Happy Advent!

In an effort to keep the family Christ-centered this Advent season, I want to make sure each day until Christmas is filled with fun, meaningful things to do with the kids - activities that will remind us of the true Christmas story, and keep us all others-focused.

Finding ideas to do this I had to look no further than other Etsians and Bloggers! My two favorites were:

We Are That Family Blog

CopyCrafts Advent Calendar


I'll be taking it day by day, and if I come up with any ideas that work incredibly well, I'll post about it!

May you be blessed this Advent season! Amy

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

I hope your Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of family and friendships this year!

If you are planning on shopping online this weekend, don't forget Holiday EtsyFest 2008.

Personally, I will be offering free shipping on all purchases, and 10% off your entire order when you order 3 or more items (at both SewArtsy and SewArtsyBethany!) starting Thursday, November 27 - that's Thanksgiving Day - through Monday, December 1.

Check out other wonderful Etsy shops participating in this sale at http://heatherknitzgiveaways.blogspot.com

The shops are categorized for easier browsing depending on who's on your list this year!

Take some time to consider handmade items this holiday season,

Happy Thanksgiving! Amy

Thursday's Featured Amy

This week I feature a new Amy teammate:

AmyLiz of A Main Collection and A Market Collection!

Holiday happiness, here we come!

Are you looking for just the right holiday accents for your home? Are you ready for the turkey, snowman and Santa invasion! Take a gander at what AmyLiz has to offer you. This creative lady has made some fabulous items that are just waiting to deck your halls, your tree, your gifts - you name it! You'll find lots of felt candle mats and ornaments meticulously embellished in all sorts of designs to tickle your fancy, paper items to adorn your gifts, and stitched items you're just sure to want to grab up!

Amy's been in business almost 20 years, and has been crafting in some fashion since she was a child. She's a stay at home mom of two teenagers, has a very supportive husband, and two Etsy shops - her favorite place to sell online!

My favorite item right now has to be A Glimpse of Autumn Gift Tags. I adore brown and blue together, and the felt flowers attached to the gift tags are a sweet and unexpected detail. AmyLiz is having a sale this week, so make sure you grab what you want while you can, and then keep checking back to see what's in store!

AmyLiz.Etsy.com
AMarketCollection.Etsy.com
AMainCollection.com

Happy Thursday! Amy

Holiday EtsyFest Participants

Want to find out who's participating in Holiday EtsyFest? You can find all of the vendors here. If you're looking for just bags and totes, click here. That's where you'll find SewArtsy and SewArtsyBethany! Please check out all of the wonderful vendors excited about offering you fabulous deals from Thanksgiving Thursday through the first of December!

Happy Wednesday! Amy

Kreative Blogger Award

I received an award from fellow blogger Happy at Home from Life is Like Champagne! It is my first:

I'm passing on the love to those listed below. Here are the rules for this one:

1. Mention the blog that gave it to you and comment on their blog to let them know you’ve posted your award.

2. Publish these rules.

3. Share 6 values that are important to you and 6 things you do not support.

4. Grant the prize to 6 people.

Here are mine:

Six important values/beliefs:

1. to show Christ in all I do

2. to serve my family

3. to be a loving and loyal friend
4. to treat everyone with respect

5. to always show kindness

6. to not judge others based on race, gender, social or economic circumstances

Six values/beliefs I do not support:

1. Arrogance

2. Talking over one another

3. Hateful words

4. Not keeping ones word

5. Impatience

6. Lack of respect for the human race

And here are the Six (OK I did 7!) bloggers I pass it on to, all from Amys in the Arts!
1. Amy Lucid Jewelry Designs
2. Amy Rehnae
3. ARE Handmade Jewellery

4. art=life
5. Handmade Shop Talk by AlwaysAmy
6. In the Night Kitchen
7. The Recycled Jeans Co

Have fun checking out their blogs!

Happy Tuesday! Amy

SewArtsy Giveaway!

Please head over to Life Is Like Champagne, and check out the SewArtsy giveaway! All you have to do is leave a comment stating which SewArtsy product is your favorite to enter. [Comment at lifeislikechampagne.blogspot.com, not here]

If you'd like more chances to win, subscribe to Robin's blog, and/or post on your blog about the giveaway - it's that easy!!

Happy Monday! Amy

Holiday EtsyFest!

Can't find the time to hit your local craft shows? Want to get great deals from Thanksgiving Day to Cyber Monday, but don't want to leave your home?

Check out Holiday EtsyFest (Nov. 27 through Dec. 1) where you'll find participating shops with the tag "Thanksgiving_Sale". Each shop will have their own sales and discounts, so read their shop announcements to find your savings! My shops, SewArtsy and SewArtsyBethany, will boast continued free shipping (through Dec. 20) as well as 10% off your entire order when you buy 3 or more items!

If you have an Etsy shop and would like to be a part of Holiday EtsyFest, sign up here!

Happy Friday! Amy

PS - graphic above graciously designed by the fabulous artist softpencil!

Carried Away: "Promote a Sister"

Today my Carried Away Team members are promoting each other, and I couldn't miss this opportunity to sing a team member's praises!

Just check out Rebecca Accessories over at Etsy! She has not only fabulous bags, but also eco-friendly Scotty Dogs, key chains, and holiday pillows, that are way cute. Her Sea Moss Green Lambskin leather Overgrown Clutch is glamorous and rich, and so expertly made. You can't beat the hand cut floral detail. Hop on over and check out her store today!

Check out other team member's blogs for other promotions here.

Happy Thursday! Amy

Election Day Baby!

We are so excited! Our birthmom gave birth yesterday! So we have an election day baby, and we'll be bringing her home from the hospital tomorrow.

Baby "Shiny", as our oldest son nicknamed her long before we knew she even existed, will meet her big brothers, and one overly-loving lab/chow, as well as two of her grandparents, and whoever else pops over to the house tomorrow. What a day it will be! We can't wait!

More on baby "Shiny" as the days go on...

Happy Wednesday! Amy

Go Vote!

Please don't forget to get out and vote today!

Don't know where your polling place is? Find out here.

Happy Election Day! Amy

Honoring My Kids' Birthmoms

It's November, and in honor of my kids' birthmoms this is the time of year I start preparing to write letters and send photos that will hopefully be received by them in time for the holidays. These amazing women have given me and my husband the most amazing gifts, and we try to do everything we can to let them know that the boys are healthy, happy, thriving, and barrelling toward the potential they hoped for these babies as they released their little ones into our arms.

In honor of my kiddos, and November being National Adoption Awareness Month, I have opened a new shop on Etsy: SABethany. Until now I have been using my SewArtsy shop to sell Hair Clippy Caddies, Baby Burpee Sets, and Baby Bundles alongside of the purses and fashion accessories. From these sales I have donated 10% of their price to Bethany Christian Services. Now I've opened SABethany to sell these items, as well as others that are baby- and kid-related, and have decided to bump up my donation to 25%. This new shop will allow me to sew more items that may not be so "fashion" oriented, but still have the great quality and style that you expect from SewArtsy products!

Please check out both of my shops regularly to see what new items pop up!

Happy Monday! Amy