EtsyMom SUPERGIVEAWAY is coming!

The EtsyMoms Street Team is prepping for the holidays by taking the time-honored tradition of gift-giving to another level! Riding the wave of unity, harmony and excitement inspired by the Etsymom Trunk Show in September, our team tossed around a few ideas about our next team event. A little idea of having a giveaway, where Moms would donate an item to be given away each day of November on our blog has morphed into a SUPER GIVEAWAY!! When the call for volunteers went out we had an overwhelming response of over 60 shops willing to donate a $10.00 in value item to this cause. Two winners will be randomly chosen everyday to receive one of over 50 prizes. Donations will range from an assortment of hand embroidery, vintage finds, hair clippies, baby accessories, paper crafts, earthenware pottery and more. Perfect for gift-giving! There is a little bit of everything, so whether you like trendy, shabby chic, traditional or retro styles, you're sure to find something! Don't miss this ONLINE EXTRAVAGANZA. Visit us here beginning tomorrow, November 1st for contest rules and deadlines!

Cinnamon and Spice and all Things Nice...

That's the theme for my babyshower in a few weeks! And here is a picture of the invite I made, yeah, I know, I made my own shower invitations...but I thought my friends might have a hard time finding pink and brown ones. Alright, alright, the truth is I knew exactly what I wanted them to look like, so I made them! I always keep an extra invite I make for birthday parties for my kiddos, so I'll be tucking a copy of this one away safely, along with the 3-D ultrasound pics. We had one yesterday and it was unbelievable the level of detail you could see. I was set against spending the money for one, but hubby wasn't here for the two earlier ultrasounds, so I thought it would be a nice surprise for him...the look on his face was worth every penny!

Hopelessly Junky

I'm letting you in on a little secret...I'm organizationally challenged. Yep, while my blog layout is pretty neat and tidy, my house is another story. It's not that it's dirty or anything but there's lots of "stuff" or I guess some people would call it clutter. My mom just calls it plain ole JUNKY! So, since this summer I've been on a mission to get this house under control, especially my craft area, before I add to it with a new bambina! You're probably dying to see pics of this glorious mess, but I can't go out like that, now can I? Here is a pic of how my Craft Nook should look, but can I just tell you how rare this is? What I'm not showing you are the other rooms where the REST of the my supplies are, the guest room, the hall closet etc. So come join me on my search for the ultimate craft room! Thanks to google, I found some spaces I'd absolutely love to have...of course I would need to have a whole room to dedicate to my crafting but that hasn't worked out yet. It's really more practical to be in the same room with the kiddos, they work on their projects while I work on mine...or something like that. Check out Lisa Brown's room. See all those slots for the scrapbook paper? Ohhhh, I so need that. And look at how all her ribbons and embellishments are neatly stored in canisters. Could I maintain this level of order??? I'm not sure. When I first saw this next room I thought it was her kitchen! It's too beautiful for words. Everything has its place, in drawers, cabinets, off the countertop! Of course that would require putting away everything when you're finished, which is no fun! I found this next room, called a "hobby/craft room" on my home ideas. It's probably what my husband would prefer, neutral, manly colors (there better be a tv inside that armoire)! And it doesn't look anything like a craft space!


In all seriousness, it would probably be more fun and more realistic to have a room like Tara Anderson, I love the brightness, festive colors and overall "busyness" of her room! Finally, I came across this website, "My Electic Mess" whose tag line is "Diverse Crafts For a Diverse World" and thought, now this describes me perfectly. I think the key for me is accepting that in my world, out of CHAOS comes some piece of beautifully handcrafted art, made with love. So, once I find one central location to "house" my mess in, so it's not spread all over the place, I'll be set and I will definitely share my space with you. Thanks for going on my little journey of self-discovery!!! Need help organizing your space? Wendy Travis shares her "5 Steps" here and the Container Store, ScrapnCube and Cropperhopper all carry materials for whipping that space into shape. Then again, if you're like me, you'll be checking out the local Thrift Market and taking your 40 and 50% off coupons to the Craft Stores to find those storage pieces that truly reflect you!

