"Susan's Step by Step Walk for a Cure"

One of the sweetest women I know, my Aunt Susan, has diabetes. She has had it since she was a child. She's in her early 50's and has dealt with this terrible disease for most of her life.

My cousin, Danny, his wife, numerous family members, and friends are participating in this event. I live in the south, so I made a monetary donation to help out.

I'm asking all of my followers, fans, friends, twitter pals, etc. to please find it in your heart to donate to this worthy cause. You can donate as little as a dollar. I know you're thinking "a dollar won't do any good" but a dollar times fifty, a hundred, or more really adds up. So, please if you can spare a dollar donate it!

All you have to do is click on the link and it'll take you to "Susan's Step by Step Walk for a Cure" and will tell you how to donate. It's a secured checkout and you can pay directly through Facebook. Or if you live in the Boston, Mass. area and want to walk, all of the info is posted for the walk.

I have other family and friends that are also coping with this disease.

Thank you and {{{HUGS}}} to everyone for reading this post. Please pass it along and let's find a cure together!!!

Facebook | Links on "Susan's Step by Step Walk for a Cure"

Vote for me Please!!!

It's a close race and the voting polls will close soon!

Please vote for my chic lunch tote on Great Finds.

http://madeformebyoaklie.com/greatfinds.html

Thx and {{{HUGS}}}!!!

Today's the LAST Day to Enter August's Contests!

Today's the last day to enter both of my blog contests to win some cute prizes!

Different prize on each blog (prizes are posted).

This blog and my other one... VaBeachQuilter's Wordpress.

Winners will be announced and notified tomorrow. New prizes, for September's contest, will be posted tomorrow!

I Have More Great Xmas Purchases To Share!

I've found some more great stocking stuffers and smaller gifts for this Christmas. I'm well on my way to meeting my "buy handmade" goal for this year. Of course, everything can't be handmade but I'm getting as much as I possibly can.

1. I found the BEAUTIFUL necklace and owl magnets from a wonderful Artfire shop..."Beans Things" owned by Jeanna. The necklace is a nice little treat, for me, as a stocking stuffer. One of my grandmothers loves birds, especially owls, so those are a little extra something for her.

2. The AMAZING crocheted cupcake ornaments and cupcake keychain were purchased from Lu. She owns the "Crocheted Little Things" shop on Artfire. I'm keeping 2 of the cupcakes, again, for my stocking and 2 will be tie-ons for gifts for my mother. I haven't decided, yet, who's getting the keychain but it was just TOO cute to pass up!

Both of these shops have a large selection of unique and wonderful items. You should stop by and check out what they have to offer! Even get an early start on your Xmas shopping (like me).

Need Custom Sew-In or Iron-On Labels???

Do you use self-made, expensive, or no labels at all in your projects?

Want a more professional look? Then you really need to take a look at the "Jennifer's Jewels" shop on Etsy!

I ordered a set of 90 custom labels for all of my sewing projects. I ordered the sew-in labels and they arrived today (about a week from the time that I ordered them). I can't begin to tell you how IMPRESSED and excited I am with these labels!!!



My quilts, purses, wallets, coin purses...just about anything that I sew needs a label and I finally found my PERFECT solution!

There are a number of sets, with varying amounts of labels per set, that you can buy. I'm bought 90 sew-in labels for $25.00. These labels are professionally made and, by far, the best value over any I have priced on the Internet!!!

Psst...Jennifer, I'm placing another (larger) order tomorrow!

S.S. Woodcraft

Shannon owns the "S.S. Woodcraft" shop on Artfire.

The shop specializes in handcrafted wooden toys. I picked 4 of my favorites but you really need to go by the shop and see the others items listed!!!


MANY of these toys have move able parts (the ones pictured do) and are child-friendly. These toys don't have sharp edges or points but some have small pieces, so it's up to the parents discretion if the toy is age appropriate.


Shannon has been so kind as to offer MY readers, ONLY, a 10% discount off of anything in the shop. At checkout leave the code "VBBLOG" in the notes to seller. Your discount will be refunded through Paypal. This special is for today only, so be sure to take full advantage of it.

What wonderful HANDMADE gifts for children this Christmas!

Grah-Toe Studio

Stacy and Kim, are a husband and wife team that, owns the "Grah-Toe Studio" shop on Artfire.

They are both artists that love to work with unique materials, such as: antler, wood, beads, stone, and pottery. This is a really beautiful shop that has such amazing and original pieces!



Stacy and Kim were generous enough to offer ONLY my readers a special promotion:

"Grah-Toe Studio is offering free shipping on hair sticks and jewelry to readers of vabeachquilter's blog from today through September 1st. Place a note to seller in your order that you are a follower/reader of this blog and the shipping will be refunded through paypal after purchase."


