New Discoveries Radio Show

Tonight, March 31st at 7pm EST, I will be debuting my new radio show "New Discoveries" on http://www.BlockHeadRadioLive.com!!My first guest will be Tony Ford, COO and Co-Founder of ArtFire!! You won't want to miss this! Tony will make a very special announcement regarding ArtFire. Please join us in the chat room and ask Tony questions that will be answered on the air.Every Tuesday and Thursday I will introduce you to artisan shops from all genre's, i.e. ArtFire, Etsy, ShopHandmade, CafePress, etc. Each show will last about 30 minutes. From time to time I will interview founding members of the various artisan sales sites. If you are interested in being a guest or have any suggestions or comments, please email me at Chain@BlockHeadRadio.com.Hope to see your name in the chat room!!

Cuddlerriffic...

that's a word right? Well, that is a great word to use to describe this lovely shop, Babeeluvclothing. The brains and talent behind Babeeluvclothing is a talented seamstress named Lori. Lori sat down with Blockhead Radio and let us into her brain and heart! Continue on to read more as the BHR staff virtually rolls around in her cuddly blankets and soft toys!

Lori is new to Etsy but not new to creating and selling gorgeous handmade items. She "created Babeeluvclothing "For Your Little Heart" in January 2009. She has been an Ebay Seller for over 6 years, selling vintage items as well as her first craft making beachglass jewelry and related items." Lori is a WAHM to a lovely baby boy. When asked where she drew her inspiration from, Lori naturally replied, "Now, it is my son for sure! My world has been consumed with becoming a new mom and always thinking of him and related items. If it catches his attention--its a keeper!" I agree that is a fantastic way to test new items!! If the little one's like it, then other little one's will to! And you know what they say, if baby is happy, then mama is happy and EVERYONE is happy!

She also draws some inspiration from days gone by as she says, "I do come from a family of women that sew, so I believe it is in my blood! A lot of the details in my sewing, especially on my blankies, baby toys comes from my Gramma. She used to make me clothes as a little girl and baby toys and they always had to have a little heart sewn on the front so I have tried to carry on that tradition."

You will most certainly find just what you want or need in this lovely shop, and at a wonderfully reasonable price as well! Lovely minky blankets, adorable clothing, and sweet stuffed toys can be found in her Etsy shop, her web store, or her Ebay profile.

Lori dabbles in a bit of everything, "sewing, jewelry making, custom picture frames and sun catchers, while working with beach glass, stones and driftwood." Lori's favorite pieces (and I'd have to agree) are her Snuggle Blankets. She finds "working with various fabrics" one of the most challenging things about creating handmade, as well as finding the time to begin "designing some of her own clothing."

Lori runs into problems that probably affect many of our dear readers, the cost of supplies as well as finding the TIME to work on her craft! Anyone who has children and attempts to run shops on any selling venue knows just how difficult that can be! Throw in full time jobs for some, and I'm not sure when some artisans sleep! But Lori can be proud of what she's accomplished in a short time, that's for sure!

Lori does blog and belong to the Alberta Street Team who can find by searching "Alberta Team" on Etsy.

She was also recently featured on CafeHandmade and you can find her on Aisle 1 of the Virtual Craft Show for a limited time!

Lori shares my love of minky fabrics and would probably go bankrupt if we could go shopping for them together! We all know my weakness for fabric.....

So take a break from your busy day, and check out any of these great links and enjoy Lori's snuggable work! I know, I have!

Are you a Blockhead fan...Then come win Giveaway!!!!

Come see what you can win this week,just by visiting Blockheadradio.com

Click here to see the awesome blog giveaway.

A BeWitching Find

If you've listened to a show (and you really should if you haven't) then you know me as Witchy. You've also come to realize that I'm completely obsessed with soap. Don't even get me started talking about soap or I may never shut up. Chances are if you've caught the Morning BrewHAHA you know I can talk. A LOT.

Recently I took the plunge into joining and then exploring another selling venue: Artfire.

Well of course I had to peruse all the lovely handmade soaps. I thought I'd take the time to share just one shop out of the many that caught my eye: Ann's Lotions and Potions. Oh the eye candy! One glance in this shop and I was captivated by the eye popping colors accentuated with some enticing swirls! Not to mention the scrumptious scents found within... Black Cherry almost had me licking the screen. I'm not afraid to admit it either.

We always tell you not to eat the soap and this shop is going to require extra restraint. Several strips of duct tape across your mouth may be needed to curb the urge. Five years devoted to honing her craft is evident in every beautiful bar. Her shop also contains lotions, lip balms, sugar scrubs and other items that are made with quality ingredients your skin will thank you for.

Mmmm... the Toasted Coconut soap is beautiful. It also contains Coconut Milk which will provide a super creamy lather. I can smell it from here (take a deep breath, I bet you can too)!

