Inspiration Revealed + Black Friday Blog Sale

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Ours was extra special as it was also Kyle's 8th birthday. We had a great day of family, food and fun and I'm hoping you all did too.

I was inspired to create a treasury from one of this week's Daily Inspiration photos:



























Just click the photo to be taken to the treasury and to the items featured! Please click & comment if you like the treasury! If the photo inspires you too, please create your own treasury and leave a link in the comments. I'll be sure to add it to the post!

I'm also having Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale through midnight Monday EST a offering 10% off and free worldwide shipping. Just use code BFBLOG2010 at checkout and the discount will automatically be calculated! (Yah! Etsy for getting coupon codes working before the holidays!)

Don't forget:
**Check out the RikRakStudio Blog as she's having a HUGE handmade giveaway. You can win one of my "Smitten" necklaces too!

Giveaway Winner & Weekend Sale

Congratulations to melis731 for winning the Beach Ball Ring! She posted my giveaway on her blog, so the 5 extra entries she got surely gave her an edge! Congrats Melissa!

This weekend, I am going to continue the Last Days of Summer Sale! take 10% off all items in my shop & receive free shipping. Just type "weekend" in the message to seller at checkout and I will refund both the 10% and the shipping fees. This offer is good for the duration of the weekend and ends at 12 midnight EST on the 23rd. For past customers: This offer can be combined with the 10% repeat buyer discount, just include that code as well at checkout.

Here are some new Earrings I listed today. You could save $5.50 on them if you purchase them this weekend!!

Last Days of Summer Sale - 12 more days & a Giveaway!

12 more days left of Summer, so what better way to celebrate than to have a fun summer giveaway! Win a fun Beach Ball Ring!


Here's how to enter:

1. Visit my shop, return here and leave a short comment telling me what item is your favorite. FYI - I do moderate comments, so don't be alarmed if you comment doesn't show up right away.

2. For additional entries you can tweet this giveaway on Twitter. Copy & paste the message
below:

RT @blockpartypress Giveaway today! Win a fun beach ball ring http://bit.ly/21Zk8O RT or comment on the blog to be entered

(must reference me @blockpartypress to be entered) or mention on Facebook (leave a comment to let me know you've done it)

3. get 5 additional entries if you blog about this giveaway ( link in the comments) or make a purchase from my shop.

Entries can be made until midnight EST on 8/20. The winner will be randomly chosen and will be announced on the 21st!


As an extra bonus today and tomorrow , take 10% off all items in my shop & receive free shipping. Just type "Beach Ball" in the message to seller at checkout and I will refund both the 10% and the shipping fees. This offer is good for the duration of the giveaway and ends at 12 midnight EST on the 20th. For past customers: This offer can be combined with the 10% repeat buyer discount, just include that code as well at checkout.

Want to know what inspired this ring? Read here!

Last Days of Summer Sale - 13 more days & a BOGO

One day down and 13 more days of summer to go. Today's sale is a BOGO sale. Buy a pendant or necklace at full price and get any ring for 1/2 price. That's a savings of up to $15! The sale is good from 12midnight EST 8/18 - 12midnight EST 8/19/09. Just put "13 more days" in the message to seller at checkout and I'll refund 1/2 of the price of the ring you choose. You can also not pay and I can send you a revised invoice for the discounted amount.

Read about the 14 day sales event here.

Last Days of Summer Sale

Summers not over yet, but it is coming to an end. At least for my kids who will starting back to school on the 31st. I'm counting down the days with them and thought having a sale would be a great way for me to get back in the swing of things. So for the next 14 days, I will announce a different sale everyday. Each sale will run for 24 hours from 12 midnight to 12 midnight. Each sale will have it's own code, so check back here to get the code. I'll also be having a giveaway (to be announced very soon) and will be posting new items in my shop daily.

Today's sale is: 20% off all items in the shop. Just put "14 more days" in the message to seller at checkout and I will refund 20 % of your order. Items must be purchased by August 18 at 12midnight EST to receive the discount.

Don't forget to check back on the 18th for the new sale and the new code.

Check out my interview on the Scoutie Girl blog today! Not sure if it's inspiring, but I think it's worth a read! Don't forget to leave me a comment there!

Handmade Mart - Sunday, May 31st!!!!!

You can see me and my wares at the Handmade Mart on Sunday! Booth #54. Hope to see you there!

