HERE ARE SOME CARDS FROM CARDMAVEN. FOR MORE GO TO THE BANNERS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PAGE AND CLICK ON THE DIRECT LINK TO HER SHOP!

This two week period our Featured Member is Sharon Menzel, a/k/a CARDMAVEN. As I am a frequent purchaser of her cards, because I admit I was once a Hallmark addict, I have grown to love the effort and time put into anything HANDMADE! So, here are a few words from Sharon regarding her life and her craft:

Name: SHARON R. MENZEL

Business Name: CARDMAVEN

Website or sites you have your items on:
Only on Etsy. Started on Ebay and moved over to Etsy on account of 4 month listing.

Home: Rapid City, South Dakota

Family: husband, 2 grown daughters and 4 grandchildren

What is it that you design and create?
Distinctive greeting cards for all occasions

What is your favorite part of the design process?
The finished result--providing I like it when it is finished

How did you come up with your business name?
Well, a maven is an expert and even though I am no expert, I thought it was unique, simple, stylish, and told the nature of my business.

When and how did it all begin?
I began rubber stamping years ago in Denver and started selling my cards to family and friends. Eleven years ago, we moved back to our South Dakota roots, and that is when my business took off. I sell more cards "out of my house" than on Etsy.

Who or what inspires you?
I think that it is the paper, pattern and colors that give me my inspiration. I grab a sheet of paper, adhere it to cardstock, and just let the "juices" roll.

What advice would you give other new artisans who are just starting out?
Don't get discouraged. High sales numbers take lots of time and when one is selling relatively inexpensive items, profit is slow in coming. Do it for the mental therapy and enjoyment. The profit will come later.

What kind of music do you listen to?
I like just about everything except jazz, hard rock, and rap. My age is showing!!

What TV show are you hooked on?
American Idol

What was the last movie you saw?
Can I switch this to my favorite? One flew over the Cuckoo's nest.

What is your favorite type of food?
Sweet LOL---------Mexican

What is your favorite dessert, or something you like to indulge in? Chocolate. Is there anything else?

Coffee or Tea?
One cup in the morning for my caffine jump start.

What store could you walk around in for hours and be happy? A good locally owned scrapbook store.

Any pets?
No longer. Had a wonderful cat for years.

Favorite place to visit or would like to visit?
Right now it is Mexico and the warm waters. I am also a Europe freak.

Favorite holiday?
I love them all.

What is your favorite type of clothing to be found making your creations?
Does this mean, what am I wearing when crafting? If it is early morning, my bathrobe. After my coffee, it would be my jeans and a Chico T top.

What do you secretly wish you could do or be?
Thinner, younger and richer. (Just like almost everyone else!!!)

Do you speak any languages or want to learn one?
Just MidWest English

Plans for yourself/business?
Business wise, to just do a little more volume every month. Myself, maintain my health and sanity!!

More Congratulations for our Members

For the winners of Great Finds on our neighbor Ning Page "On Fire for Handmade:

1st Place Vabeachquilter

3rd PlaceMommy Tyme

Be sure to send your congrats for these accomplishments to these winners as they are our members too!


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PLEASE READ THIS ANNOUNCEMENT!
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You may or may not have seen comments that ADJ, Ltd. has created its own blogpage to add more space to our page and to take over some promotion by YOU the member of your own blogs and use to post contests and results. We will shortly be opening this page to members to share with us various information or interests. These little snippets of interests regarding your own blogs (and how we can find them) plus, more contests and prizes, as we try to promote this page, will be rewarded by the person who draws the most people to our blog and our social networking page by 2 weeks of advertising on the blog. If you are interested in participating and adding your blog name to our list, we would like you to post your blog information to share with the world. We will be LinkedIn on this page hoping more traffic gets directed our way.

As a member, if you are interested in using space to promote a "featured artist" please feel free to contact me at our e-mail address: artisansjewelrydesignersltd@gmail.com. You will hear from either me or one of our two administrators, Valerie or Jeannie as to whether you information can be posted. We will be moderating this for the first few months until everyone gets use to what can and can't be put on the blog.