I could totally post pic after pic of her gorgeous soaps! But where's the fun in that? Head on over to Ann's Lotions and Potions, take a look around, and grab a bar... or two... or three. If nothing else admire her creations and drool over the scents. Go ahead and lick the screen if the urge strikes. Ya know you want to.

Amy The Awesome of BlockHead Radio

Thursday night I had the privilege of sitting down with the Amy the Awesome and interviewing her live on the air! Many followers of BlockHead Radio are already familiar with Amy. This wonderful gal has a passion for life, and as a part of her passion she has done a lot to support BlockHead Radio! In fact, she's now on staff here, and doing a fantastic job of helping maintain the blog, and promoting BHR to the masses.

Amy is a stay at home Mom with two rambunctious boys. When I asked her why she had named her etsy shop "Mamas Little Monkeys" she told me it was because it sounded a lot better than calling them rascals! Sounds like normal little boys to me though, and she obviously loves them a lot.

On top of taking care of her boys and her work with the radio, you can find Amy doing lots of fun creative things and spreading that creative goodness all over the web! On etsy you can find her under MamasLittleMonkeys and FleurdeInk. She's also a faithful member of CafeMom and she sells on several other venues as well! Unfortunately I don't have every one of her links to share with you.

In her shops Amy sells childrens clothing, recycled crayons in fun shapes, photography, graphic design, toys, soaps, pretty pens, and whatever else her awesome mind comes up with! Do you have kids? Then Amy probably has exactly what your looking for!

Did I mention that Amy blogs as well? She does a lot of the blogs posts here on this BHR's blog, and she has her own blog! So head on over to it and learn even more about Amy! Plus you can get to know her better by tuning into her show, Mom's Cafe, Wednesday night at 9pm on www.blockheadradiolive.com.

Earn Your Frequent Stalker Points...

The Biggest Stalker is determined by several things...

Most importantly is how often we "see" your pretty faces :) Whether it be in threads, in the 24/7 BHR Chat, in the BHR forums, emails we've received telling us what you've done to prove you're the Biggest Stalker.... (although we do require that you refrain from doing anything illegal).

If you've chained yourself to a lamp post and screamed "Listen to blockheadradio.com" as everyone passed by... we wanna see the video.

Of course you don't have to take it to that level. But that would be cool ;)

Let us know when you've blogged! Bring a friend to the show. Support the BHR Charity Sampler box. Email us if you've told some random person on the street. Get that random person to email us. Tell them to let us know you sent them.

How the Biggest Stalker is decided is totally up to the Stalkers and the precedents they set forth. Bombard every host in every way you know how. Emails, blogs, chat, shows.... Just stop short of hiding outside their houses in the bushes.

Dazzle us with your persistence and creativity.

I will tell ya this... The Biggest Stalker every month will be handsomely rewarded!

Pass this blog along. Let us know ya did. It'll earn ya those frequent stalker points. No little annoying card to keep up with either.

Join us In the Garden!

Hey! Rose here! If you missed the debut show of In the Garden last Thursday I hope you'll tune in this coming week at 11:30 AM, eastern time. Why? Well, we'll be talking about planning and starting a garden ... whether you have a windowsill, a patio, or acreage ... you can grow a little something. Besides, what better way to honor the season of spring than planting a seed or two?

And I just happened to spend the better part of my day today In the Garden and you can see what I was up to there at What I Made Today. 

See you Thursday morning at 11:30 In the Garden! Peace.

New Shows(and Old)

Good Saturday morning everybody. As I sit here playing a long set of Hot Buttered Rum and taking care of my emails, I wanted to pop over here and share with you what is going on at BHR.

New Shows and Old Ones
(all times eastern)

Monday

9 am The Morning BrewHAHA
Blockhead Rod and Witchy getting your day started with nonsense, news, and more.

7 pm Creative Animal Relief
Join Gena from Creative Animal Relief every Monday as she covers the going-on with CAR and animal topics.

9 pm Artisan for Artisan
Witchy, Huck, Blockhead Rod, and Sew Happy cover issues relating to artisans.

Tuesdays

9 am The Morning BrewHAHA
Blockhead Rod and Witchy getting your day started with nonsense, news, and more.

11:30 am (coming soon) Tough Times
Join Wildwood as she gives you tips and tricks on frugal living.

7 pm New Discoveries
The ChainMaille Lady will be showcasing new artisans from a variety of venues. Join her to find out about these new folks that have just entered the scene. For her first show this Tuesday she will be joined by Tony Ford - Executive Vice President of Marketing of Artfire. And I hear he has a surprise for us.

8 pm Artisan Teams and Groups
TulipsTalking exposes a new artisan team/group/guild every Tuesday night. Join her to find out about these great individuals.

Wednesday

9 am The Morning BrewHAHA
Blockhead Rod and Witchy getting your day started with nonsense, news, and more.

2 pm Learn with Lake
Join Lake, a arnp, every Wednesday as she covers healthy living styles.

