Pandula Arts Creations

The "Pandula Arts Creations" is one of those shops that really need to be visited and thoroughly browsed through!

Marsha has a number of pencil art listings...there are animals, fantasy, abstract, and flowers.  She also has handwoven items and pine needle baskets.

Do you see these baskets???  They're MADE with pine needles and vine (along with some copper wire to hold it all together).  Can you BELIEVE that????  Who'd have thunk it?  All these years I've been HAPPY that I don't have pine trees, like all of my neighbors, and I was missing out!  ROFL ROFL

I am just floored by Marsha's seemingly endless creativity!  You really need to read her Artfire blog about how her fascinating journey began.

Marsha is very active on Facebook and Twitter.  Both great places to fan/follow her so that you'll be among the first to know about new listings, upcoming sales and promotions.

Visit Marsha's blog to see more of her artwork, purses, baskets, etc. that have been gifted or sold.  You'll truly be amazed at this woman's talent.

So, please show her some blogger love and visit her shop and all of her pages.  If you have a sec, share the page with your friends as well.

BTW...still time to enter this month's giveaway.  Last day to enter is August 31st.  Winner will be announced Sept. 1st. 

This month's prize is one of my popular coupon organizers (pictured in the upper, left-hand corner). 
These organizers ATTACH to the shopping cart, leaving your hands free for shopping!

Leave a comment, on any post, to enter.  Enter as many times as you want.  Want more ways to get extra entries?  Find out how just below the pic of the coupon organizer.

Woohoo!!!!

I entered into Meg's Crochet Jewels blog contest, in July, and ended up winning this beautiful necklace!!!

How lucky am I?  I've finally gotten settled, after my vacation, and am getting caught up on my blogging.

You can find more of Meg's wonderful jewelry in her Etsy shop and in her Artfire shop.

She has a great blog (as I mentioned) and a Facebook Fan page.   If you follow her, at both of those sites, you'll be among the first to know about giveaways, promotions, and sales.  That's how I ended up winning!  :o)

Now the tough decision...to keep it for myself or to give it as an Xmas present.  What do you think???

My Recent Handmade Purchases #2

We're getting to that time of year again...holiday shopping time!  I have started my holiday shopping and thought I'd share with you my recent handmade purchases and the wonderful shops that I found them in.

This is my 2nd post about my holiday purchases.  If you would like to see my first blog post, with my first purchases of the season, you can view it HERE.

I can't say who I purchased a number of gifts for because they may actual stop by my blog to read this post and I don't want to give away any surprises.  LOL  :o)

At the Made for Me by Oaklie shop, on Artfire, I purchased this beautiful scarf for myself and these earrings as an Xmas gift.  I purchased 5 scarves, last year, from this shop, as Xmas gifts, and they were a huge hit.

The Muddy River Ironworks shop, on Etsy, offer a wide selection of hand forged items.  A family friend just loves sunflowers and I bought this one to go on her porch.

I have fallen in love with the keychains in the, Designed by Audrey, shop on Artfire.   Isn't it gorgeous?

Another of my favorite shops is The Monkey Shop on Etsy.  I purchased a monkey from them last year and was so pleased with it that I returned to purchase 2 more this year.  I have a couple of others, that I've "hearted" and will probably return to buy before my shopping is finished.

When I was getting ready to have my Xmas in July sale, I decided that I wanted a generic sale banner for my shops.  My one-stop shop for all of my banners, and avatars, is always the My Helping Hands shop on Artfire.  I also ordered a vacation banner since I was going on vacation for the first couple of weeks this month.  Buy with confidence at this shop!

I just love to buy soaps for Xmas gifts and stocking stuffers...they're so much fun and always a big hit.  I found a wonderful new shop for soaps... Sudsey Sue Soap on Etsy.  The cameo soaps are for my grandmother.  Aren't the smiley faces and peace signs fun?

Then I found this wonderful Alice in Wonderland bracelet for my sister-in-law.  Vampire Kisses (also known as Miss Bohemia's) has a wonderful selection of themed items!

