Happy Family Day and President's Day!

My second attempt at polymer clay: a cat and wooly sheep :)

Well, happy Family Day to those of us in Canada who celebrate it, and Happy President's Day to all of my American friends :)
This week I've got some new bracelets to show you on Tuesday, Arwen is finally going to show you her napping spots (technical difficulties last week, sorry) on Wednesday, I've got a few treasuries that I've been featured in to share with you on Thursday, and this Friday's Feature post is fantastic woodworking duo Element Arts and Crafts. Trust me, you won't want to miss that one! Saturday is the world of Squee again as I scour the internet for the cutest, funniest things to make you smile during your weekend.

The kitty from the side. One front paw slightly raised, as if to say hello,  and the tail curling up :)

Yesterday I played with polymer clay again. It wasn't quite so scary, and I managed to make 2 more cute (at least I think they're cute!) sculptures. I made a kitty, seen above, with a quizzical air to its head, and one paw just starting to raise off the ground, as if it sees something interesting and might possibly want to bless it with its attentions. I think I'll give this one to my mom, and then make another one for me :)

A curly black sheep. I seriously need to make another one!

 I also made a sheep. I love sheep! Seriously, I think they are the cutest darned things. A friend of mine up the road has a farm, and they raise sheep and poultry and honestly, the sheep are so funny, it's hard not to laugh at them (I try not to, as people tend to think I'm nuts when laughing at sheep placidly eating grass). This black sheep took a while, as I made the body first, and then made lots of little polymer clay swirls to represent his wool, which I then stuck on. It turned out pretty well (if I do say so myself), and I think I'll give it to my aforementioned friend. Then I'll make another one for myself :-D
I've also started painting some of the wooden jewelry boxes I purchased for displaying jewelry at shows and the farmers' market this year...oh, I didn't mention that earlier?? Well, you'll just have to keep stopping by to see them when they're done... ;-)
Until next time,

Merry Christmas! Season's Greetings!

A huge Merry Christmas to everyone! Thank you so much for brightening my year with your views and comments. You mean the world to me, and I look forward to blogging to you next year and beyond. I have lots planned for the future - style advice, new jewellery pieces, Arwednesdays, how-to's, treasuries, features and much more. Please keep coming back and please give me your feedback so I know what you want to see.

Wishing you the best of the season, see you in a few days,

and Arwen the Wonder Dog

Advertising Spots Available!

Hey everyone, I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. In Canada, today we are all just getting back to the grind after the Victoria Day long weekend (also known as May 2-4 weekend). People are sleepy, people are sunburned and bug-bitten, I am trying to contain the chaos that is my brain as I am learning everything about online businesses that Etsy and other people have published online in the last 3 years so that I can really get my jewelry business humming :)

In that vein, I am offering readers the chance to advertise on my blogs (I have three. Yes three) for a very low monthly rate of $1/month. For this, you get a 200x200 pixel stationary ad of your website, blog, whatever you would like (so long as it is G-Rated). The ad will be run on all three of my blogs for just $1 per month. Yes, you read that correctly. 1 ad, $1 per month, on three blogs. It's a steal!

I have 2 spots currently (you can see them on the left hand side of each of the blogs, underneath the mailing list sign up), and will begin the new ads in June. If you are interested, please email me with the subject "Blog Ad" to Meg (at) LittleStudio (dot) ca to get started!

But hurry, there are only 2 spots left!

Oh wait! I forgot the best part! I'll also do a little blog post about your shop (if you have one), showcasing your items. If you don't have a shop, I'll do a little blurb about your website or blog :)

Hurry hurry!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Oh yes, things they are a changin', which is partly the reason for the lack of posts lately. I am having my website re-done by a pro, this blog is getting a makeover (hopefully also by said pro!), my packaging is getting a makeover, almost everything is changing around here! Please be patient while I renovate, I am trying to streamline things so that everything is much cleaner, easier to navigate and (of course!) purchase from my various stores. While I want my blog redone by a professional, I am tweaking things myself to see what I like, what works, what doesn't. You'll notice first of all that I am getting rid of Project Wonderful. While I think it is a great idea, I am sick of having to reject the pornographic-site idiots that insist on trying to advertise here, even though I have made it VERY clear that this site is to be (as much as possible) ALL AGES. NO PORN, thank you very much! So I am going to offer advertising privately on my blog, starting at just $1/month. Yes, you read that correctly, just $1. I think it will be a bit cleaner-looking, and I know that anyone with a spam or porno site sending me emails will get blocked by my spam filter, so everyone wins :)

I also have some REALLY cool news in the realm of personal fitness which I'll try to share in the next few days as well.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, comments, suggestions or applause, please let me know, I want to make everything easy for you to move around in :)
Have a great weekend!

