FAM Birthday Bash ~~ Celebrating 1 Year

Would you like an invitation to the Party? Consider yourself officially invited!


It has been one year since the birth of the Fabulous Artistic Moms of Etsy! To celebrate our 388 moms membership, we are having a Fabulous Birthday Bash Giveaway! 38 Artists have donated prizes!! There will be 1 Grand prize winner who will receive handmade items from 28 of these Fabulous Artistic Moms and 10 Honorable Mentions who will each receive one prize! So, here is how to enter ...



Rules of the Game
1) Visit one or more of the shops below and look for the cupcake hidden (like the one above) as one of the images in their listings.

2) Post a comment below with the listing URL (http://...) where you found the cupcake, your name, and your e-mail address. (Your comment will not be shown to the public.) The game runs from February 15-21, 2009. A list of winner will be posted on the blog.

Would you like an extra entry?
1)Visit a different shop and find another cupcake! Post an additional comment below with the listing URL (http://...) where you found the cupcake, your name, and your e-mail address. You may leave up to 5 entry comments for finding cupcakes!

2)For every item purchased from one of the shops listed below, from February 15-21, you will get an extra entry. Simply post an additional comment with the transaction URL link with your name and e-mail address.



Participating Shops and Prizes Donated for the Birthday Bash!!
Giggleberry Creations
Unisex fabric banner

Whimsical Creations
Cupcake Ornament & Birthday Hat Ornament

Annie Howes Keepsakes
DIY Scrabble Pendant kit w/tutorial


Apple Loves Orange
5 photo gift tags in "Black"

Tender Heart Babies
FAM Princess Bank

Michon
freshwater pearl earrings

DoubleDippedSweets
Turtle Caramel Apple, your choice of nuts!

Handmade by Andrea Baker
The Oogly Friend - Snowflake

Crafts by Carer
Crochet Top Kitchen Towel

ChamberryCherryDesigns
personalized cosmetic makeup bag


BerryCreek Soaps
Monkey Farts Scented Aloe Vera Soapsicle

Crochet by Momma J
Sachet Pillow

Sweeet Pickles Pottery Little Dish many uses

Elegant Snobbery
8 x 8 Chocolate and Roses Cupcake Print

ImagineThat
Original Design with Artisan Handmade Beads Necklace

Ravishing Jane
Plum Striped Earrings

GingerKittyDesigns
Pearl bead bracelet and earrings set

Skinner Studio
Red Cherry - Chiyogami and Resin Necklace

Alphabulous
Iron on patch, letter or number and bookmark of their choosing

LJ Design Photo
5x5 photo and 4 gift cards of a cupcake

Macaroni and Glue
A Hint of Shimmer - Boxed Set of 10 Flat Notes

Oh Mandie
Sugar - Whimsy Earrings

New England Quilter
Pink Fabric Coiled Basket

TheTieDyeGirl and TheSewingChic
$20 gift cards

Mock Frog Jewelry
bakelite necklace w/ black satin ribbon, ball chain

Valerie's Gallery
Blue and Green Felted Wool Bowl

KlymyshynDesign
Aqua Thread Earrings

Huggabears
butterfly and flower totebag

Haberheartwork
Glass pendant with ballchain necklace

Kims'c Custom Cards and Gifts
One free item from my store (excluding printing services), winner's choice

Sensationally Sweet
1/2 pound chocolate assortment

TheBrassHussy
Brass Musical Swirls with Green Filigree Capped dangles - Earrings

Sweet Pickles Pottery
Fleur de Lis Wine Bottle Stopper

PickleJuice
3 Hand Hooked Wool Flowers-spring colors

Tiny Storm
Pair of earrings in the Czech glass color of the winner's choice.

Memory Books and More
Card

Pumpkin Pea
A Pair of Flower Duo


Spare Time Crafts
First Aid Etui boxes

FAM Friday Feature ~~ BadCatJewelry

Today's FAM Feature showcases badcatjewerly ~~~



Her handmade jewelry combines elegance, whimsy and colors for a striking result. I am not a jewelry specialist, but I do know this: Each and every piece in her shop is amazing!

