September 2012 Favorites

This past month has been completely insane, so I'm a few days behind on my September recap post. But better late than never, right? A quick little update: I added blog buttons to the Help a Heart page in case you want to help spread the word! Also, a few awesome bloggers are hosting giveaways to bring some exposure to Help a Heart, so I'll keep you updated on those. Aizzing of Icing and Write posted the first giveaway today so head over to her blog if you want a chance to win a Kelsea Echo gift certificate.

Now for my favorites!

My favorite posts in September

I shared my pictures of birds and reptiles from a trip to the San Diego Zoo back in May! I am in love with those gorgeous snakes!

I made Jacob a homemade cookies 'n' cream ice cream cake for his birthday this year. And you can make one too! Provided you have a lot of time and dedication. =D

Started a mini-series about an awesome day trip to three paper stores. The first was Papyrus.

Then Paper Source!

I tried out the It's Paper Dear subscription box for the first time and loved it! 

A bit of a more serious post on getting through depression.

And on a happier note, my mom celebrated her birthday on the 16th, and my brother, Corbin, celebrated his on the 21st. I shared Corbin's story about heart disease, which was the kick off to the Help a Heart campaign I'm currently running.

I interviewed Lauren Rudeck of LaRu, the very first Seattle-based artist to appear on the blog. Can't wait to attend her shop's grand opening event later this month!

Blogs I enjoyed reading this month

Yes and Yes by Sarah - The concept of Sarah's blog is so cool. She shares posts from people who have experienced all sorts of things or work in interesting professions - someone who had heart surgery, an aerialist, an egg donor... and so much more. It's all about learning a little of what it's like to be someone else and to encourage you to go out and do something adventurous. Love it!

The Cookie Button by Sammy - I knew as soon as I read the name of Sammy's blog that it would be a favorite! Isn't it brilliant? Sammy's artistic, generous, and all around awesome... plus, she's always sharing beautiful things on her blog. Excited to read about her adventures with learning about textiles!

Bodacious Thought by Dorien - I've read so many times that one of many bloggers' favorite things about blogging is building a community and (virtually) meeting great people. Even though my blog is just a few months old, I can already say the same, and people like Dorien are the reason why! She's one of the kindest, most generous, and completely genuine bloggers I've come across. It's been so much fun reading about her adventures (especially her recent trip to London) and I look forward to lots more of it!

Caked Vintage by Jessa - Another incredible blogger. If you haven't visited Jessa's blog, it is an absolute must. I was initially drawn by the pretty pastel rainbow colors, but I quickly found that her content is even cooler. I promise you'll be stunned too by Jessa's brilliant photography, her purple-tinted hair, and her lovely writing style.

P.S. If you're new to Pink Wonderland, check out my previous monthly recaps!

Paper Stores, Part 3 - Impress

In case part one and part two didn't make you jealous enough, Jacob and I visited a third paper store in the University Village during that fun expedition! Unlike Papyrus and Paper Source, this shop is not a giant chain. There are just three stores - all within the Greater Seattle Area. You probably know by now how much I love small businesses, so that made this one that much cooler. =) The store's name is Impress, and their specialty is rubber stamps, but they did carry all sorts of pretty paper and other craft items.

Super cute store fronts are always a big bonus for me. I love their faux giant stamp display! And just in case you didn't know they were a stamp store before...

But they do have paper! Pretty ones too.

I am also a bit of a sucker for glitter. I've found that Stickles glitter glue comes in handy for paper journaling and paper crafts. Plus, look at all of the pretty colors!

Also a little obsessed with washi tape. Who isn't these days?

One more peek at the stamp wall and a cute scalloped table display. So many cool stamps! Oh, and those are pretty chevron and other patterned wax paper bags below the stamps.

How adorable is Impress? Also, I didn't forget my promise to show you guys what I got from the three paper stores. I had a shocking amount of self control when it came to these purchases! But part of it could be because I was really excited about what I got Susie for our exchange - I'll wait until she gets her package before I post what I got for her here on the blog. Don't want to spoil the surprise!

