OMG! This Blog is AWESOME!!!

Ok...I just HAD to share this blog with you...Follow them, they are cool! LOL!
The main blog is SITS, and their mission is one we can all get behind. If you like a blog you've read...COMMENT!!!!
They call themselves a 'blog support system' but I think they are more of a self esteem support system!!!
And right now they are running an AMAZING contest....you can win the COOLEST brewing system out there! Coffee, tea, chai, even hot cocoa!!!! It does everything, and it's awesome, and you can win one!!!!
You MUST check this out!!!
SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here's the loooong link to the contest, but check out the blog home too! COOL folks!!
http://thesecretisinthesauce.blogspot.com/2008/12/win-keurig-platinum-brewing-system-and.html

My Favourite People: Part One

So, for my very first Favourite People segment, I'm zooming in on the madly talented, ultra fabulous Liz Staley!! (applause here.)

Liz truly is one of my favourite people. In fact, the link to her blog is listed over there on the right under "Light Me" as she is the not so dark and gothy one!

Liz was kind enough to subject herself to my 10 questions, and gave me the go ahead to post some of her fantastic Etsy wares here for all my friends and fans to oggle! (oogle?)

So here we go:

1) What inspires you most? Anime, my own nerdy ways, role-playing, and sometimes conversations with friends.

2) Is there a craft or art form you don't already do that you would love to learn? Tons! I'd love to learn bookbinding, leather working, wood working, more about knitting, glassworking, pottery... I could go on for days. XD

3) When did you discover you were creative? When I was a baby my mom painted ceramics. Apparently I wanted to help, so she gave me a rubber duck, a cup of water, and a brush. It worked until I figured out that it wasn't changing colors! My mom always encouraged us to be creative too.

4) Of all the things you do (craft wise) what do you most enjoy? Making plushies. (Like the Flying Spaghetti Monster over there!)

5) What is your favourite thing to do to relax? Role-playing games. (the tabletop ones, not video games)

6) Name your top 5 places to shop on the web. Etsy, Amazon, buybuttonparts.com, Hancock Fabrics, and Sassy Bears and Fabrics (get most of the fabric for my plushies there!)

7) Do you listen to music when you work on your art / crafts? (if so, what kind?) I listen to music all the time, and in just about every genre! My playlist has pop, rock, metal, alternative, classical, techno, gothic techno, and even a little bit of rap and country. I also have Japanese, Romanian, Swedish, Korean, and Chinese music.

8) What is your favourite quote / mantra / creed at this moment? I can do anything I wish if I put my mind to it.

9) Who pushed you / had hard faith in your creative side most growing up? My mom.

10) Has Etsy been a boon or bane for you? Sometimes it's both! LOL! I've made a lot of friends on Etsy that are great, and I've learned a lot too. It's great to have the confidence to make things and sell them! Plus I've sent a lot of my creations to all sorts of countries all over the world- this week I sent buttons to Switzerland- how cool is that?! Overall I love Etsy and it's been great for me. :)

Awesome! Thanks for sharing Liz!! Check out all Liz's awesome geekery at http://www.lizstaley.etsy.com/ !!

"Out Cold" ACEO original

My Favourite Things : Part One

ACEOs....ah how I love them! The most amazing little things!

(Steve In the Snow by bluedogrose.etsy.com )

I collect them, I make them....I love to look at them.

At a mere 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" in size, the ACEO is one of the most interesting forms of SFA or small format artwork. (ACEO = Art Cards Editions and Originals by the way.)

An artist can put as much or as little detail as they like into this tiny space, in any medium imaginable.

This one is made almost entirely from polymer clay and is called "Honey Bee Baby" by MandarinMoon.etsy.com . --->

I have in my personal collection, collage pieces, wooden pieces, stained glass pieces, oil paintings, acrylic paintings...even a shrink plastic piece! (That one is by the wonderful Liz Staley, who will be the focus of my first "Cool People" post next week sometime!)

<----Mad Girl's Love Song by Eluneth.etsy.com and Primal Scream by HealingExpressions.etsy.com

An affordable way to collect original artwork or limited edition prints, ACEOs take up very little space. I have 2 wall frames that hold 8 ACEOs each and I rotate out pieces as I like. I also have two on easels on my tv console and a lovely photo album with the bulk of my collection in trading card sleeves.

<------That's one of mine! A Firey Temperment by gypsycaster.etsy.com

So, if you love art of all kinds, but are on a tight budget or in tight quarters....or maybe you just like little things, ACEOs are for you! Please check out not only the artists mentioned here, but all the other amazingly talented people out there branching out into this fascinating medium. You'll be surprised at the amount of detail, and talent, you can squeeze into 2 1/2" x 3 1/2"!!!!