As if you NEEDED a reason to start your Christmas shopping! Now get free shipping, too!!!

"Share Your Flair" Award

I received a surprising, and delightful, email the other day from Nina (owner of the "NinasCD" shop on Artfire). She had given me the "Share Your Flair" award.

Now my mission is to share 3 more things about myself and choose 3 blogs that share and promote others. Okay...3 more things about myself??? I mean come on...I'm sorry, but even I don't find myself THAT interesting! ROFL

Ummmm....let me think for a minute (can you smell the smoke? It's okay, I have water handy...)

1. I LOVE to read. I don't get to do it, as much as I use to, once I started my online shops but it is my second passion. I predominately read fantasy. Now NOT romance fantasy BUT Sci-Fi fantasy. Robert Jordan, Terry Goodkind, Terry Brooks to name a few.

Now I do like Frank Herbert and Orson Scott Card, but they lean more towards the sci-fi end of the spectrum. I am NOT a fan of Asimov but I do like most movies that have been adapted from his books.

Most of my books are in the 500-900 page range, with 5-10 books in a series, and I've read them all at least 3 times.

I do like mystery novels (Jonathon Kellerman, Faye Kellerman, and James Patterson again to name a few) when I have nothing else to read.

2. I do Sudoku. That's my relax (for a few minutes) and stress releaser. I got hooked when my youngest son was in 2nd grade and they had some to do over Xmas break. I've made my way up to the 2nd Degree Blackbelt books. They take me awhile to complete sometimes (and I don't cheat LOL) but it's a great way to relax after planning, cutting, and sewing all day.

3. I've become a rabid NBA fan. It took my husband YEARS but he's converted me. I've been actually ticked for the past year because Verizon doesn't have the NBA Pass and I lost that once we left Direct TV. Since I "started" so late, I'm more of a "player's" fan and not entirely a "team" fan.

I do follow the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, and now Cleveland Cavaliers. Why? I LOVE D-Wade (MH); Derrick Fisher & Luke Walton (LAL); Steve Nash, the only one left now (PS); and Shaq and Lebron (CC). My best Christmas gift ever??? It's a GAME WORN (AND AUTOGRAPHED) DWAYNE WADE JERSEY from my husband. He even had it mounted and framed with museum quality glass.

Okay...that was 3 more exciting things about "me". I just continue to expand on my geekiness, I know. LOL LOL

Now my 3 blog picks....drum roll, please....

1. Shops With Less Than (10) Sales ~ Artfire Guild ~ Okay, now this is a cheater for a couple of reasons...1) Tracy (of Braggin' Rights) gave the "Share Your Flare" award to the GUILD blog already; 2) I'm the guild master and I run the blog. But I'm giving it again because even though I manage the blog, it really is an entire GROUP effort. The blog wouldn't be anything without all of our members participation, support, and promotion. So, I'm also awarding it to the ENTIRE guild. (Psst...that guild's acceptance blog will be posted on Saturday, due to the nature of the blog's schedule).

2. Timothy Adam Designs ~ Has a weekly "Etsy Top 10" shops and showcases a variety of handmade items and artisan shops.

3. Selvage Blog ~ Showcases the, unique and creative, things that fellow crafters make using selvages. (For those that don't use fabric in your crafting...selvages are the ends of the fabric that have the name, company, and color codes printed onto them.)

Okay...there are my 3 blogs. They are really wonderful blogs that showcase handmade crafts, artisans, and shops. Please show your support and stop by and give them a "read".

Again, thanks Nina for this honor. I am a firm believer in "karma" and helping to promote/showcase fellow artisans has been my mission since day one.

Crafty Crocheting

Diane owns the "Crafty Crocheting" shop on Artfire.

She's in the process of revamping her shop and is having a large clearance sale. On sale are patterns, needlecraft kits, and a couple of children items.


She sells the most beautiful afghans I've seen!

She is also having a "Back to School" promotion. She is on the "You Can Sell It" team. All the information, rules, and prize is posted on the sidebar of her shop front.


This is the perfect time to start your Xmas shopping!!! So, stop on by and start loading your cart...I just know that you're going to find something that you'll LOVE!

Heathen's Hearth

Amy and Misty own the "Heathen's Hearth" bath and body shop on Artfire.


They specialize in (handmade) natural bath, body and skin care. A variety of soaps, lotions, scrubs, and facial care are available.




These would make awesome stocking stuffers! Psst...guys these are great for girlfriends, wives, mother's, sisters, just about any woman that's on your shopping list!