9 pm Mom's Cafe
Rocker and Mama take it to the streets every Wednesday night. How to be a mom, housewife, and artisan......and juggle it all. These two will cover those topics and more.

Thursday

9 am The Morning BrewHAHA
Blockhead Rod and Witchy getting your day started with nonsense, news, and more.

11:30 am In the Garden
What a show. Wanna talk about every aspect of gardening from every angle......I love this show. Oops did I say that out loud. Join Walk in the Woods every Thursday as she covers the basic and advance topics of gardening, herbs, and how to gain creativity from your garden. If you have a 100 acres or just a backyard.

7 pm New Discoveries
The ChainMaille Lady will be showcasing new artisans from a variety of venues. Join her to find out about these new folks that have just entered the scene.

9 pm Thursday Spotlight On
Ruthie sits down one on one with a new artisan every week. A great in depth interview covering how they became artisans, family, and inspiration. A must listen too.

Friday

9 am The Morning BrewHAHA
Blockhead Rod and Witchy getting your day started with nonsense, news, and more.

8 pm Friday Night Feature
Join Blockhead Rod as he sits down to share a new CD from an indie musician every Friday night. We love our indie musicians here on BHR. Will be fun.....I promise.

Saturdays and Sundays

From the time we end the Friday Night Feature till we start back Monday with the Morning BrewHAHA we play all the great music here on BHR.

We have more shows in the works. Do you have something you would to share. Drop an email to rod@blockheadradio.com and let me know. We are always looking for great hosts. Does not cost you anything and you will get some great exposure.

Be sure to visit the Artisans Challenge and get your vote and entry in..................we got a prize for the weekly winner.

Find out about the BHR Charity Sampler Box by clicking here.

Have a great weekend and I hope to see you in chat soon........yep we got a 24/7 chat room at Blockhead Radio too.

Featured Artisan...BOLO Designs

Do you want to play Dominoes? No? Well, Angel from BOLOdesigns may take you up on that offer if you let her keep the Dominoes after the game! Angel makes beautiful pendants out of Dominoes for her Etsy shop and local sales. Angel allowed Blockhead Radio to pick her brain a little and we happily share what we learned.

Angel doesn't just stop at Domino pendants, she also works with photography, painting, paper-maiche, and re-junking. It is easy to imagine she would try any art if given the time and opportunity! Time is definitely something Angel thinks about, because when asked how she thought she could improve her craft, she replied, "I would love to give it [her craft] more of my time. I work 90 miles from home so I only actually get to work on it about 8 hours a week!"

Due to time constraints, she does not blog or work on any other venues at the moment, but we think those tasks will be on her to-do list soon! She's been crafting in one form or another "forever", so we see big things in her future! Angel has only been on Etsy a short time, mostly selling in her latest hometown, Slidell, LA (coincidentally, the hometown of BHR's very own Amy the Awesome Possum!) Slidell is 30 miles north of New Orleans, which by the way, Angel properly pronounces "New Or-lens", although she will on occasion say "Naw'lins"! New Orleans has a plethora of artistic inspirations and Angel says she draws her inspirations from "EVERYTHING! Books, magazines, nature, TV....even a crumpled up piece of newspaper is all I need to get my mind working." Angel's favorite piece is her "golden tree series." You really must check that series out, it is gorgeous.

One thing that is alluring about the pendants Angel creates is that they are jewelry you can wear every day (even to the beach!), but due to their beauty, you can happily show them off as a piece of art! Pendant art on a budget--exactly what people need these days!

Angel is "originally from Houston, Tx but now lives outside New Orleans. She has interior design degree but has always enjoyed the building-planning-creating part more than the actual shopping-decorating part. She is always in constant motion and usually has 10 projects going on at one time! She always tries to come up with a new way to use a material. After hurricane Katrina, she decided to make her art out of salvaged materials. Most recently she began using scraps of plywood left over from the neighbors windows to make canvases."

We all know handmade artists love to buy handmade and if money were no object, Angel would love "a kiln and a huge printer for my photography. And I'm in love with big wing backed chairs. I love them and I don't know why. I don't think I've actually ever sat in one. But I think they are beautiful! I've seen a few on Magazine St., in the city [New Orleans], that I want-want-want!!!! And there is a particular one on Etsy that I've fallen in love with... That would be my big handmade personal purchase, definitely!"

BOLOdesigns is definitely a site to keep your eye on, and of course, should you enjoy any of her work, you can pick up a piece just for yourself! Blockhead Radio invites you to peruse her shop and maybe just drop her a comment, give her a heart or encouraging word!

BOLOdesigns, dominoes anyone?

Introducting, Garsticksandstring

"Man enough to knit...strong enough to purl" is the logo for GARsticksandstring.etsy.com. Gar, as he is referred to, is, are you ready....a 14 year old young man who knits and sells his awesome handmade items online.

