29 December 2011

BESTeam Features

As part of my BESTeam commitment, once per week I will be posting short features of three of the fabulous shops and talented artisans who comprise the team.  What is BESTeam?  It's The Boosting Etsy Shops Team!  Our goal is to give support and help promote each others' Etsy shops through blogging, facebook and other social networks.  If you are an Etsy shopowner and are interested in learning more about BESTeam, please visit the team page on Etsy or have a look at the BESTeam blog. 


Blue White Wear - Etsy Shop | Blog | Twitter

The Tree of Life is a universal symbol found in many cultures and spiritual traditions around the world. And for the Na'vi from Avatar, it is their Hometree (lol). The tree on this gorgeous necklace is a symbol of love, wisdom, rebirth, strength, redemption, friendship, bounty and encouragement.


GMaEllen - Etsy Shop | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

This gorgeous crocheted tote is definitely on my wish list. Look at all the yarn it can hold (take a look at the other listing photos)! I love the colours too! For those who don't crochet (or knit), this tote would also be great for keeping those toys off the floor, or putting all those magazines in the same place. You get the idea, right?


Joy Flower - Etsy Shop | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Jewellery is a newer product line from JoySilk. Joy's pendants and earrings are lightweight, and they coordinate beautifully with the scarves that she paints. This lovely aquamarine earring pair is one of my favourites.


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28 December 2011

What I Made Wednesday


I didn't make a whole lot this past week. With Christmas on the weekend, many family get-togethers, spending quality time with Jeffery and the kids, who can blame me?

I have made a few journals, though. Some leather, and some from vintage books. I purchased a boat-load of paper, too. It's a different paper, not the usual card stock. It's the same natural colour, but it's thinner, so I can get more pages into a journal without the huge bulk that card stock gives.


I did do some organizing as well. It's a good time of the year to do that, don't you think? I de-cluttered (somewhat) my craft closet, which allows me to work there again! lol

It's a good thing that I took the time to organize my inventory too. I received an order for a journal on December 14. I brought the order to the post office that evening with expedited shipping to ensure the customer got the journal on time for Christmas. On December 19, when I organized my inventory, I discovered the journal that this customer had purchased was still in the tote! GAH!!! You can imagine the near-heart attack I got from that mistake!

I messaged the customer right away and told her my mistake, and I mailed out the correct journal within the hour, using the next shipping level up from Expedited (XpressPost, I think). The customer wrote me back and said that she will return the incorrect journal back to me. She got the correct journal the day after she got the first one. She wrote me back right away and said she was going to return the incorrect journal.

The moral of this story is DOUBLE CHECK what you are sending to your customer! I had never made this mistake before, and I was so sure I sent her the correct journal. It must have been one of those sleep-deprived days.

It could have been worse; I could have sent her someone else's journal! Now that would have been a disaster. Thankfully, I sent her a journal that I had just made, I hadn't even listed it yet. My customer was so understanding, not in the least upset about it (not by her words in her messages, anyway). I'm just glad that I caught the mistake, and that the issue was resolved relatively quickly.

I also went through all my Christmas cards (For Any Occasion), and I organized them into three piles:
1. to sell again next year
2. to sell next year as sets
3. to sell as a hugely discounted set

This way, I won't have Christmas cards coming out of my wazoo next year, and I have room for more new and awesome designs for next year!

That's all for now, folks!

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25 December 2011

My Favourite Christmas Movie

My all time favourite Christmas movie is The Muppet Christmas Carol.


It's a muppet play on the Dickens' classic. Narrated by Gonzo and Rizzo,


Kermit as Bob Cratchit,


and fabulous Michael Caine as Scrooge.


To me, Christmas is not Christmas until I have seen the Muppet Christmas Carol.

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23 December 2011

Family Friday

Sunday was the children's Christmas production during church. Alexander's class sang two songs. Alexander, however, just stood there. no actions, no words. But that's not much of a surprise. If he did either of those two things, I would have been surprised! But he did look cute up there!


During the week, we went to PFLC (school), and Alexander and Isabel did great! I love seeing Alexander opening up to playing with other kids. On Thursday, he was building towers with a child he hadn't played with before! It was nice. He is also doing a bit better with sharing the "Thomas" (tank engine toy). That reminds me, we were planning on getting Alexander a Thomas for Christmas... oops...


Isabel is as head strong as ever. She has recently learned how to climb up onto the dining room chairs, and when she realizes that she can't get down, she yells at me until I get her down. I have to admit, there has been a couple of times where I just let her hang there for a few seconds, wailing, hoping that she will finally learn her lesson. But no.


