New to me & definitely Worth the Click!

Coming across fabulous new-to-me sites can mean only one thing....it's time to share, because they are oh so Worth the Click!

Want a feast for your eyes and creative spirit?  Click your way to My Modern Met.  It's a community for "art enthusiasts and trendspotters" and though I haven't joined in, I always love stopping in to visit for amazing visual treats.

If tasty treats are more your thing, I've got a new-to-me gluten free, soy free, vegan baking blog to share, the Lookbook Cookbook.  I found them while visiting Elsie's A Beautiful Mess and saw her Make Your Own Peanut Butter post - which includes a hazelnut spread recipe (think Nutella, only this recipe is perfect for us as it's gluten and casein free) that came from the Lookbook Cookbook.  I love the mason jars Elsie & Emma put the homemade peanut butter and hazelnut spread in - they would make perfect li'l gifts to give, don't you think?

And what about combining the visually inspiring & the tasty delight?  Thien-Kim of Cup of Creativi-Tea introduced me to this artist's site.  Click your way to Alisa Burke's blog to see how she redefines creativity with sketch & watercolor glimpses, Fashion Friday, photography, online art classes she teaches, and a GFCF recipe or two.  She is very much Worth the Click!

Hoping you take some time to check these lovely sites out.  It's a treat for me and I'm excited to share them with you!

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Link with Love Inspires Change

Source: linkwithlove.typepad.com via Karen on Pinterest

I've had the Link with Love badge on my left side bar since Kal Barteski started this campaign (she loves Pinterest and shares her thoughts here).  It's all about linking our images & pins back to the ORIGINAL source.  Whether you are a writer, photographer, artist, or foodie & post your original recipes, your work should be credited when all the great information and inspiration are spread across the interwebs.

When I pull a pin from Pinterest and put it on my blog, I hunt down those original links or I don't use the image.  And sometimes that's taken a lot of time.  Why?  Sometimes the links are simply broken, but often an image is pinned from the main site, not the specific url, linking directly to the page where it came from.  Other times, it is pinned from someone else's site, but not the original source.  That means going back three, four, sometimes five or more links to find the original source.

Kal has had her original artwork spread across the web (which she's not objecting to) and then copied and sold for profit by others (which, of course, she does object to).  I applaud her proactive effort to encourage everyone to be the change.

Will you be the change?  Go to the Link with Love site (here's the link to the specific page with this image) and pin the above image to one of your Pinterest boards.  Spread the word, join the movement, and as Kal says, be the change!

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SOPA Strike

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Do you know about SOPA?  What about it's counterpart, PIPA?

If you blog or use social media, you've probably heard about it.  That's how I first heard about it several months ago - on Twitter.

If you don't already know about it, chances are you will by tomorrow.

January 18th is #SOPAstrike where many large websites (and even more smaller ones too) are going black for the day in protest to encourage everyone (because it truly will effect everyone who uses the internet for anything if passed) to contact your representatives in Congress.

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

(I found the video a bit jumpy in the beginning, but I suspect it was due to high traffic. It does settle down and I'm including it because I feel it's a worthwhile watch.)

I'm keeping this short & simple because I want to you click through to the links with more information.

www.sopastrike.com

www.americancensorship.org

Be informed!

Worth the Click: Plugging back in for blogosphere great goodness!

So, guess what marched its nasty ol' self into our home just after Christmas?

Mr. Stomach Bug

I'm rather sure I never painted a 'Welcome' sign, never sent out invitations, never lit the way.  Yet, it's marched through multiple generations and the only person who was left standing was my husband.

Thankfully, while that pesky li'l bugger's shadows are still haunting, just a touch, it's making it's travel preparations to leave us....as long as said husband keeps using his magic Stay Away powers, avoiding it.

But, I didn't invite you to join me here for stomach bug tales o' woe.  I thought you might like to check out some rockin' awesome places I've been visiting in the blogosphere over the last twenty-four hours as I plug back in.