In Memory of Barry Fraser: A True Hero and Generally Great Guy

I never met Barry in person, but I followed his blog, AnExplorersViewofLife (http://anexplorers.blogspot.com/), religiously after finding it under Blogger's Blog of Note over a year ago. I was drawn to his cleverness, humor, intelligence and interesting viewpoints on just about everything. Arwen loved his posts about Lindsay, his, and his wife Linda's, dog (as did I, she seems like such a character). In March of last year, the tone changed considerably, though never losing Barry's considerable skill at writing: while visiting a restaurant, he got a chicken bone stuck in his throat. Upon going to a hospital to get it checked out, they found something unusual. That something unusual turned out to be esophageal cancer. Barry treated it the way he seemed to treat everything on his blog: seriously, but with a wicked sense of humor, wit and love of life.
Barry passed away on Tuesday. He is no longer in pain, the cancer can no longer sap his energy. He is now in heaven, running with dogs the way he used to love running with his beloved Lindsay on the bluffs near Toronto.
I'm ringing a bell for you Barry, you may not be living, but you have won your fight. The cancer is gone, and you will be sorely missed.
Rest in Peace my friend,
and Arwen

Soulful Sunday: Goodbye to a Very Dear Friend

On Tuesday, March 9, 2010, Renee of Circling My Head Blog passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. She was so brave and smart and caring. Though I am glad she is no longer suffering, the world is truly darker without her bright light shining. I didn't know her for very long, but we became fast friends and exchanged little gifts a few times. If has taken me almost a week to write a tribute to her, as really, nothing I can say, write or express will ever come close to describing the wonderful woman she was.

I loved her spirit. If people didn't understand her, or tried to say anything against her (which, really, wasn't very often as she was just so damn right in everything), she would say, "Fuck it!" sorry for the language, but there are times when it is right to say. On Wednesday when I read the announcement on her blog about her death, I was quite upset and didn't really know what to do. As an emotional eater (yes, guilty!) I immediately wanted something with carbs. Bread, or pasta or fat, or comforting, but it had to be good. The other side of this rather one-sided conversation was saying that I'm trying not to eat processed foods as they really don't agree with me, yadda, yadda, yadda. So yeah, I said...

"Fuck it!" I made cheesy tea biscuits in honor of Renee. I love you and miss you.

The tea biscuits were delicious, and Brennan and I ate all twelve by the end of the next day. It was worth it. Renee was worth it. Her spirit lives on in everyone who takes the attitude that we ARE worth it. We are God's children. We ARE.

Rest in peace Renee, we can't wait to see you in heaven when our turn comes.


P.S. I am very sorry for the language today. I seriously debated for a long time whether to put it in as I didn't want to offend or shock anyone, but the loss of Renee hit me pretty hard, and that is really what she said. I didn't want to bleep her. Anyone who reads this blog knows I try very hard not to swear, but sometimes you have to get it out. I got it out, and thank you for understanding.

Manic Monday: Laptop is MIA!

Image from http://www.icanhascheezburger.com

Okay, so it isn't MIA per se, but my neighbor has it while I get Simply Accounting and stuff set up on it, thus the no posting for almost a week (I'm sorry!!). That means, of course, that I am down to my work laptop, which I am trying to save as much as possible for WORK, so it doesn't have any photos or photo software, which means my blog posts are BARE and pointless. I WILL get back here as soon as I get my trusty-dusty old laptop again and can post photos of Arwen and my jewelry and stuff.

Thanks so much for your patience, I'll be back very soon :)

Sweet Saturday, Part 2 - Blog Feature!

Check out the above necklace, my Earth and Fire Pendant Necklace, featured here: http://asthecrackerheadcrumbles.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-gift-sites-to-see_12.html

Fabulous Friday Features: 2 Blog Mentions!

