little rascal.

I came home from work this afternoon & headed out to my porch to check if the plants needed some watering. What do I find? This mess of bird seeds spread out on the porch & that's not the end of the bag the seeds are supposed to be coming out of...

Who made this mess? The little birdies, starved for seeds? No! This little rascal! As soon as I stepped over the mess he scurried around the porch and on to my stairs & proceeded to attempt to stare me down. 

"Whatever did I do wrong? You're the one who left the delicious seeds out on the porch for all to partake of." 

He had chewed a hole in the bottom of the bag and proceeded to pick out his favorites, little chubby trickster! I'm not even sure how he'd figured out there was bird seed to be had up here! My porch is no where near any trees so he would have had to scurry up the stairs to find these goodies & gnaw through the bag. I'm sure he was having a blast till I came along and ruined all the fun. 

It did give me a pretty good laugh. And I'm glad he held still long enough for me to snap a quick mug shot. So if you see this little thief, let me know! He owes me some bird seed!

how much is that doggie?

I couldn't be more excited! My mini collaboration with one of my fellow Artfire artisans - SpoiledBratzWear has resulted in this adorably designed doggie vest. Yup, those are my crochet flowers dotting this great vest. Doesn't it just have a great spring feel?! I am completely wishing I had a dog of my own to sport this adorable creation. 

When the crochet flowers were ordered from my shop I didn't really know what the plan was for them, but seeing this finished product I couldn't be happier. So I simply had to share this doggie couture with all of you and introduce you to SpoiledBratzWear. Even if you don't have a dog of your own, it's just fun to look around the shop at all the great outfits she offers and see the adorable pictures of her own (rescued!) puppies. I can't wait to have the opportunity to work with this artisan again!

So please head on over to this shop & let her know what a great job she did & maybe pick up something for the dog in your life! 

Bijoux Designs for You

Bijoux Designs is a great studio on Artfire that offers some beautiful jewelry at amazingly affordable prices. With Mother's Day just around the corner, this place is a quick, one-stop shop where you can pick up something for all the wonderful ladies in your life. 

I've selected a couple of my favorites from the shop, but there's so many more I wish I had the space to share. Gorgeous necklaces, bookmarks, earrings & more offered in great collections like Fancy, Beachy, and Funky. This mother/daughter team even makes it easy for you with a section in the shop dedicated to Mom!

There definitely is something for everyone in this shop! This shop has definitely become one of my favorites to drool over on Artfire. I just need to find some excuses to buy myself some wonderful new goodies. And with these prices you don't need much of an excuse - surviving another Monday seems like a good enough one to me! 

So drop by Bijoux Designs and check out all the goodies they has to offer.

friday spotlight: tangerine

So good you could almost eat it up!

Click the pictures for more information on each item.

happy earth day!

This Earth day, enjoy some great eco-friendly or upcycled handmade items! All kind to the earth, all unique & handmade. It's a win-win situation if you ask me!

Happy Earth Day!

pamper yourself pretty.

Sometimes there really is nothing better after a long, busy day than slipping into a pair of luxuriously soft slippers. Wiggling your toes around comfortably while you lay back and relax is a perfect way to unwind. A few pairs of the slippers I've been working on lately are just the thing to achieve this feeling - I can imagine they'd feel like walking on air they are so smooth & soft!

I have to say I really enjoy playing with yarn

 textures to achieve different looks, but some of my favorite slippers always end up being the ones that feel so soft & fuzzy! They not only have a unique look, but they are a delight to crochet. Having the smooth yarn run through my fingers is probably just as delightful as relaxing at home in the final product.

The new slippers in the shop do have a wonderful silky texture in common, but have whole different attitudes. One (pictured above) is a beautiful, feminine pink, while the other is a bit spunky & funky in a playful lime green. Both are fun new additions to the shop and are now available with all my other mary janes. 