Elsie shares her Bike Love, but really, I'm feeling the purple boot love.

And while visiting Elsie's A Beautiful Mess, I cannot help but get excited about her new Art Journal All Year e-course.  I haven't committed to this creative course...yet.  But, it sure does sound tempting.

Grab a cuppa and spend some time checking out the SITS Girls new look.

Ali Edwards put together a video tutorial for Printing Two 3x4 Images on a 4x6 - great for all kinds of uses, but also specifically for people who use Project Life.

I love the idea of monthly inspiration bulletin boards!  And Kal Barteski is sharing hers for January on [i] Love Life.

Sunday's beyond exciting news that took 8 years, 11 months, 10 days to be able to say!

Alisa Burke has made some delish looking gluten/dairy free pumpkin muffins that make me want to riffle through my cupboards and get baking.

While photo a day challenges have been perking my interest for the last several years, this is not one I've dived into this year.  But, for those that have & in case I ever do, Angry Julie's got How to Organize Project 365 & Stay Sane.

So many great goodies throughout the blogosphere this first week of Twenty Twelve off, don't you think?

May our uninvited guest finish packing its bags and exit with speed.

May Mr. Stomach Bug stay far away from your doorstep.

May you enjoy this round of Worth the Click as much as I have, clickin' my way through the goodness!

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Linking up:  It's Monday and I'm being "Miss Elaine-ous" over at The Miss Elaine-ous Life - join the fun!

We said Good-bye, We say Hello!

Did you have fun ringing in 2012 last night?  We were mellow, at home, kidlets asleep at their usual time, but there was a fun, fresh energy buzzing about that made me welcome in the New Year!

Before the kids went to sleep though, we had one last 2011 task.  I printed out a li'l something I found at Pinterest:

Source: thirtyhandmadedays.com via Karen on Pinterest

Mique has great things to share at her site, 30 Handmade Days - go check it out, she's oh so Worth the Click!

I knew my girl would be all over this and she didn't disappoint.  And while I thought my older boy wouldn't be too thrilled, he jumped right in and filled it out!  Way to make this Mom happy!

I may be a tad late to the this tradition train, but I still think it's going to be pretty cool to have them fill something like this out every year and watch them grow.

I'll be back tomorrow with my One Little Word for 2012 to share.  In the meantime, tell me what you did to welcome the New Year in last night, or even today!

Happy New Year!!!

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Worth the Click: Holiday Inspiration & Freebies

Hopping around the interwebs, I've found a few fantastic holiday freebies to make your season just a bit more festive.

Becky Higgins has free templates with instructions for your Holiday Cards in three different sizes, including the one you can use to have Costco print your photo cards.  They even provide the matching envelopes!

Jessica of vol.25 has free unique holiday tags that you can print, including wood grain to cut into strips for paper ribbon.  How cool is that?!

What about fonts?  Fonts, especially free ones make me shake with glee!  dafont.com has a handful of free holiday fonts with alphas and images.

Katie at Smile Like You Mean It has a cute handmade snowman ornament tutorial you can check out.

And if you're simply looking for Christmas ideas?  It's Pinterest to the rescue.  I'm having an all out love affair with that scrumptious online rendezvous.

Feel free to check out my Christmas Pinterest Board for some ideas!

Are you starting to feel a festive spirit?  If you don't celebrate Christmas, I'd love to know what holidays or traditions are special to you in the coming month.  I love to hear what makes people smile!

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Meet { me } at Sarah's Fence!

There's a smile on my face today...would you like to know why? 

I am guest posting at Sarah's The Fence today!

Sarah, @MamaRiceCake, first popped into my world one #wineparty many months ago on Twitter.  And after many tweets, Facebook posts, blog shares, and emails, I have found her to be one of the most genuine people I've had the opportunity to connect with through this fabulous blogosphere.

Now, I have been known to trip over my own feet, but at The Fence today, I'm Dancing with Rainbows & I promise, no one will get hurt. ;>

I'd love for you to click on over, tell me what you think, and make sure to give Sarah a wave hello!

