WE'RE HITTIN' THE ROAD!

We are road trippin' it to Virginia! A little time at the beach and most importantly . . . picking up the hubby and bringing him home!!! He's been in training since March with the Army, and he's finally coming home!!!

So . . . pray for me traveling with 3 kids! I am taking the lap top, but I can't promise I will be posting everyday . . . I will do my best!

Oh and for those who may be tempted to break into my house while we are out, you obviously have not met our 4-legged alarm system. We have 3 dogs, but this one is our queen . . . and not a nice queen to strangers!

ARTIST FEATURE - TECOPIA

When I first visited today's featured artist's site, I fell in love - it was like walking into another world! Today's featured artist is Marti, the owner of Tecopia. Here is my interview with Marti, and be sure to check out some of her fabulous items below!!!

Let's start with the basic intro - what is your name?

Marti.

Tell us about yourself. Are you married, have children?

I have been married to a wonderful man for 37 years. We have one grown son that lives in another nearby town. To fill the void, we have 8 small pomeranians that rule the house.

What sort of items do you have in your shop?

I make and sell assorted needle felted and felted items. I make needle felted sculptures, tapestries and baskets, also knit and felted handbags, eyeglass caddies, etc.

How long have you been doing your craft?

I have always loved creating for as long as I can remember. I found my niche in the fiber art world approximately 4 years ago, when my good friend and I discovered needle felting.

Where do you get your inspiration from for your work?

Living in the Pacific Northwest, there is a lot to see and do. I have always loved nature and animals, so I am inspired to use those things in my work.

How long have you had your Etsy shop and what made you decide to take that step to open it?

My Etsy shop, Tecopia, was started a little over 2 years ago. I started selling on Ebay with a lot of encouragement from my family and friends. When a friend of mine, Pawfelts, found Etsy and told me, I fell in love and knew I had to make the move. So, here I am and so is she!

Do you have any upcoming projects that you want to share with us?

I am always experimenting with some new items and ideas. I will be doing some more tapestries soon.

Follow these links to see Marti's work for yourself:

http://www.needlefelters.com/needlefelters-tecopia.html
www.Tecopia.etsy.com

And here is Marti's friend's site that she wanted to include:

www.pawfelts.etsy.com

Here are some of my favorites from Marti:

ARTIST FEATURE - MERITH STARREN

Cute, cute, cute!!! Today's featured artist is Merith Starren, the owner of Brown Bag Bath Bars. Here is my interview with Merith, and be sure to check out some of her fabulous items below!!!

Let's start with the basic intro - what is your name?

Merith Starren.

Tell us about yourself. Are you married, have children?

I am a full-time working mom who loves to be busy with creative projects. I work as an early childhood speech language pathologist and love my job most everyday. I have a lot of energy and really enjoy interacting with my pint-sized friends! I've been married almost 11 years now, and have two children, Jake and Kylie, ages 7 and 5. I will miss having Kylie at my preschool as she is off to kindergarten next fall.

What sort of items do you have in your shop?

Soap, soap, and more soap! All of my gifts have something to do with soap and everything to do with bright colors, fun accessories, and reasonable prices! I love to bargain shop and I try to pass my savings on to my friends, through my soap.

How long have you been doing your craft?

I have been doing soap gifts for almost 1 year now. I used to be obsessed with gardening (still am in the summer) and decorating our houses as we moved quite a bit early on. Now that we've been in one place for 6 years...my walls are full! To keep busy, I dried all the herbs that I grew in the summer months, read tons of books on medicinal uses for them, and ended up creating soap! I do not make the soap from scratch as so many talented people do, I prefer to mix up what goes into the soap and then create attractive packaging for pleasing gifts. I started with 2 different bars of soap...chamomile/honey and lemon/sage. The rest is history.

Where do you get your inspiration from for your work?

No matter what I seem to do in my life, it always comes back to kids!!! My own kids, my school kids, neighbor kids...they are always rummaging in my stash looking for "outlet soaps" the ones I can't sell. They let me know what they like! When shopping, I am always attracted to bright primary colors and the thrill of the bargain. I absolutely do not buy anything that is not on clearance or without a coupon!

How long have you had your Etsy shop and what made you decide to take that step to open it?

I opened my shop a couple months ago as the site was mentioned to me by a co-worker. I hadn't heard of etsy before, and now can't imagine my life without it!!! I have been selling at work and to my friends since last summer and dabbled a bit on ebay...but nothing has been like the response that I've gotten on etsy. I am hooked! I love the alchemy and the idea that you can work with another person to create something fun and unique. I love being challenged by custom requests and haven't had to turn one down yet.

Do you have any upcoming projects that you want to share with us?

I seem to be really into party favors lately...and just expect to see something new every time you check in.

Follow these links to see Merith's work for yourself:

http://www. brownbagbathbars.etsy.com

Here are some of my favorites:

SUNDAY MEMORIES

One of my fondest memories from my childhood is when I would "go camping" with my mom and dad. It wasn't an actual camping trip, but it was just as fun to me!

When I was growing up, my parents' room was off limits. You did not go in there unless invited (which was not very often). Mom and Dad's room was sacred grounds - at least that's how I felt.

But . . . on the weekends, the sacred grounds were open to me! I would climb into Mom and Dad's bed and snuggle in between them. Then, Dad would ask if I wanted to go camping - which of course I always did! Mom and Dad would then take the bed sheets and wave them up in the air like a big balloon and bring them down over our heads like a tent. And that was it - that was going camping. Doesn't sound very exciting I'm sure, but to me, it was awesome! It was my special time with Mom and Dad - just us in our special tent.

I'd love it if you would comment below with your special memories!

SAY IT SATURDAY!!!

Some funny sayings and quotes to start your weekend:

Always end the name of your child with a vowel, so that when you yell the name will carry.
-- Bill Cosby

Children really brighten up a household - they never turn the lights off.
-- Ralph Bus

Experts say you should never hit your children in anger. When is a good time? When you're feeling festive?
-- Roseanne Barr

The trouble with children is that they're not returnable.
-- Quentin Crisp

There are only two things a child will share willingly -- communicable diseases and his mother's age.
-- Benjamin Spock

We spend the first twelve months of our children's lives teaching them to walk and talk and the next twelve telling them to sit down and shut up.
-- Phyllis Diller