I Am on Giveaway Hiatus

So I am back at my son's house in Ohio for my grandson's 8th grade graduation tomorrow. We enjoyed our time in the mountains hiking and relaxing and also visiting with my husband's side of the family while we were up that way. So now we will be here for the rest of the week. Then we will be starting our journey out west and back. So that will be the perfect time to start my Where Am I Now Giveaway again. I have some ideas in mind for that too. More info to follow on that front. So for the next few days I will busy with family and will be doing some promotional blogs. And I will be sure to posts pictures along the way too.

She Designs Jewelry

She Designs Jewelry is today's ArtFire crazy train featured artisan. She has a nice selection of jewelry on her site. I am featuring two of my favorites here.

From the Artisan:

Welcome to She Designs Jewelry! My name is Sheila Hendricks. Please enjoy looking through all my lovely creations! I also take custom orders, so if you have something specific in mind, please let me know. I would love to create something unique for you! I have some new ideas swirling in my mind and will be working on them in the next few weeks. I hope to be sharing those with you soon! I blog a few times a week so stop by there to catch up at http://www.shedesignsjewelry.blogspot.com

Please visit often as I add new things often. And please send me a note if I can create something special just for you! Thanks! Sheila Hendricks, She Designs Jewelry

Bead All About It

Bead All About It is today's ArtFire Crazy Train featured studio. And the name says it all. There are so many great beads to choose from. I love the variety and the quality of the beads that are here to choose from. The two that I am featuring here are beauties too. The top one is Mookiate and the bottom one is African Turquoise.
Here is From the Artisan:

Xtra Xtra "Bead All About It" news. Welcome to our studio!! Here you will find a wonderful selection of top quality, beautiful ,semi-precious gemstone strands, pendants and other gorgeous items to create your one of a kind necklace, bracelets, earrings and more. You will be very pleased. We'll be adding more items often, so please be sure to stop back often. Lots of beauty with unsurpassed quality! Looking for something particular..Let us know! We have semi precious for every price range!

Jenn Found Me

I can hardly believe it. Jenn of Jennuinecandles guessed where I was on from the first day's posting. She is getting too good at this. But in all fairness we really did not move that far. After next week we will really start to cover some territory.

Since I do not have to give you more clues to narrow down my location, which is Front Royal, I can just tell you about our hike today. It was very cold yesterday and I was really worried about Jim being out on the trail in just shorts and a light weight jacket. It started off chilly but it got colder as the day went on. I was in the van working on jewelry and when I stopped to take a break and go on a little walk with Beau I was amazed at how much colder it was. We went right back in the van and I put long pants on and put Beau's jacket on him. We started out on one of the trails and we came upon a deer grazing and eating. He didn't even seem to be too bothered that we were there either. He just stopped eating and watched us for a while and then just moved a little farther away and started munching again. I had a hard time getting Beau out of the woods. He loves all the different animal scents.

On today's walk he even rolled around in the grass on his back. He was a happy little Basset. It was much warmer today. The air was still cool but the sun was out an it felt really good. It made you feel all nice and toasty. When Beau and I were walking in a meadow today I heard someone yell out hey Beau. It was a hiker that we had met on the trail yesterday. He remembered Beau and came over to pet him again. Everyone remembers Beau on the trail.


IT'S ALSO CRAZY TRAIN TIME

Today's crazy train rider is Deb Vandet Designs. She has a little bit of everything in her studio. I especially like the microscope slides that she has decorated and turned into pendants. My husband is a medical technologist and has worked in medical laboratories for over 30 years. Still he wasn't as impressed as I was. I think it is very creative.

Here is Deb's from the Artisan

Welcome to debvandetdesigns! Handmade jewelry for you and artful adornments for you and your home. I use mixed media and a variety of techniques, new and recycled components to make my original designs. Whether your style is girly or goth, I might have something you'll love. If not... I would love to make it for you. Custom work and collaboration on a piece of jewelry that is personal and meaningful for you is a joy for me.

So Now Where Am I?

Isn't this scenery beautiful? This is what we have been looking at for the past 6 days. And it is what we will be looking at for 5 more days. But we have changed locations. We finished the southern part of the Appalachian Trail as it runs through the Shenandoah National Park. Now we are going to be exploring the northern portion. But to do that where do you think we need to have our home base. That's all I am going to tell you for today. Tomorrow I will post more clues and the giveaway for this week.


Also of note from our adventure.... I found this very interesting. Everyday as we were driving into the park there were so many squirrels running all over the place. At times we were stopping and swerving just to keep from running them over. And we also saw plenty of deer in the brush just by the side of the road and some even in the road. I was able to take this picture of one by the road. But today when we were driving we didn't see any not any squirrels or deer. Was it because it was rainy and cold?? Or did they know it was Sunday and they were sleeping in?? Or perhaps they were all in church?? It was just very different than all the other days we were there. Where do you think they were???

