design challenge!

on this dreary thursday morning, the design challenge vote for my etsy team begins!  take a look at the entries and you can click on the link on the top right corner of the team blog to cast your vote!  and no, you don't have to vote for me.

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pumpkin patch.

i haven't participated in a team design challenge in forever.  but this month's challenge theme - "pumpkin patch" - made me a little inspired.  i've been dying to add a little something to my wishbone earrings, and i stumbled on a little stash of swarovski crystals in bright pumpkin-y orange today.  eureka!  and here are my little pumpkin wishbone earrings!

in celebration of pumpkins and all things autumn, i'm giving away a pair of these!  (i haven't had a giveaway in forever either!)  want them?  all you have to do is this:

- follow my blog and post a comment stating that you are following me (mandatory entry)
- post a comment here and tell me why you love autumn! (1 entry)

easy, right?  i'll get the mini to randomly pick a winner on october 31st!  make sure you leave your email so that i can get in touch with you if you win!

in the meantime, you can check out the other tradeaholics' fabulous creations here and here!

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i can't believe it's october...

every time i turn around, time has flown by and left me in the dust. it's been almost a month since i blogged last (how awful is that?). the mini turned 1 1/2 yesterday. (she's seriously all grown up - except for breastfeeding and diapers, that kid is ready to move out on her own) i've been 6 weeks at my new job - and seriously loving it. we've been in our new house almost 4 months - it's felt like we've ALWAYS lived here, funny enough! the fabulous tia ( from christopherandtia ) won my autumn giveaway. the tradeaholics' october design challenge vote is up - you can vote HERE.

creatively, i've been working on the design of an intertwined bangle - similar to my intertwined rings. thanks to an inspired customer, i've been bending and shaping and soldering wire into all sorts of interesting configurations - and the results are just stunning. it's always interesting to me how one idea leads to another - the intertwined design also lends itself wonderfully to a pendant! the colours also remind me of autumn - which i have decided is definitely my favorite season... the cool, crisp air, the dazzling jewel tones of the leaves... sigh.

anyhow - go vote for your favorite spooky halloween item over on the tradeaholics' blog and congrats, tia! your package is going out in the mail today!!!!!!!!

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the tradeaholics' august's design challenge!

yup, i'm promoting myself. my clear quartz gemstone stacking ring set is my entry into the tradeaholics' august design challenge! the theme this month is "a diamond in the rough" - and seriously, i found it so inspiring!

you can check out the other entries and the voting here - http://bit.ly/9AV6Uu

and yes, this time around you can vote for one or more entries! i love it when we have these challenges - everyone is so creative and it is inspiring! (not that i want you to vote for me, but you can if you want.)

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The Lost Art of Trading

it's financially difficult for everyone these days - but lucky for me, i have the honour to belong to (and co-lead) an amazing group of crafters who believe that trading is the way to go! not only do you meet some wonderful people and get to see their fabulous talents, you are able to trade your items for things that you have wanted/needed/coveted! my street team, the TradeAHolics, just had a HUGE trading event on etsy and i was able to trade some of my jewelry for things that i wouldn't be able to make in a million years! (okay, well maybe i'd be able to make them, but it would take a million years and they would look or taste like crap.)

peculiarparchment (the alter ego of my co-leader, raevyn77) makes these thank you cards that i cannot do without. they are perfect for sending little notes in the packages i send out! i think that they are totally sweet.

i've admired this lovely little pouch by bagsbytracy for months. and now it's mine!! tracy makes the loveliest bags - i already have one of her totes - and i can't wait for this one to come!!

my friend sparklegarden just opened another shop for her fabric creations - twigandfeather. these cute little napkins will be perfect for the mini when she starts to eat solid food! or for me, when i eat...

... the stupendous looking snickers fudge to the right from hillsidebakery! seriously, fudge AND snickers? yum. the husband will probably kill me for bringing this into the house - he's dieting down (i can hear him on the stationary bike as we speak) and subsisting on chicken breasts and brown rice. i'm sorry in advance, honey. don't worry, i'll eat it all myself.

since i've been home on maternity leave, my mom has been helping me with the upkeep of my garden. so, this is going to be for her! mirasolfarm makes this amazing gardener's hand lotion and i can't wait to give this to her!

nitelily3's bags are to die for. this little card holder is from her "bella" series - perfect for my new "twilight" purse which is on its way!

ah, the fabulous spartasoap... i've traded with her several times before and her soaps and lip balms are amazing. her peppermint soap was a standby for me during my first trimester last summer - not only does it smell fresh, but it has a lovely tingly-ness too. hmmmm... i think i need a shower...

... which will also include some of yourtimebodytreats' vegan chocolate body polish! i know i won't be able to resist eating some of it. sorry, yourtime!!!

thank you for such fabulous trades... and for being so tremendously talented! and especially for loving my jewelry enough to trade with me! go team go!

if anyone with an etsy shop wants to join the street team, you can check us out here: http://etsytradeaholics.blogspot.com/ but i cannot take any responsibility if you get addicted.