JR Martinez is a shining star!

I was going to write along with Write on Edge today (after you've said hello here, head over there to read wonderful one hundred word conjured memories), but a little something else captured my heart this morning.

While warming up with a cuppa java, I caught last night's Dancing with the Stars and JR Martinez definitely stole the show!

Martinez embodies an absolutely wonderful kind of positive thinking.  And in the interview before performing, he talks about his time in the hospital after being injured when his Humvee hit a land mine in Iraq. 

He shares where his mind travelled until arriving at a point where he could chose to fight and live positively.  He shared that, while tears rolled down my cheeks and I imagine many others who watched.

If you haven't seen it yet, I encourage you to take a few minutes and at least watch his clip above.  And if you have a few more minutes, head on over to abc's Dancing with the Stars, to watch the whole episode. 

See Carson Kressley rock a fun red carpet tango, Rob Kardashian did a sweet send up to his late father, Kristin Cavallari...I'm honestly not sure who she is outside of the show (am I getting old?!), but I love watching her partner, Mark Ballas...rocked Beyonce, and Ricki Lake & David Arquette are just so sweet & fun to watch!

I see the sun trying so hard to peek out from behind the dark clouds, so I'm off to take advantage of the lull & get some long pants for my kidlets now that the weather has turned, before tackling the paperwork I've been avoiding!  Hope you are having a fantastic day! :>

Keep Calm and Write On

Oh no, I think I may have disappeared into that Fantasy Land that I was wishing for!  Actually, that cold my wee girl had came and visited me when it was nearly done with her.  And, of course, it took up residence in my face, nose & throat the week I was getting ready for my inlaws' visit to celebrate my kidlet's birthday.  (Yes, Murphy and I are grande friends! ;>)

So, now it's time to play catch up!  And I can't think of a better way to get started than to show you a little something I won from the uber fabulous, Mandy of In Mandyland, during her bloggiversary celebration week (yes, it was awhile ago...told you I was playing catch up!).

I picked up an inexpensive frame at Michael's and currently, it stares at me from across my living room, reminding me to click clack across the keyboard.  And though I haven't blogged since that cold started squatting in my head, I have been writing.  So this Etsy print is doing its job!

When you have a moment and your favorite cuppa, click your way over to Fictional Mandyland to read some of her juicy Hidden Hollow series or read how she corrupts the blueberry or read a piece that's on my rather long list of favorite Mandy posts.

While you're getting your proper does o' Mandy, follow her on Twitter too...she's witty, funny, and the Queen of the Hashtag.  She is so Worth the Click and I'm sure you'll love your time there.  Tell her I said hello! :>

Friday Fun with Lego!

To my surprise, two of my most popular posts are about the Lego obsession in this house.  Apparently, we weren't the only ones swimming in & stepping on them!

Earlier this year, I shared the insane amount of Lego bricks my son has when we dumped all of his loose Lego pieces on the living room floor in A Landslide of Lego Love and then when we had finished sorting them, we went from Lego Landslide to Organized!  (And I'm happy to say, six months later and they're still organized!)

But, my son's Lego bricks and sets aren't the only ones in this house.  My husband has them too!  He has a large collection of Star Wars Lego sets, to my son's delight.  And my Princess has a few sets of her own too (though, there's more pink involved!).  So, you can see, there's a whole lotta Lego Love goin' on around here.

Though I'm the only one without a Lego of my own here, I do appreciate Lego creativity and thought we all could have a little Lego fun to welcome in the weekend with!

About a year ago, this uber fast Lego recap of the first three Star Wars movies....the first three to come out, that is, was made.  It has almost five million views, so you may have seen it.  I had and still think it's so Worth the Click...and the watch!

And two months ago, another uber fast Star Wars Lego video was done of Star Wars Chapters 1-3, which of course, came out 4th, 5th, and 6th.  What was used for a pregnant belly cracked me up!  Don't blink or you might miss it!

