Fabulous Friday Feature: Memories for Life Scrapbooks!

Welcome to the next installment of the Fabulous Friday Features, where I feature a different Etsy artist each week! If you know of a great Etsy artist who should be featured (or if you want to be featured yourself!) please leave a comment with a way to contact you (Etsy store, email address, blog site, etc.).

This week's artist is Edi, from Memories for Life Scrapbooks, a very talented and creative woman with lots to share. Read on to find out more :)

1. What kind of art do you do? Where do you sell?
I am a paper crafter and make all different kinds of scrapbooks, greeting cards, wedding invitations, etc. My most popular items are my Custom Name and Word Albums and they can be found in my online stores on Etsy: http://memoriesforlifesb.etsy.com
and on Artfire: http://www.artfire.com/users/MemoriesForLifeScrapbooks
and at local craft shows throughout the year.

~Edi and Her Boyfriend of 9-1/2 Years~

2. How did you get started doing your art?

I owe my craftiness to my aunt and 4-H. My aunt was my leader and each month we had a different project scheduled. The first time I started creating with paper...I was hooked! I started making handmade greeting cards with stamps and then moved into scrapbooking! I love everything about paper crafting :)

~Her Adorable Kitties, Blue and Chevy~

3. What are your inspirations?
I get color combo inspirations from all around me. I get design ideas from scrapbook magazines as well as advertisements. Even junk mail gives me ideas for folding techniques! Inspirations is all around us...you just have to look!

~Edi's Handsome Dog, Harley~

4. What are your current favorite pieces?
My Custom Name and Word Albums are by far my most popular item in my shop. And my Flip Flop Albums are my most creative - I have over 50 pairs of flip flops waiting to be made into albums!

~One of the Many Custom Name Albums Available~

5. Are you involved with any animal or other charitable organizations? How did that come about?
All of our kitties have been saved from farms that have too many cats and our next dog will come from a shelter or a family looking to give their pet to a good home :)
I also participate in the local Red Cross Craft Fair each year and donate items for their door prizes and auction.

~One of the Many Flip Flop Albums Available~

6. Are you having any specials/sales or anything else you'd like to mention?
I am involved in a Christmas in July Sale with my fellow EtsyBloggers Team. I am offering an early bird special: 10% off all custom albums ordered for Christmas gifts. These are ONLY for custom albums that will be shipped in December: it's a way to give people a discount and give me a head start on getting Christmas albums done :)
This sale is only supposed to run until July 31, but for Little Studio Photography and Jewellery Blog readers (and Fibro Diaries blog readers) I will extend the sale until August 8th...just put "LittleStudioSale" in the Notes to Seller during checkout and wait for a revised invoice :)

~On of the Mini Albums Available~

Wow, how fantastic! Thank You Edi! What a great artist and what a great special sale!! Please visit her shop to see more delightful items and get one of your very own :)

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO ENTER MY CONTEST!! Sign up for my newsletter to try and win a pair of magnificent earrings from my NeoAmour Marie Antoinette collection (You have to sign up for the newsletter first to be eligible to win!!), see the full contest details here.

Thankful Thursday: Some Recent Press!

I have been so fortunate to have been featured on some great blogs recently, here they are - please do go and visit them!I was featured on Fuzzington's Blog for giving them their 200th heart on Etsy! Congratulations to you Sharon and thank you!
http://fuzzington.blogspot.com/2009/07/200-hearts.html

I was featured on Dragon House of Yuen Blog after making Annette a wonderful custom ring - thank you Annette!
http://dragonhouseofyuen.blogspot.com/2009/07/interview-meet-meghann-from-etsy-shop.html

And finally, I was featured on A Little Piece of the Madness in exchange for featuring Redd a while ago - thanks Redd!
http://www.damenamedredd.com/blog/?p=825

ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT TO ENTER THE CONTEST!! Sign up for my newsletter to try and win a pair of magnificent earrings from my NeoAmour Marie Antoinette collection (You have to sign up for the newsletter first to be eligible to win!!), see the full contest details here.

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday: New Rings!

~NeoAmour Elizabeth Nest Ring~

~Custom Sterling Silver Nest Ring with Rainbow Fluorite~

I'm taking back my blog for a day - it's been raining so the roads are still wet so I can't walk Arwen until I find her some boots or the roads dry out.

