My Sony Reader

My husband spoils me - I'll freely admit it. He helps around the house, plans special trips and activities that he knows I'll like, and is MUCH better at picking out gifts than I am.

One of the things he bought me last Christmas was my Sony Reader. It was something that I had drooled over but just couldn't justify buying for myself. As a preface, I have an overflowing bookcase that somehow also flows into all areas of the house and the books never seem to make it back to their bookcase home. A couple of times a year I'll cull them out and donate the ones I've read or pass them around at work on the condition that I don't get them back. This paring doesn't seem to help - the bargain book bins and discount book stores just call my name!

Anyway, I love the reader. It's a great size for traveling, the battery life is really good, and (for those who perpetually turn down a page corner to mark their page) it automatically bookmarks the book you are reading. Downloading books is cheaper than buying a paperback (and many libraries have started having ebooks that you can "check" out and expire on your due date) and there are many classics that you can get absolutely free! I have already downloaded Emma and Jane Eyre - two of my alltime favorites - for future reading. He even got the one with a touch screen - so easy to use and I don't have to worry about losing my place!

I love my Sony Reader and would recommend it for any book lover out there!

Back in the Swing

Well, it's time to get back into the swing of things. Today I reflected back on the last few months and found myself wondering where the time goes. I deliberately took some time off from blogging (so sorry if you've been checking but I just couldn't seem to write!) to get settled into a new job, try to figure out which direction to take the jewelry, all while I still am really, really missing my girl (see post below).

The job (well, technically I have been there seven months now so I can't consider it a "new" job) has me really hopping - in a good way. I've learned a new database (its the same system used a some really large amusement parks and ticketing services) and have become very involved with training - something I love to do. The days fly by and I count myself blessed to have a job I actually enjoy. On the Etsy site, I often see posts about wanting to do their craft as a full-time job - I'm not sure I want that. I'd love to be successful at what I do but have also discovered that I don't handle being home most of the time very well.

I hope everyone out there is also doing well and would love to hear about your jobs, Etsy shops and life in general. Best wishes for the upcoming New Year!

Discovered! Savage Artworks

Whenever I browse around the Etsy site, I am overwhelmed by the amount of talent and creativity that I find there. This brought to mind an idea that I thought would be fun - what about sharring these sweet little "discoveries" with other folks? Well, I decided to go ahead and do just that. Note that permission has been given by the "discovered" artist to use their photos so you can see just how beautiful their work really is!

This week: Savage Artworks

Beautiful artwork! I love animals and Terry's work is unbelievably detailed - the shop has been a favorite of mine for awhile. Like what you see? Feel free to visit Savage Artworks!

A Sad Day

Oh my - as I logged into my account I realized just how long it has been since I have touched my little blog. I do apologize but the last few weeks have been a bit trying. I started a new job (good news) and all seems to be going along smoothly.

On a much sadder note, I lost my beloved girl - my collie, Amber - about a week ago. For those who know me a bit, you'll know that she was my little love, my shadow and I am having a tough time adjusting to life without her. My husband and I brought her home when she was 10 weeks old and she was a bit over 11 when we had to say goodbye. You can see her beautiful face in my avatar - one that won't be changing in memory of her. For those who have pets and understand how much they contribute to your life, you understand.

You'll always hold a special place in my heart, little one - I miss you.

New Orleans

Just returned from a trip to New Orleans! My husband planned a long weekend away for us to NOLA and we had so much fun! I haven't had a chance to download the pictures yet, but I'll be sharing them with everyone this weekend. I'm really excited - one of them actually includes a baby alligator (stay tuned)!

I'll write down more details this weekend but Rich went all out on this one. We had a different style of tour each day so that we could see different parts of the city. He must have researched for hours - my poor little feet were so sore but well worth the pain. We saw the (in)famous Bourbon Street area, did a haunted house tour, saw one of the oldest cemeteries in New Orleans, took a city tour, soaked in some history at two different plantations, and rode around the swamp. To round it all out, on our last night he signed up for a carriage ride through the city (for animal lovers such as myself, New Orleans has strict regulations regarding the mules - they can only work for 6 hours at a time, they have a required amount of time off during the month, and the licensing).

I would love to have you check back later if you're interested!

Letter stamps

Just before Christmas, I bought some new alphabet stamps. I made a few items for the holiday craft shows, but really didn't want to get caught up in the whole personalization thing that everyone else seems to be doing. Don't get me wrong - I love some of the personalized pieces. But it is also something that is being done by so many others and I wanted to find a different way to express my creativity.

