Hello My friends and family! I just wanted to tell you all, I hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving! I hope that you have time to actually reflect on the reasons that you have for giving thanks. I for one have so much to be thankful for. My family is healthy and we are Blessed. I love Thanksgiving because it reminds us of the importance of giving thanks and gives us an excuse to gather with family that we do not normally get the to be with.
I also like to take the time especially on the holidays to give thanks for the loved ones that we do not get to spend time with for whatever reason. I love you all and I am thankful and Blessed to have you in my life even if I do not get to see you or speak to you often. I am also thankful for the love of family and friends that are no longer with us here on Earth because they helped make me the person I am. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
Hello! Debi and Amanda are the creative mother daughter team that is better know as Yankee Burrow Creation's. The combination of their talents makes for an interesting shop full of a variety of items that make the perfect gift for any occasion. Weather it be something for your wall, your special day, or something for you, it's sure to be something special. I have enjoyed learning about this creative duo, I have met through the Handmade Artist Forum. Their HAF Shop is awesome just see for yourself. You will find this beautiful wreath and that gorgeous shadow box , jewelry and more . To keep up with their newest additions follow their blog . I hope you enjoy your shopping! Thanks for stopping by!
I didn't want to speak to soon and jinx the most exciting thing that has happened to me in a very long time. That is why I didn't share this sooner. I enrolled at the University Of Phoenix . Now It's not that I don't feel challenged enough already trying to raise my two teenage daughters. And yes, karate is very challenging also. I have come to a point where I needed to learn more about search engine optimization, e-marketing, marketing in general , writing, and well you get the idea. In order to keep up with the ups and downs of this economy I realized I have to learn a few things. So I did a little research then I decided The University Of Phoenix had a perfect marketing program for me, so I contacted them. If you have been considering furthering your education may I humbly suggest you contact Lew Sykes a student adviser ,he certainly made my decision easy. I gave him a link to my Etsy Shop and he helped guide me to the perfect program for me. May I add it has been a while since I have been in school. He scheduled me for 4 weeks of work shops to prepare me and guess what? I Loved them! Yes ,not only did I learn something from them but I had fun in the process.Now that I have the workshops behind me ,I am confident I am ready to start the first two courses on Monday. I will be earning an Associates degree in business and entrepreneurship first. And hopefully I will then go on to my Bachelors. I am so excited! If you are interested in furthering your education but aren't sure where to start please contact the University Of Phoenix ecampus.phoenix.edu/ and see what they have to offer you. Never stop learning ! When you speak to Lew please tell him Tam sent you!
Have you met Sandi? I met her a couple of years ago through the Handmade Artist Forum. She is an amazingly talented lady as her shop name suggests iKnitQuiltSew she does all well as you can see for yourself. I have shared her work a few times last was in Jan.2012. I can tell you she has been very busy since then.She had posted in July on her awesome Blog her original pattern for knitted cowboy booties. By August she had quit an awesome collection to share and they are just adorable don't you agree? Her HAF Shop has an incredible variety of gifts. There are blankets, quilts, headbands, dolls,gift sets and more! After you complete your purchase please stop by and see what's new in some of the other HAF Shops. Go ahead get an early start on that Holiday shopping! ;)
Hello! Today I am running a double feature. ;) There are two Handmade Artist Forum members shops I would like you to visit.There are several reasons I would like you to do this, One is they have awesome shops with great prices. Another reason Is they are both very talented hard working ladies who put a lot of love in there work! I believe you will see it! 
Pam is the inspirational creator behind The Bead Thing. She has some amazing pieces in her shop! My favorite is this eye catching Wire wrapped Bracelet. 
Another talent I met through HAF is Alix creator of The Alchemists Vessel. As you can see she has some gorgeous pieces as well! I certainly hope you have taken the time to view all the Items in their beautiful shops and I hope you take the time to visit some other HAF Shops as well! Enjoy!
