It's time for another installment of "My Favorite Things", and this time I'm introducing you to some very talented artists from The Artisan Group.
I joined The Artisan Group (TAG) about a year age, and am amazed and impressed by the energy and talent that is TAG.
TAG's mission is "to introduce Hollywood to the best of the handcrafted movement. We do this by providing owners of artisan businesses the chance to introduce their products to celebrities, industry leaders and members of the press through participation in major award show gift lounges."
And our leader, Valerie Propst Guerrero does a tireless job of fulfilling this mission.
So here are a few of my favorites from this great group:
Love the Carnival photos by Maleah Torney. Check out her Etsy Shop.
Who doesn't love a monkey hat? This one is from Christa of Makinitmama.
And these recycled book page flowers from Kelly Mitchell of TheWriteStuffDesign just make me smile! :-)
Don't forget to order custom invites for your holiday parties! I love the selection at PalmBeachParties.
It's a very cold winter here in the north and this wonderful White Chunky Cowl by Sandee of Sandeeknits may have my name on it!
I hope you will check out these and all the other great TAG shops on Etsy......and remember to shop small business this holiday season!
"
Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain
And the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet
When the wind comes right behind the rain."
~ RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN
My brother and sister-in-law moved to Oklahoma a few months ago and last week my mom and I went for a visit. It was a perfect long weekend, we relaxed by the pool, ate way to much and I talked them into doing a bit of antiquing.
Here is our tour guide, my brother George, at the entrance to one of the great shops Oklahoma has to offer.
And here's what we found inside!
Believe me I was drooling!
And to make it even more interesting the woman who owns and sells all this great vintage jewelry is the woman George and Jean (sis-in-law) bought their house from!
(You know I asked if she left any boxes behind!)
Here is another sweet little shop we visited:
Friday night my sweet niece Kristin and nephew Brian (AKA: FGS) came over from Arkansas for the weekend.
We visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial.
I was impressed, moved and humbled by the love, care and detail that went into this beautiful remembrance of
"those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever."
Check out The Oklahoma City National Memorial here
Stay tuned for....."Pickin' Oklahoma Part Two"
I'll show you all the goodies I found, and what I've done with them!
"November comes, And November goes,
With the last red berries, And the first white snows."
~ Elizabeth Coatsworth
A little birthstone history, fact, lore and legend.
If you were born in November you are unique and brilliant, careful and cautious, you are a dynamic personality who is determined, inquisitive and you know how to keep secrets.
The Chrysanthemum is your birth flower, it is one of the most honored flowers in Asia. In Japan chrysanthemums, called "kikus", are exchanged between friends as a symbol
of the virtue and incomparable value of their friendship.
Your birth color is claret red and like you it is Intense, Passionate and Transforming!
November's traditional birthstone is the citrine. It is believed to promote happiness and be useful against depression. Citrine is known as the "healing
quartz". This golden gemstone is said to support vitality and health
while encouraging and guiding hope, energy and warmth within the wearer.
The modern birthstone for November is the topaz.
Courage, fidelity, wisdom and serenity are the characteristics of the
Topaz. These gems are associated with mental clarity and focus and many
believe that those who wear them will experience a reduction in mood
swings and worries.
Here are a few famous people the share your November birthday: Sean "Diddy" Combs, Sally Field, Bonnie Raitt, Lou Ferrigno, Leonardo DiCaprio, and our own Nostalgic Summer Model...GG!
Happy Birthday November, Happy Birthday GG and Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Saturday I participated in the HandmadeMN Fall Market. I meet so many great artist and handcrafters that I thought I would introduce a couple for this weeks favorite things.
My booth was in the lower level and my "next door neighbor" was Robin Wieskus of East Ashley Studio. Robin is a talented watercolor illustration artist and I love the simplicity of her theme. Robin elevates an everyday object to the status of art object!
Here are a few of my favorites from Robins Etsy Shop
Love me a vintage dress form!
And skeleton keys....you can never have enough even when they are watercolor illustrations!
Here's a peek at Robin and her great booth at the market. Her vintage display items were wonderful.
Check out Robin's Etsy shop for some great holiday gift ideas.
One of my other favorite vendors was Anna Downing of Seven Scruples. Anna makes cold process, small batch, handmade soap, and her shop,
Seven Scruples is packed full of wonderful handmade soap, bath and body products.
