Upcoming Team Giveaway

Announcing the Schooling at Home Etsians Team Giveaway

Often great giveaways are listed on blogs all over the internet, but in the weeks to come the SHE Team will be hosting a mega giveaway with multiple participating shops.

That means many prizes and many winners.

The giveaway will officially begin on March 14 and run through March 19. All winners will be announced on March 21. Help us spread the word by adding this button to your blog.

<center><a href="http://sheetsyteam.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-1lJPWWwu43NHj3HxVtvSig5_bV1bu8QnfQZMkj342LuN0vOwpEoOMbDf4kZnQW3AH5AFTcETcZYuF4kqNlCDbgydkkbo1bKowRMn-cwVUO3FAnmZ7RVU5dOSq-0kssN68y-zPnsTZk/s200/Giveaway.jpg" width="150" height="150" /></a></center>

Below is a list of participating shops that have a wide variety of prizes available so far. Look for future posts identifying some of these great prizes and additional shops that will be contributing to this giveaway.

Family crafty traditions

OK, so these are not our family traditions at the moment but I know they are for many families and I would certainly love to adopt more crafty traditions for my own family.

I'm told that many families make these "Ojo de Dios" or "God's Eyes" at  Easter time. They are a pretty decoration to hang and steeped in tradition and history, so are a good opportunity to mix fun and knowledge. Also may be a good opportunity for you to dig into some of that gorgeous wool lurking in your stash!

We made ours following the tutorial here.

We also recently made these Waldorf Window Stars after I decided to stop gazing at Ann's beautiful creations and try some of our own!

These would make beautiful Christmas decorations but are so pretty and bring cheer to a window at any time. We followed this excellent tutorial. I believe the kite paper is easy to source in the U.S.A. - not so here in Australia but I did find it here.

Posted by Kelly of The Handmaden

Featured Sheteam Artist Angela Niles

Section 1 Tell Us About Your Crafting

Q. How long have you been crafting?
A. Just shy of 30 years now.

Q. Do you have childhood memories of a crafting success or failure?
A. My mom taught me to make granny squares when I was five. I remember making those! After mom taught me the basic stitches I took off and taught myself.

Q. Do you have your own workspace?
A. Yes and no :) I have a place in our living room that my grandparents created for me -- some shelves and baskets. But my crochet moves with me all over the place really!

Q. What inspires you to create new pieces?
A.Sometimes I have "creative surges" and all sorts of ideas just sort of come to me and then other times I see all the possibilities in the Crochet magazines and online and such and that will set me off on some more ideas! I have a whole stack of old patterns and magazines that I go through once in awhile and see what there is to make...or remake. I have just recently started trying to create my own patterns.


Section 2 Tell Us About Your Homeschooling Life
Q. Are you currently home schooling?

A.Yes

Q. What challenges do you face when combining home schooling and home
business?
A. Well, sometimes I find it hard to spend the time online promoting my business as much as it needs so my shop sales fluctuate quite a bit.

Q. What advantage do you think you have by combining homeschooling and
home business?
A. As my kids have gotten older, it is easier to crochet in between other things and in the evenings when everyone has gone off to bed.


Q.Do you have a favorite curriculum or style of teaching?
A. We have used mostly ABEKA but in the past few years have started "picking and choosing" some other things as well. My high school son is enjoying WordSmith for grammar this year and we have been using Apologia science for a couple years now and love it.


Section 3 Tell Us More About Yourself
Q. What is your education background?
A.I am a homeschool graduate :) and have schooled my own children for 12 years....so the school of re-runs?!?! :)

Q. Did you do other work before you began selling your handmade arts
or crafts?
A. I am a wife and stay-at-home mom of 5, we home school and I am nanny for my nephew 3x a week.

Q. Why did you choose to start your home business?

A.I have had different little shops here and there where I was able to sell some of my handmade items but when we moved I found out about Etsy and it sounded like a great opportunity so, I gave it a try and I LOVE it! :)

Q. Do you have a favorite Quote or Verse?
A. One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 3:6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path."

Q. Are you currently reading a book?
A.Yes....well, at least 3 or 4 actually - HA! One that I'm reading....just for fun...is The Red River of the North Series by Lauraine Snelling.

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For more about Angela and her crafting visit Yarnstuff or follow Angela's work on Facebook and Twitter.

Agela is offering our readers a 20% discount on all items in her Etsy shop. Use Coupon Code: FBCSpecial



Thank you Angela for taking the time to share a little peak into your life.

~Sonja

Homeschooling Fun!

One of the beauties of homeschooling is that you don't have to adhere to a tight schedule and listen for the sound of a bell that tells you to abandon what you're doing and move on to something else. There is also the freedom to allow the child to be in charge of their own learning so that they can study what is truly interesting to them.
Then there's the fun! Your home is the most comfortable learning environment for your child and there is always so much to do, so much to learn and so much fun to be had.

