MNArtists.org

I have recently discovered a site for Minnesota artists called MNArtist.org. It is pretty neat. If you are from Minnesota you can sign up and have a free artist homepage and show your art in a collection. It's really nice too because people can go to the site and search for a specific artist, or they can search for a specific kind of art. I also have the option of listing my Etsy store on my page (which I did). They also have articles, they have a blog, they have a calendar for events, and they also have news and opportunities for locals. The way I found out about the site is actually kind of interesting. My landlord was one of the people who started this site and in the garage my fiance found t-shirts, buttons, bookmarks, and stickers promoting the website. Instead of just letting the items sit in her garage and collect dust I decided I would sign up for the site and continue supporting it and promoting it. I have worn some of the t-shirts, and I have started to send out the bookmarks in my swap packages (I swap on Swap-bot) and on every envelope I send out I now place one of the stickers on the outside so more people will be able to learn about this useful, and unique website that helps support local Minnesota artists.

Como Zoo

Today my fiance and I took our son to our local zoo. We all had a lot of fun, and my son really enjoyed seeing all of the animals. This zoo is really unique because it runs on donations, you don't have to pay in order to get in and see the animals and the exhibits. We donated some money even though we didn't have to, but we always do because it keeps the zoo open and running. My son really enjoyed seeing the lions, giraffes, gorillas, and zebras. I liked seeing the sloth and the seals. We ended up buying popcorn and enjoyed being out in the sun (we had such beautiful weather here today). Sadly we didn't have enough time to go through the conservatory, but we will have to save that for another day and another trip!

4th of July

Yesterday was the 4th of July and sadly I woke up feeling pretty sick. I ended up sleeping for most of the day. Luckily my son was so excited about seeing some fireworks that I forced myself to get out of bed and venture out to find some fireworks to see. We were planning on just watching them from our car, but once they started we decided that we needed to find a parking spot so we could get out and enjoy them with the crowd. Thankfully my fiance found an awesome parking spot where we jumped out of the car and had one of the best spots in the park! We all had a really good time and the finale was so beautiful and my son and I started clapping along with the crowd. It would have been nice if I didn't feel so sick that day, but thankfully it ended with a bang!

Longville Art Fair

Yesterday me and my fiance's family went to the Longville Art Fair. It was a pretty decent size considering the location (Longville is a tiny little town). We bought some kettle corn as soon as we got there and it was delicious! We also bought a little glass coin that has a shamrock on it and a rock that has the word peace on it (the peace rock was for my fiance's father). My little boy got a small Diego pillow for his stuffed animal raccoon, and a cow bookmark. My fiance also bought a big cheeseburger for lunch while we were there and it was great. We all had a great time while we were there :-)

Busy Busy Busy

Wow! I have not posted on my blog for so long! So sorry to all of my followers. Lots has happened since I last posted though. I am having a little baby boy in October, and the following fall (2010) I'll be getting married! Right now I have the time to post because I'm on vacation. I have come to Longville, MN for a 60th wedding anniversary celebration of my son's great grandparent's. It is really beautiful here (of course I forgot the camera!). We have already seen deer, a bald eagle, a loon, pelicans, and herons. We went on a boat ride yesterday which was a lot of fun. Today we walked around town (very small), and tonight we are going to a bbq! It should all be a lot of fun. I'll have to try to continue to post more often, sometimes things just seem to get too hectic and I forget I even have a blog!

Featured Etsy Seller: Kreativlink

My name is Renate Ikinger. I'm female. Born (1966) and raised in Austria, Europe. Well, I'm still here but often I'm dreaming about migrating, living in a little house by the sea ...

I completed business college but at 20 my son was born and I was mostly mother until I was 30. Then I started as a self employed webdesigner/programmer. I loved it, but when the big 40 came, I was more or less finished with it. Yes, the decades seem to play a role in my life ...

Since then, I became more and more a self employed full time crafter. I love making my journals. Books always played a big part in my life, and when I realised I could make them by myself, it was like a miracle! Yes, call me stupid, but that's how it was.
At first I made them in the traditional way, but soon I realised that what really fascinates me are journals that look like they are old. Like things from ancient times, when there where still many secrets to discover and a lot of mysterious things going on ...