Here are some new rings I made - one is for a client and made with rainbow fluorite, the other uses a Swarovski crystal in Emerald shade. I am making it a part of my NeoAmour collection for Queen Elizabeth1 and it will be for sale on my Etsy store at some point today. Both are made with sterling silver wire and Czech glass silver lined beads. Please check it out!

ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT TO ENTER THE CONTEST!! Sign up for my newsletter to try and win a pair of magnificent earrings from my NeoAmour Marie Antoinette collection (You have to sign up for the newsletter first to be eligible to win!!), see the full contest details here.

Tuesday's Treasures: Protecting What's Valuable

~My VestHarness from the Front, Showing Chest Protection~

Hello, it is me again, Arwen the wonder-dog! I am sorry I didn't post yesterday, but we went shopping and were pretty pooped by the time we got back home from GrandMonna's and GrandDadoo's. We had a great time there and want to thank them for having us!

Yesterday we went to two different pet stores in search of boots and a raincoat for me, but every time we found boots, they were $50 and we never even found my size! The raincoats were also around $50, and mommy and I agreed that if we are going to spend that kind of money, we would like to support an Etsy artisan, not a big faceless corporation. If you know of a reputable store on Etsy that sells dog boots and jackets for medium sized dogs, please let us know in the comments section :)

~My VestHarness from the Side, Showing Rear Clips and the Seat Belt Loop~

Thanks to GrandDadoo (he drove), we went to a nice small pet store that was individually owned and we were able to find me a new seat belt! This is called a VestHarness and I like the color, though it does clash with my current collar. Mommy is VERY happy about this new vest as I had outgrown the seat belt I had worn since I was a puppy and both mommy and daddy were very scared of taking me in the car for rides...what if we were in an accident and I got hurt? Mommy said she would never get over that, so now I can safely go on rides (and look fantastic, rooh rooh!).

~My VestHarness from the Rear, Showing Seat Belt Loop and Leash D-Ring~

Another great feature of this harness is that it not only has a nice generous seat belt loop, allowing me to comfortably and safely lie down in the car, is the D-ring which will allow mommy to walk me in the harness instead of my collar! She thinks this may help with my pulling, but, come on, I AM part husky after all, pulling is my job! Still, I think it may be fun to get to walk with a different thing on me, and the VestHarness says it is also a chest protector, so that may be fun to try out! I don't know what I could do that would possibly need a chest protector, but I am sure I can find a way, rah rooh!

Mommy says she has helped to protect what is truly valuable to her, and I have to agree: being a great dog is quite a bit of work and I want to be able to do it for a long time. Now, off to catch that fly that is buzzing around the house....See you soon!

Mommy says to remind you that time is running out!! Sign up for my newsletter to try and win a pair of magnificent earrings from my NeoAmour Marie Antoinette collection (You have to sign up for the newsletter first to be eligible to win!!), see the full contest details here.
and Arwen

Soulful Sunday: A Run is as Good as a Vacation!

Hi! It's me, Arwen, reporting from GrandMonna's and GrandDaddoo's backyard in Ottawa! I thought I'd take you around a very fast tour of their yard...it'll have to be fast though, I have hours of running to do and need to get started right now, rooh rooh! First I had a quick pee, but mommy was nice and didn't photograph that :)
Then I ran to the left (my left, your right) and decided the birdbath would make an excellent pylon for running around, here I am, pretending to take off like a rocket...
WOAH! What are THOSE??? Red thingys, they smell good, and mommy kept picking them right off the bush and smiling and making happy noises.....okay, let's keep going!
Here I am showing my superb acceleration around the previously mentioned birdbath..I wish there were birds in there that I could chase, but they all flew away for some reason when I came outside ;-)
Wait a second.....something smells GOOD!
WOAH! It is master griller GrandDaddoo on the BBQ! Hey, I want a taste...no? Maybe later, when mommy isn't looking!
Now, here is another smell....GrandDadoo is petting Sheeeba, their senior citizen in residence...
She is getting quite old and has absolutely NO patience for me. She is always hissing, growling and spitting at me, but that is okay, I understand (cats get grumpy when they are old, rah rooh!)
Well that is it for now, I'm going to usher you out, I have quite a bit of running to do, and mommy says that tomorrow we have to go get boots for me, so I'll try to get GrandMonna to take photos of my fashion fitting :)

Have a great Sunday!

Mommy says to remind you that time is running out!! Sign up for my newsletter to try and win a pair of magnificent earrings from my NeoAmour Marie Antoinette collection (You have to sign up for the newsletter first to be eligible to win!!), see the full contest details here.
and Arwen

Sweet Saturday: Arwen's Taking Over!