Artisan, craftsman, creator, inventor, anyone that is producing a handmade Item for profit should frequent the Handmade Artist's Forum. Why The Handmade Artist's Forum? It's the perfect place to find all the essential information and ideas to help your business grow. Doesn't matter if you are small hobby or big business, there is something for all. I have shared the forum many times, last in April. The best part of the forum to me is the wonderful people that you are going to meet. The Handmade Artist Forum is the result of Andrew and Kimberly Kitchen's work! They are always promoting handmade! They are both very talented as reflected in their work. I last featured them both and their beautiful work in February. So now that I have told you a little about the Forum go ahead and click through and check it out for yourself. Please while your there, stop by and see all the beautiful shops, Enjoy!
Hello friends! I have had the great pleasure of meeting Cari Baker through the Handmade Artist Forum. I have featured her Before several times, I love her work! The last time I posted for her was in January. She creates beautiful jewelry my favorite of course is her Braidlets.
She makes them by braiding, crocheting the wire and beautiful
crystals or pearls to make these beautiful bracelets. Great tutorial!
There's a great selection in her HAF Shop. She has many other gorgeous items so be sure to browse all the sections! Enjoy!
Handbound Journals and Sketchbooks
Hello friends! This weeks Handmade Artist Forum's featured Artist is Andrea creator of BlueHighways. If you are a Book lover you sure don't want to miss out on this Wonderful Lady's work. She make beautiful hand bound journals. Lined,unlined,water colored all unique.She has journals sketchbooks Albums and more. These are just a few! So please put your feet up take a few minutes to enjoy her beautiful unique work and please tell her Tam sent you when you place your order! Her shop is on a short vacation till June 29th but you can view her products here and contact her for custom order's on June 30th. Thank you have a wonderful week!
Hello friends! I sure hope you are having a great week. Here it is June already and you know that means ,wedding season is here! Wahooo! I have this wonderful friend Debbi that makes some beautiful one of a kind wedding keepsakes. She is another wonderful creative soul I have met through the Handmade Artist Forum. You met her before here. She has made a few changes,her shop is now called YankeeBurrowCreations. I Love the Custom wedding shadow box. And look at this adorable Crochet ring Bearer pillow. She is not all about Weddings though she has some great decorative pieces for your home. So go check it out for yourself and when you place your order please tell her Tam sent ya!
  |
Hand Knitted Basket Weave Washcloth in Gardenia Yellow Cotton Bamboo
|
 |
Cuddle Bunny
|
 |
Pink Peony
|
Hello friends! I had the pleasure of meeting Larissa a couple of years ago through the wonderful Handmade Artist Forum. She is an amazing lady that wears many interesting hats.She does face and body painting.She Has two great blogs that share that talent .Her husband Eric and her make some incredible soaps and lip balms,fizzy bath bombs and more.They have ReefBotanicals where you can buy some of these wonderful organic products.She also has a Blog that explores that talent and more.She is always busy helping to promote handmade. Today I want to share their newest shop FabricOfMyMind . When you look In this shop you will see variety of items that reflect the great combination of skills they possess,including hand knitting,hand sewing,photography and more. I am sure you will have as much fun as I did exploring their shops!
 |
Crochet Yellow Rose Coverlet
|
Red Suede Leather with Ball Chain and Hex Nut closure
Hello Friends! I know I have introduced this kind lady to you before, Dee is the creator of Southern Country Creations.I feel Blessed to have met her through the HAF Forum. She has many talents,she makes beautiful jewelry and crochets and she is getting ready to add some bath salts to her beautiful HAF shop. I am pretty sure there is no end to her talents,and you can see how much Love she puts into her work! Just look at the Beautiful Yellow rose Coverlet, it's sooo beautiful! She has a great Blog,so grab some coffee and enjoy the read! I hope you Have a great week!
 |
Crotch Walnut Donut Necklace
|
 |
Pink Ivory wood Pendant necklace
|
When I first joined the Handmade Artist Forum one of the first people I had the pleasure of meeting was Janelle. She was very kind and had a vibrant personality! Janelle made some beautiful jewelry creations. As you can see there are a few left. Unfortunately she passed away and if you don't hurry right now you will miss the opportunity to purchase one of the few pieces left in Janelle's HAF Shop. I bought one of her lovely pieces and will always cherish it. The proceeds of the remaining items will go to her estate. Thank you for stopping by. Have a fantastic Monday!
