We Have A Winner....

First a round of virtual applause for my faithful assistant, King Thanksalot

And the winner is

Danielle a.k.a. Yellie !!

Congratulations, Danielle! Please visit WillOaksStudio.etsy.com to select your prize. You may choose 1 pair of lovely earrings priced at $22 or less. Click on "Contact WillOaksStudio" on the right side of her Etsy shop page, to leave Karen a message. I'll also forward your info to her. She will handle shipping your selected prize.

Many Many Thanks to all who entered. I love giving stuff away so please keep checking back to see what's up next.

And an extra - loud round of virtual applause to Karen at Will Oaks Studio!! Thanks for sharing your beautiful creations with the world and generously donating to ArtSnark Artifacts' latest blog giveaway!!

Wishing everyone a fun & creative weekend!

Extra note: Just spotted something about tomorrow being declared "Etsy Day" by indie shop owners. (Thanks to the whyte paper blog for bringing this to my attention). I haven' t had a chance to look into it yet, but you can click HERE for more info.

Random Tuesday Fonts

My Name is Stacey & I am a Font-o-holic.

It all started back when the Dinos still roamed the earth. I was being courted (I said it was a long time ago) by a charming graphics student. He won me over with a love letter comparing me to a Bordeaux Roman S. The boy and his letter are long gone but the love of a good font remains.

How can you not love

The names are as cool as the type. Looking for anof maybe some
???

Sure there's lots of pretty ones too, but I lately I'm into the rough stuff.

If you'd like a bit more go play around at dafont or misprinted type. Or just google "free fonts " & see what comes up. That's how I found this beauty over at 1001 fonts
My latest foray into the wonderful land of typography was due to an overflow at ArtSnark's Artifacts. That poor shop has gone from eclectic to chaotic. I'm hoping a 3rd shop will help. Not much in it yet, but banner & shop policies are up


On another etsy note, guru Tim Adams is starting a free 5 day course on marketing your Etsy shop. You can check it out & sign up here

& speaking of free. My faithful assistant will be drawing 1 lucky winner in 2 days so just leave a comment to enter. Don't know what I'm talking about? Click here for last Thursday's ArtSnark post & all the info.

If you get a chance today, pop over to The Un-Mom for some fruity randomness & remind Keely that

Monday's Muse - Feeling challenged?

Still struggling with the time management thing, but I've missed participating in Monday's Muse lately. Getting those haven't created anything new grouchies the last couple of days too....harumph...

I've been inspired by a lot of online Art Challenges recently. These are just for fun, not profit or prizes. Come play along if you have the time!

Here is a great picture posted for last Wednesday's Art on the Darkside ChallengeJust click on pic to visit the site for more info & to view past submissions

Another Wednesday challenge is from a wonderful new group I've joined, the Melange Team. It is a collection of talented mixed media artists who sell their work on etsy. The "Mixing it up with Melange" Weekly Word Challenge starts in 2 days. It is open to anyone who feels inspired. This week's prompt is Ticket. Post your finished piece to your blog. Then add a link in the comment section. For more details about Melange & the Challenge click here.


Still fiddling with last Illustration Friday's provocative prompt, Impossibility. It immediately brought to mind half a dozen ideas. Now, I just need to learn how to function without sleep...hmmmm.... Hoping to flesh out something soon. To see a variety of creative responses click here. If you get the time, play along & submit your own interpretation.

There are many many more fabulous websites to jump start your creativity. These are just a few I'm thinking about this week. What are some of your favorite places to get new ideas?

If you're looking for a bit of inspiration, check out Maternal Spark, home of Monday's Muse. It is always fun to see what everyone there is thinking about this week

Oh, before I forget, be sure to comment here before Thursday at noon (EST) to be entered in ArtSnark's latest random giveaway. See my last post for details

Lucky me - Lucky You !

Woo Hoo!

I had the good fortune to win a random drawing over at American Craft Guide. The prize is a pair of wonderful earrings from the Etsy shop WillOaksStudio.As the banner says, it is "just beautiful wearable art"

I rarely win anything & decided to pass along the good vibes!

Karen, the shop's owner/jewelry designer has generously agreed to donate a pair of her beautiful earrings to a random drawing on ArtSnark's Artifacts. Here's how it works, just leave a comment on my blog over the next week to be entered in the drawing. To get an extra entry, visit the WillOaksStudio blog & do the same. Next Thursday (4/23) at 1pm EST my faithful assistant will draw a random winner. THE PRIZE: your choice of any pair of earrings (that are priced at $22 or less) from the WillOaksStudio etsy shop.

Here's a small sample of what you will find thereShe has so many lovely designs to choose from, go check 'em out :D

Surviving The Plague

Check out this steamy Etsy Treasury curated by AlliesAdornment ! It is truly a pleasure to have my Apprentice Box included with such fabulous phantasmagoria. Click the pic for a closer look soon, as each treasury is up for only a few days.

ABC...Lr...M? Must be Random Thoughts Tuesday

My blogging groove has slipped a bit the last couple of weeks. So it's a Quick & Linky drive-by posting today.....What is with all that life stuff, trying to get in the way ??

A is for ..... Art Students (Happy Birthday Robert Doisneau - where would all those dorm room walls be without your famous Kiss by the Hôtel de Ville or photos of Picasso??)

Also see some fun student pieces at Artsonia. Their blurb states: "Artsonia is the largest student art museum in the world! Our dream is that every child will have an online art gallery, preserving their masterpieces for all time!" I've only just peeked in but it looks like a cool place

B is for..... Books. Been playing with some more altered journal covers a bit but nothing finished yet. In the meantime, TotusMel's Wonderkammer has featured some very cool books today. Many of my Melange teammates have been creating stunning journals too - these are mostly blank books with fantastically altered covers. Type "Melange team Books " into Etsy.com search or just click HERE.

C is for....C'mon! It isn't Friday yet?! (or cop-out depending on your mood)

Lr (formerly Lw) is for.... Lawrencium (man made element 103) produced in the US in 1961 today. I have no idea what I'm talking about but you can read all kinds of wacky smarty-pants stuff at Today in Science History

LR is also the multi-talented artist & costume designer Lorraine Reynolds. Visit her awesome etsy shop, glimmeringprize & her blog to see what she's up to next

M is for.... Man, I Missed Monday's Muse (again).My excuse: I got sucked into Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book last night - fun read! As a kid, I loved Edward Gorey & Alfred Hitchcock. This would have found a place on my bookshelf, probably beside my well worn copy of Bradbury's The Halloween Tree

For Tuesday posts more far interesting than mine, pop over The Un Mom to see what she & her loyal followers have been up to lately.

Afternoon On A Hill

I will be the gladdest thing
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.

I will look at cliffs and clouds
With quiet eyes,
Watch the wind bow down the grass,
And the grass rise.

And when lights begin to show
Up from the town,
I will mark which must be mine,
And then start down!

- Edna St Vincent Millay