Inspiration of the Week - Teri of TheBeadedBranch

Welcome back to another Inspiration of the Week. This week I bring you one of my favourite online friends.. and I'm sure if we lived closer we would be offline friends too. This woman is a major inspiration to me, and to many other people I know. Despite her own life challenges she is there for her friends and peers with kind word or a warm hug and she delights in sharing the escapades of her gorgeous little boys, with the pride only a parent can display.
I asked Teri to share her favourite 10 things in the whole world and what follows are her responses in her own words. Read on to find out more about this wonderful woman.

1)  My hubby.  I love my hubby (Tim) and my kids (Nick and Joe), even though any or all of them are likely to make me go nuts at any given minute.  But they do help out in the own way, every chance they get.  Tim is not only my hubby, but also my best friend.  Lately, life has gotten to be a little crazy around our house, and not necessarily in a good way.  I looked at him and said "If I had to go through this, I'm glad I'm going through it with you!"  He's a rock at my back, my strength, and my love.  

2)  My children.  My kids are a joy to me, even when they are driving me nuts.  I really never know what those two scoundrels will be up to next.  Whether they are making me a cup of coffee, drawing me a "birthday card" (when my birthday is nowhere in sight), or trying to hide in my washing machine they are my joy.  Life is never, ever dull with those two around, and what one doesn't think of, the other one will.  I've always wanted to be a housewife and mommy.  I was never one the type of woman who felt she needed a career outside the home.  When people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would always say "a mommy".  How many people can honestly say that they have acheived their lifelong dream?

3)  My extended family.  In laws, cousins, aunts, uncles, all of them.  Yes, family can make one crazy at times, but in the end, it's really all we have, and I adore them.  Once again, if it wasn't for my extended, my life would a lot more dull.  (I think someone once hit me with the ancient curse of "May you live in interesting times", but at least I'm never, ever bored!)

4)  My home.  I love my little home, even if it does look like a whirlwind hit it most of the time.  But it is my favorite place to be.  I can relax here, and be myself.  I can let my hair down.  Soon, I might even be able to repaint the walls and add color that I so desperately want.  I have to admit, that after almost 5 years of living in this home, I'm still re-organizing and paring down all the nonessentials that we don't use, but it's fun, instead of the chore it used to be when I was still living at home, with my mom and dad.   

5)  My books.  I'm an avid reader.  I pretty much always have my nose stuck in a book.  I always have and (God willing) always will.  I love to read.  And I read just about anything.  I think in the 40 years I've been on this earth, I've actually only come across 3 or 4 books that I *don't* like.  Pretty amazing, huh?  I do, of course, have some books that I love more than others, but all in all, I just love my books.  So does my hubby, thankfully, and he's willing to indulge me in my little obsession.  And our boys are become avid booklovers too.  How wonderful is that???

6)  My online buddies.  A year and a half ago, I never thought that I would part of such wonderful online communities.  I was always a little shy (okay, a lot shy) of taking the plunge into online forums, and things like that.  And then I discovered Plurk, and through that, The Sassy Sisters in Sales.  These two groups are my friends, my confidents, my equals.  Growing up, I never had a wide circle of friends, and through these two online communities, I have made friends that I laugh with, cry with, hug, hold hands with, and are just generally wonderful to be around.  I'm really looking forward to the day when we can all meet face to face, and hug in real life.  To all my Plurk buddies and to the Sassy Sistahs:  I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

7)  Coffee.  I love coffee.  I love the way it smells.  I love the way it tastes (sugar and creamer, please).  I love the way it makes me feel.  I love the way it helps me to wake up in the mornings.  

8)  Chocolate.  When I was younger I thought I loved chocolate.  And then about 10 years ago, my boyfriend (now my hubby) brought back some chocolate from Switzerland, where his brother lives.  He brought me back 150 bars of chocolate.  It filled his carry on bag.  The guards at the gate in the airport were jealous.  And that is when my passion REALLY began.  I adore chocolate.  GOOD chocolate.  Rich, creamy, smooth decadent European chocolate.  Made by the people who KNOW what chocolate is supposed to taste like.   It's not just a snack, it's an obsession.  And woe to my darling brother in law, Andrew, if comes back to the US without at least one bar of chocolate for me.  And he knows it, too, although, it's always his darling wife Isabelle who picks it out for me.  (Another reason I love my inlaws.... they are my suppliers....)

