September Mid-Month Sponsor Love

I'm celebrating the middle of the month with a shout out to all of my lovely sponsors!

Edi of memoriesforlifesb

 Do you need a gift for your favorite sports fan? Edi's sports team cuff links are a great option.

Jamie of ForLoveofCupcakes

 If you missed Jamie's BlogHer series, it's not too lately to check it out. Her final post in the series is about using keywords.

Linda of PruittCreations

I love Linda's cats on black coasters. Surprise, right?

Angela of AngleAh

 Angela's burlap and button hair clip is so perfect for fall.

Valerie of additionsstyle

 Sometimes simple jewelry is the best like Valerie's hardware earrings.

Deb of storybeader

 I love Deb's most recent 21 Secrets project. It fits her current state in life so well.

Tiffany of Ribbon Lane Supplies

 Do you enjoy Halloween crafting? Tiffany's black cat ribbon is perfect for it.

Paige of Little Nostalgia

 Paige is giving free design consultations to build her personal portfolio, and she's blowing all of us away with her talent. Look at this beautiful guest bedroom!

Kristen of Milo and Molly

 As we move into fall, people are looking for more cool weather, comfort foods. Kristen's beef, bean, and beer chili is a perfect choice.

(I looked at last month's post before I wrote this month's post and came across Bitchy Resting Face or BRF again. If you missed it last month, go check it out, because it's just that great.)

I hope that you found some useful resources today!

Are you interested in advertising with me? Click here!

Saturday Link List: the October recipe edition

Welcome to my Saturday Link List!  There is no theme here, but I've tried to mix up the healthy and not so healthy recipes so there's something for everyone.  I've also included some great options for cooler weather.  Enjoy!

BBQ Chicken Dip from How Sweet It Is

Smoky & Creamy Baba Ganoush from vespawoolf

Healthy Sandwiches: Roasted Veggie Melt from Kelley Ward

7 Avocado Recipes: Includes Salads, Salsas, Dressings and Guacamole from missolive

Beer Cheese Soup from How Sweet It Is

HOMEMADE PIEROGI: History, Fun Facts and Gram's Authentic Recipe from Sharon Smith

Carrot Muffins from Sweet Posy Dreams

Apple Crisp Pizza from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Lions, Monkeys, and Tigers: Cake Pops from mary615

 

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte from Confessions of a Foodie Bride

I went crazy again pinning a whole lot of recipes and food articles from my fellow HubPages writers this month. You can check out my entire September Pinterest food board right here.

What recipes/foods have you been enjoying lately?

Create your own link list and grab a button for your post or simply spread the word on your blog.

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Did I feature your work here?  Grab a button for your blog or web site!

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Did you use one of the resources, tutorials, or recipes from my link list?  Leave me a link in the comments or send me an e-mail (randomcreative28@gmail.com) with your photos and stories.  I would love to post them here.

Stay tuned next week for the October resources edition! 

September Photo a Day Challenge wrap up

Can you believe that we're wrapping up another month already?

It's continued to work out well having my fat mum slim's photo a day challenge photos on Pinterest, so I put my September photos up there.  I still don't need any more daily content on this blog, Facebook, or Twitter.  You can check out the entire board here (or by clicking on the above photo).  I'm just sharing a few of the highlights in this post today.

Day 1: You, Now

 At the Kenosha lakefront. I'm wearing this t-shirt, and yes, it is wet. That's the price that you pay for trying to get a cool photograph and not watching where the wave is going.

Day 2: Father

My parents and my mom's mom the last time they were visiting Milwaukee.

Day 4: In My Mailbox

I ordered my first ever MOO cards. (Etsy sellers can still take advantage of this free offer.) It was way past time for me to get some sort of card with my HubPages URL. I also ordered the second two books in the Hunger Games series.

Day 5: Bright

In case you haven't seen enough flower pictures from me the past few months.

Day 6: Every Day

I work on some type of craft project pretty much every day.

Day 8: At Night

Angel is crazy about her fresh water. I change it twice a day just because she enjoys it so much.

Day 13: Table

I finally found something perfect to coordinate with my little fall button tree.

Day 17: In My Fridge

One of the souvenirs that we brought back from the Wisconsin Dells last month was cheese.

Day 21: Sometimes

Sometimes I get to do amazing custom work.

Day 25: Frame

Edi, you'll appreciate this! It is an engraved frame, and the detail work is beautiful. We ordered it at the Wisconsin State Fair and got it in the mail earlier this month. Dominican is where Jake went for undergrad.

Again, you can check out the entire set of September photos on Pinterest right here.

It's hard to believe that I have nearly completed four straight months of this challenge (I still have a few days left this month to finish my final prompts). I'm not as surprised that I have been successful with it as I am surprised that so much time has passed already.

