Voting Update and More Adventures in the Garden

As of this morning, the photo contest has 2 days of voting that remain...and I really THANK everyone who has voted for my image! Right now, my photo is in 5th place with 91 votes and while I'm very close to the 4th place vote tally, I'm "miles away" from the 3 leaders of the pack. But hey, there are still TWO WHOLE days....go over now, check it out and vote if you didn't earlier!!

Meanwhile, the Spring gardens around here are just amazing this year. I will post a new "slide show" at the bottom of this page over the weekend but just a sampler because there are a lot of beautiful images piling up here right now!

New Ad Design

Some of you may have noticed that I've been using "Project Wonderful" to place ads for my work on different sites (including American Craft Guide) and this week, I came up with this new design.

I really LIKE the way it works as an image and a design...but where I'm less sure and less experienced is how it works as an AD!! I worry it's too subtle, that if the colors are not bright and eye catching, it will get lost in the "chatter" of bold color, animations, etc. So I'm putting it here for feed back and ideas, thoughts, etc. After all, "lots of heads" are better than one, right?

It's already out there, which is I guess, the real test. And as with all things like this...time will tell...

Adventures in the Garden

This could be called my "Ode to Iowa." Many years ago, I took a weekend workshop in Williamsburg where we learned to work with fresh Iowa wild river willow. The project was to build a working chair. And yes, it was perfectly functional for many years...then I got careless and left it in the "weather."

Couldn't bear to toss it or burn it, but it's taken on a whole new life now, supporting a "bleeding heart" bush, that I also rescued from my farm in Iowa, as I was moving East. This bush has sort of outgrown its' corner, and would flop over on other plants as it wound down the growing season....but perhaps that problem is solved since it's grown up through the slatted bottom of the old chair. We'll see. If it stays put, and eventually turns nice and bright yellow in the Fall, perhaps there will be more photo perfect moments!?

Kreativ Blogger Award

Indie Icing gave this award to my blog yesterday! I'm delighted to have my little blog noticed. And it's a pretty logo, don't you think? Indie Icing was the first blog that ever wrote about my work....that was thrilling (!) and so I continue to follow the things J.B. finds, points out, writes about....

But now, MY work begins because the deal is this: once you receive this award from a fellow blogger, you have to list 7 of your favorite things AND then pass the award along to 7 other bloggers you enjoy. So here goes my favorites lists---

Seven Favorite Things:
1. A good laugh with friends
2. Deep, penetrating conversations
3. A long walk in nature (with my camera)
4. A new idea (for anything) as in “the light bulb moment”
5. Getting new art materials
6. Sleeping late
7. Knowing I’m loved and loving back


Seven Favorite Bloggers (I'm really "all over the map," from words and ideas to shopping to photography to fiber art....well, picking 7 was kind of tricky!):

1. Slow Muse by Deborah Barlow
2. Jane Sassaman’s Idea Book
3. Found – Handmade
4. Etsy Bitch – Calling out for Change
5. Poppy Talk
6. Love Photography
7. Split Rock Ranch

That was really hard to do!! But hopefully, I've offered some ideas and links that will inspire and inform! By the way, if I have pointed anyone to a new blog that they like, please leave a comment here! Thanks!

Hurry, Quick, Don't Blink!

I'm in my first (that I'm aware of) Etsy Gift Guide....for Mother's Day Jewelry. (OK, so it's at the bottom of the page...over in the right hand corner...you have to look very carefully!!) Quick now, or you'll miss it!

Which is quite true in that I DID sell many pieces to my customers during the past week...both overtly, and presumably, as Mother's Day gifts. I think it's a good use for many of my designs: to give mom (or any special woman) a personal gift. Especially a hand crafted one. Remember the gifts you made for mom in school? With popsicle sticks, or painted flower pots, or cut paper....she loved anything you gave her with love.

OK, so I'll make this easier and just insert my image here, too.

Cool Blog Write-up + Still Time to VOTE!

I'll start with my photo contest update: I'm currently in about 10th place with 55 votes and am gaining on a few of the other photos "in the 50's" so if you haven't voted yet...or you can convince friends and family to vote...PLEASE do. There's still TIME-6 days!! Please click here to vote!
(and again, a huge thank you! to all who did vote for me already!)

Next cool thing...a blog posting I found this morning about my work on Cafe Handmade--WillOaks Studio is "the booth of the day!!" Have a look...it just made me feel great!!

5-5 late p.m. LATE BREAKING news...up to 87 votes (and 26 comments) so I think I'm in about 5th place now....steady drum beat....a few more days to vote! Please do!