Fun Type Font

on't you just love this cool Capital Letter 'D"?






You can get your own special Capital Letters at this website. How awesome is that?
{okay, maybe I'm just a geek.....}

Jessica Hische / CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

Winner, yet again!

I love, love, love checking out others blogs. Once in awhile I'll even leave a comment! :)

Denise of Nisee Made was having a giveaway on her blog and the items were so incredibly cute I just HAD to leave a comment!

And....I won a darling set of postcards!

{ Photo from Nisee Made blog}

You can see the postcards in the picture above. So cute! I can't wait to receive them in the mail.

New Shop

One of the Etsy Teams I belong to is the EART Team - Eclectic Artisans Team. We have just opened up our own shop on Etsy and made our FIRST SALE on opening day! Go team!

These are the cards I listed in the shop. They are OOAK and only offered in the EART Shop.

This one I made using Copic Markers. Really love those markers {not so much the price!}

This one is made out of an envelope! When you open the card the right side opens up for you to put a little note inside! Cute!

Go ahead and check out the New EART Shop. You just might find something you love!

{RIP Halloween Fun Treat}

I saw this fun Halloween Treat and thought I might try it!
I love chocolate so it's sure to be delicious!
Try it out for yourself and see how you like it!
{Recipe from myrecipes}

Ingredients

• 14 ounces (about 3 cups) semisweet or bitter-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
• 2 large eggs, plus 2 yolks
• 2 1/2 cups whipping cream
• 1/3 cup coffee-flavored liqueur
• 1/2 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
• Tombstone Cookies

Preparation

1. In a food processor or blender, whirl chocolate until finely chopped. Pour into a bowl. Put eggs and yolks in the processor or blender.

2. In a 4-cup glass measure, heat whipping cream in a microwave oven (see Notes) at full power (100%) until cream boils, 3 to 5 minutes.

3. With processor or blender on high speed, add boiling cream to egg. Check temperature of mixture with an instant-read thermometer; if below 160°, pour mixture back into glass measure and reheat in microwave oven at full power until it reaches 160°, stirring and checking at 15-second intervals.

4. Combine hot cream mixture, chopped chocolate, and liqueur in blender or processor (or whisk the ingredients together in a large bowl); whirl until smooth, about 1 minute.

5. Pour chocolate mixture into 8 ramekins or glasses (1/2-cup size). Chill until softly set, 30 to 45 minutes. If making ahead, cover and chill up to 1 day. For creamiest texture, let desserts stand at room temperature about 30 minutes before eating.

6. Spoon 1 tbsp. wafer crumbs onto each pot de crème. Insert a Tombstone Cookie into each serving.

{Note: This method uses a microwave to heat the cream until it's hot enough to cook and thicken the eggs, but you can always make it on the cooktop. Heat the cream over medium-high heat until it boils, about 6 minutes. Proceed with step 3, but heat the cream-egg mixture as needed in the saucepan until it reaches 160°. Then proceed with step 4.}

Today's Featured Artist has a talent I wish I could develop. Melissa of Bella Expressions creates beautiful digital creations that warm my heart. Her items are ones that will last forever and bring joy to those who receive them!

AND she's looking for her FIRST sale on Etsy. Why don't you be the one to give her that feeling of elation?? :)

Bella Expressions

Name: Melissa McMullen

Location: Italy

Etsy Store Name and Address:
Bella Expressions - www.lissylee77.etsy.com
Bella Style Designs - www.BellaStyleDesigns.etsy.com

{Give Thanks Greeting}

Facebook, Twitter, etc. address:
FB Bella Expressions: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=22275182174&ref=ts
FB Bella Style: http://www.facebook.com/twitter/?redirect=89276417041#/pages/Bella-Style-Designs/89276417041
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lissylee77

What Etsy groups do you belong to?
European Street Team

{Daisy Wedding Thank You Card}

What is your craft?
Anything digital. I do digital custom photo cards and greetings, scrappages, digital scrap kits and collage pages for mixed media, etc.

How did you start doing what you do?
I'm a crafty person and used to be an avid paperscrapper until I moved to Italy. It was impossible for me to find archival items so I found a site on digiscrapping one day and that's how it began. One day a friend back home in Canada had a baby and I wanted to send a gift that was easy for me to pack... well, I ended up doing birth announcements and thank yous for her and from there it took off. I've done a lot of Christmas cards and wedding thank yous for people back home.

What part of your work do you most enjoy?
Seeing the look on peoples' faces when they get their cards. They (usually) are in awe of how great they look and how crisp and clear the design is. I get a lot of comments like "I can't wait to send these to everyone!" I also love seeing when someone uses my scrap kits to make a scrap page, I like that a part of me is in their memory books.

