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Hi all. I love a contest and my fellow Inspiration Department columnist, Daniella, is running a contest on her blog with some great prizes. The full instructions can be found on the blog, but basically you just need to read HandmadeNews.org articles and post a comment about one.
You can click on the current date on the calendar in the left hand sidebar to find the day's challenge. To participate, just visit Daniella's blog by clicking here.
Today I am introducing you to Marjorie Dawson, a columnist for the Inspiration Department on HandmadeNews.org. Marjorie is a jewelry and doll artist from England living in New Zealand. She has studied Art History as well as art and design, drawing and painting.
Marjorie and her partner enjoy life in New Zealand, especially the open skies, the colour and the friendly folks. They have five cats and Marjorie also helps to shelter and feed cats at the Cedarhill Sanctuary.
In addition to her work at Cedarhill Sanctuary and as a writer for HandmadeNews, Marjorie also has two online shops, both named Whskr, one on Etsy and one on ArtFire.
Marjorie is currently working on larger art dolls as well as her popular brooch pins, which people love. She is a guest artist in an exhibition by local artists in New Zealand and looks forward to creating new work for this show. She also supplies several quality gift shops in New Zealand including Poppies, Petone; The Vault, Wellington, and Oyster, Petone.
If you follow my blog, you are probably aware that I am a columnist for the HandmadeNews.org Inspiration Department. We have some great writers over there and I want to introduce you to each of them, so I will be featuring a different writer from the Inspiration Department each day for the next few days.
The first writer I would like to introduce you to is Paula Picard. Paula is the editor of the Inspiration department. She also has a shop on ArtFire, Picard Creative. Paula has a wonderful sense of humor, which can be seen in each of her handmade magnets.
In addition to making wonderful magnets, Paula does graphic design. One of her most popular items is ads for online shops. Not only does Paula make beautiful and enticing ads, she also offers a place to display them on her site, Indie Arts Studio. Indie Arts is a great site that showcases handmade shops. 
As if all of this wasn't enough, Paula also has her own radio show on Blockhead Radio, an online radio station that has great music in addition to the interesting and informative shows. You can listen to Paula's show every Sunday at 7:00pm EST. Her first show is scheduled to air this Sunday, May 31st.
So if you get a chance and would like to read some great articles, take a look at (or buy) hilarious magnets, browse a list of handmade shops, and listen to an entertaining radio station, please click on the links above.
Handmade artists are always trying to find a niche. Have you already found yours? I wrote an article for HandmadeNews.org on how to cope while running a business. You can read the article by clicking here.
Are you having a down day? Do you need a bit of inspiration or maybe just something to make you feel good? Do you like happy stories? If so, then please visit Handmade News.
The Inspiration section has some great articles to make you smile as well as articles to help you in other aspects of life. While you are there, be sure to check out the other sections as well for a wealth of information and entertainment.
Do you have a lot of stress in your life? Are you trying to find ways to keep your stress level low? There is an article on HandmadeNews today that is all about reducing stress. The article is called "Health of Body, Mind, and Spirit" and you can read it by clicking on the title above. 
The article includes tips on how to relax and is great for those looking to reduce stress in a few minutes a day. While you are there, please check out the other great articles on HandmadeNews.
I'm very excited to say I am now a columnist for HandmadeNews.org, an online newspaper focused on the handmade world and crafts.
My first article was published today and I hope you'll check it out by clicking here.
Congratulations to the winner of my April blog giveaway - missknits! The winner was selected using a random number generator which picked number 5.
The bracelet she won is:
Botswana Agate, Hematite, and Sterling Wire Wrap Bracelet 