And if you're looking for an easy way to pamper yourself besides my slippers, you have to head on over to ShineYourHineySoaps. How can you resist that name? These soaps not only get your hiney quite shiney, but also come in wonderfully indulgent scents like Cinnamon Vanilla Coffee. I bet you could almost eat this soap right up! ShineYourHiney is a great shop that has soap and bath accessories for any age. If you've got a little one that needs some washing, you have to check out her crocheted bath mitt monsters. They are sure to brighten up any bath with their great bright colors and fun designs. There's also silk lotion, wonderful smelling bath salts, and shower gels in any scent you can imagine. These soaps would make great handmade additions to guest bathrooms or wonderful welcoming gifts. 

djStoreRoom

djStoreRoom is a great shop on Artfire that offers hand sewn pouches, vintage supplies, and other great treasures. My favorite in her shop are her zippered pouches! They are the perfect thing for holding all the spare things that are always rolling around the bottom of your purse & they make it super easy to find your phone, keys, chapstick, money, etc. when you are searching for it. Plus they come is some of the cutest designs and wonderful bright colors. It's almost a sin to pass these things up! They would make great stocking stuffers come Christmas, so get a head start and buy up some now quick!

Along with her pouches, this shop also offers a step-by-step tutorial on how to make your own! If the sewing bug has caught you, you should definitely give this tutorial a try. She has two types: one for her zippered pouches and one for pouches with a wrist strap. And with the great prices you can afford to give both a try. The pouches look so adorable that you simply can't resist. And it gives us fabric junkies a reason to head off to the store and pick up a few spare yards of cute new fabric. You'll be making your own great pouches in no time!

So head over to her shop and check her out! She even offers free international shipping on her products and free gift wrapping. You can't pass this offer up.

bookmark it!

Just in time for Mother's Day, I am introducing these new flower bookmarks in both the Artfire and Etsy shops. 

The bookmarks feature a fun flower with a glass bead accent in the center. The flower rests on top of the book's spine, while the three strands of yarn below easily keep the place in any sized book. 

It's a fun, feminine way to mark your place. Not to mention unique and colorful! It would also make a great handmade addition to cards (like Mother's Day cards!).

An assortment of colors will be available in the shop soon. But Mother's Day is coming up fast and there's only a limited number of shipping days left to ensure your one-of-a-kind, handmade gift will make it in time, so custom order a great crochet flower bookmark in Mom's favorite color today! Direct shipping to Mom's house is available at no extra charge along with my customary gift wrapping. 

These bookmarks are great for any occasion, though! Toss one in a 'Thank You' or 'Get Well Soon' card - it'll be a gift that won't quickly be forgotten. It's a great way to say 'I'm thinking of you!". 

These and more available in my Artfire and Etsy shop! Check them out today.

AccessoriesByGottjoy

This is a shop you just can't afford to miss! AccessoriesByGottjoy is a treasure trove of gorgeous, amazing finds of all sorts. Every single one of them is gorgeously made. The range of items you'll find in this shop is slightly mind blowing! You can find great jewelry (like what I've displayed here), along with wine stoppers, fan pulls, ball point pens, key rings, and more! Everything is a treat for your eyes to look at! If you are looking for a tasteful, well priced gift for a friend then this shop definitely has you covered. You'll be able to find something for everyone for all occasions.

And if you see something you'd like, but need customized she also does custom orders. So be sure to drop by this beautiful studio and let her know how great the work is! And let her know Brandy of Broken Hallelujah sent you. 

taking it forward.

Lately new ideas for headband styles have been taking up most of my time. I always try to rework things to see how far I can go creatively with a single idea. And thanks to some inspiration sparked by my friend Fran (who has a wonderful embroidery shop that you really need to check out) I've come up with some new ideas for my original three-strand headband.

Fran was really instrumental in the construction of the braided headband I've developed. It's three strands like the other headbands, all a single, different color braided together to produce a very clean, sophisticated look. Playing with color combinations has been a lot of fun and I'm really looking forward to trying out a few more. I've already got a couple braided headbands listed in both the Artfire and Etsy shops. 

Another look I've been playing with this weekend is similar to the original three-strand look, but plays with more color. These headbands have been designed to have a playful but clean look. The colors of the headband alternate with the middle strand being a separate, matching color to the outer bands. The combinations for this design are endless (well, it would be if my yarn supply was endless. A girl can dream.). I think it is definitely a playful look, yet still sophisticated because of the slightly muted color combinations that are both great for us "grown-ups" and kids, alike. 