As we move into the final crunch for the holiday shows and my freelance writing loads continue to be as full as ever, this photo challenge is going on hold for a little while. I'll still be doing the Sunday Scavenger Hunt and I Heart Macro challenges every week, which will keep my photography skills going strong. This has been an amazing experience, and I hope to pick it up again sometime in 2013.

If you'd like to participate in October, the challenge list is right here.

What have you been photographing lately?

Voting for the September EBW Challenge

Voting is up and running for the September EBW Challenge A Lunar Obsession!  Voting takes place on the EBW blog through September 15.  If you can't see all of the entries, head over here.  The mosaic is clickable.  Please check out all of the entries and vote for your favorite.

I've been focusing on a lot of different projects this past month, and participating in this challenge didn't even make my radar. It wasn't for a lack of inspiration or anything because this is an awesome theme. I'm hoping to get back in the game and participate in at least one or two more in 2012. For now, here are some of my favorite lunar entries. As always, there are so many stunning pieces.

BLUE MOON, You saw me standing alone, Without a dream in my heart, Without a love of my own.... by ArtMasquerading

Bella Luna Lyric Cuff by thistledew4u

Princess Luna Necklace EBWC by jess2bead

Eclipse Bracelet and Ring EBWC by DebgerDesigns

New articles:

Fall Autumn Greeting Cards: Homemade Card Ideas to Make
Paint Chip Crafts for the Classroom: Ideas for Teachers and Kids

August Top Droppers and Commenters and September News

I hope that September has gotten off to a good start this month for everyone! I'm going to get right into things today.

TOP DROPPERS:

Here are the top 10 for July.  Thanks so much to those of you who also take the time to leave me comments!

 

TOP COMMENTERS:
If you're new to this blog, you can check out my Top Commenters widget on the right side of my blog.  It's under my blog roll.  I will feature an item or give a shout out to everyone on that list in this monthly post.  I really appreciate those of you who take the time to leave me feedback!

Thanks to Sandee of Comedy Plus and Awww...Mondays, Ann of Ann's Snap Edit Scrap, and Catherine of Living the Gourmet and for stopping by and commenting regularly!  Here are some lovely items from the ladies on my list who have Etsy shops.

1) Wedding Table Numbers - Personalized Wine Bottle Candles by memoriesforlifesb
2) Knit Purses Tote Bag Zipper Closure in Blue by NFallonDesignStudio
3) Sapphire - Porcelain and Light Blue Swarovski Heart Crystal Sterling Silver Earrings by BeadedTail
4) Shabby chic cottage style eyemask. Chambray Rose. Blue by PeridotByDuni
5) Ocean Blue Post-it Note Mini Clipboard with pad, 2-sided, multi-colored fish by MisterPenQuin
6) Blue handmade paper beads by storybeader
7) Your Best Friend is sometimes your horse - print of an original watercolor painting - Best Friend - 8 x 10 by tapestry316

Blog Sponsors and September Advertising:
I have an awesome round up of blog sponsors!  These lovely ladies all have Etsy shops and/or blogs.  Check them out on the left hand side of my blog under "Private Sponsors." Please make sure to check out my newest sponsor, Mel of Epic Stitching.

Would you like to join them?  It's only $3 per month or $10 for 4 months to advertise with me.  Check out all of the details about it right here.

Bring it on September!

• In August, I had my fourth ever article chosen for Hub of the Day: Cooking Live Lobsters: How to Host a Live Lobster Party. (Please spare me your commentary about whether cooking live lobsters is humane or not. That is NOT why I wrote this.) I had hopes of reaching 24 articles like I did in July but didn't come anywhere close to that, largely because I did so much writing elsewhere. It's good to keep diversifying, and my views and earnings were still up so it worked out just fine. This month will probably look similar for writing.
• My new freelance opportunities this month were amazing. At least one of them is still going strong for this month, which is very exciting. It's great to have that regular work flow and not have to search for new projects every day.
• We were just as busy in August as we were in July with social activities, which was great. September has gotten off to a pretty busy start, too. It's really nice to have a M-F schedule now that allows for that.
• My first fall show is in a little over a month. I need to ramp up my greeting card production and go full force with a couple other craft fair projects during September. I applied for two big shows this year and got accepted to one of them a couple weeks ago: the UW-Parkside Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair. I now have 6 shows scheduled for the fall/holiday season. I'm not prepared for how busy that is going to be, but it will sink in soon enough. I will keep listing on Etsy every week throughout September, too.

What's going on with your business and/or blog for September?

New articles:

September Holidays and Special Days: Elementary Classroom Activities, Ideas, and Lesson Plans
How to Make Beer and Plastic Bottle Cap Crafts: Projects and Ideas
Free Things To Do In Milwaukee, WI

Where I Linked Up Today: