Tools of the Trade

Brussels Griffon Leash Holder
Our blog carnival weekly theme for August is Tools of the Trade, tell of your favorite tool you use in your craft. I use somewhat of a handmade tool because I can never find the perfect sculpting tool because my sculptures are so small. So I have taken a small vice and placed a piece of wire inside and use this to sculpt all of my small sculptures and so far it has worked perfectly. Actually, it's the tool I've spent the least amount of money on that has given me the best results. I have tried many, many other tools and I've found this to be both the most comfortable fit for me and the most effective.

What is your favorite tool of your crafting trade?

Pit Bull the Little Pirate Halloween Tile

Pit Bull the Little Pirate Halloween Tile
The tile depicts a sweet Pit Bull dancing with glee that Halloween is almost here! This little stinker is dressed up like a pirate complete with earring, sword and eye patch. He is dressed in a black and white striped top with red scarf. He has a silver earring in one ear and a black patch over his eye and holds a mighty sword in his hand (really it's just a butter knife, but we won't tell him that, he's so proud) and in the other hand he's holding his very own pumpkin basket to stash away all those tasty treats. Embedded in one corner of his tile is part of his buried treasure, an old mystery ring.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel as Minnie

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel as Minnie
The tile depicts a King Charles dancing with glee that Halloween is almost here! This little girl is dressed up like her favorite -- Minnie Mouse complete with red and white polka dot dress, Minnie mouse ears and bow to match! She's holding her very own pumpkin basket to stash away all those tasty treats!

Approximate size of the tile is is 1-1/2" square. It has white ribbon attached at the top for hanging. These tiles can hang just about anywhere, they can be worn and can also be used as a Christmas ornament. So sweet!

Looking for a Change

A friend of mine has been interested in looking into some Orlando Investment Property . She is getting tired of spending cold winters here in Chicago and has been dreaming of having a place in Florida to spend the winters where the weather is much warmer. This has been a desire of hers for some time now, so I finally told her to just go for it and start by checking out Clicksmart, it’s a site that helps you locate just about anything and everything. So we did some investigating and started to hunt around for Orlando Realtors and there was a whole list of realtors to get us started. So if you’re looking for anything from contractors to buying real estate, check out Clicksmart.

Great Dane Punk Bead

Great Dane Punk Out Bead
This Great Dane bead has a lot of attitude and loves punk. He's decked out with a Mohawk, an earring and splashed in white paint. He's one cool dude.

The bead is hand-sculpted from polymer clay -- bead is pierced vertically from top of head to bottom.

Approximate size:
1" top to bottom
6/8" across ear to ear

Doll Closet

Patched up Jeans, Blouse, Sash and Headband
The dollcloset is filled to the brim with beautiful doll clothes for the 18" doll. I love this shop and the clothes are just darling. I have to admit that I have an 18" American Girl doll -- and I'm not a little girl by the way, not by a long shot. I bought the doll as a collector so she's tucked away, but if I did want to dress her up, these would be the clothes to check out. It does make me want to take her out of her box and dress her up -- these clothes would look so cute on her.

Silver Satin Party Dress

DinnerTime Chimes

Fork Easel
DinnerTimeChimes is one cool shop. The shop is run by a young couple who love to make beautiful music together -- by making wind chimes from recycled silverware. Talk about harmony! Their wind chimes are a labor of love; the couple scours estate sales, flea markets and thrift stores to find each piece. They offer a variety of other pieces like key chains, bookmarks and the above Fork Card Holder Easel, what a great way to display a small piece of art, business cards or for place settings at a party!

Where thou Art, There is Home Windchime

Farmstead Organics

Family Pack
For some wonderful organic products, stop by farmsteadorganics. Their products are made with organic herbs and fresh goats milk. If you love to surround yourself with sweet smelling soap then try their Pumpkin and Oatmeal soap or Chocolate Fudge, how yummy -- or you can try their family pack and get a variety of different scents -- all natural!!

Pumpkin and Oatmeal Soap

Greencircle

Postcards
If you're looking for notecards, gift tags, buttons and darling gift baskets then stop by Greencircle. This is a delightful shop, full of wonderful products created with original artwork illustrations by the artist. I think you'll love her bright and cheery illustrations -- these are a couple of my favorites.


Tag Collection-Thank You and Minis

Dogs on Halloween

Penny the Pug - Little Angel
So do you dress up your dog for Halloween? Every year around Halloween I get these e-mails with photos of pups dressed up for Halloween and some are so cute and others downright hysterical. So that's what I'm wondering today, how many people out there do dress up their dogs and do you plan on dressing them this year? And if so what will they be? I know I won't be dressing up my dog because while she may let me put something on her head for about a second or two she'll paw it off almost immediately, she's not much into dressing up.