These redesigns come just in time for Mother's Day, too. I think these headbands would make fun, handmade gifts for moms of any age! And custom orders are always welcome should you have a specific color combination you'd like to see. Want to use Mom's favorite color? No problem! And for $7 a pop you can afford to buy a little gift for yourself, too. 

All my headbands can be found on both Artfire and Etsy. Be sure to order soon to guarantee items arrive in time.

byhand.me

Byhand.me is a great online community that is specifically designed for artisans selling handmade goods online. It has grown very quickly and is a great place to meet fellow artisans and for artisans to showcase their work and the work of their peers. 

One of my favorite features available on Byhand is the spotlights. Each week for this blog I use this great feature to showcase handmade goods in a certain theme. This week my showcase highlighted cute spring animals. The great thing about these spotlights is that other Byhand members are able to view them as well as share them on Twitter and on their blogs. Byhand allows you to post a code to display your spotlight in numerous ways on your blogs so you can share showcases with the world. It's a great way to share your goods and those you love! 

Another great feature is the member blogs. You can share blog posts with friends as well as share them on the front page of the website. All the stories you see on the Byhand front page are provided by members! This allows you go skip one of the hardest parts of blogging - getting traffic! Byhand does all the work for you and all you have to do is share your great blog entries. Member blogs are customizable just like blogs here on blogger and wordpress. You can customize the sidebar of your blog such as I did to share items from your shop. There are a lot of other options available to you, too. 

And finally, Byhand allows you to consolidate all your stores, social networks, and more into one page! Byhand member's profiles are customizable to showcase member's bios, shops, RSS feeds (for Etsy, Artfire, or your blog), flickr accounts, twitter, spotlights, blog entries, and so much more. Customizing your member's page is easy and fun! And you can visit other member's pages and form new friendships. And we all know how important networking is in this time & age. You can see my profile on Byhand here. I've only just begun to customize the look of my page. All the options you are given really allow you to make the page your own and use it to your fullest. 

Overall, Byhand.me is a great community for all handmade artisans. Check it out today! And be sure to add me as one of your friends. 

spotlight: duckies, bunnies, and chickies, oh my!

This week's spotlight is featuring all those cute & cuddly animals we love to dote on this time of the year.

These wonderfully cute items are all handmade by artisans on Artfire and Etsy. You know they are all so cute that you can't help but click on them to learn more. This spotlight also got featured at ByHand Gallery along with other colorful & wonderful spotlights, so be sure to check over there to see a lot more lovely goodies.

I have also been featured on Ninja Jenn's blog! She has done a wonderful little feature of my items & I couldn't be happier. It looks great & Jenn is just such a great lady. Be sure to head over there and leave her a comment on her wonderful blog. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend. If you are celebrating Easter, I hope you have a great time with friends and loved ones. And whether you are or aren't celebrating the holiday I hope everyone is able to enjoy a lovely, warm, colorful spring weekend!

feedburner.

If you notice in the right hand corner of my sidebar there's something new! Now it's even easier to subscribe to my RSS feed for my blog. You can subscribe through your RSS reader or receive my blog updates in your inbox by subscribing with your email address. Either way, now Broken Hallelujah is even easier to keep up with!

All these great functions are provided by a great, free service called FeedBurner. It is a great service provided by Google, so if you already have a Google account (which you do if you have a Blogger account) then it is a super easy sign up. 

I found out about this great service on one of my favorite blogs - NinjaJenn's Ninja Knowledge. Jenn's blog is a great help to all of us trying to get our names out there for our small businesses. I definitely recommend you check out her blog - her latest entry is a step by step instruction for getting your blog RSS feed set up with FeedBurner. And you'll definitely want to subscribe to her RSS feed for all the great new knowledge she has to share.

picard creative

Picard Creative is a great shop that features some one of a kind, sassy magnets. Everything in the shop seems to be somewhat tongue in cheek, and I love it!

Check out her shop on Artfire for more great magnets that are made from recycled art. So they are not only sassy, but also eco-friendly. And they beat greeting cards that get tossed in the garbage after a week.

At the great prices she offers, you can afford to pick up some, save em away for all occasions.

a new obession.

I have always been a tea drinker in my life, but in the more recent years I have taken to drinking tea almost every night. Add to that Andy's already existing passion for all things Chinese and Japanese, and you end up with a new obsession of wonderful Chinese loose-leaf teas and the wonderful teapots that accompany any tea obsession.