One of my first pieces that didn't get thrown into the silver recycle pile is my new Faith Necklace. Not because it came out perfectly - quite the opposite. The letters are not lined up perfectly and in a neat little row. I kept it (and listed it in my shop) primarily because of the meaning behind the necklace. Life itself can be a bit up and down - and NEVER (at least for me) seems to go as planned. But you need to keep the faith and you'll get through it.

It was really hard for me not to remake this piece as I tend to be a perfectionist. More silver has been put into the recycle pile just because of some minor flaw that I knew was there. This was a change of pace and I kind of like it. I know it's not absolutely perfect - but who is? What do you think?

EtsyHacks

For those of you who have Etsy shops - did you know about etsyhacks? This has been a topic lately on the forums and I finally decided to check it out. Most have been programmed to run in a Firefox web browser (instead of Internet Explorer), but there are a few you can use with IE.

To find out more information, check out the etsyhacks blog - it notes all of the hacks available, as well as lots of other topics. To find out which hacks can be accessed using IE and Firefox, you can check out the scripts page. There is also a link for installing greasemonkey, which allows the little programs to run.

And finally, if you are just curious to see what is available, you can find that on the latest releases page of the site.

Please note - I have NOT installed these yet myself. I also do not necessarily advocate downloading information from unknown sources. The information noted has been used and tried by many users on the Etsy site and I thought it might be helpful to some of my Etsy shop readers.

Other helpful Etsy sites:

Let'sEts - Googlebase formatter.
The Heart-o-matic from CraftCult - see who hearts your shop and products - just enter in your shop name. No downloads necessary.
Etsyfeeder - allows you to tag and organize your favorite items and shops.
Featsy - send you a notification if your product is featured.

Enjoy!

Hearts for you!

Yup - the picture says it all! Hope you enjoy the day!

Birthstones, birthstones, birthstones!

I've been experimenting with lots of things lately - and one of these is a new setting for stones. I love birthstone necklaces so, once I found a setting that I liked, it seemed a natural path to add them to my Etsy shop. For some color punch (and because I happened to love the colors when I saw them!) a bright orange and a champagne color cubic zirconia also found their way into the mix.

Tangerine Necklace

All birthstones available!

My New PDA!

By my own admission, I am one of the last people to get onboard the technology train. Not that I don't like technology - it certainly makes life easier - but I tend to be a late adopter type of person. A new item needs to be out for awhile and get all of the bugs worked out before I spend my hard earned money on it.

When it came time to renew my cell phone plan, I decided to upgrade my phone to a Blackberry Curve. It was a business decision (or so I told myself!) for several reasons. First of all, I can be notified when a potential customer has a question - it will allow me to respond faster and provide better customer service. AND it has a great calendar and contacts feature - no more having to carry around a pocket calendar and everything is in one nice little place. I can also renew items from my phone without having to log into a computer.

The big day - my phone arrives. It is pink (is there really any other color - LOL! my husband was horrified!) and has all the little bells and whistles. So cool! At least, until I try to access my Etsy account - with no luck. According to Etsy tech support "We've found that mobile devices do not support Etsy very well, if at all." Really? Funny. I would have thought that Etsy doesn't support the mobile technology but hey - what do I know?

I still love my little gizmo though - it's a keeper and I think I'm addicted!

Lately

I know, I know - it HAS been a long time since I have posted. What can I say? Life has been a bit crazed. My grandmother had a "spell" and I spent some time in Maine trying to get her settled into an assisted living facility. I started a new job this past summer, only to have the position eliminated at the beginning of the month. This is also my busy time of year since craft show season is upon us here in NH and I signed up for a number of those. Thank goodness I did! I thought a part-time position would be easily found this time of year - and I am wrong. It would appear that the economy has affected retail as well and some places are not even hiring for the season (or they already have their staff in place).

On the bright side, I have lots of time to create. And I've met lots of my NH Street Team members at recent craft shows - and I have to say, we have a GREAT team! For me, this is a huge bonus to actually put faces and names together. Not to mention, the talent! We are trying to schedule a get-together after the holiday season and I'm really looking forward to it since I've already met some of our members.

I hope you'll check back - now that I have more time, I'm hoping to be able to post to my blog a bit more often and I'd love to hear from all of you!

Autumn is in the air!

On my way to work this morning, I noticed the tree leaves are beginning to change color here in New Hampshire. A sure sign that autumn is on the way - well, that and all of the bright yellow school buses on the road!

For me, another autumn "new" tradition is the craft shows that I will be attending. I thought I had tons of time to prepare but now I realize that my first show is only a month away! I know time flies as you get older but at this rate I'm going to turn ninety by December!

