Manic Panic Featured me on Facebook! Pink and Purple Hair

Manic Panic Pink and Purple Hair:
Hot Hot Pink, Cotton Candy Pink and Purple Haze

 

At my last appointment with my talented hairstylist, Chelsea, I told her that I wanted to have a mix of Hot Hot Pink, Cotton Candy Pink and Purple Haze - Manic Panic colors.  Chelsea worked her magic and the end result was more than I expected... absolutely LOVED it and so did Mark!   

 

A few days later I was overwhelmed with excitement, to say the least.

 

Okay, so it's not like I made the top news or anything like that, but on February 3rd Manic Panic featured little 'ol me on their Facebook page!  Not like a big cover story of course, just a little share with very kind words that made my day!  But... MANIC PANIC FEATURED ME!  I can't tell you how excited I was when they asked if they could share my pic on their page along with what colors I used, etc.  I was floored by all the likes, comments and shares and simply speechless.  As of today there are 1,823 Likes, over 100 comments, and 84 shares. 

 

O.M.G.!



Manic Panic Facebook Feature of me and my pink and purple hair

 

I'm loving playing with colors and not stopping any time soon.  My next appointment is a few weeks  away.  Not sure what color I'll do yet, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be another blended color. 

 

 

Peace,

Rocki

 

Fill up your cart!

Rainbow of fruits and vegetables

Every week I do the bulk of the grocery shopping and about mid-week pick up more produce.  I don't know what I like the most - buying it, looking at the rainbow of beautiful colors or eating every morsel of it!

red grapes, baby cucumbers, strawberries, tomatoes, squash, avocados, apples & more!

We eat a large variety of greens, fruits and vegetables daily, along with beans, legumes and a few nuts. 

rainbow chard, brussels sprouts, kale, radishes, beets and bananas...and more!

After shopping, I wash and dry all the produce (there's more in the garage fridge in line to be washed).  Once good and dry I put some into green produce saver bags and the rest into produce containers, then rotate what might be left in the fridge. 

We always have a variety of berries, which I usually split in half.  Meaning I put some in the freezer and the rest in the fridge.  I typically wait until berries go on sale and then stock up.  Freezing them is much more economical than buying the little frozen bags of fruit at the store - and much tastier.  Mangos are great that way too.  Mmmmm...love mangos!

hanging produce basket

What doesn't go in the fridge I put in my hanging basket and on my handy dandy movable island cabinet.  Once the bananas are ripe, I peel and put them into a freezer ziplock bag for our green smoothies, "ice cream" or other yumminess .  We go through a LOT of bananas.  And yes, there is some in the freezer besides what you see here.

Raw Food - oh so good!

I actually stood on a step stool to take this pic.  If I had everything washed at once, I would need to take a panographic view!  Actually, I would need a longer counter!

Hope I tempted you to raid your fridge or counter for some delicious produce.  If you don't have any on hand, well just hop in the car (or bike, or skate or walk...), go directly to your nearest market and fill up your cart.

Peace,
Rocki

ASL Hand Scupltures

MoonlightAura - a very talented artist who creates ASL (American Sign Language) hand sculptures, business card holders, greeting cards and more. A must see shop.

Enjoy,
Rocki

Noodle Noggins - Monday's Featured Artist

Okay... is this not the cutest pic ever?!! Wait a second here...

No, this one! Yes, this is the cutest pic ever! Wait... there's more! It was so hard to select photos from Kristy's amazing Noodle Noggins Etsy shop for this blog feature, but it sure was a lot of fun!

I *met* Kristy recently via Link Love on Facebook and must admit that I fell in love with the picture up top - it makes me smile! That led me to Kristy's handmade crochet Etsy shop - which I can't seem to keep out of!

Kristy started out crocheting baby blankets for her girls when she was pregnant and as she states: "the rest is history!"

In her shop you will find a variety of ADORABLE and beautifully handmade hats, scarves, headbands and more. Not just for little ones, but us adults as well.

Don't just take my word for it, you MUST see her shop for yourself. You'll not only enjoy her handmade crochet items, but the beautiful, fun and heartwarming photos will make you smile ear to ear all day long!

Click on the links below to see where can you find Kristy:

Noodle Noggins

Facebook Fan Page

Whats on a Name

Have a smiley Monday!
Rocki

The Talented Starless!

Starless : "intricate, colorful, fun polymer clay creations" by the ever so talented Amber.

Amber lives in my stomping grounds... well, sort of anyway. She lives in Flagstaff, Arizona - about a 2 hour drive north from where I live. She has been working with polymer clay since she was 11 years old. Obviously she has quite the talent for it as she has taken polymer clay to a whole new level. I mean, look at the Mini Koi Pond pendant above! The details are amazing and she has several designs of these pendants.