I picked up a pretty 6x6" scrapbook paper back and a roll of hot air balloon paper from Paper Source. Then some super cute paper carnival ticket cutouts and a baby blue Stickles glitter glue from Impress. Nothing from Papaya this time around. Can't wait to use these! I've been really obsessed with hot air balloons lately... so many possibilities! =)

What's your favorite paper store?!

Help a Heart Event

A week and a half ago was my little brother Corbin's birthday. I wrote a happy birthday post and told his story about the fight with heart disease. If you missed it, I really hope you go back and read that post as it sets the tone for today's part two post - what I'd consider the most important thing I've written on my blog thus far.

New heart-themed designs in the shop.

Part Two - The Help a Heart Event

As I mentioned in Part One, I am participating in the Heart Walk again this year, which benefits the American Heart Association (AHA). I typically send an e-mail to close relatives asking for donations and many of them have generously contributed over the years. This year, I thought hard about what I could do to step up my fundraising efforts and also express my appreciation for everyone who contributes to the fight against heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. I decided to start the Help a Heart Event.

ALL revenue from my Etsy jewelry shops will be donated to the AHA from now until the Heart Walk. As an added incentive, I'm temporarily discounting everything in my main shop by 20%, so everyone wins! And I really do mean that I’m donating 100% of the purchase price, meaning if you pay $25 for a piece, the AHA will get $25. I am donating the materials, time and expertise in making the pieces, Etsy fees, and shipping cost. Help a Heart will be a combined effort from you and me. =)

I designed several heart-inspired pieces with the event in mind and I also included quite a few Halloween-themed designs to make things fun! I'll be adding lots of new items to the shop over the next few weeks.

You can participate in a several ways.

1.   Donate directly to the AHA on my page here (minimum online donation is $25). If you want to donate a smaller amount, contact me at kelsea@pinkwonderland.com! I'd love for you to also send me an e-mail so I can thank you personally. =)

2.   Buy anything in my etsy shops: cameo jewelry & boxes, polymer clay jewelry, gemstone jewelry. I'll then take the revenue and donate to the AHA every few purchases/days.

3.   Contact me to set up a purchase. E-mail me at kelsea@pinkwonderland.com letting me know what you’re interested in – the heart necklaces, a custom piece, etc. We can talk about the minimum donation amount for the piece you have in mind, and we can talk details.

4.   Donate products. Are you a vendor? If you’re interested in donating revenue from some of your own products, please contact me! It's for a great cause and I will do what I can to bring some exposure to your shop - possible vendor highlight posts, and at the very least, mentions on the HELP A HEART page + social media love.

5.   Share your story. If you have heart disease/heart problems or know someone who does and is comfortable telling their story, I would love to hear it and share it on my blog. Please contact me at kelsea@pinkwonderland.com.

6.   SPREAD THE WORD!! Please, please, please. Anything helps. A link on facebook. An e-mail to friends or family you think might be interested. A tweet. A blog post. Adding a badge to your page. Anything. I appreciate it so much – by all means tag me or let me know! I am also happy to do a guest post about Help a Heart on your blog – let me know! I may even send you a little thank you gift. ;) Also doing some limited giveaways to spread the word. You can link this post or the HELP A HEART page, which I set up for this event and will be updating regularly.

Basically, I want to make this as easy and rewarding for you as possible. I'll be putting up custom piece listings, which I will likely take down after this event. I will try to set up some grab bags for surprise items. I’m finishing up and finally posting tons of half-completed pieces in my studio. Whatever I can think of to make this fun and beneficial for everyone!

PLEASE CHECK THE HELP A HEART PAGE FOR UPDATES.
I’ll post new things available, links to donation grab bags in my supply shop, etc. I will also post updates & new items on my Pink Wonderland and Kelsea Echo facebook pages.

This event lasts until 5PM PST OCTOBER 19th. The earlier the better so I have time to get everyone’s donations in before the Heart Walk on the morning of October 20^th.

Please contact me if you have any questions, thoughts, ideas... anything! Thank you so much for reading this post and I really hope you participate, even if it’s just by spreading the word!

I have no idea how this will go, but I have high hopes! Let's see how much we can raise together. =)