May 31, 2009, 10am-5pm
Ellsworth Drive (Between Fenton Ave. and Georgia Ave.)
Downtown Silver Spring

The Handmade Mart will be rolling into Downtown Silver Spring on Sunday, May 31st
Powered by the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, the Handmade Mart will host more than 50 independent crafters for a unique shopping experience along the bustling Ellsworth Drive in Downtown Silver Spring (click for map).

Along with an awesome array of craft vendors, the Handmade Mart will also feature a full day of live indie rock, and hands-on workshops at the Pyramid Atlantic Store.

Stage Schedule
12:00pm -12:30pm Pash
1:00pm - 2:30pm The Paul Green School of Rock Music
3:00pm - 3:45pm The Aquarium
4:15pm - 5:00pm Yell County

Workshops at the Pyramid Atlantic Store
Screen Printing! Bring your own T-shirt to screen.
Jewelry Making! Learn the basics and take home your very own handmade gift.
Kid Crafts! Fun craft projects for the young ones.

Check out the Vendors!
Go to handmademart.blogspot.com to see the full vendor profiles and find their booths on the Official Vendor Map.

Inspiration Revealed - Cherry Blossoms

"Inspiration revealed" is a new feature on the blog. I will utilize a collage and/or photos to show the inspiration and the end product. If you have a photo of something that inspired you and the piece of art you created from that inspiration, please send me some photos and I will post them in this feature. It's great way to share and get some free promo as well. If you have an online store, I will be happy to link to it!

Here's my first Inspiration revealed:

All those cherry blossom pictures I took this Spring were not for nothing. Their inspiration led to this lovely little addition to my "Out on a Limb" Series . The necklace and the inspiration below!

Doubledutch Trunk Show Tomorrow

I have been crazazy busy (and I still am), but I wanted to get this post in. If you are in the area tomorrow, please stop in and say hi! I will be there from 11AM - 1PM, but my jewelry, etc will be there all day!

Shop local and get a last chance to purchase from BEST members at one of our favorite boutiques, doubledutch

There will be sweet treats to eat while you browse the wares. And when you make a purchase from a BEST member, you'll be entered in a drawing to win a $50 gift certificate to doubledutch! Give it as a gift, or treat yourself.

[ Map / Directions ]

Through My Eyes - A Mixed Bag

Well, I have had a wild weekend. I was lucky enough to be chosen Etsy's featured seller this weekend, and I have had a great time! Thanks so much to everyone who sent me well wishes! They have honestly been the best part ! Seriously, the sales are great, don't get me wrong, but the money will eventually be gone. The warm feeling I got from those many messages will stay with me for a long time! So thanks!!

I really should have been prepared with an exciting post since I linked to my blog, but I had a crazy week last week with a birthday, school events, being sick and Thanksgiving. So I thought for the last day I would post a little something quick so people might be enticed to actually return to my blog. So here are some of the mixed bag of things that inspired me this week:



I just loved the shape and shine of the eye pins on my work table. Individually they aren't much to look at, but together they become something very interesting.



We had our first snow last week! It was just a dusting, but nothing is more inspiring that that first snow. Especially when it lands on a bright green and red bush!



I just love these walnut shells (I think they're walnuts). The have a great texture and of course the little heart on the inside is just precious. We find them whenever we go to the park and we have quite a stash. While we were all sick and stuck in the house, I decided to get them out for a little photo shoot. Check my Flickr page for the full photo shoot.



Still being inspired by pinecones!



Who new birthday candles could be so cool? I just loved the bright colors and they way they looked when I had them piled together on my counter.



Making multiple birthday cakes makes you look at beaters in a whole new light!



A sweet little bunny from my childhood. I just loved how it looked against the pink paper. I think it has inspired a new bunny obsession.

So that's what inspired me this week. I hope one of them inspires you too!

Holiday Heap

Come see me and a bunch of the lovely ladies of BEST and pick up some of the best handmade holiday gifts in Baltimore. Your friends and family will love you for it! Mention my blog and receive 10% off your purchase tomorrow! I'll try to post some sneak peaks today of some new things I will be selling!

Sneak Peek #5

Here is a new item that will be available tomorrow at Crafty Bastards. Mirror Compacts!!!
Featuring a regular mirror and a magnifying mirror! Perfect to carry in your purse or to give as a gift! These will be available in my Etsy shop very soon.