Rah-roooh! It's me, Arwen the wonder-dog extraordinaire and I'm taking over this blog for the weekend!! Mommy is going over to her Monna's (that is what she calls her mom) and Daddoo's (that is what she calls her dad) house and she is bringing me with her for the weekend. I love going to their house because GrandMonna and GrandDadoo always spoil me with lots of treats and table scraps, but shhhhhh! don't tell my mommy, she doesn't like it when I get table scraps, rah rooh! They also have a big, fenced-in yard for me to run around in and I LOVE IT!
~After-bath Energy: I Make My Stuffed Crab Fly Back and Forth~

But, I am getting ahead of myself....before I can go to GrandMonna's and GrandDadoo's, I have to get pretty! I get baths very regularly (about once a month), but right now mommy says I am shedding like crazy, so last night I got my second bath in 4 weeks! Mommy says she can't believe how much I shed - she keeps saying she should save it all and make an Arwen fur sweater...but why would she do that when I already have one, rah-rooh-rooh!

~My Impression of the "Cheshire Cat" - It is MUCH Better in Dog Form!~

So anyway, last night after mom scrubbed the whole house shegot very sneaky and started piling clean towels in the bathroom and giving me the look like she was going to take a shower, which means that I have to come and lie down in the bathroom and guard it while she showers. But then, before I knew it, I was in the shower too! Rah-roh! Mommy has to come in the shower with me as I am very wriggly and it is almost impossible to get me clean any other way, so I got a shower, and covered mom with my fur. She looked good, but I think I look the best in black fur :)

~Getting Sleepy After Bath...And Getting Fuzzy Too!~

Mommy said I was very well behaved this time and stood quite still and listened very well. I was happy she got some of the falling out fur off of me - it was getting rather warm in the sun! Mommy said that she wanted to take pictures of me in the bath, or at least with the towels on me (that is my favorite part - I turn around and around to get under the towel so she can brusquely rub me down with them), but she was afraid of getting her good camera wet - sorry! Once I am free of the towels and the bathroom, I like to run around and play for quite a while to get my energy out - standing in the tub is very restrictive to my normally playful self! I toss my Crab around (in the first photo it is flying through the air during a particularly good death-shake), then I run up over the couches (mommy says I can't use the couches as a jungle gym, but I ignore her after a bath as I have soooo much energy - mommy covers the couches with blankets to keep them fairly furless as a result, rah rooh), then I sit on the top of my couch and mommy says I look the the Cheshire Cat..NO! I'm the Merrickville Dog, can't she see that?

~I KNEW She Forgot Something! I Finally Get My Treat~

After all of this I'm starting to get fairly tired, and REALLY fuzzy; it looks like I stuck my paw in an outlet - my fur sticks up everywhere! I was almost ready for my nap when I got called to the kitchen...Of course, how could I have forgotten! Ii got my favorite treat aside from peanut butter, my "Grilled Bison and Blueberry" cookies from Northern Biscuit - the best doggy cookies ever! Now I can nap and dream of chasing squirrels in GrandMonna's yard...until tomorrow, when I get to actually do it!
Sniff you tomorrow!

Mommy says to remind you that time is running out!! Sign up for my newsletter to try and win a pair of magnificent earrings from my NeoAmour Marie Antoinette collection (You have to sign up for the newsletter first to be eligible to win!!), see the full contest details here.
and Arwen

Fabulous Friday Feature: ArtbyMarilyn!

Welcome to the next installment of the Fabulous Friday Features, where I feature a different Etsy artist each week! If you know of a great Etsy artist who should be featured (or if you want to be featured yourself!) please leave a comment with a way to contact you (Etsy store, email address, blog site, etc.).

~One of Marilyn's Ads~

Enough of those details, let's get to know our newest artist! This week's artist is a fabulous artist who really defines the term "triumph over adversity". Marilyn of ArtbyMarilyn has had some very frightening ordeals with even more frightening injuries, caused by very serious car accidents. Despite serious, permanent injury (she can't feel most of the fingers in her right hand - her painting hand, and has a serious head injury), she manages to paint the most whimsical, beautiful, captivating art. So inspirational and talented is she, she was even featured on a large news program on 27News! Please read on to learn more about this amazing artist and see some of the delightful (and very affordable) art she creates.