Today's Fabulous Friday Feature is a bit of a surprise...I'm mentioned on 2 blogs! I even have a feature on Eccentric Pastiche's blog! For those of you that don't know Eccentric Pastiche, I did a feature on Anne a while back, and she makes the most amazing teas. Please stop by to see my feature and see her great blog!!
I also got a pleasant surprise when I found that my Jeweled Celtic Spiral Ring is on Beaded Tail's Friday Features Blog! Every Friday Sharla and her amazing animals feature great artists and I am so tickled to be among them this week! Please stop by and check out the other amazing artists on the blog.

That is all for now, tune in tomorrow for a few photos of the disaster I am calling my office...I'm currently refurnishing and reorganizing and it looks like a crafter exploded!
See you tomorrow, if I survive :)

Fabulous Friday Feature: She's Batty Designs!

This week's Fabulous Friday Feature is a surprise...at least to the seller! This week I am featuring the fabulous gift card designer She's Batty Designs. You can find her on Etsy and ArtFire, and she has a great blog as well. See below for some more great items in her shops. This is the perfect way to make any gift (or just a card!) stand out from the sea of mass-produced, rather soulless cards. All of her cards are hand made by her and are very intelligently designed.
I love these snowmen cards, the pop up 'snow' really makes them stand out from the crowd. It is also great that they come in different colors - you could give the same card to 3 different people and they'll still look different!
These are just the cutest pumpkins ever! I thought about buying them just to put up in my office as art. Of course, they'll also make great little thank-you's or even place settings!
If gingerbread cookies had to look like cards, hands-down, they would choose to look like these. Aren't these the most delicious and cute-looking cards ever?? Genius, that's all I have to say.
This beautiful, dainty card is also a pop up! You'll have to visit her stores to see the rest of this very pretty card.

Please visit her and tell her I sent you! She is a great artist, so don't forget about her cards when you are doing your shopping :-)
She's Batty Designs on Etsy
She's Batty Designs on Artfire
She's Batty Designs Blog

That's all for now, tune in tomorrow for Sweet Saturday :-)

Fabulous Fall Treasury and Feature

I was so fortunate yesterday to grab a treasury and I simply must share it with you! I am so happy to showcase a few of my favorite Etsy artists and their great offerings for fall. Please do click on the link or the image to go to the treasury, where you can click each image to get an up close view of these great items at fantastic prices, and hey, why not start your holiday shopping while you're at it??

Also, I go an email this morning from AsTheCrackerHeadCrumbles, telling me that I was featured in their Sites To See on their blog! Please check that out to see my Celtic Earrings, and a few other great sites as well.

Have a great Friday!

Thoughtful Thursday: A Few Changes

First, Arwen and I would like to thank everyone for their very kind comments yesterday and Arwen wants to reiterate that yes, she does looooove deer, as was evidenced by her frenzied barking this morning as two massive does crossed the road in front of our house. When asked what she'd do with them if she ever caught up with them, she said that she would try to play with them, doing her little bows and body wags (when the tail wags the dog, so to speak), and then try to lick them. Thank you to everyone who reads these blogs, and I hope we can continue to keep you all entertained :)

In an effort to streamline things, I have decided to make a few changes to the blogs. Entrecard is really becoming a pain, trying to make it more difficult to earn credits, and trying to keep paid advertisers on top of dropper ads paid for by credits. Therefore I am getting rid of Entrecard ads from my blogs, and will be using only Project Wonderful to accept ads. I will try to drop on my favorites, and possibly advertise through Entrecard until my credits run out, but I will not accept ads from them anymore.

This allows me to rearrange the items on the sidebars, giving my Project Wonderful advertisers more visibility. You can see the long bar on the left hand side is for Project Wonderful ads, so if you are interested in advertising here, please click on the bottom of the bar. Please do take a few minutes as well to click on the ads - you'll find some really delightful artists.

In the meantime, I am finishing up this month's newsletter, hopefully to be sent out today (have you signed up to be in on the inside scoop yet?). And Arwen is sleeping. Again.