Hope you have a fantastic weekend.  Anyone with any special plans?

Worth the Click: Link with Love

Have you heard of the uber cool new movement, Link with Love?

Artist Kal Barteski began this after discovering a piece of hers had been not only taken, shared all over the internet without credit, but also sold for profit, someone else's with no credit or dimes back to her.  I absolutely love this positive and proactive approach that Kal's taking to benefit all of us!

Link with Love is a way to show respect towards art, photography, design, music, video, written word, recipes, crafts, illustration, ideas, intellectual property and their creators.

Link with Love is new and growing fast!  Let's all help spread the word.  Head to Linkwith Love and pick up a badge for your own site or blog (I picked the pink one & it's in my left sidebar!), Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, Follow on Pinterest.

Do you Link With Love?

Pinterest Inspiration

I've been a little MIA, haven't I?  Are you still here?  I hope so.  I've had a major mojo drain the last month.  But, it's time to get it back!

And what better way to get my mojo flowing again than pinning fabby online finds with the hottest new site, overflowing with inspiration!!  I've been getting lost, in the absolutely best kind of way, at Pinterest.

See?!  I wake up to oodles of inspiration and go to bed dreaming about what I find here!

All the images that are on this visual inspiration pin board are linked back to the site or blog they originally came from. So, the owners and creators get credit for their photos. And when you follow an image through, you can find great new sites and blogs to check out. I know I have!

You've heard of it, right?  Are you on it already?  If you are, come find me so I can see what inspires you!  And if you're not, head on over to Pinterest, check it out, request an invite (it only takes a couple days and is soooo worth the click!).  And then, don't forget to come find me, so we can share our great finds.

She caught me...I've been tagged!

Through a connection made on Twitter, I've been tagged by Laurie (@mylivingpower) of Living Power and now I'm 'It'!  So, I'm going to channel my kidlet-hood and play tag!

And as 'It', I'm to share seven things you may not know about me...so, here we go!

1)  I love color!  Okay, so that might not have been so much of a surprise, but I love the whole spectrum.  And while the colors that I lean more strongly towards change as the beat of time marches on, I do adore the entire box of Crayolas!

2)  Another love?  Writing.  I have since I was a kidlet.  And after so many years of writing term papers in my college days, I had gotten away from it.  I've missed my old friend and have been having fun, bringing her out, dusting her off and playing.  Blogging, microfiction Mondays, Writer's Workshop, and You have all helped me dive back into that word filled pool!

3)  Animals make me smile....in between sneezes!

4)  The Northern California coastline is a beauty to be breathed in.  When I'm there, the environment literally melts away any stress.  I'm just a puddle of happy goo when I leave....always already looking forward to the next chance to hop on over.

5)  My family are Post-it Note junkies!  Yes, we are beyond addicted to them.  They are everywhere.  You know you are a family with a Post-it problem when your littlest, who is just learning to read now, has been writing notes on them and hanging them in her room for over a year.  Is there a twelve step program for Post-it addiction???  Though, if we went to that, then we'd also need to go to a Learn to Jog your Memory Without Little Colorful Squares of Paper bootcamp!

6)  I was a Girl Scout from 2nd grade (Daisies didn't exist back then) all the way up through high school and registered as an adult Scout for a bit after that.  I was a Girl Scout on both coasts.  I made so many fantastic friends through Girl Scouts and quite a few I'm still friends with today, including my Four Musketeers!

7)  My feet are too big for my height.  Seriously.  No, really.  I wear a size ten shoe and yet, I'm only 5'5".  Everyone I know with feet above a shoe size 9 are all 5'7" and up.  Stay with me here!  There's merit in my theory...really.  I am convinced that the reason I trip over my own feet is because they are simply too big for my height.  A perfectly valid theory....I'm not uncoordinated, just have incorrectly sized feet! ;>:>

And since my seventh bit o' me has digressed to my feet I think its a great time to start tagging some other fantastic people so we can learn more about them!  And since I got tagged via Twitter, I think its only appropriate that I continue to play there.