Finally, I renewed my membership in The Gift Shop Handmade Directory through the end of the year.  I purchased listings for my Artfire and Etsy shops.  This is a great place to advertise your shops and get lots of traffic during the holiday season.

These are all wonderful places to begin your holiday shopping!  If you visit often, you'll even find some great sales.  Be sure to follow the shops' blogs and on Twitter and Facebook.  They'll often advertise sales there for their followers/fans only.  :o)

Bee Monday

I decided that I'm going to have "Bee Mondays" on my blog.

For those of you who don't know me, I've recently begun to get into all things bees.  I know that a bee is my avatar for my shops but I never really put much thought into bee-related things.

I guess we can probably blame that on my mother and Anne (Made For Me by Oaklie). 

My mother bought me the cute bee plant decoration that I use as a prop, for smaller items, when I take pics for new listings.  She also bought me a Tumblr cup with a bee on the inside.

Anne suggested that I should use bee props when I take pics.  So, the first thing I bought was the small bee that I used in some of the pics of wallets that I listed. 

After that, I was hopelessly stuck on bees.  LOL  I'm always on the lookout now for all things bees.

So, back to Bee Mondays.  I'm going to share with you some of the unique handmade things, related to bees, that I have found.

I have two items to share with you today....the first is this stunning bee stained glass by A Touch of Glass.  A Touch of Glass is a stained glass shop that has many gorgeous pieces listed.

The second is this amazing custom order Welcome Sign by Rusty Rooster Metal.  Rusty Rooster Metal has a large selection of signs and hangings in all types of the themes and motifs.

These shops have so much more than bees and the quality of their work is top-notch.  I'm thinking of snagging one of those signs from Rusty Rooster Metal and having VaBeachQuilter put on it.  Then I'll hang it on my sewing room door.  What do you think?

Da Beez Neez

"Da Beez Neez" (what a FUN name!) is an ecclectic shop filled with jewelry, knitted items, and buttons.

Jackie, the shop's owner, loves to reuse, recycle, and upcycle many of the items in her shop.  If you're a button collector then check out her vintage button selection.

Jackie has knitted toys and clothing for babies and toddlers, as well as, doll clothing.

That little purple critter, that's pictured, is just too CUTE! 

And how about that children's cardigan with the removable shepherd????  I wish a had a boy that age!!!

What a fun shop to go to for your holiday shopping...or even to pick out items for your own wishlist.

Harmony in Metal

The "Harmony in Metal" Artfire jewelry shop is owned by Tracy.

Her speciality is jewelry mainly crafted with copper metalwork and chainmaille.  She also likes to turn basic sheet metal and wire into wearable art.

I am not a jewelry person, per se, but I absolutely LOVE this shop!!!

Tracy has bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and pendants.

She is offering free shipping on orders over $20.  Just use coupon:  FREESHIP20 at time of checkout.

Tracy welcomes custom orders, so if you'd like something different or see something but want it resized, just let her know.  :o)

Luv n Crafts

The "Luv n Crafts" shop, on Artfire, sells handmade cards, crocheted items, and beaded jewelry.

They have a wonderful selection to choose from and is a great place to start your holiday shopping.

So, hop on over and show this shop some blogger love!  :o)

Megan Jane Jewellery

Megan Jane creates and sells beautiful handmade jewelry in her Artfire shop.

She has bracelets, earrings, and necklaces.  She has a great selection of brooches and rings, too.

Megan Jane's shop is a -0- sale shop and is just looking for someone to make her first sale.  Please show her some blogger love and stop on by...if you have a sec, click one, or more, of the share buttons just under the post.

Megan Jane has a great "baby" blog, too.  NOT a blog about babies...LOL  just a new blog.  If you can show that some love and follow along it'd be wonderful!

You can follow her on her Facebook fan page, Twitter, and on Flickr.

And The Winner Is.....

July's winner has been picked!!!

Drum rolls please......