Don't forget to check out the other "Sneak Peeks" in my previous posts! Hope to see you tomorrow!

Sneak Peek #3

Here are some fun new magnets! Crafty Bastards is the only place that you can buy single magnets. I only sell them in sets on Etsy. They will be $6 each and if you buy 3 you get a free one of your choice. You can buy a set or mix and match different ones.

Sneak Peek #2

Here are some new nature inspired items ( necklaces will be added to all the pendants so that they will be ready to wear!)

Crafty Bastards Sneak Peeks

I have some new goodies to debut at Crafty Bastards tomorrow, so I thought I would offer up some sneak peaks throughout the day today. Most will eventually make it into my Etsy shop, but will be exclusively offered first at CB tomorrow! Here's a little Halloween inspired necklace. "Will You Walk Into My Parlor? said the Spider to the Fly"

Crafty Bastards Time!!!!!

This Sunday you can find me at the 5th annual Washington City Paper's Craft Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair! Yeah! There will be a ton of Etsy and Baltimorecraft.com folks there also selling their wares. You can see a full vendor gallery here. I highly recommend that you attend if you are in the area. I will be unveiling my new "Garden's Gate " line and some other new goodies that I don't have listed on Etsy yet. If you will be at the show and would like to pick up a specific item, please contact me Friday or Saturday so that I can make sure that I bring what you are looking for. There will also be live performances, workshops and demos all day and the 4th Annual B-Boy Battle :

Stage MC - Ken Vegas
Crafty DJ - DJ Saggiatore

10:30am Taffety Punk Theatre Company
11:30am Rock 'n Romp featuring Fever
12:40pm Statehood
1:35pm The Chinese Martial Arts Institute
2:30pm B-Boy Battle hosted by Alloutparty.com

All Day - Crafty Mutiny Supply Swap
All Day - Free Bike Valet & Crafty Bike Contest hosted by Washington Area Bicyclist Association

Check out the full Entertainment line up.

Workshops and Demos All Day!

CRAFT: Zine Maker Square (#128 on the tennis courts)
All Day Make your very own button rings, paper beads and LED throwies. Hosted by CRAFT: Zine

Knitting Workshop Knit-A-Gogo Booth (#1).
10:30am-11:30am, 12:30pm-1:30pm Learn to Knit

3pm-4pm Entrelac Knitting Workshop

Get Crafty Ipso Crafto Booth (#7)
All Day, 10am-4pm*
Make felt pins and mini disco balls, design your own stamp, and have fun with Crafty Bastards paint-by-number.
*these workshops are free and while supplies last. Children may participate if accompanied the entire time by a parent or guardian

Bicycle Safety The Bike Rack Booth (#59)
10am, 2pm Basic Bike Maintenance
12pm Riding Your Bike Safely In The City (meet in front of the Maker Square Workshop Area)

Yoga Silk Road Yoga Booth (#106). All day.
Stop by the Silk Road Yoga booth to watch yoga demos by the experts.

Pottery Wheel Demos Hinckley Pottery Booth (#82). All day.
Check out the clay magicians of Hinckley Pottery who can transform lumps of clay into functi onal objects. Instructors from Hinckley Pottery's studio will use the potter's wheel to make cups, bowls, and other simple and complex forms.

Skateboarding Aplomb Clothing Booth (#147). All day. Fun box demos.
Check out the Aplomb Skate Team grind, slide and nollie at the mini-park in the tennis court.

Hope to see you there!

Inspiration Revealed

When I can, I will try to create a piece inspired by some of the themes discussed here and of course I will share it with you. Here is a new ACEO I created with texture as a large part of the inspiration. The texture is created with the circles as well as the distressing and even the raised hills and trees create a relief texture. I really enjoy creating things that you can feel as well as see. I need a name for this piece too. A name usually comes to me by the time I finish a piece, but this one is stumping me. The word "layers" repeats in my mind whenever I look at it, but I'm curious to hear some suggestions from my readers.

See You at Crafty Bastards!

Here are some sneak peaks of some new things I will have at my booth (#53)at Crafty Bastards this Saturday:


























































Hope to see you there. Mention my blog and get 10% off your purchase!

