Friday Finds; December 23

It's hard to believe that Christmas is almost Christmas here! I'm thankful that we can celebrate Jesus' birth at this time of year, and I'm thankful for what He's done in my life.

Today I want to share some beautiful gold inspired creations from talented Besteam artists on Etsy. First, I would like to show you this really lovely angel tree topper or table centerpiece by angelsneverlastings. It is made with amazing artistry, and I would love to have an angel like this.

Next is this lovely gold carved ring from riorita. It is really beautiful, and can be ordered in different types of gold.

This gear and feather gold headband from poisongarden is adorable. How my daughter loves feathers, and they are so popular right now!

Last, enjoy these beautiful flower hair clips from msformaldehyde. Perfect for any occasion!

If you're an Etsy artisian looking for a great group of people to help you grow and support your work, check out the BESTeam.

Friday Finds: December 9

I am finding that I am constantly inspired by the colors of nature, and I want to share more lovely browns with you today!

First, this gorgeous mahogany brown leather journal from theorangewindmill. Who doesn't need an amazingly beautiful leather journal. Perfect for those long winter days by the fire, or to record your summer adventures!

Next, these beautiful vintage woven grass baskets from redemptionart. What a fun way to carry things to and from the gazebo in the summertime or to your dinner table year round.

Now I'm loving this fun sage green polka dot headband from chickyds. My daughter would think this was adorable too!

Last, this sweet bridal shower gift pouch from kcdragonfly. What a fun thing to put another gift in or keep for beautiful things of your own.

If you're an Etsy artisian looking for a great group of people to help you grow and support your work, check out the BESTeam.

Friday Finds: December 2

Today I want to share with you some sweet, delicate pinks. I love the color pink, and find it so feminine and alluring.

For example, take this Magnolia Photo from StitchPrincess. What an amazing picture!

This Butterfly Quilt Coverlet from OurHomeToYours is really sweet. My daughter would love to have something like this on her bed!

I'm loving this yummy Strawberry Shortcake Soap from sandyvern. Sounds like it would smell so amazing!

What a fun Candy Canes Greeting Card from EmptyOnTheInside to send out this season.

These amazing shops are all part of the besteam on Etsy.

Friday Finds: November 25

Happy Black Friday and day after Thanksgiving! Hope you had a wonderful day yesterday, and that it was full of things and people you appreciate.

Today I bring you the Luxurious Pale Gold Charmeuse Square from joyflower. It is so beautiful and versatile.

Next, this Cube Picture Holder from creativitybugs. A great way to display your favorite pictures!

Last, this Beige Bracelet from beaderbubbe.

These amazing shops are all part of the besteam on Etsy.

Thursday Thankfulness: Happy Thanksgiving!

Today I am thankful for many things.

I am thankful for my God and how He loves me no matter what I do, and is constantly rescuing me and wooing me back to Him.

I am thankful for my family and the joy that they are to me. My husband is truly a gift - a hard-worker with a big heart. And my children who love and accept foster children willingly into our home even when it completely turns their life upside down.

I am thankful for friends and extended family, some of whom we get to share the holiday with.

I am thankful for where we live and our community. Such a beautiful area with amazing creation all around us.

What are you thankful for today?

Friday Finds: November 18

One of my favorite colors is pink. I have always loved it - even when I thought I only loved lavendar! Pink is such a feminine color, and so fun to wear.

I'm loving these fun things this week:

Pink Lap Blanket
by GmaEllen

Baby Booties
by KnitfulDezigns

Pink and White Scarf
by OurHometoYours

Alphabet Wine Glass Charms
by AbsolutelyKismet

These amazing shops are all part of the besteam on Etsy.

Wednesday What's New: The Colors of Fall

My son's last soccer game was on Saturday, and it was a whopping 28 degrees outside. Brrrr. After losing every game of the season, they had an amazing grand finale and won big. But more than winning, I wanted to make sure he had fun and did his best. He is happy with his season and loved his coach and felt like he learned a lot.

These earrings are new pieces I made recently, and I am so excited to share them with you. They reflect the beautiful colors of fall and the rich browns and oranges of the season.

I hope you enjoy. What are your favorite colors?

Brown Snowflake Jasper Sterling Silver Hoop Earrings

Orange Carnelian Sherbet Sterling Silver Earrings

Monday Musings: Missional Living

This past week or two has been big for me. I am finding that God is stirring in my heart, and I want to learn more about who He is, and to seek Him with all my heart.

God is teaching me about areas of my sinfulness - pride being one of them - and my need for Him as my Savior every day and not just once. I can't find healing in meaningless activities, but only in Him. I have a lot of work to do, and am prayerfully asking for His help.

What new things have you been learning?

Friday Finds: November 11

Happy Veteran's Day! I am thankful for the troops and what they do to protect our country and keep us safe every day!

I am also reminded that Christmas is coming soon. Only about 1 1/2 months left! Wow! Time to get working on Christmas presents and Christmas cards. To help you in your shopping, here are some fun finds for you:

Christmas Wreath
by angelsneverlastings

Ribbon Choker
by PoisonGarden

Red Earrings
by jaynemarie

These amazing shops are all part of the besteam on Etsy.

Friday Finds: October 28

I love the outdoors, and these warm, yummy looking items remind me of the beautiful fall colors that are all around us at this time of year.

First, this amazing looking rustic soap sampler set from mossycreeksoaps. Looks like a fun gift or present for yourself!

Love this yellow citrine ring from riorita. So dreamy!