The winner of this bagel/bread warmer is:

 Karen of Mystic Wynd!

Karen has a wonderfully ecclectic Etsy shop and you can follow her on Twitter.

Congrats, Karen!

August's prize is now posted (upper left-hand corner).  Ways to enter is posted under the prize.

Mel Photo

The "Mel Photo" Artfire shop is owned by a husband and wife photograpy team.

Photography is Melissa's and Paul's hobby and passion.  They have a wide selection of photographs, in a variety of sizes, in their shop.  Animals, nature, abstract, and more!

They have a great blog that offers a variety of tutorials, shop news, and more.  If you're a tweeter, you can follow them on Twitter.

They also have a great Facebook fan page.

I'd love it if you could show this great shop some blogger love and stop on by!

MJ's Kraze

The "MJ's Kraze" shop on Artfire predominately sells handmade cards.  They have cards for almost every occasion.

But don't forget to check out the gift card holders, polymer clay pins, gift tags, and ornaments.  A great place to get an early start on your holiday cards and supplies!

A had fun perusing this shop trying to choose which were my fav items to share with you.  How cute is that little girl card holder?  Or the poinsettia pin?  What's your fav item?

So, show this -0- sale shop some love and stop on by and see what they have to offer.  :o)

Drunkenmimes

Angelique owns the "Drunkenmimes", a.k.a. Eccletic Ladyland, jewelry shop on Artfire.

She has a wonderful collection of  double strand necklaces and triple strand necklaces.  I found a couple of pendant necklaces that I really like. 

I had a lot of fun perusing her eccletic selection (hehehe) of earrings and bracelets!

Angelique is having an Xmas in July sale that ends tomorrow (Sunday, July 25th).  10% off...a great time to start banging away at your holiday shopping list!

While you're there, stop by her Artfire blog...it's a very funny and entertaining read!  Poor Marley... :o)

To be "in the know", follow Angelique on Twitter.  She has a great blog showcasing more of her fine work and even shares how she goes about creating them.  For those of you on Myspace, you can find her there as well.

Meg's Crochet Jewels

The "Meg's Crochet Jewels" Artfire jewelry shop has a wonderful collection of crocheted jewelry.

One of my favorite bracelets, in Meghan's shop, is the one pictured with the butterfly charm.  You can view it here.

I also like this Inspire necklace.  What's your favorite item?

You can follow Meghan on her Facebook fan page and be among the first to hear about new listings, upcoming sales and events, or special promotions.

She has a great blog where she showcases new listings, has giveaways, and much  more!

Now's the time to get an early jump on your holiday shopping...so, head on over to Meghan's shop and get started!

Hats by Anne 1942

The "Hats by Anne 1942" is an Etsy crochet shop owned by Anne. 

Her speciality are crocheted hats and scarves.  I just LOVE her hats!!!  They are beautiful and I love Anne's eye for color!

I'm thinking 1942 is Anne's birth year.  Why?  I read her bio and she stated that she didn't even BEGIN to crochet until she was 65!!!!  Can you believe that????

What an amazing hidden talent that she had!  She taught herself and has just flourished!  Even gives me a slight glimmer of hope.  ROFL

Anne has a Facebook Fan page and is on Twitter.  Follow and fan her and you'll be among the first to know about new listings, sales, promotions, etc.

So, why are you still here?  Hop on over and start your holiday shopping at Anne's!!!

Lemonade From My Lemons

What a great name for a shop, huh?  "Lemonade From My Lemons" is an Etsy jewelry shop that is owned by Stephanie.

Among some of the things she sells are bracelets, necklaces and pendants, and headbands.  The headbands are handwoven with ribbon and are absolutely gorgeous!

Isn't it fun that she incorporated lemons into her photos?  I couldn't resist and had to frame the collage photos with a bright yellow as well.

Your jewelry will arrived packed in a gift box with ribbon...ready to give!  If multiple items are purchased, they will be packaged in one box.  Upon request, if  the items are meant to be gifts, they can be packaged separately.