So, I'm reaching out to tag:

@MinkyMoo who blogs at Dial M for Minky (Moo)
@thienkim who blogs at I'm Not the Nanny and Cup of Creativi-Tea
@libismorgan who blogs at Am I a Funny Girl? and Not Just Thursdays

(Lizz is another one of those old Girl Scout friends!)

@beeswithhoney who blogs at Bees With Honey
@CarriBrown who blogs at Adventures in Mommyhood
@30daysblog who blogs at Thirty Handmade Days
@adventuresgfmom who blogs at Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom

Whether you visit them via Twitter or their blogs, there is a little something for everyone as I've linked up some Mama bloggers, some funny gals, some creative & crafty, a camera loving photo gal, and a gluten free, allergy blogger.  And guess what?!  They are all Oh So Worth the Click! :>

GFCF Christmas Cookies & Apple Tart

We had a wonderful Christmas this year and now we're enjoying some fantastic family chill time....even the kidlets are happy to be in on it and are quietly playing.  I hope you have had a great weekend too!

But, let's zip back in time a touch to Friday morning, Christmas Eve.  I did not get to holiday baking this year, but I had picked up a bag of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Shortbread Cookie Mix. 

And I was treated to a fabulous early present........hubs got up with the kidlets and by the time I dragged myself out of bed, he was already baking Christmas cookies with them!  (Hubs made two small alterations to the recipe on the bag. He used ghee, instead of butter to make it casein free (CF) and two egg yolks, instead of one.)

Our sweet boy made GFCF shortbread Christmas tree cookies.

And wee girl was all about making stars.

And then hubs got creative and decided to roll out enough of the left over dough to try using it for a GFCF apple tart.  This is a pic of it before it went into the oven.  I was madly wrapping some presents before my inlaws arrived when it came out, golden in color and smelling quite delish!

And of course, Santa and his reindeer needed their treat to keep them fueled up for all the houses they had to hit in one night, right?!  I got quite a chuckle when I saw what Color Me Katie's little brother left for Santa, his reindeer, and the iguanas along for the ride!

Hope your holiday was fantastic and full of smile worthy moments!

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Disclosure:  The cookie mix link is an affiliate link.  If you choose to use the link it might cover a few bites of those yummy cookies....if my son will share the last one with me. :>

Worth the Click: Get in the {Pink}

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but you knew that already, right??  My grandmother is a breast cancer survivor.  So, I should know that, right?  Come here, I'll let you in on a little secret.  Come close now.  I didn't realize it was Breast Cancer Awareness Month until yesterday.  Tsk, tsk on me.  But, since it was only the third day of the month, I think I'll forgive myself. 

So, you want to know what blazing pink ribbon reminded me??  Why did I realize it on Sunday?  Can you say FOOTBALL?!  As in the NFL teaming up with the American Cancer Society!!  All the players & even the referees were wearing pink somewhere on them from pink cleats to pink wristbands to pink hand towels.  And it was a pretty cool thing to see!

There's someone I would like you to meet.  Lisa, of Takin' Life One Day at a Time, is a mother, a blogger, and through blogging, has become a friend.  She is fun, witty, comedic, loves life & her grown kids.  And after being recently diagnosed with breast cancer, she is currently undergoing treatment.  Lisa shares her story in her own words here and here.  And this morning, even had a funny story to share, Mom, Is That Mastectomy With An "M"?

Ironically, Lisa held a Squeeze Your Melons giveaway last October, for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and guess who won?!  Yup, I did.  She sent me a pack of the most gorgeous & fun variety of papercrafting goodness (aka paper, trim, flowers, accents, oh my!).  And now, its my turn to ask you to squeeze your melons and perform your own breast self exams and if you haven't before, you can go here for a simple five step set of instructions!

