It's Friday again. Well, technically it's Saturday, but since I lost my internet connection I have to pretend that it's Friday so I can do my Etsy Friday post!

The Christmas rush is over (sadly), and I'm busy coming up with new ideas for more Captioned Critters, more Understated Greetings, and all sorts of other things. I have lots of new beadweaving that'll be showing up in my shop over the course of the next few weeks. I also have bunches of vintage/retro jewelry from my grandmother (Mamaw). She had such a huge stash of jewelry, and I barely wear any at all, so I'm passing it along to Etsyians who'll appreciate it.

Anyway, once again I'm sending out an extra thanks to the other Etsy shop owners who purchased from me during the past week!

First was Stephanie (aka scaywood). I checked out Stephanie's shop and found the cutest bunch of earrings, rings, bobby pins, and other stuff. There are lots and lots of colors, and there's a good variety to choose from, but I really like these Fire Rose earrings. What gorgeous color!

The tagline in Amy's (aka SugarPressStudios) Etsy shop says "Home of Sweet*Dainty*Things," and the shop certainly lives up to that claim! Her shop's only been open for a month, but she has such cute things in there, and lots of vintage, that I'm sure she'll do well. Etsyians love vintage! Personally, I love this Nesting Cone! How could you resist that little bluebird?!?

Pam (aka blacksheepdesigns) is a wonderful repeat customer! I have no idea how she copes with the number of orders she receives from her two shops. She's also the curator of blacksheepbeads, a shop with more than 11,000 items sold!!! I'm completely in awe of that number of sales, as I know just how much work has gone into my [meager] 1800+ sales; and I'm also in awe of the gorgeous vintage beads she has in that shop. Pam has an incredible selection of earrings in her Designs shop, and she's even having a 20% off sale through the end of the year. It was tough, but I think my favorites are these Periwinkle Day Lily earrings. I really love the detail in the flower petals.

Remember Julia (aka schmoomunitions)? She's the one who suggested a new Captioned Critter for me -- the tamandua. I created a set of mini cards using her suggestion, and she came back to buy them! If you read Julia's profile, you'll see that she looooooooooves animals. Particularly cats. Myself? I like cats, but I'm severely allergic to them; so I have to resist the urge to pet them and just be content with drawing them. Julia has this fun purse in her shop, and it features a block print she made of her cat, Schmoo (doesn't that sound like 'achoo'?).

Happy New Year!!!!
Anyone have any New Year's resolutions? Hmmmmmmm??????

Dah da-da daaah! Drum roll, please. Today is my 20th wedding anniversary!!! Well, technically it's OUR 20th wedding anniversary, but my husband doesn't really participate in this blog, so I can just say it' mine. 20 years. I can hardly believe it. Sometimes it seems like we've been together forever, and sometimes it seems like it's gone by in the blink of an eye.

To celebrate, I'm cooking. That's not high on my list of favorite things to do, but right now the love of my life is sick with a bad cold; so there's a big, juicy prime rib roasting in the oven. It smells soooooooo good. I hope it tastes as good as it smells. Along with that, we'll have spinach salad and a baked sweet potato. Yum yum.

Since my husband didn't want to pass along his cold to any friends or relatives over the holidays, we stayed at home and watched movies. Actually, he watched movies and I listened to them (and glanced up occasionally if something sounded particularly interesting) while I did some new beadweaving. I've just listed these two new bracelets in my Etsy shop.

This one is called Icicles. All those fringes remind me of the ice dripping off the edge of a roof.


I couldn't come up with a very creative name for this one, so it's just called Black and Silver Ruffles. This stitch (Oglala) is such fun to do that I just keep making bracelets and necklaces in this style. It's a very easy stitch, but the result looks complicated and fabulous!

I did more beadweaving than that, but those are the only two pieces I've managed to photograph so far.

Now I'm off to check that prime rib...

Etsy Friday before Christmas. I can't believe it's almost Christmas already. Where did the year go?
I really wish Etsy had some way to tell where customers came from. I had quite a few customers this week that were brand new to Esty, and I have no idea how they found me! Three beadwoven bracelets went out in the mail this week, and although I asked the customers how they happened across my beadweaving, I didn't receive responses yet. I'm hopeful.