Yep, that's me. Oh, and about the decades - I plan to spend the time between 50 and 60 with shopping for supplies all around the world after I win the lottery (One can always hope). And after 60 I will be a crazy girl with purple hair and a lot of fun! :)

Knight in Shining Armor v.s. Handsome Prince

In most fairy tales there is either a handsome price or a knight in shining armor who comes to save the day. Who would you prefer? I'd like to open this question up to my readers before I make a post with my own opinion on this subject, so come on ladies who would you pick? :-)

Pet Peeve #4

I really hate it when I walk into a restaurant and it's fairly empty and the host/ess sits you at a table that's right next to another occupied table. There is a whole room full of empty tables and they have to sit you right next to the only other people that are there. I know that having tables together makes it easier for the staff but come on who really wants to sit right next to strangers while you eat when you could be somewhere a lot more private. I understand if the restaurant is full that you will end up sitting right next to someone else's table, but when there are plenty of empty tables you should be sat in a more private location. It is just common courtesy in my mind, but apparently not in the minds of those who sit you right next to someone else.

Wall-E

A couple of weekends ago my boyfriend and I rented the movie Wall-E. We thought it was a really good family movie that our son would enjoy. I have to say that it was a pretty cute movie but at the same time it was pretty slow moving. For one there isn't much dialogue. My son seemed to enjoy it and he actually asked to watch it a couple of times after we had already returned it back to the movie store. My boyfriend however ended up falling asleep and missing the whole end of the movie. Atleast my son liked it though because that's who we really rented it for. All in all I guess I would recommend it for those younger movie goers out there but for those of us who enjoy dialogue in a movie I guess I would have to say move along when you see Wall-E in the rental store.

New Moon

I have finished the second book in the "Twilight" saga called "New Moon." While it wasn't as good as "Twilight" I still enjoyed reading it and I will still continue on with the series. I think that the lack of Edward in this book was what slowed the story down for me. He brings in a lot of the drama and romance which is what makes the book more exciting for me. Hopefully he will once again be the main male character in the next book which is entitled "Eclipse." Apparently "Eclipse" has not come out in paperback yet, so sadly I will have to wait to purchase it. I have already purchased "Twilight" and "New Moon" in paperback and I always prefer to have my series all the same. It's going to be hard to wait!

Thank You

I have had over 1,000 people view my blog and I just wanted to say thanks to all of you for making my blog so successful. I've enjoyed writing this blog and it makes me very happy to know that people are enjoying reading it as well. Knowing that people are looking at my blog makes me want to continue making entries and hopefully catching the eye of many more people. Once again thanks to all of you!

Featured Etsy Seller: AdirondackMetals

Adirondack Metal Designs is a family owned business. We operate out of our shop near the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains in beautiful upstate New York. My name is Brenda. My husband Ed and I began this business as a way for him to leave the construction industry and work for himself. I am in charge of the website, programming and business end of things while he makes the products. I also work full time as a Speech Pathologist with my own private practice. I wish I could work on the metal business all of the time and retire from my real job. We specialize in silhouette metal art. Our products are made with a combination of plasma cutting and welding. We currently have table top sculptures, wall art, yard stakes, key racks, welcome signs, bookends, napkin holders, and wall hooks. Our themes include wildlife, farm animals, western, marine life, sports, and more. If you don't see your favorite theme in our shop, contact us. We can also customize many of our items for you. The pieces come standard with a black hammered finish. Any special paint requests are also welcome. We can work together to meet your specific needs.We can use any of our silhouettes for a custom welcome sign, address sign or name signs.

Twilight

I have recently started and recently finished the book called "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer. It was so good I had such a hard time putting it down to even spend some time with my family! Before I had even finished "Twilight" I knew I was going to end up reading the whole series, so my boyfriend and I went out to one of our local Borders bookstores and bought the next book in the series called "New Moon". I have just started reading that one and I hope it's as good as "Twilight" was! I have not seen the movie yet, but a few of my co-workers have gone to see it multiple times. I tend to be a bigger fan of the books than the movies when they make movies based on books, but perhaps I'll go check out the movie sometime.

Artfire

I have opened a new studio on Artfire. I actually heard about Artfire in the Etsy forums. It's a pretty new site, but they are now offering a free studio; you can list up to 10 items in your studio without any charge. From what I've read you never pay a fee to list items, you just pay a $7 monthly fee. I haven't had much views there yet though. I figured I might as well try opening a studio over there since it's free. We will just see how it goes for now! Please stop by and check it out! Wish me luck!

Here's the link to my store: http://Lucky12324.artfire.com