But let's not focus on his age. Yes, it is unique to find a teenage boy knitting, let alone using the word "purl"..(which, by the way, caused this blog author to bust out the dictionary.) Apparently, purl means, "An inversion of stitches in knitting, which gives to the work a ribbed or waved appearance." And Gar can do it well! His amazing creations include lambs, hedgehogs (the favorite of a few BHR staff), scarves, hats, baskets and more!

Gar is homeschooled and attributes his love of knitting to several people, including Ms. Kelda, a teacher who helped get him started with knitting. He also owes much to his mom, who Gar says, "brings me through the rough and applauds through the success"...and she buys the supplies of course! Gar lives with his parents, and slightly older sister (just 13 months!) in Louisiana. Gar is ALWAYS having a wool craving, he says, and if he is unable to knit for a few days, feels bad!

When asked if he had a wishlist of purchases, he replied that he would like "patches and a bumper sticker for the business",and earrings for sister and, of course, more wool. Besides his shop on Etsy, Gar also has a shop on Ravelry, www.garstickandstring.ravelry.com.

It is refreshing to see a young man with goals..and Gar has goals indeed! If he had no time or money restraints he'd love to create cable mittens, Easter eggs, baskets, and pottery. He loves to create custom orders, and would probably knit 24 hours in the day if he could!

Gar is also "member/moderator/(co)creator of a group called Minor Effect! Minor Effect is a group for teens (ages 13-19) on Etsy to get together and share ideas. There are 3 other leaders helping out: CrochetRUs (member/moderator/(co)creator), peasantsoup (admin/adult supervisor), and WorksInProgress (admin/adult supervisor)!!" Although they are not an acutal street team, they provide each other with support, encouragement, and share ideas and life has a young handmade artisan on their blog.

One of the things that makes this shop and artist unique is that some of the items are felted, which Gar explains, "for those of you who don't know what that {felted} means I knit my projects with 100% wool and then I agitate them in BOILING hot water for about an hour and the fibers in the wool come together so my projects come out felted!" Now THAT is handmade!

We anticipate many great things for Gar, and a happy life full of wool,sales, and overall handmade awesomeness!

Be sure to check out Gar's shop as he is gearing up for Spring and Easter!

GARsticksandstring.etsy.com

As Easy as 1...2...3!!!

The Artisans Challenge is so close right now I can almost touch it! Okay, so I have been technically "touching" it since all the wonderful submissions have been rolling in... And what wonderful entries all the fabulous artisans out there have been sending in! I honestly think I have one of the best jobs here at Blockhead Radio!

Okay, so it is a bit daunting when all the submissions start rolling in (but I can take it so keep 'em coming...). But the task of building the galleries and polls is quite enjoyable. After all I get the first peak as to what is in store for every challenge. The only thing I don't know is... who the winners are going to be.

That part is up to the voters! I think all those who come to vote are really the ones who have the toughest challenge. Twelve different categories with up to 5 entries in each...

Then all the winners from each of the categories go toe to toe in the Weekly Challenge! Not only do they get boasting rights for having won their respective categories but in the Weekly Challenge they're competing for an ad to run the entire following week on BHR! Completely free of charge.

Get your eyes and fingers ready to vote in the first BHR Artisans Challenge when it launches officially on March 23 at 9 am!

(Knowing my good buddy Rod... he'll probably have it up and rockin' before I even roll out of bed.)

What a cool write up

Natasha of Thursday Sweet Treat did a write up on Huck and I today. Thank you so much and you did a wonderful job. Must have been the great subject matter..........Huck.

http://thursdaysweettreat.blogspot.com/

Take a read and leave a comment.


And on a closing note..........how I love to write code.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Sabrina Shaheen

Sabrina’s CD, Love Is... is a vocally driven pop CD with various musical genres coming together to create one sound that is uniquely hers. With an imaginative contrast of vocal styling and dynamic arrangements, Sabrina is destined to shed new light on contemporary music.

For years, Sabrina Shaheen has touched listeners with the sound of her voice and her dedication to uplifting people with her music. Whether singing in the theater, the symphony, in film or in concert, Sabrina is one of those rare performers whose singing conveys both passionate beauty and depth. Her new album, Love Is... is a powerful expression of her musical vision, one that has been a lifetime in the making.

Born and raised in Michigan, Sabrina has been immersed in music and the arts for as long as she can remember. Starting on her family’s piano at the age of four, at seven, she began formal piano lessons. At the same time, she was studying ballet (from the age of three through college) and would eventually become a member of the Tri-City Ballet Company while in high school. (Sabrina has studied a variety of dance, including ballet, tap, flamenco, modern and jazz.)

Throughout the challenges of her life, music has been, in Sabrina’s words, “a true, loyal friend – the thing that’s never let me down.” Loving various genres of music – hard rock, jazz, pop, classical and dance, Sabrina channeled her love into an intensive program of music study, all with the goal of becoming a performer.