The tile above depicts adorable Penny the Pug dancing with glee that Halloween is almost here! She is dressed up like a little angel with glow in the dark wings, a silver halo and carrying her very own trick or treat pumpkin pail to get all those Halloween treats -- she's so excited! Approximate size of the tile is is 1-1/2" square. It hangs from orange ribbon.

KhaosCat

Pet Portraits
KhaosCat offers a variety of fun and eclectic pieces including some brooches and adorable plushies, but what I fell in love with were her pet portraits. She offers custom pet portraits and children portraits done in a combination of papers, acrylic paints, ink, paper and charcoal on birch wood. I have to say I'm partial to the Dobie piece below, why you may ask, well, I'm partial to Dobermans, love the breed, they're great friends and companions.

Christina the Chinese Crested - At the Koi Pond

Introducing elegant little Christina the Chinese Crested. She loves to sit out in the garden next to the koi pond and look pretty and while she's not out there striking a pose, she loves to watch the fishies swim around and around.

Christina is hand-sculpted from polymer clay. Behind her sits a small glass vial filled with glass beads. Around the neck of the vial are fibers, seed beads, glass beads ending in two crystal beads. Inside the vial sits a lovely peacock feather. In front of her sits blue glass hand painted with goldfish. The entire piece sits on a wooden base painted in matching colors of blue, green and gold.

Size of sculpture at base is approximately:
5" wide x 3" wide
(stands approximately 4" including peacock feather)

Dogonwear

Saddlepacks
Dogonwear is a darling of a shop run by Gena Massingill and Joan Logan. Their shop offers doggy backpacks, collars, leashes, mats and more. Their backpacks are made in all sizes to fit any dog and they're not only stylish, but your pup can help carry his own poop bags -- genius :). But the one thing that stood out most for me about their shop is their dedication to helping animals. I love the idea that they came up with to use adoptable dogs as some of their models, what a wonderful idea and how great to do something that gives back in a special way. As you browse through Dogonwear all of the dogs that are framed in red are adoptable pets like Popeye below, decked out in a clown jester collar, he is a 6-month-old Greyhound puppy looking for a forever home. Such a great show of support for the pups -- I mean how great is that?

Clown Jester Collar

Back in the City

So now we're back in the city and I was walking the dog this morning when I came across this and had to take a photo of it. You see some outrageous things in the city, but when I saw this stuffed animal peeking out of the garbage can I had to laugh and then I kind of felt sorry for it. He looked so pitiful stuffed in that can all by his lonesome. Is it crazy to feel something about an object that's not living and breathing? Sometimes I feel that way about stuffed animals, like they have feelings too -- crazy? Probably so, but I did feel a little bad for this guy, thinking he was probably a good companion at one time to somebody.

Happy Shack Designs

Atlantis Bracelet
We're back from vacation and I thought I'd dive right in with some beautiful jewels for everyone to feast their eyes on. I adore happyshackdesigns and her bright and beautiful jewelry creations. She has a whole lot of eye candy to look at and as you browse through her shop you'll notice her great eye for color and style. Her color combinations are a delight! So since I just arrived back from my vacation I still have blue skies, waters and green grass on my mind so that's why I made these two selections even though each and every one of her pieces are a delightful work of art, these colors remind me of a cool breeze on a beautiful summer day. Enjoy.

Dreaming of You Earrings

Vacation Time Again

It's that time again, going out to the country where there are no phones, no computers, no gadgets of any kind, just nature. I always have mixed feelings about these times because although I love to get away from the city and all the hustle and bustle, I do miss my gadgets, most of all my computer. I must say that the dog loves it though -- she seems to be smiling when we're out there. Can dogs smile? I do believe mine does when she's running around in the grass and into the river, no leash, no neighbors, just land to roam around and other critters to meet. See you all in about a week -- we'll miss all of our blogger friends!

VistaPrint Business Checks

I have always heard from my friends that VistaPrint was the place to go for business cards. Their business cards are affordable, are of great quality and are shipped out and arrive to you quickly. I have heard nothing but good things about the quality of their products and services. So now I’ve become interested in their business checks. I really do need to order some business checks to separate my business from my personal account and have been looking around for the best possible price for the best quality and I think I will give VistaPrint a try. From all that I’ve heard about them they are a great value.

They also have a variety of check styles that you can choose from. They have business wallet checks, a general purpose three-to-a-page checks which make keeping your books easy, they are perfect for paying invoices and keeping track of all your transactions, everything is right there on the page and they also have computer checks where you can print checks out directly from your computer. All of these options have beautiful custom design templates to choose from and if you can’t decide on one of their custom designs you can always upload your own design for your business. And right now they are offering a 25% off checks when you order checks in quantity of 25 or more.

Use this Coupon Code
Checks25 - 25% off Checks

Any one of these options, business wallet, general purpose three page checks or the computer checks would be great for business use and I think I’m headed there right now to decide which one would be the best fit for me.