Stephanie offers a flat $2.00 shipping for the U.S.  Canada is a flat $3.00.  International orders are a flat $6.00.  So, now matter HOW much you buy, you only pay the flat rate!

You can follow Stephanie on Twitter.  She also has a great blog with the occasional giveaway.  Visit her blog often, so that you don't miss out on the next one!

Amelia Originals

Amelia owns the self-named "Amelia Originals" Artfire jewelry shop.

Her passion is creating wire wrapped jewelry and making jewelry using a variety of beading techniques.

Her earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and pendants are BEAUTIFUL!

I particularly love the unique bookmarks (that she calls "paper doodles") and the handbag ornaments/keychains!

Amelia has a wonderful blog that could use some fan love!  She's also on Twitter, so be sure to follow here there to get her tweets.

Xmas in July Sale!!!

I'm having an XMAS in JULY SALE!!!

I always have FREE shipping, in my shops, so I decided to sweeten the pot more...

15% off of your total order.   How great is that? Coupon/code:  JULY  (not good towards the purchase of gift certificates).

Visit my Etsy shop HERE and my Artifire shop HERE 

On Etsy, put the code in "notes to seller" when you checkout.  On Artfire, use the code at the time of checkout.

Sale ends July 15th.

And The Winner Is.....

The winner of my June's blog giveaway is....drum roll please....

Jodi of "Haunted Willow"!!!

Congrats to Jodi she won this fun wallet:

If you like my wallets, I have a couple of different styles available in my shop HERE .

This month's prize is posted in the upper, left-hand corner.  Just post a comment(s) on the blog (on ANY post) and you're entered.  Can't get any easier than that right???  Enter as many times as you want!

OH!!!  Don't forget to check out the Xmas in July sales in my Etsy shop and my Artfire shop! 

15% off of your total order (no minimum and excluding gift certificates).  Coupon:  JULY

Etsy shop put it in "notes to seller" and my Artfire shop use at time of checkout.

Sale ends July 15th and as always, FREE shipping (continental US)!!!

Formed by Fire

Kim and Larry are the creative force behind the "Formed by Fire" jewelry shop on Artfire.

They both make their own beads and pendants and craft beautiful one-of-a-kind jewelry.   Necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and pendants are their speciality.

Their wonderful shop has yet to have it's first sale and it's way past time that it got the exposure that it deserves!

You can follow their shop on Facebook and Twitter and be among the first to hear about upcoming promotions, sales, etc.

They are currently having a giveaway and here's the info directly from them:

"Become a fan of formedbyfire.com on facebook and leave a comment on the wall with your facebook name. If you are already a fan, leave a comment on our facebook page wall. To get more entries, suggest our page to your friends and email us with the names of the friends that you suggested our page to, so that you get credit for the suggestions. If they become a fan, then you get 1 entry for each friend who joins. Once your friends join, they will need to leave a comment to be entered in the giveaway. When your friends tell friends, they will get entries too!

The more friends that you tell, the more entries you get!

Our email address is formedbyfire@hotmail.com

We will have a drawing on July 9th, at 8:00 CST and the winner will be contacted. The lucky winner will receive an ankle bracelet of her or his choice on the ankle bracelet page. The winner will be announced here and on facebook, and he or she will have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address. If a winner does not respond, another winner will be chosen after 48 hours. Click here to check out our ankle bracelets.




Please show this shop some love and give it a browse...I promise  you that you find it as enjoyable and breath-taking as I did.

Love Your Opinions & Input

I recently started making "Shopping Cart Coupon Organizers" in the standard and deluxe version.  They've become quite popular and have been selling like hotcakes.

What I'd like to know is, what types of fabrics do you like/think would be popular choices?

I have so much fabric on hand that I'm sorta at a loss when it comes to picking the next batch to make.  So, please help me out!  :o)

If you're interested in seeing/purchasing any of the ones that I have made...you can find them HERE (in my Artfire shop) and HERE  (in my Etsy shop).