US Holiday - Labor Day

For many of us here in the US, Labor Day weekend signifies the symbolic end of summer. The kids are heading back to school, the nights are starting to cool down, lightweight jackets come out of the closet, and sandals get retired. The long weekend looms before us like a special treat (unless you're working one of those industries like healthcare or retail, in which case special holidays really don't exist) - a last chance to go out and play in the warm summer sun before the fall season arrives.

Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894. All fifty states observe Labor Day, which was instituted as a day off for the "working man", according to Wikipedia. Many cities and towns have parades to celebrate.

For many of us, including myself, it is time to enjoy the last rites of summer passing. My husband and I always have a bar-b-que on Monday (the official holiday) and sit outside enjoying the cooler weather. With the extra day off, I also often take time to pack away items I won't be needing in the near future. My flower beds get one more pass - cutting and pruning away flowers that have faded so new ones can appear. As fall is one of my favorite times of year, I really don't mourn the passing of summer - the best is yet to come in my humble opinion.

Best wishes to all of my blogger friends to have a safe and happy Labor Day holiday weekend (or just an enjoyable weekend if you live outside the US).

Featured Etsyblogger!

This morning I woke up and packed a small suitcase - I'm heading to Maine to visit my Mom, brothers, grandmother and see lots of old friends! It takes 6 hours from my house to get there (yuck!) but I've got some great CDs for the trip and plan on stopping at one of my favorite bead shops on the way. Hmmmm, I wonder if I could write this off (LOL - just kidding IRS!)

OK - so onto the important stuff. The featured Etsyblogger of the month is .... *drum roll* ... Tulips Treasure Box! While there are many beautiful items in her shop, my mouth actually dropped open with this piece - so much work and attention to detail!

"Framboise Drupelet BLACK RASPBERRY Essential Oil Necklace"

Beautiful and functional - it allows you to fill the handmade essential oil glass vessel focal with your favorite scent. How cool is that?? Stop on by Tulips Treasure Box for more gorgeous items!

Getting back on track!

Slowly but surely I am getting back on track with my Etsy shop. This summer has been a bit difficult due to a number of things (job being the main item on the list) but things are finally starting to settle down and get back to normal.

This past weekend was spent catching up on housework, taking photos, and writing descriptions. Trying to come up with a quick way to post new items during my work breaks has been a challenge but I think I've finally come up with something that works. I send the pictures and a written description to my personal email from myself (make me feel like I'm getting mail!) and then its just a matter of copy/pasting the info onto the site.

Here are a couple of new items just posted up today - I hope you enjoy them!

Cool Tones Anklet - Sodalite, New Jade and Sterling Silver

Green Secrets Lariat Necklace - Swarovski crystals and sterling silver