Wednesday was Isabel's first birthday! I wrote a birthday post for her. We're not doing anything special because:
1. we're seeing my parents later today to have our family Christmas dinner, where we will also have birthday cake for Isabel and myself
2. we're seeing Jeffery's mom tomorrow, where she can also say "Happy Birthday" to her then
3. she's only 1. she won't remember that we didn't celebrate her birthday.
Case closed.


Isabel has been rubbing off on Alexander, though. Before Isabel came along, Alexander was a relatively neat kid, putting his toys away on his own accord; and never making much of a mess. Now...



Let me just say that it has been messier. And I know that to many mothers, this is not really a big mess, but it is to me! I can't stand it! I will be very happy when Isabel finally learns to put things away.

Anyhoo. That's all there is for now.

Until next week, Merry Christmas!

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22 December 2011

BESTeam Features

As part of my BESTeam commitment, once per week I will be posting short features of three of the fabulous shops and talented artisans who comprise the team.  What is BESTeam?  It's The Boosting Etsy Shops Team!  Our goal is to give support and help promote each others' Etsy shops through blogging, facebook and other social networks.  If you are an Etsy shopowner and are interested in learning more about BESTeam, please visit the team page on Etsy or have a look at the BESTeam blog.


KC Dragonfly - Etsy Shop | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Kristine made these beauties with handmade glass beads with a pink rose design. They dangle 1.5" down on a sterling silver hook.


Empty On The Inside - Etsy Shop | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

This 5x7 card is a wonderful way to say "Happy New Year". I love the champagne bubbles, and how the sentiment seems to sink to the bottom of the "glass".


RioRita - Etsy Shop | Blog | Website

The last time I featured RioRita, I highlighted earrings that matched this pendant necklace. And when I saw this necklace, I knew I had to feature it next! It's so lovely!


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21 December 2011

Happy Birthday, Isabel!


Today is Isabel's first birthday! She popped out after only 2.5 hours of labour and 3 pushes, even though she was 9 lbs 2 oz. She seemed ready to get moving, ever since she was born - she was trying to hold her own head up on the first day!

The most notable feature of Isabel was her cheeks. they. were. huge.


Obviously, this picture was taken at such an angle to accentuate her cheeks. They weren't really that big.

For the first few months of her life, Isabel was a bit of a cranky baby, not really content unless someone was holding her. But that lasted only a short while.


Isabel is loved dearly by her daddy and mommy and brother Alexander.

At one year old, Isabel has four teeth, and she has been walking for 2.5 months. She also babbles away, making sure everyone can hear her. She is also fearless. She has tried to crawl down the stairs... Isabel also LOVES to make a mess. She is constantly pulling toys, books and movies off the shelves and throwing them behind her onto the floor.

Isabel's favourite game is to walk away from mommy and wait for mommy to come up behind her and scare her, pick her up, and toss her onto her brother Alexander. It makes her squeal every time.


It is our prayer that Isabel will continue to grow healthy and strong. We continually pray that she will grow to love Jesus and be a shining light to everyone around her. We love you, Isabel!

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What I Made Wednesday


I haven't had a whole lot of time this past week to make anything. I've been busy with packing up orders, tracking packages, and keeping communication open between my and my customers. Who knew it would take up so much time?

I'm continuing to work on making hardcover journals for The Orange Windmill. I have a few paper-covered books, but I have around 13 vintage book covers ready to be made into journals as well. I'm really excited about this new line launch (subscribe to my newsletter for more information! - on the top right of this blog)!

I have also been busy thinking up new designs for my Valentine's Day line for For Any Occasion. I just have to find the time to make them, photograph them, edit the photos, and list them. That takes a lot of time too. But I love it, so I'm not complaining!

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Etsy's Front Page!!!

This leather journal gift set was featured on Etsy's front page in this treasury!

'A Moment of Joy and Delight' by Thebracelettree

Have you had one of the rare and joyous moments in the Year 2011 when you were so happy that you felt like you would burst at the seams?Tell me your story!Happy New Year from the TAGT Team!


Green Sheep plush short over...
$125.00

green and white .vintage. sh...
$35.00

Kelly Green Arrow Cocktail R...
$14.00

L is for LIBRARIAN 70s Silk ...
$28.00

emerald green flower shoe cl...
$32.00

Emerald green linen messenge...
$148.74

New Orleans Photography. Fre...
$30.00

Leather Journal Gift Set, Em...
$34.95

Oversized leather fold clutc...
$110.00

Holiday Accessories, New ha...
$27.00

Green Turquoise, Onyx and St...
$145.00

French Knots Color Progressi...
$60.00

15 Green Peeling Paint Photo...
$14.00

Green Emerald Necklace, Wire...
$50.00

Vintage Enamelware Bowls, Se...
$21.00

ONE Tree wetfelted Green se...
$11.50

The same journal set was featured on the Etsy Finds email today!! GA-WOOP!

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