Creative Haven

It is Creative Haven's turn on the Crazy Train. And she is very creative. Here is how she describes her craft.

From the Artisan: Welcome to Creative Haven! This is where you will find all things created by me. I love to design jewelry among various other arts and crafts. I am always trying something new and different, so if that's what you're looking for you've come to the right place. You will find everything from jewelry to wood projects.

Today we all went hiking. Jim's legs are tired from his 3 days of 5 hour hikes. And it is supposed to rain this afternoon. So he decided to do some shorter hikes today. And Beau and I decided to join him.

We did 2 different one mile paths. At first Beau wasn't too sure about going. So he consulted with Hiken C. A. Bear about it. Then once he was actually on the trail and started to pick up all the different "scents" the woods have to offer, there was no stopping him. He even came upon a bunny on the trail. It is amazing to me how tame all the animals are that we have seen this week. It's like they know there is no hunting in these woods. Now, don't get me wrong, they do run from you. But they will give you a little look over before they do and they only run when you get close. Yesterday I got a good picture of a young deer that was eating grass by the side of the road too. But this picture of Beau and the Bunny was too good. This is a cute B & B in the Shenandoah National Park. And now Beau is on his bed sound asleep. And I may be doing the same thing too.

Where Am I - 2nd Edition - Day Three

This morning we had a nice drive in the mountains to drop my husband off for today's hike. It is just gorgeous early in the morning when everything is waking up. We could hardly drive for all the squirrels in the road. And we saw a couple of bunnies hoping around too. But the highlight was all the young dear that were coming down by the road side to eat. We saw 12 different dear. One was even so close to the road I was able to get a picture. I'll have to post it later as my husband still has the camera with him while he is hiking. Tomorrow Beau and I are going to do a little hiking too.

So for today's clues. I am staying just off I-64 at one end of the Skyline Drive that goes through the Shenandoah National Park. The name of the town I am in has something in common with a Mike Myers movie.

If you read some of the posts from previous days that may help you too. At least you will know which places are incorrect. Have a great day and good luck with finding where I am.

Where Am I Now - Second Edition - Day Two

Good Morning Everyone. Take a good look at the earrings. The two guesses yesterday both picked the wrong necklace to go with these earrings. I must say that the necklaces they picked would go with these earrings but it is not the one that is made with the same beads. So check again on that one. However, both of yesterday's guesses were in the correct state. The 3 states we went through were Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia. We drove along the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania and crossed the Potomac in Virginia.

This morning I dropped my husband off for today's hike. I dropped him off at Turk's Gap which is just above Beagle Gap. And if you are a hound lover then what could be better than Beagle Gap. The mountains were gorgeous this morning. But the twisting winding roads were a little nerve racking. I have to get used to driving in hills again. So far on this trip we have been traveling on highways so I didn't notice them as much. But now we are in the parks and driving up, down and around.

We are staying just outside one end of the Shenandoah National Park. The next two weeks will be spent in the National Park. We will be driving there and back to our home base each day.

That's all you are getting for today. Happy guessing.

Alisuns Too For Won

It's Alisuns turn to be featured on the Crazy Train. She has this second studio just for items that she wants to "destash". As any of you who are into crafting or making handmade items know, after a while things begin to accumulate. You may have a few beads from this project and some left over chain from another. So what to do with all of your stash items is sometimes a mystery. Many ArtFire artisans have seperate studios set up to "destash" and Alisun is one of them. Here is her studio description

AlisunsToo is the store where in order to give good homes to unused supplies and vintage pieces (some were made 30 years ago) you Always Get Too For Won. Here is the simple Too rule. Buy an item. Shop for another item OR ITEMS that equal the purchase price. Pay the shipping price ONLY if it weighs more than 13 oz.

That's it. Have fun shopping! This is where you will find all my destash, and stuff that doesn't fit in my Alisun's Custom Crafted Jewelry store (www.alisuns.artfire.com).Things will never be the same here, and I can't promise that I can recreate some of the things I've listed.Have fun browsing!

Where Am I Now?

Are you ready for installment #2 of Where Am I? We traveled today so we are in a new location. Can you guess where I am. To win the pair of earrings at the left here is what you have to do. Read all the clues and see if you can figure out what city and state I am in. Also, you need to go to my web page and tell me the name and/or number of the necklace that matches this pair of earrings. Every day this week I will blog with more clues to my location and hopefully by Friday we will have a winner. Here we go.................

Today we traveled for a total of approximately 7 hours. We traveled south for almost 400 miles and went through 3 different states. We drove along side a big river for most of the morning and crossed another big river in another state. We will stay in this location for several days so that we can do some hiking.

That's all you are getting out of me today. Tomorrow I will get more specific about some of the information I have given you today. So if you can't figure it out yet, check back tomorrow for more clues.

So far it has been a great trip. I can't believe that we have been on the road for over 3 weeks now. It seems like we just left. And Beau is having fun too. I am hoping to get my camera either fixed or replaced soon so that as well as giving you clues I can include pictures too. So there will be more fun as this trip progresses.