Come visit her shop to see what I mean. Here are just a few of my favorites:









And to top it off ~~ 10% of every purchase goes to Specially for Children in Austin, Texas.

FAM Friday Feature ~~ TooAquarius

Amazing color and beauty are the words I would use to describe tooaquarius beads. Sometimes romantic, sometimes whimsical.. but everytime amazingly beautiful!




Here is a snippit from her bio that give some insite to where these great ideas originate from:

"I'm the odd mix of technical and crafty. I love my sparkly, shiny beads in nifty colours but I'm equally charmed by careful mixing, repeating patterns and precision. My inspiration comes from a variety of places - science fiction and fairy tales, flowers and the wind in the trees, news stories and nursery rhymes are just a few".




.(¯`'•.¸(¯`'•.¸ * My Technique *¸.•'´¯)¸.•'´¯)

Most of my work uses a technique called millefiori. This allows for pictures to be created in logs or canes of clay where the pictures can be pretty much whatever you dream up. Flowers are a favourite of mine, as are faces and insects. A complex cane can take hours to design and make. It is then reduced (sometimes teeny tiny) and thin slices are taken and placed on blank beads to make a collage style design.

Beads are then properly cured and finished as needed by sanding, buffing or varnishing. I have been working with clay for nearly ten years and I still feel like I'm in the honeymoon stage!





Come visit tooaquarius for all your bead needs.. you will be pleasantly surprized!

FAM Friday Feature ~~ GardenCris27

Bags, Pouches and Aprons ~~



Today's FAM (Fabulous Artistic Moms) feature showcases some of Carissa Black's fantastic pouches. Her work is fabulous and is appealing to young and (ahem) slightly older women. I know because I bought one a while back for myself, but when it arrived in the mail, my 18 year old daughter talked me into giving it to her! Her stitiching is impeccible and her fabric choices are amazing.




From her profile:

"I started sewing, as most people did, as a kid in home economics. I hated it! I hated following a pattern and I hated following directions. I wanted to do it my way, my way was better! What got me into trouble then, has helped me to grow a successful business. I never use patterns and love to come up with new designs. I am also the mom of two, very active, little boys. On the weekends, I am an intensive care unit nurse. I love my sewing as it gives me a wonderful outlet for creativitiy. I also think every woman and mom should have something that they do just for them and no one else."




Visit GardenCris27's shop to see for yourself!

FAM Friday Feature ~~ mariterecr

I would like to welcome one of our newest FAM members by featuring some of her beautiful photography here.

mariterecr has an incredible ability to capture a moment in time. What catches my attention is the wonderful colors and great subjects. I am sure you will agree that these are pretty amazing!




This quote taken from her profile indicates the level of heart and soul she puts into her work: "Through my work I strive to celebrate the joy and beauty of life and stimulate the senses; I love creating art and photography that can bring happiness, inspiration and beauty into people's lives... a lot of thought and creativity are put into my craft which reflects on happy memories and my love for family, cultures, traveling, design, architecture, art and nature." And it shows!

I have only shown a few of her pieces, so feel free to visit her etsy shop and see more.

FAM Friday Feature~~ earthexpressions

I am going to dedicate my Friday blog entries as a feature to one of the members of the streeteam FAM (Fabulous Artistic Moms) and this week I would like to present earthexpressions.

I think this quote from her profile says it all:
"Creating is my passion, colors and nature are my inspiration to make original wearable art and accessories. Most of my Graphic Jewelry features my own digital collages or designs, so, they are very unique... My Art Pendants are coated with Jewelry Grade Resin, which is a very hard and durable material, they are water and alcohol resistant and has a lustrous and soft glass like finish, you will love it"



I've picked out just a few of my favorites, but be sure to check out her shop yourself as she has a great variety of pendants and rings. AND.. she is having an incredible sale right now.... so take advantage and scratch some names off your holiday shopping list. And don't forget to get one for yourself while you are there!