Hello! You made an amazing creation.You put your heart and soul into it. You need to sell it, but your not sure what to do next. Simply put,you made it now what? I may not have all the answers but I sure know where to find them. The Handmade Artist Forum! Yes that's right a place where you can mingle with other Artisans,get answers to the many questions you may have about selling your handmade items.You will also find promoting, creating and marketing advice and idea's. I have shared this wonderful tool with you before here and here . What are you waiting for? You are gonna love it! Can't wait to see ya around the forum.
Well This was an enlightening week for me.I had a big birthday 4? ugh! And I am no longer at my part time job. I was overwhelmed with work, and work ,and my teenage daughter's.lol So I asked to cut back to three days a week,and within two weeks he come up and said "I'm gonna let you go". I was soo shocked I cried,never been fired before.He had a real good bogus excuse too.Oh well,I'm counting it as a Blessing! Gonna focus on my jewelry and my family! If you Pray, please say a Prayer for me ,I need all the help I can get! So of course I spent the first day cleaning house. And now I am going to be filling up my shops! And I am actually going to have time to bring all those drawings I have stashed to life.And yes,of course I have more time for my blog now.Going to share some recipes and how to tutorials,some Texas road trips and of course some of my crafting friend's work! I can't stop smiling now,it's so exciting like living a dream.lol I can't wait to see what God has planned for me next! I hope you Have a fantastic weekend!
 |
Etched Sunflower Necklace
|
 |
Wild Tree Of Life Gemstone Cross Necklace
|
Nancy is a passionate wire wrapper from southern Illinois. I am so Happy to have the pleasure of meeting her through the Handmade Artist Forum . She makes some gorgeous copper and sterling gemstone pieces.One look and your sure to see how Passionate she is about bringing her creations to life.There are many examples in her HAF Shop ,like this beautiful Tree of Life Necklace.I think my favorite is this Sunflower Necklace! It's real hard to make up my mind they are all so pretty! She also has a really cool Blog.So Please stop by and check her out. Have a great week Friends!
 |
Red Leather with Black Onyx Beads
|
 |
Natural Hemp Double Wrap Beaded Bracelet
|
Hello! Have you met Dee? She is the heart of Southern Country Creations.You can see the love in her beautiful work.She's another great Artist I have met through the Handmade Artist Forum. Dee's just starting to fill her new Handmade Artist's Shop. I love the bracelets! She will be adding more when her day time teaching job allows.She has a great Blog so be sure to take a peek at that to.I hope you have a fantastic day,Thanks for stopping by!
Dainty Sterling Silver Roundmaille Bracelet
 |
Sterling and Copper Roundmaille Necklace
|
 |
Byzantine Tutorial
|
Hello my friends! I have shared Andrew Kitchen's talented work with you before. I did a post for the Handmade Artist Forum last month. Andrew and his wonderful wife Kimberly spend endless hours promoting handmade Artists from all over the world.He makes these amazing chainmaille pieces.The Bracelet is my favorite just love it! You can find many more beauties in his HAF Shop. Want to give the Chainmaille technique a try? Check out the tutorial! I have to say,I feel Blessed to have met them and I'm sure you will to!Have a fantastic week!
 |
Pink Ivorywood Pendant necklace was 22 NOW HALF OFF
|
 |
Cocobolo Donut Necklace Was 25 NOW HALF OFF
|
 |
Bloodwood bead Chainmaille Bracelet reduced to $7.50
|
Hello! I had the pleasure of meeting this talented artist, Janelle through the Handmade Artist Forum! I shared this great shop before, last December.She passed away last year, but there are still a few of her beautiful creations listed in Janelle's HAF Shop. All the proceeds go to her family. I love my necklace and cherish it. She was a wonderful delightful soul and I really miss seeing her around the forum.
POOR PEOPLE ?
One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.
On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, 'How was the trip?'
'It was great, Dad.'
'Did you see how poor people live?' the father asked.
'Oh yeah,' said the son.
'So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?' asked the father.
The son answered:
'I saw that we have one dog and they had four.
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.'
The boy's father was speechless.
Then his son added, 'Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.'
Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.
Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends!
Pass this on to friends and acquaintances and help them refresh their perspective and appreciation.
'Life is too short and friends are too few.'