Folk Art by Campbell Jane

Beautiful Mermaid Beach Angel Print
I love folk art, I think it's one of my favorite types of artwork. The whimsy and colorful nature of folk art expresses itself well in these mermaids, which is the artwork of Janet who runs an Etsy store by the name of Campbell Jane. Her mermaids are so sweet and colorful with a touch of whimsy. There are original paintings and many prints of these wonderful mermaids as you browse through her shop -- if you'd like to see more of Janet's artwork stop by Campbell Jane and take a look around her gallery of artwork.

Angel of Lost Homes Print

Cloning Pets -- What's your opinion?

I was reading this article about dog cloning and started to think that I'm not crazy about this idea.
news.aol.com/article/woman-gets-five-clones-of-her-pitbul...
Now I love my dog and will be devastated when she passes, but cloning or not there will never be another Lena. I mean isn't it all the time that you spend with your pet, the hours of love and attention that you give and receive from them that makes them the pet that they are? Even if I got her cloned, it still would not be Lena, so why not just get another dog? I don't know, maybe I just don't get it, but there will never be room for another Lena in my heart -- and when she passes I will miss her so much that my heart will ache, but there will never be another like her even if I did have her cloned. So I guess my answer to this question is no, I don't think I'd like cloning a pet. All of the dogs I have had in the past hold a special place in my heart and I always thought I'd never be able to move on and get another pet, but with time I did and then I was lucky enough to get another dog who filled my heart with love and joy. I imagine this will go on until the day I die -- and I definitely don't want to be cloned.

TulipsTreasureBox

Sunflower Cuff
I recently joined the Etsy Bloggers Streat Team and since Etsy and blogging are two of my favorite things I thought what a great concept for a group -- combine the two. One of the requirements of the group is do a feature on an Etsy shop -- now that's a requirement I can wrap my arms around! So this month our featured artist is jewelry designer and beadweaver from the shop TulipsTreasureBox. I love beadweaving, it fascinates me that people have the patience to bead these tiny little beauties together to make such lovely creations. You can just look at each piece and see the level of love and care that goes into each one. I have added a beautiful 'Sunflower Cuff' as an example of this art and also 'It's a Druzy Necklace' to showcase some of her other jewelry designs. If you'd like to see all of her lovely creations feast your eyes on the rest at TulipsTreasureBox.


It's a Druzy Necklace

InkDropDesign

Big Owl
Today our feature is the Etsy shop InkDropDesign, run by Shondra, who has cards taken from from her original hand drawings, photography and digital illustrations. These are a couple of my favorites, I love the colors and whimsy of these two cards featuring her artwork taken from original illustrations.

Goldfish

What do you do to save money?

I have been told by friends that I’m a penny pincher, by family that I’m cheap (you know family can call you that) -- but I prefer to be known as frugal. I try to save money at every turn and at times I’m sure I can get on people’s nerves including my husband, but at the end of the day he’s grateful to have someone like me.

When shopping for groceries, I always use coupons and never buy anything at full price, buy one, get one free, love it! We have our mortgage at a low interest rate and even have a summer home that we are building little by little as the money comes in. As far as the electricity I never keep lights on, that’s one of my pet peeves and will turn it off as soon as someone leaves the room -- my stepdaughter’s favorite line is “I’m going back in there.”

We also keep our credit cards as low as possible and keep our credit score up to try to get the best rate we can. We never go out to a restaurant, just cannot afford to, we want to spend that money elsewhere, more wisely. As far as shopping for clothes we try to keep that to a minimum and always buy what’s on sale. I really don’t think I’ve paid full price for anything in a long time.

I have seen to many friends and family with financial trouble and it can destroy families. It is so sad that a family can fall apart because of financial wows, but I know for myself when we do get into a crunch financially (and I don’t care how careful you are with money we all get there now and again) we seem to argue a bit more. So if you’re having trouble getting your finances together or need some tips on saving why don’t you visit Bills IQ -- it’s a place to start, maybe they can help you out. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it -- Bills IQ can help with all your financial needs:

Debt consolidation
Debt relief
Debt help
Consolidate debt

Yorkshire Terrier Charm Bracelet

The charm bracelet is made up of reclaimed jewelry parts, a hand-sculpted Yorkie center piece, a 10mm Swarovski crystal heart and silver key and a silver dog house charm. All components and chain are silver, but not sterling silver. I added a few charms to start you off, the rest is up to you! This would make a darling charm bracelet for any Yorkie lover! The Yorkie was hand-sculpted of polymer clay and has Swarovski crystal in her top knot. So cute! The chain measures 7-3/4" long and has a toggle closure.

Perry the Punk Kid Bead

Perry is one of my Punk Kid beads. This little guy is definitely into punk and he loves goth. He hangs out at the club on the corner with all of the rest of his punk friends, they love to listen to music and party in the mosh pit.

Perry is hand-sculpted from polymer clay. He is all black except for a skull and crossbones tee. His hair is in a black mohawk and he has a Swarovski crystal on the side of his head.