Please do go meet Lisa , say hello, and show her some of that famous blogland love and encouragement!! 

She is oh so Worth the Click! :>

Time Crafted Featured on 504 Main!

A quick post & hello to share that Holly at 504 Main says that I'm Tickled Pink!! :>

She has featured Time Crafted and my post on Grandma & her boyfriend, Jerry Rice today on her blog and a couple weeks ago (in her Tickled Pink No. 20, August 26th post) she put this blog & my post on my brother's trek up to the Mt. Everest Base Camp in her Tickled Pink Spotlight.

Too cool, right?!  I'm excited!  I found Holly's blog towards the end of  August and I have so enjoyed her enthusiasm, creativity & DIY projects, and love of blogland.

Holly's blog at 504 Main is an exciting place to be & you don't want to miss it!  Please go visit, she's Oh So Worth the Click, and tell her I said hey there! :>

And because this equates Friday Fabulousness to me, I'm linking up with Dial M for Minky Moo & you should too!

Worth the Click: {COLOR}

The wonders of the web, the beauty of the blogosphere have struck again.  I've come across another super source of inspiration and of course, I just had to share with you!  Whether you are painting, card making, designing, sewing, sketching, quilting, scrapbooking, knitting, stamping, writing, decorating, crafting, creating, or whipping up a fabulous event, you must check out this blog and be ready to get your {COLOR} inspiration on!  Another, Oh So Worth the Click!!

The Perfect Palette   

Have a fantastic day, full of imagination, color & inspiration!!  :>

Worth the Click: {Fabby New Site}

Do you want to be inspired?  Do you want inspiration to look you in the eye in your own home, studio, or favorite creative space?  Lucky for you, there's a fantastic new site from which you can take some of that yummy inspiration home with you! 

Traveling Mama has been a source of inspiration, serenity, adventure, and delight for me for awhile now.  She also co-authors Traveling Tribe, documenting her family and their adventures & lives in foreign lands (to me!).  Currently, she is living in a land where I am rumored to have some ancestors from (among many other lands):  Denmark. 

Here is the latest place where you can find Traveling Mama & her Tribe and bring some of their travels home with you!

Check out Flying House Studios, be inspired, bring something home, say 'hello', and then come back here tomorrow for another great Worth the Click! :>

A {quick} random share...worth the click!

Costco, Safeway, and laundry took up most of my evening.......well, who am I kidding...........they took up all of my evening!! I had hoped to get a little creative play in, but that just didn't happen tonight.

However, while my son was doing his homework, I got the chance to go on an artistic ride as I blurfed my way through a few blogs. I started by hopping over to my blogging friend Penny and from there, I visited someone on her blogging roll at My Creative Sanity (with a busy day that started with paperwork at 6am and is still going strong coming up on midnight, perhaps the word 'sanity' in her blog title drew me there, ya think? :> lol) where I found a link to a site SO fantastic and SO SMILE worthy, that I just HAD to pass on the share to you all!! :> I highly recommend the click....I most definitely found it worthy! Go check out Color Me Katie and have a laugh, grow a smile, and get inspired! And in case she posts again before you get a chance to head over there, {this} is the post that had me giggling (though I certainly enjoyed myself as I continued to scroll down her site).

I know, I know, I promised this was going to be quick!! But, if you knew me in real life, you would know that I am indeed a chatty one! Every report card I ever had as a child said, "Socializes too much." or simply "Talks too much." But, what's a gal to do?? I've got a lot on my mind and I have yet to find the OFF button. Hubby searches for it regularly, but to no avail....there is no map for the land that hides that button!

Wishing you a terrific Tuesday!!

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Random tidbit for the day: Try a little plop-plop, fizz-fizz (aka Alka-Seltzer) to clean your travel coffee/tea/chai mug or thermos. Drop those tablets into water (in the thermos) and let soak an hour, like I'm going to do since I forgot to wash my pink coffee travel thermos when I got home! (I said "random"!)