All About....facebook

yep, I'm on facebook here: Sugar Bee Crafts on Facebook

I used to not follow anything on Facebook - I just didn't see the point.  Then I followed a couple (probably as an entry to a giveaway or something) and found out I really enjoyed it.  Now I'm hooked.

I love using Facebook as a way to connect with my readers on a behind-the-scenes level.  So if you follow me on facebook, you'll see things like:

• when craft projects aren't working like they should
• great deals I come across
• random ramblings - like when my Walmart brought back their fabric department
• sneak peek pictures of upcoming tutorials and projects
• heads up on giveways that are coming up
• my thoughts on craft competitions - my favorites for the week, etc
• when i can't find my seam ripper (apparently, this happens to everyone!)

I used to post a ton - real short posts about nothing big.  Then I thought that might be annoying people - but if you like that sort of thing, that's what facebook is for!  I love sharing randomness.

Speaking of randomness, if you've been with me a while, you'll know that I used to have a facebook page called "SUGAR BEE CRAFT EDITON" - yep, edition was spelled wrong.  I had that page for like 6 months before someone pointed out the typo - - I had no idea!!  But once I knew, it drove me crazy and I had to start a whole new page just to stop the insanity.

Anyways, I hope you'll hop over and follow me - - 

All About....the Blog

Continuing with the All About.... series - - today, let's hear all about the blog!!

I started this blog when I kept posting projects on my family blog and thought it was getting overwhelming.  So they got their own spot over here.  My family blog is called All Buzz so at first this blog was "All The Buzz - Craft Edition".  When it grew I changed to "Sugar Bee - Craft Edition" because my url was still "craft edition".  Then I bought my own url, so I changed to Sugar Bee Crafts.  Oh how it evolves!



I try to stick with a semi-schedule - - maybe you never noticed:

--if there's a giveaway, it's usually on Mondays
--Tuesday is always Take-A-Look Tuesday
--Wednesday is always What I Wore Wednesday and Show Offs from the link party.
--Saturdays I'm supposed to do a food post, but I've been slacking on that lately
--normally no posts run on Sundays

I have a new drop-down tool bar, so feel free to check that out. I'm working on updating the "tutorials" section, so bear with me!

I occasionally write posts that are sponsored because this blog is a lot of work and if it can bring in a little extra money, that's great.  But when I write those posts, just know that I won't replace regular posts (I'll still run a craft post that day) and I only pick things I love.  Like when I talked about Zenni optical - I really do love them, so it's a bonus that they'll pay me to write a post.

Mainly I write craft posts - I know that's what you're probably here for.  Tutorials are my favorite to read on other blogs, probably because I know how much work goes into them!  I try to focus on tutorials here as well - it's time consuming, but I just love helping everyone see a way on how to make things.

If you think this blog is awesome, feel free to become a follower.  I still look at that box every time I log on and get excited when even one person joins - so fun to have you all!!

I reply to all questions in the comments through email.  My comments are emailed to me so I just hit "reply" - unless of course, your email isn't linked up, then I can't find you... (so please please please, link up your email to your account)

All About...Sponsor Info 2012

Just in case you were wondering, here's a quick rundown of my info about being a sponsor:

Thank you for considering advertising at Sugar Bee Crafts.  

I want to fill a niche for those looking to advertise on a smaller budget.  I don't have the mega pull that super large craft blogs do, but I don't have the mega price on advertising either.

In the past I had an online store and I feel that it didn't get exposure because I didn't promote it through advertising. I wish I would have had an affordable advertising option.  I want to give you that opportunity.

Sugar Bee Crafts currently gets 9,000+ page views a day.  Think of being able to put your ad in front of all those people.  (That is current as of 3,800 followers.)

Pricing:  prices as a monthly flat fee. You will be billed with an emailed invoice via paypal (you don't have to pay using paypal - that's just how the payment is collected - you can use a  credit/debit card or even a check.)  It is a month-to-month fee which means no long term commitment.  A great way to try a month and see if it drives more business to your site.

2 Sponsor Ad Types available:
Premium Ad (100x300) - $25 per month -- best value!
Regular Ad (100x100) - $10 per month

Please contact me if you are interested in advertising on SugarBee Crafts.  Email: mandybeez at gmail


Giveaways:  Typically I post giveaways on a Monday and let it run through a Friday.  A giveaway write-up will feature your shop for the entire post - you can do the write up or I can.  You can set the terms for the entries to the giveaway (view your shop, follow you on FB, etc) Item to be given away needs to be valued at $20 or more. 

Price for a giveaway post:
Non-sponsors - $12
Sponsors - $8

Also if you're looking for blogs to try and review your product, I may be interested.  Feel free to contact me and ask.

