1000 Handmade Greetings!

It's here and it's sitting on my coffee table looking gorgeous and beautiful...and it's sooo surreal...each time I walk by and glance at the cover I can't believe that I'm looking at MY card on the cover! Wow, all I can say is thanks Laura McFadden (the creator of this book), I feel honored!

When I read about the call for submissions months ago on Etsy, I decided to submit two of my cards...and I was pleasantly surprised to receive my letter of acceptance into the book.

I packaged my cards and sent them off for their photo shoot and then kind of forgot about it.

As soon as I found out it was published I quickly placed my order on Amazon.com and waited. Then it arrived...I ripped open the box and started flipping through the pages. The quality of the book and the composition of the pages is wonderful. Bright bold colors, amazing creative cards, sooo many cards to savor! Congratulations to all of the Etsy artists that are now in print, and thanks to Etsy for their Storque article about this book!

Cool Blogs From Cool People Final 2008 Edition!

Wow, the year is ending quickly here are my final picks for 2008!



Scarfmonsters blog is really cool, lots of pictures with brief stories and varied topics make this my first cool pick of the week. If you have an Etsy shop and haven't heard of Featsy yet, then you must read about it on her blog! It's the next best thing to Majaba! A cool new tool to find out if you've been featured in the gift guides or front page. Another cool discovery is the Redbox. Read, Oooh-lala to learn more about renting your favorite DVD for only a buck! I use it all the time it's great! Her ipod holder are really cool too!



If you're into celebrity gossip then you'll enjoy The Real Estalker's blog. I shamefully admit to watching The Orange County Housewives , hey I do live in Orange County and like to see what the housewives are doing for our image. You can take an online virtual open house tour and see what the asking price is for their homes. Read Calvin Klein wants to do his part to Stimulate the Economy he's planning on doing a demo on his $30 million dollar mansion to build a new one? Wow! Cool! Did you know you can rent Tony Danza's ski house? Fantasia from American Idol is in foreclosure? These are just a few of the interesting and cool blog posts!

What's new in the smashgirl studio?

My Bahama Bowl sold as I was listing my new Bali Bowl. The bowl was a garage sale find, I just added a touch of drama to it using these beautiful floral plates and finished it off with black grout.

Mega Rock Star is the plus-size version of my little rock star. I love working with rocks and pebbles! Sea Star is a mini-star embellished with sea glass, some pieces gathered this summer from the beaches of San Clemente!

Bubblegum is a fun wavy vase covered in clear and colored glass gems.

What's next? A few new things for Valentine's Day!

Yum!

I would say that I'm a creative person and sometimes that spills over into my lunch creations. This sandwich which my family has named the "Smashgirl" is now become a special request from my son. He said, "Mom, you should be a sandwich artist"!

Here's what's in it:
Toasted Sourdough bread
Turkey
Provolone or Swiss cheese
Mayo
Baby spinach leaves-much tastier that lettuce
Sliced pepperoncini's-for some spice

Give it a try and tell me what you think!

Cool Blogs From Cool People

With the holiday rush, I've only had time to post one cool blog this week!

Some of my favorite things while searching for cool blogs is the response to the question on my forum thread, "Is your blog cool?" I get anything from , "of course!" to "Probably not". I love the self-assured responses such as, "Oh man, my blog is totally cool!" or "SO cool. Dammit"!

I read many today but the one that stood out from the others was MaryJaneFrances. Mary Jane's blog is cool because she is so cool, she's a girl born in the wrong generation...some might call her a hippy, but I just think she's cool! Hippie Harlot is about a vintage book that screams "Mary Jane"! Check out the back cover...kind of like the coppertone girl grown up! Estate Sale is my kind of post, I love to treasure hunt for interesting things...take a look at her finds. Feather Silhouette is so interesting and unique...check it out!

Until next week...

Cool Blogs From Cool People

A day late this week...oops! Busy time of year, but here are my picks for the week!

Read Shock + Fade's blog, Most Unique Fragrance Ever and you will be shocked to read about some of the fragrances she's found! What exactly does a paperbook smell like? Hmm...I think I'll stick with my Pink from Victoria Secrets! One of the many cool things about her blog is the organization of it! It's easy to find your way around...I wonder if all aspects of her life are this organized? I'm jealous!

So Long and Goodbye is about the death of the polaroid camera and the growing movement of people who are petitioning to save it. I am old enough to remember my first polaroid and the thrill of watching my friends with their 8o's big hair develop right before my eyes. Save the polaroid!!! Don't forget to vote for her Hamster's name on her poll!

It's Simply Grey is full of amazing photographs, you'll feel like you're flipping through a magazine! We all have our wish lists, but when you see her wish list you'll be blown away...here take a look at tea time and you'll see what I mean.

I love these beautiful candles she makes, take a look at screen printed soy candles, they are so elegant and so eco-friendly too, now that's cool!

Lend me some sugar...I am your neighbor will make your mouth water! These cookies look so yummy and are beautiful too...added bonus, the recipe is there for the taking! Homemade Christmas cookies were a tradition at my house, my mom's were the best!

A wish list for your favorite mosaic artist

Have a friend or family member who is a mosaic artist? I've complied a list of things that can help you with your holiday shopping, feel free to add on fellow mosaic artists!

1. A Flickr Pro Account- only 24.95 for a whole year!

2. A gift card to Home Depot or Lowes (grout, thinset, etc.)

3. A gift certificate to Goodwill or any thrift store (plates, plates and more plates)

4. A magazine subscription to ReadyMade or Domino

5. A SAMA membership (Society of American Mosaic Artists)

6. Uninterrupted studio time (Free!)

7. An itunes gift card (music helps creativity)

8. Hand lotion, and a big gallon of vinegar (a must after grouting)

9. A box of gloves ( for grouting)

10. A new digital camera

Cool Blogs From Cool People

Happy December, time for more cool blogs!

"my blog is cool. and corny" it said on my forum post...I have to agree that WendiWinn is right! I love corny...give me Bill Murray or Will Ferrell anyday, I guess I have a corny sense of humor.

"Toesocks" are cool and they're making a comeback, read what Wendi thinks of them. I can still remember my pair from the 70's...rainbow colored...I didn't really like the way they felt but I did think they were cool!

"Gingerbread House" is a blog post I could relate to, I've bought the kit and had similar results. They make it look so easy on the box! Speaking of the 70's, my best friend's mom had this amazing Gingerbread House that she brought out each year...I always wanted to eat that thing but it was covered in shellac! Check out Wendi's sidebar where you can click on the chicken legs for her "post pick of the month". I did this after making my picks...she what she chose.

My next pick is smacthoughts a really cool blog with this amazing photograph that drew me in.

(no not the one with the creepy doll!) Click on the link! "Better Days Ahead" could be me and my husband in another 30 years or so. Make sure to click on the photo to read the story behind the shot. I love playing the blog tag game, you know list 7 random things about yourself...so I really love SmacThoughts post "7 more Random things about me" , I think she's on the hit list for tagging! I have to admit the picture really creeped me out!

Check out this cool shot she took called "Twin Time"!

She's a Calendar Girl!

She's a Calendar Girl!
Originally uploaded by smashgirl

Lucy will be featured in the 2009 Lucky Fiona Calendar!!! We were so excited to hear the news and have already ordered our calendar. Lucky Fiona on Etsy is only making 20 of these calendars, so if you'd like one...these would make a great gift for those dog lovers...go quick and order one now! Proceeds from this calendar sale will benefit the animal shelter in central Illinois where they adopted Fiona from too!