{simple stress reduction yoga}

Yoga Today offers amazing  and absolutely FREE Yoga videos. You’ll enjoy this one for Simple Stress Reduction.

Watch it here.

{expect a miracle}

motivational magnets

{orangie goodness}

Dinning room, originally uploaded by design_ski.

I love so many things about this room in designer Jenn Ski’s home.

The cork floors. The shelving juxtaposed against the bright firey orange walls. The deep wood table. the amazing floor to ceiling windows. Made by Frank Lloyd Wright student…Stunning to say the least.

{Etsy Find: Bloomers by joliesmomma}

Initial Sunday Panty Bloomers, Sizes Newborn to 5T by joliesmomma on Etsy. $12.95

These are too cute! Hand sewn by a Mommy friend of mine! :0) Check out her new Etsy shop for more handmade goodies!

http://joliesmomma.etsy.com

{Let Go}

Let Go by Paperbullet on Etsy.

Let Go & Let God

….

{cloud9 emporium: call for submissions}

Call for Submissions:

It’s now time to apply for the Summer Indie Emporium. To see a sample of what it looks like, please see the  “A Greener Spring” Indie Emporium here. I have uped the size to the images to 400×400 this time….

Cloud9 Emporium is a monthly online marketplace curated by Cloud9 Design to showcase exceptional handmade goods from emerging independent artists & designers.

Here are 101 reasons to buy handmade from the Poppytalk blog.

After seeing the success of both the Holiday Gift Guide & my Valentine Gift Guide, I’ve decided to have a monthly juried online marketplace called “Cloud9 Emporium” featured on the Cloud9 Blog.

This is just one of the many NEW regular features that Cloud9 will use to showcase & promote emerging indie artists and designers which encourages building the indie community by shopping local & buying handmade.

If you are an independent artist, designer or artisan that sells your wares on Etsy.com you can apply to be part of the Emporium. The next marketplace will be the: “Summer Indie Marketplace” which will focus on breezy, summertime-related goods to fit in with the theme. The Summer Emporium will run from July 13th – September 13th giving you 3 FULL MONTHS of promotion. That’s some good marketing savings!!!

The deadline to apply is JUNE 26th.

Just e-mail me if you are interested. Put “Summer Indie Marketplace Submission” in the subject line. **And please give me the URL link to the Etsy shop you wish to be considered. If selected I will need a 400×400 image of an item with your logo superimposed on top of it, like on my summer gift guide. Alos, I will need a short bio or you and your work, as well as your etsy shop URL, Blog URL, and a coupon code for my readers.

There is only a limited amount of space available; so only the top applicants will be selected. The submissions must have a strong design aesthethic, impeccable, compelling photography that fits into the theme, and must be high-quality, earth-friendly handmade wares. The non-refundable fee for being a part of the Emporium will be $40.00. If you are selected, you must provide the required photos and info by the deadline to be included.

The Emporium will have top placement in the sidebar.

The Emporium will be marketed on: other blogs, Etsy, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, TwitterMoms, Ning networks, We Love Etsy, IndiePublic, with my Etsy Street Teams: CAST (Christian Artists), EcoEtsy, & EtsyAustin {just to name a few!}

***I have a VERY large following on these social networking sites which gives me a wonderful arena to introduce new and interesting handmade goods, and increases the exposure & traffic to my blog & the visibility of your shop!

This new opportunity for increased visibility for your shop is a great way to help your shop be seen in the sea that is Etsy….Here are some stats for the blog:

We use Quantcast to verify our traffic figures, obtain audience information and to supply our Cloud9 Media Kit. Our audience is 59% female, and 65% of our members are college graduates or hold advanced degrees. Below is a snapshot of demographic and lifestyle attributes of the Cloud9 Design audience.

Some of the lifestyle attributes the Cloud9 blog readers have are the following:

Sitemeter information for my blog states that the Cloud9 blog has had 48,077 visitors(since I joined sitemeter) with an average of 177 per day and growing!!!

My WordPress stats since the blog started:

{Yes Frills Wall Jewelry Holder}

UrbanOutfitters.com > Yes Frills Wall Jewelry Holder. $24.00

I love this idea. I wish i could find some intricate vintage trellis wirework like this to create a handmade jewelry holder of my own. I love repurposing vintage finds.

{Grace Garden Dress}

Grace Garden Dress- Small by fcpcares on Etsy. $178.00

Substance clothing is one of my Summer Gift Guide artists. Click HERE to see more summery, indie, handmade goodness!

{Daily Worth

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DAILYWORTHMENTIONSC9D, originally uploaded by Cloud9 Design.

{think on these things}

He is a shining Star…….., originally uploaded by “†OnlyByGrace” on Flickr.

