Holiday Greeting Cards

Every holiday season (well, almost every) I like to make our family holiday card through my shutterfly photo account. My account is free and the website features are easy to use. They offer nice discounts as well. To help cut costs, we take our own family photos. This year we took advantage of a beatiful state park as our backdrop (we visit several during the cooler months). The trick is to take lots of pictures because you're bound to end up with at least one good one! It's only frustrating when you look back and realize only the first one was worth keeping.

I like receiving custom photo cards from our friends and family. Our social network reaches near and far, so this is my favorite time of year to check the mail. It's especially nice to see how much people have changed and watch kids grow from year to year. From my family to yours, we hope you have a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season! Cheers!

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Etsy Treasury

An Etsy.com Treasury is "an ever-changing, member-curated shopping gallery." For those of you non-etsian's that means someone like me (an Etsy shop owner) puts together a digital collage of other creations and vintage items found on Etsy. The shop is "ever-changing" because things are always selling! The curator can update the treasury as often as items are sold, which keeps the treasury always up-to-date and full of interesting items.

I personally have a lot of fun putting these treasuries together. I find them to be one more avenue for me to express my thoughts and interests. As a teenager I used to cut images out of magazines and glue them onto poster board, creating personalized collage art for my room. I'd hang these things everywhere - including the ceiling. The collages always had themes - each clipping having some connection to the next. The Etsy Treasury reminds me of the countless hours I spent pawing through magazines as a teen. When I find myself with nothing to do, I'm browsing the pages of Etsy and instantly inspired to start copying links into the little Etsy Treasury boxes. My latest is titled Indian Summer and I think it's my new favorite!

Indie Craft Show THIS Sunday!

If you find yourself with some free time this Sunday you should probably come and check out a new indie show in town. Art: Sunny Side Up is being hosted at the Hilton Hotel in Deerfield Beach, FL, from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. This is not just an indie craft show though - it's also a fundraiser for a local school, plus there will be live music and other great activities! It's only $3 to get in and cheaper if you come with a friend! Use the handy vendor map below to find my booth. Hope to see you there.

Popsicle Stick Town

Earlier this summer I wrote about a project I was working on with my children. We started building stuff with popsicle sticks and invited our friends to have fun with us too. A couple of my mommy friends started building at their homes with their children. At the end of the summer, we all got together with our creations and created a popsicle stick town. First, I have to admit, I had a lot of fun building with my children. We spent hours, on and off during the summer, planning, gluing, waiting, and painting. Although the bulk of the building was done with popsicle sticks, we used a variety of wood (including toothpicks). When it was all done, it was even more fun finally seeing what everyone else created!

Vintage Cockade

My last post was about the vintage ribbon I scored while visiting Maine. I won't be able to use all of the ribbon for this project, but some of it is definitely a perfect fit. For a low fee, I paid for a tutorial on Etsy.com. The tutorial taught me a 1920's-based ribbon work technique. The technique creates a cockade, otherwise known as a ribbon star. The cockade can be used in a variety of places including as a holiday ornament, necklace, or decorative gift wrapping. I plan to use mine as holiday ornaments. I can't wait to decorate my tree with vintage cockades! The ornaments are also 100% Eco-friendly because I salvaged the ribbon and did all the sewing by hand. It didn't take me very long to complete either. I worked on it while relaxing and watching TV. I know this would be a great project for traveling too! It doesn't require many supplies and does not take up very much space. The style possibilities are endless because ribbon comes in all sizes, colors, and patterns. So, what do you think?

Vintage Ribbon

I recently visited my grandmother, and to my pleasant surprise, she was having a garage sale. The first table: full of fabric and ribbons. I snatched up a couple of vintage fabrics and a handful of vintage ribbons. I quickly started brainstorming about what I can do with the vintage ribbon. I've come up with a couple of strong possibilities but I'm still open to other ideas. I'm curious, what would YOU do with vintage ribbon if you had the chance?

Handmade on the Streets of Maine

During my recent travels, I had the opportunity to observe a clever display of art on the streets of a little town in Maine. Skowhegan (skow-he-gahn) is a place I've known my whole life. It is where I began elementary school, where both my parents graduated high school, where I've spent many hours playing at the local parks, shopping in the stores, and making memories with friends. Skowhegan was settled in 1773, home to the first female U.S. senator, and rests charmingly in the Kennebec River Valley. I always look forward to returning to Skowhegan because not a whole lot changes and I know I can count on visiting my favorite stores such as Hill Top Antiques and From Nana to You. However, this summer's trip yielded some pleasant surprises. I've added two new favorite stops to my list: River Roads Artisans Gallery and The Bankery. The Bankery was pumping out sweet smells of deliciousness and I couldn't resist going inside. Charming is an understatement when describing this preserved bank transformed into an all-natural-from-scratch bakery! River Roads Artisans Gallery is a co-op artisan store that includes beautiful art and practical handmade items for all seasons. I purchased a few wood cooking tools from a local 14-year-old artisan, the son of Ray's Woodworking. And finally, this story leads me to my original focus, the art display on the streets of Skowhegan. When I first turned the corner of the famous rotary, I noticed colorful circular objects in the windows of the old brick buildings. I quickly realized these various looking objects were hanging in nearly every window! Over 20 artists have created sculptural globes as part of an art installation called "Worlds Seen & Foreseen." The project is intended to draw awareness on the fragility of our shared planet. I snapped the below picture while standing inside the River Roads Gallery, looking out onto the rotary of Skowhegan. If you're in the area, I highly suggest parking your car and taking a leisurely stroll around the area to observe for yourself!