Family and the Blog of the Week- Who Says 8 is Enough?

I have more to do than I have time most days. This week, my mom has paid us a visit all the way from Chicago, and I am adding host to my roster, which I of course, am happy to to do. My inner Martha loves to have company and play hostess, to entertain and provide. Sierra is upset only because she was hoping to have the week off homeschooling since Grandma is here, only to find that life as usual still goes on. "Stupid fractions" was her exact words, I think. Yes, I am learning fractions all over again, but luckily they are coming back to me easier than they did the first time around. In funnier news, this weekend, on the way to Carbondale to pick up my mom from the train station, Josh insisted we stop at the mall and buy Sierra the Heelys she has been wanting forever. So we stop and buy the ridiculously-overpriced-shoes-that-will-break-my-childs-arms-and-or-legs. Heelys, for non-parents of tweens, are shoes that have wheels in the heels. Shoes that coordinated children even have to learn how to walk in. Shoes that Sierra had to practice all weekend in just to walk across the room without looking like Bambi on ice. I'll be sure to post pictures of her road rash (with me and my told-you-so look on my face just for Josh, lol).

In the spirit of family, this week I found this inspiring blog about a much bigger and more hectic family than mine, written by a mom of 11 children. Heelys are nothing to this unfazed mom. Check out the blog of the week- Who Says 8 is Enough?

Treasury Madness

It's been Treasury madness lately for the Bluegrass Etsy Street Team! For those who don't know what a treasury is, Etsy buyers and sellers can create a pictorial collection of favorite items sold on Etsy, usually based around a color or theme. Then, anyone on Etsy (joining is free, like eBay, but Etsy is way better and handmade), can view and comment on these treasuries. The more attention a treasury gets, the higher it moves up on the list. The highest on the list every day are put on the front page of Etsy for everyone to see, which is great publicity. Members of the Bluegrass Etsy team have been doing a great job of getting treasuries lately, and I have been lucky enough to be picked for a few of them! This latest one features one of my favorite necklaces, Flutter Into Fall Butterfly Necklace:

Be sure to visit this treasury while it is still live by clicking here, and leave your comments! xoxo

Cubs Clinch NL Central! So there!

I married into an entire family of devout Cardinals fans. For two years, all I have heard at family get togethers is how much my team sucks. I'm from Chicago, I'm a Cubs fan. I'm pretty sure it's against the law to be a Cardinals fan there. I can't help being a Cubs fan; my earliest memories of baseball are of my best friend and I sitting in our underwear on the shag carpeting (my mom had some sort of aversion to air conditioning, so stripping down was essential), watching Cubs games on the little color tv. I think we originally started watching the games because we didn't have cable yet. My parents certainly weren't baseball fans, or organized sports fans, for that matter. It didn't matter, from that first game, I was hooked. Even as a child, I loved that team, and as an adult, I still do. So, for those that have laughed at me for it:

Two years in a row, baby! Go Cubs!

A little fun to start your week...

I have been busy posting all sorts of new pendants to my shop this past week, with more additions everyday this week as well! Some of my favorites are the newest in my sillhouette pendants, these rockin' mudflap girls:

Even though they're a little gross on a sweaty trucker's mudflaps, they're a lot sexy on jewelry! I just adore them, but couldn't find much jewelry like this, so I decided to make them. I made both an afro mudflap girl and the traditional girl because I couldn't decide.

I also have lots of other sihouette pendants coming soon, so keep your eye out! Remember, if you are clever, and have a better name for them, be sure to let me know for your chance to win a $20 gift certificate if I use the name you come up with! Just visit my shop, name any sections you want, and send me your suggestions in a convo. If I use any, I will send you a gift certificate fo every name I use. So get naming!

After the storm, a dark and stormy...

It's been a long week of cleanup for many in Kentucky after Ike swept through last Sunday. We have yet to get the top half of our biggest tree the rest of the way down and cut up. I'm still grateful we didn't have it worse. On that note, our drink of the week is the:

Dark and Stormy

2 oz Gosling's Black rum
8 oz Ginger beer

I already think every drink is better with rum**, but nothing is quite like a strong, super gingery ginger ale and a great, dark rum!

While you're drinking this weekend, and feeling a little creative, be sure to think of some good names for my shop sections, and win at least $20 in gift certificates! See yesterday's post for more details.

Enjoy a (hopefully) wind free weekend! xoxo

**consume responsibly, don't drink and drive, tattoo, hurt yourself or others; five o'clock somewhere does not always apply; yada yada yada...

Big Contest, Big Prizes!

To celebrate the launch of my new line of pendants, and my 120th blog post, I am having a big sale for readers of this blog only! From now until September 26th, enjoy 20% off all orders $12 or more (including shipping). All my new pendants come with your choice of a necklace, complete with silverplated hardware, so you can completely customize your experience!