Amber refers to her work and technique as "intricately textured filigree" and all her designs are made by hand. The ornament above is so beautiful and I absolutely love the design. Oh and there is more!

Not only does Amber make beautiful pendants and ornaments, but check out the Ballpoint Pen! Now THAT would make an awesome statement while writing out a check or a letter to a loved one or better yet, as a gift! She even makes polymer clay design jewelry boxes, cigar cutter key rings and more. Oh and this very cool business card holder that I just bought!

If you want to see "intricate, colorful, fun polymer clay creations", hop on over to Amber's Starless shop - you'll love it!

Have a fun & colorful day!

Rocki

Twitter Shop of the Week: LMCreation

Our Twitter Team Shop of the Week is the very talented Lisa Murdin of LMcreation: "Handmade Handbags Purses Pouches Cardholders."

Lisa's bright and colorful Etsy Shop has a beautiful array of handmade purses, pouches, wristlets, eye glass cases, IPod/Cell phone cases and more! I absolutely LOVE the wristlet above -it SCREAMS my name!

During the week of Lisa's feature, she is offering the following:

"LSpecial Deal Offered : 10% discount offered to Twitter customers until July 12. Use code "EtsyTwitter" in the Message to Seller and 10% of purchase price will be refunded"

There is much more in Lisa's gorgeous Etsy shop, so please go see for yourself! You can also find Lisa on Twitter: http://twitter.com/LMcreation

To read the full feature, please visit our team blog: Etsy Twitter.

Happy day & enjoy!
Rocki

Can you feel the love? Alaina J Designs

Just about every day I would see these adorable, brightly colored handmade clay beads while relisting items. I became drawn to them like a magnet and decided to check them out. My goodness, this shop is soooo cute its like going to a pet store and looking at the adorable animals that are just begging you to take them home with you - and you do!

Elaine is the creator/owner of Alaina J Designs (etsy shop name is alanajay). Elaine had a desire to paint, however, as she states "I failed miserably at oil and acrylic painting, so I chose working with clay at the suggestion of my oldest daughter." Good move Elaine, your work is adorable!

Living a very quiet suburb life in the small town of Vicksburg, MS (not Mayberry, but not a big city either) Elaine creates her adorable handmade creations. She started out as an Etsy buyer long ago and eventually started selling her craft.

At first glance of the prices, you may wonder why they are so low. Well, Elaine is doing all this work for fun! She states: "I believe in giving customers the best prices possible... Because I actually don't work for profit. I craft for fun, then sell it." Not only does she sell her handmade crafts in her shop, but Elaine also sells commercial beads & findings.

The beads above are not commercial, these are her handmade FROTHEN SEA WATER Swirl Polymer Clay Beads. Oooh! I just love saying the name, sounds so earthy and fun!

I absolutely love this quote when asked if there was anything she would like people to know about her: "I am a very simple country gal, with a strong desire to run my online business with high morals, strong ethics, and a feeling so friendly, customers can just feel the love through the computer screen."

Most definitely Elaine, I feel the love! Please go and visit Elaine's shop to feel the love yourself!

Happy day!

Rocki

Beautiful & Functional Handmade Stoneware

I don't even know where to begin with this feature, mainly because I'm still in awe of his work. In fact, it took me forever just to select the pictures from his shop that I wanted to use as he has so many beautiful pieces to choose from. Like the Garlic Baker above, which seems to be a hot item and just one of several designs. He even includes a recipe in the listing. Yum.

Doug Smith is a full-time potter. He obviously knows his craft business well as his work definitely proves it. I came across Doug's shop over the weekend when I spotted him in a front page Treasury. I love stoneware, especially handmade, so I immediately went to his shop. I was floored, to say the least. The colors, designs, variety - so beautiful.

There are bowls, platters and plates. Cups, mugs and ladles. Honey jars, butter dishes and flower vases. Trust me, there's more. Like the Garlic Keeper below, which I bought and can hardly wait to put my garlic in. Don't worry, it wasn't the last one :)

Doug works from his home studio which is out in the country near Asheville, NC where he lives with his wife, Maria and young son, Clay (hmm, "Clay"... wonder where he got that name from?)

You must read his Profile as it is very interesting and well written. Here is a snippet: "This obsession with clay and glazes snuck up on me about ten years ago while I was busy making other plans with my life." And this is from his Shop Announcement: "I use white clay because, like a painter's canvas, it brings out the very best colors from my glazes. I mix my own glazes because the hue and visual texture of a glaze are so important and because I want to be sure my glazes are lab-certified safe for food."

