Bloggy Giveaway!!!

It's been such a long time since I've posted (except for about the new blog)! Sorry about that. I was trying to be so good at it, and hopefully I will again. I need to go prowling through Etsy to see what wondrous treasures I can post.

But in the meantime, I found the Bloggy Giveaways post over at Rocks in My Dryer. I'm doing a giveaway over at The Downtown Boutique during the month of February (and every month!), so I thought I'd do one here too.

What's my giveaway you ask? Well, I will be giving a CUSTOM banner for your Etsy shop, your blog, or whatever site you would use a banner for. The banners shown are only examples of banners I have made. I do not duplicate any banner 100%. Some may be similar, but they will never be exactly the same. To see some of my banner designs, please check out my Flickr Set of banners, or check us out on Etsy.

Please leave only one comment per person. Please make sure I have a way to contact you. A random drawing will be held on February 16th.

Have fun!

Angie

Want to Get Published?

I'm so excited to announce my new blog: The Downtown Boutique. This new blog is an exclusive "downtown" feeling place to find some fantastic handmade gifts online. I will be offering advertising in a couple of different levels for those who are interested: 10 "Featured Article" spots with a banner linking to your shop, per month; 15 banner (125x60) spots per month; and 30 "Link Listings" per month.

If you love to shop, this will be a wonderful place for you to grab a cup of hot chocolate, your fuzzy slippers and your jammies, and find gifts for everyone in your family.

If you are an artist or crafter, this could be a great venue for you to get seen. If you are interested in finding out more about advertising, please email us at rioosodesigns@sbcglobal.net.

Have an awesome day!

Angie

WOW! Time flies when you're not having fun!

My goodness! It's already a new year, and I have not posted on my blog since December 17th. Shame on me! But I have a great excuse...I've had this wicked little mutating cold that keeps coming back. It's kind of like the little mucous guy on the Mucinex commercial...he's come to live in my chest! I have had sniffles, a cough, a sore throat, more sniffles, a worse cough, and finally we found out last week that I have bronchitis. URG!!! What a bad time to be sick...over Christmas...but then I was in some GOOD company there! My hubby and son were/are sick, and so were my two sisters-in-law, my niece, my nephew, and my mother and father-in-law. Goodness gracious! Can we be done with this please?

Well, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We sure did! My hubby and I both got each other brand new thin-line ESV Bibles. Cool! He also got me a comfy, cozy, fuzzy green blanket; a very cool Zyliss mandolin for slicing veggies and other things (which yes, I already cut myself on!), and the DVD of The Nativity Story movie. He got me some other nice gifts as well. I also got a brand new red Cuisinart teakettle, a gift certificate from one of my favorite clothing stores, a new cookbook, two new chips for my karaoke machine, and a wonderful Chinese teacup that has a strainer and a lid! And my precious 14 year old, who knows that I LOVE snowpeople, got me a darling soap dispenser that is shaped like two cute snowpeople standing together. I LOVE it! My parents sent money for us to be able to fly out there and visit soon. YAY!

God has really blessed us this past year, and I pray that we will be able to be a huge blessing to others. After all, everything that we have is His, is from Him, and is for His service.

Thanks for reading, and have a blessed day!

Angie

PS...I will begin to feature more Etsy products here pretty soon...when I'm feeling a little better.

I Just Bought Myself Some Great Items From Etsy.com!

My Christmas stocking is a beautiful and precious stocking. It was made 37 years ago by my mom's Great Aunt Eva, who is no longer with us. It was for my first Christmas, and is pink and white with a "toy mobile" on it...done in felt and sequins and embroidery floss and beads, and braids. I LOVE it! But alas, it has gotten more fragile with each passing year, so I decided to retire it, so that it wouldn't completely disintegrate.

So what did I do? I purchased a gorgeous handmade stocking from BarbarasCrafts on Etsy.com. What do you think?

While I was on Etsy.com last night, I also was flipping through the cool new device on Etsy, called "Pounce". I was having WAY too much fun looking at things! I found these fun magnets that I can use on my overcrowded and outdated refrigerator. I need to spice things up a little. After all, we live in a small apartment with an even smaller and very crowded kitchen. Our cabinets are just Colonial White. We can't paint them. Our refrigerator is...you guessed it...Colonial White, or at least some color close to that...maybe it's Almond or Eggshell, or Colonial Almond Eggshell! Anyways, I wanted some new fridge magnets, and when I found these from MissChief, and at such a great price, I just HAD to get them!!!

Well, thanks for looking and God bless!

Angie

Merry Christmas to All of our Dear Friends, Family, and Customers!