Have a great day!
and Arwen

Arwendnesdays with Arwen the Wonder Dog

Hello, Arwen the wonder dog here for another installment of Arwendnesdays. It has been getting colder here and that combined with the constant rain has made mommy very sore. even if she wasn't, we still wouldn't be able to go for our walks - I HATE the rain....mommy calls me a girly dog, because I hate to even do my business when it rains...though I do like coming in afterwards and getting toweled off! Anyway, since we don't have any recent walking photos, today I'm showing how I help mommy with everything. She has been sore and feeling ill with her Fibromyalgia so I help as much as I can: I cuddle and follow her around like a sticky shadow, I bark at things much more often to make sure I'm protecting her from any wild things that try to come on my property, and I help her with her computer stuff.

Now, my toes do sometimes get in the way, but I noticed yesterday that we had won a blog award from Audrey's Country Crafts!
We have to answer the following questions and then pass it to 6 more blogs. I am going to try to answer for myself and mommy, so here goes:
1. Where is your cell phone? Kitchen counter
2. Your hair? Mommy: long and brown, Arwen: black and white
3. Your mother? Mommy: In Ottawa, Arwen: right here
4. Your father? Mommy: In Ottawa, Arwen: at work
5. Your favorite food? Mommy: Lentils, Arwen: ANYTHING!
6. Your dream last night? Mommy: Can't remember, Arwen: Chasing Deers
7. Your favorite drink? Mommy: Oaky, Italian red wine, Arwen: tuna juice
8. Your dream/goal? Mommy: to make my business a steady, full time income, Arwen: to chase deers allllll day.
9. What room are you in? Mommy and Arwen: living room
10. Your hobby? Mommy: any crafts/reading/playing with Arwen, Arwen: Eating Grass and throwing my seal around
11. Your fear? Mommy: being totally disabled, Arwen: mommy leaving me or me running out of treats!
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Mommy: with Arwen and my hubby, happy and making jewelry, Arwen: chasing deers
13. Where were you last night? Mommy and Arwen: right here!
14. Something that you aren’t? Mommy and Arwen: lazy
15. Muffins? Mommy and Arwen: YES PLEASE!!
16. Wish list item? Mommy: Wacom Bamboo Fun (Medium) Silver Tablet with Pen, Mouse & Graphics Software, Arwen: deers and treats
17. Where did you grow up? Mommy: Ottawa, Arwen: Merrickville
18. Last thing you did? Mommy: Put out the garbage, Arwen: watched mommy put out the garbage
19. What are you wearing? Mommy: warm clothes (it is FREEZING here now), Arwen: my birthday suit (my furs, silly!)
20. Your TV? Mommy and Arwen: yes
21. Your pets? Mommy: Arwen, Arwen: mommy and daddy :)
22. Friends? Mommy and Arwen: thankfully, yes
23. Your life? Mommy and Arwen: loving
24. Your mood? Mommy and Arwen: happy and sleepy
25. Missing someone? Mommy and Arwen: daddy - he's at work
26. Vehicle? Mommy and Arwen: just daddy's Toyota
27. Something you’re not wearing? Mommy and Arwen: boots
28. Your favorite store? Mommy: any book store, Arwen: the pet store of course!
29. Your favorite color? Mommy: blue or black Arwen: I only see black and white!
30. When was the last time you laughed? Mommy and Arwen: this morning
31. Last time you cried? Mommy and Arwen: when we had a lost puppy on our door step - thankfully he is safe at his home now :)
32. Your best friend? Mommy: Arwen, Arwen: mommy
33. One place that I go to over and over? Mommy and Arwen: our regular walks on our roads
34. One person who emails me regularly? Mommy (Arwen): Hubby (daddy)
35. Favorite place to eat? Mommy and Arwen: our house, 'cause mommy loves to cook!
Here are 6 of our favorite blogs to pass this on to:
1. FriendsFurEver
2. DaisytheCurlyCat
3. BeadedTail
4. Mishkat
5. EndlessWhimsy
6. LifeCraftinessandEverythingElse (the House of Mouse)

We hope you have a great Arwendnesday, see you soon!!

and Arwen

Fabulous Friday Features: The House of Mouse!

Welcome to the newest installment of the Fabulous Friday Features, where a new artist is featured each week! If you are an artist, or if you know an artist on Etsy, Artfire, iCraft, or another online venue who should be featured, please leave me a comment with their name and their website.