What part of your work do you find the hardest?
Sometimes finding inspiration. Like most artistic people, I too sometimes get artists' block. Then I find myself hopping from blog to blog or website to website in search of something to boost my imagination.

{Butterflies Announcement}

Where do you get/find your inspiration?
The internet, pictures, posters, everything around me!

What are the three most favorite items in your store right now?

Right now I'm loving my

Halloween card

and my

Bella Holiday Cheer Card

What is the best advice you have received?
hmm.... just keep plugging along I guess. I know your shop won't be famous the first day but hopefully it won't take forever for me to make my first sale here.

Super DE-Duper!

Who wouldn't want to shop at a store with 'Super Duper' in it??? And there are really some super duper things in this shop!

• I love the originality and uniqueness of each item.

• I love how Louise takes small items {she calls them 'bits and bobs- how cute is that?} and turns out a incredible piece of art.

• I love how I can just hear her accent while I read her 'Shop Announcements'.

Now run along and read about Louise and then pop on over to her shop. Bye loves!

Super Duper Things

Name: Louise Evans

Location: Norwich, UK

Etsy Address: www.louloudo.etsy.com

Store name: Super Duper Things

Blogger: http://superduperthings.blogspot.com (I haven't taken the twitter plunge yet!)

What Etsy Teams do you belong to?
I don't currently belong to any Etsy groups, I'd love to join the UK street team as soon as I've got enough time to dedicate to them properly!

What is your craft?
I make jewelry, general accessories, bags and a few homewares - I'll try anything really! I use a mixture of vintage, recycled and new materials to make things with a new lease of life. I like my items to have a sense of humour, or lightheartedness.

{Sweet Ruffly Leather Pouch}

What part of your work do you most enjoy?
I've always sort of made stuff, I've made my own jewelry for years, and then one day I realised that it had got to the point where I was making far more things than I or my friends had use for (after all, I've only got one neck!) so I booked a table at a great indie craft market in my home town, and it grew from there.

What part of your work do you find the hardest?
I most enjoy having just got hold of a good collection of vintage bits'n'bobs, and sitting down with my stash to see what I can make of them.

{Fabric Covered Notebook}

The bit I find hardest is tearing myself away to do my university work when I just want to sew something pretty!
Where to you get/find your inspiration?
I find my inspiration all over the place - on my friends, fashion in general, the original items themselves...

What are the three most favorite items in your shop right now?

This little necklace:

{Tiny Leather Purse Necklace}

This one too:

{Trapeeze - Striped Ruffle Necklace}

And this ring:

{Sailor Jerry - Anchor Button Ring}

What is the best advice you have received?
The best advice I have received is to not keep thinking about 'what can I make that will people buy?' but to just create whatever you love yourself, whatever you'd wear, etc. That way your work is more creative and original.

Family Affair

I just have to say that this trio of artist {mom & two daughters} sure have A LOT of talent! There's so many great things in their shop from purses to afghans to wall hangings! AND right now 3 Stitch Creations is having a

BOGO half off sale plus FREE shipping to USA residents!

How awesome is that? Go and see all those goodies!

{BTW love the Cotton Candy Pink Purse!!}

3 Stitch Creations

Your Name - Nancy Stout(Mom), Marci Parker(Big Sister) and Megan
Barley(Little Sister)

Location - Reynoldsburg, Ohio

Etsy Store Address - 3stitchcreations.etsy.com

Facebook, Twitter, etc. address - www.facebook.com/3stitchcreations

What Etsy groups do you belong to?
Quiltsy Team, have applied to TeamColumbus and CreateCrochet Team

{Spooky Halloween Hanging Quilt}

What is your craft?
Being a family effort we have many talents to bring. Nancy creates crocheted afghans, Marci contributes machine embroidery and Marci & Megan both bring quilting and sewing creations like quilts, bags and seasonal items to the mix.

How did you start doing what you do?
Mom passed on the love of sewing while the girls were young, then Marci and Megan both spread out on their own to expand their experience and passions.

{Cotton Candy Pink and Silver Purse}

What part of your work do you most enjoy?
Working with people we love.

What part of your work do you find the hardest?
Getting ideas from the head to reality and having it match.

Where do you get/find your inspiration?
Many places - nature, events, people, holidays...

What are the three most favorite items in your store right now?

{Happy Halloween Embroidery Wall Hanging}



{Pink Dream Grommet Tote Bag}

{Desert Oasis Flannel Rag Quilt}

What is the best advice you have received?

Take advice. We each are limited in what we think and how we see things, it takes others input sometimes to see the best possible solution or change that needs made. Always be open to criticism.