Still have questions??
Feel free to EMAIL ME: mandybeez at gmail

All About....the sponsors!!

I know you know about my sponsors and their shops, but here's a little more indepth about who they are - isn't that a fun thing to know...I just love "knowing" who I'm buying things from :)

My name is Natasha (Skye Reve Fabrics) and I hope that you are as inspired by fabric as I am. I am a freelance fashion designer who has taken up the fabric business full time. I have 2 beautiful daughters who I adore and a wonderful hubby who is so supportive of this endeavor. I have a love for fabrics of all kinds, but especially beautiful shabby chic designs.

Next Day  Flyers is an online printing company offering offset printing of items like postcards,  brochures, stickers and business cards.  Based out of Los Angeles for the past 13 years, they are now opening a second printing facility in New Jersey. This printing plant will allow customers in the Eastern portion of the United States to receive their product more quickly and save on shipping costs.  www.NextDayFlyers.com is a user friendly site allowing for uploading print ready files in a snap. There is even a Design Online feature where layouts can be created in the browser.  Prices are awesome and turnaround is quick.

I'm Ashley, and I run The Shine Project. I raise money for inner city students to go to college, and inspire people to go after their dreams. You can read more about that here: http://www.ashlemieux.blogspot.com/search/label/nonprofit. I am crazy about my husband, my dog, thrifting, and Tim Mcgraw. You'll find a little about all of that on my blog. I sell necklaces and shirts that remind us all to shine, and help send kids to school.
Bev (Mominizer) - We are a crazy family of 6 with 3 boys and a princess.  I started my business in 2005 after spending 15 years as a corporate Realtor and wanting more time with my family and to follow my creative passions.  

Sewing and crafting have always been a part of my life, thanks to my seamstress mom who supplemented our family's income by sewing bridesmaids dresses in our childhood home. It wasn't until I had a baby girl that I became addicted to sewing, and the sewing pattern adventure followed soon after my addiction began. My goal is to combine creativity and frugality into a simple tutorial that will teach you to sew boutique clothing without boutique prices. Happy sewing! Liz (Little Lizard)

Stacey (Hadley Grace Designs): I LOVE to sew. My mom taught me when I was a little girl and I have been doing it ever since. I wanted to make patterns to help beginners (and all sewers!) have the opportunity to sew handmade items for their loved ones because there is just something special about something handmade! I am a mom of 3 kiddos - 4 1/2 years, 2 1/2 years and 2 months. I love being busy and between my shop and kiddos, there is no time for slacking!! :) Happy Sewing!

Cynda (ArtWildflowers): From the time I held the first crayon in my hand as a tiny tot I have always been fascinated with any & all types of arts & crafts! 25 years ago I taught myself to paint & now paint for living selling very detailed glazed & kiln-fired botanical-wildflower pottery & tiles for installation. (Thus my name "ArtWildflowers")... Lately I have been selling Feather Clips, Hair Tinsel & other craft supplys on etsy. I love to supply other artists & feel strongly about always offering the very best customer service possible!

My name is Amber (All4MyKids) I live in Lee's Summit, Missouri and I'm a mom to 3 wonderful kids. I love being able to work from home with a company that specializes in helping mommies be there for their kids "little moments".  It's fun for me to help other moms work towards being home too!  I also enjoy playing games with friends and family, decorating, crafts and anything outside.

My name is Kristin (Create By The Yard Fabrics)and I live in Minneapolis, MN.  I passions in life are traveling, the Green Bay Packers, and fabric.  I opened Create by the Yard, my fabric supply shop specializing in organic, recycled and designer fabric, in May 2011.  I only learned how to sew a year ago, but quickly developed a love for the various fabric styles, colors and designs.  Opening a fabric store was a natural fit for me.

All About....Fabulous Readers!

Did you know that at the very bottom of this blog there's a spot that says "Fabulous Readers"??  it's a widget that lists the top 10 people who comment the most on this blog - pretty cool, right?!?



So as we're learning "all about", let's learn all about them!  Be sure to visit them and tell them how awesome they are for leaving so many great comments.  

Hey everyone! I'm Ashley, and I blog over at Cherished Bliss. I'm honored to be over here at Sugar Bee Crafts today! Mandy was a big inspiration to me when I started blogging, she was always so real and I love that! I started by blog at the beginning of 2011, but really got into it just before the summer! It started out as I way to help get my etsy shop out there, but I really found a passion in blogging itself, so here I am, blogging about every little thing I make! At any given moment I could be spray painting, gluing, sewing, or re doing. Sometimes I feel as though I don't have a niche per say because I feel like I blog all over the place, but I have come to realize that my family is my inspiration so I blog about what we do. It's what makes me happy : ) So I'd love for you to come check out my tutorials - you will find things for kids to things for your home... a little bit of everything!