Also I would appreciate any members of AJDLtd. that want to contribute towards a giveway at the end of November, to the person who has added the most to our blog to contact me asap. If you have prizes you can forward to me, e-mail me. Nothing huge, just a token of appreciation for helping us compete with the other blogs! My contribution will be to feature them with free advertising for two weeks on the blog. The person who wins can add a small sllde show of their products. So, please if you can donate a bar of soap, a pair of earrings, advertising on your own website, or something small to add to a box of goodies for their participation I will be most grateful. Get back to me via e-mail on the page.

Please promote our social networking page on your blogs. And add blog names of people whose blogs you support. We are really jazzed by this new addition. All blog members who participate will be given the sign in information for our page. Just be sure to ask for it. Then you have access to the page. Please NO INAPPROPRIATE REMARKS OR PROFANITY, OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT WOULD BE AN EMBARRASEMENT TO OUR PAGE. So you are sworn by a sacred covenant with me that you will not share this info with the outside world!

I am excited to open up the blog and hope to do so on Monday, October 19th. Be there or be square. Really showing my AGE! LOL.
Sharon Hightower
Site Owner, Organizer

More info on going "Green"! Posting for Monday, November 2, 2009
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The Weather Outside Is ... Drying My Skin

I love fall and winter but as the temperature drops in my area, so does the humidity and that means dry skin. Reaching for a bottle of lotion may seem like the right solution but it can actually make the situation worse in some cases. And some lotions are full of bad-for-you ingredients. So, let's talk about some Eco-friendly ways to keep our skin supple and soft.

Begin on the Inside

Drink water! Yep ... good, old-fashioned water. Water keeps us healthy in many ways ... our brains function better when we're properly hydrated, our organs work efficiently and our skin stays lush and beautiful. So ... drink 6-8 glasses of water a day.

Eat a well-balanced diet. What we put into bodies affects our skin so eat well-balanced meals every day. Be sure to include plenty of foods which contain the following vitamins which are particularly beneficial to skin:

C (for example, leafy green vegetables and citrus fruits)
A (carrots, spinach, dried apricots, etc.)
B (found in bananas, oatmeal, etc.)
K (try asparagus, kale, okra, etc.)
E (almonds, sweet potatoes, wheat germ oil, etc.)

On the Outside

Love long, hot showers or baths? While they are relaxing and luxurious, they aren't good for skin. Avoid hot water and opt for short showers (it also saves water and energy which is very Eco-friendly).

Use a mild soap. Harsh detergents dry out the skin.

Moisturize immediately after a shower when skin is most able to absorb. If you use a commercial product, look for natural, healthy ingredients (we'll talk about ingredients to avoid in a bit). Also look for third-party endorsements ... some reliable groups to look for are: Ecocert, USDA Certified Organic, BDIH and the Leaping Bunny label.

Consider using olive oil, almond oil, avocado and even oatmeal to naturally moisturize your skin. Oils can be rubbed onto your body and oatmeal can be placed in a mesh bag then tossed into a bath where it will sooth and moisturize.

Watch the temperature of your home ... keeping it too hot will dry out one's skin.

Cover up. When the temperature outside drops, be sure to cover your skin when going out. Use gloves, scarves, etc. and apply moisturizer before facing the elements.

Ingredients to Avoid
When buying commercial lotions and moisturizers, check the labels ... some include ingredients derived from petroleum or natural gas which have negative health effects (and, being non-renewable resources, they aren't very earth friendly). Avoid these ingredients:

Antibacterials
Coal-tars
Diethanolamine (DEA)
1,4-dioxane
Formaldehyde
Fragrance
Lead
Mercury
Nanoparticles
Parabens
Petroleum distillates
p-phenylenediamine
Hydroquinone

Watch out for misleading terms which are not defined by the government or by independent third parties:

Fragrance-free
Hypoallergenic
Cruelty-free

The weather outside might be frightful ... but it doesn't mean our skin needs to be!

For more eco-friendly tips, visit Reduce Footprints at http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com

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