Fabulously, Fantasmagorically Friendly Friday!

It's Friday!!! And you know what that means!

This week I'm featuring Tanie from Tamily. She chose her shop name from a blend of her name, her husband's name, her son's name, and the word "family." In fact, she got her crafting start from her family. Crafting, as well as crochet and knitting, runs in her genes, and like she said it was only a matter of time before she picked it up.

She loves custom orders, but her favorite pieces in her shop are her Tuscan scarflettes (shown above). The colors are beautiful, and they are extremely soft and warm. She is inspired by the beauty she sees around her, and her items are very organic in color and design.

Visit her shop to see more of the beautiful pieces she manages to make with a toddler running loose! Just browsing through her items makes you feel warm and fuzzy, like a hug from grandma.

Etsy Buy Handmade Tamily

I'll be home for Christmas

I hope that you all are spending Christmas with those you love, but please take a moment to remember those who can't. Our soldiers have left behind family and friends to put their lives on the line. Say a prayer for them, and hug your family in honor of those who can't.

Fabulously, Fantasmagorically Friendly (day after)Friday!

So it's a day late. Happy Holidays, huh?

Suzanne from Suzanne's Special Kids is another one of my Swanky Mama friends. She named her shop after a daycare she had planned until her special needs son was born. She has been sewing since she was around nine, and finds most of her sewing time while her kids are at school.

Suzanne finds her inspiration from her own children as well as the children she works with at the children's nursing home. She features special needs items, and she is willing to work around special needs and disabilities to provide what your children need.

While Suzanne isn't sure how she manages to balance two special needs children and a shop, she pulls it off beautifully while still remembering what is important in life. Visit her Etsy shop to see more of her adorable and functional items.

Etsy Buy Handmade SuzannesSpecialKids

Fabulously, Fantasmagorically Friendly Friday!

Yay, look at that, I'm doing another one!

This week I'm promoting another Swanky Mama, Wendy from Precious Objects. She tells me that she chose her shop name after realizing how much she used the word precious. Upon visiting her shop, you definitely understand the meaning of the word. Her items are special, unique and something you want to keep close to your heart.

Even though she is raising her three boys alone, she still takes time to see beauty in findings that have history, and she enjoys making them new again. Pastels, textures and the talent that surrounds her inspires her new creations.

She may have taken every art class she could in school, but by far, her talent exceeds her training. Please visit her shop at Etsy to view and buy any one of her precious pieces.

Etsy Buy Handmade wendyhumphreys

The Sands of Christmas

THE SANDS OF CHRISTMAS
by Michael Marks

I had no Christmas spirit when I breathed a weary sigh,
And looked across the table where the bills were piled too high.

The laundry wasn't finished and the car I had to fix,
My stocks were down another point, the Chargers lost by six.

And so with only minutes till my son got home from school
I gave up on the drudgery and grabbed a wooden stool.

The burdens that I carried were about all I could take,
And so I flipped the TV on to catch a little break.

I came upon a desert scene in shades of tan and rust,
No snowflakes hung upon the wind, just clouds of swirling dust.

And where the reindeer should have stood before a laden sleigh,
Eight Humvees ran a column right behind an M1A.

A group of boys walked past the tank, not one was past his teens
Their eyes were hard as polished flint, their faces drawn and lean.

They walked the street in armor with their rifles shouldered tight,
Their dearest wish for Christmas, just to have a silent night.

Other soldiers gathered, hunkered down against the wind,
To share a scrap of mail and dreams of going home again

There wasn't much at all to put their lonely hearts at ease,
They had no Christmas turkey, just a pack of MREs.

They didn't have a garland or a stocking I could see,
They didn't need an ornament--they lacked a Christmas tree.

They didn't have a present even though it was tradition,
The only boxes I could see were labeled 'ammunition.'

I felt a little tug and found my son now by my side,
He asked me what it was I feared, and why it was I cried.

I swept him up into my arms and held him oh so near
And kissed him on the forehead as I whispered in his ear.

'There's nothing wrong, my little son, for safe we sleep tonight
Our heroes stand on foreign land to give us all the right,

To worry on the things in life that mean nothing at all,
Instead of wondering if we will be the next to fall.'

He looked at me as children do and said, 'it's always right,
To thank the ones who help us and perhaps that we should write.'

And so we pushed aside the bills and sat to draft a note,
To thank the many far from home, and this is what we wrote:

'God bless you all and keep you safe, and speed your way back home.
Remember that we love you so, and that you're not alone.

The gift you give you share with all, a present every day,
You give the gift of liberty and that we can't repay.'

'I freely submit this poem for reprint without reservation--this is an open
and grateful tribute to the men and women who serve every day to keep our
nation safe.' ~ Michael Marks

Fabulously, Fantasmagorically Friendly Friday!

Maybe the title is a bit much, whatever.

Plum pudding by Jen is an adorable shop on Etsy run by one of my Swanky friends, Jenny. She's a mother during the week to a cute (almost) two year old and a nurse on the weekend. How she finds time or energy to craft is beyond me!

Jenny got her crafting start over the summer while looking for something fun to do indoors. It's hard to imagine that she's been felting less than a year when you look at her shop. Etsy has claimed another victim, folks, she is hooked!

Jenny claims to be able to needle felt in her living room with a little one running loose, but she has admitted to me that her felting needles are always close at hand. Anyone who has felted knows how much those little barbs sting.
Check out her shop for more adorable gifts and treasures.

Etsy Buy Handmade plumpuddingbyjenn

Trying something new!

I'm going to be trying something new (besides my new layout ;). Every Friday, I'm going to feature one or two of my Swanky friends and their work. We'll see how this goes! I'm waiting for some responses back, but hopefully it will be a regular feature. As if I didn't have enough to do, huh?
I'm up for suggestions to a name for this feature. Friendly Friday, maybe something less corny...

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Check out my Swanky Prize Basket!!!

Designing Swanky Moms Have Something Different and New
Put all the pieces together and a prize they’ll have for you!
They’ve contrived some riddles, something trendy and fun
Figure it all out and their Main Prize you have won!
Wonder what the meaning is to this Fabulous game?
Shaking up the Etsy World, things will never be the same.
A Designing puzzle,with pieces among the clan…
decipher the clues, find them if you can…
Find 5 Swanky pieces, It makes the puzzle whole
To Fabulous DSM shops Searching, you will go
Read the rhymes and riddles,
Solve the mystery clues.
To Figure it out,
here’s what you’ll do

1. You must have an Etsy account, or sign up for one http://etsy.com it's free! :)

2. Search the participating shops listed on the Designing Swanky Moms Blog for 5 pieces of the puzzle. The whole puzzle is in our Avatars.

3. When you've found all of the items, send a convo to Beth (http://tadadesigns.etsy.com) with all your answers.

4. The winner will be the FIRST person to correctly find ALL 5 pieces of the puzzle, they will get the MAIN prize, valued well over $150. Second Place will get a smaller gift basket valued over $50. All other correct finds will get a Free Shipping Coupon for all participating shops!

5. The contest will run for 7 days from December 2 through December 9th . The winner will be notified via convo on December 10th, and will be published on the blog (http://swankymoms.blogspot.com) and on the Etsy forums.