Wicked Orin

Orin owns the self-named "Wicked Orin" shop on Artfire.

Okay...how do I begin to describe this shop??? Um....It has a little bit of everything and when I say it's eclectic, well, that's sort of an understatement!

There are sculptures, beaded animals, crocheted Chocobos (I'll explain in a minute, for those of you who don't know what a Chocobo IS), and jewelry. ALL kinds of jewelry...metal-work, beadwork, and more!

What's a Chocobo? A Chocobo is like a large chicken. It is an animal in the Final Fantasy video games. Chocobos have to be "caught" and tamed. "You" (your character) can train them and race them. They help your character get around a lot easier within the world. (No, this is not explained, in depth, on Orin's site.)

LOOK!!! I've told you people before that I was a geek...I think this just makes it a little bit clearer to you. LOL LOL

ANYWAY...this is a really fun shop to check out for yourself. If you, or someone you know, is into fantasy, etc. I bet that you'll find a VERY unique gift for them for Xmas. I've already hotlisted something for myself...and yes, it's a Chocobo. :)

This weekend, ONLY, Orin is offering free shipping on everything in the shop. Just post the code: FREESHIP822 in messages when you check out. The shipping will be refunded through Paypal.

This special is just for MY readers!!! So, it's the PERFECT time to start your shopping!

Free shipping?? Woohoo!!! Chocobo, here I come baby.....

"Where's Waldo" Winner Revealed...

The Artfire guild, Shops With Less Than 10 Sales, has announced it's August's winner for the "Where's Waldo" contest.

Congrats, Priscilla Nault!!!

I'll add pics (hopefully later in the day) once she sends me her prize choices.

Artfire Guild Blog




I posted pics of what Priscilla chose for her prizes! Nice choices, too!

Some More of My Xmas Purchases...

I've purchase a bunch more stuff...again, most are stocking stuffers but a couple aren't. I'll also give you a list of the shops, so that you can go see the rest of their fabulous stuff for yourself!

1. My Magic Me ~ Is going to take a picture of my oldest son and turn him into a zombie. I'll then have it printed and framed (locally). He's going to flip over this!

2. Dreamy 1 ~ I purchased the Monkey and Pig bars of soaps. The monkey for my 13 yr old's stocking and the pig for the girl (11 yrs old) next door for her bday (in Dec). I also purchased a few more bath items.

3. Penniewise ~ Okay, if you're familiar with Stephen King (at all!) then the name of this shop should give you a "head's up" to it's type of products. :) I purchased the Rob Zombie pendant (and a Marilyn Manson, though not shown) pendant for my oldest son. I also purchased the Twilight pendant for my daughter. All stocking stuffers.

4. SerendipityLicious ~ The pink earrings (for the girl next door's bday) and the purple ring (for my daughter's stocking). I'm seriously considering purchasing some things for my own stocking, too!

5. The Monkey Shop ~ This is a gift. for my 13 yr old son, for Xmas. He LOVES all things "monkey". LOL

6. Debby Arem (a.k.a. Three Ring Circuits) ~ I purchased 2 bookmarks (one for my dad) (and my oldest son's stocking); the circuit board keychain (for my older son's stocking); a mini circuit clipboard (again for my older son's stocking).

Well, those are my most recent purchases and these are all really great shops. I'm doing pretty well with my "buy handmade Xmas" vow. I know I won't be able to get a lot of things handmade but I'm going to try my best though!

Jewelled Trellis

Robyn owns the "Jewelled Trellis" shop on Artfire.









She specializes in "period" piece jewelry but also makes more contemporary pieces. All of her items arrive packaged in a gift boxed and tied with a ribbon.


She has cameo pendants and earrings; mother's or grandmother's family necklace (with customized birthstones); earrings; necklaces; and more! I just think the cameo set is simply BEAUTIFUL!

Thunder Mountain

Patti owns the "Thunder Mountain" shop on Artfire.

What a great shop this is!!! Patti's speciality is cabin and lodge decor and EVERYTHING is simply GORGEOUS!

Her items would beautifully compliment primitive and country decor, too.

Appliqued wool pillows, rag quilts, afghans, rustic jewelry and pouches, Indian-themed items, and so much more.

I had a difficult time choosing what items to share with you.

She welcomes custom orders and now's the time to start thinking of your Xmas list!

Reenie's Bizaar

Reenie owns the "Reenie's Bizaar" shop on Artfire.

Her speciality is jewelry. Earrings, bracelets, necklaces, pendants, and more!
Reenie's Bizaar

Custom orders are welcomed and you should consider ordering one of her pendants, for that special someone, this Christmas.