There is so much more that I could say about Doug Smith's work, such as it is not only beautiful , creative and functional, but it is extremely affordable. I would much rather purchase my stoneware from a fellow artist than a store bought piece.

It's like owning a piece of art.

Rocki

Love Barbara's Feet!

Oh gosh, the first step is always admitting to it... I have a foot fetish!! There, I said it and I meant what I said.

The other day I came across the cutest little feet EVER (and then some!) on Barbara's new Etsy shop "Barbies Best", but she is not new to her craft at all. In fact, Barbara has done it all, sort of: sewing, candles, macrame, tole painting and pretty much whatever is popular at the time. In the 1970's, she even owned a shop in Ohio that sold local handcrafted items on consignment and taught some classes as well.

Barbara discovered polymer clay 3 years ago on a TV show. She finds the clay very soothing to play with. In the beginning she was covering everything she could find with the clay - eggs, vases, wine glasses, candle holders, bowls etc. After watching a show about beads, Barbara was hooked - "Instant gratification. I love the colors, shapes and feel of beads." The details in her creations show how much she loves her work. Like the Red Hat Charm above - love it!

Barbara sells her handmade creations in bead shops and thought she would give Etsy a try. This is how it all began, in her own words: "I was showing a friend some bracelets I had made with my beads and she suggested I take them to the local bead shop and ask if they would sell them for me. The regulars in the shop loved them so much that the owner instantly agreed to take them in on consignment. Every time I walk in the shop I am swarmed to see what's new. Since then I've showed them to other beads shops that now sell my beads. The gals who hang out at the bead shop give me most of my inspiration. I watch what they are making and they always have ideas for me. I also look at patterns on clothes, other jewelry and pictures of just about anything in magazines."

Barbara & I are practically neighbors. Well, sort of. I live near Lake Pleasant and she lives in Lake Havasu City, AZ - a "boating and tourist town where Flip Flops & sandals are the most common footwear as the summer temperatures are usually pushing 110."

I asked her how she came up with those adorable little sandal feet with the perfect little pedicures and here is a snippet of what she said: "One day last spring while I was hanging out at the bead shop I noticed one of the girls wearing a very cute pair of sandals and another one had on a T-shirt with flip flops on the front. The lite when on in my head." The rest is history. You have to see the variety of these adorable beads/charms! There are different sandal styles, colors, etc. She also has a variety of other fun handmade beads.

When she took her little feet to the bead shop, they sold like sunblock on a hot sunny day at the lake! A best seller. Her second most popular beads are the skulls with red rhinestone eyes. She plans on listing more of those soon. I cracked up when she told me what her hubby said: he "wants to know what I do with the rest of the body once I shrink the people and use their heads and feet." Guess only time will tell Barabara ;)

My name is Rocki. I'm a feetaholic and I don't want a cure. I love Barbara's feet!

Now run to her shop and pick up a pair for yourself.

Rocki

Grumpy Girl

Feeling grumpy? Do you stink? Lips chapped? House has a funny smell? Need a laugh or bath? Need a massage? You've come to the right place because I can hook you up! Oh, except for the massage part.

If you have not seen Grumpy Girl's Etsy shop, then let me just say that you are missing out! Sharon, little miss Grumpy Girl, has a wonderful since of humor to go along with her FABulous bath, body and candle creations. The overall shop atmosphere is bright, cheerful and colorful with impeccable photos. Okay, and a little on the grumpy side - you MUST read the descriptions to understand, plus they'll give you a great laugh!

In her You Stink So Good section, you can find the above: The Anti Bitch Bar. Read about it to understand the title - hilarious!

Check out the Bitchin Aroma's section and you'll fine several yummy candles like Apple Cinnamon Fruit Cobbler Candle and even a Mason Jar Candle that you can pick your own scent!

Now if you are a chapstick/lip balm fanatic like me (I seriously have one in every room of the house, my purse, car - you name it!) then quickly run to her Lip Crack section! The Choco-Mint Orgasm Lip Balm was one of my first purchases and I am totally hooked! Nice and creamy, not hard and yucky, and the taste... WOW!

Where would we be without soap? Especially handMADE soap! Being a die-hard hippie/flower child, this Acid Trip soap was made for me. Yep. She makes it JUST for me. Okay, not really, but it seems like it. This was my other purchase and wow, this is one big bar of cold processed soap. Love it!

I just ordered some more goodies from little miss Grumpy Girl and can hardly wait to get rid of the stink around here.