This Etsy Friday is like the recent ones, in that I'm using this post to thank the other Etsy sellers who purchased from me during the week... by posting my favorite item from each of their shops.

First up is Jessie (aka jezzi4ever), who's a returning customer. It's so nice to see a familiar name pop up in my Sold Items list. That means I must be doing something right! Jessie makes these cool wallets that work like magic to hold money and stuff in place. This Rainbow Magic Wallet is my favorite in her shop now, because of all the bright colors (more than just a rainbow) although there are quite a few other patterns available.

Julia (aka schmoomunitions) is another Illinoisan, so she's *ahem* enjoying the same cold weather I am right now. She's obviously making good use of her indoor time, though, with the folk arty paintings she has in her shop. I'm a big animal lover, and Julia suggested a critter to be added to my Captioned Critters creations. I had heard of this critter, but I didn't remember what they looked like until I searched through my books. I should have just checked Julia's shop to see the fun little painting she has of a tamandua!

Danielle (aka danielleruckus) has just listed some new handmade scarves in her shop, and two of them are dedicated to autism awareness. What better way to show your support of a worthy cause than to wear this gorgeous purple scarf!

I don't really know which of the moonshinebluebird's creative talents to thank! The shop has one of the best avatars I've ever seen -- an adorable needlefelted little bluebird. It's a family-run shop that carries a variety of artwork, little pillows, corkaments (you have to go check those out!), and other wonderfully fun and creative items. It was hard to choose a favorite amongst the variety, but I really love this flowing tree painting.

The most recent Etsy seller to visit my shop is Jane (aka bware). She and her husband are both talented, with all sorts of whimsical papier mache creatures and mobiles listed in their shop. With my love for sealife, I could hardly help but choose this lantern fish as my favorite. What fun!

It's Etsy Friday in mid-December, and there seems to be a good amount of Christmas shopping underway. I was busy this week doing quite a few custom orders for cards, tags, and stickers. It appears that a lot of people are going to be getting Captioned Critters in their stockings.

Wendy, who runs several Etsy shops (WandRDesign, WandRWeddings, and beadsupplies), created this vintage-style ring in ivory and pale blue on an antiqued copper setting. Such a pretty little garden! I found this in her Design shop, but there are other wonderful goodies in the other two shops as well.


Mindy (aka TimsSally) has an art style that can only be described as cute and quirky. There are so many paintings, prints, and other goodies in her shop that it was hard to choose; but I settled on this 3" magnet, called Candycane Dreams, as a favorite. Maybe I'll have a dream like that sometime...

Another artist of absolutely adorable little people and creatures is Laurie (aka OUOU). Laurie's creations are such fun, with the bold colors and very stylized artwork! I love this little Jingle Bells notecard set!

Maria (aka Morrgan) is probably busy staying warm, as she lives in Finland. Somehow Finland in December just sounds cold! Maria creates critters from yarn, though, so maybe that helps her stay warm. Francis the Raven looks quite toasty, doesn't he?

Riley (aka artofSophistry) has a shop filled with intriguing images, some made with cameras and some made with pencils, pens, and charcoal. As much as I was drawn to the cyanotypes, this lightbulb green just about jumped off the screen at me! What amazing color!!

Isabella (aka RavensCuriosities) visited me again for some raven notecards (go figure) -- I love raven images, so I have lots of them in my shop. Isabella's shop is full of beautiful lampwork beads, and she's even offering free shipping on everything in her shop for the month of December! This piece, called Angie's Dream, truly is a dream, don't you think?

Alyson (aka TheYoYo) is another wonderful repeat customer. I'm so happy when these talented Etsyians enjoy my creations so much that they come back for more! Alyson's wishing for more hours in the day so she can get more spinning done (and I'm sure her customers would love for her to find those hours, too!). She has just one skein of beautiful See Foam Art Yarn in her shop, but you might be able to talk her into creating some more for you if you're really nice.

