Natural Kids Store!!!

If you're a reader of my blog, you'll know that I'm a member of the Etsy Natural Kids Team. (In fact, I'm one of the co-leaders).

Our team is made up of 90 Etsy shops; and we all make items for children using natural materials. Wool, cotton, wood. There are doll-makers, and needle-felters, and wood-carvers, and knitters (Woolies!). There are some of THE most talented artisans on Etsy, in my humble opinion.

So, some of us have decided that we need to advertise OFF Etsy. So we've started an advertising collective. This is what I do in my 'day-job', so this is a natural for me (no pun intended)!.

The problem with advertising on-line, is - you have to have a place to link your ad to. How do you link your ad to numerous different shops? You can't.

Well.......we found a way. !!! Please visit Natural Kids Store.com. It is a gateway to all of the wonderful shops that are participating in these ads. Rebecca, who owns faerierebecca, and makes georgeous fabulous dolls, designed the website. (with her husband).

Please come visit! I would love to hear what you think!

Thanks again to Rebecca and Dave!!!

Political Signs

Are the roads in your area covered (littered) with political signs? VOTE NO for Proposition 203! (what IS Proposition 203?) McCain/Palin....George Bee (who is he anyway).... etc etc etc

To me they are just like littering.

My high school sophomore, politically involved, son agrees. So do his friends.

SO.................woke up Sunday morning to this:

His friends went a little crazy in our yard.

I've never laughed so hard!!

Praying Mantis

Whenever I see these amazing bugs, I stop and look. I want to pick them up and play with them. They are cooler than cool.

I found this guy just hanging on my house - in a nice shady spot on a really warm afternoon. He wasn't in any hurry to go anywhere, and he let me take some pictures of him.

This guy was BIG! and very friendly.

Handmade Showcase Giveaway!

I'm giving away a bunny necklace! You have a choice of a pink one or a blue one!

Stop by Handmade Showcase for your chance to win!

Random Acts of Kindness

Sometimes my faith in humanity is restored. I stumbled on a post in the forums on Etsy just now - that a blogger was offering free advertising on her blog for one week to 14 shops. I emailed her my ad - and she put it up!

Please visit her blog - http://kzmface.blogspot.com/ and also visit her Etsy shop http://facialcareboutique.etsy.com/ - looks quite awesome!!

Thank you!!!

Winner is chosen!

We have a winner for the MayBeads contest - it is ardy22!

Thanks to all who entered - stop by often to check out the next giveaway!

Morning Nap in the Sunshine

It got chilly last night; for the first time since April. The air is cool and breezy, and the sun feels warm.

Here's a couple animals that just had to doze in the sun......

This is Belle, our mustang. She could hardly keep her eyes open.

And this is Dozer, our quarter horse. I rarely see him snoozing like this. A few minutes later he rolled, and then got up and shook off the dust:

Want to come riding??

Almost at 200 sales!

Buster and boo, my pendant shop, is almost at 200 sales!

Whoever is the buyer of my 200th item, will WIN - what???

What shall I offer? Free Pendants? Free Necklace? - hey what about free sterling silver necklace? That's about an $8.50 value....

What do you think??

Giveaway!

Check out this adorable shop - MayBeads! She makes lampwork beads, so so cute!!! I have the utmost admiration for this art, maybe because I have no idea how they do it!! Anyway, MayBeads has offered a necklace for this weeks' giveaway!

In the artists' words:

Talk about a must-have accessory for young girls and the tween set -- the stretchy necklace is it! I have taken the stretchy necklace and "made it my own," so to speak. Instead of manufactured charms, these choker-style necklaces feature handmade lampwork beads. Each bead is created one by one, by me, and no two beads are exactly the same. Penguins are one of my favorite animals to make out of glass, and this little guy, who is wire wrapped with a decorative seed bead, seems happy to hang out on this black stretchy cord that is easy to put on and take off. The penguin is black, with a white belly, teal googly eyes and an orange beak and feet. The necklace will come in an organza bag for gift-giving. I recommend these necklaces for children starting at age 3. Please be careful with these around little ones -- they could pose a choking hazard for small children. For more of my stretchy necklaces, please take a look at my Etsy shop, at http://www.maybeads.etsy.com/.

Now for the rules:

1. Visit MayBeads. While you are there, pick your favorite thing from her shop.
2. Come back here to my blog, and leave a comment with your favorite item.
3. Your name will be entered TWICE if you blog about this contest. Please come back and leave a comment with a link to your blog entry. It could be on your blog or a friends' blog....just somewhere else!
4. MORE perks! If, just maybe, you feel like purchasing anything from either of my shops during the time of this contest, and mention this contest by saying MAYBEADS in comments to seller at checkout, you will receive a 10% discount.
My shops are: Woolies and Buster and boo. Purchasing anything does not get you more entries in this contest, just makes me happy. :0)
5. PLEASE NOTE: You MUST leave a way for me to reach you. If not, you will have to be disqualified. Lots of times, just because you are registered with blogger, does not mean I have access to your information.
6. Contest will end one week from today, October 13, at 12 midnight.

Thank you for playing!!

Winner!

Chosen by Random.org, Francine -entry #111 - is the winner of the earring giveaway.
congratulations!