Last clue

Franni is closing in on my location. She is soooooo close. I am about 30 minutes west of Corning in a small town. There is a village in England with the same name and it is what you would take instead of a shower. Hope that narrows it down enough for a winner. If not, then Franni is the winner.

Tomorrow I will post the winner and then on Monday I will start a new thread. We will be driving most of Monday so I will start it in the afternoon and update on Tuesday. So if you don't win this week you will get another chance next week. I feel a little like Matt Lauer crossed with Waldo. LOL. Good Luck all.

Next Clue

I only had one guess yesterday and it was not even in the right state. So I will tell you that I am in the state of New York. There are several long finger shaped lakes here and several vineyards. That should at least get you into the right part of the state. Tomorrow I will really narrow it down for you so we can have a winner by Friday.

Another hint I will give you is that I am in a very small town. We are staying with my mother in law so I do not have Internet access at her house. So each day I go to the library and log on. Fortunately for me the library has a beautiful Internet cafe so I can have a cappuccino and chat and post to heart's content. So I can only check in with Plurk, facebook, Twitter and ArtFire once a day. That will have to hold me over until next week. I am pretty sure the place we are staying next have wifi. Yipee.

My First Giveaway

So I thought I would have a little fun and do a giveaway at the same time. Since I am going to be traveling all the time I am going to do a series of giveaways with a Where's Waldo theme. Every time I am in a new location I will give you clues as to where I am and you need to figure out where I am to win the giveaway. So if you follow my progress at some point just knowing where I was and what direction I am going in will help you out a lot. And everyday I will give you clues to help you pin point my location. So here we go.

I just left my son's house in Dayton Ohio. I traveled north and east and it took us 9 hours including stops to get to our destination. For this giveaway I am looking for both the city and state we are in. More clues will be coming tomorrow to help you narrow it down.

The prize for this giveaway is the heart pendant shown above. Good luck.

Janelson Arts

Janelson Arts is today's featured ArtFire artisan. She makes beautiful lampwork beads. She has a variety of colors shapes and styles to choose from. I have featured two of my favorites here but there are many more on her web page. I know you could make a lot of nice jewelry with her beads.

Vote Handmade Launch

Below you will find the official press release regarding the Vote Handmade initiative. This is exciting news for the Handmade Community.

Tucson, AZ – Today marked the launch of a new social media website, VoteHandmade.com. Powered by Reddit code and ArtFire.com, Vote Handmade serves as a link sharing platform for artisans and crafters of all types and specialties.

On VoteHandmade.com, users can share handmade items from venues all over the web with fellow users, up voting and down voting just like on Reddit. This allows artisans the opportunity to not only socialize and share links, but also to promote their quality product and drive buyers to their online studio.

VoteHandmade.com also aggregates news, instruction and business tips for the online craft world. With hundreds of thousands of handmade sellers and millions of handmade items currently listed for sale on the internet, VoteHandmade.com is a great place to see the best of all venues and all artists as voted on by their peers.

VoteHandmade is like the world’s largest juried craft show. Any user can submit an item from any site. VoteHandmade is free to use, free to join, and free to promote.

More About ArtFire.com

ArtFire.com is an interactive craft marketplace designed to bring artisans from different geographic locations and backgrounds together. On ArtFire, artisans are able to not only set up a customizable studio, but also are given the chance to meet fellow sellers though a number of interactive features available on the site. Artfire is more than just a venue, it’s a vibrant artisan community.

“We wanted to give artisans the chance to promote their items in a way which was not only free but also fun,” said John Jacobs, CEO of ArtFire.com. “Vote Handmade allows them to share and interact with artisans from the many different venues on the web.”

“We felt it was important to build tool specifically designed for artisans,” Said Tony Ford, COO of ArtFire.com. “It is our hope that the crafting community will use VoteHandmade .com to further their business and networking online and shoppers can go to one place to see the best of the best artisans in all craft disciplines.”

La De Da Creations

La De Da Creations, as if that name isn't fun enough, just wait until to take a stroll through this ArtFire Studio. The subtitle is eccentric, whimsical, perfectly imperfect. I think that is a great description. In Laura's own words her items are groovy, fun and crazy.

She has so many different items in her studio to choose from. There is an assortment of fun jewlery like this Peace Sign ring, jewelry displays like the one pictured here, as well as bookmarks, incense burners and even body lotions from Laura's day spa. Laura works with polymer clay which is something that I would love to learn some day. You can really use your creativity and the possibilities are endless. Once you visit La De Da Creations you will know what I am talking about.

This studio is one of my favorites on ArtFire and one I love to browse through often. Maybe it's because it takes me back to the days of my youth. I know it's definitely a fun place to shop.



Oh and did I mention that this jewelry holder glows in the dark. So break out the incense, grab the body lotion and let's all have some fun.