Christa (aka Luvsya) creates banners! Apparently she comes from an artistic family, because she came to my shop for glass marble magnets to hold up her childrens' artwork. Need a banner for your shop? Check this out!

Harmony is another ambitious Etsyian with two shops -- HarmonyMetals, where she lists her beautiful metalwork jewelry; and FigurativeHarmony, where she lists her colorful artwork. Wow! She's also offering a 10% discount! Use it to buy this beautiful watercast ring.

Hanna (aka aworldinvented) creates with glue, paint, and fabric (at least that's what she says in her shop announcement). Obviously she uses more than just those three things to create these whimsical treasure boxes. I don't think you'd even need to put treasure IN the box because there's so much on the outside!

I'm sooooo jealous of Jess (aka libellus) because she lives in Cincinnati and gets to eat Skyline Chili whenever she wants! I'd just about kill for a 3-way right now. I might just have to order some for myself... Anyway, Jess creates books (libellus means 'little book'). She only has couple left in her shop, but the description on this football player one is a hoot. Go read it! And then buy the book.

Helen (aka SecretLentil) has one of the best shop introductions I've seen in a long while. The titles she gives her clothes are worth the read, and the clothes live up to her descriptions. She only has two items left in her shop right now... I chose this Lush Life reconstructed skirt because I like black!





Crystal (aka polyartgirl) has wonderfully fun yarns in her shop. While I always look carefully at the shops of my customers to choose my favorite, this chocolate silk yarn is so luscious looking I can hardly believe it's yarn - it looks good enough to eat! Crystal is offering $.99 shipping and free gift wrap this holiday season, too. That's a great deal!

Sabella (aka bravegrrl) creates "upcycled/recycled/deconstructed enviornmentally minded creations." What could be better than that?! Need a big hobo bag to carry all your goodies home from the store? Put down those plastic and paper bags and grab this one!


And last but not least is Leigh (aka viviantaggert). She just ordered from me today, and I haven't even thanked her yet! Well, I guess this is part of the thanks. Anyway, Leigh takes vintage buttons and adds some beads and other components and turns out unique jewelry creations. I love that they're so unusual, like this Super Cool Blue Necklace. She gives those buttons a whole new life!

And the last thing I have to say on Etsy Friday (and yes, it's still Friday, even though it seems like I've been typing this post forever) is that one of my Captioned Critters is featured in the Storque!!! Woo hoo!!! Of course, it's not quite the same as being featured because I have such an awesome, super neato cool creation, but it was nice that Vanessa though enough of my Pondering Purple Platypus to have him be the spokes-critter about billing.

I have lots of other critters in my shop, so if you're looking for that last-minute stocking stuffer, check 'em out. I love making these little guys.

Happy Etsy Friday, and thanks again to all my wonderful customers!!!

Etsy Friday... It's been a busy week here, making all sorts of custom orders for people. I love making all sorts of things, and it's fun for me to do custom work because I get to have fun with someone else's ideas and try to translate them into something they'll love.

But now it's Etsy Friday again. Actually, it's just Friday, but Etsy Fridays are becoming a tradition of sorts. My tradition? To take this opportunity to give an extra thanks to the Etsy sellers who were my customers during the course of the week. So if you're reading this blog, go check 'em out! You might just find something you can't live without!!

First up is Melissa (aka BlueTulip), who creates wonderfully funky handbags and totes. Not only do I love the totes, but I love that she photographs some of them with yummy examples of what'll fit into the totes! Check out this Retro Swirl one - great, huh?

Just in time for the holidays, Abby (aka Folktale Fibers) has this gorgeous handspun wool yarn called Sleigh Ride. It has all sorts of great-looking fibers woven into it, and the color's just gorgeous!

Nicole (aka WhirlygigYarns) is another spinner, and her yarns are also fun! I sure wish I could do something besides knit in a straight line. :-) I love all the textures that are possible with handspinning, so this Birds on a Wire yarn just flew at me (yes, pun intended).

I am absolutely thrilled when I encounter a young Etsy artist, and Nate (aka nathantheartist) is only six years old! Nate doesn't have any artwork listed right now (maybe he's tied up with his studies), but I found King Kong on Rollerskates in his sold items. Ya gotta love an artist who envisions King Kong skating! Keep on drawing, Nate!

