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!