Have a very grumpy day ;0

Rocki

Etsty Twitter Team Shop of the Week!

Beautiful Bridget

Once a week our Etsy Twitter Team features a shop of the week and as team members, we help to promote one another. Here is a re-post about our Beautiful Bridget, the Etsy Twitter Team Shop of the Week: www.beautifulbridget.etsy.com :

Kimberly Ferrugia, of Beautiful Bridget, has a lovely shop filled with handmade crochet scarves, cowls, scarflettes, hats, accessories and more. Each product is made with lots of love and attention to detail... if it isn't what she considers perfect then she won't sell it, it's that simple! Her items have a fun and funky flair to them. Her color choices are divine! She adds unusual details to her items so they are each one-of-a-kind!

Beautiful Bridget has been open on Etsy since May 2008. All of the items available in her store are handmade by her and can be made in various colors. If you see something you like but want it in a different color just let her know! She is very open to accepting custom orders.

Shipping is completely free to the US and Canada! Beautiful Bridget ships internationally as well. She also offers gift certificates in her shop in case you would rather let your loved one pick their own gift or you just cannot decide because her creations are all so wonderful.

In addition to being an Etsy Twitter Team member she is also a member of the following teams on Etsy: EtsyFAST, the Christian Artists Street Team (CAST), EtsyMoms, Etsy Hookers, Fabulous Artistic Moms (FAM), Etsy Twitter and Etsy Trade-a-holics (Team Trade On).

The deadline for shipping for Valentine's Day is February 9th for US shipping and February 2nd for international shipping.

If you love crocheted items check out her shop because you will not be disappointed!
All images © Kimberly Ferrugia of Beautiful Bridget

If you want to see more of our team, please visit our team blog.

Have a beautiful day,

Rocki

Short & Sweet

My oh my. The other day I came across this adorable little shop and just had to ask if I could blog about them! So, here I am to share Charlie's Unique & Fun Jewelry with all my friends. You may fall instantly in love as I did.

I know that normally I go into all sorts of details, but this time I'm going to make it short and sweet. Get it? Short... and sweet? (points up at sweet 'little' cake)

In Charlie's shop, you can find handmade earrings, necklaces, pins, etc., made from teeny tiny miniature beads/charms from food to every day items. I checked out the sold items - wow, so many cute things!

This cute cupcake ring is so realistic (as are all the pieces) that I would probably want to take a bite of it while wearing it... or maybe just a lick or two. It was so hard to choose which pictures to put in this blog and I completely forgot to insert a pic of the Ouija Board Pendant Necklace, but you can find it, along with a big variety of other miniature pieces, in Charlie's shop.

That's it. My short and sweet little blog feature has come to a close. Now go and check out this adorable little shop and have fun!

Happy Miniature Monday!

Rocki

Beat Still My Heart

If you have not seen Beat Black's shop, you must, I repeat, MUST go and check out her amazing polymer clay creations!

I "met" Sarah via blogging & Etsy and then became friends on MySpace. Who is Sarah? She is the fun creator behind Beat Black. Here's a quote from her profile that I just love: "I'm a 21 year old food junkie with a diploma in fashion design. I live in Toronto with my roommate and cactus whose name seems to change on a monthly basis (the cactus not the roommate)"

We can thank Sarah's mom for her amazing talent as her mom is an artist. Sarah has been creating things longer than she can even remember. In fact, before she knew about polymer clay, she would make little sculptures from her brothers "ball of a browny purple colour (clearly a mix of whatever he stole from school). It always had hair in it...ew". I agree Sarah... EWWWW!

Sarah's inspiration comes from many things, such as "weird colour combinations, the folds in a blanket, strange fairytale-ish movies, music, going through old sketchbooks, dreams, nature..."

When asked what her surroundings are like, this is what she had to say:"Pretty boring actually. I rent so I've never painted or put nails in my walls for artwork. Three of five light bulbs are burnt out in my chandelier. My futon looks like a lumpy monster and there's a microwave in my living room." Sarah my friend, you made this blog post very easy for me to write!

I really love her shop name, Beat Black. Sarah knew she wanted to use a black heart as her logo and after writing down several names, Beat Black stuck in her head. Speaking of heads, make sure you check out her 'brain' creations. Braaaaaaaains (zombie free, of course).

We know that Sarah has a thing for food. In fact, she has a tator fetish. Yes. I said tator, as in potato. Actually, I think my 'tator dude' is what brought Sarah & I together. What? You don't know who 'tator dude' is? Well in order for this to make any sense, you must read my "Weird. That's All I Can Say" post.