Bari (aka DesignsByBari) is lucky to have a beach nearby where she can track down sea glass. It's so much fun to go exploring on the beach to find those treasures that are washed up on shore. I find them, but I just put them in a jar or something. Bari, on the other hand, transforms them into beautiful jewelry! Once again, my love for purple drew me to this Purple Beach Sparkler. I've seen lots of sea glass turned into jewelry, but this treatment is unique and so cool!


Lynn (aka Hallucinations), a really nice repeat customer, is someone with whom I can identify... I could have written this statement, from her profile, about myself: "because I love too many things, and I can't confine myself to one (or even 3)". Lynn's shop is filled with all sorts of goodies, many of them exhibiting eye-popping color combinations. While this 6-strand necklace doesn't come with the pins that are pictured in the listing, it's such an inventive way to turn one piece into something completely different just by switching out the focal piece! Oh, so many possibilities.

Kathleen Bostick (aka studiometalsmith) is another repeat customer, and she truly lives up to her shop name. The jewelry she produces is phenomenal. It's so simple and has such clean lines, and it's beautifully photographed. I'm not much of a jewelry wearer, but I do like rings... nothing flashy, though, so this wide and hammered silver band is just my style! Alas, it's only a size 5, and I don't think that would even fit my pinkie...

Susan (aka Sirène Designs) just listed this pretty bracelet a couple of days ago. It's a great combination of colors, with those tortoiseshell cylinders and all their swirls of color offsetting the green faceted beads.

There are still a couple of hours left, so technically it's still Etsy Friday even though it's much later in the day than I planned to write this. It's just been a busy day! There was banana bread baking to be done in the morning (after all, I couldn't just leave my husband to sit here and starve), then off to lunch at Olive Garden with some friends, then grocery shopping, and finally back home to work on Etsy orders.

This week my Quoth the Raven and my Alice in Wonderland creations were all really popular, so I've been kept hopping with orders. I'm so happy that people like them! I have a load of fun making all these things, and I have a bazillion ideas floating around in my head (and committed to my notebook) of more that I want to do.

Anyway... Enough of that! On with Etsy Friday!!! While I did have quite a number of customers this week, there were only a few other Etsy sellers amongst them. So here's a little extra thanks to them.

Kari (aka artsymama) makes these adorable little pixies, but she only has a few of them left! These look like the old timey ornaments that used to adorn Christmas trees, and this one in particular, with her beehive hairdo, looks like she just stepped out of the 60s. How cute!


Colleen (aka cocomo) is a repeat customer, and I'm extra happy when someone comes back to my shop for more! Coco has a shop that's filled to the brim with mosaic supplies, all kinds of dinnerware, tiles, and other things for mosaic artists out there. The absolute neato-coolest thing in her shop is a mosaic guitar, but I really love this little gecko. Don't you know someone who'd love to receive this for Christmas? Hmmm?

Carolyn (aka eccentrictulip) has a shop filled with the most colorful, hilarious, fun, fuzzy, fleecy characters you've ever seen! Just looking at her banner and avatar is fun. It's soooo hard to choose a favorite from amongst these little creatures, but this one named Hmm is unbelievably cute and obviously mechanically inclined!

Looking for some art! Check out Joan's (aka sixsisters) cards, paintings, collages, and ACEOs. While most of her work is immersed in color, my favorite piece is this pen and ink drawing of a Chilean beach. I just love black and white!

Sweet Babu, or Abbie (aka ophelia710) obviously loves babies, and her hat creations make me smile. And when you see a baby sporting a Melody Hat, how could you not just grin from ear to ear?!?!

Rebecca (aka AdobeSol) is a jewelry maker who somehow manages to create beautiful jewelry while taking care of a whole menagerie of pets! Ya gotta love someone who's giving homes to 40 critters! And that's not even counting her immediate family. Once again, it was a real challenge for me to choose a favorite, but these Classy Bling earrings are beautiful.