9)  My slow-cooker.  Call it a crock pot or slow-cooker, it doesn't matter.  I love mine.  I know, it's weird.  But I love the fact that I can dump a bunch of food into it at the start of the day, and by dinner time, there is a wonderful, home cooked meal ready and waiting.  I love that it is versatile, and I can use it to make main dishes, side dishes, breads and desserts.  It's just awesome.  They are so awesome, that I actually have two of them, a really big one for large pieces of meat, large amounts of broth (yes, I make my own chicken broth in my crock pot), chili, whatever, and a smaller one for dinner just for the family.  

10)  Crafting.  You knew it had to come in here somewhere.  I love crafting, all sorts of crafting.  I'm not sure if it's a "love", "favorite", or "obsession".  DH would probably say obsession, but I think it qualifies.  

So,  perfect day for me would be:  working on a bunch of crafts with my hubby and kids in my home, while dinner simmers in my crock pot, with several calls from extended family members, drinking coffee and eating European chocolate, chatting with all my online buddies, and then fall asleep reading one of my favorite books.

Thank you so much Teri. Your joy in life, your family and what you do is in every word, and this is one of the reasons you are an inspiration to me and many others.

Teri briefly touched on her craft, and let me tell you, she is very talented. You can see for yourself what I mean by visiting Teri at her online stores - The Beaded Branch on ArtFire and The Beaded Branch on Etsy

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An Enveloping Lass

This weeks Inspirational Artisan post is about a wonderful lass I know, Nicky. She is the heart and soul behind Ambient Girl Designs and Ambient Girl Supplies. I asked her the for her 10 most favourite things in the world.. and once again I will let my blog guest answer in their own words.

10: Coffee...without it I would be a total zombie, it gets me up in the morning and I like to relax with a coffee later on in the evening or when I'm working on tweeting, blogs, stuff.

9: Camping: I love love love camping! Once a year we go camping and it's our time to relax, have a drink, make a mess with marshmallows and have fun in the sun. I love being in the outdoors...minus bugs..I'm not a bug fan!

8: Wine... me and wine, we mesh well together! I get a lot of ideas sipping on a glass of wine and brainstorming. For those days when my creativity just needs a boost!

7: Dance: I danced for 24 years of my life, ballet, jazz, tap, Latin American, ballroom and Irish. Dancing has always been a huge part of my life and even now after retiring due to 7 foot fractures I support my fellow dancers. Dancing has always given me that feeling of freedom and nothing can take that away from you.

6: My animals. I had three cats, Gabriel, Kaleb and Smokey. Kaleb passed away at the end of April and it was one of the worst things I have been through. I also have a rescue chameleon named Pandora, she's my beautiful girl! I also have three fish. My cats are my cuddle monkeys (as odd as that sounds) and they follow me around and talk, how cute!

5: Friends: My friends are so important to me. They have been a shoulder to lean on through the hard times and we can share all our secrets, be goofballs and have a laugh.

4: South Africa: I was born and raised in South Africa. Even though it was a dangerous place, most of the best memories of my life took place there. I miss my family terribly and would go back in a heartbeat if I could.

3: Being creative: This is such a huge factor in my life that has helped me in some rough times. I love to craft and try anything new. Right now I'm obsessed with paper even though I Crafts & Design in college with a major in glassblowing and a minor in ceramics! I love getting my hands dirty and I love helping others out.

2: Other artists & crafters. I gain so much inspiration from other people especially artistic people that I can bounce my ideas off of. I have met so many wonderful people in the past year that share my passion and it's an incredible feeling when we can all come together to create something beautiful.

1: My family. I have a wonderful supportive husband and the most beautiful little boy who is so sweet natured. My parents and sister are also amazing people who work hard.

Thank you Nicky! Now I will talk about this wonderful person is an inspiration to me.