A performer is what Sabrina has become, playing in over ten musical, dance and theatrical roles for the University of Michigan and regional theaters with lead roles in Kismet, A Chorus Line and Peter Pan, among others. She has sung at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Hall in Detroit and has performed live at Detroit’s legendary Cobo Hall. She’s been a mainstay in the Detroit music circuit, keeping up a relentless schedule of performing her originals and standards at various clubs, restaurants and parties. Her versatility has also earned her voice-over work and even won her the lead role in the independent film “Rage Of Justice.” And in perhaps her most unusual gig, she sang at a private party for Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Amidst her dizzying schedule and accomplishments, over the last few years, Sabrina worked on what she calls, “my labor of love,” her new album, Love Is… Produced by Brian Drago and Sabrina herself, the album is a departure from Sabrina’s history of singing jazz. Instead, Love Is… emphasizes Sabrina’s love of dance and ethereal pop, simultaneously recalling Madonna and Enya. Sabrina says, “The more self-confident I’ve become, the more I wanted to get into various pop styles; some with a dance beat, some with a middle eastern sound. To me, it all blends together into my own style.”

Standout tracks include the sultry opening song, “Show Me,” and the album’s title track, “Love Is…” an expression of Sabrina’s vision of what love makes possible for humanity. She expands, “I love the song because it captures what I believe humans can strive for – a kinder level of living for humanity.” “Ecstasy” oozes with sensuality, as Sabrina’s voice weaves a tale of hypnotic seduction that’s utterly irresistible. And the album’s first single, “In My Life,” is the album’s statement of purpose – to follow a dream no matter who or what is in the way.

After years of working to be the best singer, writer and performer she can be, and in a career filled with impacting all whom she encounters, Sabrina Shaheen has reached a peak with Love Is… Her intention to reach people through her music remains as unshakable as ever. She declares, “I want my music to be heard by people all over the world – I’ve been through so much, and I want to share it with everyone.” Given Sabrina’s dedication to her craft and her relentless pursuit of her dream, it seems almost inevitable that her wish will come true.

You can find Sabrina online at sabrinashaheen.com or purchase her CD here.

BHR's Artisans Challenge

All you Artisans out there make a note of this date:

March 23rd

Some may remember... some may be hearing about it for the first time! Either way there's a bit of construction goin' on over at Blockhead Radio as we prepare to relaunch a cool weekly contest. Seriously, if you head over there you will hear power saws, drills and jack hammer's workin' 24 hours a day. Okay, no you won't but you WILL hear some really great music by indie artists :)

Formerly known as the Etsy Challenge (the name was change to protect the innocent...) and then renamed as the Artisan's Challenge because there are soooo many great venues out there for selling handmade.... and then the whole shebang came crumbling down. It was feared that the challenge would never be heard from again.

Yes, the Artisan's Challenge is being dug up from the depths of the internet graveyard!

For those who may have never heard of the Artisan's Challenge, let me tell ya what it's all about. There are 12 different categories with 60 different artisans every week (5 submissions in each category). The winner's of the categories from the previous week then face off in a weekly challenge!

So head on over, read the rules and enter your submissions now! You'll be notified when it's your week in the challenge. Then its up to you to tell your friends... your family... your neighbors... the people in the checkout line at the grocery store... to go vote for you in the

Artisan's Challenge!

What's in it for you? Besides lots of people seeing your item when they vote?? Besides FREE publicity for your shop??? Besides all the fun????

It just so happens that the winner of the weekly challenge will now win a audio commercial with a banner to play the entire following week on Blockhead Radio! That's even MORE FREE publicity for your shop!

Remember, it's ANY selling venue! Entries are being accepted now so hurry and get your submission in.

Special Announcement............................

As you know we have been waiting patiently and I just got off the phone with Ms. Moo. Welcome to our newest blockheader

Christina Ashley
3/10 at 12:29 a.m.
6 lbs 3 oz
19 1/2"s

Mom and baby are doing great

Congrats to the entire family and now we can call Ms. Moo grandma.......

I have been promised pitures and I will have them up as soon as I get them.

Introducing Phil Putnam With a Bonus Video

Grow. That’s the goal. That’s the momentum behind the life and music of Singer/Songwriter Phil Putnam. Grow. Learn. Listen more. Make more music, meet more people. Grow.

This passion for growth has defined Phil Putnam since day one, and has driven him to become one of the most seasoned and vital voices in music today. With stunning lyrical depth and a piano-based pop/rock sound, Putnam has earned a place alongside greats like David Gray, Rufus Wainwright, Tori Amos, David Wilcox, and Ben Folds. His commitment to excellent songwriting and an ever-evolving sound have produced 6 records over the past 8 years and established him as a Artist with feet grounded in the present and eyes on a very bright future.