As no one has given me new artists to feature, I would like to do a surprise feature on one of my favorite artists on Etsy, TheHouseofMouse. Anna is the genius behind these adorable critters, and, take it from me, will be very famous for them one of these days (are you listening, Hollywood??). Living in Holland (she is originally from England), she started making mice for fun, but after a few smart people said she should sell them, she did, and really hasn't looked back!

~Gandalf the Grey Mouse~

Her inspirations come from all over, but some of her newest creations are from some very popular movies, such as The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Harry Potter and more.

~Yoda Mouse - How Can You Not Smile at Him?~

Each mouse is individually hand made with great care and attention to detail. She also does custom orders, just in case you don't see exactly what you are looking for on her site (that may be hard, however, as she has just about every base covered with her mice!).

~For the Vampire Lovers in Your Life, Vladimir the Vampire Mouse~

Each high quality little mouse is lovingly packaged and comes with it's own certificate of authenticity, stamped with a wax seal. She also ships all over the world (so those of you purchasing my presents for Christmas are well warned of what I would like!!). The two mice below are some of my very favorites, though I do think I will have to save and collect the Harry Potter Collection, the Lord of the Rings Collection, and most of the Star Wars Collection (okay, okay, I'm a movie nerd).

~Two of My Personal Favorites, the Hermione Mouse and Heather the Artist Mouse~

Right now on Anna's Blog, Life, Craftiness and Everything Else, you can enter to win a free mouse of your choice (up to $40 in value)! She is giving one mouse away each month with this contest, so be sure to pop by her blog often.

That is all for now, I have to pop by Anna's blog and tell her she is newly featured!

Tuesday's Treasures: Another Great Day at the Cottage

~Misty Morning from Our Neighbor's Dock~

I awoke one morning to find Arwen eager to do her business and when I went out to our dock I found a beautiful misty morning! After running inside to grab the camera (and make myself decent!) I found this photo waiting to be taken - it is a view from the neighbor's dock. They were truly delightful people and after I gave them a few of my birthday cupcakes, they reciprocated by giving us a HUGE jar of delicious homemade maple syrup! They have some massive maple trees on their property and each year they tap them to make the most amazing maple syrup I've ever tasted. (Thank you again if you are reading this!).

~BOO!~

I heard a noise while taking photos (sort of a screech followed by a splash) and looked down to find this big guy staring at me. I had no idea bullfrogs can scream, but then again, if they get that big, I suppose anything is possible!

~Our Boat~

This was the view from the boat that we got with the cottage. You can really see all of the beautiful lily pads and a bit of the fog. By this time the fog had started to burn away as the sun was really rising.

~Waterlily~

When I went back onto the deck to enjoy the view, I looked down and found this beautiful little lady waiting for her own closeup. I love these waterlilies and was so very fortunate to capture one open - they close completely as soon as there is too much shade, which happens fairly often as there are many beautiful, mature trees on the shore, waiting to be admired.

~Brennan and a Friend Fishing~

Later on in the day, Brennan had a friend over for fishing and steaks. I also gave him some of my birthday cupcakes and I was delighted to see that he loved them as much as Brennan and I do. He even asked for the recipe - score one for Meghann and my gluten free, Vegan chocolate cupcakes!

I'll have more photos tomorrow....here is another happy one of Arwen - I actually got her with her ears up!!
and Arwen

Wordless Wednesday, Or, What Happens When I'm Bored

...yeah...

....I got bored!

Don't forget to enter my newest contest! See HERE for details.

300 Posts! And, A Giveaway!

300 Posts, Holy COW! I can't believe it's been over a year and 300 posts since we started this blog. I am listening to every comment and suggestion I am getting from you to make this blog bigger and better, so please keep the suggestions coming! I am still asking for suggestions to make my blog and business better for you - you could even win a ring from my Etsy store, so please see THIS post for details on how to win - INTERNATIONAL BLOGGERS WELCOME!!

To thank you all for being here on this incredible journey and making every step so enjoyable, Arwen has put on her party hat and we have decided to do ANOTHER giveaway in addition to the contest that started yesterday (see Tuesday's post for details on that one)!

Here's what you have to do: Go to my Etsy store and pick out your favorite item for $30 or less. The winner will be chosen at random and will win their favorite item! INTERNATIONAL BLOGGERS WELCOME! This is for ONE DAY ONLY so make sure you comment today to get into this giveaway.

Good luck everyone, have a great day, I know we sure will :)

and Arwen