Nicky has a medical condition that will only worsen over time, one that causes pain and discomfort on a daily basis. Yet she selflessly gives her time and support to other artisans, as well as running her two Etsy stores. Her most recent gesture to fellow artisans was to open up a Ning called Indie Junction with a friend. They promote the talents of members, regardless of where online they sell.
Nicky is wonderfully talented, as can be seen by her fabulous creations in store at Ambient Girl Designs, and she loves to do custom pieces. She is my Inspiration of the Week, and I hope you will all check out her blog, Ambient Girl Designs, Ambient Girl Supplies and Indie Junction for yourself.

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Inspiration of the Week - She's Batty Designs and Batty's Bath

Welcome to my new weekly feature, my Inspiration of the Week. Every week I am going to do a blog post on a fellow artisan who I find inspiring, whether it be because of their creations, or their integrity, or their soul.

My first feature is on the amazing Jamie S - the heart and soul behind She's Batty Designs and the newest one stop pamper shop, Batty's Bath (opening soon).
I asked Jamie to tell me her 10 favourite things in the world, and what follows is written by her. The photographs peppered through are items from She's Batty Designs on Etsy.

1. Drew - my man bear! Yes, I said man bear. That's my pet name for him and he'll be totally embarrassed to see my pet name for him on a blog, but he's starting to accept it. Heck, even some of our friends address our mail "Jamie and Drewbear" lol. In all seriousness though, I don't know what I'd do without him. He's my best friend and my hubby. He carries me around when I can walk because of AS, he treats the dogs like their his own (I had two of them before we lived together), he makes me laugh all the time, gives the best snuggles, and can make pancakes!.. something that still baffles me lol.

2. Our pets - Noel, Princess, Sassy and Murtle. They each mean so much to me and have their own "rescue" story that would take up too room here but their stories are posted at my flickr account.

3. My family. I have the best parents and the best siblings. I couldn't ask for a more supportive group of people.

4. My friends. Although I only keep a few friends really close, that's all I need. They are my support group and I wouldn't trade them for the world.

5. Sugar! I'm a total sugar junky. I start with a bowl of sugar cereal in the morning and the "hits" just continue from there. I think my fav "sugary" treat right now is spiked hot chocolate :)

6. Paper! Paper is very much a passion of mine. I can't get enough of it (my studio and the pile of receipts for paper can account for that haha). It's also what inspired me to start my first business, She's Batty Designs.

7. Soap making! I've recently fallen in love with soap making. I'm totally pampering myself and my family with lots of nourishing and deliciously scented soaps and bath products. Soon I'll be able to pamper a lot more people when my second Etsy shop, Batty's Bath, opens. (Here's the Batty's Bath Blog link so you can follow my progress).

8. Halloween! I can't believe halloween didn't make my list until #8 but it is a really big obsession of mine. I love everything halloween-ie and halloween related! I celebrate halloween in a BIG way every year and leave most of the same decorations up for Christmas! I'm also the guild master of the Ghouls Guild on Artfire.

9. All other creative obsessions .... I have a lot of them so it was hard to narrow it down but I'll throw the rest of them under #9. I've studied fine art in school and have been an avid crafter all my life. I've also picked up a fair amount of graphic design skills so there's never a shortage of ways for me to express my creativity. My favorite outlets (after paper and soap making) are photography, sculpture, graphic design, screen printing, and jewelry making.

10. All my wonderful plurk friends!! Thank you so much for featuring me on your blog and for "plurking" with me ;) My "online life" would be pretty dull without all of you entertaining me! I also have to thank all of you for being a tremendous support and inspiration for me! I couldn't do all I do without the help of my plurkies! :D

That is a fabulous list of favourite things!
I think it gives a pretty good idea why I find Jamie, aka Batty, such an inspiration. She has so much talent and energy. She seems to always be creating something new and her cards are simply amazing.
Batty is one of those people that it is an absolute pleasure to know, she stands up for what she believes in and supports her friends even when suffering pain.
It is an absolute pleasure to feature Batty on my blog, and I hope that everyone who reads this takes the time to browse her shop, you are sure to find something perfect for yourself or someone you find inspirational.

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