers can rest assured they are getting top quality materials and artwork. It’s sometimes hard to tell in photos online, but the dominoes and microscope slide glass pendants have real tiny paper collages on them. I work with ridiculously small pieces of paper sometimes.
"My new line of archival prints on my domino jewelry has allowed me to reach new levels of detail for such a tiny canvas. I have been creating larger mixed media collage work in the same proportions as the dominoes. I scan and print them out in wood domino size, which is 1 3/4 inches x 7/8 inches. I usually add another layer of detail to the little collage to make the domino special."
For such a variety of beautiful and intricate results, Vickie gets her inspiration from colors, lines, and shapes (basically everything). "I simply have to create or I’m not happy. It’s like needing air." It follows that Vickie is not confined by rules, but lets her inspiration and creativity have full rein. While she may not stick to one medium, she admits, "Central to almost everything I do is paper. I love paper."
For the upcoming seasons, Vickie plans to show her work at as many shows as she can fit into her schedule. She has big holiday plans, however to add domino Christmas tree ornaments and admits to having a "couple other things up my sleeve"...so we have some holiday surprises to look forward to in her etsy shop!
Vickie is happy to take custom orders and ships internationally, too!
On the business side, Vickie is adept at Twitter (via TweetDeck) and recommends the team to "Engage! Talk. Share! Provide quality content. Comment on links posted. Retweet. Actually, I rarely tweet about my shop. I probably should tweet it more. I get irritated with Etsy sellers who only tweet their shop links. Tell me about you and what is important to you. Let me get to know you. What excites you about your work? I’m way more likely to buy from you that way."
Tweeting links can be time-consuming to research, but Vickie has a tip to share! "One of my tricks is using Google Reader to find quality content to share. I have a feed set up for the keyword “creativity”. So every morning I have a big shiny new list of articles about creativity, which is a subject I really like to read about. When I read really good articles, I tweet them. Providing this kind of content gets me retweeted a lot and that in turn gets my name out there."
For bringing traffic to inmyheadstudios, Vickie has this tip to share: Connect "with people online in a combination of places– Twitter, Facebook, Ning sites. You have to talk about you or no one else will be talking about you. Get out there! All The Universe asks is that you show up."
from August 16-22!
Discount applied through
prompt PayPal refund.
No need for coupons or codes!
~~~~~~~
Etsy Shop: http://inmyheadstudios.etsy.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/inmyheadstudios
Blog: http://inmyheadstudios.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/InMyHeadStudios
flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/inmyheadstudios
Special thanks to Judy of WellspringCreations for writing this post!
: ) Sb
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
My Most Favorite Aunt is "Full of Knits and Flair"
EtsyTwitter Team Featured Shop - MostFavoriteAunt
The EtsyTwitter Team’s Shop of the week is: MostFavoriteAunt, also known as Pamela Ziemlewicz. According to Pamela, the shop is full of “knits and flair,” from baby hats, coffee cup cozies and other knitted goods to pinback buttons—all adorable, all handmade, and “all me,” she says What inspires her? “I'm pretty sassy. Usually I'll make some smart-alec remark and then think, ‘Oooh, that would make a cool...’” What is her motivation? “I work a lot. At the end of a long day, I love turning on the boob-tube, and sitting down with some yarn and needles to relax.” Eventually, she’d like to turn her craft into her full-time endeavor and dreams of quitting her day job…maybe by 2011!
On the Twitter front, she offers this advice: “just tweet yourself”! She does this by tweeting about her three biggest hobbies: traveling, reading, and creating. She brings traffic and sales to her shop through her generosity: “Do it for a cause! The biggest traffic draws are items where proceeds go to charity. This scarf is a super-seller!
Her upcoming plans? “Fall and Winter are always BIG seasons for me. Lots of people buying warm fuzzies. Lots of cold and yucky days to spend inside creating.” Look for an increased and ever-changing inventory! Perfect timing for the holiday season to come!
Etsy Shop: http://MostFavoriteAunt.ETSY.com
Twitter: http://Twitter.com/MostFavorite



