Musical Monday - Time

Here is Josh Ritter's "Change of Time" for Musical Monday. If you you'd like to hear (or share) some tunes about Time or The New Year's Holiday, pop on over to Xmas Dolly's and check out today's MM blog hop.

So, how have your holidays been? Things have been both relaxing and busy around here. It is no surprise that I am waaay behind on blogging (seems to be a trend for me this year). However my Year In A Garden project continues over at Instagram. Today was Day 259 - Misty Morning.

Are you on Instagram? Have you tried statigram's snapshot tool to make a mini-slideshow featuring your Top 5 photos? It is free and easy. Just sign up over at statigram with your Instagram account. Then pick "snapshot" and they will email the video to you. Here is mine: 

Curious? Click here to read more about it on the Statigram blog. If you decide to make a video, please leave  a link and I'll stop over to check it out.

We have a winner of the Free Craftsy Art Class

I just heard from the creative folks over at Craftsy.com and they have picked a winner of the free online Fine Art workshop!

The lucky winner of Craftsy's random drawing is.....

Raffi from RunningBetty.com

Congratulations, Raffi! You will be contacted by someone from Craftsy with a link for ordering the online fine arts class of your choice. 

Thank yous to everyone who entered this random drawing and a huge thank you to Craftsy for offering such a cool prize!

I mentioned in an earlier post just how much I love Craftsy. If you are not familiar with the site, you should check it out. They have some fabulous cooking, gardening, art and crafting classes. The format lets you work at your own pace, returning to earlier videos as needed. Plus you can ask questions of other students and teachers. It is worth signing up for their emails or liking them on facebook so that you can find out about the frequent sales they offer.

Touching base

Hey there! I'm still here... just super busy with the holidays. I am sure many of you are too! Lots of good artsy news this week which I'll share tomorrow. 

Regarding the Craftsy.com Fine Arts Class Giveaway: They're picking the lucky winner today. I'll announce here as soon as I find out who it is.

Gotta run - family beckons. Best wishes for a creative day!

Vote For Veggies

Please vote for me 

WOW! I just found out that my bok choy photo made it to the finals of Twenty20's food challenge! Originally photographed for day 226 of my Year In A Garden instagram project, these tasty green leaves seemed like a fun submission to the competition.

Judges picked the finalists but the winner is picked by the public, so the photo with most votes wins. So, I'm calling out for votes. I only have until tomorrow so every vote helps!

Click the link to Vote for My Veggies:

http://twenty20.com/challenges/food?user=artsnark

If you are not a member of Twenty20 yet, I think it requires you to sign up in order to vote. This is free but takes a minute or 2. If you'd like to spread the word I appreciate that too! 

Thank so much for your support! 
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P.S. On a totally different topic, have you entered the Craftsy.com random drawing for a free online fine art class? One lucky winner will be announced on 12/19. Click HERE for details

Win A Craftsy Fine Arts Online Workshop - Ends 12/18

I Love Craftsy.com!

Are you a "creative type"? Time-challenged? Looking to learn a new skill?

If you've answered 'yes' then Craftsy might be the place for you! I joined the site ages ago to take some of their DIY classes and have been going back again and again. I started with gardening and jewelry videos and have since added several baking, papercraft and basic sewing tutorials to my Craftsy library.  

Let me state right away that I am receiving no compensation for this post. I am a big fan of Craftsy.com so when they asked me if I wanted to host a giveaway for them, I said heck, yes! 

Why do I love Craftsy?

The lessons are given in a series of videos and you control your video library: 

Stop and restart your tutorials at anytime.They even have an ipad/iphone app for watching on the go. 

You can access your videos when it is convenient for you.  This is a huge selling point for me. I have (sadly) signed up for online classes on other sites that had time limits. Then either something comes up and I am cramming to watch as many lessons as I can before they expire, or I don't work on the project for a while and when I resume I have forgotten a step and have no reference for help. This is not a problem with Craftsy where I can access my library forever, 24/7.

The instructors really know their topics and explain steps clearly. Images are also clear & it is easy to follow along with what the teachers are doing.

There is also an "interactive classroom" where you can post your questions and get help from other students or instructors.

If you don't like the lesson, they have a 30 day money back guarantee. I have never needed to use this, but is is great to know that it is an option.

They also regularly offer sales and even have a bunch of free mini-classes. 

Sorry about going on and on, but I love this site!  So I was super-excited this summer when they started offering fine art classes. They are teaching drawing and painting using a number of different materials and techniques. I haven't tested any out yet, but (based on the quality of the other workshops I have taken) I bet they are fun, easy to follow and very informative. 

I was even more excited when Craftsy contacted me about giving a fine arts class away to one lucky Artsnark's Artifacts reader! 

How can you enter this random drawing and take home the fine-arts class of your choice? Entry is a little different than some of my other giveaways. To enter: First click this link . Then, if you are already a member, sign in to Craftsy. If you are not yet a member, join the site; create an account using either your email or via facebook. It is free to join Craftsy. No purchase is necessary to enter this random drawing. One entry per contestant, please.

You have until midnight (EST) on 12/18 to enter. The folks at craftsy will pick a winner on 12/19 and I will announce it here.

So what are you waiting for? Click through and take a chance! You might be the lucky winner and discover a new passion or skill you never knew you had!

Sunday Markets

Oxford Exchange view from club floor landing

I took some "me" time yesterday at a couple of Sunday Markets. The first was a holiday bazaar on the club floor of The Oxford Exchange. The brunch crowd filled the first floor cafes, restaurant & shops. Upstairs the joint was jumping with eager customers and a mix of local handmade & vintage vendors.  I blew my budget on optical lenses, letterpress blocks and an Edison wax cylinder (because I love the packaging).

I have more photos of this charismatic locale to share soon. It is such an inspiring space that I find it impossible to resist stealing a few pictures. In November I attended a wonderful evening of chocolate, tea & coffee tastings, as well as a lively book group. I have already posted a few photos of the chocolate event here.

one of the many cozy chairs at OE

Then there was a sunny stroll over to the Hyde Park Fresh market. The walk led me by cute restored bungalows and historic buildings, like Firehouse #3 with these gorgeous wood and iron doors.

We are fortunate to have several weekend markets and each is a bit different. Hyde Park Village holds theirs on the 1st Sunday of each month. In addition to the yummy fresh farmer's market fare there are handmade goods, local shops with booths and even a kid's stretch of sidewalk for budding entrepreneurs.

All day the reds and purples kept capturing my attention. Check out these cool eggplants.

And you can never have too many rosemary plants...right?

What do you know - more purple!

Do you have a favorite outdoor market? What is your must-have item or favorite vendor?

Final winner from 7 Days of Giveaways

It has finally come.... 

Day #7, the final day of a week of giveaways!

This has been a really fun run of random drawings! Many thanks to those who took the time to enter and promote this fun week. Now, lets find out who gets to take home the stainless steel 1 oz flask with chain, decorated with one of my designs.

And the winner is.....

Ed Wait! Congratulations, Ed!

I'll get in touch with directions for claiming your prize.

Thanks again to everyone who played along this week! I needed to jump start my sleepy blog and this seemed like a fun way to do that. Lots of posts to share in the near future: reviews, interviews, "field trips",works in progress and (yes) even more random drawings. In fact, pop back here on the 5th when I will announce a new prize that is so fantastic I wish I could enter!