900 Sales!!

I am sooo excited that I am just 1 sale shy of 900 sales! I never thought I would hit this number. It took almost a year to hit 500 (back in September 07'), so it is exciting that it has only taken me 7 months to hit 399 more. To sweeten the pot and hopefully get me my 900th sale, I will offer a free set of magnets (of your choice) to whoever purchases my 900th item. You have to be #900 to win and I am currently at 899 so run don't walk and go shopping. I am only posting this offer here on my blog and there is no need to enter any code. I will contact #900 with the details!

Thanks so much to everyone who brought me my first 899 sales!! And thanks in advance to #900 for helping me reach a milestone!

Update: I hit 900!! Thanks to Holli for taking advantage of my giveaway!!!

Inspired by Art Waste - Leave Nothing Behind

I wouldn't say that polymer clay is the most "green" craft form, so when it comes to my leftover waste from creating my pendants and such, I try to use it up rather then throw it away. I have detailed some ideas on the blog before about reusing my leftovers. Check these posts:
Through My Eyes Anything Can be Art
You Were Inspired by What - Leftovers
I was doing some Spring cleaning the other day, peeling paint off of my palettes and off of my paint bottles and was brainstorming on what I could do with the pieces of dried paint. I have made ACEO's from my dried paint before, but I wanted to do something else. I had stacked the paint from the palettes on top of each other and I really loved the look of the colors and layers so I decided that I would put a whole through the middle o the stack, insert a dowel and create a cool sculpture. The great thing is that I won't have to throw them in the trash and will end up with a unique piece that has sentimental value since it kind of represents all my hard work. Another cool feature is that when I use recycled plastic butter lids as palettes, so some of the paint actually has the recycling symbol imprinted into it. Perfect for recycled art. I posted about this idea on Flickr and got another idea from a comment made by Lisa Peters from Lisa Peters Art. She suggested "You could take one of those scrap book paper punches and make squares and do a funky mosaic?" Her idea along with a posting about jewelry gave me another idea. I could punch circles (my favorite shape) out of the layered paint and stack them on a head pin to create some fun funky earrings. With that idea in mind, I went to work and found that it is fairly easy to punch through the paint. Here's what I came up with:

































The paint is pretty rubbery and extremely lightweight so it's perfect for earrings. I can see a necklace too, but I don't have that much leftover paint available yet. I don' t think that I will sell these, but I will definitely wear them.

I also have a collection of dried paint that I peeled off of my paint bottles . They come in great colors and shapes, and I hate to through them away. They are bit more fragile than the paint from the palettes, so I thought maybe I could embed them in resin and create a pendant or ACEO? Maybe just make resin blocks that can then be turned into a wall piece? Here is a picture of the little leftovers. Let me know if you have a good idea of how I could use them.

I just put in a pitch for an Etsy Storque article about reusing/recycling the waste from your art. If anyone has done something similar and would like to be included, let me know.

Check my "Leave Nothing Behind" Flickr Set to see all my "leftover" creations.

Take some time this week to look at your waste and what you leave behind once you have created your art of choice. Is there anything you can make with the scraps? How could you incorporate them into another art piece? Stretch your imagination and help the environment at the same time! if you come up with a cool idea, let me know. I would love to feature it here on the blog!

Through My Eyes - Inspired by Planting a Little Garden

Spring has sprung, so it is time to it's time to start the backyard garden. My boys love growing vegetables (even if they don't like eating them). Here are some pictures I took while we planted. As always try I to look at things differently. On the surface, planting a small garden isn't all that exciting or inspiring before the plants start to sprout, but if you look at things a little closer or further away or just look that their characteristics, patterns, colors and textures and not just what their purpose it, you may find some unexpected inspiration. I found inspiration in everything from the seed packets to the soil.














The seed packets have great bright colors and images of vegetables.













I love the modified circle in a square pattern of the prepackaged soil flats. The modified square is a nice shape too. The textures of the soil pods after adding water is really cool. The seem to come alive (another great theme a garden can inspire).






















Look carefully at your seeds for unique shapes, textures and colors. Mix some of your leftover seeds together to inspire color and texture combinations. You may even want to create something with the seeds. I know I was ready to get out my glue and make a seed mosaic. The seeds also brought to mind the following words and themes: Dormant, beginning, waiting, possibilities and potential.













So take some time this week to plant a garden, play with seeds, dig in the dirt and get inspired. I will continue to share inspiring pics of our little garden as it progresses. If any of these pics inspire you to create something, let me know in the comments, or share your own inspiration that you got from planting your garden.