It’s safe to say, though, that this is not the life he thought he would lead. Born into a decidedly non-musical family in Sacramento, CA, he grew up surrounded by his father’s basketball career and his sibling’s youth sports teams. As the fat, girly kid in an athlete’s world, he rode the bench and read his books while his brain got bigger and his pride shrunk smaller. With the onset of Tourette’s Syndrome at age 9 and no solid music experience until high school, he was the clear long shot for a career in music. His ambition, however, having all the subtlety of a teenager on prom night, never let up. He studied singing through high school and discovered a shockingly strong talent in piano when he taught himself to play in college. It wasn’t long before he combined his fresh musical skills with a lifelong love of writing and was introduced to his future.

The future had a lot in store: his debut album “Healer” in 2001, “Long Story Short” in 2002, “All the Courage Required” in 2004, “Best of Intentions” in 2006, and “{What Became of the} Choir Boy” and “Casualties” both released in 2008. These 6 records have the same heart, the same core of Phil with the pen, Phil at the piano, Phil on the microphone. Everything else, though…it grew. “All the Courage Required” struck the balance between the very raw sound of “Healer” and the radio-ready pop of “Long Story Short”, “Best of Intentions” explored programming and ambience with a new level of sophistication, and “Choir Boy” took it back to the basics of piano and vocals before shocking everyone’s system with “Casualties”.

His largest project to date, “Casualties” is Phil at his absolute best. Featuring sixteen songs crafted over 3 years from the best and worst moments of life, “Casualties” is about growing up and getting on. Handing over the reins for the first time in his career to Producer/Arranger Steve Wallace, the two struck a perfect partnership and blew open new ground in the sound, look, and feel of what defines Phil’s music. Under Wallace’s impeccable creative vision “Casualties” introduces new influences and instruments to Putnam’s trademark piano-rock sound, diving deep into programming and electronic music against unflinchingly evocative string quartets, woodwinds and horns. The resulting depth of communication and new sound displays dynamic growth in Putnam’s work and boldly opens the most exciting chapter in his career.

With so much already accomplished and so much to celebrate, it may be tempting to think that he is nearing the end of his run. However, if anything is true of Phil Putnam, it is this: there is always more. There is no stopping his insatiable need to live life well and make exceptional music. He will always change. He will always sing. He will discover what he needs to write about, who he can write for, and he will never stop.

There is always more, because he will always grow.

Inside the Song Dancing Down Your Demons

Thank you Phil for sharing this video with out listeners

You can visit Phil Putnam and order his CD's at his website PhilPutnam.com

Help Wanted.......

Have you ever thought about hosting a show? Do you have an idea that you would like to share? Blockhead Radio is expanding our talk shows and we are looking for hosts for new shows.

BHR is a family friendly live streaming Internet radio station. Our shows are centered around independent artisans and family life. We currently have 9 live broadcasts a week and are looking to expand to 35 shows. Some of the show themes we are looking at are:

Decorating on a Budget
Gardening
Tech Review
Fishing Show
Family/Kid
Movie/DVD Review

If you have a working knowledge or interest in the above topics please let us know. We are also looking for new concept shows. We just ask that they would be of interest to artisans/music listeners/sahm/wahm. Please on political, religious, or negative shows.

What is in it for you? Recognition. Fans. Stalkers. Each host will have a page on www.blockheadradiolive.com with a bio and links. This is a great way to build your customer base or drive traffic to your site. On rebroadcast shows there will be a click through banner on the player to your site. And it's a lot of fun.

What is required from you. Commitment. You would be required to do a weekly or biweekly broadcast. We are flexible on times but it would need to be Monday through Friday. We have limited prime time slots available and they will be issued as available. Day shows are great too. You would need to setup a Skype account (free) and have a headset (about $18.00). You would also need to be able to do a post show article for our blog. That and content.

Hosting a radio show is a riot. You will meet a lot of new friends and with the interactivity with the chat room keeps the shows going.

If you are interested in hosting a show please contact rod@blockheadradio.com.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Advertising Special......................

Right now BHR is running a special deal on 30 second commercials with click through banners. We are going to offer a total of 25,000 impressions at a discount rate. They are sold in CPM blocks. CPM is frequently used in advertising to represent cost per thousand (where M is the roman numeral of 1000). When used in advertising it relates to the cost per thousand page impressions. Using the CPM model the advertiser is guaranteed that a minimum number of listeners will hear their ad.

So 25 are up for sale at $15.00 each. You can purchase one block or all of them. The normal price for an audio ad with banner is $35.00 CPM so this a $20.00 savings.

How this works is your commercial is put into rotation and is played at various times of the day. You are guaranteed that 1000 people will hear your ad and see your banner. While your ad is playing listeners are able to click on your banner in the player and your site will open up in a new window.

The advertiser is responsible for scripting and their banner. Banner size is 240 pixel x 240 pixel. For the scripting, two to three sentences are usually sufficient. If you are having problems with writing a script we will help you with this and we do the voice overs.