These vintage brass earrings from headpinwear are cute.

And to top it all off is this pom pom headband from knitfuldezigns.

These amazing shops are all part of the besteam on Etsy.

Wednesday Sneak Peak: Love that Jasper

I have been having a blast with jasper lately. It is such a beautiful stone and is so varied in appearance and colors. There is lots of room for creativity and pairing with many other colors of stones and pearls. It was so much fun to make these new necklace, bracelet, and earring sets this week, and I wanted to give you a sneak preview of them!

My new creations are taken locally to Bellaphia Boutique in Chelan and also placed in my shop CKSILVER on Etsy. As always you can let me know if you want to snag something before it is available in either of those venues!

Fancy Jasper and Pearl Necklace, Bracelet, and Earrings
by CKSILVER

Smoky Quartz and Black Onyx Necklace (with Jasper Pendant),
Bracelet, and Earrings with Jasper Pendant
by CKSILVER

Monday Musings: Fostering Hope

Our family has been on a foster care journey for over two years, and it is incredibly rewarding and challenging at the same time. The end of last week and this weekend we had a couple of extra boys who were "all boy". We played with trucks, trains, cars, kicked the soccer ball, played chase, read truck books, and so much more.

How fun to be able to keep these boys together and give them a fun weekend with our family. We were able to share life together, I told them many bedtime stories, and hopefully we were able to foster a new kind of hope in these kids. My kids had a great time, and I love that they're learning to live beyond themselves and grow in new ways.

Today we get to learn more about the Love and Logic approach at my kids school. I'm looking forward to gaining new tools that we can use as we parent a variety of different children that come through our home.

How about you? What is your best piece of parenting advice?

Friday Finds: October 21

Today we have a couple of extra kiddos in the house, and I am reminded of the wonder of looking at the world through their eyes. Here are some kid items that I think are fun!

First, this gorgeous pink bow from ChickyDs. My daughter would soooo love to have something like this. She loves being very girly, and this would be perfect for anyone with a girly girl.

Next this beautiful vintage glass angel from redemptionart is sure to be treasured for a long time to come by young and old alike. I had something like this when I was a kid and kept it until at least college or beyond.

What girl wouldn't love this pink heart glass pendant from beaderbubbe. So fun and can be placed on any necklace. The perfect addition to a beautiful dress!

And to top it all off is this beautiful chained hearts bracelet from bluewhitejewelrywear.

These amazing shops are all part of the besteam on Etsy.

CKSILVER feature!

Here is a really sweet feature of CKSILVER on the Boosting Etsy Shops Team blog.

This midnight remembrance necklace is just one of the fun things that was featured!

Come check it out and leave your comments!

Friday Finds: October 14

Fall is in the air, and I am reminded that the days are getting shorter. Orange and brown and other fall colors seem to be everywhere. So, I thought I would bring you a fun selection of things you can find for fall.

This cute card from creativitybugs caught my eye. I love the beautiful jeweled flowers and the sweet butterfly coming to visit. What a fun card to give to a loved one this holiday season!

This 70s custom made mink jacket from ourhometoyours looks so comfortable and warm. As I look at the fall colors out my window, this jacket seems like the perfect thing to keep warm on a cold day.

Need a card to make someone smile? This grinning pumpkin card from EmptyOnTheInside is sure to fit the bill!

Last is my favorite. TheOrangeWindmill has gorgeous handmade leather journals. Perfect to remember every moment of your kids accomplishments in soccer, thoughts and memories from the day, or things to do the following day. And since my favorite color is brown, I decided this one would be perfect!

These amazing shops are all part of the besteam on Etsy.

Friday Finds: September 30

One of my very favorite colors is brown. I love all the beautiful fall shades in brown, from the lighter creams and tans to the deep rich chocolate browns. With that said, here are a few of my favorite browns that I have found this week:

Vanilla Soap
by sandyvern

Flower Necklace
by JayneMarie

Family Tree Vinyl Wall Decal
by offthewallexpression

Enjoy!

Friday Finds: September 23

The weather is starting to turn to fall, and I am reminded of the fun things that this season brings. My son starts soccer next week, the leaves will soon be turning, and the weather will be colder.

With this in mind, this week I bring you a bit of fall goodness with these greens and browns. Enjoy!

Dead Sea Mud with Aloe Vera Gel
from ancientoils

Bean Jar - Green
from kcdragonfly

A Touch of Elegance Bracelet
from lasfloresdelsur

Friday Finds: Upcycle Recycle Reuse

Meet the owner of UpcycleRecycleReuse, an Etsy shop located in Colchester, Vermont. It is a place where old products are given more value not less. The goal of this shop is to prevent wasting potentially useful materials by making use of existing ones.

Continue reading to learn more:

How did you get your start on Etsy?
I wanted to build my on web store but could never find the time. Then I found an Etsy shop I liked via goggle and set up a buyers account. I was hesitant to set up a sellers account but I kept hearing good things about Etsy via word of mouth and figured I'd give it a go. After my first sale it became addictive.

What does a typical day look like for you?
I am crazy busy with my day job leaving a little time in the evenings and weekends to create and promote.

How did you get started with upcycling/recycling?
I have always looked to reuse things. The value of reusing and upcycling was instilled in my at a young age by my grandmothers. Upcycling may be a new thing but the phrase "waste not, want not" is an old adage that still rings true.

If you could be anywhere in the world for one day, where would it be?
I would love for a change to visit Greece. My family originally came from Greece and I still have relatives there.

You can also find her on her blog.