I'm really looking forward to this season. Our NH Street Team has been busy and we've all been sharing information about various shows, contacts, and events. Katy (aka muchachak) has been hard at work with the Concord Arts Market. Our street team is planning on getting together for a couple of hours and work on projects while chatting with each other. It should be tons of fun and a great way to get to know other team members.

I've also been working on my Etsy shop, trying to build inventory and take better pictures to entice people to browse through the store. Some of my new items:

Pretty Raspberry Pearls Necklace

I love pearls and found some really beautiful little freshwater pearls at my favorite bead shop. Lots of colors! This necklace is available in a gorgeous green, beautiful blue and (of course) a lovely ivory.

Hoot-ee Owl Earrings

Lime Green Saucer Earrings

I would love to hear about your autumn plans!

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

It's Grilling Season!

I know, I know - what does this have to do with jewelry? Absolutely nothing! But I thought I would share one of my favorite grilling recipes with all of my blogger buddies as a "something different".

Now, this is a really complicated recipe so be sure to follow the directions closely. One slip up and the whole thing could be ruined (like I could cook that way!!) I actually have requests from friends to bring these to parties, which is amazing since I am a basic cook at best. The great thing about this recipe is that you cannot mess it up - as long as the hot sauce mix touches most of the chicken, they will be fabulous. I've adjusted how much hot sauce and ranch dressing I use, depending on the size of the package of chicken, but it is a total taste preference.

Slow Burn Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

• Family pack of chicken wings (I like to cut the tips off the wings and then cut them in half but you can certainly leave them whole if you prefer)
• Large bottle of hot sauce (generally found with the marinades - I like Frank's Red Hot but pick whichever you like or prefer)
• One package dry Ranch dressing mix

Directions:

Wash and place your chicken wings into a large ziploc style bag. Mix the hot sauce and ranch dressing together. Pour mixture over chicken wings, securely close the bag, and let the mixture marinate for 24-48 hours (the longer they soak, the richer the flavor) in the refrigerator. Grill the wings on a medium heat until cooked through and serve hot.

An alternate to grilling these would be to broil them, making sure to watch them closely to avoid burning them. I prefer to grill since chicken wings tend to smoke a bit and much better to have this happen outdoors.

Enjoy!

Busy, busy, busy

Hello all my blogger friends! I've missed you all but needed to take some time to find a new job (I HATE sending out resumes and job hunting) and get settled into my new position (now into the second week). While that has been happening, my little Etsy shop, my blog and creating fun new pieces have all taken the back seat (so to speak). I've been thinking of you all often!

Now I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things! I've been experimenting with new materials again and have some fresh, new items that I will be posting up to my shop over the next couple of weeks.

To give you a peek, I have some bright and colorful necklaces (pictured below) that would be great for the summer months or as a gift to that tween/teen in your life. I'd love to hear your thoughts on them! The rubber cords and sterling silver are perfect for those hot and humid summer days!

Featured EtsyBlogger - Cozy

Looking for fabulous handknit items for your home? Well, look no further! One of my fellow EtsyBloggers, Cozy, has terrific AND functional items for you to use and make your home more "cozy".

These kitchen cloths are among one of my favorite items in Cozy's shop. I love the oatmeal color and I can just imagine using them in my kitchen instead of those that anyone can buy at Walmart.

Cozy also carries some really adorable accessories. As a paisley fan, I fell in love with this Blue Paisley headband:
Have fun shopping!

What have you been up to lately?

My goodness - I can't believe how quickly spring has sprung. My poor little blog has suffered mightily since I have been trying to enjoy the warm spring weather and get some long neglected outdoor chores done. Here in NH, the lilacs are starting to bloom (is there a more heavenly scent?), my bleeding hearts have blooms on them, and I have lovely little green shoots popping up everywhere!

With the upcoming summer, I decided to also add a new product line to my jewelry selection - belly rings! I've added some photos below - I'd love some feedback on them since it is such a new item for me!

"Starfish"

"Butterfly"

"Mr. Sun"

So what have you been doing lately?

Recycling sterling silver

I recently discovered that you can recycle your scrap sterling silver by sending it in to be refined. In the interest of reuse and recyle, I thought I would post a list of companies that will recyle your scrap sterling (or other precious metals). Most of these companies offer a choice of either a check back or credit toward a future purchase.

G&S Metals

Hauser & Miller

Hoover and Strong

Marvin Tanner, Silversmith

Midwest Refineries

Monsterslayer

Rio Grande

In the interest of full disclosure, I have not personally used any of these companies yet - I'm still saving my scrap for a rainy day. But I save every single link of chain, cut off headpin, and wire that didn't wrap properly for a raindy day payoff - AND it's good for the environment! Talk about a win-win situation!