Some of our team members have been indulging in some homeschooling fun lately - let them inspire you!

A beautiful "Little House" inspired post on buttermaking can be found on Chocolate on my Cranium.

I just had to include this picture of the handmade butter mold, what a beautiful thing!

This talented mother of many has a lovely little Etsy shop called CranialHiccups

Now over the the very talented Ann who has been making some delicious candy hearts.

She also explains the undertaking of a Nature Study.

And finally, shows us how much fun can be had learning about new countries through cooking traditional dishes.

You can take a look at her Etsy shop Harvest Moon By Hand.

Whatever your homeschooling schedule is this week I hope you can make time for some fun!

Posted by Kelly of The Handmaden

A Heart-Shaped Box of Chocolates

The fun colors and fabulous items in this treasury have been inspired by those ubiquitous boxes of chocolate that are shared on this special day.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day Gift Guide and Introductions

With five days until Valentine's Day, I thought I would feature our team captain and the writers for our team blog.




Our Team Captain is Linda. Linda is a California resident, a homemaker, a homeschooling mother, and a talented jewelry artist. Her shops are Mom Potter and Ocean Breeze. To learn more about Linda and to be the first to know about her newest designs or giveaways, you can follow her blog Ocean Breeze Designs.


There are four writers for our team blog so I will tell you a bit about each.






First is Kelly of The Handmaden . Kelly specializes in hand dyed fine silks and handmade dolls. Kelly uses her blog to show her creativity and introduce new project. She also shares a little about her life as a wife, mom and artist in Australia.






Our second blogger is Karista also known as KLow. She is a busy artist who has two shops on Etsy. Her crafts and cards shop is filled with gorgeous handmade cards as well as paper supplies, while her Sugar Yarn shop features gorgeous knit and crochet items. Even though she is a wife and mother of four as well as an Etsy artist, Karista still finds time to share new ideas on her blog - CardNCrafts. I also enjoy her homeschool blog. It is always full of wonderful projects and inspires me to try new things in our home.





Beccijo, is another of our writers. Her shop The Enchanted Cupboard, is filled with lovely hand painted wooden play sets. Her shop has recently gained publicity in such places as Nickelodeon Parents Connect and EcoChildsPlay and more. To learn more about Beccijo take an enchanted tour around her blog.





I am your last blogger. My name is Sonja and my Etsy shop is Very Verdant, not so much because we are an ecofriendly family (although we do try our best) but because our last name is Greene. I enjoy a simple but full life with my husband and four children in South Alabama. We have homeschooled now for eight years and I share that experience as well as new projects and giveaways on my blog.

Bling bling!

It's hard to choose a favorite piece from these sparkling beauties  - all from our talented team members of course!



Vintage Pearl Necklace from auntsuesoldnewlovely



























Bloom Mystic Floral Pendant Necklace by beadstylin




















Antique Brass Chandelier Earrings with Light Green Crystals by BathNBeads



















Love Bird Primitive look Brooch from abitofbirdsong

























Bohemian Lampwork Sterling and Stone Bracelet by AmySmithGlass


Posted by Kelly of The Handmaden

Valentine's Gifts in Black and White

I must confess this really is more of a collection that reminds me of My Valentine.


Newborn Photo Prop - by Organic Mama
This reminds me of our night time ritual when the children were younger. After all the kiddos kissed "Mommy" goodnight, one by one, "Daddy" would hoist them over his shoulder and carry them off to bed and tucked them in. They would giggle all the way down the hall way. I admired his strength and the strength of the bond between him and each of our children




Goats Milk Shaving Soap - Country Soaps By Marlen
Often my husband leaves for work before the children get up. I get to sneak in a few hugs before he heads out the door. His freshly shaven face smells so delicious.




Sweet and Simple Antique Brass Hoop Earrings - Purple Design Studio
The simplicity of these earrings reminds me of my husband as a provider. In our early years money was extremely tight. Then things began to look up and we decided to homeschool our children. That meant cutting back to one income. Our life is a simple one, but he does what he can to provide for us and splurge a little on me from time to time.









Cotton Sampler Lap Quilt - Hamncheezr
This one reminds me of Friday Family night. Most of the time our kiddos want to rent a movie and pop popcorn. We all snuggle under handmade quilts and blankets while we watch and talk.




1971-1973 Chevy Camaro Hubcap - 8 Mile Creek Design
This last gift reminds me that in all the busy"ness" of life, I need to stop more than just once a year to say, "I love you!", to the people who matter most.



Posted by VeryVerdant

Hearts at Home

February is here and along with it comes all the wonderful items depicting love and affection. As we celebrate with our loved ones I'll share this treasury full of handmade tenderness from our team members.