Challenge Revision

At the last minute, I invited the members of the etsygreetings street team to join me in my challenge. It was too late for most of those who responded, so I have decided to revise my original plans so that more people can participate. I know, I know, I'm so kind, huh? Anyway, for the rest of this week, I'm going to try to stick to my original plan and post an item a day. However, I'm not going to freak if I don't. In the meantime, I hope many etsygreetings street team members are preparing to officially start the challenge next Monday. I'll also have a giveaway during those 10 days, so keep an eye on us! I'll be posting links, as well as my faves from the challenge participants throughout the week. Please check out their blogs and shops, if you get the chance.

Here's today's item:


Gratitude Blooming

10 Day Etsy Challenge

I'm embarking upon another self-challenge. Beginning today, I'm going to add one item to my shop each day. The last time I did this, I barely made it, but I've already posted today's listing.

Dad's Day




I also posted two other items this weekend, but I'm not counting them toward the challenge.

my Dad



Father Tree

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Tim and I have been focusing on the outside of the house a lot lately. Yes, even though the playroom is still a mess and the stairs aren't yet refinished. We just can't help ourselves. It's so nice to come out of hibernation! I thought that I should share some of the fruits of my labor. They're not literal fruits. I don't have any fruit trees...that I know of. I made a donation to the Arbor Day Foundation and received 10 "free" trees plus a shrubbery. However, while the trees came with a leaf identification guide, I have no idea what they are. This would be because they arrived with no leaves! Funny, huh? Anyway, I wanted to show you some shots from my gardens. I'm a proud mama.

The pic to the right is a lavender plant in bloom in one of the front gardens. Yes, I see the tag! I didn't realize it was still in there until I saw this picture. Argh! Anyway, I have eight lavender plants out front and two of them are currently in bloom. Actually, one of them is dead, and I need to replace it. The remaining seven look gorgeous. Anyway, in this shot, you can see one of the other lavender plants, as well as some Russian Sage and a Red Twig Dogwood. The dogwood isn't so red now, but in the fall and winter, the stems and branches are bright red. A shout out to my brother, owner/operator of Oasis Landscaping, for recommending the dogwood. I love them!
To the left is a thriving sedum (yes, it's really this color). It's really spreading this year, after staying about the same size all of last summer. I have one of these on each side of the front stairs.

To the right is another sedum from the front garden. I only have one and can't remember if I planted one in each garden or not. I feel like I did, but my memory is not what it used to be these days. Anyway, I got this at an Amish garden center in Jackson County, Ohio last summer. I can't remember the name of the plant, but I would love to have another for the other side of the garden. It's just coming in now, but last summer it was a small mound. It looked almost plasticy (yes, I know that's not a word). If you know what this is called, please let me know. I am trying not to drive the aforementioned landscaping brother crazy.
Yes, this final pic is another sedum! I love it and it's perfect for the front gardens. In case you haven't noticed the trend: lavender, Russian Sage, various sedums, it's very sunny and dry out front. Also the street on the front is fairly busy, so I need hearty plants out there that don't require a lot of water and can live without shade. This particular sedum is Tim's favorite. He first picked one out at a Trader Joe's in Alexandria, where we lived in a little cottage in the Del Ray neighborhood. We really loved this neighborhood, but couldn't really afford to be living there, so we rented a place that wasn't in the best shape. I tried to spruce up the outside with an herb garden, three perennial gardens and a tomato patch (I think we only ever harvested three or four tomatoes. The squirrels ate them all.). Yes, it was a lot of money and time spent on someone else's property, but I love doing that sort of thing and it made sitting on the screened in porch so lovely. Anyway, Tim loves this sedum, so I got him one last summer. Maybe he'll name it after me.

Little b Bunny Featured on Treasury Tuesdays

Hi everyone. I just wanted to share a link. I've been featured on the EtsyGreetings blog! It's "Treasury Tuesdays." Check it out, if you have the chance.



While I'm here, I should mention there is also a giveaway on the EtsyGreetings blog this week. It's a rather large prize, so be sure to check it out.

Giveaway.