“8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” PHILIPIANS 4:8

{Free 10-Week Adobe Illustrator Course!}

CreativeTechs Tips » Free 10-Week Illustrator Course!.

Want to enroll? Sign-up here: Illustrator CS4 Course Enrollment.

{things will be just fine}

We heart it / Visual bookmark for everyone.

{Etsy Finds – wishbone}

Handmade Paper goods on Etsy – One for you, one for me. (Wishbone – White) by Threefold.

These are so genious. These are really creative and interactive postcards form threefold.etsy.com. Plus they are eco-friendly!!!

{things i want to do today…}

We heart it / Visual bookmark for everyone.

I am inspired by this journal entry found via tumblr. Not exactly what my list would be like…but it definately got me thinking…

Instead of a boring old list, why not make the list sing. So while we check the items off, we can dance to the music of our lives….:)

{summer gift guide is here!}

The Cloud9 Summer Gift Guide is now up!

Check out all the summertime finds HERE.

Be sure to use the super coupon codes these artists have give to you, my lucky readers to get some awesome discounts!

I will be adding some more fabulous artists later this week…..Stay tuned!

{etsy treasury tool}

Click here to use the Craftopolis Treasury Tool!

{daily worth is so worth it}

I first heard about Daily Worth from Jena at Modish. It is so worth it to sign up for their daily emails! Here’s their blurb:

DailyWorth is a

free daily personal finance
email for women. We deliver
practical tips, empowering ideas
and the occasional kick in the pants.

Our tips cover saving, spending, earning, entrepreneurship and professional development.

Our vision is simple:

• Recognize your self worth
• Set concrete, numerical goals
• Take control of your financial health
• Change the way you think about money
• Generate wealth

Spend and invest wisely

I get the daily emails & I LOVE them. They are both witty & inspiring. They cover wide range of topics beneficial to women, entreprenuers & small business owners.

The illustrations are cleverly cute. I appreciate how the often dry, masculine topic of finance is approached from the feminine point-of-view and how the advice and tips are geared to an audience of highly successful women who seek to grow and learn more, and be empowered.

AMEN, Sistas!!!

Here’s a sample:

Brilliant, Gorgeous, Talented and Fabulous

Written by Amanda Steinberg

Sunday, 24 May 2009 21:49

After a week of discussing karma, budgets, bonds and IRAs, we thought you’d appreciate this pick-me-up. Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of [the Divine]. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of [the Divine] within us. It is not just in some; it is in everyone. And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others. ~ Marianne Williamson

{rejoice}

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.”

—Philippians 4:4

{photography by my talented friend, Jennifer Glynn of: http://jenlynnphotography.squarespace.com/

{red velvet cake from design*sponge

I found this lovely cake recipe on Design*Sponge. I just had to repost…Yummy!

This week, Sabrina (from Hello!Lucky) gives us an entertaining “vintage” red velvet cake recipe with wonderfully styled photos to fit the vintage grandmother imagery.

CLICK HERE for the full recipe after the jump!

Waldorf Astoria $400 Red Velvet Cake

I discovered this recipe in my grandma’s recipe box when I was visiting her over Thanksgiving. It was handed down to her by her mother, and in doing a quick internet search I realized that some variation of it has been passed on mothers/daughters for generations! I can totally imagine my grandma making this in her kitchen (red food coloring and all!) in the 1950s for her four kids. It is vintage (think molded Jello!), but still very tasty!

The story behind is apparently one of the urban legends of baking – and it has been told in myriad ways, with different twists and price tags. Here’s the version I found my grandmother wrote down (with my own minor modifications to the recipe):

Waldorf Astoria $400 Red Velvet Cake

This recipe is said to have been requested of the chef at the Waldorf Astoria by a wealthy Oklahoma couple. It is said to have been mailed to them with a bill for $400.

½ cup shortening
1 ½ cup sugar
2 eggs
2 oz red food coloring
2 Tbs cocoa
2 ¼ cup cake flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vinegar

Blend shortening and sugar. Add eggs, unbeaten. Whip until smooth.

Make a paste of the food coloring and cocoa. Add to the shortening mixture.

Sift the flour, salt and backing soda. Combine the buttermilk and the vanilla. Add these to the batter, alternating the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture. Fold in vinegar.

Bake in 2 1” deep, 9” wide greased and floured layer cake pans 35 – 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Cool.

Icing for Red Velvet Cake

4 scant Tbs flour
1 cup milk
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Cook the flour and milk over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly. Cool.

Cream the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip in the milk and flour mixture. The frosting should be thick and fluffy, similar in consistency to whipped cream.

Spread over the layers, top, and sides of the cake.

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{Etsy Find – fairy dress by vivatveritas7}

Handmade Clothing on Etsy – Pastel green fairy dress by vivatveritas7.

Love this!!!