If you have any questions or would like to purchase an ad contact us at advertising@blockheadradio.com

Thanks

Good Sunday Morning...Did You Change Your Clocks?

Gooooood morning Blockheads. Just checking in to see if you remember to set your clocks forward an hour!! Losing an hour can be tough, indeed.

So, what would you have done with your hour today had you not lost it?

Slept? Created? Networked? Eaten? Do tell!!


~~~Blockhead Radio

Artisan Teams and Groups--Etsy Paper Street Team

Join Katy Jamison and Lily at 1 p.m. eastern time today. Find out more about this street team and it's members.

The EtsyPaper Street Team is a collection of talented artists, who's Etsy Shop items are mostly paper related. The EtsyPaper Street Team offers everything from cards & stationery, to handmade supplies and more!

FNFFA---Come on Down!!

The weekend is over, and we ALL need a break!! Join us at 9 pm Eastern for the Friday Night Free For All!! Great chat, tunes, talk and laughs!! As always, it's BYOB..sorry, we still haven't figured out that technology!

So we want to see you there! Kick back, fling the shoes and coat across the room, and RELAX!

9 pm Eastern right here on www.blockheadradiolive.com!

And the Winner Is...............................

I know I am a day late, but I wanted to wait for Witchy to get back. We have a winner for our 'Free Advertising Giveaway'.

Thanks to everybody that did a blog post and if I could you all would have won......let me think on that maybe I can work something out..........................

K, the winner is:

www.leakymouth.blogspot.com won a 30 second in-stream audio commercial for your website/shop, complete with free script and voice over! This ad is for 5 thousand impressions, which means AT LEAST 5 thousand people will hear your ad!! This is a $112 value!

Congratulations LeakyMouth

Get Your Hemp On...Tonight with Artisan Spotlight

Got Hemp? Well, join us tonight when Ruthie of RoseWorks Jewelry interviews Tiffany of Selenia (Phat Hemp Handmade Hemp Jewelry). 9pm Eastern!

You can learn all about Tiffany and what makes her and her hemp jewelry tick! Learn about her art, her business, and more! Ruthie will field questions from the chat room as well as on the studio line/Skype.

As always, excellent indie music will be playing as well! So come join us for fun, laughs, chat and hemp--jewelry!!

9 pm on www.blockheadradiolive.com

Remember, you do not HAVE to keep the website open! Launch the player, listen in, and go about your business! BHR is great to craft by!

~~Blockhead Radio, Exposing Artisans to the World

What is Blockhead Radio?

What is Blockhead Radio? That seems to be the million dollar question of late. The best way to figure out who we are is to go back to the beginning. I started out last year with a blog called 'Etsy Spotlight On'. It was an homage to my wife and her friends to help bring some traffic to their Etsy shops. Monday through Friday I would feature a new seller from Etsy. Let me just say, it snowballed from there. Etsy Spotlight On led to several blogs that featured artisans.

One day last September I was asked by a friend to be a guest on her BTR radio show. I was hooked and the following week I started 'The Blockhead Rod Show'. The shows were just an extension of what I was doing with the blogs. Exposing artisan's and sharing tips and tricks on how to market, set up blogs, etc. I really enjoyed doing the shows, but something was missing..........enter indie music, Witchy, and the fun.

We expanded on our shows and built a following on BTR. We hit the limit with the number of shows and time that we were able to broadcast. The next step was to start our own station. Here's BHR.

Now I am going to be honest here. I didn't have a clue. I spent many hours researching Internet radio and all the options that were out there. What we created was out of the "norm", meaning we are a stand alone station. We do not belong to any radio groups/business'. I patch worked together a encoder, phone system, and chat into one package. Still not sure how, but hey it works......now..................most of the time.

Somethings have been changing lately and we are trying to 'find' ourselves. One thing that had set us apart from most shows on the 'net was that we were kid friendly. We seemed to have slipped out of that over the past couple weeks, but we are back to being PG-13 on all of our shows. We started moving away from the artisan shows and more on just fun and music. I don't know what to say. It is a business now and we have been trying to find what works. I have come to the conclusion that what works is what we started as. A Talk Radio station that promotes indie artisans, including the musicians, and life in general. We are going back to that. Here is a current list of shows on BHR:

The Morning BrewHaHa........hey still gotta have coffee and fun in the morning.

Artisan for Artisan. Tips, tricks, and ways to improve your online presence. We are including 'Ask Huck' with this show.

Sneak Attack Live. Joining up with the handmade movement has been a lot of fun. Chain does a great job putting together sneak attacks week after week.

Thursday Spotlight On. Ruthie does a great job of exposing a new artisan every week.

Artisan Team and Group. Lily spotlights a new group every Saturday. This is a great way to find out about teams/groups that you might benefit from joining.

