Awesome Stumble Upon find!

I am disabled. I struggle with saying that, and I struggle with accepting that a lot lately. I have not been disabled my entire life, just for the last year-ish. It has been a tough adjustment for me to go from having a job that I went to five days a week, to being completely unable to work. I started my Etsy shop to keep myself busy. Obviously, it would be amazing to make an income from that shop, but my health is always going to be a factor in that. Although there are a lot of struggles, in many ways I am thankful for becoming sick. I have learned to slow down, take better care of myself, listen to my body, laugh more, stress less, and spend my time doing something I enjoy. Those were all lessons that I needed to learn, and for that, I am thankful.
Last night, as I was using StumbleUpon, I came across The Amazing Art of Disabled Artists. It features some amazing art from some some individuals who, like myself, have disabilities.
This painting, for example, is painted by Maria Iliou, who has autism.
This is painted by Michael Monaco, who has quadriplegia.
There are so many more artists featured, so please check it out by clicking here. Also, clicking on the images will take you to the artists' homepages.

Etsy Find!

I was browsing Etsy the other day, and I came across these awesome customizable rings by happygolicky.
Now, my husband and I have this thing that we say to each other ALL the time that would be perfect on a pair of these rings. Oh, if only my bank account balance was as full as my wish list......

Ideas?

So, as you know, I am going to be participating in the Queen Bee Market on May 1st.
Obviously, I am trying to make sure that I am very well prepared for this event. I'd really LOVE some feedback, though. Take a look at my shop and let me know if you have any ideas. Is there a category I need more of? Is there a color I'm missing? What about favorite fabrics? Do you want more solid color items? I would LOVE for this event to be as successful as possible, so the feedback I get, the better. Thanks!!!

Military Monday

If you are on the social networking site Twitter, you might have heard about #MilitaryMonday. It's basically just a way to let the people in the military know that you are thinking of them. It's pretty cool to see so many people coming together for such a good cause. Along those lines, I have a request. I came across A Little Pink in a World of Camo yesterday. It is a blog written by another Marine Wife. With that said, she needs some support right now. If you read her post from March 17, 2010, you will understand why. I'm warning you right now, it's not easy to read. It's not easy to think about, and I can't even begin to comprehend what she is going through. However, she needs support right now, so I'm asking you guys to take a minute on this Military Monday to give her some. Thanks!

Yippie!!

I have never been on the Front Page of Etsy before. I've been in treasuries before, and even some really popular ones, but I've never had one go to the Front Page. Well, that all changed today. I woke up this morning to a convo on Etsy from one of my Homefront team mates congratulating me on my front page appearance. Still foggy brained, I just figured it must be a mix-up. The only treasury that I had been in had expired yesterday. Then I saw that another one of my Homefronters had left me a link on my Facebook page. I checked it out, and sure enough there I was!! How cool is that?!!??! Here's a screen shot for you to check out!
Thanks, again, to all of my Homefront peeps for letting me know !

Spring Forward

In addition to being a member of the Homefront Team on Etsy, I am also a member of the Homefront Market on 1000Markets. Today, I wanted to show off some of the amazing items that are featured in the Spring Forward Collection over there. (Clicking on the pictures will take you directly to that listing)

Finally something new!

The other day, I showed you a sneak peek of some new items that I've been working on.

I finally used up the last of my old labels, and I've been excited to see how the new labels that I'd ordered from JennifersJewels on Etsy would look. I figured what better way to test them on than on some new wristlets!


Look for these, and a few others, in my shop soon!

Woo-Hoo!

I was accepted, so if you are in the area, please be sure to stop by and check it out!!!

Sneak Peek!!!

A Show???

Recently, I was contacted about the possibility of being a part of the Queen Bee Market. I have to say, I have let shows and events like this take a backseat awhile to focus on my health. However, the Queen Bee Market seems like the right event for me. Looking over the Vendor Information on their blog, reading all of the details about the event has me really excited! I've been looking over the list of Featured Vendors as they add them, and to be completely honest, it's a little intimidating. They are amazing!! I'd be honored to be included among them. Not to mention, a part of the proceeds will be going to Surfers Healing, a Foundation for Autism. Having worked for so long in Special Education, and with students with Autism in particular, I am thrilled to see that the hosts are giving back. I'll be sure to update and let you all know if I get accepted, but in the meantime, please stop by and check out the website, and check out the Etsy shop of Jess, and the blog of Mique, the people hosting this awesome event!

Funny Stuff Friday

Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly,
so they lit a fire in the craft.
Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that
you can't have your kayak and heat it too.

Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married.
The ceremony wasn't much, but the reception was excellent.

Q: how do you help a one armed blonde from a tree?
A: wave

Q:What do you call a deer with no eyes?
A: No eye deer.

Q:What do you call a deer with no eyes and no legs?
A: Still no eye deer

A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption.
One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named "Ahmal."
The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him "Juan."
Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother.
Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes
she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds,
They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal."

A pirate walks into a bar with a paper towel on his head
The bartender asks "Why do you have a paper towel on your head?"
The pirate says "ARRRR I GOTTA BOUNTY ON ME HEAD!"

Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time,
which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet.
He also ate very little, which made him rather frail
and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath.
This made him .......
A super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

I am NOT a "Moto-Wife!"

I'm just a super supportive Military wife, who likes to design a lot of different styles of military bags.......

Yeah, that's what it is......
Here is the USMC Reversible Tote
The USMC Digital Pleated Wristlet

Baby Marine Diaper BagMarine Corps Pleated Wristlet

Camouflage Reversible Headband
And I am also honored the be the sister of a United States Soldier....so here's one for the Army fans.....
Army Strong Pleated Wristlet

Pretty Jewelry

There are a TON of jewelry designers and makers on Etsy and 1000Markets, and some of their work is just stunning....I'd thought I'd take a moment today to share some of my favorites with you...
Copper Buds Necklace by SueRunyunDesigns
Single Sided Personalized Sterling Silver Hand Stamped Cuff Bracelet by Alaiyna B. DesignsDewdrop Necklace by Simple Elements Design
Hand Fabricated Swirl Sterling Silver Dangle Earrings by South Paw Studios
The Heartbreaker by Lush Boutique
Earth and Sky by Bad Cat Jewelry

1000 Markets.....

In addition to my Etsy Shop, I also have a shop on 1000Markets. I love the idea of that site. I love the layout, and the idea of having lots of little shopping communities. I was raised in a town where going downtown to shop was always a better experience than going to the mall, (except of course, in the middle of winter when it was cold outside....) and 1000Markets has that downtown feel. I also really like the idea that buyers can get to know me more on that site. The stores that I like shopping in the most in my life are the stores where I get to know the people working there, and they get to know me. Back home, they ask about my mom, or my husband. Here, I have a favorite pet store that always asks about Batman. I love that. It makes me feel important and special. Although I do think that it's harder to create that kind of relationship online, I would love to have that with my customers. Obviously, I'm not expecting a website to do all of that for me, so I'd love to hear your thoughts. What can I do to help build that kind of relationship with my customers? What can I do to make you feel special?