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Obsessed with Solder... and Procrastination at it's Best!

the act of soldering is quite mediative. turn on the crockpot to warm the pickle solution. set up the firing brick. turn on the exhaust fan. cut the metal, apply the solder paste. place on the brick. fire up the butane torch, adjust the flame. apply heat, watch the metal and solder heat up and flow together... then, just at the right moment... quench and throw in the pickle solution. i think i'm becoming obsessed with the way that the solder flows into the metal, and the forms that are created - even with a simple ring! i love how the solder polishes up to a high shine just like the rest of the ring when i throw it in the tumbler - it really lends a handmade, organic quality to it! i'm definitely not making a "perfect" ring, but they way these turn out, is perfect to me! they still turn out as comfortable to wear as if i had sanded them for hours, and have a lovely, rustic look to them!

i'm also working on my bezel settings... not the easiest thing in the world to master, but the "Starry Starry Night" ring above didn't turn out too badly. i did add some adhesive to the underside of the cabochon to add some security, but i wore it to work on Thursday and it survived the whole day! i'm quite thrilled at how this one turned out!

obviously i am too busy playing with fire to get all of my documents ready so that i can get my taxes done... we DEFINITELY need the money before the baby comes, but it's too much fun playing in the meth lab! i am also pretty certain that i owe some GST money to the Government... geez. this is what i get for not setting up my business paperwork ahead of time! i have vowed to pop in a Grey's Anatomy DVD and take the grocery bags full of receipts and forms to sort through tonight. sigh! the joys of owning a small business, working full time, and not being organized! i DID clean out the fridge (no, not by eating) and realized that we had a lot more condiments than actual FOOD! who does that?

fyi - if anyone is looking for something etsy to do, the TradeAHolics' team is having a Trade and Stay event starting tomorrow! check out the team blog here: http://etsytradeaholics.blogspot.com/ and join us! i'm probably not going to trade this time around - i'm trying to get my shop stocked up before the mini-muffin comes - but it's ALWAYS a blast.

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The TradeAHolics Trade & Replace...

As everyone knows, i'm one of the leaders of the Etsy TradeAHolics street team. Right now, we're having a Trade and Replace event for the whole week! It's a fabulous event - it helps sellers to obtain items that they might not be able to afford, gets their shops out there, and builds some fabulous Etsy friendships! we're even kicking around the idea of team shirts! how COOL would that be????

Check out the thread here: http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5520842

and the rules of trading here: http://EtsyTradeAHolics.blogspot.com

xoox muffin

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BLOG TRADE EVENT! My Featured Artist... CALLIDORA!!!!

It's always wonderful to see the work of a renaissance woman... and Callidora is just that! After abandoning the hollow world of the corporate drone, she has fully embraced her creative side and makes wonderful handmade aprons, handbags, and accessories!!!! A wife, mother, sister, daughter and teacher, her zest and love for life certainly comes through in her creations.

Check these lovlies out:

Her creations are so wonderfully handcrafted, it's hard to believe that she homeschools her little kiddies and is able to run a household too! A member of Etsy Artists of Color and the TradeAHolics, she also runs a blog chock full of wonderful bits of knowledge, creativity and interesting facts about her life!

Check my friend out at http://callidora.etsy.com and at her blog at http://tlcsays.blogspot.com

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1st TradeAHolics Challenge - 'OLD STUFF DAY'!!!!

The TradeAHolics team is hosting a quick and dirty crafting challenge event!!! It is going to be sooooo unbelievably cool.

Here's the summary:

'Old Stuff Day' is not a day to do the same old stuff. Rather, it's a time to recognize the boring nature of your daily routine, and make some exciting changes.... a day to find new and different activities, projects, and hobbies... attend an event. Do something, anything, different.

In honour of 'Old Stuff Day' - March 2nd - we're all going to move outside our respective creative boxes and create something totally different than what we usually do! Then people will vote on their favorite one and the winner will have a huge feature on the TradeAHolics' blog! Voters also have a chance to win a prize just by voting and posting a comment on the blog!

http://etsytradeaholics.blogspot.com/

How cool is that? I already know what I'm going to make...

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New Jewelry!

My shoulder has loosened up a little, and this is the day before I start holidays with the husband, so I'm up really early and have been making things!!! I sort have vowed to try to use up all of the supplies that I've accumulated over the last year before I do any huge shopping again, so here are my latest creations! And I'm quite pleased!

I am so proud of this ring! I can't believe that I finally was able to make one! I think that this counts as #5 on my New Year's Resolution list - my little "Nest Egg" ring! Those Swarovski pearls totally are so sweet.

I also seem to have been collecting semi-precious gemstones - they seem to speak to me, LOL, in the most unpsychotic way! And why they deem them "semi" precious, I don't know - they sure are wholly precious to me! Here is my new "Starry Bliss" bracelet - it glows with all the different shades of pink! Girly, yet powerful... can you get better than that?

The trading team is also looking to add links to members' blogs on the team blog! So head on over there and post yours!!!!

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Trading Team Poll

A shameless little plug for the Trade-A-Holics team here - we are planning our next team event and need your help to decide what it will be! Go to the Trade-A-Holics blog here:

http://etsytradeaholics.blogspot.com/

and vote for your choice! You don't have to be a member to vote or to play... but you can always join if the impulse strikes!!! *hint hint*

We had a really great time at our last event, check out the blog to see! And it couldn't have happened without my co-leader, AkHotDoggies - who is the organizational genius behind it all!!!! (Visit her at http://akhotdoggies.etsy.com/ )

Trade on, everyone, trade on.

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