Here are a few great items from Anna's Etsy shop:
Bon Bons...this one is Calendual and Sweet Orange, smells so yummy!
A fantastic gift set!
And soap of the month.
Here's Anna and her wonderful booth at the HandmadeMN market. Anna also had great re-purposed displays!
Check out Anna's Etsy shop for more great gift ideas!
I had so much fun at the HandmadeMN market and meet such nice people, if you were there and stopped by a "Big Thank You" for checking us out!
Here are a few photos from Nostalgic Summer's booth:
"The shortest distance between new friends is a smile."
~Unknown
America United has declared this week 10/22-10/28 as 'Shop Small Business Week"
Some fun facts about small business in America:
Small businesses are responsible for more than 55% of our nations hiring.
For the price of a Grande Mocha at Starbucks, America can infuse small businesses with more than $1.6 billion in sales in a single week!
For every $100 spent at a locally owned business, $45 stays in the local
economy, creating jobs and expanding the region’s tax base. For every
$100 spent at a national chain store, only $14 remains in the community.
A marketplace of thousands of small businesses helps to ensure more
innovation, competition, and lower prices over the long term.
Independent businesses, choosing products based on what their local
customers need and desire, not a national sales plan, guarantees a more
diverse range of product and service choices.
And the best fun fact of all...You can find lots of fantastic one person small businesses on Etsy!
And I just happen to work at the World Headquarters of my favorite.... :-)
So in honor of Small Business Week, and to thank you for supporting this small business I am offering FREE shipping at my Etsy shop this week! Just enter code SMALLBIZ at checkout.
If you can't wait to get your Nostalgic Summer jewelry by mail and you live in the Minneapolis area visit Nostalgic Summer this Saturday at the HandmadeMN Market....*remember Nostalgic Summer will be in the lower level.*
Mention this blog post for a discount on your entire Nostalgic Summer purchase!
Happy "SMALL BUSINESS WEEK" Everyone!
Etsy has some of the most creative handmade artists and best vintage shops I have ever seen, so I thought I would share a few of my Etsy favorites each month.
Here's what I found on Etsy this month....*Enjoy*
Personalized Ribbon by TheLonelyHeart
Mini Vintage Metal Flowers By WhoKnowsWhat
Mother Of Pearl Rosary Beads by EmbellissezLaReine
Vintage Halloween Black Cats by SmallFavorites
Hand Printed Custom Leather Journal by Inblue
I hope you've enjoyed my October picks and will visit Etsy soon to find some favorites of your own.
"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things"
~ Rodgers & Hammerstein
"There is no season when such pleasant and
sunny spots may be lighted on, and produce so pleasant an effect on
the feelings, as now in October."
~Nathaniel Hawthorne
A little birthstone history, fact, lore and legend.
If you were born on October you are soft-spoken, loving, caring, and romantic. You love to chat and you do not lie or pretend. You are a daydreamer who loves the arts, literature and travel.
Your birth color is orange, and the flower for October is the calendula.
Calendula blossoms in wine are said to ease
indigestion. Calendula petals are used in ointments to cure skin
irritations, jaundice, sore eyes and toothaches.
Calendula Flower Tin Necklace
The traditional birthstone for October is the Pink Tourmaline. Pink Tourmaline stands for love, peace and compassion. Tourmaline is used to strengthen the body and spirit. Tourmaline is found in many localities including Brazil, Afghanistan, East Africa, and the USA. AND.....the Tourmaline is the national gemstone of the USA!
According to Egyptian lore the tourmaline, on its long journey up from the center of the Earth, passed through a
rainbow, hence its variety of colors. Because of this one name for the stone is "gemstone of the rainbow."
Octobers modern birthstone is the Opal. Opal stands for hope, purity, health and innocence. Many believe those who wear the Opal will be treated to a greater understanding of life's possibilities and will discover new and different views of the world. Opals also are believed to assist in healing. Opals were greatly valued by ancient monarchs for their protective
powers. They were worn as jewelry and in crowns to ward off evil and to
protect the wearer's eyesight. The opal was also ingested in a ground-up
powder to protect against nightmares.
Australia produces about 95% of the world's opal supply. The aborigines of that country say that the opal was
created where a rainbow touched the earth.
Happy Birthday October, Happy Fall and Happy Halloween Everyone!
