Tuesday, September 4, 2012

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.
Treasury Tuesday

Monday, September 3, 2012

Scavenger Hunt and I Heart Macro on Monday (9/3/12)

Welcome to another edition of the photo Scavenger Hunt and I Heart Macro!  Enjoy!

1) Candid


My parents and mom's mom were in town over the weekend. We met up with one of my cousins and her kids at a park on Saturday.

2) Toys
Toys for grown ups. (Available here.) I shot this for an article about fall greeting card ideas (still in the works).

I'm also using this as my shot for I Heart Macro.
studio waterstone

3) Any of the 5 Senses
When you go to a park with kids who are five years old or younger, it is inevitable that you'll end up spending some time in the sand.

4) Batteries
I recently bought a new pack of batteries for one of our remotes. Exciting, right? I figured that this would be a good opportunity to take something article worthy.

5) Half
One more shot from the Wisconsin Dells. I'm not a big fan of the phrase "better half." Shouldn't you feel worthy enough to be one of the halves? "Other half" maybe?

Check out Ashley's blog to see what other people submitted for the themes this week.

Here's your weekly dose of Angel. Yep, that bag is on the floor just for her.

The Monthly Photo Challenge Update:
I'm still getting my September board set up and will have photos ready to show you there next week. I did get the last few days of August added over the weekend. You can check out my full August board here: August Photo A Day Challenge.

Where Else I Linked Up Today:
Photobucket

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Treasury Round Up - 9/2/12

It's been another great week of treasuries! Please help me thank the curators who featured my work this past week by visiting their shops and checking out their treasuries.

Sarah (bysarahdawn) included my Button Charm Bracelet - Christmas - Silver Bells in her Happy Holidays! treasury. It isn't too earlier to get a start on your holiday shopping. Sarah isn't an Etsy seller, but she creates great treasuries. Check out the Set of 5 adorable Bulldog Puppy Christmas Cards that she included in a different recent holiday treasury.

Deb (storybeader) included my Beaded Beads - Set of Two - Sparkling Green in her Be Prepared! treasury. This is a great theme for a treasury with something here for everyone. Check out Deb's Art journal - collage and lined interior "Junque Journal."

Heather (iHartFelt) included my Beaded Dangle Earrings - Fall Autumn Leaves in her Live Out Loud treasury. This is a great title for a bold fall collection. Check out Heather's Owl Felt Party Favor Softie Plushie Hanging Ornaments Bulk Lot of 3 MADE TO ORDER.


I also curated my own treasury this week. I felt like making one final bright collection this summer.

Thanks to those who linked up with me last week!  Here are a few of the items that they featured last week.  Click on the photos to check out the product listings.






treasury round up

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Saturday Link List: the September recipe edition

Happy September!
I hope that this month gets off to a great start for everyone this weekend. I'll have my monthly Top Droppers and Commenters and shop news post on Tuesday, September 4.

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!

 













I went crazy pinning a whole lot of recipes and food articles from my fellow HubPages writers this month. You can check out my entire August 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.
Saturday Link List

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


 
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 September resources edition!