On top of her talent, funny humor, creativity & imagination, she opens up her heart and shares many unique fellow Etsian's shops on her fun to read blog: "In The Shadows".

Please visit her shop and blog. Oh, and tell her 'tator dude' says hello ;)

Beat still my heart,
Rocki

Color My World - Inspire My Life

So I was playing around the other day with my colorful little glass beads and thought of an idea. I know I know - I'm sure others have thought about it as well AND have done it without us even knowing it. But it came to my mind all the same so I ran with it.

Speaking of that, what hasn't been done a million times over in the art world? We are all inspired by life, nature, our surroundings, events, each other, magazines... actually everything is inspiration to us. Many, ideas in the art world have been repeated over and over again without us even realizing it. We come up with an idea, put our own spin on it, and make it truly our own.

Wow... sorry. I was just thinking about another thread I came across where people were bickering about who made what first, so and so was copying, was it the chicken or the egg, yada yada yada. I don't read those threads - just breeze over them. Please don't get me wrong, I know that there are some people that actually copy and cheat and that is terribly sad (karma), but some are truly mere coencidence. One day I was getting ready to post one of my new crystal anklets until I came across one EXACTLY like mine that had just posted!! I mean, almost to the T - colors and all! I sort of freaked and thought, wow - that's weird! I may or may not post it.

Back to topic... so when I was playing with my idea, I thought how fun it would be to make a pair of earwires that could be changed out with lots of little glass beads. Nothing too fancy or difficult mind you, just something fun and colorful. So I came up with my Color My World earring kit. Oh, and I'm getting ready to make another earwire for this little kit - something with a little more flavor I think.

Inspiration: arousal of the mind from sources of life, art, ideas and so forth; a product of your creative thinking at work.

Happy day and peace to all,

☼ Rocki

ANYTHING you want to be!

In the beautiful East Tennessee valley of the Smoky Mountains, you’ll find the most amazing sculptured art – seriously - it will take your breath away.

I recently ‘met’ Renee on Indiepublic and became an instant fan. I was immediately drawn to her work, especially the tree sculptures. Each time while reading the descriptions and gazing at them, I feel the emotions and feeling of each piece – I am simply mesmerized by them.

Creating for as long as she can remember and inspired by her mom, fairy tales (her first tree sculpture was inspired by Pan’s Labyrinth), music and nature, Renee creates her one-of-a-kind whimsical art. Her mom is also a part of her Etsy shop and mainly sculpts Christmas Elves (she states her creative gene came from her mom – yeah mom!) Combined, their work is both funky and folky, so coming up with her shop name, “Funky Folky”, didn’t take a rocket scientist.

Music seems to play a big role in Renee’s work as she “ALWAYS” listens to music while creating. In fact, music that is feminine and sexy is what she likes to listen to while creating her tree sculptures – which is usually Sarah McLachlan or Goldfrapp – “if you see this kind of kooky video my work may make more sense: Goldfrapp." Let me just say that I watched this video – twice - and I completely understand. Okay, and am now a fan of Goldfrapp – that video rocks.

Renee hasn’t done any craft shows yet, but she has created a lot of custom orders, plus has her own website with her mom selling soap, candles and a mixture of their sculptures at The Ragtree Co.

How did she hear about Etsy? Through her “dear friend Nikkii” and she’s been addicted ever since! (Addicted? I have no idea what she’s talking about…wink wink). She enjoys the “wonderful community of artists and crafters. I get so inspired by doing random searches to see what everyone else has created!.... I don't want to create my art to sell, per say. I want to create what I am inspired to create... sculptures that I feel passionate about. I don't want to create items that I think buyers will like so Etsy is the perfect place to show items that are out of the mainstream."

I asked Renee one last question - I love her heartfelt answer: “I guess the one thing that I would want others to know is that I believe creativity is so important in every day life. I know many of us must trudge off to the salt mines to make a living every day and in most of our jobs, we can't be creative and do what we want to do. Through art, we can be ANYTHING we want to be and do ANYTHING we want to do without any rules. Art is a way to live life on your own terms and to be a true individual. Aside from that, I have a wonderful hot hubby who likes to streak around the house when all of our retired neighbors go to bed and a gorgeous son who always like to remind me that I'm "not quite right" and that my sculptures give him nightmares ;)"

If you are looking for that unique piece of art for a gift or for yourself, please check out Renee’s Funky Folky Etsy shop where you will find art sculptures in a variety of ways: trees, magnets, art dolls, wall hangings and more. Also visit her blog to see what she is working on next!

Happy ANYTHING Monday everyone!

☼ Rocki

P.S. Okay, so are you curious about the hot streaking hubby too?