The news of the day... The voting is open in the Etsy BeadWeavers blog for the entries into the November challenge, Caught in a Net. I was working on one piece for the challenge, but when it went awry I decided to take it all apart and make something completely different from those beads. I then thought I wasn't going to enter the challenge at all, but then Carol Dean (aka SandFibers) suggested that I enter my Twist of Lime necklace. It does qualify as netting, which was the requirement this month, so there it is.

Speaking of Carol Dean, she's doing another drawing this month on her blog. Check it out and win a gorgeous pendant!

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and I almost forgot that today is Friday! I've fully recovered from my turkey coma, even though I just had some leftover cold turkey with mayo a little while ago. Yesterday's dinner was just a simple affair at home, but we had all the requisite foods -- turkey with stuffing and gravy, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, cranberry sauce, and apple pie ala mode for dessert. We sat around like blobs after that!

So anyway, today's Etsy Friday post is once again to thank the Etsy peeps who have purchased from me in the past week. My Alice in Wonderland holiday tags, cards, and stickers were popular this week for some reason; and I have to say I think they're pretty cute. The Quoth the Raven, Ho Ho Ho cards are also going to be flying all over the place this holiday season. I have such a great time creating all these things, and I'm really happy that other people like them so much.

And now for the thanks to the Etsy shop owners who purchased from me this week!

First was Ramona (aka ramonawest), who has a shop that's filled to the brim with vintage clothing and shoes. Sadly, some of the pieces she lists are things that were popular when I was young, but they're making a new appearance in today's fashions. This black velvet swing coat is a gorgeous piece that's ageless!

Sarah (aka alosha) has a whole new stash of ACEO blanks, and she'll obviously put them to good use! She has beautiful artwork in her shop, along with lots of lovely hair adornments. While I like the hair barrettes (even though I have short hair and can't wear any of it), I was drawn to this striking piece of artwork entitled Iron Beauty.

Jan (aka janhilderbrandt) is another talented artist. She paints all kinds of subjects, and she has this beautiful set of 12 sunflower cards so you can share her art with your friends and relatives.

Amy (aka societysedso) creates whimsical and sometimes frightening little creatures from polymer clay. These aren't your everyday clay creations, as she incorporates metal eye hooks into them so they can move. I've always liked red and black together, so this SWAKtopus is my favorite.
Jessica (aka Beadymonkey) has a wonderful assortment of handmade jewelry in her shop. There are so many beautiful pieces in there it was difficult for me to choose a favorite, but once again color helped make the decision. I love amethyst, so this vineyard necklace jumped off the page when I saw it. If you're looking for a gift for someone special this holiday season, you're sure to find something here!

CM (aka sinthesis) has only had her Etsy shop for a few weeks now, but she's sure to become a popular jewelry seller with her metal pieces. They're abstract, unique, and such fun! Just check out this Cosmic Lightning pendant. The color's striking in itself, and the design is so cool.


Kim (aka calamitykim) has sold lots of her whimsical creations, but there's this cute Barnabas Bartholomew Bear pincushion just waiting to be grabbed for a special gift. He's a mixed media piece that would make a neat decoration even if you don't want to stick pins in him.

Jennifer (aka PineBlossoms) creates all sorts of fun things using vintage fabrics. It's so nice to see these beautiful fabrics being upcycled into pillows, bags, and other items that will let them live for decades more. And while all those pillows and bags are such fun, I think this silly chair pincushion is my favorite. What a hoot.

Misty (aka GemmaBeads) shares my drafting/design background, but now she's ventured off into the world of handmade lampwork beads and jewelry items. Yet again I'm drawn to the piece in her shop that features purple. I guess I have a one-color mind, but I just love this Ripe Rainbow Fluorite Bracelet which features a lampwork bead with dazzling colors. The lampwork was made by Debbie, of Glass Houses, but Misty's given it the royal treatment in this bracelet.

Jennifer (aka jenncolestudios) is VERY new to Etsy, having opened shop a mere ten days ago. She only has a few pieces listed in her shop so far, but they are all wonderful! The rings Jenn has listed are different than others I've seen, and they're beautifully photographed. This blue glass ring is soooooo pretty!