I am also woman enough to admit when I need help. Readers, I need your help! My talents apparently do not extend into naming stuff and even writing descriptions. I see witty, clever names in other shops, and I want that too! So, from now until the end of September, if you can come up with a clever name for any of my shop sections (on the top right side of www.daydreamartstudios.etsy.com), and I use it, I will give you a $20 gift certificate! Name them all and win big! Thanks all, and happy naming!

Bluegrass Etsy Street Team

It's been a windy weekend here in the G.R. and my neighbors are busy picking up huge limbs that have blown down and sawing them up. Everyone seems to have their power back, after a long Sunday without it, and it's back to business as usual just in time for Monday. That includes me, who will be getting to work on a few custom orders and preparing for a busy month.

I was recently asked to be the new team moderator/ leader for the Etsy Street Team for Kentucky, and despite the fact that I probably already spend too much time online as it is, I agreed. So far, I am really loving it! I have been actively recruiting this past week, setting up a networking site for the members on ning, which is an awesome idiot-proof site to set up your own social network (similar to MySpace), and redesigning the team blog. In addition, one of our member-volunteers, Libby, has been hard at work putting together a MySpace page for our team. Soon to come- team promotions! I'd love to know what you think! Please check out our team blog and learn about some other fabulous Kentucky artisans, and if you're on MySpace, stop by and say hello! Be sure to friend us for special updates and friend-only offers in the future.

Dali, Funny Signs and Drinks

While in Clearwater, Florida, last week, I was lucky enough to finally go to the Salvador Dali museum in St. Petersburg, something that I have wanted to do since I was a little girl. Not only is it the biggest collection of his paintings in North America, it also featured a show about Dali's view on women in his art, which was a fascinating and beautiful show. Afterwards, Joshua and I walked around downtown St. Petersburg looking for galleries and lunch, and not only did we find both, but I also saw two of the funniest signs I have ever seen.

Carried by a homeless man on the corner of Hwy 119 and some street: NEED BEER TO LIVE. I swear, if he wasn't on the wrong side of traffic, I would have given him a dollar just for that. Maybe more. I even considered turning around to do just that.

On a tattoo shop in the downtown St. Pete area: No people under 18, drinks, drugs, drunk people, smelly people....Open when we're here, Closed when we're not. They weren't there. Otherwise, I sooo would have gone in. After a pit check, of course.

Afterwards, we found a place for lunch at the first place since we had arrived in Florida that didn't offer us 2 for 1 drinks. Which, incidentally, in Florida does not mean if there are two people, one drinks for free. Oh no, they're too smart for that. What it really means is that they bring you both drinks right then. Which means at any given time, Joshua and I had four margaritas on the table. Which also means we only needed one round and a long walk on the beach or a good swim before driving home. By the end of the week, all I wanted was a freakin' Pina Colada, which were never 2 for 1, so this weekend, I'm making a round!

Pina Colada

3 oz Malibu

3 oz pineapple juice

3 oz cream of coconut

Blend with ice, pour into hurricane glass.

Float 1/2 oz Midori on top.

Have a great weekend! xoxo

Back from Vacation!

We're back from a wonderful vacation to beautiful Clearwater, Florida! While we we're there, we avoided rain and bad weather and were very blessed with sunny skies, lots of fun, and light breezes almost every day. Sierra was all about the dolphins this trip! We enjoyed a cruise the first day where we saw dolphins, who liked to play and jump in the wake of our boat:

And other nearby boats:

We went to the Clearwater Rescue Aquarium, and visited Winter, the tail-less dolphin with the prosthetic tail and other rescued dolphins:

We spent a day in the sun on Caladesi Island, voted the best beach in the US in 2008 and collected shells and sand dollars when we weren't swimming:

We also swam in the pool almost every day, where Sierra proved she can, indeed, swim, despite her claims otherwise and a false fear of the water the past few years. To top it all off, we went to Clearwater Beach and enjoyed the sun, sand and surf, which thanks to the hurricanes that completely avoided us, were awesome!

Now that we're back, fall has begun in Kentucky and the best season here has begun- craft show season! Back to work!

xoxo

Vacation

After meeting all kinds of great, interesting people all weekend and nearly sweating my body weight in water at the Arts and Crafts Show, I am off to Clearwater, Florida for a week of family fun in the (hopefully) sun! I will be back, in rare bloggin' form September 9th. Be sure to visit my Etsy shop that week, as I will be adding an entire new line of mix and match pendants and necklaces that range from super kitschy to super pretty, dozens of new gemstone necklaces, bracelets and earrings, and new paintings! Until then...