These shows are live every week. We are looking to add to our talk show schedule. In pre-production right now we have 'Tough Times', a show to help you balance the budget and save money. Cooking with Mr Moo...........that's right a cooking show. Book of the Month show. I have several more ideas for shows and if you are interested in being a host, please contact me.

Gardening/Plant Show

Kids and Teens Show

New Discovery Show

Art Instruction Show

Fishing Show

Tech Show

From the list I guess you can see what type of station we are becoming. A talk radio station playing great music while exposing indie artisan and talking about living and having fun in your everyday life. Yep that sums it up and we are going to do it in a way that kids can listen in.

These are just the tip of the iceberg. There are a lot of ideals out there and we are looking to add a full schedule. The majority of the shows are going to be prerecorded and rebroadcast at different time through out the week. Also we are working on a system to be able to rebroadcast our live shows. This is in the works.

We are recruiting new listeners. If you have not taken the time to listen to our little station I urge you to do so. We have a lot fun and pass along some great ideas. we only ask that you check any attitude, religion, and politics at the door.

The Artisan Challenge will be back in a few weeks. You wanna talk some fun and exposure...........more on this to come.

Some Advertising deals.........right now you can purchase 1000 impressions with a click able ad for $15.00. There are 24 of these left. You can buy as many as you like for the price. Advertiser will be responsible for the banner (240 x 240 pxl) and the scripting for the commercial. Contact advertising@blockheadradio.com for more information.

We are working on some show sponsorship spots and a coop commercial with Charlie the crazy chipmunk.

Sneak Attack and Dare Dukes on tap for tonight

Join Chain at 7 pm eastern time tonight for another sneak attack.......come and join in on the fun.

Dare Dukes will be joining us live on the air at 9 pm tonight...............be there.

What is on your mind?

What is on your mind? Five words that can open a lot of different conversations. Well tonight at 8:30 p.m. eastern time that is what I am going to ask you. I've tried guessing and looking at numbers, now I want it straight from you.

What is on your mind?

www.blockheadradio.com

I request a do-over.........

Well happy Monday to you. We have now entered into the wonderful month of March. It seems to have come in like a lion......so it should go out as a lamb.

Last week was a total loss. I remember being that sick when I was a child and Huck might say I was acting like a baby last week. I really don't ever remember being that ran down and out of it. The week was a total blur. I'm back on my feet now........kind of. As long as I lean against something sturdy that is. Since last Wednesday was my birthday I request a do-over.

I will be back to work full time starting tomorrow. I have a lot of emails to answer, so please have some patience with me there. There have been several new musicians that have submitted music and I will be taking a listen and getting back to you by the end of the week.

There will be now Artisan for Artisan show this week. Witchy is in the process of relocating her home and I do not have anything prepared. Do not fret though, we will be back.

On tap this week are Dare Dukes on Wednesday, Ruthie on Thursday, and HotLips on Saturday.

We are looking for some feedback. Tell us the pros and cons of the station. What do you like? What do you dislike? Are you able to launch the player? What would you like to see added?

I do want to thank all of our listeners for tuning in. We have got some great things planned with you in mind.

Till then.......Have a Great Monday,
Blockhead

Good Luck Witchy!!!!!!

Well, the time has come..our Witchy (www.agoodwitchtoo.etsy.com) is prepping to move! So we will not hear her beautiful voice until Friday, possibly later...if the chipmunk tries to interrupt her move any.

But don't worry!! Witchy will be back with all her soapy goodness! However, we are not telling Charlie where she's moving to...so if you know, don't tell him. That crazy chipmunk will stalk her!

He's even tried to lure her with the ploy of storage space:



Naughty chipmunk!

Witchy, we wish you the safest of trips, best of luck, and as much chocolate and alcohol that is needed for the move!

WE LOVE YOU WITCHY!

Our Clubhouse on ByHand.Me!!

Everyone is invited to our little clubhouse on www.byhand.me!!

Blockhead Radio Clubhouse

ByHand is not a selling venue, but an artisan directory where people can connect and share ideas, thoughts, etc. Sort of like myspace for handmade! :)

Come on down to our clubhouse!! Boys ARE allowed!! We promise not to bite.......

unless you want us to....

Is Anyone A Nurse? Doctor? Pharmacist?

Apparently there is a funk going around Blockhead Radio and we are trying to nurse some BHR DJ's back to health!! So if you wonder why you don't hear your favorite voices quite as much the past few days, we apologize and will be back to entertaining you ASAP. In the meantime, enjoy what we REALLY do best, which is crank out the awesome music!

Want to help us heal faster? Well, then by all means be sure to check out our fantastic challenge to get Blockhead Rod in a BALLERINA costume!! CLICK HERE to learn how you can help! We are serious!

Get great rates on advertising, excellent customer service...and best of all....we tutu'ize Blockhead Rod!

We've decided "tutu'ize" is a word here at BHR.