Paper and Ink Studio has a giveaway going on for a set of personalized notes. Enter by commenting on her post before May 13. Here's the link: Paper and Ink Giveaway

EtsyGreetings Street Team

Street teams are a type of community on etsy that enable sellers to network, share ideas and market themselves. I hadn't joined any until recently when I decided it would be nice to get to know some of the other sellers on etsy. I joined two street teams, etsymoms and etsygreetings. Etsygreetings seems to be an active, supportive community of sellers who focus on greeting cards, tags, invitations, etc. You can see the wares of team members by searching "etsygreetings" on the etsy front page. I did just that a couple of days ago and found some delicious paper goods. As a way of introducing myself to the team, I decided to do a feature on some of my faves. What's that, you say? I'm advertising for my competitors on my blog? Of course I am, you know how selfless I am. I am a giver, a kind and sharing soul. Actually, I'm a realist. Any traffic to etsy or etsygreetings team members is good for the entire community. We also all have our own niche, our own style, and this can't really be duplicated.

Here are five of my current favorite items found using the search term "etsygreetings." Be sure to check out their shops, as they have many more lovely things to offer. Try to take the time to do your own search as well. There are loads and loads of creative paper goods to be found.




This set of Rustic Chic Thank You Cards by waisze designs would make a great gift for yourself or a friend. They're simple, elegant and eco-friendly, as well as being handmade. The cards are left blank on the inside for your personal message. There are three cards with white envelopes in the set.




Some people, my sister-in-law included, are terrified of clowns. I don't get it. My grandfather was a clown and my sister and I were clowns for Halloween on several occasions. I'm quite sure none of us are evil or from outer space. Anyway, these gift tags are awesome and should be used on gifts for people who have no fear of clowns, or elephants, ladders or tricycles, for that matter. This set of "Vintage Clipart Circus Tags" from firefly notes includes six tags (You can view all six tags by clicking on the fist link.). They come with some cute polka dot ribbon attached.




"A Little Bird on a Branch" from Steph Jacobson uses a variety of materials and techniques to convey a "Happy Birthday" to your loved one. The bird, tree and wording are all stamped, while the bird is chalked and the leaves are bits of folded, textured paper. The border of the card is machine stitched. I always enjoy work that uses different textures.




This "Give a HOOT" gift tag set from Get Happy features one of my favorite animals: owls. The tags are made from heavy card stock and hand stamped with the phrase "GIVE A HOOT" and an owl. There are eight tags in the set and each one comes with waxed thread attached for tying or hanging. These could be used for scrapbooking, gifts or cardmaking.




This "mommy and baby boy" blank notecard is a gift in and of itself. Kelly at Happy Days Studio hand draws and paints each card individually. She is willing to customize the painting and the message. I think these are absolutely beautiful and would make a lovely keepsake for a mother-to-be.

Where in the World is Little b Bunny???

Ack! I fell off the blog wagon again! It's been a crazy couple of weeks, but that's really no excuse. I know. That's just the way life is and I need to adjust!I think I mentioned that LB and I would be going on my nephew's school trip with him on the first of May. We went to the Columbus Zoo, mine and LB's old stomping ground. I love that zoo, but the trip was a bit disorganized, to say the least. Right as we were leaving we got drenched and then went to dinner and found a hair in my food. Ugh! I was so ready for that day to be over. LB and I were at my mom's all weekend because one of her docs ordered an MRI on my knee. It turns out I have some degenerative cartilage (my husband had an old lady's gall bladder and I have an old lady's cartilage), which was causing a lot of swelling (it looked like I had a golf ball sticking out the back of my knee). The doctor drained it Monday, which was NOT fun and we're waiting to see what happens. LB and I came back to Louisville on Tuesday to a daddy who was quite lonely.

We planned to go camping this weekend, but canceled the trip because it was supposed to storm all weekend. I think we could've handled it. It didn't rain much after all. However, we did get involved in a home improvement whirlwind. We decided to rip up the carpeting on the stairs because our puppy used the landing as a potty and we couldn't get the smell out. The stairs underneath are in really bad condition, so they're going to have to be sanded down and restained. We had planned to do the woodwork at some point anyway, so this just moved that project up a bit. Unfortunately, there was roughly 50 year old linoleum on the landing, with a sort of tar paper and nasty adhesive underneath. We still don't have all of that up. Then came the good part - the garden and yard. It is really looking awesome! I'm going to have pics up soon.

Today is Mother's Day...Happy Mother's Day everyone! Tim has been spoiling me all day. He brought be juice and coffee this morning. Then he made Smart Bacon and waffles for breakfast with a newspaper to read on the porch. Mmmm. He's been hard at work all day, mowing and trimming the yard, putting in a stone path from the driveway to the patio and now he's sanding the stairs. Wow! I got to spend the day being waited on and sewing on the porch. Lovely.