I just wanted to take this time (before I forget!!!) to wish each and every one of you a blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year! This year has definitely had its ups and downs, and the scale has proven that to be all too true!

We have been so blessed by God this year!

He allowed us to take a wonderful week long trip to Hawaii with our 14 year old son, and my hubby's brother and his wife.

We were able to attend one of my husband's best friend's wedding, where my husband actually officiated the wedding. I was a pastor's wife for a day!

We went to Scott's Flat Lake in northern California for a wonderful 5 day "vacation" with my inlaws. Is camping ever truly a vacation??? I think NOT!

We became licensed foster parents and are still waiting for our precious little one to come into our home.

We celebrated our first Etsy sale (Ambrosia Delights Shop) in April, after waiting 6 months and forgetting that we even had an Etsy shop!

We opened our second Etsy shop, Rio Oso Designs in late May, selling banners, business card design, and other digital design products, and have FAR exceeded our first shop in sales!

My husband and his dad got to go on not just one, but THREE hunting trips this year. They didn't bring anything back, but some of the other guys they always hunt with, got bucks, so we got some yummy deer meat!

Our son was promoted in his jujitsu class and should be getting his third belt any time now.

My husband and I were both able to go to our church's Men's retreat and Women's retreat (in that order of course), on God. He totally paid the way for both of us to attend our retreats!!

Our church ordained a brand new worship pastor, who we are really excited about. He and his family have such a passion for God, and I am thrilled to be able to be a part of our worship team.

My brother-in-law and his wife had a precious baby girl in August!! Yay! Finally a girl in the family!

God has really worked in our hearts and taught us so many things about Himself, and about ourselves. He has given us a stronger love for one another, even though we had to go through some rocky spots to get there. I am learning that God really wants to shape me and mold me, but I have to be willing. I have fought that process, and He has gently and lovingly carried me through, once I was willing to allow Him to work.

I just am so thankful for God's love, for the love of my husband, and the love of my son.

I am thankful for the once a month Friday Night Girls' Night Out with some of the most wonderful friends in the world. I can be myself and you still love me!!

I am thankful for the wonderful relationship I have with my inlaws and with my own family. I miss my family in New Mexico, but I thank God for the wonderful mom and dad I have here!!

I thank God for my CUSTOMERS! You have helped our family make it through some tough financial times after we dropped down to only babysitting one child, from having been watching 2-3 kiddos! Without God, and my fantastic customers, we would've had some REALLY lean months!!

Speaking of kiddos, I am grateful for the family whose little boy I watch. He turns two tomorrow, and he is SUCH a bundle of energy and of joy right now. He so fun and has this hilarious little personality. We are so grateful to have you as friends, Donna and Andrew. Thank you for entrusting us with your precious cargo!!

I guess I had better end this soon. Thank you to all of my readers. It's been a lot of fun. I am really looking forward to all that next year will bring.

GOD BLESS EACH ONE OF YOU!

If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his command I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God:

You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock--the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.

Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.

You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.

Deuteronomy 28:1-6

I just found my new favorite website! Wrapables.com!

As usual, I was surfing through some blogs today, and I found what looked like a Flickr photo montage, but when I clicked on it, it showed items from this very cool website...Wrapables.com. I am in love! Well, not really. But there are SOOOO many things that I would LOVE to get from here. Santa, is it too late?


I know they're not handmade, but they're so very neato! I signed the "BUY HANDMADE" pledge for Christmas shopping, so I can't buy them for myself. Drats! Maybe for Valentine's! But if you're wanting to surprise me, and buy me something for Christmas or New Years, feel free! :-)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Angie

What Puddle Hoppers is Giving Away...

I have been spending SOOOOO much time on other blogs, and just loving everything that I see. I stumbled upon such a sweet blog called Sweet Cottage Dreams, and I have loved reading and drooling over her gorgeous photographs of her home all decked out for Christmas. I have also been checking out some of her favorite bloggers. I found one of her favorites called Contest Addict, where I found out about Puddle Hopper's giveaway.

So this is where it gets really fun. Puddle Hopper's author is a Christian, which is very exciting to me, as I am also a Christian, and I LOVE finding out about other Christians on the web. Anyways, Puddle Hopper's is giving away a beautiful TUTU! Now granted, I only have a handsome 14 year old prince, but I do have a beautiful little princess sister, and a brand new little princess neice. (We are still waiting for our little princess--or another prince.) This could be a lot of fun. Now I just have to figure out who to give this little tutu to when I win! :-)

Thanks for looking and God bless,

Angie

UPDATE: I WON!!! I'm so excited! I am getting the tutu for my brand new little niece for when she is older. Thank you Puddle Hopper!