Etsymom Giveaway during November

The EtsyMoms Supergiveaway is coming! All I can tell you right now is that there will be a month-long giveaway of over 50 prizes beginning November 1st!!! More details to follow soon!

Etsy Must Haves for Baby Girl!

So, while I'm waiting for "Army Wives" to come on, I'm checking out Etsy for some incredible baby girl finds, as promised! Etsy has opened up a whole new world to me, the world of handmade. You can truly find one-of-a-kind, quality, "art" to wear, for your home or as as a gift. Until Etsy comes up with a baby registry, I'm putting together my own wish list from my mama friends at Cafe Mom Etsy Mom and Etsymoms, and sharing it here! I'm trying not to go crazy, especially since we're having a girl but it's hard. So far, I've only purchased this sweet little matching bib and burper set from Boodybabies. The minky fabric on the reverse side is so incredibly soft and I love the fabric. I also have my eye on this new item from her, a portable changing station. Call me lazy, but I would love to have one of these in every room in the house! And, talk about tutus. My little diva will definitely have some baby pics in a fabulous tutu, it will be hard to decide which one...but I think this one from Trinity's Tutus is perfect because I can get one for big sis too! And one of my new favorite shops is Petalheads. She makes the purtiest headbands and she's just added a new item, a hat! Anyone who knows me knows I am crazy about hats. I have them for every season and my kids do too! So, the baby just has to have some too, right???? More must haves for your darling diva next week!

Trunk Show, Online Craft Fair and Baby News!

The past couple of weeks have flown by! I participated in a trunk show at the home of another NC Triangle Team Member and I'm trying something new this week. It's a virtual Craft & Gift Show sponsored by EZ Shoppes and it runs from 8 October to 22 October. So, I've been hustling to make quite a few holiday items for both of these events. What I like most about doing shows is that you get a lot of merchandise made at one time! It also seems to stimulate my creativity and I come up with new ideas like the puppy dog gift tags and the gift card holder. And in honor of us finding out we're having a baby girl, I'm going to be highlighting some of the shops from my teams that make baby girl stuff I absolutely must have for her!

Think Pink ~ A Journal for a Friend!

A friend of mine that I met when I first opened my shop on Etsy has been winning the battle over breast cancer for the past several months. She's scheduled for a mastectomy later this month to finally rid her body of the cancer and I wanted to do something to show my support for her. I have to be honest, I originally had the idea of making one of my altered composition notebook journals to sell and donate the funds to support medical research. I even listed it in my shop, but I'm making another one for Etsy and I'm sending the original to my dear friend Jodi. Jodi is a woman of strength, raising three beautiful girls all on her own, and frankly, she takes away all my excuses. Whenever I feel a pity party coming on, I can just visit Jodi's blog and I sit in awe and amazement at the life and vitality that leaps off the pages. I've learned so much from her and we've never even met in person yet...but even if we never do, she's impacted my life in a tremendous way. Thank you Jodi!

Tag, I'm It!

I was tagged the other day by BoodyBabies!
The game is 6 Random Things.
Here are the rules:
Link to the person who tagged you.
Post the rules on your blog.
Write 6 random things about yourself.
Tag more or less 6 people at the end of your post.
Let each person know he/she has been tagged.
Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

1. A lot of people are surprised to find that I voluntarily completed the Air Force Survival Training Course and I'm not even in the military! Ahh, those were the days, a younger, more fit me!

2. English is my native tongue but I also speak Spanish, Korean and Japanese.

3. I am hopelessly addicted to soap operas (I limit myself to two now, General Hospital and Young and the Restless).

4. My dream vacation will be renting a villa in Italy for a month with my hubby and kids, once I make enough sales!

5. I'm pregnant with my 3rd child and suddenly developed allergies to everything from apples, bananas, peaches and oranges to rice, potatoes, lettuce and turkey!

6. Before we were married, I made my husband wait about 7 years before I would go on a "real" date with him!

I am now tagging: itcametome, cozycabincreations, petalheads, brainmosaic, happyathomehandmade and starttofinish. Now, I better get back to work! The EZShoppes Online Craft Fair is coming up in a few days!