Judy, a.k.a. Cranberry Morning, hails from northwest Wisconsin. Now that their 5 children are grown and moved on to have families of their own, Judy and her husband Kevin live with their two dogs and two cats, with occasional, much-anticipated visits from the grandkids. Judy's favorite pastimes are making handcrafted soaps (check out Soap'n'Such), blogging as Cranberry Morning, gardening, reading, knitting, cooking, baking, sewing, and attending a Thursday Bible study with some great friends. She'd love it if you'd stop in for a visit at Cranberry Morning!

My name is Carrie, and I blog over at My Favorite Finds.  I host two link parties each week-Must Try Mondays and Wednesday Pinterest favorites.  I would LOVE to see you at both of them.  I am married to my high school sweetheart, and we have three children-twin 8 year old boys and a 2 year old princess.  I love organizing, crafting, scrapbooking, and being in the kitchen. 
 
Hi everyone! I'm Shannah from Just Us Four - a blog about the craziness that happens in my life with a husband, 2 kids, full-time job and full-time craft obsession!  Starting January 1, we are undertaking a basement renovation and taking our readers along with us.  It is going to be a fun time of crafting and DIY home improvement.  Although, I'm sure we'll throw in a little family fun time too.  When I'm not working, blogging or mommying, I'm obviously reading blogs like Sugar Bee Crafts!  Thanks to Mandy for her very thoughtful feature of some of her readers.  It's one of the many reasons why her blog is so wonderful!

Hi!, My name is Jessica and when I get around to blogging about my life as a home school mom, wife to a public school History teacher/ Youth Pastor, What I Wear, and the crafts I churn out, it's over on my blog, beLOVED, which doesn't get updated as much as I would like. I like to spend my free time( that I have so much of with 4 kids!!) stalking other great bloggers and pinning it up. I live in the middle of No Where, Louisiana, seriously no stores/red light/stop sign!!, with the Mr., 4 Little's, and a dog named Remington.

http://vedodilimybelovedismine.blogspot.com/

Hello hello there Sugar Bees!!

My name is Kassi! I am a crafty, like to consider myself creative, newlywed. 

I work at a full time job as a software marketer, while trying to fit some fun in the seams!

 

I blog over at Truly Lovely!

It's an 'all things lovely' blog created by me with snippets of fun from my sister, Kayli!

The loveliness we like to share includes crafts, home decor, sewing, recipes, and lots more!

Hope to see you there sometime!!!

First off, I would like to thank Mandy for being a fabulous blogger! I really enjoy her site and she is so sweet to feature me in the past on her blog.  I love paper crafting and have been a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator for several years. I have a blog where I normally post crafts on M-F and on Saturdays I show photos of my Workshops. Sundays are reserved for my Simply Sunday posts where I feature something non craft related, often time home decor or recipes to share! I run my business mainly "long distance" through my blog called Snowmanlover's Paperie and it can be found at http://www.snowmanlover.blogspot.com. I love making cards and put a sprinkle of "love" into everything I make. I  run long distance Hostess Clubs were my followers can get Hostess credit for belonging! Please feel free to stop on by, check out some fun crafts and grab a cup of coffee and explore my online catalogs. 

Thank you, Mandy! Barb

My name is Aimee and I blog at It's Overflowing.  I'm a home school mommy to three Sweet B's and married to a creative photographer and studly handyman ~ I affectionately call him 'Stud!' Together we're completely remodeling our 1950s original ranch-style home. Life is full of DIY house projects, designing, decorating, photography, crafting, cooking, baking, organizing and of course, errands! We're striving to keep things simple so we continue LOVING every moment!

All About.....Me!

I know blogging is going to slow between Christmas and New Years, so I'd dong a quick impromtu

"All About............" Series 

Sound fun??  I've got several All About posts lined up  - - wahoo!

So let's kick it off with All About me:

 Hi, I'm Mandy!  I guess I should have asked for questions that you want answered - it's hard to think of what to write!

I was born in 1979 - - google images were sketchy at best, so let's just stick with the good ole penny:

I was born and raised a little north of Kansas City, right here in the midwest.  I have one younger brother. We moved back here a few years ago to be by family, and I just love it.

I went to college at Missouri Southern and got my degree in Sociology.  I worked a few years when we were first married and when my oldest was little then turned the working life over to Trevor.