We are very lucky to have a wonderful Asian market here in town and through the years I've lived here I've found myself buying more tea and teapots.

This one will be my third! I just purchased it today during a trip to the market to find some new tea. I simply couldn't pass it up. Who could resist a teapot of pandas! I do use my teapots for display in my Asian themed dining room, but I also use them when I'm drinking tea. This way the pots rotate which one is on display and which one is being used!

I love them all, but at the moment I'm really in love with my new pandas! They match perfectly with the glass pandas my Grandma brought back from her recent trip to China. It's like it was meant to be!

In honor of my new purchase, I've selected some absolutely delicious handmade tea from Artfire! Check out these delicious finds.

small redesign.

New headbands! In bright, new colors! With bright, colorful flowers. These, and several more are available now both in the Artfire shop and on Etsy. Or shop now, below, directly from this page.

I've really enjoyed working on my new collection of headbands, but as with everything I start to tweek my designs a bit to play with new ways of working it. Working on getting the exact look I'm going for. With these new headbands, I've done a tiny bit of a redesign. The bands of the headband are now skinnier. I've decided to go with this look over my wider design because to me this one looks more like the Greek goddess design that first inspired me in the concept of these headbands. 

What do you think of the slight redesign? Can you even tell anything has been changed?

And one more little reminder - I have set up a new mailing list for Broken Hallelujah Accessories fans! Receive updates on new items and special discounts! Sign up now using the form in the sidebar. 

brokenhallelujah

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newsletter

Broken Hallelujah now has a newsletter! I've been thinking of starting up one for awhile, but I finally got around to it. 

The sign up box is located on the right side-bar and is a very easy and simple sign up. People who are members of the newsletter will be among the first to receive notices of new products coming to the shop, along with member's only promotions & sales! 

So sign up today - it's easy & free. The first newsletter will be coming out soon! 

caterpillar peacock

As a way to help promote Artfire and the artisans who pour so much of the time and creativity into the website, a promotion has started where specific Artfire artisans will be featured across the web by many of us at Artfire. Today's promotion features Caterpillar Peacock!

Caterpillar Peacock makes some amazing items. Her work is mostly felted, like this beautiful needle felted lily pin I've decided to feature. Besides her great flower pins & necklaces, she also make some of the most creative and cute tiny little felted hats. I wish I was enough of a hipster to be able to pull off one of her tiny berets, but till then I shall just fawn over them and their adorable tinyness.

So check out Caterpillar Peacock over on Artfire! And come back soon to see who the next great featured artist will be - it might be you! 

dad update.

As I stated in my last blog entry, my dad had heart bipass surgery this week. He went into surgery yesterday morning. So far everything has been fine. He got out of surgery around 1 p.m. and they were able to bipass all the arteries they wanted. Later in the afternoon they decided that the fluid draining from the surgery was too bloody so they had to go back in to clean up the surgery site a bit more. Since then the bleeding has cut down substantially. 

He was on a respirator yesterday,  but they've taken him off now and he's breathing on his own & able to take healthy, deep breaths. The next steps for today are to hopefully get him moving around some more and eating real food. Also, his pain has gone down substantially from yesterday, but he's still not very talkative. He's responsive to the doctor's questions and my mom, but just not talking much himself. 

Now comes the healing stages. He'll have to take 3 months off of work to work on healing, making sure his heart doesn't atrophy (aka doing lots of cardio), and healing the bones that had to be broken. 

Looks like it's going to be a hectic summer for all of my family. I'm moving to North Carolina at the end of July, but before that my sister is graduating from high school in May, we have to go apartment hunting, and my dad will be recooperating from this whole ordeal. 

I have to thank everyone who has really stood by and given their thoughts and prayers to my family. I love you all. 

spotlight: for dad.

The spotlight of this week is coming a bit early.

I created this spotlight with my dad in mind. He's going in for heart bipass surgery this week, so I picked my favorite heart related items for this week's spotlight. We don't know when the surgery will be yet. Until then it's a waiting game. But it looks like it'll be at the end of this week on Friday most likely. So this one is for you dad! Because your heart is more beautiful than any of these could portray. ♥