~Marilyn with Two of Her Phenomenal Paintings, Prints of These are Available in Her Etsy Store~

My artwork reflects my life. Therefore, I want to share my story with you to help you better understand my work and my inspirations. My paintings are an exploration of observation and storytelling. Sometimes the inspiration comes quickly and other times if resides in my mind for some time. My inspiration are my feelings with regard to a subject.

~Two More Beautiful Paintings, One of Her Beloved Pastors, and Her Trademark Sunflower (Sunflower is Available in Her Etsy Store)~

Whether I capture the mental image or the digital photograph of a subject, I first sketch the picture and then use oil paint to explore a variety of color contrasts and depth to give substance and meaning to my work. I start with a blank canvas which allows the completed piece to be a reflection of my intelligence, research, hope, values, and trust in myself and God. The end result, is my mind, heart and soul expressing themselves.

~Some of Marilyn's Bookmarks for Sale~

I continue to work on my style that merges personal experience with images of world peace in order to bridge the gaps in humanity to build a stronger foundation built on compassion, inspiration, and faith. My use of variance and relevant subject matter provide an overall sense of peace and empathy between myself and the viewer.

~A Selection of Marilyn's Jewelry Featuring Her Art~

A Budding Artist~ My interest in art began when I was a girl growing up in the Madison, Wisconsin, area. When I was 13 I bought my first camera, an old Brownie. I took it everywhere looking for special moments to capture on film. My dad, August Meier, would often surprise me by laminating some of my pictures. It makes me smile when I think about how my dad enjoyed my talent. It helped us form a very special bond. I still carry some of those old pictures with me today. I even have that old Brownie, safely tucked away.

~A Book About Marilyn's Dog, Fritz~

Art Follows Me~ Throughout my life I’ve found many creative ways to express my artistic talents. At one point I worked as an interior designer. It’s still a hobby of mine. I also danced for “Arthur Murray.” I was actually chosen to travel as a dancer but had to turn it down because of my job. I haven’t been able to dance since my accidents but I hope to again soon.

~One of the Squirrels Marilyn Has Made Friends With - Prints are Available Here~

My Parents Influence~ While my father never saw me paint he was the reason I first picked up a brush. My dad died in 1965 when I was 20. To help get past the grief I decided to paint a portrait of him. I poured all my feelings into that painting as a form of therapy. The joy on the faces of those who saw it gave me the encouragement to continue painting.

~The Ever-Present Squirrel, Hoping for a Nibble~

An Artist’s Suffering~ Like many artists I’ve dealt with a lot of suffering in my life. My sweet daughter, Robin Lyn, passed away when she was just 4 months old. I had a difficult time moving on after her death until I found The Compassionate Friends, a support group for grieving parents. There will always be a very special place in my heart for Robin Lyn. My step-son, Christopher Thomas, was taken from me when he was just 8 years old and I’ve been searching for him ever since. I miss Christopher and hope to see him again someday.~A Postcard~

In 1993 I fell and tore my rotator cuff. I was reduced to 25% use of my dominant right hand and needed several operations. In 2001, a truck rear-ended my car, severely injuring my hand and foot. Six years later I was involved in another crash. This time a semi hit my car leaving me with a brain injury and more injuries to my back, hand, and hip. I am now stricken with severe head pains, I have two numb fingers on my right hand, and electric shocks jolt up my hand and shoulder. I can only paint for short periods at a time because of the pain. Luckily, I found a wonderful chiropractor, Dr. Inda. He adjusts my fingers each week so I can paint. Doctors say I’ll be disabled the rest of my life but I refuse to believe that. I hope to someday regain the use of my hand, arm, and shoulder and put an end to my head pain.~A Sneak Peek at a Collage in the Works~

Special Thanks to Family & Friends~ I’ve survived a lot of hardship but in the midst of my sorrows the Lord has also provided me with tremendous blessings. Many people have provided me with great support and encouragement throughout the years. (Please visit her site HERE to see the many people she thanks for their support)

~Another Beautiful Painting~

A Final Thought~ I pray my art will continue to be an outlet for my happy, positive feelings. I know that I am very blessed and my greatest hope is that you will find beauty in my work. May they bring smiles to your faces and lift your hearts.
Have a beautiful life,

Isn't she wonderful??? I hope you go and visit her shop and give her some love.

Until tomorrow, time is running out!! Sign up for my newsletter to try and win a pair of magnificent earrings from my NeoAmour Marie Antoinette collection (You have to sign up for the newsletter first to be eligible to win!!), see the full contest details here.