I met Trevor on a blind date - I should probably do a whole post about that sometime.  I love hearing people's "how we met" stories.  Anyways, we were married 10+ years ago and now have 4 super awesome kiddos:

I obviously enjoy crafting and sewing and blogging.  I love redoing rooms although I struggle with the "decorating" aspect.  I love trying any sort of crafting, but I've never been into scrapbooking.  I've tried a few paper crafts lately - that's about as close as I've come.  I think my favorite is sewing, although I stick to basic projects.  I {heart} designer fabric.

I feel like I can yap away on my blog, but in real life I'm pretty reserved.  I have to drag Kate around with me because she's a "talker" when I'm just not.  I am planning on attending my first blogging conference in April and I'm afraid I just might stand against the wall and not talk to anyone the whole time...

Anyways, you can read more about me on....you guessed it....my "about me" page.  Here's our most recent picture, from Christmas Morning as we headed to church:

Showing Off - Reader Feature

Hello Sugar Bee readers!!!  

I'm Ami the host over at AliLilly where you'll find crafts, DIY, recipes, me and my Alie Marie.   I'm really excited to be here today!!  I'm a HUGE fan of Mandy's!  I love linking up each week and checking out all the awesome talent that stops by!
This weeks party seemed FULL of wonderful recipes and so most of my picks are food.  Yummy, scrumptious, delicious food!  I know, as if we haven't eating enough lately, right? 
Crystal with Crystal & Co. shows you how to make this delicious Chocolate Graham Cracker Peppermint Bark. 

Crystal had another great recipe that caught my eye!  Her Cowboy Beef & Black Bean Chili looks awesome!

Jerri with Simply Sweet Home has a great list of Holiday food ideas.  They all look perfect for a New Years Eve party!

These gorgeous Eggnog Thumbprint Cookies come Christa with Life in the Makings.

Deana with Country Momma Cooks linked up this yummy Southern Quiche made from leftover holiday ham.

These fabulous Peanut Butter Blossoms come from Crystal with A Pumpkin and a Princess. 

These Cranberry Bars from Heather with Dragonfly Designs look absolutely amazing!

I also wanted to share with y'all a few really great New Years links that are sure to be helpful.
Carolyn with Homework shows us how to make these shiny adorable little Confetti Countdown Boxes.

You will also find a great list of food, games and movies at the Digital Scrapbooking Made Easy blog. 

Kristin with Homespun With Love shows you how to make your own New Years Eve Cocktail Napkins.  

and I have another one from Homespun With Love. She has a cute tutorial on making these New Years Eve Party Horns!

and while your checking out Homespun With Love be sure to check out her Peppermints & Snowflake party! ADORABLE! 

Thanks so much, Mandy for having me over! 

Showing Off - my picks

Hope everyone's holidays were great.  Obviously you're still busy with wrapping things up - it was the smallest link party this year -- but hey, quality over quantity, and there were some great links!!

This ear warmer shown off over at Grow Creative is enough for me to want to attempt making one - and I'm awful at crochet patterns.  But it's so cute!!

Embracing Change did a great job on this dresser redo - love the color choice:

This is kind of like the warmmies I make, but they added peppermint scent - that's a great idea!  See it over at Redo 101:

Made by Lori shared some super cute robot shirts - she even gives you templates in case you don't want to freehand your pieces:

Who doesn't love Mississippi Mud - yum.  See it over at Country Momma Cooks:

I am in love with this chair over at the Sasse life - that fabric is calling to me!!

I had to feature these pretzel kisses from What's Cooking, Love because they sound so easy, but a couple of weeks ago I made similiar ones and ruined them (left them in the oven for 30 minutes - oops!!) - so crazy.  Anyways, these look great:

Melly Sews has a great tutorial on how to make jammie pants with feeties:

Homework has a super fun idea for new years that I might try:

I am really loving this quilt from Our Busy Little Bunch - everything about it:

alright...................most viewed link:

this dress redo from Creatively Living - - she took last year's Christmas dress and revamped it into something more updated for this year - great job!

Thanks for linking everyone!!  If you were featured feel free to grab the button:  (oh, and if you were featured on FB, or if you're featured later this afternoon, you're included - grab away!!)


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WIWW - recap

Since I couldn't wear eye makeup for a week, I don't have any What I Wore Wednesday photos - - because who would get dressed if you can't wear mascara!  So let's review some of the fun from 2011.  Warning, some of these looks are bad, and some are even worse.  Kudos to you who have told it to me straight in the comments.  And then again, some of these outfits I think are dead on.  And who knew my hair changed so much!!


 
Phew, that was long - -and it was only a sampling of the whole year!  I feel like I should have numbered the pictures so you can refer to them in your comments, but that seems like a lot of work....